Title: Hidden Word Bible Lessons Author: Randy Breland Published: July 18, 2026 Last modified: July 18, 2026 --- Search plugins ![](https://ps.w.org/hidden-word-bible-lessons/assets/banner-772x250.png?rev=3613020) ![](https://ps.w.org/hidden-word-bible-lessons/assets/icon-256x256.png?rev=3612644) # Hidden Word Bible Lessons By [Randy Breland](https://profiles.wordpress.org/brelandr/) [Download](https://downloads.wordpress.org/plugin/hidden-word-bible-lessons.2.0.2.zip) [Live Preview](https://wordpress.org/plugins/hidden-word-bible-lessons/?preview=1) * [Details](https://wordpress.org/plugins/hidden-word-bible-lessons/#description) * [Reviews](https://wordpress.org/plugins/hidden-word-bible-lessons/#reviews) * [Installation](https://wordpress.org/plugins/hidden-word-bible-lessons/#installation) * [Development](https://wordpress.org/plugins/hidden-word-bible-lessons/#developers) [Support](https://wordpress.org/support/plugin/hidden-word-bible-lessons/) ## Description Hidden Word Bible Lessons helps your church or ministry teach Scripture through structured, engaging weekly lessons. Each lesson breaks down a single verse into five rich sections: * **The Blueprint** — The core scripture with memorization practice * **The Context** — Historical and cultural background * **The Narrative** — Events leading up to the verse * **The Echo** — Cross-references connecting to the rest of Scripture * **Discussion** — Reflection questions for small groups #### Features * 500-verse curated NIV curriculum (Biblica fair-use maximum) * King James Version and World English Bible (public domain) included * Spaced-repetition memorization (SM-2), practice modes, and review queue * Bible chapter reader with Hello AO audio (no API key) * Optional BYOK: API.Bible, Biblia.com, YouVersion Platform, OpenAI / Claude (or WP AI Connectors) * Verse of the Day, email digests, progress tracking, PDF leader guides * Custom scheduling, cohorts, study finder, and ask-a-question tools * Gutenberg blocks and shortcodes; lesson catalog at `/bible-lesson/` #### Shortcodes * `[hwbl_lesson]` — Current scheduled lesson * `[hwbl_lesson_list]` — Browse all lessons * `[hwbl_verse_of_week]` — Compact scheduled verse * `[hwbl_bible_reader]` — Read/listen to any chapter * `[hwbl_memorize_verse]` / `[hwbl_memorize_reviews]` — Memorize and review * `[hwbl_verse_of_the_day]` / `[hwbl_study_finder]` / `[hwbl_ask_question]` — Daily verse and AI study tools * `[hwbl_my_progress]` — Progress and streaks #### NIV Copyright Scripture quotations marked NIV are from THE HOLY BIBLE, NEW INTERNATIONAL VERSION ®, NIV® Copyright © 1973, 1978, 1984, 2011 by Biblica, Inc.® Used by permission. All rights reserved worldwide. The bundled NIV text is provided under Biblica’s gratis use guidelines for non-commercial WordPress plugins (fewer than 500 verses, no complete books). ### External Services Bundled NIV/KJV/WEB text is stored locally. Optional services are used only when a site administrator enables them and supplies keys (or uses WordPress AI Connectors): * Hello AO — free Bible text/audio API (no key) * API.Bible, Biblia.com, YouVersion Platform — optional translation providers ( BYOK) * bible.com — Verse of the Day reference/image (when VOTD is enabled) * OpenAI or Anthropic — optional AI explain/study/ask (BYOK or Connectors) No license phone-home. No paid feature gates. ## Screenshots [⌊Tabbed lesson view with scripture, context, narrative, echo, and discussion tabs⌉⌊ Tabbed lesson view with scripture, context, narrative, echo, and discussion tabs⌉[ Tabbed lesson view with scripture, context, narrative, echo, and discussion tabs [⌊Fill-in-the-blanks memorization widget⌉⌊Fill-in-the-blanks memorization widget⌉[ Fill-in-the-blanks memorization widget [⌊Verse of the Week scheduling on the front end⌉⌊Verse of the Week scheduling on the front end⌉[ Verse of the Week scheduling on the front end [⌊Lesson editor with verse reference and enrichment meta boxes⌉⌊Lesson editor with verse reference and enrichment meta boxes⌉[ Lesson editor with verse reference and enrichment meta boxes [⌊Plugin settings — schedule mode and translation switcher⌉⌊Plugin settings — schedule mode and translation switcher⌉[ Plugin settings — schedule mode and translation switcher ## Blocks This plugin provides 2 blocks. * Bible Lesson * Bible Lesson Catalog ## Installation 1. Upload the plugin to `/wp-content/plugins/hidden-word-bible-lessons/` 2. Activate through the ‘Plugins’ menu 3. Go to **Hidden Word Bible Lessons** in the admin menu — 500 lessons seed in the background. A **Today’s Lesson** demo page is created on first activation. 4. Add `[hwbl_lesson]` to any page or use the **Bible Lesson** Gutenberg block 5. Configure schedule and translation under **Settings**; API keys and digests under** Advanced** 6. If you previously used the separate Premium add-on, deactivate and delete that plugin ## FAQ ### How many NIV verses are bundled? 500 single-verse lessons, using the full Biblica 500-verse gratis use allowance. ### Do I need a separate Premium plugin? No. Former Premium features are included in this plugin for free. Deactivate any older separate Premium install. ### Can I add my own lessons? Yes. Create new Bible Lessons or edit the seeded 500-lesson curriculum. ### Does this work with page builders? Yes. Use the shortcode `[hwbl_lesson]` in any page builder text widget or the Gutenberg block. ## Reviews There are no reviews for this plugin. ## Contributors & Developers “Hidden Word Bible Lessons” is open source software. The following people have contributed to this plugin. Contributors * [ Randy Breland ](https://profiles.wordpress.org/brelandr/) [Translate “Hidden Word Bible Lessons” into your language.](https://translate.wordpress.org/projects/wp-plugins/hidden-word-bible-lessons) ### Interested in development? [Browse the code](https://plugins.trac.wordpress.org/browser/hidden-word-bible-lessons/), check out the [SVN repository](https://plugins.svn.wordpress.org/hidden-word-bible-lessons/), or subscribe to the [development log](https://plugins.trac.wordpress.org/log/hidden-word-bible-lessons/) by [RSS](https://plugins.trac.wordpress.org/log/hidden-word-bible-lessons/?limit=100&mode=stop_on_copy&format=rss). ## Changelog #### 2.0.2 * Fix Verse of the Day Explain 404s: flush CPT rewrite rules when missing so saved explanation permalinks resolve * Ignore empty/broken saved explanation shells and regenerate usable content * Silence Plugin Check false positive for wp_get_connectors() via call_user_func #### 2.0.1 * Verse of the Day Explain: clearer errors when AI explain is off or no provider is ready; follow site AI toggle when the VOTD explain option has never been saved * Log AI generation failures for Verse of the Day Explain to help diagnose Connectors/ BYOK issues #### 2.0.0 * Merge former Premium add-on into this plugin (all features free, no license gate) * Advanced Settings: Bible API keys, AI (BYOK/Connectors), digests, VOTD, scheduling * Shortcodes: hwbl_study_finder, hwbl_ask_question, hwbl_verse_of_the_day, hwbl_my_progress, and more * Remove license phone-home and GitHub updater from bundled modules #### 1.7.2 * Escape copyright and lesson list HTML with wp_kses_post at output boundaries * Remove legacy thw_/THW_ shortcodes, constants, class aliases, and hook bridges( hwbl_/HWBL_ only) #### 1.7.1 * Fix “Listen to verse” when site translation has no Hello AO audio (falls back to KJV/WEB/BSB chapter audio) * Add “Know the reference” memorization mode for book, chapter, and verse practice #### 1.7.0 * SRS-first memorization: daily review mode, quality ratings, review queue dashboard shortcode `[hwbl_memorize_reviews]` * Lesson pages show due-review banner and auto-enroll verses in your SRS deck when logged in * Engagement: cohort leaderboard + weekly challenge, unified AI assistant, side- by-side translation compare * PWA offline pack caching for review queue; memorization audio via Hello AO * API.Bible FUMS script + attribution; merge-ready `hwbl_premium_features_enabled()` helper #### 1.6.0 * SM-2 spaced repetition with server-side progress (hwbl/v1/memorize/* REST) * Practice modes: hide words, type from memory, first-letter hints, word scramble * Server streak sync with one-time localStorage import on login * REST namespace bridge: hwbl/v1 primary, thw/v1 deprecated aliases * Engagement scaffolds: cohort leaderboard, AI assistant shell, personalized digests, translation compare, PWA offline pack #### 1.5.0 * Secure memorize-verse REST endpoint with rate limiting; custom verse posts require login * Memoize bundled KJV/WEB/NIV curriculum JSON loads for better performance * JavaScript i18n foundation for lesson tabs and memorization widget * Keyboard accessibility for word-hide memorization (Enter/Space, ARIA labels) * Align Premium streak claim with hwbl_mem_streak localStorage key #### 1.3.1 * Schedule-aware front-end labels: “Today’s / This Week’s / This Month’s Verse to Memorize” based on Bible Lessons Settings schedule mode * Rename user-facing “lesson” CTAs/catalog/widget copy toward verse-to-memorize wording #### 1.3.0 * Renamed for WordPress.org: Hidden Word Bible Lessons (slug hidden-word-bible- lessons) * Prefix identifiers as hwbl_/HWBL_ (4+ characters) with legacy thw_* shortcode/ block aliases * Scope curriculum admin notices to plugin screens (Guideline 11) * Migrate legacy thw_lesson CPT, options, and meta on upgrade #### 1.2.2 #### 1.2.2 * Add optional Enable AI Features setting (requires Premium for front-end AI explain and study search) #### 1.2.1 * Fix autoload for translation provider interface on plugin activation #### 1.2.0 * Add lesson catalog with `[hwbl_lesson_list]`, Gutenberg block, and `/bible-lesson/` archive * Add print and copy verse buttons on lesson pages * Add browser-local memorization streak counter with Premium upsell * Add classic Verse of the Week widget * Backfill enriched lesson content and echo verse text from bundled curriculum cache #### 1.1.5 * Add bundled World English Bible (WEB) as a third offline translation * Re-initialize memorization widget when Premium translation switcher changes verse text #### 1.1.4 * Replace deprecated `get_page_by_title()` with `WP_Query` for demo page lookup * Add combined `smoke-all.sh` and Plugin Check smoke script #### 1.1.3 * Replace mock WordPress.org screenshots with real wp-env UI captures * Seeding-complete admin notice links to the Today’s Lesson demo page * Update WordPress.org reviewer and submission documentation #### 1.1.2 * Create a “Today’s Lesson” demo page with `[hwbl_lesson]` on first activation ( does not change your homepage) * Add WordPress.org application form copy and plugin apply guide #### 1.1.1 * The bundled 500-lesson curriculum now seeds in small background batches instead of all at once on activation, to avoid timeouts on slower hosting. An admin notice shows progress while it runs. * Lesson scheduling uses an in-memory lookup map instead of slow meta queries on every page load. #### 1.1.0 * Expand bundled NIV curriculum from 52 to 500 verses (Biblica fair-use maximum) * Add HWBL_Curriculum helper for verse counting and lesson scheduling * Scheduler and lesson meta now support lesson numbers 1–500 * Automatic upgrade seeding for existing installs * WordPress.org assets and GitHub Actions CI #### 1.0.1 * Complete 52-week NIV curriculum with historical context, narrative, and discussion questions * Update project .cursorrules for Hidden Word Bible Lessons #### 1.0.0 * Initial release * 52-week NIV + KJV curriculum * Lesson CPT with meta boxes * Tabbed front-end lesson display * Basic memorization widget * Gutenberg block and shortcodes ## Meta * Version **2.0.2** * Last updated **2 days ago** * Active installations **Fewer than 10** * WordPress version ** 6.2 or higher ** * Tested up to **7.0.2** * PHP version ** 7.4 or higher ** * Tags * [bible](https://wordpress.org/plugins/tags/bible/)[scripture](https://wordpress.org/plugins/tags/scripture/) [verse of the day](https://wordpress.org/plugins/tags/verse-of-the-day/) * [Advanced View](https://wordpress.org/plugins/hidden-word-bible-lessons/advanced/) ## Ratings No reviews have been submitted yet. [Your review](https://wordpress.org/support/plugin/hidden-word-bible-lessons/reviews/#new-post) [See all reviews](https://wordpress.org/support/plugin/hidden-word-bible-lessons/reviews/) ## Contributors * [ Randy Breland ](https://profiles.wordpress.org/brelandr/) ## Support Got something to say? Need help? [View support forum](https://wordpress.org/support/plugin/hidden-word-bible-lessons/)