Colossians 4:17 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.
These 2 editions word this verse identically.
And say to Archippus, Take heed to the ministry which thou hast received in the Lord, that thou fulfil it.
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.
And say to Archippus, Take heed to the ministry which thou hast received in [the] Lord, to the end that thou fulfil it.
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 say to Archippus, `See to the ministration that thou didst receive in the Lord, that thou mayest fulfil it.'
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.
Tell Archippus, “Take heed to the ministry which you have received in the Lord, that you fulfill it.”
2000s · Public domain · A modern-English update of the ASV. Reads close to contemporary speech while staying in the literal tradition. Includes the Apocrypha.
Give this message to Archippus – ‘Take care to discharge to the best of your ability the office to which you were appointed in the Master’s cause.’
in progress · Public domain (CC0) · A modern open-licensed translation, still being completed. Some Old Testament books are not yet available.
Give this message to Archippus – “Take care to discharge to the best of your ability the office to which you were appointed in the Master’s cause.”
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.
Say to Archippus, See that you do the work which the Lord has 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.
Tell Archippus, Take heed to the ministry which you have received in the Lord, that you fulfill it.
Word-for-word swaps
- to→Tell
- hast→you
- fulfil→you
The verses either side
King James text. A comparison is easier to judge when you can see the sentence the verse sits inside.