2 Timothy 4:5 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.
But watch thou in all things, endure afflictions, do the work of an evangelist, make full proof of thy ministry.
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.
But be thou sober in all things, suffer hardship, do the work of an evangelist, fulfil thy ministry.
1901 · Public domain · The American revision of the English Revised Version. Deliberately literal, and the base text behind several later translations.
But *thou*, be sober in all things, bear evils, do [the] work of an evangelist, fill up the full measure of thy ministry.
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 thou--watch in all things; suffer evil; do the work of one proclaiming good news; of thy ministration make full assurance,
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.
But you be sober in all things, suffer hardship, do the work of an evangelist, and fulfill your ministry.
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.
But you, Timothy, must always be temperate. Face hardships; do the work of a missionary; discharge all the duties of your office.
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.
But be self-controlled in all things, do without comfort, go on preaching the good news, completing the work which has been given you to do.
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.
But you be sober in all things, suffer hardship, do the work of an evangelist, and fulfill your ministry.
Word-for-word swaps
- thou→you
- afflictions→suffer
- thy→and
The verses either side
King James text. A comparison is easier to judge when you can see the sentence the verse sits inside.