2 Peter 3:2 in 8 translations
8 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.
That ye may be mindful of the words which were spoken before by the holy prophets, and of the commandment of us the apostles of the Lord and Saviour:
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.
that ye should remember the words which were spoken before by the holy prophets, and the commandments of the Lord and Saviour through your apostles:
1901 · Public domain · The American revision of the English Revised Version. Deliberately literal, and the base text behind several later translations.
to be mindful of the words spoken before by the holy prophets, and of the commandment of the Lord and Saviour by your apostles;
1890 · Public domain · John Nelson Darby's translation, made for close study rather than public reading. Often exposes grammatical detail other versions smooth over.
to be mindful of the sayings said before by the holy prophets, and of the command of us the apostles of the Lord and Saviour,
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.
that you should remember the words which were spoken before by the holy prophets, and the commandment of us, the apostles of the Lord and Savior:
2000s · Public domain · A modern-English update of the ASV. Reads close to contemporary speech while staying in the literal tradition. Includes the Apocrypha.
I want you to recall what was foretold by the holy prophets, as well as the command of our Lord and Savior given to you through your apostles.
in progress · Public domain (CC0) · A modern open-licensed translation, still being completed. Some Old Testament books are not yet available.
I want you to recall what was foretold by the holy prophets, as well as the command of our Lord and Saviour given to you through your apostles.
in progress · Public domain (CC0) · The Commonwealth spelling edition of the Open English Bible. Identical wording to the US edition apart from spelling.
Simplified English
Built from a deliberately small vocabulary so the sense stays reachable for new readers and non-native speakers. Trades nuance for clarity.
So that you may keep in mind the words of the holy prophets in the past, and the law of the Lord and Saviour which was given to you by his Apostles.
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.
That you should remember the words which were spoken before by the holy prophets, and the commandment of us the apostles of the Lord and Savior:
Word-for-word swaps
- of→you
- Saviour→Savior
The verses either side
King James text. A comparison is easier to judge when you can see the sentence the verse sits inside.