Colossians 3:24 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.
Knowing that of the Lord ye shall receive the reward of the inheritance: for ye serve the Lord Christ.
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.
knowing that from the Lord ye shall receive the recompense of the inheritance: ye serve the Lord Christ.
1901 · Public domain · The American revision of the English Revised Version. Deliberately literal, and the base text behind several later translations.
knowing that of [the] Lord ye shall receive the recompense of the inheritance; ye serve the Lord Christ.
1890 · Public domain · John Nelson Darby's translation, made for close study rather than public reading. Often exposes grammatical detail other versions smooth over.
having known that from the Lord ye shall receive the recompense of the inheritance--for the Lord Christ ye serve;
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.
knowing that from the Lord you will receive the reward of the inheritance; for you serve the Lord Christ.
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.
since you know that it is from the Master that you will receive the inheritance which will be your reward. You are serving Christ, the Master.
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.
Being certain that the Lord will give you the reward of the heritage: for you are the servants of the Lord Christ.
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.
Knowing that from the Lord you will receive the reward of the inheritance: for you serve the Lord Christ.
Word-for-word swaps
- of→from
- shall→you
- ye→you
The verses either side
King James text. A comparison is easier to judge when you can see the sentence the verse sits inside.