1 Corinthians 16:3 in 8 translations
8 distinct wordings, grouped by what each translation is trying to do. Differences from the King James text are marked below.
Early modern English
Seventeenth-century wording and sentence shape. Familiar, rhythmic, and the version most quotations you have heard are taken from.
And when I come, whomsoever ye shall approve by letters, them will I send to bring your liberality unto Jerusalem.
1611 / 1769 · Public domain · The Authorised Version, revised to the 1769 Blayney text. Includes the Apocrypha as printed in 1611.
Literal, word-for-word
Follows Hebrew and Greek word order and grammar closely, even where the English becomes stiff. Useful for seeing what the underlying sentence is doing.
And when I arrive, whomsoever ye shall approve, them will I send with letters to carry your bounty unto Jerusalem:
1901 · Public domain · The American revision of the English Revised Version. Deliberately literal, and the base text behind several later translations.
And when I am arrived, whomsoever ye shall approve, these I will send with letters to carry your bounty to Jerusalem:
1890 · Public domain · John Nelson Darby's translation, made for close study rather than public reading. Often exposes grammatical detail other versions smooth over.
and whenever I may come, whomsoever ye may approve, through letters, these I will send to carry your favour to Jerusalem;
1898 · Public domain · The most extreme word-for-word rendering here, keeping Hebrew and Greek tense and word order at the cost of natural English.
Modern English
Contemporary vocabulary and punctuation, aiming for the sentence a present-day reader would write while staying close to the source.
When I arrive, I will send whoever you approve with letters to carry your gracious gift to Jerusalem.
2000s · Public domain · A modern-English update of the ASV. Reads close to contemporary speech while staying in the literal tradition. Includes the Apocrypha.
On my arrival, I will send any persons, whom you may authorize by letter, to carry your gift to Jerusalem;
in progress · Public domain (CC0) · A modern open-licensed translation, still being completed. Some Old Testament books are not yet available.
On my arrival, I will send any persons, whom you may authorise by letter, to carry your gift to Jerusalem;
in progress · Public domain (CC0) · The Commonwealth spelling edition of the Open English Bible. Identical wording to the US edition apart from spelling.
Simplified English
Built from a deliberately small vocabulary so the sense stays reachable for new readers and non-native speakers. Trades nuance for clarity.
And when I come, I will send the men of your selection with letters to take the money you have got together to Jerusalem.
1949 · Public domain · Written with roughly a thousand basic English words plus a small Bible vocabulary. The plainest reading available here.
What changes between the King James and modern wording
The modern rendering is printed below with every word that differs from the King James text marked, so the actual divergence is visible rather than left for you to spot.
when I arrive, I will send whoever you approve with letters to carry your gracious gift to Jerusalem.
Word-for-word swaps
- will→arrive
- bring→carry
- unto→gracious
The verses either side
King James text. A comparison is easier to judge when you can see the sentence the verse sits inside.