Gideons International
![](/Images/godic/202501/15/Gideons_color_circle_logo0350.gif"){kind=logo}
![A Gideon member placing a Bible in a motel room](/Images/godic/202501/15/Gideon_member_distributing_scripture_in_motel_room0350.jpg")
![The interior of Room 19, Central House Hotel located at 1005 Wisconsin Avenue in Boscobel, Wisconsin, kept in the style it was in September 1898 when founders of the Gideons met here](/Images/godic/202501/15/Room190350.jpg")
![A Gideon New Testament](/Images/godic/202501/15/Gideons_bible0350.jpg")
Gideons International is an evangelical Christian association founded 1899 in Janesville, Wisconsin. The Gideons' primary activity is distributing copies of the Bible free of charge. This Bible distribution is a global enterprise taking place in 200 countries, territories and possessions. The association's members focus on distributing complete Bibles, New Testaments, or portions thereof. These copies are printed in over 100 languages. The association is most widely known for its Scriptures placed in hotel and motel rooms. The Gideons also distribute to hospitals and other medical offices, schools and colleges as well as jails and prisons. The association takes its name from the Biblical figure Gideon, depicted in Judges 6.