Ephesians 6:22 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.
Whom I have sent unto you for the same purpose, that ye might know our affairs, and he might comfort your hearts.
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.
whom I have sent unto you for this very purpose, that ye may know our state, and that he may comfort your hearts.
1901 · Public domain · The American revision of the English Revised Version. Deliberately literal, and the base text behind several later translations.
whom I have sent to you for this very thing, that ye may know of our affairs and that he may encourage your hearts.
1890 · Public domain · John Nelson Darby's translation, made for close study rather than public reading. Often exposes grammatical detail other versions smooth over.
whom I did send unto you for this very thing, that ye might know the things concerning us, and that he might comfort your hearts.
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.
whom I have sent to you for this very purpose, that you may know our state, and that he may comfort your hearts.
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.
I am sending him to you on purpose that you may learn all about us, and that he may cheer your hearts.
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.
Whom I have sent to you for this very purpose, so that you may have knowledge of our position, and that he may give comfort to your hearts.
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.
Whom I have sent to you for this very purpose, that you may know our state, and that he may comfort your hearts.
Word-for-word swaps
- unto→to
- same→this
- might→you
- affairs→state
- might→may
The verses either side
King James text. A comparison is easier to judge when you can see the sentence the verse sits inside.