Founded on May 11, 1816, in New York City, it is best known for its Good News Translation of the Bible, written in the contemporary vernacular.

[2] American Bible Society's headquarters relocated from 1865 Broadway in New York City to Philadelphia in August 2015.

John Jay, the first Chief Justice of the United States Supreme Court, was named president in 1821, and a number of illustrious individuals like Frederick Theodore Frelinghuysen and Edwin Francis Hyde, a former president of the Philharmonic Society of New York, headed up the organization over the years.

Francis Scott Key, the writer of the United States' national anthem, was a Vice President of the organization from 1817 until his death in 1843.

It also carried Bibles from other printers in various languages, including Gaelic, Welsh, Dutch, Mohawk, Hawaiian, and Seneca.

[7] In an incident well publicized at the time, the ABS refused a donation offered in 1834 by the American Anti-Slavery Society.

Vice President John R. Mott recalled that in 1833 American Bible Society sent $3,000 to Elijah Coleman Bridgman, first U.S. Protestant missionary to China, to print scriptures in Chinese.

In 1998, American Bible Society paid about $1.6 million to Sony Music Entertainment in order to distribute several Christian children's series, including Angel Wings and Kingsley's Meadow.

[14] In the aftermath of the September 11 attacks, American Bible Society distributed more than one million Scriptures and offered downloadable portions free of charge to those affected by the tragedy.

Also in 2010, American Bible Society launched the Bible-based Trauma Healing ministry in a war zone in East Africa.

[18] The first site to launch was American.Bible in September 2015[19] In 2014, Roy Peterson succeeded Doug Birdsall, having previously served as President of the Seed Company and Wycliffe Bible Translators.

[20] In 2015, American Bible Society announced that it had sold 1865 Broadway to AvalonBay Communities for US$300 million and was moving to a new location in Philadelphia, leasing 100,000 square feet at 401 Market Street.

[3] In December, 2017,[21] American Bible Society introduced the Affirmation of Biblical Community, an employee policy which requires staff to align around a core set of Christian beliefs and practices.

Dr. Holloran had previously served for 22 years in various leadership roles at Wycliffe Bible Translators USA, most recently as chief operating officer.

[30][31] It said it "explores the relationship between faith and liberty in America from its founding to today, by illuminating the influence of the Bible on individuals in key historical and personal moments.

[34] American Bible Society leadership described the FLDC as “...an exciting experience for people of all faiths and backgrounds,"[35] In 2019, American Bible Society paid to relocate White Water, a 40-foot-long, 16-foot high masterpiece of geometric stainless steel sculpture of 1978 by Robinson Fredenthal, from 401 Market Street to the Woodmere Art Museum.

[38] The surfaces is said to represent the three documents essential to the founding of the United States: the Declaration of Independence, the U.S. Constitution, and the Bible.

[40] The Museum of Biblical Art, was an independent but affiliated organization and was housed in American Bible Society's building at 1865 Broadway, in New York.