An original-spelling edition?

David Norton begins his Editor’s Introduction to the New Cambridge Paragraph Bible with these words: “Though it is the most important book in the religious life and the culture of the English-speaking world, the King James Bible or Authorised Version of 1611 has never been perfectly printed.” He goes on to say, “what we now read as the King James Bible contains numerous deliberate and some accidental changes to the text, and these can be revised to make it more faithful to the King James translators’ own decisions as to how it should read.”

I wonder if there isn’t a need for an edition of the KJV that prints the very text, in its original spelling, that was agreed upon by the translators. Indeed, Norton claims in his Introduction that his work “gives the reader as closely as possible the exact text that the King James translators themselves decided on - but which was far from perfectly realised in the first edition.” Wouldn’t this goal be even better achieved with an original-spelling edition?

Personally, I am glad that the NCPB uses modern-spelling, but to finally publish after 400 years the Bible that the translators thought they had produced would be a great tribute to them and an asset to us. Oxford University Press recently published The King James Bible: 400th Anniversary Edition, but it is simply a transcription of the first edition of the KJV. As the publisher explains: “It follows the 1611 text page-for-page and line-for-line, reproducing all misprints rather than correcting them.”

I love David Daniell’s modern-spelling edition of Tyndale’s New Testament, but I am grateful that W. R. Cooper has produced an original-spelling edition for purists. To have a first edition KJV with all misprints corrected would be wonderful.

The KJV, Standard edition

What shall we call this most prestigious of English Bible translations?  In the title of his 2004 book about its textual history, David Norton refers to it as the King James Bible.  However, the next year, on the cover of his New Cambridge Paragraph Bible, it is referred to as the King James Version.  For the sake of consistency, I will call it the KJV.

What shall we call the version of the text most commonly found in KJV Bibles?  Norton seems to use four words almost interchangeably: Current, Established, Received and Standard.  I will refer to it as the Standard edition.

Corrections to the corrections

I am grateful to Cambridge University Press for publishing a “Table of corrections and amendments” to the First edition (2005) of the New Cambridge Paragraph Bible.  The fixing of tiny typos is usually done more quietly!  There are, however, a few mistakes in the Table, which I corrected in an earlier post.

Deuteronomy 32:22 margin
burned
burnt 

Should be:
burned
burnt

* * * 

Ezekiel 21:8 

Should be:
Ezekiel 21:9

* * *

Daniel 10:8 margin
vigor
vigour

Should be:
vigor
vigour

* * *

1 Esdras 8:46 margin, note b
Nethimims
Nethinims

Should be:
Nethimims
Nethinims   

Missing words

Of all the typographical errors in the first two editions of the New Cambridge Paragraph Bible, only one is substantial.  Leviticus 11:35 is the only place where words of the KJV are missing from the printed text.

The first two lines of this verse are identical in every edition.  After that, however, things begin to go wrong in the Cambridge First edition (2005) and the Penguin Classics edition (2006).  The 2005 edition omits the rest of the text.  The 2006 edition begins to correct this mistake, but (surprisingly) only adds the last three words of the verse - still omitting nine other words.  The entire verse is not published in the NCPB until 2011.

Here is how these three editions print Leviticus 11:35:

2005 Cambridge First edition 
35 And everything whereupon any part of their carcase falleth
shall be unclean; whether it be oven, or ranges for pots, they shall be

2006 Penguin Classics edition 
35 And everything whereupon any part of their carcase falleth
shall be unclean; whether it be oven, or ranges for pots, they shall be
unclean unto you.

2011 Cambridge Revised edition 
35 And everything whereupon any part of their carcase falleth
shall be unclean; whether it be oven, or ranges for pots, they shall be
broken down: for they are unclean, and shall be unclean unto you.

Corrections to the 2006 text

In a Note to the Revised Edition (2011), David Norton writes: “Errors of the press and of editorial judgement are corrected in this edition of The New Cambridge Paragraph Bible.  Most of the corrections have already appeared in the Penguin and Folio Society editions...” 

Indeed, the 2011 edition only made 31 corrections to the Penguin Classics edition, which was published in 2006.  Here is a list of those changes. 

The first line is the location in the text, the second is the 2006 Penguin edition, and the third line is the corrected text, as printed in the 2011 Cambridge edition.

In two passages, Leviticus 11:35 and 2 Samuel 1:10, the Penguin edition changed the text of the First Cambridge edition (2005), but these passages still needed to be corrected in the 2011 edition.

Passage
2006 Penguin text
2011 Cambridge text

* * * * *

Genesis 22: 16-18
and said, ‘By myself have I sworn,’ saith the Lord, ‘for because… obeyed my voice.’

and said, ‘ “By myself have I sworn,” saith the Lord, “for because… obeyed my voice.” ’

Genesis 40:6
and, behold
and behold

Leviticus 11:35
ranges for pots, they shall be unclean unto you. 36

ranges for pots, they shall be broken down: for they are unclean, and shall be unclean unto you. 36

Joshua 2:10
when ye came 

when you came 


what ye did
what you did

Joshua 24:11
And you went
And ye went

2 Samuel 1:10 
lord.”
lord.’

2 Samuel 21:17
swore unto him, saying, Thou shalt… light of Israel.
swore unto him, saying, ‘Thou shalt… light of Israel’.

1 Kings 14:12
thine own
thy own

1 Chronicles 21:2
knowit
know it

Psalm 50:5
Gather
‘Gather

sacrifice.
sacrifice.’

Psalm 50:7
Hear
‘Hear

Psalm 50:15
glorify me.
glorify me.’

Psalm 55:17
Evening, and
Evening and

noon, will
noon will

Psalm 99:4
king’s
King’

Psalm 107:3
east,
east

north,
north

Psalm 113:6
earth!
earth?

Psalm 139:11
cover me:
cover me’:

about me’.
about me.

Psalm 144:2
My
my

Psalm 148:12
young men,
young men

old men,
old men

Jeremiah 2:13
For
‘For

Jeremiah 4:9
wonder’.
wonder.’

The rest of Esther 11:6
And
and

1 Maccabees 2:29
wilderness,
wilderness

1 Maccabees 8:4
And
and

Mark 9:21
child’.
child.

Mark 9:22
us.
us.’

Corrections to the 2005 text

When Cambridge University Press published the Revised edition of the New Cambridge Paragraph Bible in 2011, they made more than 250 corrections to the text that was published in the First edition in 2005.  Here is a list of those changes. 

The first line is the location in the text, the second is the 2005 text, and the third line is the corrected text, as found in the 2011 edition.

Passage
2005 text
2011 text

* * * * *

P. xvi, 3 lines down
perpetuated desire of accomplishing
perpetuated desire of the accomplishing

P. xviii margin
calmniated
calumniated

P. xxxi, 12 lines up
nder
under

P. xxxiii, note 1
Epistulam
Epistolam

Genesis 6:5
God
GOD

Genesis 10:30
Sephar
Sephar,

Genesis 13:13
wicked
wicked,

Genesis 13:14
art
art,

Genesis 14:17
after… him,
(after… him)

Genesis 18: 1-2
day; 2 and
day. 2 And

Genesis 22: 16-18
and said, ‘By myself have I sworn,’ saith the Lord, ‘for because… obeyed my voice.’

and said, ‘ “By myself have I sworn,” saith the Lord, “for because… obeyed my voice.” ’

Genesis 28:16
awaked
awoke

Genesis 38:25
man,
man

Genesis 40:6
and, behold
and behold

Exodus 7:25
fulfilled,
fulfilled

Exodus 18:16
me.
me,

Leviticus 11:35
ranges for pots, they shall be 36

ranges for pots, they shall be broken down: for they are unclean, and shall be unclean unto you. 36

Leviticus 11:47
To
to

Numbers 14:28
live, saith the LORD, as
live,” saith the LORD, “as

Numbers 16:28
mine own
my own

Numbers 23:13
utmost
outmost

Deuteronomy 22:14
I took this woman… not a maid:
“I took this woman… not a maid”:

Deuteronomy 30:4
thy
thine

Deuteronomy 32:22 margin
burned
burnt

Deuteronomy 33: 5-6
together.
6 ‘Let

together. 
[insert space]
6 ‘Let

Deuteronomy 33:7
and he said,
       ‘Hear

and he said,
[insert space]
       ‘Hear

Joshua 2:10
when ye came 

when you came 


what ye did
what you did

Joshua 24:11
And you went
And ye went

Judges 4:22
And, behold
And behold

Judges 14:8
and, behold
and behold

Judges 16:14
awaked
awoke

Judges 18:9
the land and behold
the land, and behold

Judges 20:22
Israel, encouraged
Israel encouraged

1 Samuel 5:4 margin
fishy
filthy

1 Samuel 10:2
and, lo
and lo

1 Samuel 26:12
awaked
awoke

1 Samuel 30:3
and, behold
and behold

2 Samuel 1:10
lord.
lord.’

2 Samuel 1:11
him.’
him.

2 Samuel 13:12
aught
ought

2 Samuel 13:34
and, behold
and behold

2 Samuel 21:17
swore unto him, saying, Thou shalt… light of Israel.
swore unto him, saying, ‘Thou shalt… light of Israel’.

1 Kings 3:7
instead
in stead

1 Kings 14:12
thine own
thy own

2 Kings 3:15
minstrel’.
minstrel.’

2 Kings 17:8
And
and

2 Kings 19: 33-4
city, saith the LORD. 34 For
city,” saith the LORD. 34 “For

2 Kings 21:22
And
and

2 Kings 22: 19-20
thee, saith the LORD. 20 Behold
thee,” saith the LORD. 20 “Behold

1 Chronicles 21:2
knowit
know it

2 Chronicles 11:21
Absalom,
Absalom

Ezra 6:5
God.
God.’

Esther 2:17
instead
in stead

Job 23:9
On
on

Job 28:14
sea saith, ‘It is not
sea saith, “It is not

Job 33:17
That
that

Job 38:9
When
when

Psalm 3:5
awaked
awoke

Psalm 12:4 margin
Heb,
Heb.

Psalm 42:4
day
day.

Psalm 50:5
Gather
‘Gather

sacrifice.
sacrifice.’

Psalm 50:7
Hear
‘Hear

Psalm 50:15
glorify me.
glorify me.’

Psalm 55:17
Evening, and
Evening and

noon, will
noon will

Psalm 55:22             
[Indentation] he shall never
he shall never

Psalm 55:23 margin
half
halve

Psalm 60:6
I will rejoice
‘I will rejoice

Psalm 60:8 
of me.
of me.’

Psalm 71:18
this generation
this generation

Psalm 78:22
Because
because

Psalm 78:65
awaked
awoke

Psalm 81:6
I
‘I

Psalm 81:11
But
‘But

Psalm 81:13
O
‘O

Psalm 81:14
adversaries.
adversaries.’

Psalm 89:3
2 ‘I
3 ‘I

Psalm 89:4
generations” ’.
generations”.’

Psalm 94:15 margin
Heb
Heb.

Psalm 95:8
‘harden
‘Harden

Psalm 99:4
king’s
King’s

Psalm 107:3
east,
east

north,
north

Psalm 113:6
earth!
earth?

Psalm 119:14 
have rejoiced
I have rejoiced

Psalm 139:11
cover me:
cover me’:

about me’.
about me.

Psalm 144:2
My
my

Psalm 148:12
young men,
young men

old men,
old men

Proverbs
16: 1, 2, 6, 9, 20, 33
17: 3, 15
18: 22
19: 3, 14, 21
20: 10, 12, 22
21: 1, 2, 3, 30, 31
22: 2, 14,
Lord
LORD

Proverbs 23:7
For
for

Proverbs 23:17
Lord
LORD

Proverbs 23:35
and I was not sick:
‘and I was not sick:

‘they have beaten me
they have beaten me

Proverbs 24:4
And
and

Proverbs 24:29
I will do
‘I will do

work.
work’.

Proverbs 25: 9-10
another:
[space]
10 lest

another:
10 lest

Proverbs
25: 22
28: 5, 25
29: 13, 25, 26
Lord
LORD

Proverbs 26:24
him;
him.

Proverbs 31:30
Lord
LORD

Ecclesiastes 12:2
stars,
stars

Isaiah 5:29
Their
their

Isaiah 7:4
heed,
heed

Isaiah 7:14
conceive,
conceive

Isaiah 9:6
Peace
peace

Isaiah 9:12
mouth.
mouth:

For
for

Isaiah 16:2
be, that
be that

Isaiah 17:8
groves,
groves

Isaiah 28:24
ploughmen
ploughman

Isaiah 30:1
spirit
Spirit

Isaiah 35:10
And
and

Isaiah 43:22
But
‘But

Isaiah 51:19
desolation,
desolation

famine,
famine

Isaiah 60:15
has
hast

Isaiah 63:19
barest
borest

Isaiah 64:11
fire:
fire,

Isaiah 66:24
And… flesh.
‘And… flesh.’

Jeremiah 2:13
For
‘For

Jeremiah 4:9
wonder’.
wonder.’

Jeremiah 18:2
words.’
words’.

Jeremiah 22:18
glory”:
glory”.

Jeremiah 22:19
he
He

Jeremiah 31:9
rivers of waters in a straight way,
wherein

rivers of waters,
in a straight way wherein

Jeremiah 31:26
awaked
awoke

Jeremiah 32:6
’The [the quotation mark is backwards]
‘The

Jeremiah 33:10
place, which… beast,
place (which… beast)

Ezekiel 11:15
wholly
wholly,

Ezekiel 17:5
5 he
5 He

Ezekiel 20:4
4 Wilt
4 ‘Wilt

Ezekiel 21:9
LORD”,
LORD,”

Ezekiel 30:6
sword’
sword,’

Ezekiel 33:10
Israel; thus
Israel, “Thus

“If… live?”
‘If… live?’ ”

Ezekiel
36:27; 37:14; 39:29
spirit
Spirit

Daniel 7:14
dominion, and glory
dominion and glory

Daniel 9:2
reign
reign,

Daniel 10:8 margin
vigor
vigour

Daniel 10: 16, 17 (twice), 19
lord
Lord

Daniel 11:10
overflo
overflow

Hosea 1:2
wife of whoredoms
wife of whoredoms,

Hosea 13:14
eyes.
eyes.’

Hosea 13:15
‘Though
Though

Hosea 14:3
mercy.
mercy.’

Joel 2: 28, 29
spirit
Spirit

Joel 3:4
Tyre,
Tyre

Joel 3:5
things:
things.

Joel 3:10
say,‘ I [misplaced space]
say, ‘I

Amos 4:13
earth,
earth:

Amos 5:3
ten,
ten

Amos 5:14 
good,
good

Amos 5:16
Alas! alas!
“Alas! alas!”

Amos 6:9
[Indentation] 9 And
9 And

Jonah 1:11
wrought,
wrought

Micah 1:15
Adullam
Adullam,

Habakkuk 1: 5-11
Behold ye… his god.
‘Behold ye… his god.’

Habakkuk 3:4
hand:
hand,

Haggai 2:23
LORD, and
LORD, “and

Zechaniah 2:5
For
for

Zechaniah 4:1
waked
woke

Malachi 1:10
Who
‘Who

1 Esdras 3:3
awaked
awoke

1 Esdras 8:26
counsellers
counsellors

1 Esdras 8:46 margin, note b
Nethimims
Nethinims

1 Esdras 9:52
For
for

2 Esdras
5:14; 11:29; 12:3; 13:13
awaked
awoke

2 Esdras 8:60
But
but

2 Esdras 10:25
shined
shone

Tobit 1:22
intreating
entreating

Tobit 6:5
roasted,
roasted

The rest of Esther 11:6
And
and

The rest of Esther 13:3
counsellers
counsellors

Wisdom 6:17 margin
dicipline
discipline

Wisdom 6:25
worlds
words

Wisdom 8:9
counseller
counsellor

Ecclesiasticus 6:1
Instead
In stead

Ecclesiasticus 6:6
counseller
counsellor

Ecclesiasticus 10:24
potentates,
potentates

Ecclesiasticus 18:32
expence
expense

Ecclesiasticus 21:5
god
God

Ecclesiasticus 33:16
awaked
awoke

Ecclesiasticus 41:18
Of
of

Ecclesiasticus 45:12
Holiness
holiness

Ecclesiasticus 51:2
For
for

Baruch 5:4
the peace… God’s worship.
‘The peace… God’s worship’.

Bel and the Dragon 13
entered it
entered in

1 Maccabees 2:29
wilderness,
wilderness

1 Maccabees 4:6
shewed
showed

1 Maccabees 8:4
And
and

1 Maccabees 10: 39, 44, 45
expences
expenses

1 Maccabees 11:4
shewed
showed

2 Maccabees 4:45
But
but

2 Maccabees 14:4
Came
came

Matthew 17:6
whe n
when

Matthew 17:27 margin
silver
silver,

Matthew 22:13
darkness,
darkness;

Matthew 27:8
Blood
Blood,

Mark 9:21
child’.
child.

Mark 9:22
us.
us.’

Mark 12:36
LORD
Lord

Mark 16:7
Galilee,
Galilee:

Luke 1:4
things,
things

Luke 12:57
Yea
‘Yea

Luke 13:3
perish.’
perish.

Luke 20:42
LORD
Lord

John 1:35
after
after,

John 1:39 margin
about: or, that was two hours before night
about: that was two hours before night

John 3:26
barest
borest

John 8:7
her.’
her’.

John 11:16
fellow-disciple
fellow-disciples

John 21:20
supper and said
supper, and said

Acts 1:11
heaven’.
heaven.’

Acts 2:29
Men
‘Men

Acts 2:31
before
before,

Acts 2:34
LORD
Lord

Acts 9:11
for,
for

Acts 12:5 margin
prayer or
prayer: or

Acts 15:17
Lord, ‘who doeth all these things’ ”.
Lord, who doeth all these things”.

Acts 24:19
they had ought
they had aught

Acts 25: 7-8
prove. 8 While
prove, 8 while

Romans 1:6
Christ:,
Christ:

Romans 1:7
Grace
grace

Romans 16: 10, 11 margins
friends
friends

1 Corinthians 2:12
spirit which is of God
Spirit which is of God

1 Corinthians 15:37
bore
bare

2 Corinthians 11:12
desire occasion
desire occasion,

Colossians 1:16
created,
created

2 Thessalonians 1:1 
the the
the

Titus 1:14
men,
men

James 2:23
Friend
friend

1 Peter 3:21
whereunto even baptism doth
whereunto, even baptism, doth

Revelation 8:13
earth
earth,

Four editions

The New Cambridge Paragraph Bible has been published in four editions, the first three of which include the Apocrypha:

1) Cambridge University Press (2005)
in hardback (978-0-521-84386-7)
and black French Morocco leather (978-0-521-84387-4).
Size: 7 1/4 x 10 x 2 inches.

2) Penguin Classics (2006) The Bible
in paperback (978-0-141-44151-1).
Size: 5 1/4 x 8 1/2 x 2 inches.

3) Folio Society (2011)
in single-volume
and two-volume fine hardback.
Size: 7 1/4 x 11 inches.

4) Cambridge University Press (2011) Revised Edition
in hardback with the Apocrypha (978-0-521-76284-7)
or without the Apocrypha (978-0-521-19501-0)
and black calfskin leather with the Apocrypha (978-0-521-19881-3)
or without the Apocrypha (978-0-521-19063-3).
Size: 6 x 8 1/2 x 1 3/4 (with the Apocrypha).

A joy to read

The most distinctive feature of The New Cambridge Paragraph Bible is its appearance.  The text is printed in paragraphs, not with each verse starting a new line.  There is a single column of text on each page, not two columns.  Quotation marks are used, and the spelling of some words has been modernized - something that is especially useful when an archaic spelling of a word now spells a different word (for example, “brake” has been changed to “broke”).  All these features make this new edition of the King James Bible very attractive and a joy to read.

Restoring a fine painting

David Norton, who probably knows more about the KJV than anyone else, is the editor of The New Cambridge Paragraph Bible.  After many years of meticulous research, he has produced an edition of the KJV that restores the text to that envisioned by the forty-six Church of England clergymen (and one layman!) who made the translation. 

Most people assume that the text of the KJV has remained unchanged since its publication, but this is not the case.  In a scholarly book entitled A Textual History of the King James Bible, Norton explains how minor changes were made to the text between 1611 and 1769 with the intention of improving or correcting it.  But Norton, like a man restoring a fine painting, would rather trust the original translators than second-guess them.  The NCPB, he declares, “is the translators’ Bible.”