You’ve seen Gideon Bibles in hotel room drawers. But surprisingly, you are actively encouraged to do what with it?

The Room Bible Is Meant to Travel

In many hotels, you’re welcome to take the Bible from the bedside drawer—not just read it during your stay. Copies placed through the Gideons International program are distributed free, and guests can keep them rather than return them to the room.

A Copy, Not Part of the Hotel’s Furniture

The program works through donated Bibles supplied to hotels for guest rooms. As guests take copies, participating hotels can request replacements. That makes the drawer a kind of handoff point: the book is available to whoever happens to stay there, and it can continue with a guest after checkout.

Practices can vary by property, so a Bible may belong to a hotel’s own collection rather than this program. But when it is a Gideon-placed copy, taking it is part of the idea—not a case of accidentally removing something the next guest needs.