One Man, Two Bibles

Freddie North of Clarkesville, Georgia, has handwritten not one but two Bibles. Investing a little over seven years, he now has an NIV and a King James Version to show for his efforts.

His inspiration to start came in 2007 when he says he felt a divine inspiration to make better use of his time and his life.

Sitting in his apartment one afternoon, he heard a voice telling him to ‘Write the Bible,’” “It was the Lord’s voice, so I said, ‘You’ve got to be kidding me.’ He said, ‘Look, you’re sitting here doing nothing. You should write the Bible.’ So I said, ‘OK.’

So, “I went and got me some pencils and paper and started,” he said.

His Process

Wrapping bandages around his fingers to prevent callouses, he began writing three chapters a day, aiming to finish the project in about a year.

He started copying smaller books like Jude, second John and then first John to get momentum. However, at around 8 months into the project, he realized his goal of finishing in a year wasn’t manageable and lost heart. “I told myself, ‘I can’t do this,’”... But then one day I said, ‘You’ve got to get back. You’re almost done.’”

So he started again. Tackling the Old Testament and the longer books. Isaiah took the longest with 133 copied pages.

Starting on May 7th, 2007, he finally completed his NIV version on December 14th, 2010 wearing down 367 pencils and filling 1,383 pieces of paper in the process.

He chose to use pencil rather than pen to prevent having to throw away an entire page when he made a mistake. On completing each chapter, he would bind the pages in a colored folder and write the name on the front—a total of 27 finished folders in all.

After he completed the New International Version, he immediately turned his attention to copying the King James Bible. Taking almost four years, 603 pencils, and filling 2,383 pieces of paper to complete.

His favorite book is Proverbs, stating, “It talks about grace, I guess. It talks about His promises.”

Aside from creating a legacy, he says meticulously working through the Bible word by word brought him a better understanding of its meaning.

“It brought me closer to God and gave me more understanding of the Bible,” he said.

Encouragement

A common theme researching people who have copied the Bible out by hand is that the practice becomes exciting. They are challenged but also look forward to each day.

They often feel compelled to continue, but not overwhelmed by the magnitude of the task.

These are ordinary people creating something extraordinary in their lives.