Philippians 3:17 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.
Brethren, be followers together of me, and mark them which walk so as ye have us for an ensample.
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.
Brethren, be ye imitators together of me, and mark them that so walk even as ye have us for an ensample.
1901 · Public domain · The American revision of the English Revised Version. Deliberately literal, and the base text behind several later translations.
Be imitators [all] together of me, brethren, and fix your eyes on those walking thus as you have us for a model;
1890 · Public domain · John Nelson Darby's translation, made for close study rather than public reading. Often exposes grammatical detail other versions smooth over.
become followers together of me, brethren, and observe those thus walking, according as ye have us--a pattern;
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.
Brothers, be imitators together of me, and note those who walk this way, even as you have us for an example.
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.
My friends, unite in following my example, and fix your eyes on those who are living by the pattern which we have set you.
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.
Brothers, take me as your example, and take note of those who are walking after the example we have given.
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.
Brothers, be imitators together of me, and note those who walk this way, even as you have us for an example.
Word-for-word swaps
- Brethren→Brothers
- followers→imitators
- which→note
- so→this
- ye→you
- ensample→example
The verses either side
King James text. A comparison is easier to judge when you can see the sentence the verse sits inside.