Ephesians 3:10 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.
To the intent that now unto the principalities and powers in heavenly might be known by the church the manifold wisdom of God,
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.
to the intent that now unto the principalities and the powers in the heavenly [places] might be made known through the church the manifold wisdom of God,
1901 · Public domain · The American revision of the English Revised Version. Deliberately literal, and the base text behind several later translations.
in order that now to the principalities and authorities in the heavenlies might be made known through the assembly the all-various wisdom of God,
1890 · Public domain · John Nelson Darby's translation, made for close study rather than public reading. Often exposes grammatical detail other versions smooth over.
that there might be made known now to the principalities and the authorities in the heavenly places, through the assembly, the manifold wisdom of God,
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.
to the intent that now through the assembly the manifold wisdom of God might be made known to the principalities and the powers in the heavenly places,
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.
so that now to the archangels and to all the powers on high should be made known, through the church, the all-embracing wisdom of God,
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.
So that now to the rulers and the authorities in the heavens might be made clear through the church the wide-shining wisdom of God,
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.
To the intent that now through the assembly the manifold wisdom of God, might be made known to the principalities and the powers in the heavenly places,
Word-for-word swaps
- by→through
- church→assembly
The verses either side
King James text. A comparison is easier to judge when you can see the sentence the verse sits inside.