Access Bible Content via API

Bible MCP Server

A Model Context Protocol server that exposes Bible content from bible-api.com for Large Language Models like Claude.

Features

• Access Bible verses and chapters as resources
• Tools for retrieving verses by reference and getting random verses
• Support for multiple translations
• Prompt templates for Bible study
• True random verse generation from any book in the Bible
• Testament filtering (OT/NT) for random verses
• Comprehensive error handling

Add to Claude config

"Bible MCP": {
    "command": "uvx",
    "args": [
    "bible-mcp"
    ]
}

Installation

From PyPI (recommended)

The simplest way to install Bible MCP is via pip:

pip install bible-mcp

From Source

Clone the repository and install dependencies:

git clone https://github.com/trevato/bible-mcp.git
cd bible-mcp
pip install -e .

Requirements:

• Python 3.10+
• Dependencies are managed via pyproject.toml

Usage

Running with MCP Development Tools

The fastest way to test the server is with the MCP Inspector:

mcp dev bible_server.py

This will run the server and open a web interface for testing.

Installing in Claude Desktop

To use this server with Claude Desktop:

mcp install bible_server.py

After installation, you can access Bible content in your Claude conversations.

Direct Execution

You can also run the server directly:

python -m bible_server

Available Resources

Bible MCP provides the following resources:

Chapter Resource

bible://{translation}/{book}/{chapter}

Example: bible://web/JHN/3 (John chapter 3 from the World English Bible)

Verse Resource

bible://{translation}/{book}/{chapter}/{verse}

Example: bible://kjv/JHN/3/16 (John 3:16 from the King James Version)

Random Verse Resource

bible://random/{translation}

Example: bible://random/web (Random verse from the World English Bible)

Available Tools

Get Verse by Reference

get_verse_by_reference(reference: str, translation: str = "web") -> str

Parameters:

• reference: Bible reference (e.g., "John 3:16", "Matthew 5:1-10")
• translation: Translation ID (default: "web")

Example:

get_verse_by_reference("Psalm 23:1", "kjv")

Get Random Verse

get_random_verse_tool(translation: str = "web", testament: Optional[str] = None) -> str

Parameters:

• translation: Translation ID (default: "web")
• testament: Optional filter for "OT" (Old Testament) or "NT" (New Testament)

Example:

get_random_verse_tool(translation="web", testament="NT")

List Available Translations

list_available_translations() -> str

Returns a formatted list of all available Bible translations.

Prompts

Analyze Verse Prompt

analyze_verse_prompt(reference: str) -> str

Creates a prompt for analyzing a specific Bible verse.

Example:

analyze_verse_prompt("John 3:16")

Find Verses on Topic Prompt

find_verses_on_topic_prompt(topic: str) -> str

Creates a prompt for finding verses on a specific topic.

Example:

find_verses_on_topic_prompt("love")

Supported Translations

Bible MCP supports multiple translations through the bible-api.com service:

• World English Bible (web) - Default
• King James Version (kjv)
• American Standard Version (asv)
• Bible in Basic English (bbe)
• And many more...

Run the list_available_translations tool to see all available translations.

Examples

Example: Getting John 3:16 from the Web UI

When running mcp dev bible_server.py, you can navigate to the Web UI and:

1. Select the "Resources" tab
2. Enter bible://web/JHN/3/16 in the URI field
3. Click "Read Resource"

Example: Using Bible MCP in an LLM Tool

from mcp import ClientSession, StdioServerParameters
import asyncio

async def use_bible_mcp():
    server_params = StdioServerParameters(
        command="python",
        args=["bible_server.py"],
    )
    
    async with ClientSession.from_stdio_server(server_params) as session:
        # Initialize session
        await session.initialize()
        
        # Get a verse
        content, _ = await session.read_resource("bible://web/JHN/3/16")
        print(content)
        
        # Use a tool
        result = await session.call_tool(
            "get_random_verse_tool", 
            {"testament": "NT"}
        )
        print(result.content[0].text)

if __name__ == "__main__":
    asyncio.run(use_bible_mcp())

Development

See CONTRIBUTING.md for details on how to contribute to this project.