About twelve years ago there was published in the U.S.A. a Revised Standard Version of the Bible which was a great improvement compared with the King James Version. The wording of the Bible-text was expressed in clear English as it is spoken, written and understood to-day. In order to give our readers opportunity to judge for themselves, we now give a number of texts in both versions, so that everyone can see which translation is most understandable. The examples are taken from Reverend A. F. Katt's pamphlet "HOW' do they understand the Bible?"

K.J.V. means: King James' Version and R.S.V. means Revised Standard Version. The inserted questions are those inserted by Reverend Katt.

Matt. 26 : 31; Mark 14 : 27.

KJV. all ye shall be offended . " (Question: Have your feelings hurt?)

The use of the word "offended" is obsolete in this case, no longer understood as it was three hundred years ago in the scriptural meaning of "you will be thrust upon" or "you will stumble and fall". Even commentators today often go no further than to let the disciples experience a severe jolt to their faith. But the R.S.V. does too far when it translates it "you will all fall away". In his Greek New Testament Dictionary, Bauer renders this passage: "you will be misled to sin by relinquishing your faith in Me or turning away from Me.

RSV. "...You will all fall away' .

Luke 22:39

KJV. as He was wont

(Question: Won't? Unwilling? Or wanted?)

RSV. ". . . as was His custom

John 18 2.

KJV. ". . for Jesus ofttimes resorted thither with His disciples". (Question: "Resorted thither?")

The word "resorted", as here used, is no longer in common usage, and fails to bring out the original meaning of coming together.

RSV. ". . . for Jesus often met there with His disciples".

Mark 14 : 33.

KJV. "Jesus ... began to be sore amazed, and to be very heavy; (Question: "Sore" - hurt, an "Amazed" - surprised, astonished?' "Began to be very heavy" - began to gain weight?)

RSV. "Jesus ... began to be greatly distressed and troubled".

Matt. 26 38; Mark 14 : 34.

KJV. tarry ye here . . (What mother or teacher would ask a pupil to "tarry" here? What boy@ or girl would understand what she meant?)

RSV. remain here .

Mark 14:41-42.

KJV ".. sleep on now, and take your rest; it is enough, the hour is come; ... Rise up, let us go . . ." (Question: What does Jesus want them to do, sleep or get up?)

The RSV. rendering follows Bauer (Green N.T. Dict.), Moffat,

Go speed and most recent commentators.

RSV. are you still sleeping and taking your rest? It is enough; the hour has come;. . Rise, let us be going . . ."

Matt. 26:47

KJV. "came . . . with swords and staves . . ."

(Question: What are staves?)

RSV. came . . . with swords and clubs . . ."

Mark 14:44.

KJV. "And he that betrayed Him had given them a token (Question: Bus token?)

RSV. "Now the betrayer has given them a sign

Luke 22 : 51.

When one of them cuts off the ear of the high priest's slave, Jesus says:

KJV. Suffer ye thus far". (Question: Just what does Jesus mean? Maybe He meant: "You just have to "take it" up to a certain point"?)

RSV Jesus said "no more of this".

Mark 14 : 54.

KJV. "And Peter followed him into the palace . . . and he sat at the fire".

(Question: Was the fire in the palace?)

RSV. "And Peter had followed Him . . . right into the courtyard ... and he was ... warming himself at the fire".

Matt. 26 : 69.

KJV. "Now Peter sat without in the palace . . ."

(Question: Was Peter without or within? How could he be both outside and inside? Or: without what?)

RSV. "Now Peter was sitting outside in the courtyard".

Mark 14 : 66.

KJV. "And as Peter was beneath in the palace . . ." (Question: Was he?)

RSV. "And as Peter was below in the courtyard

Luke 22; : 55.

KJV. "And when they had kindled a fire in the midst of the hall ... (Well, here now we have surely an inside fire!)

RSV. and when they had kindled a fire in the middle of the courtyard . . ."

The King James Version presents a number of vexing difficulties in passages as reporting Peter as being "in'@ the high priest's "palace". The RSV. remedies all this by a single change. The palace was

presumably a rectangular structure or quadrangle, with rooms on all four sides grouped around an open courtyard in the centre. The courtyard could be entered through a gateway at one side. Furthermore, the Greek word aule which KJV. translates "palace" really means an open space or courtyard; only by extension can it mean the house to which the yard belongs.

Matt. 26:73.

KJV. for thy speech bewrayeth thee".

RSV. for your accent betrays you' .

"Bewray" for "betray" is obsolete in every meaning. This word is perhaps the most unintelligible in the entire Passion Story. Also "accent" is more specific than "speech".

Matt. 26:67.

KJV. and they . . . buffeted Him; and others smote Him . . ."

(Question: What does that mean?)

RSV they . . . struck Him; and some slapped Him . . ."

Jeremiah's prophecy.

KJV. ". . . that which was spoken by Jeremy the prophet, saying: "And they took the thirty pieces

of silver, the price of Him that was valued, whom they of the children of Israel did value". (Question: I never heard of a prophet named Jeremy. And if the children of Israel valued Him, why did they kill Him?)

RSV. what had been spoken by the prophet Jeremiah, saying: "And they took the thirty pieces of silver, the price of Him on Whom a price had been set by some of the sons of Israel

Luke 23:34.

KJV. ". . and they parted His raiment

(Question: What does "parting His raiment" mean?)

RSV. ". . . And they cast lots to divide His garments".

John 19:30, Matt. 27 :50 and other places.

KJV. gave up the ghost.... (In Matthew, yielded up the ghost . . .")

All four KJV. accounts report the greatest deed in sacred or secular history, the supreme act of Jesus' life and mission, by using the phrase, "He gave up the ghost", which to modern children and young people must sound eerie, scary, spooky, frightening instead of comforting and consoling. Four hundred years ago "ghost" was perfectly good word for soul or spirit, even as Ghost still is in German. Webster now terms archaic this use of "ghost" for the spirit of man as distinguished from his body.

Note the RSV.'s fine distinction between the first two and the last two passages, all of which use the word "ghost" in the KJV.

RSV. (John) ". . gave up His spirit". (Matthew) :1... yielded up His spirit". Luke and Mark: breathed His last".

Matth. 27 51; Mark 15 : 38;

Luke 23 45.

KJV. the veil of the temple was rent in twain".

There are three difficulties in this short passage.

1. "Veil" - Who nowadays would think of calling a heavy tapestry curtain nearly a foot thick a "veil"? "Veil" to a modern person suggest a fine, thin material; originally it meant a curtain.

2. "Rent" in this sense is no longer used. When Billy comes home with torn pants, his mother does not scold him for having "rent" his trousers.

3. "Twain" either in this sense, "in two", or in the sense of "two persons", is now quite out of use. RSV...... the curtain of the temple was torn in two. .

Matth. 27 : 66.

K.JV. 'So they went, and made the sepulchre sure, sealing the stone, and setting a watch".

(Question. "Sure?" for a fact! "Setting a watch" - a wrist watch?)

RSV. "So they went and made the sepulchre secure by sealing the stone and setting a guard".

Reverend Katt concludes his series of -examples with the following lines: "In all of these references from the King James Version we fail to say clearly what we mean. How needlessly puzzling all this is for both pupil and teacher. If the teacher understands, she must waste precious time explaining these archaic Biblical phrases. To the above references many others could be added. This brief sampling from the Passion Story indicates what may be found throughout the Gospels as well as in the Acts, the Epistles, and the entire Old Testament. By our use of the King James Version, we present Biblical truth in an outmoded, archaic, often obsolete English no longer spoken or readily understood,"

That is what Reverend Katt had to say.

Ladies and gentlemen of the jury,

The evidence has been presented to you in a clear and concise way, The charge is: that the King James Version of the Bible, which rendered an excellent service to generations who lived before us, has now outlived its usefulness; in many cases it now hinders and obscures the Word of God instead of making it plain and clear and therefore it should be put aside in favor of modern translations -which convey to our generation the Word of God in that language which is used and understood today.