Galatians 1:6 in 8 translations
8 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.
I marvel that ye are so soon removed from him that called you into the grace of Christ unto another gospel:
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.
I marvel that ye are so quickly removing from him that called you in the grace of Christ unto a different gospel;
1901 · Public domain · The American revision of the English Revised Version. Deliberately literal, and the base text behind several later translations.
I wonder that ye thus quickly change, from him that called you in Christ's grace, to a different gospel,
1890 · Public domain · John Nelson Darby's translation, made for close study rather than public reading. Often exposes grammatical detail other versions smooth over.
I wonder that ye are so quickly removed from Him who did call you in the grace of Christ to another good news;
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.
I marvel that you are so quickly deserting him who called you in the grace of Christ to a different “good news”;
2000s · Public domain · A modern-English update of the ASV. Reads close to contemporary speech while staying in the literal tradition. Includes the Apocrypha.
I am astonished at your so soon deserting him, who called you through the love of Christ, for a different ‘good news,’
in progress · Public domain (CC0) · A modern open-licensed translation, still being completed. Some Old Testament books are not yet available.
I am astonished at your so soon deserting him, who called you through the love of Christ, for a different “good news,”
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.
I am surprised that you are being so quickly turned away from him whose word came to you in the grace of Christ, to good news of a different sort;
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.
I marvel that you are so quickly deserting him who called you in the grace of Christ to a different “good news”;
Word-for-word swaps
- ye→you
- from→quickly
- that→who
- into→in
- gospel→to
The verses either side
King James text. A comparison is easier to judge when you can see the sentence the verse sits inside.