2 Corinthians 8:4 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.
Praying us with much intreaty that we would receive the gift, and the fellowship of the ministering to the saints.
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.
beseeching us with much entreaty in regard of this grace and the fellowship in the ministering to the saints:
1901 · Public domain · The American revision of the English Revised Version. Deliberately literal, and the base text behind several later translations.
begging of us with much entreaty [to give effect to] the grace and fellowship of the service which [was to be rendered] to the saints.
1890 · Public domain · John Nelson Darby's translation, made for close study rather than public reading. Often exposes grammatical detail other versions smooth over.
with much entreaty calling on us to receive the favour and the fellowship of the ministration to the saints,
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.
begging us with much entreaty to receive this grace and the fellowship in the service to the saints.
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.
and with many an appeal to us for permission, they showed their love, and contributed their share towards the fund for their fellow Christians.
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.
Seriously requesting us that they might have a part in this grace of being servants to the needs of the saints:
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.
begging us with much entreaty to receive this grace and the fellowship in the service to the saints.
Word-for-word swaps
- Praying→begging
- would→entreaty
- gift→this
- of→in
- ministering→service
The verses either side
King James text. A comparison is easier to judge when you can see the sentence the verse sits inside.