Can Alexa Read the Bible? Answered!

As a proud member of a pious family whilst being an ardent smart home fanatic, I have always wondered whether Alexa could read the Bible to us.

So I decided I will properly answer this query for all Alexa users with this one-stop article.

Alexa can be configured to read the Bible by simply adding the YouVersion Bible for Alexa. To install the Bible, give Alexa the following command: "Alexa, enable YouVersion Bible".

Can Alexa Be Configured to Read the Bible?

Can Alexa Be Configured to Read the Bible?

Alexa natively doesn't come with the support to read the Bible out of the box.

But fortunately, it can be configured to read the Bible by simply installing an add-on Skill that grants Alexa the feature.

The specific add-on skill that can be used to configure Alexa to read the Bible is YouVersion Bible.

In order to enable the YouVersion Bible on Alexa, just follow the steps below:

  1. Make sure your Alexa device is properly set up and paired with your Amazon account and is connected to an internet connection.
  2. Give the following command to install the YouVersion Bible skill on Alexa: "Alexa, enable YouVersion Bible".

This automatically installs the YouVersion Bible skill on your Alexa.

You can open the YouVersion Bible by simply giving the following command to your Alexa: "Alexa, open YouVersion Bible".

Now that the initial setup is over, you can simply ask Alexa to read you the Bible.

Here are the various commands you can give Alexa to read your scriptures, based on your needs:

  • Alexa, ask YouVersion Bible to read the verse of the day.

With this command, Alexa will read out the verse of the day curated by YouVersion, aiding you to start your day strong with a verse

  • Alexa, ask YouVersion Bible to read Luke.

With this command, you can ask Alexa to read out any Bible scripture that you desire.

  • Alexa, ask YouVersion Bible to read Ezekiel 25:17

This command is a continuation of the previously mentioned command and lets you specifically ask Alexa to read out a verse from the scripture of your choice.

  • Alexa, ask YouVersion Bible to read my plan.

If you link your Amazon account with the YouVersion account, you can also ask Alexa to read out your subscribed Bible plan.

  • Alexa, tell YouVersion I want to listen to the daily devotional.

This command will trigger YouVersion to read out the Verse of the day's story.

  • Alexa, open YouVersion Rest.

YouVersion Rest is a fantastic feature that enables you to listen to Psalms read out in a soothing voice with peaceful background music so you can chill and relax.

These are just the tip of the iceberg when it comes to the features offered by YouVersion on Alexa, and can be further explored at your own pace.

You can also change the Bible translation or version according to your liking.

The various Bible versions available on YouVersion are given below:

  • English Standard Version.
  • King James.
  • New International Version.
  • NLT.
  • Message.

You can command Alexa to change to a particular Bible translation (for example, King James) by giving the following command: "Alexa, ask YouVersion to switch to the King James version".

What Are Skills for Alexa

What Are Skills for Alexa

Skills are to Alexa like apps are to your phone. It lets users utilize various third-party features and services on Alexa with their voice.

Alexa also lets users utilize their Alexa Skills Kit (ASK) to build and make their own voice-controlled services that can be used seamlessly with Alexa to perform tasks.

This is very similar to how Google Assistant Actions work for Google Assistant, which enables it access to a ton of features and hacks.

This can help increase the compatibility of third-party features and services with Alexa, without it needing to be natively supported firsthand.

Just like YouVersion allows users to enjoy their Bible from their Alexa devices, users can implement countless similar services with just their voices.

Since the main medium of communication is voice, and since Alexa is in itself a voice assistant primarily, skills work faultlessly across all Alexa-supported devices.

Can't Add Skills to Alexa? How to Fix

Can't Add Skills to Alexa? How to Fix

If you cant add Skills to Alexa, then the issue can be on the server side or the hardware side of things.

Fortunately, such things are easy to fix with a few standard troubleshooting checks.

Check if Amazon Is Online

Amazon, being one of the big tech giants has a lot of servers and services operational 24 hours a day 7 days a week.

Being such a huge mega operation, some services can falter at times and Amazon servers from which Alexa skills are downloaded can go down.

This can be a very rare occurrence, but it is possible nonetheless.

Amazon skills are downloaded from Amazon servers and hence need Amazon to be up and running at that particular time in order to work.

So if you couldn't install the service, it is best to wait for a while and try installing again.

Alternatively, you can check whether Amazon or any other website is down by simply going to the IsItDownRightNow website.

Perform a Factory Reset

A factory reset is ought to fix all issues relating to software and in some cases, even the hardware.

It resets all your device settings and user data back to their factory defaults, making sure your experience of installing Skills on your Alexa is with a fresh start.

But do note that this might take some time and unlink your Alexa device from your Amazon account. You will have to manually relink after the reset.

In order to perform a factory reset on your Alexa devices, simply follow the steps given below:

  1. Make sure your Alexa device is properly set up and paired with your Amazon account and is connected to an internet connection.
  2. Open the Alexa app on your phone.
  3. Tap on the Echo & Alexa tab.
  4. Select your Alexa device to reset to factory defaults.
  5. At the bottom of the resultant screen, select Factory Reset and confirm the selection.

This factory resets your selected Alexa device back to its factory settings.

Final Thoughts

Final Thoughts

Living in the prime of the 21st century, we tend to take services like Alexa for granted.

The sole reason for such a situation to exist currently is due to the sheer widespread usage of digital assistants, with some even depending on them for their daily operations.

In such a period of our lives, having the digital assistant reading the Bible to us can be fulfilling and encourages more users to adapt to advancements in technology.

I hope my article on whether you can configure Alexa to read the Bible has been a good read.

Have a good day!

Frequently Asked Questions (FAQ)

Is YouVersion the only service available for Alexa to read the Bible?

There are other Bible Alexa Skill services such as The Bible by Spriton Systems, but none work seamlessly and is feature-rich as the YouVersion Bible

Is YouVersion only available with Alexa?

YouVersion has its own Bible app available on iOS, Android, and the web. YouVersion has voice-based services on Alexa and Google Assistant.

Can Alexa read other religious books?

Alexa Skills can be configured to read other Holy books such as the Quran by giving the command "Alexa, open Holy Quran" and Bhagwat Gita by giving the command: Alexa, open Bhagwat Gita"

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About Doug Stevenson

Hey! I'm Doug, My passion for tech started by fixing phones and computers for my friends and family.

I started Blinqblinq to give reliable tech advice to anyone who needs it, for free! If you have questions on anything tech-related, feel free to contact me.

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Doug Stevenson

Hey! I'm Doug, My passion for tech started by fixing phones and computers for my friends and family.

I started Blinqblinq to give reliable tech advice to anyone who needs it, for free! If you have questions on anything tech-related, feel free to contact me.

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