ActionBible for Windows

Although all you really need for Bible study is a copy of the Bible, having some extra tools can help you get the most out of the scriptures. ActionBible is an easy-to-use program that can help you quickly locate desired passages, keep track of what you've done, and record your ideas and questions. We think this would be a great tool for clergy, laypeople, and anyone else with a desire to delve into the Bible.

ActionBible has a plain and intuitive layout, and it's quite easy to get started with it. A pane on the left side contains a collapsible list of the books of the Bible; expanding each book displays a list of chapters. The main pane in the center of the screen displays the content of each chapter. To the right, there are tools for searching the entire Bible, the currently selected book, the Old Testament, and the New Testament, as well as an extremely useful feature that lets users automatically copy a selected verse in a variety of formats and paste it wherever they like. ActionBible also has tools for creating bookmarks, notes, and daily journal entries, and users can also create specific topics and then add scriptures to them for easy retrieval later. The program even lets users set reminders that will appear at a certain specified time. ActionBible uses the English Standard Version of the Bible, and although the built-in Help file states that other versions are available for download on the publisher's Web site, a visit to the site reveals that additional versions are still "coming soon." Even with this limitation, though, we think that ActionBible is a great choice for users who want some electronic help with their Bible study without a steep learning curve.

ActionBible comes as a ZIP file. It installs politely but leaves a folder behind upon removal.