Read the Ethiopian Bible Online in English
Read the Ethiopian Bible free below — seven complete books across more than fifty chapters, in clean public-domain English, with adjustable text size.
Browse Jubilees, Enoch, Tobit, Judith, Wisdom, Sirach and 2 Esdras chapter by chapter. These are the standard scholarly translations of the books preserved in the Ethiopian canon, the same texts gathered in the annotated printed edition.
Last reviewed 15 July 2026. See our sources and editorial standards.
The Book of Jubilees
Translated by R. H. Charles, 1902
Chapter 1
These are substantial samples. The full public-domain texts of every book above run considerably longer. Our PDF and downloads guide points to legitimate archives where the complete translations can be read at no cost, and the 81-book canon list maps the whole Ethiopian Bible.
What you are reading
The Ethiopian Bible is the scripture of the Ethiopian Orthodox Tewahedo Church, preserved in Ge’ez for more than 1,600 years. Its canon of 81 books is the largest in Christianity, and it uniquely preserves complete texts of the Book of Enoch and the Book of Jubilees that survive nowhere else in full.
The chapters in the reader above come from the standard public-domain English translations of these works: chiefly R. H. Charles, who translated Enoch and Jubilees directly from the Ge’ez in 1912 and 1902, and the King James Apocrypha of 1611 for the deuterocanonical books. These are the same reliable, out-of-copyright texts described on our page on which books are available in English.
The seven books in this reader
Together they show the sweep of the Ethiopian canon — apocalypse, rewritten history, wisdom, and diaspora narrative.
Jubilees retells Genesis and the opening of Exodus as a revelation given to Moses on Sinai, structured around a 364-day calendar and cycles of forty-nine years. Enoch opens with the Watchers — the angels who descend to earth, take human wives, father the giants, and teach forbidden knowledge. Tobit is a diaspora tale of faithfulness, almsgiving and angelic guidance. Judith tells how a widow saves her besieged city by her own hand. The Wisdom of Solomon and Sirach are the great wisdom books, on justice, mortality and the fear of the Lord. And 2 Esdras is an apocalypse of visions and questions about suffering and the end of the age.
How to read the complete Ethiopian Bible
Much of the Ethiopian canon is available free in English, because the standard translations are old enough to be in the public domain. Our guide to Ethiopian Bible PDFs and legal downloads explains where to find legitimate free full texts, and how to avoid the pirated and misleading files that circulate.
For a single printed volume that gathers these texts with original introductions and study guides, the annotated paperback is linked beside the reader. For the complete canonical inventory, including the books that survive only in Ge’ez, see the full 81-book canon list.
Frequently asked questions
Can I read the Ethiopian Bible online for free?
Yes — a great deal of it. This reader offers seven complete books across more than fifty chapters at no cost, and the standard English translations of Enoch, Jubilees and the deuterocanonical books are all in the public domain. Our guide to legal downloads shows where the full public-domain texts live online, and our availability audit explains exactly which books exist in English and which have never been translated.
Which translations does this reader use?
The reader uses the standard public-domain English translations: R. H. Charles’s translations of Enoch (1912) and Jubilees (1902), made directly from the Ge’ez, and the King James Apocrypha of 1611 for Tobit, Judith, Wisdom, Sirach and 2 Esdras. These are the same reliable, out-of-copyright texts that underpin nearly all English access to this literature. They are over a century old and entirely adequate for reading, though modern critical editions are more current.
Are these the complete books or extracts?
The reader presents substantial multi-chapter readings from each book — enough to read continuously and get a true sense of the text — while the complete works run considerably longer. The full public-domain texts are freely available online, and our PDF and downloads guide points to legitimate archives that host them in their entirety at no cost.
Why does the chapter numbering start where it does?
The reader opens each book at its first substantial narrative chapter for readability, and numbers the chapters shown in sequence. The traditional versification of these books is preserved in the verse numbers within the text. For the canonical ordering and structure of the whole Ethiopian Bible, including how books such as Jeremiah and the Psalter are grouped, see the 81-book canon list.
Is the Book of Enoch really scripture in Ethiopia?
Yes. All 108 chapters of Enoch are fully canonical in the Ethiopian Orthodox Tewahedo Church, and canonical in no other church. The complete text survives only in Ge’ez, which is why every English translation ultimately depends on Ethiopian manuscripts. The New Testament letter of Jude quotes Enoch by name as prophecy. Our complete guide to Enoch covers its five sections, its history and its influence.
Can I make the text larger?
Yes. Use the plus and minus buttons in the top corner of the reader to increase or decrease the text size, which is why the printed edition is set in large print as well. The setting adjusts the reading text instantly and works on both desktop and mobile, so you can read comfortably at whatever size suits you.