Why is the Psalm numbering different?

The Douay-Rheims numbers the Psalms the way the Septuagint and the Latin Vulgate do. Through most of the book, the number is one lower than in the KJV, so the shepherd psalm appears as Psalms 22 instead of Psalms 23. The psalms themselves are the same.

Does this Bible include the deuterocanonical books?

Yes. The Douay-Rheims includes Tobias, Judith, Wisdom, Ecclesiasticus, Baruch, and the two books of Machabees, along with the longer forms of Esther and Daniel. Catholic Bibles have long counted these books as Scripture.

Which edition of the Douay-Rheims is this?

The Challoner revision, completed between 1749 and 1752. It is the text of nearly every printed Douay-Rheims Bible today, so the verses you draw here will match the copy on your shelf.

Random Douay-Rheims Bible Verse

Draw a random verse from the Douay-Rheims (Challoner), 35,805 verses in all.

Have confidence in the Lord with all thy heart, and lean not upon thy own prudence.

Proverbs 3:5DRC

TranslationFrom

Drawing from 35,805 verses

The Douay-Rheims is the classic English Catholic Bible. The New Testament appeared at Rheims in 1582 and the Old Testament at Douay a generation later, the work of English Catholic scholars living in exile in France.

It is older than the King James Version, and the KJV translators knew it and consulted it. Its base text was the Latin Vulgate, the Bible of the Western Church for over a thousand years.

The text used by the tool above is the Challoner revision, completed between 1749 and 1752. Bishop Richard Challoner smoothed the English for the readers of his day, and his revision has been the standard Douay-Rheims ever since.

Why draw a random verse in the Douay-Rheims

For Catholic readers, this translation carries centuries of devotion. Its phrasing echoes through old prayer books, catechisms, and generations of family Bibles.

It is also the fullest Bible on this site. The Douay-Rheims includes the deuterocanonical books, such as Tobias, Judith, Wisdom, Ecclesiasticus, Baruch, and the two books of Machabees, so a random draw can surface passages you will not find in a Protestant Bible.

Many readers treat a random verse as a small act of lectio divina. Receive the verse, read it slowly, sit with it, and let it turn into prayer. Drawing one verse at random fits naturally into a morning or evening routine.

Reading notes

The Psalm numbering follows the Septuagint, the Greek Old Testament that the Vulgate leaned on. Most Psalms sit one number behind the KJV, so the shepherd psalm you may know as Psalms 23 appears here as Psalms 22.

Some book names differ too. Revelation is called the Apocalypse, Chronicles is Paralipomenon, and the Song of Solomon is the Canticle of Canticles.

Personal names can look different as well, like Noe for Noah and Isaias for Isaiah. It is the same person underneath, filtered through Latin spelling.

The English is older and formal, close in flavor to the KJV. If a verse feels distant at first, read it aloud; the rhythm carries a lot of the meaning.

And if a reference looks unfamiliar, it is usually a naming or numbering difference rather than a different Bible. The books Catholics and Protestants share contain the same passages, just wearing different labels.

Frequently asked questions

Why is the Psalm numbering different?: The Douay-Rheims numbers the Psalms the way the Septuagint and the Latin Vulgate do. Through most of the book, the number is one lower than in the KJV, so the shepherd psalm appears as Psalms 22 instead of Psalms 23. The psalms themselves are the same.
Does this Bible include the deuterocanonical books?: Yes. The Douay-Rheims includes Tobias, Judith, Wisdom, Ecclesiasticus, Baruch, and the two books of Machabees, along with the longer forms of Esther and Daniel. Catholic Bibles have long counted these books as Scripture.
Which edition of the Douay-Rheims is this?: The Challoner revision, completed between 1749 and 1752. It is the text of nearly every printed Douay-Rheims Bible today, so the verses you draw here will match the copy on your shelf.