Preface To The
International King James Version

The heritage of the King James Version started with a sixteenth century translation of the Scriptures by William Tyndale. Tyndale’s
work later influenced translators of the King James Version, and
hus, 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. The International King James Version is another revision into contemporary English. Because of the great respect that Bible students have had for the original King James Version, the
production of the International King James Version was made for the purpose of bringing the original 1611 translation to an expanded audience of readers who speak English as a 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 new revisions. 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.
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 humanity by 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 that God intended, and by which all people of faith can come to a knowledge of the truth 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 necessarily included to
make the reading of the text understood. 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 for this version was to bring the original text of the Scriptures alive to the modern English speaking world, 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 texts, some revisions have been made in order 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 and wording. 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 and United Bible Societies’ texts in determining readings with more significant manuscript evidence. Verses and phrases that are in brackets are those readings that are questioned by the Nestle and United Bible Societies’ texts,
and yet, have been retained in this revision because of sufficient manuscript evidence. 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 have sought to present to the world a version that is easy to read by those who seek to understand God’s message of grace to all people. 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 in waiting for the coming of His Son. It is the prayer of the revisionist that the production and distribution of the International King James Version will encourage Bible reading and study worldwide.