21st Century King James Version

Bible Abbreviation:  KJ21

ISBN:  0-9630512-3-7

Publisher:  Deuel Enterprises, Inc.

Publication Date: 1994

Pages: 1880

Binding:  Hard

Size: 6" x 8.75" x 2.75"

Features:

The text is presented in a single column with footnotes.  It is lacking maps, concordance and dictionary. 

Some passages have two diamonds (♦♦) placed at the beginning and a single diamond (♦) at the end.  These indicate Biblical verses that are included in the Three Year Common Lectionary. The lectionary is utilized by many mainline denominations for use in sermons, scriptural readings, church bulletins, etc.  To show what this looks like, I’ve copied the last two verses from the New Testament, Revelation 22:20-21: 

 

♦♦ 20 He that testifieth these things saith,

 “Surely I come quickly.”

Amen. Even so, come, Lord Jesus.

21 The grace of our Lord Jesus Christ be with you all.

Amen. ♦ 

 

An appendix contains the preface to the original King James Version of 1611(KJV).   Like the text of the Bible, the preface has been updated but unlike the Bible text, which is complete and not missing anything, the preface has been abridged.  It is worth the read. 

Comments and Observations:

Issued midway through the final decade of the 20^th century, the 21st Century King James Version (KJ21) is not a new translation or a revision, but rather a minimalist update of the King James Version.   Obsolete and/or archaic words, for the most part, have been replaced by with current equivalents.  For example, when you read Isaiah 3:18 you may wonder what the word caul means. 

KJV – In that day the Lord will take away the bravery of their tinkling ornaments about their feet, and their cauls, and their round tires like the moon, 

So you drag out your Random House Webster’s Dictionary published back in 1996 and you read: 

 

caul (kôl), n. 1. a part of the amnion sometimes covering the head of a child at birth. 2. greater omentum. [1300–50; Middle English calle < Middle French cale, probably back formation from calotte kind of cap; see calotte] 

 

You might still be puzzled.  However, if you read the same verse from the 21KJ, your puzzlement should disappear: 

 

21KJ – In that day the Lord will take away the bravery of their tinkling ornaments about their feet, and their hair nets and their round ornaments like the moon, 

 

With that said, there are some passages which could have been updated and were not.  For example, compare Mark 1:34 in both the KJV and the KJ21: 

KJV – “And he healed many that were sick of divers diseases, and cast out many devils; and suffered not the devils to speak, because they knew him.” 

 

KJ21 – “And He healed many who were sick with divers diseases, and cast out many devils; and He suffered not the devils to speak, because they knew Him.”  

 

With only minor changes in capitalization and word choice, the two are essentially the same.  In my opinion, divers should have been changed to something like various, different or a variety of, with the former being the preferred. 

 

Just as the wording has been updated, the spelling, punctuation, capitalization, and paragraphing have also been modernized.  The poetic verses have been formatted for ease of reading.  However, the time-honored Biblical language of its historic ancestor, the King James Version of 1611, has been retained, as the comparative verses below illustrate.

The application of font options is dreadful.  Some passages which were deemed by the publisher to be “more familiar” are given in bolded Roman font, while those  “less familiar” are placed in normal Roman font. The chapter headings are in a small sans-serif font.  The publishers used italics to designate the words of Christ.  That may explain why the KJ21 did not retain was the KJV practice of italicizing the words which are not in Greek/Hebrew but which are needed to make sense in English.  I have difficulty with any Bible which fails to indicate the words that are in the text but do not exist in the Greek or Hebrew. The KJ21 fails in this aspect. 

Unlike other modern versions, whole and partial passages have not been omitted.  Even the original KJV chapter summaries were retained. 

 

Old Testament Comparative Verse: Psalms 23:1-6.

1   The LORD is my shepherd;

I shall not want.

2   He maketh me to lie down in green pastures;

He leadeth me beside the still waters.

3   He restoreth my soul;

He leadeth me in the paths of righteousness

for His name's sake.

4   Yea, though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death, I will fear no evil;

for Thou art with me;

Thy rod and Thy staff, they comfort me.

5   Thou preparest a table before me in the presence of mine enemies;

Thou anointest my head with oil;

my cup runneth over.

6   Surely goodness and mercy shall follow me all the days of my life;

and I will dwell in the house of the LORD for ever. 

 

New Testament Comparative Verse: Matthew 5:1-12.

1   And seeing the multitudes, He went up onto a mountain; and when He was set, His disciples came unto Him. 2   And He opened His mouth and taught them, saying,

3    “Blessed are the poor in spirit,

for theirs is the Kingdom of Heaven.

4   Blessed are they that mourn,

for they shall be comforted.

5   Blessed are the meek,

for they shall inherit the earth.

6   Blessed are they that hunger and thirst after righteousness,

for they shall be filled.

7   Blessed are the merciful,

for they shall obtain mercy.

8   Blessed are the pure in heart,

for they shall see God.

9   Blessed are the peacemakers,

for they shall be called the children of God.

10   Blessed are they that are persecuted for righteousness' sake,

 for theirs is the Kingdom of Heaven.

11   Blessed are ye when men shall revile you and persecute you,

and shall say all manner of evil against you falsely for My sake.

12   Rejoice and be exceeding glad, for great is your reward in Heaven;

for so persecuted they the prophets who were before you.  

 

Strengths:

Everything I have read and compared it with seems to closely follow the KJV and the Greek of the Textus Receptus.  While I would argue with a few choices, for the most part, the words which they used to replace the KJV archaic words are well chosen.  I know that some will have problems with the fact that the publishers kept the thee, thy, and thine type pronouns.  I do not.  In the KJV, the thee, thy, and thine are singular pronouns and you and your are plural. Greek and Hebrew also uses different pronouns to distinguish between singular and plural.  Therefore it makes perfect sense to retain them if for no other reason than for understandability.  It beats the bejeebies out of using the Southern expression, y’all.

Weaknesses:

Typographically, this version is a mess.  The use of the various fonts styles are jarring. Furthermore, I personally do not need an editor to tell me which passages are  “more familiar “ and which are not.  I suspect that the KJ21 is not a serious contender as a KJV replacement, simply because of the aesthetics.  This is sad because aside from the choices made in the fonts, this is mostly how an updated King James Version should be presented.   It is much more readable and understandable than most other modern versions claiming KJV lineage.