Romans 2:12 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 as many as have sinned without law shall also perish without law: and as many as have sinned in the law shall be judged by the law;
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 as many as have sinned without law shall also perish without the law: and as many as have sinned under the law shall be judged by the law;
1901 · Public domain · The American revision of the English Revised Version. Deliberately literal, and the base text behind several later translations.
For as many as have sinned without law shall perish also without law; and as many as have sinned under law shall be judged by law,
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 as many as without law did sin, without law also shall perish, and as many as did sin in law, through law shall be judged,
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 as many as have sinned without the law will also perish without the law. As many as have sinned under the law will be judged by the law.
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.
All who, when they sin, are without Law will also perish without Law; while all who, when they sin, are under Law, will be judged as being under Law.
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.
All those who have done wrong without the law will get destruction without the law: and those who have done wrong under the law will have their punishment by the law;
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 as many as have sinned without the law will also perish without the law: as many as have sinned under the law will be judged by the law;
Word-for-word swaps
- shall→will
- in→under
The verses either side
King James text. A comparison is easier to judge when you can see the sentence the verse sits inside.