Colossians 1:11 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.
Strengthened with all might, according to his glorious power, unto all patience and longsuffering with joyfulness;
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.
strengthened with all power, according to the might of his glory, unto all patience and longsuffering with joy;
1901 · Public domain · The American revision of the English Revised Version. Deliberately literal, and the base text behind several later translations.
strengthened with all power according to the might of his glory unto all endurance and longsuffering with joy;
1890 · Public domain · John Nelson Darby's translation, made for close study rather than public reading. Often exposes grammatical detail other versions smooth over.
in all might being made mighty according to the power of His glory, to all endurance and long-suffering with joy.
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.
strengthened with all power, according to the might of his glory, for all endurance and perseverance with joy;
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.
you will be made strong at all points with a strength worthy of the power manifested in his glory – strong to endure with patience, and even with gladness, whatever may happen to you;
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.
Full of strength in the measure of the great power of his glory, so that you may undergo all troubles with joy;
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.
Strengthened with all power, according to the might of his glory, for all endurance and perseverance with joy;
Word-for-word swaps
- might→power
- unto→glory
- patience→endurance
- longsuffering→perseverance
- joyfulness→joy
The verses either side
King James text. A comparison is easier to judge when you can see the sentence the verse sits inside.