OFFLINE AUDIO BIBLE

Shema
The Bible, aloud.

Listen to the Bible, follow Bible in a Year (BIY) and play your own prayers, music and talks. No phone or internet needed.

Set up a device Watch the tour
  • Fully offline
  • No account
  • Open source

שְׁמַע is Hebrew for “Hear”.

The full Shema device with its round display, speaker enclosure and USB ports
A dedicated player for Scripture and your audio library.

LISTENING OPTIONS

The Bible and your
audio library.

Choose a Bible chapter, follow a daily reading plan or browse your own audio folders.

Old Testament books on the Shema display

BIBLE

Browse the Bible

Browse all 73 books and choose a chapter. Switch between the languages and recordings on your card.

Bible in a Year periods with their day ranges

DAILY LISTENING

Bible in a Year

BIY means Bible in a Year, a 365-day Bible listening plan. Episodes are grouped by period, with separate introductions and checkpoints.

Library folders for talks, prayers and songs

LIBRARY

Your audio library

Organise songs, prayers and talks in folders. Browse subfolders, jump by letter or shuffle the tracks in a folder.

Device demo

The tour shows Home, Bible books and chapters, Bible in a Year, Library folders, favourites, playback and sleep timer, recent listening and settings. Select a demo section to play it. The video has no audio.

EXPLORE THE DEVICE

Time to listen.

Choose a feature to see it on the device. Browse Bible chapters, open your audio library and return to a favourite chapter.

Play, pause, adjust the volume or set a sleep timer. The progress ring shows how much of the current recording has played.

Play & pauseSkip & seekFavouritesSleep timer

A CLOSER LOOK

Browse books and chapters, manage favourites and adjust settings on the round touchscreen.

Shema home screen

Home

Open Bible, Bible in a Year, Library, Recent, Favourites or Settings.

Shema chapters screen

Chapters

A clear chapter grid with markers for what you have played.

Shema daily episodes screen

Daily episodes

Daily episodes, organised into periods of the biblical story.

Shema favourites screen

Favourites

Separate favourites for Bible chapters, daily episodes and Library tracks.

Shema recent listening screen

Recent listening

Return to recent listening and resume where you left off.

Shema sleep timer screen

Sleep timer

Set a sleep timer from 15 minutes to two hours.

Shema bible settings screen

Bible settings

Choose your Bible recording and adjust display brightness.

Shema appearance screen

Appearance

Choose an accent colour, with screen timeout and power-off settings too.

Resume listening

Resume the last track at the saved position. Recent listening and played markers show what you have listened to.

Touch controls

Larger touch areas and improved folder navigation help when browsing a large library.

Favourite and timer indicators

A filled heart shows a saved track. A filled moon shows an active sleep timer.

Scripture in your language

Keep Bible recordings in multiple languages on one microSD card. Choose the language and recording you want to hear from Settings.

OFFLINE

Listen without a phone.

Shema plays MP3 files from your microSD card. Listening does not need an account, internet connection or subscription.

Add Bible recordings in your preferred languages and keep songs, prayers and talks in the Library. The device charges over USB-C.

Free, open-source firmware

GET STARTED

Set up your device.

Choose the assembled hardware, add your audio and install the firmware from your computer.

  1. 01

    Choose the hardware

    Use the Waveshare ESP32-S3-Touch-LCD-1.85C (V2). The BOX + battery option (SKU 30684) includes the round touchscreen, speaker enclosure and battery.

    View the device

    Check the selected package and current price with the seller. Hardware details

  2. 02

    Prepare the microSD card

    Format the microSD card as FAT32. Back up any files first because formatting erases the card. Then copy your MP3s into the folders shown below.

    See the folder layout

    Audio recordings and the microSD card are supplied separately.

  3. 03

    Install & listen

    Connect with a USB-C data cable. Open the web installer in Chrome or Edge on a computer, choose the device and follow the installation steps.

    Open the installer

    Setting up several for family or a parish? Repeat the same steps for each player.

YOUR MICROSD CARD

microSD card setup

The microSD card must use FAT32. Use the folder names shown here at the root of the card. The language and Bible version folders can reflect your own collection.

  • BIBLE: chapter MP3s, numbered by book and chapter in the 73-book Catholic order.
  • BIY (Bible in a Year): daily episodes and introductions inside each language folder.
  • LIBRARY: your own folders and subfolders of MP3s.

Recordings are not bundled. Add audio you have permission to use.

EXAMPLE CARD LAYOUT
BIBLE/
  English/
    MyRecording/
      01_01.mp3
      01_02.mp3

BIY/
  English/
    Day 001 - In the Beginning.mp3
    Intro 01 - Introduction.mp3

LIBRARY/
  Prayers/
    Morning Prayer.mp3
  Songs/
  Talks/
A note on audio file names

For Bible chapters, use book_chapter.mp3: 01_01.mp3 is Genesis 1. Keep numbering consistent across the recording. Book numbers run from 1 to 73 in Catholic Bible order.

Bible in a Year (BIY) files use Day NNN - Title.mp3 for days 001 to 365 and Intro NN - Title.mp3 for introductions. Keep the spaces and three-digit day numbers. Library tracks can keep their descriptive filenames.

Source code & setup guide

SHEMA

“Hear, O Israel.”

Deuteronomy 6:4

Shema takes its name from the Hebrew word for “hear”.

Install Shema Explore the source