CODE EXAMPLE FOR JAVASCRIPT

regular expressiong to indentify bible references in a sentence

<?php
$scriptureUtils = new ScriptureUtils();
echo $scriptureUtils->addLinks($text);

class ScriptureUtils {

    private $booksAbbreviated = array(
        "Gen", "Exo", "Lev", "Num", "Deu", "Jos", "Jud", "Rut", "1 Sam", "2 Sam", "1 Kin", 
        "2 Kin", "1 Chr", "2 Chr", "Ezr", "Neh", "Est", "Job", "Psa", "Pro", "Ecc", "Son", 
        "Isa", "Jer", "Lam", "Eze", "Dan", "Hos", "Joe", "Amo", "Oba", "Jon", "Mic", 
        "Nah", "Hab", "Zep", "Hag", "Zec", "Mal", "Mat", "Mar", "Luk", "Joh", "Act", 
        "Rom", "1 Cor", "2 Cor", "Gal", "Eph", "Phi", "Col", "1 The", "2 The", "1 Tim", 
        "2 Tim", "Tit", "Phi", "Heb", "Jam", "1 Pet", "2 Pet", "1 Joh", "2 Joh", "3 Joh", 
        "Jud", "Rev"
    );

    private $booksFullnames = array(
        "Genesis", "Exodus", "Leviticus", "Numbers", "Deuteronomy", "Joshua", "Judges", 
        "Ruth", "1 Samuel", "2 Samuel", "1 Kings", "2 Kings", "1 Chronicles", 
        "2 Chronicles", "Ezra", "Nehemiah", "Esther", "Job", "Psalms", "Proverbs", 
        "Ecclesiastes", "Song of Solomon", "Isaiah", "Jeremiah", "Lamentations", "Ezekiel", 
        "Daniel", "Hosea", "Joel", "Amos", "Obadiah", "Jonah", "Micah", "Nahum", 
        "Habakkuk", "Zephaniah", "Haggai", "Zechariah", "Malachi", "Matthew", "Mark", 
        "Luke", "John", "Acts", "Romans", "1 Corinthians", "2 Corinthians", "Galatians", 
        "Ephesians", "Philippians", "Colossians", "1 Thessalonians", "2 Thessalonians", 
        "1 Timothy", "2 Timothy", "Titus", "Philemon", "Hebrews", "James", "1 Peter", 
        "2 Peter", "1 John", "2 John", "3 John", "Jude", "Revelation"
    );

    private $addLinkPattern;

    public function __construct() {
        $this->defineLinkPattern();
    }

    public function addLinks($text) {
        $returnString = preg_replace_callback(
            $this->addLinkPattern,
            array($this, "addLinkCallback"),
            $text
        );
        return $returnString;
    }

    private function addLinkCallback($matches) {
        $returnString = "";
        foreach($matches as $match) {
            $returnString .= "<a href="bible.php?passage=$match">$match</a>";
        }
        return $returnString;
    }

    private function defineLinkPattern() {
        // It is important that the full names appear before the abbreviated ones.
        $bookList = implode("|", array_merge($this->booksFullnames, $this->booksAbbreviated));
        $this->addLinkPattern = "/(?:$bookList)(?:s+d+)?(?::d+(?:–d+)?(?:,s*d+(?:–d+)?)*)?/";
    }

}