John 3:21 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 he that doeth truth cometh to the light, that his deeds may be made manifest, that they are wrought in God.
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 he that doeth the truth cometh to the light, that his works may be made manifest, that they have been wrought in God.
1901 · Public domain · The American revision of the English Revised Version. Deliberately literal, and the base text behind several later translations.
but he that practises the truth comes to the light, that his works may be manifested that they have been wrought in God.
1890 · Public domain · John Nelson Darby's translation, made for close study rather than public reading. Often exposes grammatical detail other versions smooth over.
but he who is doing the truth doth come to the light, that his works may be manifested, that in God they are having been wrought.'
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 he who does the truth comes to the light, that his works may be revealed, that they have been done in God.”
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 the person who lives by the truth comes into the light, so it can be clearly seen that God is in all they do.
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 he whose life is true comes to the light, so that it may be clearly seen that his acts have been done by the help of God.
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 he who does the truth comes to the light, that his works may be revealed, that they have been done in God.
Word-for-word swaps
- doeth→who
- cometh→comes
- deeds→works
- manifest→revealed
- wrought→have
The verses either side
King James text. A comparison is easier to judge when you can see the sentence the verse sits inside.