1 Thessalonians 1:1 "...Grace be unto you, and peace, FROM GOD OUR FATHER, AND THE LORD JESUS CHRIST."
These last nine words are found in the majority of all texts, including Sinaiticus, A, the Old Latin, Lamsa's Syriac Peshitta, and the Coptic Boharic ancient versions. Yet in spite of all this evidence, primarily because Vaticanus lacks this phrase, the NASB, NIV, ESV, and the 2003 Holman Christian Standard unite in omitting all these words. Yet it is interesting to see that the new 2003 International Standard Version, which almost always follows the same constantly changing Nestle-Aland format, has now put these words back into their text!
1 Thessalonians 2:7 "But we were GENTLE among you, even as a nurse cherisheth her children."
The word "gentle" (EEpios) is found in the Majority of all Greek texts, as well as Alexandrinus, Sinaiticus correction, and the previous Nestle-Aland Greek texts read this way and so did Westcott and Hort, as do the NKJV, NASB, RSV, NIV, and ESV. However Vaticanus actually reads BABES (or infants - neepios), and the newer Nestle-Aland 27th, and UBS 4th have now put this ridiculous reading into their Greek texts. The resultant reading would then be: "we were BABES among you, as a nurse cherishes here children."
Even though modern Greek scholars have now once again changed their minds and re-written their Greek texts once again, and now read "babes" instead of "gentle", most modern versions continue to reject this false reading found in Vaticanus.
The new ISV, ESV and the Holman Christian Standard Version all read "we were gentle among you", yet they all give a footnote saying: "other manuscripts read "INFANTS". The only one I know of that had adopted this reading and actually followed the latest UBS, Nestle-Aland text is the CEV.
The Message -Originally published by NavPress in English as THE MESSAGE: The Bible in Contemporary Language copyright 2002
"We weren't aloof with you. We took you just as you were. We were never patronizing, never condescending, but we cared for you the way a mother cares for her children."
I thought this modern paraphrase was supposed to be easy to read. "Aloof, patronizing, condescending"?
Contemporary English Version - 'We chose TO BE LIKE CHILDREN or a mother nursing her children." This is the only one I know of that actually tries to follow what modern scholars have put into their latest, updated Greek texts. You can expect more to follow...In fact, it just happened. After reading this article another King James Bible believer informed me that Daniel (Who Knows For Sure?) Wallace has now adopted this absurd reading in his NET version. http://www.bible.org/netbible/index.htm
Wallace's NET version now reads: " although we could have imposed our weight as apostles of Christ; instead WE BECAME LITTLE CHILDREN AMONG YOU. Like a nursing mother caring for her own children".
2 Thessalonians 1:2 "Grace unto you, and peace, from God OUR Father and the Lord Jesus Christ." If EVERY word of God is precious to you, then this example is important. The word "our" before "our Father" is found in the majority of all texts, including Sinaiticus. Vaticanus omits the word "our" and the NASB, NIV, RSV follow Vaticanus saying "God THE Father". The older Nestle-Aland text read this way, but then later they changed it again to now read "God OUR Father", and this is how the NRSV, ESV, ISV and Holman versions now read.
2 Thessalonians 1:8 "In flaming fire taking vengeance on them that know not God, and that obey not the gospel of our Lord Jesus CHRIST."
To give an example of just how irrelevant and useless the critical notes of the various readings are in the UBS and Nestle-Aland texts, let's take a look at 2 Thessalonians 1:8. In the King James Bible we read: "In flaming fire taking vengeance on them that know not God, and that obey not the gospel of our Lord Jesus CHRIST."
The word CHRIST is found in the Majority of all texts, including Sinaiticus, Alexandrinus, F, G, the Old Latin copies of d,e,f, and g, which predate anything we have in Greek by 150 years, the Syriac Peshitta, Gothic, and Armenian ancient versions. The full title of "our Lord Jesus Christ" is found in the KJB, NKJV, Douay, Spanish Reina Valera, Italian Diodati, Lamsa's translation of the Syriac Peshitta, Luther's German bible, and all older English Bibles including Tyndale, Coverdale, Bishop's, and the Geneva Bible.
Vaticanus omits the word Christ, and so do the Coptic Boharic and Armenian versions, and it is omitted in the RV, ASV, RSV, NASB, NIV, ESV, ISV, and most versions that follow the Westcott-Hort texts.
However when we look at the critical notes found at the bottom of the page of both the UBS 4th edition and the Nestle-Aland 27th edition, there is not one single mention of the evidence for the inclusion or the omission of the name Christ. Instead what we find are three totally useless variant readings which in no way affect the sense of the passage. One note deals with a handful of manuscripts adding and extra kai (and); another note deals with "in flaming fire" as to whether it is spelled en puri flogos, which is the reading of the Majority and Sinaiticus, or if the words are reversed and it is en flogi puros, which is the reading of Vaticanus and would not affect the translation at all; and the third critical note deals with the verb "taking" vengeance, and whether it is a present tense (which is followed by all versions and most texts) or if it is an aorist or past tense, as a handful of texts have it, or if it is an infinitive as quoted by one church father. BUT not a word about the omission of the word CHRIST.! Folks, this is modern textual scholarship in action.
2 Thessalonians 3:6 - “Now we command you, brethren, in the name of OUR Lord Jesus Christ, that ye withdraw yourselves from every brother that walketh disorderly, and not after the tradition which HE received us of.”
There are two conflicting textual readings in this verse and the Critical Text continues to change and the multiple-choice versions are in disagreement even among themselves.
First, the word “our” (hemoon) is found in the majority of all texts including Sinaiticus and A, but Vaticanus omits it. “OUR Lord Jesus Christ” is the reading of the Geneva Bible, Bishops’, Coverdale, the RV, ASV, NKJV, NASB, RSV, NRSV, ESV, and Holman Standard.
However the NIV and TNIV follow Vaticanus here and omit the word “our” from the text. So too do the more modern Catholic versions like the St. Joseph New American Bible and the Jerusalem Bible, though the word “our” was in the previous Douay-Rheims.
Westcott and Hort, and the early Nestle-Aland critical texts originally omitted the word too, but later on the Nestle-Aland text began to put the word back in, but in brackets as it appears today.
The second textual error is found in the last phrase where it says: “as HE received of us” referring back to the ‘brother that walketh disorderly’. It is singular in the Greek found in several Greek copies (5, 76, 218, 234, 1962, and others) and in the Greek texts of Stephanus, Beza, Elziever and Scrivenir. It is also the reading of many Old Latin copies, the Syriac translation of Lamsa, the corrections done to Sinaiticus and D, and in the Modern Greek text used throughout the Greek Orthodox churches today.
“which HE received of us” is the reading found in Coverdale 1535, the Great Bible, Bishops’ bible 1568, the Geneva Bible 1599, Wesley 1755, Lamsa 1936, Italian Diodati 1649, Webster’s 1833, Darby, the NKJV 1982, and the Third Millenium Bible 1998.
The NKJV 1982 reads the same as the King James Bible,(which HE received from us) but it tells us in a footnote: ‘Nestles, UBS text and Majority text read “they”.’ Well, this isn’t entirely true. The “majority text” reads differently from the present Nestle text. The “majority text” has the word parelabON (which can be either ‘I’ received or ‘they’ received, while the previous Nestle text actually has ‘parelabETE’, which means YOU (plural) received, but the more recent Nestle-Aland text has once again changed and it now reads ‘parelabOSAN’, which means “they received”.
This confusion is further seen in the versions. Those that read “YOU received”, following the previous Nestle-Aland critical texts, are the NASB, NIV, ESV 2001, RSV 1954, and TNIV 2004. Apparently these versions are now “out of date” according to the lastest whims of modern scholarship.
But the versions that follow the Alexandrian manuscript (not the reading of Vaticanus or even Sinaiticus correction, which both disagree with each other), and say “which THEY received from us” are the RV, ASV, NRSV 1989, and the up and coming ISV. The Holman Standard just omits the ‘troublesome’ reading and paraphrases it as ‘the tradition received from us’.
The whole point of this little study on this single verse is to show the ever changing opinions of modern scholarship, and how the modern versions continually disagree even with each other. The Critical Text “scholars” keep going back and forth between two different readings in just this one verse, and the modern versions reflect this confusion. They simply have no settled text and no infallible Bible.
2 Thessalonians 2:13 Another mind-blower!
"But we are bound to give thanks alway to God for you, brethren beloved of the Lord, because God hath FROM THE BEGINNING chosen you to salvation..."
"From the beginning" is the reading found in the majority of all texts, as well as Sinaiticus, the Old Latin, Syriac Peshitta, Coptic Sahidic, Armenian, and Ethiopic ancient versions. It also was the reading of the previous Nestle-Aland Greek editions, and is still found in the NIV, NASB, RV, ASV, NKJV, RSV, NET version and the 2003 Holman Christian Standard.
However, the latest Nestle-Aland texts have once again changed their reading, based on Vaticanus, and now reads: "God has chosen you AS THE FIRST FRUITS to be saved" and this is how the NRSV, ESV and the 2005 TNIV now read! So again, it looks like those old NASB, NIV and 2003 Holman Standards are once again out of date and follow the wrong texts according to the late$t $cholarly finding$.
1 Timothy 1:1 "Paul, and apostle of Jesus Christ by the commandment of God our Saviour, and LORD Jesus Christ, which is our hope;"
The word LORD is in the majority of all texts and even in Sinaiticus. The Vaticanus manuscript is missing the whole section of the New Testament from 1 and 2 Timothy, Titus, Philemon, and from the middle of Hebrews chapter nine to the end of the book. It is also missing the entire book of Revelation. In spite of the fact that the word "Lord" is in Sinaiticus, the NASB, NIV, ESV all chose to follow a later text (manuscript Alexandrinus) and omit this word from the title of our Lord Jesus Christ. The Nestle text has no footnotes telling us why they did this nor of the Majority reading of "Lord".
2 Timothy 2:14 "Of these things put them in remembrance, charging them before THE LORD that they strive not about words to no profit, but to the subverting of the hearers."
The reading of "the Lord" is in the Majority as well as A, D, and the Syriac. This is also the reading of the RV, ASV and the RSV. However Sinaiticus reads "charging them before GOD" and thus read the NASB, NIV and ESV.
1:8 "But UNTO the Son he saith, Thy throne, O God, is for ever and ever: a sceptre of righteousness is the sceptre of THY kingdom."
This verse shows God the Father directly addressing His Son as God. However the NASB says: "but OF the Son He says...the righteous scepter is the scepter of HIS (not Thy) kingdom." The word "his" instead of "thy" is found in the corrupt manuscripts of Siniaticus and Vaticanus, yet they differ from each other literally thousands of times. We will see more instances of these differences between them as we continue.
The NASB has a misleading footnote that says: SOME mss. read "Thy" - Some?! How about the vast majority of all remaining manuscripts and ancient versions, including A, D, the Old Latin, Syriac Peshitta, Harkelian, Palestinian, Coptic Sahidic, Armenian, Ethiopian, Slavonic, Wycliffe, Coverdale, Tyndale, Bishops’, the Geneva Bible, the RV, ASV, RSV, NRSV, ESV, Holman, NET, NKJV, and even the NIV. For some reason these other modern versions chose not to follow Vaticanus in this verse, even though they do so hundreds of other times.
The Nestle-Aland critical text continues to change every few years. The Nestle-Aland text USED to read “HIS kingdom” (autou) , even when the RV and ASV came out, but they didn’t follow this reading. Only the NASB reads this way, but the latest Nestle-Aland 27th reads THY (your - sou) like the NIV, NKJV, ESV and most other bibles. I guess the old NASB is now out of date, huh?
Hebrews 2:7 "Thou madest him a little lower than the angels: thou crownedst him with glory and honour, AND DIDST SET HIM OVER THE WORKS OF THY HANDS."
"And didst set him over the works of thy hands" is in the Traditional Greek texts, the Old Latin, Syriac Peshitta, Coptic Boharic and Sahidic, Armenian, and Ethiopic ancient versions. It is also found in Sinaiticus, A, and C, and is the reading of the RV, ASV, and the NASB. However Vaticanus omits all these words and so do the NIV, RSV, and ESV.
Hebrews 3:6 "But Christ as a son over his own house; whose house are we, if we hold fast the confidence and the rejoicing of the hope FIRM UNTO THE END." (mexri telous bebaian). The words "firm unto the end" are in the Majority of all texts including Sinaiticus, A, and C. The earlier Nestle-Aland Greek text included these words and so do the RV, ASV, and the NASB. However Vaticanus omits these three words and the newer Nestle-Aland text has once again been changed to omit these words along with the NIV, NRSV and the ESV.
Hebrews 7:4 "to whom EVEN the patriarch Abraham". The word "even" (kai) is in majority, Sinaiticus and the NIV and Holman include it, but Vaticanus omits it and so do the NASB and the ESV.
Hebrews 8:11 "shall not teach every man his NEIGHBOR" (plesion) is in the traditional text and NIV and ESV too!, but the Alexandrian texts read FELLOW CITIZEN (politen) and so do the Holman and the NASB. See how the scholars disagree among themselves.
Hebrews 9:11 "Christ..an high priest of good things TO COME" (mellonton). This is the reading of the majority of all Greek texts, A, and Sinaiticus and the NKJV, NASB, RV, ASV, and Douay. However the NIV, ESV, and Holman this time follow Vaticanus and says: "good things THAT ARE ALREADY HERE" (genomenon). We see from this and many other examples how the so called "oldest and best" constantly differ from each other and the bible scholars often don't agree in their "science of textual criticism". Today's Bible of the Month Clubs constantly skip from one of the oldest and best to the other one without any rhyme or reason.
Hebrews 9:14 "How much more shall the blood of Christ...purge YOUR conscience from dead works..."
"Your" conscience is the Majority reading as well as Sinaiticus. Vaticanus does not have Hebrews 9:14 to the end of the book, so it is of no help in determining the reading. "Your" conscience is the reading of the RV, ASV, and the NASB. But Alexandrinus reads: "purge OUR conscience" and so read the NIV, RSV, and ESV.
Hebrews 11:37 "They were stoned, they were sawn asunder, WERE TEMPTED (epeirasthnsan), were slain with the sword."
"they were tempted" is in the Majority of texts as well as Sinaiticus, A, and the Old Latin. It is also the reading of the RV, ASV, and the NASB. The Nestle-Aland text used to read this way, but later they changed it too, based on only 2 insignificant Greek manuscripts, one being P46 which they totally disregard in many other portions of the book of Hebrews. Now the NIV, RSV, and ESV omit these words.
1 Peter 1:22 "...see that ye love one another with A PURE (kathapros) heart fervently."
The word "pure" is in the Majority of all texts, including Sinaiticus correction, C, and P72 which is the earliest text available. The earlier Nestle-Aland text omitted this word "pure" because not in Vaticanus and so do the NASB, NIV, and RSV. However now the Nestle text has once again changed and they now include the word "pure" and so do the ESV, ISV and the Holman Standard.
1 Peter 3:18 This verse, as well as many others in First Peter, is a complete mass of confusion in the modern versions and the texts that underlie them. See my article called The Shifting Sands of Scholarship at http://www.oocities.org/brandplucked/1Pet.html
"For Christ also hath once SUFFERED (epathe) for sins, the just for the unjust, that he might bring US to God, being put to death in the flesh, but quickened by the Spirit."
The verb "suffered" is found in the Majority of all texts as well as Vaticanus and is the reading of the RV, ASV, NRSV, ESV, and ISV. However Sinaiticus reads "DIED" (apethanen) and so do the NIV, RSV, and NASB.
Regarding "that he might bring US to God", this is the Traditional Greek text, Sinaiticus, A, C, and the reading of the RV, ASV, NASB, RSV, and the ESV. But Vaticanus reads: "that he might bring YOU" and omits "to God", yet the NIV, NRSV, and ISV say: "that he might bring YOU to God".
1 Peter 5:2 "Feed the flock of God which is among you, TAKING THE OVERSIGHT THEREOF, not by constraint, but willingly..."
"taking the oversight" is found in the Majority of all texts as well as Sinaiticus correction, A, and P72. It is also the reading of the RV, ASV, NIV, NRSV, and ESV. The older Nestle-Aland text omitted this phrase, but the newer ones have put it back in. The versions that omit "taking the oversight" are the RSV AND the NASBs from 1960 to 1972. In 1977 the imminent scholars behind the NASB decided to put this phrase back in their version too. Vaticanus omits "taking the oversight", but if you get too excited about Vaticanus, you should note that it also omits the whole verse of 1 Peter 5:3.
For a much more complete examination of the constantly changing and conflicting modern versions in the book of 1 Peter, please see my article here: http://www.oocities.org/brandplucked/1Pet.html
2 Peter 2:6 “And turning the cities of Sodom and Gomorrha into ashes condemned them WITH AN OVERTHROW, making them an ensample unto those that after should live ungodly.”
The word correctly translated as “with an overthrow” is katastrophe, from which we get the English word catastrophe. It literally means to turn upside down or to overturn, and the verb form is found only twice in the New Testament where it is translated as “and Jesus went into the temple...and OVERTHREW the tables.” (Mat. 21:12; Mark 11:15)
It is correctly translated as “with an overthrow” in the Geneva Bible, Bishops’ Bible, Coverdale, Weymouth, Darby, Youngs’, the RV and the ASV.
The NKJV joins the NASB in translating this as “condemned them TO DESTRUCTION”, but at least they have the word in their text. The RSV, NRSV, ESV also contain the word in their text, though they have translated it as “condemned them to EXTINCTION.” Holman Standard has “condemned them TO RUIN.”, but the word IS in their text.
The Greek word katastrophe is found in the Majority of all texts, as well as Sinaiticus, Alexandrinus, C correction, the Old Latin copies of ar, c, dem, div, h, p, z, the Vulgate, Syriac Peshitta, Harkelian, Coptic Sahidic, Armenian, Ethiopian, Georgian and Slavonic ancient versions.
Basically, the only Greek text of any significance that omits the word is Vaticanus. Westcott and Hort originally placed the word katastrophe in brackets, indicating doubt as to its authenticity, but the later Nestle texts (Nestle-Aland 4th edition 1934) included the word without brackets. But then again the Nestle-Aland 27th has once again placed brackets around this word.
Daniel Wallace includes the word in his NET translation but footnotes: “Several important witnesses omit katastrofh such as P72*, B C* 1241 1739 1881 pc), but this is probably best explained as an accidental omission due to homoioarcton (the word following iskatekrinen, “he condemned”).
However the versions that OMIT this word from their “bibles” are the NIV, TNIV, and the up and coming ISV. The NIV omits the word in question, saying: “if he condemned the cities of Sodom and Gomorrah by burning them to ashes, and made them an example of what is going to happen to the ungodly.” Thus it omits the word “with an overthrow” and adds the words “of what is going to happen”, which are not found in any Greek text at all.
2 Peter 3:10 "...the elements shall melt with fervent heat, the earth also and the works that are therein SHALL BE BURNED UP."
"Shall be burned up" (katakansetai) is the Majority reading, as well as A, Old Latin, Syriac Harclean, Coptic Boharic, and Ethiopic ancient versions. This is also the reading of Wycliffe, Tyndale, Geneva, NKJV, RV, ASV, RSV, and the NASB. However, Vaticanus and Sinaiticus contain a non-sensical reading, which was never adopted until recently. The NASB footnotes that "Two early manuscripts read 'discovered'". Actually what they really say is "the earth and the works that are therin SHALL BE FOUND" (Greek - heurethnsetai), but this is too ridiculous even for the most fanciful of scholars, so several modern versions adopt this reading but paraphrase it so as not to seem quite so ludicrous. The NIV says the works shall BE LAID BARE; the ESV and ISV say they will be EXPOSED; while the NRSV and Holman Standard tell us the earth and its works "shall be DISCLOSED."
2 John 12 "...I trust to come unto you, and speak face to face, that OUR joy may be full." "OUR joy" is in the Majority and Sinaiticus, and also is the reading of the NIV, RSV, ESV and ISV. However Vaticanus reads "YOUR joy" and so do the RV, ASV, and the NASB.
The Book of Jude James White, a well known critic of the King James Bible, in his book The KJV Controversy, accuses the KJB of following "inferior texts" in the book of Jude.
Please see my response to his fallacious arguments in this article I wrote. http://www.oocities.org/brandplucked/Jude4.html
Jude 5 "I will therefore put you in remembrance, though ye once knew this, how that THE LORD, having saved the people out of the land of Egypt, afterward destroyed them that believed not."
This is clearly a reference to God delivering the Israelites out of Egypt as recorded in the Old Testament. THE LORD is the reading found in the Majority of texts as well as Sinaiticus. It is also the reading of the RV, ASV, NASB, NIV, and NRSV. However Vaticanus actually says that it was JESUS who saved the people out of the land of Egypt and so does the ESV!
The Book of the Revelation
This book has more textual variants than any other book in the New Testament, and this fact is often illustrated in the multiplicity of differing bible versions that result from following different texts or sometimes in how the same texts are translated. I will briefly mention just a few examples.
Revelation 11:17 "and art to come"
Last night at church our pastor pointed out the differences in the translation between the KJV and other versions. In verse 17:
Revelation 11:17 (NIV) "We give thanks to you, Lord God Almighty, the One who is and who was, because you have taken your great power and have begun to reign.
Revelation 11:17 (NASB) "We give You thanks, O Lord God, the Almighty, who are and who were, because You have taken Your great power and have begun to reign.
Revelation 11:17 (KJV) We give thee thanks, O LORD God Almighty, which art, and wast, AND ART TO COME; because thou hast taken to thee thy great power, and hast reigned.
He believes that part (highlighted in the KJV) missing in the other translation isn't necessary based on what the later half of verse 15 says. Also he said something that I've been hearing alot lately is that the Scribe inserted his opinion in the margin when coping the translation.I looked at your website and couldn't find any articles relating to this. Could you please tell me what you think.
Thanks, Tammy
Hi Tammy, the text of "and art to come" is found in part of the Majority text, though not all. The so called "Majority text" by Hodges and Farstad, is divided into 5 sections, labeled A, B, C, D and E. The text "and is to come" is found in sections C and D. it is in the Textus Receptus and in many Latin copies plus about 52 other Greek copies according to the info I have. It is also found in the ancient Arminian and Coptic Boharic versions. It is found in the Clementine Vulgate, and Jerome's Vulgate of 382 AD. It is in the Douay version 1950, and found in Wycliffe 1395, Tyndale 1525, Coverdale 1535, the Geneva Bible 1599, the KJB, the NKJV 1982, Green's modern KJV 2001, the Spanish Reina Valera versions from the 1500's to 1995, Luther's German, and in the Modern Greek New Testament used in the Greek Orthodox churches today.
Men like your pastor do not believe that any bible in any language is the complete and inerrant words of God, so they play around with the goofy thing they like to call the "science" of textual criticism, and they end up with every man for himself bible versions.
Hope this helps some, God bless, Will Kinney
Another instance of fickle changes and disagreements among the modern versions is found in Revelation 13:10. There we read: "...HE THAT KILLETH with the sword must be killed with the sword..." The phrase: "He that killeth" is in the active voice, that is, he is doing the killing. This is the reading of the Textus Receptus, Sinaiticus and manuscript C. It also read this way in the previous Westcott-Hort, Nestle Greek texts.
"HE THAT KILLETH with the sword" (active voice) is the reading of Wycliffe 1395, Tyndale 1525, Coverdale 1535, Bishops' Bible, the Geneva Bible, the Revised Version, the American Standard Version, the RSV, NRSV, NASB, NKJV, the Spanish Reina Valera and Lamsa's translation of the Peshitta.
However, later on, they once again changed Nestle (UBS) Greek text and they decided to follow the reading of ONE manuscript, that is, Alexandrinus. This single manuscript changes the reading from "he that killeth" to "he that is to be killed." (passive voice, that is, he is the one being killed by another). Now, the NIV, ESV and Holman versions have adopted this new reading based on one manuscript, and they now read: "IF ANYONE IS TO BE KILLED with the sword, with the sword he will be killed." Read it again, and think about the nonsense of this new reading.
Notice that the RSV and NRSV both followed the King James reading, but now the new ESV (a revision of the old RSV, NRSV) has now "scientifically" decided to go along with the NIV and follow a different text. This is how the "scholars' game" is played.
Revelation 15:3 "...Great and marvellous are thy works, Lord God Almighty; just and true are thy ways, thou King of SAINTS."
"King of saints" is found in the KJB, NKJV, Tyndale, Geneva, Young's, Webster's 1833 translation, the KJV 21st Century Version, the Third Millenium Version, the Spanish Reina Valera, and Luther's German translation.
The NIV, ASV, RV, and RSV all follow different texts and say: "King OF THE AGES", while the NASB, ESV, and Holman Standard follow yet other texts and have: "King OF THE NATIONS".
Some of the same texts that split between "ages" and "nations" also read "stone" in Revelation 15:6. Where the KJB, NIV, ESV, and NASB read of seven angels clothed in pure and white LINEN, the RV and ASV say they were arrayed in STONE, pure and bright!
Revelation 18:2
KJB - "And he cried mightily with a strong voice, saying, Babylon is fallen, is fallen, and is become the habitation of devils, and the hold of every foul spirit, and a cage of every unclean and hateful BIRD." (orneou)
So read the Majority of all texts, the TR AND Sinaiticus. "every unclean and hateful BIRD" is also the reading of the RV, ASV, NKJV, NASB, RSV, The Message, and the NIV.
However manuscript A (Alexandrinus) reads "the cage of every unclean and hateful BEAST." (theerion)
The previous Westcott-Hort, Nestle's Greek texts read as do the King James Bible and even the NASB, NIV, but later on, the UBS Greek "scholars" decided to change it, and it now includes both readings in full.
So now the 2003 Holman Standard and the 2003 ESV have come out and they add this extra reading of five Greek words which follows neither the Majority text, Sinaiticus nor Alexandrinus. These two latest versions read:
“Fallen, fallen, is Babylon the great! She has become a lair for demons, a haunt for every unclean spirit, A HAUNT FOR EVERY UNCLEAN BIRD, AND A HAUNT FOR EVERY UNCLEAN AND DESPICABLE BEAST." (Holman Standard, ESV.)
Revelation 21:3 "And I heard a great voice out of HEAVEN saying, Behold, the tabernacle of God is with men, and he will dwell with them, and they shall be his people, and God himself shall be with them, AND BE THEIR GOD."
There are two textual problems with this verse. The word HEAVEN is the Majority reading, as well as that of the TR, the Syriac, Coptic, Old Latin, the Spanish Reina Valera, and the NKJV. However the NASB, NIV, RSV follow Sinaiticus and Alexandrinus, and say: "I heard a great voice out of THE THRONE saying..."
The second textual variant is where we see more of the hypocricy and fickleness of what they call the "science of textual criticism". The final words in this verse: "AND BE THEIR GOD" are found in multiplied scores of Greek manuscripts including Alexandrinus, the Syriac Peshitta, Philoxenian, Harclean, and the Old Latin.
"And be their God" is also the reading of Wycliffe 1395, Tyndale 1525, Coverdale 1535, Geneva Bible, the Revised Version of 1881, the American Standard Version of 1901, the NKJV, the NIV, the TNIV, the 2004 Holman Standard and the new ESV (English Standard Version). However the NASB from 1960 to 1995 continues to omit these words, as well as the RSV and the NRSV. The silly and misleading footnote in the NASB of 1995 should be noted. The 1960 NASB footnotes: "Some ancient manuscripts add "and be their God". The RSV footnote says: "Other ancient authorities add "and be their God", BUT now the new 1995 NASB tells us: "ONE early manuscript reads: "and be their God". This is flat out deception!!! The UBS Greek text lists ONLY ONE manuscript that OMITS these words, and that is Sinaiticus. Wallace's NET bible version also omits these precious words of inspired Scripture.
The older Nestle Greek text omitted these words, but the newer critical Greek UBS text has once again changed, and they now include these words, though in brackets. Notice too that the previous RSV, and NRSV omitted them, but now the revision of the revision of the revision has once again placed them back into the verse as it has always stood in the King James Bible. Such is the true nature of what the scholars like to call "the science of textual criticism".
Let's close this study with a look at the very last verse in the Holy Bible. In the King James Bible, as well as the NKJV, Young's, Websters, Tyndale, Geneva, KJV21, and the Third Millenium Bible we read: "The grace of OUR Lord Jesus CHRIST be with YOU ALL. Amen."
The texts followed by many modern versions omit the words "our", "Christ", and "you all", but they don't even agree among themselves.
Instead of " with you all", the Alexandrinus says simply "with all" and so read the NASB and the ESV. But Sinaiticus reads "with the saints" and so read the RV, ASV, RSV, NRSV, and the ISV. The NIV also adopts this reading but paraphrases it as "with God's people".
The Holman Standard differs from them all by combining different readings from various texts, and says: "The grace of the Lord Jesus be with ALL the saints. Amen." - thus omitting "our", "Christ", and adding "ALL". Strictly speaking, there are no Greek texts that read the way the Holman has rendered the verse.
Those who exalt the Sinaiticus Greek manuscript as being one of the most reliable may be surprised to know of some of its readings in the book of Revelation. In 10:1 instead of "a rainbow was upon his head" Sinaiticus has "hair" was on his head. In 7:4 instead of 144,000 it reads 140,000 and in 14:3 instead of 144,000 it has 141,000. Instead of "the former things are passed away" in 21:4 Sinaiticus has "the sheep are passed away" and in 21:5 instead of "I make all things new" Sinaiticus says "I make all things empty"
It is my hope that this study has made you aware that "the science of textual criticism" is a misnomer and a farce. I believe God has been faithful to fulfill His promises to preserve His complete, inerrant, inspired, and pure words in a Book we can actually hold in our hands, read, memorize, and believe with all our hearts.
Many scholars today tell us they are attempting to reconstruct as closely as possible the text of the New Testament by rummaging through the various textual readings and trying to put together what God originally wrote. It is my sincere belief that God has already providentially "worked through" this whole process by means of the translators of the Authorized King James Holy Bible.
After all, only He knows for sure which readings are His and which are not. The Bible believer, and by that I mean one who believes every word of God's written word that he holds in his hands, and makes no attempt to "correct" it, or doubt its text, - the Bible believer - first looks to Almighty God to have fulfilled His promises that heaven and earth shall pass away, but His words shall not pass away. The evidence is overwhelmingly on the side of those thousands like me who believe God has done this in the Authorized King James Bible.
May the God and Father of our blessed Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ be pleased to grant you like precious faith.