2 Peter 1:6 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.
And to knowledge temperance; and to temperance patience; and to patience godliness;
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.
and in [your] knowledge self-control; and in [your] self-control patience; and in [your] patience godliness;
1901 · Public domain · The American revision of the English Revised Version. Deliberately literal, and the base text behind several later translations.
in knowledge temperance, in temperance endurance, in endurance godliness,
1890 · Public domain · John Nelson Darby's translation, made for close study rather than public reading. Often exposes grammatical detail other versions smooth over.
and in the knowledge the temperance, and in the temperance the endurance, and in the endurance the piety,
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.
and in knowledge, self-control; and in self-control perseverance; and in perseverance godliness;
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.
knowledge by self-control, self-control by endurance, endurance by piety,
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.
And self-control to knowledge, and a quiet mind to self-control, and fear of God to a quiet mind,
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.
And in knowledge self-control; and in self-control perseverance; and in perseverance godliness;
Word-for-word swaps
- to→in
- temperance→self
- patience→in
The verses either side
King James text. A comparison is easier to judge when you can see the sentence the verse sits inside.