Is this a translation or a version?

The Simplified KJV is a version. The term translation implies going back to the original documents, in the original languages, which we didn't do. Keeping all the original translation work of the 1611 Bible, the Simplified KJV carefully updates old styles that may interfere with your understanding today while leaving the KJV translation work untouched.

What source documents were used?

​Only the King James Version itself. We did not attempt to create a new translation from the original Hebrew and Greek manuscripts. Instead, our editors simply updated confusing words, spellings, sentence structures, and punctuation issues in the King James Version.

Why change the King James Version?

​With more than four hundred years of history, the King James Version is well known and much loved. But it can be difficult to understand. Some of its terms have changed meanings over the centuries. Its sentence structures and punctuation styles can vary widely from contemporary norms. The Simplified KJV was designed to remove these challenges to modern readers while maintaining the familiarity and trustworthiness of the original translation work. We believe the Simplified KJV provides the best of both worlds—the accuracy and beauty of the original King James and the understandability of a modern Bible version.

Who produced the Simplified KJV?

​The project was created by Barbour Publishing, Inc., a Christian publishing house in eastern Ohio. The revision work was conducted by Peachtree Publishing Services, a highly respected Bible editing and proofreading company serving publishers around the world.