Citing a Bible Verse in Chicago Style

Chicago Style Guidelines for Citing Bible Verses

Citing a bible verse in Chicago style requires providing the book, chapter and verse, followed by a period. For example, for John 3:16, it would be written as "John 3:16." If the bible is already in the bibliography, the reference in the text should include the abbreviated name of the book, followed by the chapter and verse numbers. For instance, the reference for John 3:16 would be "John 3:16." If the bible has not been included in the bibliography, then the full title of the book should be included in the reference. For example, the reference for John 3:16 would be "John, The Bible, 3:16." If the bible version being cited is known, it should be included at the end of the reference in parentheses, such as "John, The Bible (NIV), 3:16." In either case, the bible verse should be followed by a period. If the bible verse is quoted in the text, it should be placed in quotation marks. For example, "John 3:16 states, 'For God so loved the world that he gave his one and only Son.'"