YouVersion Python SDK

The un-official Python SDK for the YouVersion API. Access Bible versions, books, chapters, verses, and passages programmatically.

Getting Started

1. Get Your API Key

Request access to the YouVersion API at platform.youversion.com/.

2. Install the SDK

pip install youversion

Or with uv:

uv add youversion

3. Initialize the Client

from youversion import YouVersionClient

client = YouVersionClient(api_key="your-api-key")

4. Make Your First Request

from youversion import YouVersionClient, is_ok

with YouVersionClient(api_key="your-api-key") as client:
    result = client.get_passage(12, "JHN.3.16")

    if is_ok(result):
        passage = result.value
        print(f"{passage.reference}")
        print(passage.content)

Output:

John 3:16
For God so loved the world, that he gave his only begotten Son,
that whosoever believeth on him should not perish, but have eternal life.

5. Display Copyright

When displaying Bible content, you must include the appropriate copyright notice:

result = client.get_version(12)
if is_ok(result):
    version = result.value
    print(version.copyright_short)  # Display with content

Installation

pip

pip install youversion

uv

uv add youversion

Poetry

poetry add youversion

Configuration

from youversion import YouVersionClient

# Basic initialization
client = YouVersionClient(api_key="your-api-key")

# With custom settings
client = YouVersionClient(
    api_key="your-api-key",
    base_url="https://api.youversion.com",  # Default
    timeout=30.0,  # Request timeout in seconds
)

# Using context manager (recommended)
with YouVersionClient(api_key="your-api-key") as client:
    # Client automatically closes when done
    pass

Environment Variables

import os
from youversion import YouVersionClient

client = YouVersionClient(api_key=os.environ["YOUVERSION_API_KEY"])

Sync vs Async Clients

The SDK provides both synchronous and asynchronous clients with identical APIs.

Synchronous Client

Use YouVersionClient for synchronous code:

from youversion import YouVersionClient, is_ok

# With context manager (recommended)
with YouVersionClient(api_key="your-api-key") as client:
    result = client.get_versions("en")
    if is_ok(result):
        for version in result.value.data:
            print(version.title)

Asynchronous Client

Use AsyncYouVersionClient for async code:

import asyncio
from youversion import AsyncYouVersionClient, is_ok

async def main():
    async with AsyncYouVersionClient(api_key="your-api-key") as client:
        result = await client.get_versions("en")
        if is_ok(result):
            for version in result.value.data:
                print(version.title)

asyncio.run(main())

Manual Client Management

If you need more control over the client lifecycle, you can manage it manually instead of using context managers.

Sync Client (Manual)

from youversion import YouVersionClient, is_ok

client = YouVersionClient(api_key="your-api-key")

try:
    result = client.get_versions("en")
    if is_ok(result):
        print(f"Found {len(result.value.data)} versions")

    result = client.get_passage(12, "JHN.3.16")
    if is_ok(result):
        print(result.value.content)
finally:
    # Always close the client to release resources
    client.close()

Async Client (Manual)

import asyncio
from youversion import AsyncYouVersionClient, is_ok

async def main():
    client = AsyncYouVersionClient(api_key="your-api-key")

    try:
        result = await client.get_versions("en")
        if is_ok(result):
            print(f"Found {len(result.value.data)} versions")

        result = await client.get_passage(12, "JHN.3.16")
        if is_ok(result):
            print(result.value.content)
    finally:
        # Always close the client to release resources
        await client.close()

asyncio.run(main())

When to Use Manual Management

• Connection pooling: Keep a client alive across multiple operations
• Application lifecycle: Initialize once at startup, close at shutdown
• Custom resource management: Integration with dependency injection or frameworks

Documentation

• API Reference - Complete API documentation with all methods, types, and error handling