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Spoken

A Windows-first Bible app that formats Scripture into readable, justified prose with poetry preserved as line-broken blocks, small caps for the divine name, smart quotes, em dashes, and export to PDF with footer (Passage · Page n of X). Currently includes KJV and ASV translations, with plans to add more translations based on user requests.

  • Tech: .NET 8, .NET MAUI (Windows via WinUI 3), QuestPDF
  • Core: USFM ingestion with scholarly paragraph structure, prose formatter, PDF export
  • App: Minimal blue theme (#0A5BCB), passage input, translation picker, preview, export

USFM Formatting & Scholarly Structure

Spoken uses the Unified Standard Format Markers (USFM) standard for biblical text formatting. This means:

Paragraph Structure

  • Paragraph breaks follow biblical manuscript traditions rather than modern English conventions
  • Breaks may occur mid-sentence to preserve theological thought units and narrative structure
  • Each paragraph represents a complete literary or thematic unit as determined by biblical scholars
  • This matches the formatting found in academic study Bibles and scholarly editions

Why Paragraphs Break Mid-Sentence

The USFM standard preserves the structure of ancient Hebrew and Greek manuscripts:

  • Hebrew text structure differs from modern English paragraph conventions
  • Breaks mark thematic shifts, speakers, or narrative actions rather than grammatical sentences
  • Original biblical texts didn't use modern punctuation - colons and periods were added by translators
  • This scholarly approach helps readers understand the original literary flow of Scripture

Translation Versions

  • KJV (King James Version): Uses the Cambridge Paragraph Bible edition for clean, accurate text
  • ASV (American Standard Version): Public domain translation with excellent accuracy
  • Future versions: We plan to add more translations based on user requests and technical feasibility

Documentation

See docs/prd.md for the product requirements and docs/versions-readme.md for translation packaging.

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