Hebrews 2:2 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 the word spoken by angels was stedfast, and every transgression and disobedience received a just recompence of reward;
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 the word spoken through angels proved stedfast, and every transgression and disobedience received a just recompense of reward;
1901 · Public domain · The American revision of the English Revised Version. Deliberately literal, and the base text behind several later translations.
For if the word which was spoken by angels was firm, and every transgression and disobedience received just retribution,
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 if the word being spoken through messengers did become stedfast, and every transgression and disobedience did receive a just recompense,
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 the word spoken through angels proved steadfast, and every transgression and disobedience received a just recompense;
2000s · Public domain · A modern-English update of the ASV. Reads close to contemporary speech while staying in the literal tradition. Includes the Apocrypha.
For, if the message which was delivered by angels had its authority confirmed, so that every offense against it, or neglect of it, met with a fitting requital,
in progress · Public domain (CC0) · A modern open-licensed translation, still being completed. Some Old Testament books are not yet available.
For, if the message which was delivered by angels had its authority confirmed, so that every offence against it, or neglect of it, met with a fitting requital,
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.
Because if the word which came through the angels was fixed, and in the past every evil act against God's orders was given its full punishment;
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 the word spoken through angels proved steadfast, and every transgression and disobedience received a just recompense;
Word-for-word swaps
- by→through
- stedfast→proved
- reward→recompense
The verses either side
King James text. A comparison is easier to judge when you can see the sentence the verse sits inside.