What are the deuterocanonical books?

They are the seven books found in Catholic Bibles but not Protestant ones: Tobit, Judith, Wisdom, Sirach, Baruch, and 1 and 2 Maccabees, along with additional passages in Esther and Daniel. They come from the Septuagint, the Greek Old Testament used in the early church, and the Catholic Church counts them as inspired Scripture. Protestant traditions often call them the Apocrypha.

Why do the Psalm numbers look different from my Bible?

The Douay-Rheims uses the Septuagint and Vulgate numbering, which runs one behind the Hebrew numbering used in most modern Bibles through the middle of the book. So Psalms 23 in a modern Bible is Psalm 22 here. Both systems contain the same 150 psalms.

Is the Douay-Rheims an approved Catholic translation?

Yes. The Douay-Rheims, especially in its Challoner revision, was the standard English Catholic Bible for centuries and remains a respected Catholic translation. Modern Catholic Bibles like the New American Bible are more common at Mass today, but the Douay-Rheims is fully Catholic and, being in the public domain, can be shared freely in full.

Random Catholic Bible Verse

Drawn from all 73 books of the Catholic canon in the Douay-Rheims translation.

But the souls of the just are in the hand of God, and the torment of death shall not touch them.

Wisdom 3:1DRC

TranslationFrom

Drawing from 35,805 verses

This page draws a random verse from the full Catholic Bible, all 73 books recognized as canonical by the Catholic Church. Every click gives you a new verse with its complete text.

The translation we use

The verses on this page come from the Douay-Rheims Bible, Challoner revision. It is a historic English Catholic translation, rendered from the Latin Vulgate, and it has been read and prayed by English-speaking Catholics for centuries.

Because the Douay-Rheims Challoner text is in the public domain, we can display every verse in full, free, with nothing held back.

All 73 books, including the deuterocanon

Catholic Bibles include seven books that Protestant Bibles do not: Tobit, Judith, Wisdom, Sirach, Baruch, and 1 and 2 Maccabees. Catholic editions of Esther and Daniel also include additional passages.

These books are called the deuterocanonical books. They were part of the Septuagint, the Greek translation of the Scriptures widely used in the early church, and the Catholic Church holds them as fully inspired Scripture.

They are also worth reading. Tobit is a warm family story about faithfulness and providence. Judith tells of courage under siege. Wisdom and Sirach carry on the tradition of Proverbs with reflections on how to live well. Baruch is tied to the prophet Jeremiah's circle, and the books of Maccabees recount the struggle to stay faithful under persecution, the events behind Hanukkah.

A random verse tool is a friendly way to meet these books. Many people, including many Catholics, have never spent time in Sirach or Wisdom. Here, they show up right alongside Genesis and the Gospels.

A note on Psalm numbering

The Douay-Rheims follows the Septuagint and Vulgate numbering of the Psalms, which runs one behind the Hebrew numbering used in most modern Bibles for the majority of the book.

So the beloved shepherd psalm, Psalms 23 in most modern translations, appears as Psalm 22 in the Douay-Rheims. The two numbering systems line up again by the end, and both count 150 psalms in total.

If a psalm reference here looks one off from what you expected, that is why. Nothing is missing. It is simply a different traditional way of counting the same psalms.

How to use this page

Click for a verse, read it slowly, and if it speaks to you, look up the whole chapter. Scripture reading sits at the heart of Catholic devotion, and even one verse a day is a real beginning.

Frequently asked questions

What are the deuterocanonical books?: They are the seven books found in Catholic Bibles but not Protestant ones: Tobit, Judith, Wisdom, Sirach, Baruch, and 1 and 2 Maccabees, along with additional passages in Esther and Daniel. They come from the Septuagint, the Greek Old Testament used in the early church, and the Catholic Church counts them as inspired Scripture. Protestant traditions often call them the Apocrypha.
Why do the Psalm numbers look different from my Bible?: The Douay-Rheims uses the Septuagint and Vulgate numbering, which runs one behind the Hebrew numbering used in most modern Bibles through the middle of the book. So Psalms 23 in a modern Bible is Psalm 22 here. Both systems contain the same 150 psalms.
Is the Douay-Rheims an approved Catholic translation?: Yes. The Douay-Rheims, especially in its Challoner revision, was the standard English Catholic Bible for centuries and remains a respected Catholic translation. Modern Catholic Bibles like the New American Bible are more common at Mass today, but the Douay-Rheims is fully Catholic and, being in the public domain, can be shared freely in full.