diff --git a/src/components/iq/IqDailyCard.jsx b/src/components/iq/IqDailyCard.jsx
index c753a0b..06780bf 100644
--- a/src/components/iq/IqDailyCard.jsx
+++ b/src/components/iq/IqDailyCard.jsx
@@ -1,26 +1,30 @@
 // Home card: today's verse and Spurgeon's Morning & Evening reading, both from IQ Bible.
 import { useEffect, useState } from 'react';
 import { useApp } from '../../context/AppContext.js';
-import { useIq, useIqAvailable } from '../../hooks/useIq.js';
+import { useIq, useIqStatus } from '../../hooks/useIq.js';
 import VerseShareImage, { BACKGROUND_KEY } from '../VerseShareImage.jsx';
 import { SCENES, loadPhotoList, resolveBackground, sceneDataUrl } from '../../utils/verseBackgrounds.js';
 import { bookOptions } from '../../utils/bibleUtils.jsx';
 import { READER_TRANSLATIONS, fetchChapter } from '../../utils/bibleText.js';
+import { fallbackVerseFor } from '../../utils/fallbackVerses.js';
 
 export default function IqDailyCard() {
-  const on = useIqAvailable();
-  if (!on) return null;
-  return <Card />;
+  const status = useIqStatus();
+  if (status === null) return null;
+  return <Card iq={status} />;
 }
 
-function Card() {
+function Card({ iq }) {
   const { jumpToReaderVerse, openBibleReader, readerTranslation, readerTheme } = useApp();
   // Today's verse is chosen by IQ Bible (the same for everyone); its words come from the Bible you pick.
-  const votd = useIq('bibles/eng_kjv/verse-of-the-day');
+  const votd = useIq(iq ? 'bibles/eng_kjv/verse-of-the-day' : null);
+  // When IQ Bible can't give us a verse (down, no key, allowance used up) the card shows a built-in one in the
+  // reader's own translation instead of disappearing.
+  const fallback = !votd.data?.data && votd.status !== 'loading';
   const [chosen, setChosen] = useState(() => { try { return localStorage.getItem('votd-translation') || ''; } catch { return ''; } });
-  const translation = READER_TRANSLATIONS.some((t) => t.id === chosen) ? chosen : (readerTranslation || 'BSB');
+  const translation = !fallback && READER_TRANSLATIONS.some((t) => t.id === chosen) ? chosen : (readerTranslation || 'BSB');
   const pick = (id) => { setChosen(id); try { localStorage.setItem('votd-translation', id); } catch { /* storage unavailable */ } };
-  const ref = votd.data?.data;
+  const ref = votd.data?.data ?? (fallback ? fallbackVerseFor() : undefined);
   const [text, setText] = useState({ key: '', value: '', error: false });
   const [sharing, setSharing] = useState(false);
   // The picture behind the verse: a different one each day by default, or the one you chose.
@@ -42,15 +46,16 @@ function Card() {
       .catch(() => { if (!controller.signal.aborted) setText({ key, value: '', error: true }); });
     return () => controller.abort();
   }, [key]); // eslint-disable-line react-hooks/exhaustive-deps
-  const dev = useIq('devotionals/today');
+  const dev = useIq(iq ? 'devotionals/today' : null);
   const [part, setPart] = useState(() => (new Date().getHours() < 15 ? 'morning' : 'evening'));
-  const verse = votd.data?.data;
+  const verse = ref;
   const reading = dev.data?.data?.[part];
   const loaded = text.key === key;
   const shown = loaded && text.value ? text.value : loaded && text.error ? ref?.text ?? '' : '…';
   const shownTranslation = loaded && text.error ? 'KJV' : translation;
   const name = (abbrev) => bookOptions.find((b) => b.abbrev === abbrev)?.name ?? abbrev;
   if (!verse && !reading) return null;
+  if (fallback && !reading && loaded && text.error) return null; // nothing to show, not even the built-in verse
   return (
     <section className="mb-4 rounded-2xl border border-[var(--r-line)] bg-[var(--r-bar)] p-5" aria-label="Daily verse and devotional">
       {verse && (
@@ -65,10 +70,10 @@ function Card() {
               <optgroup label="Scenes">{SCENES.map((sc) => <option key={sc.id} value={sc.id}>{sc.name}</option>)}</optgroup>
               {photos.length > 0 && <optgroup label="Your photos">{photos.map((p) => <option key={p.id} value={p.id}>{p.name}</option>)}</optgroup>}
             </select>
-            <select aria-label="Verse of the day translation" value={translation} onChange={(e) => pick(e.target.value)}
+            {!fallback && <select aria-label="Verse of the day translation" value={translation} onChange={(e) => pick(e.target.value)}
               className="rounded-lg border border-[var(--r-line)] bg-[var(--r-bg)] px-2 py-0.5 text-xs">
               {READER_TRANSLATIONS.map((t) => <option key={t.id} value={t.id}>{t.id}</option>)}
-            </select>
+            </select>}
             </span>
           </div>
           {/* the translation's text; the KJV from IQ Bible is the fallback if that Bible can't be loaded right now */}
diff --git a/src/components/iq/iq.test.jsx b/src/components/iq/iq.test.jsx
index 9442038..08de682 100644
--- a/src/components/iq/iq.test.jsx
+++ b/src/components/iq/iq.test.jsx
@@ -160,6 +160,20 @@ describe('IqDailyCard', () => {
   });
 });
 
+describe('IqDailyCard fallback', () => {
+  test('when IQ Bible is down, shows the built-in verse of the day in the reader translation, with no picker', async () => {
+    const { default: IqDailyCard } = await import('./IqDailyCard.jsx');
+    const { fallbackVerseFor } = await import('../../utils/fallbackVerses.js');
+    const v = fallbackVerseFor();
+    routes['/api/iq/bibles/eng_kjv/verse-of-the-day'] = { status: 502, body: { error: 'down' } };
+    routes[`https://bible.helloao.org/api/BSB/${v.book_usfm}/${v.chapter_number}.json`] = { chapter: { content: [{ type: 'verse', number: v.verse_number, content: ['Built-in verse text'] }] } };
+    const { AppContext } = await import('../../context/AppContext.js');
+    render(<AppContext.Provider value={{ jumpToReaderVerse: vi.fn(), openBibleReader: vi.fn(), readerTranslation: 'BSB' }}><IqDailyCard /></AppContext.Provider>);
+    expect(await screen.findByText('Built-in verse text')).toBeInTheDocument();
+    expect(screen.queryByLabelText('Verse of the day translation')).toBeNull();
+  });
+});
+
 describe('Study side', () => {
   const chunk = { id: 'c1', startVerse: 14, endVerse: 16, tags: ['love'], generalNotes: '' };
   const chapter = { book: 'John', bookAbbrev: 'JHN', chapter: '3' };
diff --git a/src/hooks/useIq.js b/src/hooks/useIq.js
index d38411a..64c13ea 100644
--- a/src/hooks/useIq.js
+++ b/src/hooks/useIq.js
@@ -3,7 +3,12 @@ import { iqAvailable, iqGet } from '../utils/iqbible.js';
 
 // Whether the server has an IQ Bible key. false until known, so IQ-only UI never flashes up.
 export function useIqAvailable() {
-  const [on, setOn] = useState(false);
+  return useIqStatus() === true;
+}
+
+// Same, but null until the server has answered.
+export function useIqStatus() {
+  const [on, setOn] = useState(null);
   useEffect(() => {
     let live = true;
     iqAvailable().then((v) => { if (live) setOn(v); });
diff --git a/src/utils/fallbackVerses.js b/src/utils/fallbackVerses.js
new file mode 100644
index 0000000..c8a0b3e
--- /dev/null
+++ b/src/utils/fallbackVerses.js
@@ -0,0 +1,41 @@
+// Used for the home card's verse of the day when IQ Bible can't be reached: one verse a day, the same for
+// everyone, stepping through this list by the day of the year. [book USFM, chapter, verse].
+export const FALLBACK_VERSES = [
+  ['GEN', 1, 1], ['GEN', 1, 27], ['GEN', 12, 2], ['GEN', 28, 15], ['GEN', 50, 20],
+  ['EXO', 14, 14], ['EXO', 15, 2], ['EXO', 33, 14], ['NUM', 6, 24], ['DEU', 6, 5],
+  ['DEU', 31, 6], ['JOS', 1, 9], ['1SA', 16, 7], ['2CH', 7, 14], ['NEH', 8, 10],
+  ['JOB', 19, 25], ['PSA', 1, 2], ['PSA', 16, 11], ['PSA', 19, 14], ['PSA', 23, 1],
+  ['PSA', 23, 4], ['PSA', 27, 1], ['PSA', 27, 14], ['PSA', 28, 7], ['PSA', 30, 5],
+  ['PSA', 34, 8], ['PSA', 34, 18], ['PSA', 37, 4], ['PSA', 46, 1], ['PSA', 46, 10],
+  ['PSA', 51, 10], ['PSA', 55, 22], ['PSA', 62, 1], ['PSA', 91, 1], ['PSA', 100, 4],
+  ['PSA', 103, 2], ['PSA', 118, 24], ['PSA', 119, 11], ['PSA', 119, 105], ['PSA', 121, 1],
+  ['PSA', 121, 2], ['PSA', 139, 14], ['PSA', 145, 18], ['PRO', 3, 5], ['PRO', 3, 6],
+  ['PRO', 4, 23], ['PRO', 16, 3], ['PRO', 18, 10], ['PRO', 22, 6], ['ECC', 3, 1],
+  ['ISA', 26, 3], ['ISA', 40, 8], ['ISA', 40, 31], ['ISA', 41, 10], ['ISA', 43, 2],
+  ['ISA', 53, 5], ['ISA', 55, 8], ['JER', 17, 7], ['JER', 29, 11], ['JER', 33, 3],
+  ['LAM', 3, 22], ['EZK', 36, 26], ['DAN', 3, 17], ['MIC', 6, 8], ['HAB', 3, 17],
+  ['ZEP', 3, 17], ['MAL', 3, 6], ['MAT', 5, 3], ['MAT', 5, 14], ['MAT', 5, 16],
+  ['MAT', 6, 33], ['MAT', 7, 7], ['MAT', 11, 28], ['MAT', 19, 26], ['MAT', 22, 37],
+  ['MAT', 28, 19], ['MAT', 28, 20], ['MRK', 10, 45], ['MRK', 12, 30], ['LUK', 1, 37],
+  ['LUK', 6, 31], ['LUK', 11, 9], ['LUK', 19, 10], ['JHN', 1, 1], ['JHN', 1, 14],
+  ['JHN', 3, 16], ['JHN', 6, 35], ['JHN', 8, 12], ['JHN', 8, 32], ['JHN', 10, 10],
+  ['JHN', 11, 25], ['JHN', 13, 34], ['JHN', 14, 6], ['JHN', 14, 27], ['JHN', 15, 5],
+  ['JHN', 16, 33], ['ACT', 1, 8], ['ACT', 4, 12], ['ROM', 1, 16], ['ROM', 3, 23],
+  ['ROM', 5, 8], ['ROM', 6, 23], ['ROM', 8, 1], ['ROM', 8, 28], ['ROM', 8, 31],
+  ['ROM', 8, 38], ['ROM', 10, 9], ['ROM', 12, 2], ['ROM', 15, 13], ['1CO', 10, 13],
+  ['1CO', 13, 4], ['1CO', 13, 13], ['1CO', 15, 58], ['2CO', 5, 17], ['2CO', 12, 9],
+  ['GAL', 2, 20], ['GAL', 5, 22], ['GAL', 6, 9], ['EPH', 2, 8], ['EPH', 2, 10],
+  ['EPH', 3, 20], ['EPH', 4, 32], ['EPH', 6, 10], ['PHP', 1, 6], ['PHP', 4, 4],
+  ['PHP', 4, 6], ['PHP', 4, 7], ['PHP', 4, 13], ['COL', 3, 2], ['COL', 3, 23],
+  ['1TH', 5, 16], ['2TI', 1, 7], ['2TI', 3, 16], ['TIT', 3, 5], ['HEB', 4, 12],
+  ['HEB', 4, 16], ['HEB', 11, 1], ['HEB', 11, 6], ['HEB', 12, 1], ['HEB', 13, 8],
+  ['JAS', 1, 5], ['JAS', 1, 22], ['JAS', 4, 8], ['1PE', 5, 7], ['2PE', 3, 9],
+  ['1JN', 1, 9], ['1JN', 4, 8], ['1JN', 4, 19], ['REV', 3, 20], ['REV', 21, 4],
+];
+
+// The verse for a calendar day (UTC, like IQ Bible's own pick, so everyone sees the same one).
+export function fallbackVerseFor(date = new Date()) {
+  const day = Math.floor((Date.UTC(date.getUTCFullYear(), date.getUTCMonth(), date.getUTCDate()) - Date.UTC(date.getUTCFullYear(), 0, 0)) / 86400000);
+  const [book_usfm, chapter_number, verse_number] = FALLBACK_VERSES[day % FALLBACK_VERSES.length];
+  return { book_usfm, chapter_number, verse_number };
+}