How can I isolate one chapter of the Bible?

Kristin · 2025-08-03T23:32:56+00:00

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I am often needing to copy a chapter of the Bible at a time. So in Accordance, if I want to select Genesis 4, I can type in the text of Gen 4 and set the range to just be that, and it shows just that. I can then press COMMAND A to select that text, copy, and paste it wherever.

By contrast, in Logos if I type Gen 4 it will show that, but then it will also show Gen 5 and just continue on. Thus if I tried to select everything, it would select more than Gen 4.

I am aware of the Passage List, but I am having issues with that since it deletes formatting. To use Jn 2:1-4 as an example, if I copy it by hand from the normal ESV tab, the formatting sticks. The verses are separated and it is very clean.

2:1 On the third day there was a wedding at Cana in Galilee, and the mother of Jesus was there.

2 Jesus also was invited to the wedding with his disciples.

3 When the wine ran out, the mother of Jesus said to him, “They have no wine.”

4 And Jesus said to her, “Woman, what does this have to do with me? My hour has not yet come.”

By contrast, the Passage List squashes everything together:

Jn 2:1–4

1 On the third day there was a wedding at Cana in Galilee, and the mother of Jesus was there. 2 Jesus also was invited to the wedding with his disciples. 3 When the wine ran out, the mother of Jesus said to him, “They have no wine.” 4 And Jesus said to her, “Woman, what does this have to do with me? My hour has not yet come.”

So I am looking for the ability to copy a chapter while it preserves the formatting of how it appears in the normal view. I am sure there is a way to truly show JUST what I typed in so I can do a select all and copy it, but I would appreciate any clarity how to do this.

Thanks.

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Francis

Have you tried from the "Print" dialog (from the resource menu, under the Share tab). You can use selected text, a specific range, or pick books or chapters. The formatting will follow that at which you have set the resource. For a Bible, look at the option in the resource menu, under the Formatting tab.

DMB

I prefer to highlight the chapter, right-click, selecting 'Reference' (left-side), and then 'Lines' (rightside copy option).

Using 'milestone:"john 2" for a text-search is quick, but it's pretty nutty.

Kristin

Hi @Francis, thank you for the idea and screenshot. No, I hadn't tried that. I just did, and I ran into a few issues.

First, if I just manually copy the entirety of Jn 2 (which then overshoots it and I delete the beginning of Jn 3), it pastes fine. However, if I do the print version, when I paste it there is a weird space between vs 12-13, and also vs 22-23. Are you seeing this also?

Second, and more importantly, even though I selected the text I wanted and then did print and entire chapter, it STILL copied the ESV, even though the text which had been selected was my translation. This makes me concerned that it will always copy the "lead" regardless if something else was selected. Is this in fact the case?

If so, is there another solution? The reason why I have one text on the right or left in my layout is dependent on how things look visually. I very rarely actually look at the ESV, which is why it is pushed all the way to the left on my monitor, and then the text I am actually using is more in the middle of the screen.

Given all this, what I just tried to do is to put Jn 2:1-4 in the Passage List, then "open" the list and then select everything, and that sort of worked. So then I tried doing it for the entire chapter of Jn 2, then open it, and that thankfully did only show Jn 2. So for sure a multi-step process compared to Accordance's one step (pushing the sider to 0), but at least it just shows the chapter.

HOWEVER, I then tried COMMAND A to select the whole thing and COMMAND A is disabled?? So the ONLY way to select a version that is not on the left is to manually scroll up and down to select it?

This seems like such a basic need. Don't pastors often need to isolate just a specific part of the Bible for their sermons and copy it? Why is this such a complicated process?

Kristin

I prefer to highlight the chapter, right-click, selecting 'Reference' (left-side), and then 'Lines' (rightside copy option).
Using 'milestone:"john 2" for a text-search is quick, but it's pretty nutty.

Hi @DMB, I just saw this. Regarding "highlighting" the chapter, do you mean just scrolling up and down and selecting everything like I mentioned above? Likewise, while I am not sure what your milestone comment means, it seems like you would have the same issue of it only copying the text on the left. Correct?

DMB

Terms are confusing! Yes, highlighting meaning selecting. I'm not sure your last comment (same issue?).

The closest to Accordance should have been the milestone idea, but it repeats verse refs nuttily.

Kristin

Hi @DMB, ya, regarding my last comment was what you addressed, that you need to manually scroll instead of just selecting everything with COMMAND A.

I guess the moral is to just keep Accordance open, and so when I need to send my students a chapter, I can just type in the chapter, select all, copy, paste and voilà, students have the chapter in the correct version. The whole process takes 5-7 seconds.

So if I really need to do it in Logos, I will enter it into a passage list, open the passage list, manually scroll to select everything, copy, and then paste it, but I think it makes more sense to just copy it from Accordance.

Am I the only person frequently copying parts of the text? It seems like a common need of pastors, I would have thought.

DMB

Are you sure the Copy Bible Verses tool wouldn't work for you? That's the normal solution (pastors).

Kristin

Hi @DMB, could you clarify what tool that is?

DMB

It's in the Tools menu (top menu line of app window)

Kristin

Hi @DMB, ok thanks for clarifying that. I found it and tried it, but it didn't quite work. The first problem is that it just copies like COMMAND C, and I still need to scroll to select. Second, it copied the ESV even though a different version was selected (because the ESV is on the left). :/

DMB

I guess I don't understand:

I selected the verse format (line)
Picked my favorite translation (Emphasis)
Typed in the ref, 'John 2'
Hit the Copy button

Went over to my Notepad (Mac) and pasted the verses in

Kristin

Hi @DMB, so when you say you picked your favorite translation, I take it that translation is on the left and the lead now. Is that correct? If the translation in question is on the right or middle, does it still work? From what I have found no matter what I do it copies the translation on the left in "lead."

DMB

I'm not on my Mac but the Copy Bible Verse tool can operate independent of your currently open Parallel view panel. I open it in a separate window, pick the Bible I want, type in the verse ref(s), and hit the copy button.

Paul Strickert

https://support.logos.com/hc/en-us/articles/360015518272-Copy-Bible-Verses-from-Logos

Kristin

Hi @DMB and @Paul Strickert, thank you both for your help. @Paul Strickert, thank you for the video link. I finally understand the "lines" option. I think all the different ways Logos has to copy is great, it is just super rough that it is only set up for a verse or two. If I needed to copy and paste Ps 119, for example, selecting the verses without overshooting the end of the chapter would be pretty difficult. I could theoretically just mindlessly scroll until I see I am in Ps 120, but then I would need to paste it somewhere to delete the beginning of Ps 120, then copy it, and then paste it where I need it to actually be pasted.

So if I am ever in the situation of needing to copy a verse or two, I see "lines" works great, as it in fact did copy and paste the version which I had selected, despite it not being the lead. The main issue though is that I don't actually remember the last time I need is to copy a few verses, as what I really need it to be able to quickly isolate one chapter, copy it, and paste it.

I think using Accordance for this will work ok. Today I did class in Logos which worked really well, and I loved the notes I have been able to organize, and then when I needed to send the next chapter I just quickly copied it from my translation in Accordance and sent it to my class.

If for whatever reason that is an issue then in Logos I can open the Passage List, type the chapter, open the Passage list, manually scroll to select the whole chapter, click lines, and then paste it. But that will for sure just be the backup.

Graham Criddle

I've tried to follow the discussion but might have missed some of the details.

As far as I can see, Copy Bible Verses (as per DMB suggestion) should give you what you are looking for - and you can select the Bible you want there as shown below:

Please summarise the problems you see, if any, of this approach.