Hebrews 6:9 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.
But, beloved, we are persuaded better things of you, and things that accompany salvation, though we thus speak.
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, beloved, we are persuaded better things of you, and things that accompany salvation, though we thus speak:
1901 · Public domain · The American revision of the English Revised Version. Deliberately literal, and the base text behind several later translations.
But we are persuaded concerning you, beloved, better things, and connected with salvation, even if we speak thus.
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 we are persuaded, concerning you, beloved, the things that are better, and accompanying salvation, though even thus we speak,
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, beloved, we are persuaded of better things for you, and things that accompany salvation, even though we speak like this.
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.
But about you, dear friends, even though we speak in this way, we are confident of better things – of things that point to your salvation.
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.
But, my loved ones, though we say this, we are certain that you have better things in you, things which go with salvation;
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, beloved, we are persuaded of better things for you, and things that accompany salvation, even though we speak. like this.
Word-for-word swaps
- of→for
The verses either side
King James text. A comparison is easier to judge when you can see the sentence the verse sits inside.