2 Corinthians 2:15 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.
For we are unto God a sweet savour of Christ, in them that are saved, and in them that perish:
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 we are a sweet savor of Christ unto God, in them that are saved, and in them that perish;
1901 · Public domain · The American revision of the English Revised Version. Deliberately literal, and the base text behind several later translations.
For we are a sweet odour of Christ to God, in the saved and in those that perish:
1890 · Public domain · John Nelson Darby's translation, made for close study rather than public reading. Often exposes grammatical detail other versions smooth over.
because of Christ a sweet fragrance we are to God, in those being saved, and in those being lost;
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 we are a sweet aroma of Christ to God, in those who are saved, and in those who perish;
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.
For we are the fragrance of Christ ascending to God – both among those who are in the path of salvation and among those who are in the path to ruin.
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 we are a sweet perfume of Christ to God in those who are getting salvation and in those who are going to destruction;
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 we are a sweet aroma of Christ, to God, in those who are saved, and in those who perish:
Word-for-word swaps
- savour→aroma
- that→those
The verses either side
King James text. A comparison is easier to judge when you can see the sentence the verse sits inside.