The First Presidency of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints has announced an updated edition of the LDS scriptures and study aids in English.
The 2013 edition includes revisions to the study aids, new photos, updated maps, and adjustments to chapter and section headings. There are also some corrections to the scriptural text to resolve minor typographical errors in spelling, wording, and punctuation, restoring earlier readings of the text and maintaining the fidelity and integrity of the scriptures.
Members are not expected to buy a new set of scriptures because of this updated edition. All scripture verses in the new 2013 edition have the same page numbers as in the previous 1981 edition. Because the new edition maintains the pagination and font style of the earlier edition, you probably won’t notice the differences. For example, all the verses found on page 47 of the 1981 edition will be found on page 47 of the new edition.
At scriptures.lds.org, click on the navigation “2013 Edition” to read several pages that explain all the adjustments included in this edition of the scriptures.
- Announcement article “Church Releases New Edition of English Scriptures in Digital Formats.” This page has a link to the First Presidency announcement letter.
- Heritage, Study, and Blessings of the scriptures.
- History of LDS Scriptures gives a very interesting Timeline of the Scriptures.
- Adjustments in LDS Scriptures lists all the changes that have been made. You can download several documents that list every change and also show a side-by-side comparison of pages from the 1981 and 2013 editions.
- Availability. This page explains when digital and physical editions will be available.
In the video below, Elder Neil L. Andersen of the Quorum of the Twelve and Elder Steven E. Snow, Church Historian, explain the new edition.
Digital Scriptures Available Now
The 2013 edition is available now on scriptures.lds.org and on the Gospel Library mobile app. If you have made annotations (notes, tags, and highlights) in your mobile scriptures and synced them to your Gospel Library account, they will transfer to the new digital scriptures. Just be sure your mobile device is connected to the Internet so that your latest annotations sync with the Church servers.
If you have the Gospel Library app on an Android device, simply select the “Update Now” button from the “Content Update Available” prompt. Apple iOS users will need to remove the old scriptures from the Gospel Library app, restart the app, and then download the new 2013 scriptures. For detailed instructions on how to do this, see the answer to the question “How do I replace the old version with the new 2013 edition in the Gospel Library mobile application?”
Printed Scriptures Available Beginning in August
Although members are not expected to buy a new set of scriptures, printed versions will be available beginning in August with the regular size scriptures in both simulated and genuine leather bindings. All other sizes and cover styles will be available by October. Pre-orders will be available in late spring.
