The King James Version(KJV) of the Holy Bible is 391 years old (in 2002). Some may wonder why Drew's Animals chose this version for their site since many more modern versions are available. While these versions are easier to read there are two principles that our decision was based on.

All modern translations have been developed through the hard work of translators and scholars. In order to protect the time, money, and effort invested in these works, they have been copyrighted. Without written permission it is illegal for anyone to reprint these versions, even for free purposes like the Drew's Animals site.

Since the King James Version was completed in 1611, copyright laws had not been developed yet and, therefore, the text of the King James has never and will never be copyrighted. This means we don't need any permission to reprint the text of this Bible. There is no royalty to pay and no terms under which we must comply to publish this text online.

Even after more than 300 years, the King James Version is still the most widely used English Bible in world. It has been printed over and over again by many different publishers and in many different formats and bindings. It is more likely that a user will have a KJV Bible in their home than any other version. This is an advantage, since users may study the Biblical text off-line or on-line without having to struggle through a "change of wording" caused by different translations.

Drew's Animals recommends that serious students follow along in multiple versions (the KJV, and others off-line in their home) to get the most out of the Biblical text. The original text of the Bible was written in Hebrew (Old Testament), Aramaic (Old Testament), and Greek (New Testament). As in any translation, there are differences between English and the original language that will be resolved differently by individual translators. The differences in wording may also help to uncover previously overlooked information simply by sounding fresh to the reader.