Catholic New Jerusalem Bible

This app puts the New Jerusalem Bible on your phone. The New Jerusalem Bible is a Catholic translation, which is what makes it worth a mention here.

The New Jerusalem Bible came out in 1985 as a revision of the earlier Jerusalem Bible, translated from the original Hebrew, Greek, and Aramaic rather than from another language in between. It carried the endorsement of Cardinal Basil Hume and it includes the full Catholic canon. In the app you get the text to read and to move through by book and chapter — a clean reader rather than a heavy study tool.

The New Jerusalem Bible has a reputation for readable, modern English, and that holds up. If the formal older translations slow you down, this one keeps you moving through a passage. Having it on the phone means you can pull up a reading on the spot when you want to check it.

It is a good fit for someone who already knows they like the New Jerusalem Bible and wants it free and handy, or for following along with a reading when this is the translation in use. It reads comfortably for longer stretches, so it suits actual sit-down reading and not just quick look-ups.

Some honest caveats. This comes from an independent developer rather than an official publisher, so it is a wrapper around the text and support may be thin. The New Jerusalem Bible is under copyright, so check that the app is giving you the complete, correct text before you depend on it. As always with these, the translation is the Catholic part, not the developer.

It is free, published by the listed independent developer. You can find it on the App Store: Catholic New Jerusalem Bible. If the New Jerusalem Bible is your preferred translation, this is a simple way to carry it.