John 3:20 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.
For every one that doeth evil hateth the light, neither cometh to the light, lest his deeds should be reproved.
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 every one that doeth evil hateth the light, and cometh not to the light, lest his works should be reproved.
1901 · Public domain · The American revision of the English Revised Version. Deliberately literal, and the base text behind several later translations.
For every one that does evil hates the light, and does not come to the light that his works may not be shewn as they are;
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 every one who is doing wicked things hateth the light, and doth not come unto the light, that his works may not be detected;
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 everyone who does evil hates the light, and doesn’t come to the light, lest his works would be exposed.
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.
For the person who lives an evil life hates the light, and will not come to it, fearing that their actions will be exposed;
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.
The light is hated by everyone whose acts are evil and he does not come to the light for fear that his acts will be seen.
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 everyone who does evil hates the light, and doesn’t come to the light, lest his works would be exposed.
Word-for-word swaps
- doeth→everyone
- hateth→hates
- cometh→and
- should→works
- reproved→exposed
The verses either side
King James text. A comparison is easier to judge when you can see the sentence the verse sits inside.