rvb — Recovery Version Bible CLI

A fast, study-grade terminal Bible reader for the Recovery Version. Offline-first, footnote-aware, cross-reference deep-linking, clipboard-friendly.

Installation

1. Install Node.js (if you don't have it)

Mac:

# Option A: Download the installer from https://nodejs.org (pick LTS)
# Option B: Using Homebrew
brew install node

Windows:

1. Go to https://nodejs.org
2. Download the LTS installer
3. Run the installer — accept the defaults
4. Restart your terminal (PowerShell or Command Prompt)

To verify Node.js is installed, open a terminal and run:

node --version    # should print v18 or higher

2. Install rvb

Open your terminal and run:

npm install -g rv-bible-cli

That's it. Now type rvb to launch.

Windows note: In PowerShell, use rvb (not rv). On Mac/Linux, both rv and rvb work.

Quick Start

rvb                 # home screen — browse all 66 books
rvb john 3          # read a chapter
rvb john 3:16       # read a single verse
rvb search grace    # search the Bible
rvb continue        # resume where you left off
rvb help            # see all commands

Features

Reading

rvb john 3              # chapter mode — opens interactive pager
rvb john 3:16           # single verse
rvb john 3:16-18        # verse range
rvb john 3:16,18,20     # specific verses
rvb john 3:16 rom 8:28  # verses across books
rvb jn 3                # fuzzy book names (jn, gen, rm, eph, rev, etc.)
rvb john 3 --notes      # inline footnote markers + footnote block
rvb john 3 --outline    # section headers inline
rvb john 3 --full       # both notes and outline
rvb john 3 --raw        # plain text, no pager (also auto when piped)

Footnotes

rvb note john 3:16      # all footnotes for a verse
rvb note john 3:16 2d   # specific footnote by marker
rvb note john 3:14-16   # footnotes for a range

Search

Concordance-first for known words (1,129 curated entries), full-text for everything else.

rvb search grace              # concordance lookup
rvb search grace in romans    # scoped to a book
rvb search "only begotten"    # phrase match
rvb search eternal life       # multi-word AND
rvb search grace --all        # show all results (default: 20/page)

Copy to Clipboard

Add --copy to any read command. Output displays normally AND goes to clipboard.

rvb john 3:16 --copy              # "John 3:16 For God so loved..."
rvb john 3:16 --copy --no-ref     # plain text only
rvb john 3:16 --copy --numbered   # verse number prefix
rvb john 3:16 --copy --md         # markdown block quote
rvb search grace --copy           # copy all search results

Navigation

rvb                # home screen — browse books, pick chapters
rvb continue       # resume last-read chapter

Interactive Pager

When you read a chapter in a terminal, rvb opens a full-screen interactive reader — like a book in your terminal. A cursor (›) sits on the current verse and auto-centers as you move.

Keybinds

| Key | Action | |-----|--------| | up / down (or j / k) | move cursor up / down one verse | | Tab / Shift+Tab | jump cursor by a quarter of the chapter | | g / G | cursor to first / last verse | | Space / b | page down / up (cursor stays put) | | left / right (or p / n) | prev / next chapter (even across books) | | f | toggle the footnote panel | | o | toggle outline / section headers | | c | copy the cursor verse (or the current selection) to clipboard | | v | toggle the cursor verse in/out of the selection | | V (Shift+v) | fill a range from the last v-toggled verse to the current cursor | | type a number | follow a numbered cross-reference (when panel is open) | | / | find text in current chapter | | ? | search the whole Bible — type a query, browse results, Enter opens | | : | jump to any book — type rom 8, jn 3, etc. | | [ / ] | go back / forward (like browser history) | | + / - | adjust text width | | H | go to home screen | | q | quit |

Tip: To make the text bigger or smaller, use your terminal's font size shortcut: Cmd +/- on Mac, Ctrl +/- on Windows/Linux.

Footnote Panel (f)

Press f to open the dynamic footnote panel at the bottom of the screen. It shows the full footnotes for whichever verse your cursor is on — header line with marker + word + numbered cross-references, then the wrapped commentary body underneath.

• Move the cursor with up/down to see notes for different verses
• Type a number to follow a cross-reference — you'll jump to that chapter and land on the exact verse
• Press [ to go back to where you were
• If a verse has very long notes, the panel caps at half your terminal height — use , / . to scroll within it (the panel itself shows the hint when it overflows)

Selecting verses to copy

Press c with nothing selected to copy the cursor verse. To copy multiple verses — contiguous or not — use v to toggle each one in/out of the selection, then c:

• v toggles the cursor verse. Selected verses get an inverse-row highlight.
• V (Shift+v) fills a range from the last toggled verse up to the cursor. Use it for fast contiguous selections.
• c copies the whole selection in canonical chapter order, then clears.
• Esc clears the selection (press again to quit).

The footer shows c copy (N) where N is the current selection size.

Home Screen

Run rvb with no arguments, or press H from the pager.

• Arrow keys navigate the book grid (Old Testament + New Testament)
• Type a letter to jump to matching books (press again to cycle)
• Enter selects a book, then pick a chapter
• Space continues where you left off

What's Included

The entire Recovery Version Bible is bundled offline — no internet needed, no accounts, no setup.

| Content | Count | |---------|-------| | Books | 66 | | Verses | 31,220 | | Footnotes | 47,436 | | Cross-references | 199,369 | | Section headers | 2,907 | | Concordance entries | ~110,000 |

Updating

npm install -g rv-bible-cli@latest

License

For personal study use.