Ephesians 4:22 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.
That ye put off concerning the former conversation the old man, which is corrupt according to the deceitful lusts;
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.
that ye put away, as concerning your former manner of life, the old man, that waxeth corrupt after the lusts of deceit;
1901 · Public domain · The American revision of the English Revised Version. Deliberately literal, and the base text behind several later translations.
[namely] your having put off according to the former conversation the old man which corrupts itself according to the deceitful lusts;
1890 · Public domain · John Nelson Darby's translation, made for close study rather than public reading. Often exposes grammatical detail other versions smooth over.
ye are to put off concerning the former behaviour the old man, that is corrupt according to the desires of the deceit,
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.
that you put away, as concerning your former way of life, the old man, that grows corrupt after the lusts of deceit;
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 you learned with regard to your former way of living that you must cast off your old nature, which, yielding to deluding passions, grows corrupt;
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.
That you are to put away, in relation to your earlier way of life, the old man, which has become evil by love of deceit;
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.
That you put away, as concerning your former way of life, the old man, that grows corrupt after the lusts; of deceit;
Word-for-word swaps
- ye→you
- off→away
- the→your
- conversation→way
- is→that
- to→after
The verses either side
King James text. A comparison is easier to judge when you can see the sentence the verse sits inside.