The First Presidency has announced plans to publish the Latter-day Saint edition of the Bible in Spanish.

"We are pleased to announce that the LDS edition of the Holy Bible in Spanish will be available through local Church distribution centers beginning in September," the First Presidency stated in a letter to Spanish-speaking congregations. "It contains new chapter headings, footnotes, cross-references to all standard works and other study helps that will enhance understanding of the gospel of Jesus Christ."

The 2009 LDS edition of the Spanish Bible is similar to the 1979 English LDS edition of the King James Bible, which, with its cross-references and study helps, made the scriptures much more accessible to English-speaking members. The Spanish Bible project is one of the most significant scripture projects the Church has ever undertaken, according to Church public affairs. The scriptural text of this new edition is based on the 1909 Reina-Valera Spanish Bible and is comparable in the dignity of its language to the King James Version of the Holy Bible in English.

Church leaders began the process to produce a Latter-day Saint edition of the Bible in Spanish in response to the increase in the number of Spanish-speaking members of the Church. After years of labor, the new edition will benefit an estimated 4.5 million members whose first language is Spanish.

"This new edition of the Bible will promote gospel scholarship and a deeper appreciation of this marvelous, fundamental scripture," said Elder D. Todd Christofferson of the Quorum of the Twelve. "We anticipate that it will lead Spanish-speaking Church members to study the Bible regularly and that the excellent study aids will open the scriptures to greater understanding and that a more earnest application of scriptural teachings will follow."

Church leaders, teams of translators, professional linguists and qualified lay members reviewed the 1909 Reina-Valera edition of the Bible. The 2009 LDS edition modernizes some of the outdated grammatical constructions and vocabulary that have shifted in meaning and acceptability, according to Church public affairs.

"As we embarked on this project, we were sensitive to the sacred nature of this work," said Jeffrey C. Bateson, director of the Church's Translation Division. "We tried to preserve the 1909 text making very conservative changes to ensure accuracy, understandability and faithfulness to the source texts. The spiritual nature of this work was a humbling and uplifting experience for all those involved.".

The LDS Spanish edition of the Bible will be available in printed, electronic and audio formats. The printed Bibles and audio CDs will be available through local Church distribution centers. The electronic text and audio MP3 files will be available on the Church's Web site. More information is available in English and Spanish at SantaBiblia.lds.org.