1 Peter 1:15 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.
But as he which hath called you is holy, so be ye holy in all manner of conversation;
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.
but like as he who called you is holy, be ye yourselves also holy in all manner of living;
1901 · Public domain · The American revision of the English Revised Version. Deliberately literal, and the base text behind several later translations.
but as he who has called you is holy, be ye also holy in all [your] conversation;
1890 · Public domain · John Nelson Darby's translation, made for close study rather than public reading. Often exposes grammatical detail other versions smooth over.
but according as He who did call you is holy, ye also, become holy in all behaviour,
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.
but just as he who called you is holy, you yourselves also be holy in all of your behavior;
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.
but in your whole life show yourselves to be holy, after the pattern of the Holy One from whom you received your call.
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.
But be holy in every detail of your lives, as he, whose servants you are, is holy;
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.
But just as he who called you is holy, you yourselves also be holy in all of your behavior;
Word-for-word swaps
- hath→who
- so→you
- conversation→your
The verses either side
King James text. A comparison is easier to judge when you can see the sentence the verse sits inside.