Galatians 6:4 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.
But let every man prove his own work, and then shall he have rejoicing in himself alone, and not in another.
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.
But let each man prove his own work, and then shall he have his glorying in regard of himself alone, and not of his neighbor.
1901 · Public domain · The American revision of the English Revised Version. Deliberately literal, and the base text behind several later translations.
but let each prove his own work, and then he will have his boast in what belongs to himself alone, and not in what belongs to another.
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 his own work let each one prove, and then in regard to himself alone the glorying he shall have, and not in regard to the other,
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.
But let each man examine his own work, and then he will have reason to boast in himself, and not in someone else.
2000s · Public domain · A modern-English update of the ASV. Reads close to contemporary speech while staying in the literal tradition. Includes the Apocrypha.
Let everyone test their own work, and then their cause for satisfaction will be in themselves and not in a comparison with their neighbor;
in progress · Public domain (CC0) · A modern open-licensed translation, still being completed. Some Old Testament books are not yet available.
Let everyone test their own work, and then their cause for satisfaction will be in themselves and not in a comparison with their neighbour;
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.
But let every man make test of his work, and then will his cause for glory be in himself only, and not in his neighbour.
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.
But let each man examine his own work, and then he will have reason to boast in himself and not in someone else.
Word-for-word swaps
- every→each
- prove→examine
- rejoicing→reason
- another→someone
The verses either side
King James text. A comparison is easier to judge when you can see the sentence the verse sits inside.