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Overview
The Bible Reader on rfrmd.com is a split-panel reading environment. When you open a chapter, the screen divides into two panels: the top panel shows your Bible text, and the bottom panel shows your notes. Each panel has its own navigation, its own translation dropdown, and its own scroll position. You can read in one panel while writing notes in the other, or open two different chapters side by side to compare passages.
Everything you do in the Bible Reader is saved locally on your device. Your notes, highlights, recent chapters, and translation preferences all persist between visits. The reader works completely offline for KJV, ASV, BSB, and WEB translations.
Opening the Bible Reader
There are several ways to get into the reader. From the command bar at the top of the screen, tap to open the flyout and choose the Bible tab. You will see the full list of Old and New Testament books. Tap a book to expand its chapters, then tap a chapter number. The reader will open with the split-panel layout: Bible text on top, notes on the bottom.
If you have visited before, the reader remembers your last chapter. The next time you open it, you will be right where you left off.
You can also search for a book by name using the search bar at the top of the Bible tab. Type the first few letters and the list will filter to match.
The Split-Panel Layout
Once you are reading, the screen splits into a top and bottom panel. The top panel displays your Bible text with verse numbers, paragraph formatting, and section headings. The bottom panel can show either a notes view or a second Bible chapter.
Each panel has its own navigation bar showing the current book, chapter, and translation. Use the left and right arrows to move through chapters within that panel. You can resize the panels by dragging the divider bar between them. To collapse back to a single panel, tap the split icon in the command bar.
On a phone, the panels stack vertically. On a tablet or computer in landscape, they will be taller and more comfortable for side-by-side study.
Focusing a Panel
When both panels are open, one is always the "focused" panel. The focused panel is the one that responds to chapter navigation from the quick lookup bar and the flyout Bible tab. You can switch focus by tapping anywhere inside a panel.
Switching Translations
Each panel has its own translation dropdown in its navigation bar. Tap the dropdown (it will show KJV, ASV, BSB, WEB, or ESV) and choose a different translation. The panel will reload with the new translation while keeping the same book and chapter. The other panel is not affected, so you can have KJV in the top panel and BSB in the bottom panel, for example.
Four translations work offline: KJV, ASV, BSB, and WEB. The ESV requires an internet connection and a free one-time registration.
Quick Chapter Lookup
At the bottom of the screen, between the two panels, you will see a row of small pills showing recent chapters you have visited. These are your quick lookup history. Tap any pill to load that chapter into the focused panel. The chapter you were reading will swap into a pill so you can get back to it later.
This makes it easy to hop between several passages while studying. For example, if you are reading Romans 9 and want to check the cross-reference in Genesis 25, tap the Genesis pill and the text swaps in. When you are done, tap the Romans 9 pill to go back. Your notes and highlights are preserved for each chapter.
Taking Notes
The notes system has two levels: chapter notes and verse notes.
Chapter Notes
Open the flyout and tap the Notes tab to see the notes for whatever chapter is currently in the focused panel. At the top you will see a space for a chapter-level note. This is a good place for outlines, themes, sermon notes, or any observations about the chapter as a whole. Your note saves automatically as you type.
Verse Notes
Tap any verse number in the Bible text. If there is already a note for that verse, the notes panel will open showing it. If there is no existing note, the flyout will open with a blank note for that verse. Write your thoughts and they save automatically.
The Notes Button
Each panel's navigation bar has a Notes button. Tap it to open the flyout Notes tab showing that panel's chapter notes, verse notes, and highlights. If the chapter has notes, the button will be highlighted to let you know.
Highlighting Verses
You can highlight individual verses or ranges of verses. Highlighted verses get a soft background color so they stand out as you read.
From the Notes Panel
Open the Notes tab in the flyout. Below the chapter notes you will see a Highlights section with two number inputs labeled "v" and "to". Enter a start verse and an end verse, then tap Apply. The verses will highlight immediately in the reading panel. To highlight a single verse, just enter the same number in both fields (or leave the second blank).
Below the inputs, you will see a list of all active highlight ranges for this chapter. Each one has an X button to remove it.
From a Verse Tap
When you tap a verse number that is already highlighted, the highlight is removed. When you tap a verse number that is not highlighted and has no note, a single-verse highlight is applied. This gives you a quick toggle without opening the notes panel.
Highlights Persist
Highlights are saved per chapter and per translation. They persist when you navigate away and come back, switch translations, or close and reopen the site.
Formatting Notes with Markdown
Your notes support a lightweight set of formatting marks so you can structure them for study or printing:
Headers: Start a line with # for a large heading, ## for a medium heading, ### for a small heading, or #### for the smallest. For example, # Romans 9 Outline renders as a bold heading.
Bold: Wrap text in double asterisks, like **this is bold**.
Italic: Wrap text in single asterisks, like *this is italic*.
Strikethrough: Wrap text in double tildes, like ~~crossed out~~.
Underline: Wrap text in double underscores, like __underlined__.
These formatting marks are processed when your notes are displayed, so they will look plain in the text editor but formatted in the rendered view. If you export your notes to a markdown editor, the formatting will carry over.
Sharing Notes
You can share your chapter notes with others using a short code. Open the Notes tab and tap Share. The site generates a six-character code that you give to the other person. They open their Notes tab, tap Receive, and enter the code. Your notes appear on their device. The code expires after a set period. Only the current chapter's notes are shared; your other notes, settings, and history are never included.
Tips for Studying
Here are a few ways people use the split-panel reader effectively:
Parallel reading: Open the same chapter in two translations (for example, KJV on top and BSB on the bottom) to see how different translators handle the same passage.
Cross-reference study: Use the quick lookup pills to hop between related passages. If Romans 9 references Genesis 25, tap the pill to check it and tap back when you are done. Your notes stay in place.
Building outlines: Use chapter notes with markdown headers to build a running outline as you work through a book. By the time you finish Romans, you will have a complete set of chapter summaries and key verse notes.
Small group prep: Write your notes during the week, then share them with your group using the share code before the meeting. Everyone gets the same notes on their own device.
Highlight key verses: As you study, highlight the verses that anchor each section's argument. When you come back to review, the highlights help you find the key points quickly without re-reading every word.
~ john
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