John 17:26 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.
And I have declared unto them thy name, and will declare that the love wherewith thou hast loved me may be in them, and I in them.
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.
and I made known unto them thy name, and will make it known; that the love wherewith thou lovedst me may be in them, and I in them.
1901 · Public domain · The American revision of the English Revised Version. Deliberately literal, and the base text behind several later translations.
And I have made known to them thy name, and will make [it] known; that the love with which thou hast loved me may be in them and I in them.
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 I made known to them Thy name, and will make known, that the love with which Thou lovedst me in them may be, and I in them.'
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.
I made known to them your name, and will make it known; that the love with which you loved me may be in them, and I in them.”
2000s · Public domain · A modern-English update of the ASV. Reads close to contemporary speech while staying in the literal tradition. Includes the Apocrypha.
I have made you known to them, and will do so still; that the love that you have had for me may be in their hearts, and that I may be in them also.”
in progress · Public domain (CC0) · A modern open-licensed translation, still being completed. Some Old Testament books are not yet available.
I have made you known to them, and will do so still; that the love that you have had for me may be in their hearts, and that I may be in them also.’
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.
And I have given to them knowledge of your name, and will give it, so that the love which you have for me may be in them and I in them.
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.
I made known to them your name, and will make it known; that the love with which you loved me may be in them, and I in them.
Word-for-word swaps
- unto→made
- thy→your
- declare→make
- hast→with
The verses either side
King James text. A comparison is easier to judge when you can see the sentence the verse sits inside.