3 John 1:3 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 I rejoiced greatly, when the brethren came and testified of the truth that is in thee, even as thou walkest in the truth.
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 I rejoiced greatly, when brethren came and bare witness unto thy truth, even as thou walkest in truth.
1901 · Public domain · The American revision of the English Revised Version. Deliberately literal, and the base text behind several later translations.
For I rejoiced exceedingly when [the] brethren came and bore testimony to thy [holding fast the] truth, even as *thou* walkest in truth.
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 I rejoiced exceedingly, brethren coming and testifying of the truth in thee, even as thou in truth dost walk;
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 I rejoiced greatly, when brothers came and testified about your truth, even as you walk in truth.
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 it was a great joy to me, when some followers of the Lord came and testified to your fidelity to the truth. I know that your own life is guided by the truth.
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 it gave me great joy when some of the brothers came and gave witness that you had the true faith and were walking in the true way.
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 I rejoiced greatly, when brothers came and testified about your truth even as you walk in truth.
Word-for-word swaps
- brethren→brothers
- the→about
- walkest→you
The verses either side
King James text. A comparison is easier to judge when you can see the sentence the verse sits inside.