1 Timothy 2:2 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.
For kings, and for all that are in authority; that we may lead a quiet and peaceable life in all godliness and honesty.
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.
for kings and all that are in high place; that we may lead a tranquil and quiet life in all godliness and gravity.
1901 · Public domain · The American revision of the English Revised Version. Deliberately literal, and the base text behind several later translations.
for kings and all that are in dignity, that we may lead a quiet and tranquil life in all piety and gravity;
1890 · Public domain · John Nelson Darby's translation, made for close study rather than public reading. Often exposes grammatical detail other versions smooth over.
for kings, and all who are in authority, that a quiet and peaceable life we may lead in all piety and gravity,
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.
for kings and all who are in high places; that we may lead a tranquil and quiet life in all godliness and reverence.
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.
especially for kings and all who are in high positions, in order that we may lead a quiet and peaceful life in a deeply religious and reverent spirit.
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.
For kings and all those in authority; so that we may have a calm and quiet life in all fear of God and serious behaviour.
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.
For kings, and all who are in high places; that we may lead a tranquil and quiet life in all godliness and reverence.
Word-for-word swaps
- that→who
- authority→high
- quiet→tranquil
- peaceable→quiet
- honesty→reverence
The verses either side
King James text. A comparison is easier to judge when you can see the sentence the verse sits inside.