Biblica The International Bible Society

A History Rooted in Scripture

Biblica—The International Bible Society traces its origins to December 4, 1809, when a group of civic and faith leaders gathered at the Manhattan home of Theodorus Van Wyck to establish the New York Bible Society. Among the founding members were Henry Rutgers, William Colgate, and Thomas Eddy—visionaries who shared a conviction that every person deserved access to the Holy Scriptures, regardless of circumstance.

Their original mission was direct and enduring: provide the Bible to immigrants arriving in New York Harbor, to patients in hospitals, to prisoners, and to anyone who needed to hear the Gospel message. Within a year of their founding, they funded their first Bible translation—William Carey's Bengali Bible for India—and in 1812, they launched a Bible ministry to the U.S. military that continues to this day.

The NIV: A Translation for the World

Perhaps no achievement defines Biblica's legacy more than its role as the original sponsor and copyright holder of the New International Version (NIV)—the most widely read contemporary English Bible translation in the world.

The NIV translation project began in 1965, driven by a desire for a faithful, readable, modern English Bible. In 1968, the organization (then operating as the New York Bible Society) became the project's financial sponsor, even mortgaging its own office buildings in Manhattan and New Jersey to fund the work. That investment of faith paid off: when the complete NIV Bible was published in 1978, the initial print run of over one million copies sold out before printing was even finished.

Today, more than 650 million NIV Bibles have been distributed worldwide. The text is maintained by the Committee on Bible Translation (CBT), a self-governing body of fifteen evangelical Bible scholars. No publisher or commercial entity controls how the NIV is translated—only the CBT holds that responsibility, ensuring the translation remains faithful, accurate, and clear for each generation.

Ministry and Vision

Biblica's purpose is both simple and ambitious: “The Bible for everyone, everywhere, to experience the life-changing Gospel of Jesus Christ.” This mission drives every facet of their work:

• Bible Translation — Biblica maintains a library of over 80 translations and is actively working with breakthrough technologies, including AI-assisted tools, to accelerate translation into the 3,500+ heart languages that still lack a full Bible. Their goal: access to Scripture in every language by 2033.
• Bible Distribution & Access — Through strategic partnerships with YouVersion (the Bible App, installed on 550+ million devices) and Bible Gateway, Biblica's translations reached over 226 million people with 16.5 billion digital engagements in recent years.
• Bible Engagement — Biblica produces innovative Bible resources that support evangelism and discipleship around the globe, partnering with mission organizations to bring Scripture to life in local communities.
• Digital Innovation — Projects like Tools.Bible (a centralized library of digital translation tools) and Open.Bible (free Creative Commons-licensed biblical texts) are breaking down barriers to Scripture access worldwide.

As a member of the illumiNations alliance of Bible translation agencies, Biblica is working alongside other organizations toward a shared goal: eradicating Bible poverty by 2033 and ensuring every person on earth has access to Scripture.

Key Milestones

Our Partnership

Our Bible app proudly features licensed NIV text made possible through our partnership with Biblica. When you read the New International Version in Bible: Chat, Widgets, Audio, you are engaging with a translation that has been carefully maintained for accuracy, clarity, and faithfulness across generations.

We are honored to partner with an organization whose commitment to making Scripture accessible aligns deeply with our own mission at Accessible Resources—building tools that make meaningful content available to everyone.