Hebrews 10:26 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.
For if we sin wilfully after that we have received the knowledge of the truth, there remaineth no more sacrifice for sins,
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.
For if we sin wilfully after that we have received the knowledge of the truth, there remaineth no more a sacrifice for sins,
1901 · Public domain · The American revision of the English Revised Version. Deliberately literal, and the base text behind several later translations.
For where we sin wilfully after receiving the knowledge of the truth, there no longer remains any sacrifice for sins,
1890 · Public domain · John Nelson Darby's translation, made for close study rather than public reading. Often exposes grammatical detail other versions smooth over.
For we--wilfully sinning after the receiving the full knowledge of the truth--no more for sins doth there remain a sacrifice,
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.
For if we sin willfully after we have received the knowledge of the truth, there remains no more a sacrifice for sins,
2000s · Public domain · A modern-English update of the ASV. Reads close to contemporary speech while staying in the literal tradition. Includes the Apocrypha.
Remember, if we sin willfully after we have gained a full knowledge of the truth, there can be no further sacrifice for sin;
in progress · Public domain (CC0) · A modern open-licensed translation, still being completed. Some Old Testament books are not yet available.
Remember, if we sin wilfully after we have gained a full knowledge of the truth, there can be no further sacrifice for sin;
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.
For if we do evil on purpose after we have had the knowledge of what is true, there is no more offering for sins,
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.
For if we sin willfully after we have received the knowledge of the truth, there remains no more a sacrifice for sins,
Word-for-word swaps
- wilfully→willfully
- remaineth→remains
The verses either side
King James text. A comparison is easier to judge when you can see the sentence the verse sits inside.