publishing translation
I want to translate the Bible to a yet untranslated language. What legal aspects should I look for?
<p>Yes, there exists a language in which the Bible has not yet been translated to. I wish to do that translation.</p>
<p>Which version of the Bible can I use, and am I liable for lawsuits?</p>
<p>Thanks</p>

<p>Translating any text produces a derivative work. If the original text is protected by copyright, this requites the permission of the copyright holder.</p>
<p>Any ancient text or translation of the Bible is totally free of copyright protection. Any version published in the US before 1926 is now out of copyright in the US. The rule3s for copyright of a Bible version are not usually different from those form any other text in a given country.</p>
<p>There are a few special exceptions. For example, as described on <a href="https://www.cambridge.org/about-us/who-we-are/queens-printers-patent" rel="nofollow noreferrer">this site</a> the King James Version (KJV) is under Crown Copyright in the UK. There could be similar special copyright rules in other countries for particular versions.</p>
<p>Note that the KJV is listed as PD on the list linked in the answer by user6726. But this would not be correct in the UK, although it would be in the US.</p>

<p><a href="https://support.biblegateway.com/hc/en-us/articles/360001403507-What-Bibles-on-Bible-Gateway-are-in-the-public-domain-" rel="nofollow noreferrer">This</a> purports to be a list of public domain Bibles in English, and the entries are detailed enough to make the claim credible. If you use a copyright-protected version, you have to have the permission of the copyright owner or run the risk of an infringement lawsuit, as in <a href="https://rushtopress.org/press-releases/pr041316.html" rel="nofollow noreferrer">this case</a> of a website with 50 translations that was shut down.</p>
