A configurable multi-lingual presentation of an ancient manuscript is presented. An ancient manuscript, such as a bible, is configured and presented simultaneously in a plurality of languages, side by side. For instance, an English language translation may be presented in one column of a display while a Spanish language translation is presented in a second column. The presentation may be in electronic media, in which case it could be over a PDA (personal data assistant), a personal computer (e.g. a laptop), an electronic book, a projection in a church or other environment, etc. The presentation may also be printed in book form after final configuration. For instance, a customized book may be generated from preferences specified by a user, leaflets of specific paragraphs may be generated for a specific event, or a regularly bound book may be generated for mass distribution.