Bible Verses
Translation comparison

Philemon 1:18 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.

King James Version
KJV

If he hath wronged thee, or oweth thee ought, put that on mine account;

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.

American Standard Version
ASV

But if he hath wronged the at all, or oweth [thee] aught, put that to mine account;

1901 · Public domain · The American revision of the English Revised Version. Deliberately literal, and the base text behind several later translations.

Darby Bible
DARBY

but if he have wronged thee anything or owe anything [to thee], put this to my account.

1890 · Public domain · John Nelson Darby's translation, made for close study rather than public reading. Often exposes grammatical detail other versions smooth over.

Young's Literal Translation
YLT

and if he did hurt to thee, or doth owe anything, this to me be reckoning;

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.

World English Bible
WEB

But if he has wronged you at all, or owes you anything, put that to my account.

2000s · Public domain · A modern-English update of the ASV. Reads close to contemporary speech while staying in the literal tradition. Includes the Apocrypha.

Open English Bible (US) · Open English Bible (Commonwealth)
OEB-US
OEB-CW

These 2 editions word this verse identically.

If he has caused you any loss, or owes you anything, charge it to me.

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.

Bible in Basic English
BBE

If he has done you any wrong or is in debt to you for anything, put it to my account.

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 If he has wronged you at all, or owes you anything, put that to my account;

Word-for-word swaps

  • hathhas
  • theeyou
  • oughtowes
  • mineto

The verses either side

King James text. A comparison is easier to judge when you can see the sentence the verse sits inside.