Romans 2:14 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 when the Gentiles, which have not the law, do by nature the things contained in the law, these, having not the law, are a law unto themselves:
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 when Gentiles that have not the law do by nature the things of the law, these, not having the law, are the law unto themselves;
1901 · Public domain · The American revision of the English Revised Version. Deliberately literal, and the base text behind several later translations.
For when [those of the] nations, which have no law, practise by nature the things of the law, these, having no law, are a law to themselves;
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, when nations that have not a law, by nature may do the things of the law, these not having a law--to themselves are a law;
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 when Gentiles who don’t have the law do by nature the things of the law, these, not having the law, are a law to themselves,
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.
When Gentiles, who have no Law, do instinctively what the Law requires, they, though they have no Law, are a Law to themselves;
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.
For when the Gentiles without the law have a natural desire to do the things in the law, they are a law to themselves;
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 when Gentiles, who don’t have the law, do by nature the things of the law, these, not having the law, are a law to themselves:
Word-for-word swaps
- which→who
- in→of
- unto→to
The verses either side
King James text. A comparison is easier to judge when you can see the sentence the verse sits inside.