A time-tested translation
First published in 1611, the KJV has been read, preached, memorized, and examined across more than four centuries.
The Authorized Version
The Word,
unchanged.
“The words of the LORD are pure words: as silver tried in a furnace of earth, purified seven times.”Psalm 12:6
Discover why generations of believers have trusted the King James Bible for its faithfulness, majesty, and enduring witness.
A settled text for a steadfast faith
Why believers choose the King James Bible
For KJV-only believers, reliability is more than readability. It is confidence that God has preserved His words, joined to a translation with a long and public record of faithful use.
A formal translation philosophy
Its translators generally aimed for close correspondence to the Hebrew and Greek, preserving structure and verbal connections where English allowed.
Rooted in the Reformation text
The Old Testament drew chiefly from the Masoretic Hebrew tradition; the New Testament followed the Greek text available to Reformation-era scholars, commonly associated with the Textus Receptus.
Built for public reading
Its rhythm, balance, and dignified cadence give Scripture a memorable voice—equally at home in quiet devotion and congregational worship.
Remarkable literary precision
Distinct pronouns such as thee, thou, ye, and you can preserve singular and plural distinctions that modern English often hides.
Continuity across generations
Using one stable text supports shared memorization, cross-generational worship, and confidence that familiar passages will not shift with every edition.
The making of a masterpiece
Learned hands.
A shared standard.
Commissioned under King James I, the translation was prepared by roughly fifty scholars working in companies at Westminster, Oxford, and Cambridge. Their work was reviewed across teams and read aloud, creating an unusually collaborative translation process.
The result inherited the language of earlier English Bibles while refining it into a version whose phrases would shape worship, literature, and everyday speech for centuries.
A note on the claim: Christians differ on manuscript traditions and whether one English translation alone should be used. This site presents the historic KJV-only conviction while distinguishing faith claims from documented history.
Go deeper
Explore the full case
Heritage
The full history
From Wycliffe in 1382 to the 1769 standard text still printed today.
Read more →At a glance
Timeline
Every milestone of the English Bible in one scannable list.
Read more →The scholars
The translators
Six companies, fifty scholars, and the rules that governed their work.
Read more →The case
Why KJV
The full argument for why believers hold it above other versions.
Read more →Manuscripts
Textus Receptus
The Received Text versus the modern critical text, explained.
Read more →Side by side
Comparison
How the KJV differs from the NIV, ESV, NASB, and NLT, verse by verse.
Read more →Doctrine
Preservation
The Scripture passages that ground the conviction that God kept His Word.
Read more →Influence
Legacy & language
The everyday idioms and literature the KJV gave the English language.
Read more →Q&A
FAQ
Direct answers to the questions we hear most often.
Read more →Reference
Glossary
Archaic words and phrases, defined in plain modern English.
Read more →Reference
Pronouns
Understand thou, thee, ye and you, with charts and Scripture examples.
Read more →Reference
Verb Forms
Explore -eth and -est endings, common verb forms and their meaning in Scripture.
Read more →Get started
Begin reading
A reading plan and a place to read the KJV online.
Read more →