2 Corinthians 12:12 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.
Truly the signs of an apostle were wrought among you in all patience, in signs, and wonders, and mighty deeds.
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.
Truly the signs of an apostle were wrought among you in all patience, by signs and wonders and mighty works.
1901 · Public domain · The American revision of the English Revised Version. Deliberately literal, and the base text behind several later translations.
The signs indeed of the apostle were wrought among you in all endurance, signs, and wonders, and works of power.
1890 · Public domain · John Nelson Darby's translation, made for close study rather than public reading. Often exposes grammatical detail other versions smooth over.
The signs, indeed, of the apostle were wrought among you in all patience, in signs, and wonders, and mighty deeds,
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.
Truly the signs of an apostle were worked among you in all perseverance, in signs and wonders and mighty works.
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.
The marks of the true apostle were exhibited among you in constant endurance, as well as by signs, by marvels, and by miracles.
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.
Truly the signs of an Apostle were done among you in quiet strength, with wonders and acts of power.
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.
Truly the signs of an apostle were worked among you in all perseverance, in signs, and wonders, and mighty works.
Word-for-word swaps
- wrought→worked
- patience→perseverance
- deeds→works
The verses either side
King James text. A comparison is easier to judge when you can see the sentence the verse sits inside.