Bible Verses
Translation comparison

1 Peter 5:13 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.

King James Version
KJV

The at Babylon, elected together with saluteth you; and Marcus my son.

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.

American Standard Version
ASV

She that is in Babylon, elect together with [you], saluteth you; and [so doth] Mark my son.

1901 · Public domain · The American revision of the English Revised Version. Deliberately literal, and the base text behind several later translations.

Darby Bible
DARBY

She that is elected with [you] in Babylon salutes you, and Marcus my son.

1890 · Public domain · John Nelson Darby's translation, made for close study rather than public reading. Often exposes grammatical detail other versions smooth over.

Young's Literal Translation
YLT

Salute you doth the assembly in Babylon jointly elected, and Markus my son.

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.

World English Bible
WEB

She who is in Babylon, chosen together with you, greets you; and so does Mark, my son.

2000s · Public domain · A modern-English update of the ASV. Reads close to contemporary speech while staying in the literal tradition. Includes the Apocrypha.

Open English Bible (US)
OEB-US

Your sister church in ‘Babylon’ sends you greeting, and so does Mark, who is as a son to me.

in progress · Public domain (CC0) · A modern open-licensed translation, still being completed. Some Old Testament books are not yet available.

Open English Bible (Commonwealth)
OEB-CW

Your sister church in “Babylon” sends you greeting, and so does Mark, who is as a son to me.

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.

Bible in Basic English
BBE

She who is in Babylon, who has a part with you in the purpose of God, sends you her love; and so does my son Mark.

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.

She who is in Babylon, chosen together with you; greets you; and so does Mark, my son.

Word-for-word swaps

  • atShe
  • electedchosen
  • Marcusso

The verses either side

King James text. A comparison is easier to judge when you can see the sentence the verse sits inside.