You can listen to the KJV audio Bible for free on YouVersion, read by Max McLean, or on Bible Gateway, which offers several recordings. For a free KJV audio Bible download you can play offline, try LibriVox’s complete recording or AudioTreasure’s MP3s.
The King James Version is not in Bible Garden. Below are the free KJV sources, followed by a look at words that can be confusing today and two modern-English alternatives you can hear with synchronized text in the app: the World English Bible (WEB) and Berean Standard Bible (BSB).
Where to listen to the King James Bible free
These sources were checked on October 5, 2026. A free recording is not necessarily free to reuse: the text and the audio have separate rights.
| Source | Narrator or style | Coverage and listening options |
|---|---|---|
| YouVersion / Bible App | Max McLean, The Listener’s Audio Bible; expressive solo reading | All 66 books; free listening in the app; recording © Fellowship for the Performing Arts |
| Bible Gateway | Max McLean, Paul Mims, or a dramatized edition | Browser streaming; choose a KJV recording in the player |
| LibriVox / Internet Archive | Michael Armenta, a single volunteer reader | Complete KJV, 1769 Oxford text; about 100 hours 45 minutes; public-domain recording, free download |
| AudioTreasure | Rev. Dan Wagner for TalkingBibles.org; voice only, not dramatized | Old and New Testaments; free MP3 downloads for offline listening; see the site’s terms for reuse |
| Public Domain Audio Bibles | Text-to-speech rather than a human narrator | Old and New Testaments as downloadable ZIP files; recording placed in the public domain |
For a familiar performed reading, start with McLean. If you want voice only and files you can keep on your device, AudioTreasure is a practical option; LibriVox offers another complete downloadable recording. For a broader comparison of phone apps, see free audio Bible apps and websites.
Why some KJV words are hard to follow today
The KJV was first published in 1611. Its Early Modern English gives it a recognizable rhythm, but thee, thou, and endings such as -eth are no longer everyday English. Other words still look familiar but have changed meaning: suffer can mean “allow,” prevent means “go before,” and charity means “love.” Hearing them without seeing the sentence can make the meaning harder to catch.
Here are short excerpts from the KJV text on eBible.org, alongside WEB and BSB texts used in Bible Garden. KJV is not in the app; the WEB column is the US edition.
| Passage | KJV — not in the app | WEB | BSB |
|---|---|---|---|
| Mark 10:14 | “Suffer the little children to come unto me, and forbid them not” | “Allow the little children to come to me! Don’t forbid them” | “Let the little children come to Me, and do not hinder them!” |
| 1 Thessalonians 4:15 | “shall not prevent them which are asleep” | “will in no way precede those who have fallen asleep” | “will by no means precede those who have fallen asleep” |
| 1 Corinthians 13:4 | “Charity suffereth long, and is kind; charity envieth not” | “Love is patient and is kind. Love doesn’t envy.” | “Love is patient, love is kind. It does not envy” |
| Matthew 6:25 | “Take no thought for your life” | “don’t be anxious for your life” | “do not worry about your life” |
“Take no thought” here means “do not worry,” rather than “never think about it.” A modern translation can make that distinction clear without requiring you to give up the KJV you know.
WEB and BSB: modern-English audio in Bible Garden
The free Bible Garden app for iPhone and iPad offers WEB and BSB, with no ads or in-app purchases. WEB is a modern-English revision in the KJV’s line of descent: KJV → Revised Version → American Standard Version of 1901 → WEB. It is not simply the KJV with old words replaced. BSB is a separate modern translation. Both texts are in the public domain; the KJV’s legal status differs in the UK, where Crown rights apply. Sources: WEB’s publisher, ASV history, BSB terms, and KJV history and rights.
| Translation | Narrator | Music | Books in the app | Full recording at 1× |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| WEB, US edition | Winfred Henson | None | All 66 | ≈ 84 hours |
| WEB, British Edition | Not named by the publisher | None | All 66 | ≈ 66 hours |
| BSB | Bob Souer | None | All 66 | ≈ 69 hours |
| BSB | David | None | All 66 | ≈ 79 hours |
Durations come from the app’s decoded MP3 files, measured on October 4, 2026, and exclude added pauses. WEB’s US edition uses “Yahweh” in the Old Testament where its British Edition uses “The LORD.” For more on wording and translation choices, see which Bible translation to choose.
Hear the voices before you choose
Here is John 1:1–5 in BSB and WEB, two of the translations in the app — not KJV.
Listen to John 1:1–5 in two translations
A Berean Standard Bible (BSB) · Bob Souer
B World English Bible (WEB) · Winfred Henson
- 1
In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God.
In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God.
- 2
He was with God in the beginning.
The same was in the beginning with God.
- 3
Through Him all things were made, and without Him nothing was made that has been made.
All things were made through him. Without him, nothing was made that has been made.
- 4
In Him was life, and that life was the light of men.
In him was life, and the life was the light of men.
- 5
The Light shines in the darkness, and the darkness has not overcome it.
The light shines in the darkness, and the darkness hasn’t overcome it.
In the reading settings, choose a translation and then a narrator; the app lets you hear a sample of John 1:1–3 before choosing. BSB has two voices, Bob Souer and David. WEB’s US edition is read by Winfred Henson, while the British recording has no credited narrator. More about the recordings and their sources: audio Bible narrators.
Listen while following the text
In Classic Reading, the verse being read is highlighted and the text scrolls automatically. Seeing the words can help you follow a long sentence or return to a phrase you missed.
- Exact verse navigation: previous- and next-verse arrows jump to the start of a verse using the alignment between text and audio.
- Pauses: pause after each verse, paragraph, or section for a few seconds, or until you press Play.
- Speed: from 0.6× to 2.0× in steps of 0.2.
- Background playback: audio continues with the screen locked; automatic playback of the next chapter is enabled by default in Classic Reading.
- Progress: chapters are marked as completed according to your progress settings, and you can see your progress through each book and the whole Bible.
KJV, WEB, and BSB use Hebrew Psalm numbering: “The Lord is my shepherd” is Psalm 23. Some other translations number it Psalm 22; see listening to the Psalms.
Hear a verse in two modern translations
Multi Reading lets you hear the same verse first in WEB, then in BSB. Add a short pause between them to think about the wording. Both texts appear beneath the verse, and the one being read is highlighted. KJV is not available as a step in this sequence.
Open Multi Reading, add a WEB reading, a two-second pause, and a BSB reading. You can change the order, give each reading its own speed, and alternate by verse, paragraph, section, or chapter. This lets you compare two modern renderings of the passages above without switching back and forth between apps.
When another source is the better fit
- You specifically want KJV: use the KJV sources at the top of this page. Bible Garden offers WEB and BSB instead.
- You want downloads or offline audio: use the downloadable KJV recordings from LibriVox, AudioTreasure, or Public Domain Audio Bibles. Bible Garden streams audio and has no audio downloads. For download links and the permissions attached to each recording, see our guide to free audio Bible MP3 downloads.
- You want dramatization or music: choose a suitable KJV recording elsewhere; all English recordings in Bible Garden are voice only.
- You use Android or want a browser player: Bible Garden currently runs on iPhone and iPad. An Android version and listening on our website are in our plans.
- You want books beyond the 66-book canon: the app does not include deuterocanonical books.
We hand-pick each text and recording for quality, so our selection is small.
Frequently asked questions
Where can I listen to the KJV audio Bible free?
YouVersion offers all 66 books read by Max McLean. Bible Gateway offers several KJV recordings in its browser player. LibriVox and AudioTreasure also provide free recordings, including downloadable files.
Can I download the KJV audio Bible for offline listening?
Yes. LibriVox’s complete recording by Michael Armenta is available through Internet Archive, and AudioTreasure offers Dan Wagner’s Old and New Testament MP3s. Public Domain Audio Bibles offers a text-to-speech recording in ZIP files. Bible Garden does not download audio for offline use.
Is the King James Version in Bible Garden?
No. The English translations in the app are the World English Bible, its British Edition, and the Berean Standard Bible, each with audio for all 66 books.
Is WEB an updated KJV?
WEB belongs to the same translation lineage, through the Revised Version and the American Standard Version of 1901. It is a modern-English revision of the ASV, rather than a direct update of the KJV.
Which audio Bible in the app has no music?
All four English recordings: WEB read by Winfred Henson, the uncredited WEB British Edition recording, and BSB read by Bob Souer or David.
Can I hear KJV and WEB verse by verse in Multi Reading?
No, because KJV is not in the app. You can pair WEB with BSB and hear each verse in both translations, with a pause between them and both texts visible.