In last night’s Family Guy there was a reference to John 3:16. I looked it up to see what it was about and was amazed at different the translations of the Bible were:
- King James Version: For God so loved the world, that he gave his only begotten Son, that whosoever believeth in him should not perish, but have everlasting life.
- New International Version: For God so loved the world that he gave his one and only Son, that whoever believes in him shall not perish but have eternal life.
Not so bad, right? Nice, proper, godly English. Let’s see how we’ve gone wrong since:
- Contemporary English Version: God loved the people of this world so much that he gave his only Son, so that everyone who has faith in him will have eternal life and never really die.
- Worldwide English: God loved the world so very, very much that he gave his only Son. Because he did that, everyone who believes in him will not lose his life, but will live for ever.
God loved the world “so very, very much”? VERY VERY much!? Very is not allowed to follow very in English. Poor Christians.