A canal lined with historic houses in Amsterdam in summer

Hero photo: Amsterdam canal in summer by David Iliff, CC BY 2.5, via Wikimedia Commons.

The Bible Around the World

De Bijbel in Nederland — The Bible in the NetherlandsFlag of the Netherlands

The Netherlands has had the Bible in Dutch for five centuries, and Statistics Netherlands now counts 58% with no religion — Father's Heart Bible offers a near and loving Father in Dutch. Bijbel gratis online lezen, met audio.

Yes — you can read the Bible (de Bijbel) free online in the Netherlands right now. Statistics Netherlands (CBS) reports that in 2025, 58% of the Dutch aged 15 and over had no religion, 16% were Roman Catholic and 12% Protestant. The Father’s Heart Bible™ is free to read and hear on any phone, with no app and no account. The Dutch edition is free to read and hear today — for a people who have had the Bible in Dutch since 1526, where Father’s Heart Bible™ reveals God as a near and loving Father.

Last updated October 2026

Key takeawayThe Netherlands has had the Bible in Dutch for five centuries — and Father's Heart Bible™ (FHB) invites a now largely secular nation to hear, clearly, the voice of a Father.

the Netherlands at a glance

The Netherlands is a land of canals, windmills and open-minded cities — once among Europe’s most Protestant nations, now one where most people say they have no religion.

No religion (2025)
58% (Statistics Netherlands, CBS)
Roman Catholic (2025)
16%
Protestant (2025)
12%
Muslim (2025)
6%
First authorised Dutch Bible from Hebrew and Greek
1637 (Statenvertaling)

What the Netherlands is known for

The Dutch Bible story runs from the first printed Dutch Bible to the translations read today.

The first printed Dutch Bible, 1526

The Liesveltbijbel, first printed in Antwerp in 1526, is described as the first fully printed Dutch Bible translation.

The Statenvertaling, 1637

Ordered at the Synod of Dort in 1618-19 and first published in 1637, it was the first authorised Dutch translation made directly from the Hebrew and Greek.

Bibles for today

The Nieuwe Bijbelvertaling (NBV) appeared in 2004 and the Herziene Statenvertaling (HSV), a modernised Statenvertaling, in 2010.

A great change in belief

In 1849 only 2% of the Dutch had no religion and 56% were Protestant; in 2025, 58% had no religion, 16% were Roman Catholic and 12% Protestant.

Faith and the Bible in the Netherlands

Statistics Netherlands (CBS) reports that in 2025, 58% of the Dutch aged 15 and over had no religion, 16% were Roman Catholic, 12% Protestant and 6% Muslim. In 1849 the picture was nearly the reverse: 2% had no religion and 56% were Protestant.

The Dutch Bible is old here. The Liesveltbijbel was printed in 1526, the Statenvertaling followed in 1637, and the Dutch Bible Society’s translation of 1951 largely replaced it as the Protestant standard.

Dutch is also spoken in Belgium. In the European Social Survey 2023, 59% of Belgians said they are non-religious and 31% Catholic (as summarised on Wikipedia’s Religion in Belgium); that figure covers all of Belgium, not Flanders alone.

The invitation of Father’s Heart Bible™ is a personal one: read the same Word in clear Dutch, and meet in it a Father.

Sources: Statistics Netherlands (CBS), 16 March 2026 — Limburg is the only province where most people still identify as religious (2025 shares, age 15+: no religion 58%, Catholic 16%, Protestant 12%, Muslim 6%)Statistics Netherlands (CBS) — The Netherlands in Numbers 2024: What are the major religions? (1849 and post-war comparison: 2% no religion, 56% Protestant in 1849)Bible translations into Dutch — Wikipedia (Liesveltbijbel 1526, Statenvertaling 1637, NBG 1951, NBV 2004, HSV 2010)Religion in Belgium — Wikipedia (European Social Survey 2023: 59% non-religious, 31% Catholic)

What “our Father” offers the Netherlands

Father’s Heart Bible™ does not ask the Netherlands to leave the Scriptures it gave the world in Dutch. It lets a thoughtful people hear, in clear Dutch, the Father whom Scripture reveals.

For the one who prays

Many Dutch families have prayed “Our Father in heaven” for generations — and can read it again, as the words of One who knows them by name.

For the one left behind

To those who feel overlooked, Scripture promises “a father to the fatherless” — a Father who stays.

For the child of our Father

“…received the Spirit of sonship, by whom we cry, ‘Abba! Father!’” — not a slave’s fear, but a child’s trust.

Why Father's Heart Bible™ for the Netherlands

God revealed as Father

Father’s Heart Bible™ reveals God as Father wherever Scripture reveals Him that way — from Genesis 1:1 onward.

Free, with audio, on any phone

No purchase, no app, no sign-up. The whole Bible is free to read online, with audio, on the phone in your hand.

Now in Dutch

De Nederlandse editie is gepubliceerd: lees de Bijbel gratis. Father’s Heart Bible™ is in 51 of 80 languages.

The translation opportunity for the Netherlands

Dutch is the heart language of some 30 million people worldwide — and the Dutch edition is free to read in Father’s Heart Bible™.

Every language is a door. You can start reading the editions available today, free. English has verse-by-verse audio.

Read in your language

Father’s Heart Bible™ is free to read online in every language below — open its home page and choose any book.

His Word will not return void

When our Father said, “Let there be light,” there was light. His Word accomplishes what He sends it to do. In a land that has had it in Dutch since 1526, it will not return empty.

“…so will my word be that goes out from my mouth: it will not return to me empty, but will accomplish what I desire and achieve the purpose for which I sent it.” — Isaiah 55:11

Hear the Father’s voice

A few of the most-read passages in the world, in Father’s Heart Bible™ — tap any reference to read and listen free.

“A father to the fatherless and defender of widows is our Father in his holy dwelling.”

Psalm 68:5

“You did not receive a spirit of slavery, to fall back into fear, but received the Spirit of sonship, by whom we cry, "Abba! Father!"”

Romans 8:15

“See what kind of love our Father has given us, that we should be called children of our Father! And we are.”

1 John 3:1

Hear the Father in Dutch

Now hear it in a Father’s own voice — free, with audio, on any phone.

Read FHB free

Keep reading

Begin with the whole Bible free online with audio, learn why Father’s Heart Bible™ exists, or get oriented with our Bible reading guides — including where to start and what the gospel is. Browse Scripture by theme on our Bible verses by topic pages.

Learn more about the Netherlands

Trusted sources for the facts on this page — and for going deeper into the Netherlands’ people, faith, and story.

Frequently asked questions

How many Christians are there in the Netherlands?

Statistics Netherlands (CBS) reports that in 2025, 58% of the Dutch aged 15 and over had no religion, 16% were Roman Catholic, 12% Protestant and 6% Muslim. In 1849 only 2% had no religion and 56% were Protestant. You can read the Scriptures free at fathersheartbible.com/read.

Waar kan ik de Bijbel online lezen?

Father's Heart Bible™ is gratis te lezen en te beluisteren in het Nederlands op fathersheartbible.com/read/nl/ — zonder account, zonder aankoop, zonder app.

When was the Bible first translated into Dutch?

The Liesveltbijbel, printed in Antwerp in 1526, is described as the first fully printed Dutch Bible. The Statenvertaling, ordered at the Synod of Dort in 1618-19 and first published in 1637, was the first authorised Dutch translation made directly from the Hebrew and Greek.

Which Dutch Bible translations are used today?

The Nederlands Bijbelgenootschap (Dutch Bible Society) translation of 1951 largely replaced the Statenvertaling as the Protestant standard; the ecumenical Nieuwe Bijbelvertaling (NBV) appeared in 2004, and the Herziene Statenvertaling (HSV), a modernised Statenvertaling, in 2010. The Catholic standard is the Willibrordvertaling.

Can I read the Bible online free in Dutch?

Yes. Father's Heart Bible™ is free to read and hear online in Dutch (Nederlands) — no account, no purchase, no app — at fathersheartbible.com/read/nl/. The English edition is free too.

Portrait of Kevin White

About the author

Kevin White

Founder, Spirit Media Publishing · Father's Heart Bible™

Kevin White is founder of Spirit Media Publishing the publisher of Father's Heart Bible™, a translation centered on revealing God's heart as Father through every passage. He pastors readers toward the love of our Father — in plain English — and writes here about Scripture, sonship, and the modern Father-heart movement.

Read Father’s Heart Bible™ free

From Genesis to Revelation, free online with audio — a translation that reveals God as a loving Father to every beloved son and daughter, in the Netherlands and wherever Dutch speakers have gone.

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