You can read and listen to the Bible in Ukrainian in Bible Garden, a free app for iPhone and iPad. It has two Ukrainian translations, both with audio. The Khomenko translation covers the whole Bible, read by Igor Kozlov, about 109 hours in all. The New Ukrainian Translation (NPU) is in modern Ukrainian and covers the New Testament and the Psalms. The text stays on screen while the audio plays, and the current verse is highlighted. The Ohienko translation isn't in the app; see below for where to find it. If English is your stronger language, each verse can play in English first and then in Ukrainian.
Ukrainian translations in Bible Garden
In the reading settings, set the Bible language to Ukrainian, then choose a translation and a narrator. You can play a voice sample before choosing.
| Translation | Published | Audio | Narrator | Length | Psalm numbering |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Khomenko | 1963, Rome | Whole Bible, 66 books | Igor Kozlov | ≈109 hours | Hebrew, as in English Bibles |
| NPU | 2022, Biblica | New Testament and Psalms | Not credited | ≈28 hours | Greek, as in the Russian Synodal Bible |
| Ohienko | 1962, London | Not in the app | — | — | Hebrew |
Lengths come from the app's audio files, measured on October 4, 2026. The NPU has no other Old Testament books: only the New Testament and the Psalms have been published. Neither recording has background music, and both are free: the publisher of Kozlov's recording distributes it without restrictions, and Biblica also offers the NPU audio on YouVersion.
Hear English and Ukrainian verse by verse
Multi Reading is Bible Garden's key feature. A verse plays in English, then, after a short pause, the same verse plays in Ukrainian, all the way through the chapter. The screen shows both translations of each verse and highlights the one being read. The translations play one after the other, not at the same time.
Here is the opening of John's Gospel: the BSB read by Bob Souer, then the Khomenko translation read by Igor Kozlov.
Listen to John 1:1–5 in English and Ukrainian
A Berean Standard Bible (BSB) · Bob Souer
B Khomenko translation (Ukrainian) · Igor Kozlov
- 1
In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God.
Споконвіку було Слово, і з Богом було Слово, і Слово було — Бог.
- 2
He was with God in the beginning.
З Богом було воно споконвіку.
- 3
Through Him all things were made, and without Him nothing was made that has been made.
Ним постало все, і ніщо, що постало, не постало без нього.
- 4
In Him was life, and that life was the light of men.
У ньому було життя, і життя було — світло людей.
- 5
The Light shines in the darkness, and the darkness has not overcome it.
І світло світить у темряві, і не пойняла його темрява.
This helps Ukrainian families abroad, where children think in English and parents in Ukrainian, and anyone learning the language: the English verse gives the meaning, and the Ukrainian one is easier to follow by ear. Put the language you understand better first, and swap the steps by dragging once the other one feels familiar. Each step has its own speed, from 0.5× to 2.5×. Add two reading steps with a pause between them (two seconds by default), choose verse-by-verse playback, and save the sequence as a template to use again.
A pairing stays in step only where both translations divide chapters into verses the same way:
- New Testament. Verse counts in the BSB and Khomenko match in 241 of the 260 chapters, so this is the best place to start. In the other 19, such as Matthew 17 and Mark 9, the pairs can drift out of step within those chapters. Multi Reading pairs verses by their position; it does not match their meaning.
- Psalms. Khomenko numbers the psalms as English Bibles do, but often counts a psalm's heading as verse 1, so verse counts differ in 60 of the 150 psalms. Listen to the Psalms in one language at a time.
Checked against the texts in the app on October 4, 2026. Pairs, listening order, and time for the whole Bible in two languages are covered in the guide to Ukrainian–English Bible pairs (in Ukrainian); setting up Multi Reading step by step is in "Bilingual Bible App."
The Khomenko translation, read by Igor Kozlov
Father Ivan Khomenko (1892–1981) was a Ukrainian Greek Catholic priest. He translated the Bible from Hebrew, Aramaic, and Greek between 1945 and 1957, mostly in Italy, and the first edition came out in Rome in 1963. It is used by Greek Catholic, Orthodox, and Protestant readers (UGCC).
Igor Kozlov recorded the whole translation in a studio in 2005–2006 for the Blagovestnik ministry. The publisher explains the choice: of four Ukrainian translations, Kulish and Nechuy-Levytsky's and Ohienko's seemed archaic and hard to follow by ear, and Turkoniak's was not finished yet, so Khomenko's became the basis. The reading is calm and even, with no music. For voice samples and details about the English recordings, see "Audio Bible narrators."
In the app, the text and audio are synced: the previous and next verse buttons jump to the exact start of a verse. You can add a pause after each verse, paragraph, or section, for a set time or until you tap Play.
NPU: the New Testament and Psalms in modern Ukrainian
Biblica published the New Ukrainian Translation (Новий Переклад Українською) in 2022; Biblica and Davar Partners International produced the audio edition. The text is under an open CC BY-SA license (eBible.org), and the narrator is not credited. Don't confuse it with the Modern Translation of the Ukrainian Bible Society, a different translation that isn't in the app.
The NPU recording is noticeably shorter: about 21 hours for the New Testament against 25 for Kozlov, and 2 hours for John against 2 hours 42 minutes. The Psalms take about 6.5 hours in both.
The NPU numbers the psalms the Greek way: "The Lord is my shepherd" is Psalm 22, as in the Russian Synodal Bible, while Khomenko and English Bibles call it Psalm 23.
Compare Khomenko and NPU in Multi Reading
You can pair Khomenko with the NPU in Multi Reading: in the New Testament the verse counts match in all 260 chapters. Don't use that pair for the Psalms, though. Multi Reading lines up chapters with the same number, so Khomenko's Psalm 23 would play next to the NPU's Psalm 23, which is Psalm 24 in the Hebrew count. Why the psalm numbers differ.
Ohienko and where to read the Ukrainian Bible online
Ivan Ohienko's translation was first published in full in 1962 in London (Wikipedia, in Ukrainian), and according to the publisher of Kozlov's recording it is the most widely used Ukrainian Bible among Protestants. It isn't in Bible Garden; you can listen to it in YouVersion, for example.
To read the Khomenko text online without audio, use the UGCC website. Bible Garden currently runs on iPhone and iPad; listening right on this site and an Android app are in our plans.
We pick each translation and recording by hand, for the quality of the text and sound, so there are only a few. The app automatically tracks chapters you have read or listened to, including in Ukrainian. To plan your reading, use the Bible-in-a-year guide and the reading-time calculator.
Frequently asked questions
Where can I listen to the Bible in Ukrainian for free?
In Bible Garden for iPhone and iPad: the Khomenko translation read by Igor Kozlov, all 66 books, and the NPU, the New Testament and Psalms. The text stays on screen with the audio. The app is free, with no ads or purchases.
Who reads the Khomenko Ukrainian Bible?
Igor Kozlov. He recorded the full translation, without music, in 2005–2006 for the Blagovestnik ministry. In Bible Garden it runs about 109 hours.
Where can I read the Khomenko Bible online?
In Bible Garden for iPhone and iPad, you can read the text alongside the audio. For text in a browser, use the UGCC website, in Ukrainian. A full web reader and audio player on our site are in our plans.
Is the Ohienko translation in the app?
No. Bible Garden has two Ukrainian translations, Khomenko and the NPU. You can find Ohienko audio in YouVersion, for example.
Can I listen to English and Ukrainian at the same time?
One after the other: in Multi Reading, a verse plays in English and then in Ukrainian, and the screen shows both texts. Two voices never play at once.
What is the New Ukrainian Translation (NPU)?
A modern Ukrainian translation published by Biblica in 2022. It has only the New Testament and the Psalms, and it numbers the psalms the Greek way. The Khomenko translation from 1963 covers the whole Bible and uses Hebrew psalm numbering.
Is Bible Garden available for Android or on the web?
Not yet: the app runs on iPhone and iPad. An Android app and listening on this site are in our plans.