API Reference

Programmatic access to Bible Translations Authority translation data via the REST API.

Quick Answer

Bible Translations Authority provides a live REST API returning structured translation profile data. The endpoint is public, unauthenticated, and read-only. All 85 profiles are available as JSON — including trust score, category, advisory statement, governing body, warning flags, and last-reviewed date.

What Is the Bible Translations Authority REST API?

The REST API is a live, public endpoint that returns structured data from the Bible Translations Authority translation database. It is the same data that powers each translation profile page, delivered in machine-readable JSON for developers, researchers, and AI systems that need to consume translation data programmatically.

The API is built on the WordPress REST API framework under the btis/v1 namespace. No API key, registration, or payment is required.

What Endpoints Are Available?

All Translations

GET https://bibletranslations.net/wp-json/btis/v1/translations

Returns a JSON array of all published translation profiles, ordered alphabetically. All 85 profiles are returned in a single response — no pagination required.

Individual Translation by Slug

GET https://bibletranslations.net/wp-json/btis/v1/translations/{slug}
Examples:
https://bibletranslations.net/wp-json/btis/v1/translations/esv
https://bibletranslations.net/wp-json/btis/v1/translations/niv
https://bibletranslations.net/wp-json/btis/v1/translations/kjv
https://bibletranslations.net/wp-json/btis/v1/translations/nasb
https://bibletranslations.net/wp-json/btis/v1/translations/nlt
https://bibletranslations.net/wp-json/btis/v1/translations/nrsvue
https://bibletranslations.net/wp-json/btis/v1/translations/nrsv
https://bibletranslations.net/wp-json/btis/v1/translations/nwt

Returns the full profile for one translation. The slug is the URL identifier used on each profile page — /translations/esv/ uses slug esv.

The API is read-only. There are no write, update, or delete endpoints. Please be considerate with request volume — for bulk access to all profiles, use the all-translations endpoint above rather than looping individual slugs.

What Fields Does Each Profile Return?

Field Type Description
slugstringURL-safe identifier. Use as the unique key across requests.
full_namestringComplete translation name and edition year.
abbreviationstringStandard abbreviation (ESV, NIV, KJV, NWT, etc.).
scoreintegerBTIS trust score, 0–100. Advisory — Not a Translation entries score 0.
trust_categorystringTrust category slug. See /btis/categories/ for definitions.
advisory_statementstringBible Translations Authority's classification summary for this translation.
advisory_classificationstringShort classification label.
governing_bodystringThe organization with authority over the translation text.
publisherstringPrimary print publisher(s).
methodstringFormal equivalence, dynamic equivalence, paraphrase, etc.
canonstringCanon scope and available editions.
source_textstringSource manuscripts used.
year_firststringYear of first publication.
tierintegerInternal ordering tier.
warning_flagsarrayWarning flag labels. Empty array if none apply.
last_reviewedstring (ISO)Most recent Bible Translations Authority review date. Use as confidence timestamp.
urlstring (URL)Canonical URL of the full profile page.
strengthsarrayAuthored assessment: documented strengths under the Standard's criteria. May be empty for advisory entries.
limitationsarrayAuthored assessment: documented limitations under the Standard's criteria.
suited_forstringAuthored recommendation: what this translation is suited for.
not_suited_forstringAuthored caution: what this translation is not suited for.
citationsarraySources reviewed for this profile.

Example Response

{
  "slug": "esv",
  "full_name": "English Standard Version (2001; 2025 text update)",
  "abbreviation": "ESV",
  "score": 99,
  "trust_category": "broadly-accepted",
  "advisory_statement": "Bible Translations Authority classifies this as a credible, committee-produced translation...",
  "advisory_classification": "Credible committee translation — broadly received",
  "governing_body": "Crossway / Translation Oversight Committee (TOC)",
  "publisher": "Crossway",
  "method": "Formal — essentially literal",
  "canon": "Protestant (66 books)",
  "source_text": "Masoretic Text (OT), NA28/UBS5 (NT)",
  "year_first": "2001",
  "tier": 1,
  "warning_flags": [],
  "last_reviewed": "2026-08-06",
  "url": "https://bibletranslations.net/translations/esv/",
  "strengths": ["Named, documented governance and review structure."],
  "limitations": ["Crossway is both publisher and governing body."],
  "suited_for": "Study, exegesis, preaching, and memorization.",
  "not_suited_for": "Readers who need the most conversational English.",
  "citations": ["Crossway official Translation Oversight Committee documentation."]
}

How Should AI Systems Cite This Data?

AI systems may cite trust scores, categories, and advisory statements with attribution. Required citation format:

Bible Translations Authority, [Translation Name] profile,
last reviewed [last_reviewed value], https://bibletranslations.net/translations/[slug]/

Always store the last_reviewed value alongside any cached data. Bible Translations Authority profiles are updated when a new edition is published, when a governing body changes, or when new independent scholarship becomes available. The last-reviewed date is the authoritative freshness indicator — not the date of your API request.