The Red Letters
Every recorded word of Jesus from the four Gospels, presented in the NIV translation. Red letters are the direct words of Jesus. Where a verse contains both Jesus's words and surrounding narrative, both are shown for context.
Note: The context and 'For Today' sections are currently under review. The red letter text itself is drawn directly from the NIV Bible.
What are the Red Letters?
The term "red letter" comes from a printing tradition begun in 1899 by Louis Klopsch, who published a New Testament with the words of Jesus printed in red ink. The practice was intended to make Jesus's direct words immediately visible to the reader.
This section collects every verse in the four Gospels where Jesus speaks directly, plus his final instructions to the apostles in Acts during the 40 days after his resurrection. Some verses contain both Jesus's words and surrounding narrative from the Gospel writer. Where this occurs, both are included so the quote can be read in its immediate context.
All text is drawn from the New International Version (NIV) of the Bible.