Sacred Name Bibles Compared
There are more than a dozen English translations that restore the divine names. They differ in base text, name forms, and approach. Here is a practical guide to the major ones.
If you've decided you want to read the Bible with YHWH, Yahushua, and Elohim restored, you have options. The major sacred-name translations differ on three things: which underlying text they translate, which form of the divine names they use, and how heavily they edit the language. This guide covers the most widely used.
- Base text
- King James Version (1611, public domain)
- YHWH form
- YHWH (consonants only, no pronunciation forced)
- Messiah form
- Yahushua / Yahushua HaMashiach
- God form
- Elohim
- Spirit form
- Set-Apart Spirit
- Format
- Web app / PWA, free, offline-capable
- Cost
- Free
- Base text
- Masoretic Text (OT) + Greek Receptus (NT), heavily revised
- YHWH form
- Hebrew letters יהוה (printed in Hebrew script)
- Messiah form
- יהושע (Yahushua/Yeshua, in Hebrew script)
- God form
- Elohim
- Spirit form
- Set-apart Spirit
- Format
- Print, PDF, app
- Cost
- Print: ~$30-50, digital available
- Base text
- Based on ISR Scriptures with further revisions
- YHWH form
- Paleo-Hebrew script (ancient Hebrew letters)
- Messiah form
- Paleo-Hebrew script for Yahushua
- God form
- Elohim
- Spirit form
- Set-apart Spirit
- Format
- Hardcover print (free), some digital
- Cost
- Free (donation-based distribution)
- Base text
- KJV-derived, with substantial expansion
- YHWH form
- Yahuah
- Messiah form
- Yahusha
- God form
- Elohiym (with the yod transliterated)
- Spirit form
- Ruach ha'Qodesh
- Format
- Print + digital
- Cost
- ~$60-100 print
- Base text
- Masoretic OT, Aramaic/Hebrew NT manuscripts (Peshitta and others)
- YHWH form
- YHWH or YHVH
- Messiah form
- Y'shua
- God form
- Elohim
- Spirit form
- Ruach HaKodesh
- Format
- Print + PDF
- Cost
- Varies, paid
- Base text
- King James Version with corrections
- YHWH form
- Yahweh
- Messiah form
- Yahshua
- God form
- Elohim
- Spirit form
- Holy Spirit
- Format
- Print study Bible
- Cost
- ~$40-60
How to Choose
Different translations serve different needs.
- If you want a free, study-focused digital tool with Strong's, cross-references, search, and reading plans — start with Restored Sword.
- If you want a respected print Bible with Hebrew script for divine names — The Scriptures (ISR) is the standard.
- If cost is a barrier and you want a hardcover — Halleluyah Scriptures distributes free.
- If you want the broader ancient canon including Enoch and Jubilees — Cepher is the most comprehensive.
- If you want extensive study notes in print — the Restoration Study Bible.
Many serious students of Scripture use more than one. Reading the same passage in two restored-name translations side-by-side often reveals translation choices you wouldn't otherwise notice.
What All Sacred Name Bibles Share
Despite differences in transliteration, base text, and style, every translation listed above agrees on the core principle: the divine names should be in the text. They disagree on details — Yahweh vs. YHWH vs. Yahuah, Yahushua vs. Yahshua vs. Y'shua — but they all believe the substitution of "the LORD" for the Father's actual name was a translation tradition worth correcting.
If you're new to the conversation, don't get paralyzed by the variant spellings. Pick one that fits your needs and read it. The point is encountering the names of the Father and the Messiah in your Scripture, not landing on the perfect transliteration.