Sharing a Bible passage in a sermon slide, group chat, or newsletter shouldn't require guessing which app your audience uses. route.bible solves that by turning any Bible reference into a clean, app-agnostic link or QR code that opens the passage in whatever Bible app or browser the reader already has.^1
Paste a reference like "John 3:16" into the builder, pick a translation (from BSB, KJV, NKJV, ESV, NIV, NLT, CSB, LSB, NASB, NASB95, NRSV, NRSVUE, NET, and WEB), and route.bible generates a shareable link and a print-ready QR code on the spot. When someone taps the link or scans the code, a launcher page lets them open the passage in their preferred Bible app — no sign-ups, no downloads, no friction.^1 You can even add a simple tracking tag (like my_church) to see where scans originate.^1
In March 2026 the Route Bible for Chrome extension shipped to the Chrome Web Store, turning plain-text Bible references on any web page into clickable route.bible links — including shorthand like (1-3) on commentary-heavy study pages.^2 The extension is privacy-first: no sign-in, no background service worker, and the developer declares that it does not collect or use your data.^2
route.bible is part of the Selah Tools ecosystem, whose mission is to "turn spiritual intent into action" by removing friction from Scripture engagement in the everyday tools churches and developers already use.^3 A published route.bible Spec defines the URL contract behind every shared link — stable /jhn.3.16-style lowercase OSIS book codes, parse-friendly ?q= input, fallback-first resolution, and licensing-aware translation routing that respects copyright by sending restricted translations (ESV, NIV, etc.) to licensed destinations rather than hosting them.^4
Created by Dylan Shade, a University of Kentucky computer science graduate based in Louisville, Kentucky, who builds route.bible alongside grab-bcv — an open-source TypeScript library (now at v0.1.5 on npm) for parsing Bible passage references from natural text, OSIS strings, and shared links.^5 Dylan has publicly shared that the Lord recently changed his life in unimaginable ways, and his work is shaped by the conviction that technology can serve the movement of Scripture.^6 The Selah Tools suite now also includes noted.bible (a visual workspace for collecting and arranging Scripture) and continues research on Exedra Search and Everyone's Scripture.^3
Notable- Supports 14 Bible translations with a clean launcher UI^1
- QR codes are print-ready for slides, bulletins, and handouts^1
- Chrome extension live in the Chrome Web Store — linkifies references across the web with zero tracking^2
- Published route.bible Spec defines the canonical URL contract for builders and parsers^4
- Part of the Selah Tools suite alongside grab-bcv (open source), noted.bible, and upcoming products Exedra and Everyone's Scripture^3
- Completely free with no account required^1
