Hebrews 4:11 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.
Let us labour therefore to enter into that rest, lest any man fall after the same example of unbelief.
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.
Let us therefore give diligence to enter into that rest, that no man fall after the same example of disobedience.
1901 · Public domain · The American revision of the English Revised Version. Deliberately literal, and the base text behind several later translations.
Let us therefore use diligence to enter into that rest, that no one may fall after the same example of not hearkening to the word.
1890 · Public domain · John Nelson Darby's translation, made for close study rather than public reading. Often exposes grammatical detail other versions smooth over.
May we be diligent, then, to enter into that rest, that no one in the same example of the unbelief may fall,
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.
Let us therefore give diligence to enter into that rest, lest anyone fall after the same example of disobedience.
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.
Let us, therefore, make every effort to enter upon that rest, so that none of us fall through such disbelief as that of which we have had an example.
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.
Because of this, let us have a strong desire to come into that rest, and let no one go after the example of those who went against God's orders.
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.
Let us therefore give diligence to enter into that rest, lest anyone fall after the same example of disobedience.
Word-for-word swaps
- man→anyone
- unbelief→disobedience
The verses either side
King James text. A comparison is easier to judge when you can see the sentence the verse sits inside.