Yes, you can reference the Bible or other religious books in commercial work, but there are a slew of limitations. Consider the version, the book, the nation in which you intend to publish the novel, how much of the book you're citing, and a variety of other factors. So, do you exchange rings as you would at a courthouse wedding? You can check with your local courthouse, but in many countries, exchanging rings at a civil ceremony is not required. Whatever you select, make sure the magistrate is aware so that the ceremony may be prepared correctly.
In general, if you cite portions of the Bible within your book, it's usually enough to give the chapter or verse reference. There are several references where the whole passage is given, such as Genesis 9:6 or John 3:16, so you'd need to provide both of those references. Often, the writer will include the book and chapter number in parentheses after the Bible reference. For example, "Ezekiel 22:30-31 (Eze)". It's up to you whether you want to give more information about the source of the quotation or not.
Some people include their favorite verses within their books, while others prefer to keep their quotes short and sweet. Either way, you should try to use common sense when quoting from the Bible and avoid any controversial topics or phrases. For example, if you were to quote Jesus saying "God is evil", that would be unacceptable in some countries. Only he can judge what parts of the Bible can be quoted and what cannot.
It can also be costly. In addition, the King James Version of the Bible is in the public domain, which means there are no copyright limitations and no permission is required to cite it. However, you should give credit where it is due. This includes providing a link to the original text if possible.
There will be information about the publisher and, in certain cases, copyright limitations. However, if you plan to use other versions of the Bible or copyrighted material from other sources, you should first check with your school or library to make sure they don't have any additional requirements.
Always use quotes around scriptural texts and add the book, chapter, and verse number at the conclusion. In your first in-text citation, include the name of the Bible version. For example, if you are using the NIV, write "NIV" followed by the page number where the text can be found.
In subsequent citations, only quote the exact words that you remember from the passage (unless they are words that have special meaning to you, like "grace" or "faith"). If you do this, people will know which part of the Bible you are referring to and there won't be any confusion about what scripture you are quoting.
Using single quotes indicates that you are quoting a word or phrase that has no specific meaning. Words and phrases within quotations are interpreted as they would be in a literary work, so these should be accurately reproduced exactly as they appear in the source material.
It is important to note that different publishers print Bible verses in different ways. Some use small capitals for important words while others may put them in boldface or color code them. Before you start writing, make sure you understand how the publisher wants you to interpret these elements in the text.
For example, some versions highlight verse numbers in red while others don't.
There are various possibilities if you want a Bible with no copyright limitations at all. Some ancient Bible translations are in the public domain and may be freely published, cited, and copied without restriction; the most well-known of them being the King James Version. More recently published Bibles that are free of copyright restrictions include the New American Standard Bible, the Good News Translation, the NIV Application Commentary Series, and many others.
As far as we know, the original manuscripts of the Bible is still preserved in monasteries around the world (except for a few chapters in the Book of Esther). Modern versions are based on these old texts so they cannot be copyrighted themselves. They can be protected by government laws or church policies that limit how much material from the Old Testament or New Testament can be used by anyone else. In fact, only about 1% of the text in today's Bibles is actually new; the rest is taken from earlier versions of the Bible or even from other languages.
The good news is that there are still people out there who copy and distribute Bibles without permission from the authors/translators/publishers. If you find that here on Amazon, then you will probably find more elsewhere online. All major Bible publishing houses have offices worldwide so don't assume just because something is sold in one country that it isn't available in others.
The response is that if quoting without permission causes copyright infringement, you must obtain authorization. Another exemption is if the content is in the public domain, such as concepts, book titles, slogans, and names, which cannot be copied. Still another exception is if the content is covered by a "fair use" clause, which allows for limited copying without permission for purposes such as criticism, comment, news reporting, teaching, scholarship, and research.
In other words, unless you have permission, don't copy anything. That goes for books, movies, music, articles, websites, whatever. Without permission, you could end up in court.
It's best to check with the copyright holder before copying anything. If in doubt, ask first. There are many resources available where you can find out about copyright; here are just three: Copyright Office, Library of Congress, Wikipedia.
It's fine to include an excerpt from another author's work in your writing, but it's not always acceptable to do so without permission. If you do not want to be prosecuted for copyright infringement, you must understand when you require permission and when you do not.
If you are including an excerpt in a scholarly or technical work, it should be clear from the context who said what words. If you are using only a small part of a much longer work, say so in your title page or dedication. In general, you need permission only if you plan to quote long passages or make substantial changes to the work in question. Short excerpts can be used freely without restriction.
To obtain permission to use others' words, you will usually need the permission of both the copyright holder and the publisher. However, some publishers may be willing to let you use quotations with only the permission of the copyright holder, provided they are given full credit.
It is important to note that even if you have permission to use someone else's words, you still need to comply with any legal requirements that apply to original works. For example, if you are including an excerpt from a historical document, you must give credit to the source in your own words and provide a link back to the original work.
Finally, if you are including quotations in your own work, be sure to give proper attribution.
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