Romans 8:20 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 the creature was made subject to vanity, not willingly, but by reason of him who hath subjected in hope,
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 the creation was subjected to vanity, not of its own will, but by reason of him who subjected it, in hope
1901 · Public domain · The American revision of the English Revised Version. Deliberately literal, and the base text behind several later translations.
for the creature has been made subject to vanity, not of its will, but by reason of him who has subjected [the same], in hope
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 to vanity was the creation made subject--not of its will, but because of Him who did subject it --in hope,
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 the creation was subjected to vanity, not of its own will, but because of him who subjected it, in hope
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.
For Nature was made subject to imperfection – not by its own choice, but owing to him who made it so –
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 every living thing was put under the power of change, not by its desire, but by him who made it so, in hope
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 the creation was subjected to vanity, not of its own will, but because of him who subjected it, in hope,
Word-for-word swaps
- creature→creation
- subject→subjected
- willingly→of
- reason→because
The verses either side
King James text. A comparison is easier to judge when you can see the sentence the verse sits inside.