THE
NEW TESTAMENT
International King James Version
Translated out of the original Greek language
with comparisons made to
contemporary translations
© Copyright 2001
Africa International Missions
Cape Town, South Africa
Hutchinson, Kansas U.S.A.
www.africainternational.org
PREFACE
International King James Version
Old & New Testaments
The heritage of the King James Version started with the sixteenth century translation of William Tyndale. Tyndale’s work greatly influenced the translators of the King James Version, and thus, many of his renditions of the text were retained in the 1611 translation of the King James Version. Many revisions have been made to the original King James Version since its first publication. International King James Version is another revision into contemporary English with the purpose of bringing the 1611 translation to an expanded audience of readers who speak English as their second language. Since there is never an
end to the work of translation, the same is true in reference to the work of revision. All
languages change, and thus, the changes of the language into which any version is rendered
must continually be incorporated into any new revision. Because of the continued impact
of the original King James Version on the religious world, it was believed by those who
have worked with this revision that the heritage of the original translation should be continued
through revisions that would bring the literary styles of the original King James Version
into contemporary English that is easy to read.
All who were involved in the International King James Version project maintained a
high regard for the verbal plenary inspiration of the Scriptures. The guiding principle was
maintained that every word in the original autographs was inscribed without error through
the guiding influence of the Holy Spirit in inspiration. The Bible in its entirety was given to
men from God as the Holy Spirit carried along the minds of godly men in order that the
original autographs be written without error. The art of preserving the Scriptures through
the work of scribes who faithfully copied the original autographs, was not inspired. However,
through the providential hand of God, we believe that the Scriptures have been preserved
for us today in a form with which God is pleased, and by which all men can come to
a knowledge of the message of the gospel.
This revision was made with general reference to the principles of translation that were
maintained by the original translators of the 1611 King James Version. A literal approach to
rendition was foremost in the minds of the revisers. Except for the translation of idioms,
every effort was made to avoid paraphrasing. In those texts where a word or phrase is
highly inferred, italics are used to alert the reader to the fact that a particular word or phrase
has been added that was not in the original text. When any revision of the original translation
was made, every effort was made to bring the rendition into clear and natural English
that reflects literary quality in contemporary English. Since one of the purposes of this
version was to bring the original text of the Scriptures alive in contemporary English, attention
was given to sentence structure that could easily be understood. Short sentences have
been incorporated in order to give the reader the advantage of a better understanding of the
text. In shortening sentences, most of the Hebrew and Greek conjunctions that were often
used instead of punctuation in the original autographs, have been retained in order to maintain
reading similarity with the original King James Version. Depending on the context,
however, we have taken the liberty to translate the Greek word kai with justifiable English
equivalents that aid in maintaining continuity of reading.
In order to produce a revision in contemporary English that is easy to read, and yet
faithful to the original Hebrew and Greek text, some revisions have been made to conform
to contemporary literary style. Present-day vocabulary, punctuation and syntax have been
determined according to present-day literary style. The archaic words of “thee” and “thou,”
and similar old English words, have been changed to contemporary forms. The “eth” and
“est” endings have thus given way to the modern usage of verb spelling. In order to maintain
honor of God, pronouns that are used in reference to God the Father, Son and Holy
Spirit have been capitalized. Because of the difficulty of determining the standards of
weights, measures and monies, the original ancient words have been retained. All quotations
of the Old Testament in the New Testament have been placed in italics and quotation
marks in order to alert the reader to their presence in the text. Quotation marks without
italics have been used to signify the biblical author’s quotation of speakers in the text. The
symbol ¶ indicates paragraphs. Subtitles have been added in the text in order to aid the
student to identify major changes of subjects by the original authors.
Every effort has been made to remain faithful to the original Hebrew and Greek texts.
Though the original translators of the 1611 translation worked from an assortment of reliable
manuscripts, we have felt compelled to include textual revisions of the Nestle text and
the United Bible Societies’ text in determining readings with more recent manuscript evidence.
Verses and phrases that are in brackets are those readings that are questioned by the
Nestle and United Bible Societies’ text, and yet, have been retained in this revision.
The International King James Version is the result of a sincere interest on the part of
thousands of Christians who believe that God communicates to the world today through His
written word. This version is the work of dedicated believers in the Bible who seek to
present to the world a version that is easy to read by those who seek to understand God’s
communication to all men. We send this version forth with the goal that men and women
throughout the world will have a greater opportunity to study God’s will, and by obedience
to such, live their lives in an acceptable manner before our Creator until the coming of His
Son.