2 Corinthians 8:12 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.
For if there be first a willing mind, accepted according to that a man hath, not according to that he hath not.
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 if the readiness is there, [it is] acceptable according as [a man] hath, not according as [he] hath not.
1901 · Public domain · The American revision of the English Revised Version. Deliberately literal, and the base text behind several later translations.
For if the readiness be there, [a man is] accepted according to what he may have, not according to what he has not.
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 if the willing mind is present, according to that which any one may have it is well-accepted, not according to that which he hath not;
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 if the readiness is there, it is acceptable according to what you have, not according to what you don’t have.
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, where there is willingness, a person’s gift is valued by its comparison with what they have, and not with what they do not have.
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 if there is a ready mind, a man will have God's approval in the measure of what he has, and not of what he has not.
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 if the readiness is there it is acceptable according to what you have, not according to what you don’t have.
Word-for-word swaps
- accepted→it
- hath→what
- not→what
The verses either side
King James text. A comparison is easier to judge when you can see the sentence the verse sits inside.