1 Corinthians 9:24 in 8 translations
7 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.
Know ye not that they which run in a race run all, but one receiveth the prize? So run, that ye may obtain.
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.
Know ye not that they that run in a race run all, but one receiveth the prize? Even so run; that ye may attain.
1901 · Public domain · The American revision of the English Revised Version. Deliberately literal, and the base text behind several later translations.
Know ye not that they who run in [the] race-course run all, but one receives the prize? Thus run in order that ye may obtain.
1890 · Public domain · John Nelson Darby's translation, made for close study rather than public reading. Often exposes grammatical detail other versions smooth over.
have ye not known that those running in a race--all indeed run, but one doth receive the prize? so run ye, that ye may obtain;
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.
Don’t you know that those who run in a race all run, but one receives the prize? Run like that, that you may win.
2000s · Public domain · A modern-English update of the ASV. Reads close to contemporary speech while staying in the literal tradition. Includes the Apocrypha.
These 2 editions word this verse identically.
Don’t you know that on a racecourse, though all run, yet only one wins the prize? Run in such a way that you may win.
in progress · Public domain (CC0) · A modern open-licensed translation, still being completed. Some Old Testament books are not yet available.
Simplified English
Built from a deliberately small vocabulary so the sense stays reachable for new readers and non-native speakers. Trades nuance for clarity.
Do you not see that in a running competition all take part, but only one gets the reward? So let your minds be fixed on the reward.
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.
Don’t you Know that those who run in a race all, run, but one receives the prize? run, like that that you may win.
Word-for-word swaps
- which→those
- receiveth→receives
- ye→that
- obtain→win
The verses either side
King James text. A comparison is easier to judge when you can see the sentence the verse sits inside.