Part One: Books, Records and Traditions Named or Used by the Bible
1. The Book of the Wars of the LORD
Numbers 21:14
“Wherefore it is said in the book of the wars of the LORD…”
The Bible quotes a book called The Book of the Wars of the LORD. That book is not contained as a separate book in the 1611 King James Bible and no complete copy is known to survive.
2. The Book of Jasher
Joshua 10:13
“Is not this written in the book of Jasher?”
2 Samuel 1:18
“Behold, it is written in the book of Jasher.”
The Bible cites the Book of Jasher twice. It contained the account of the sun standing still and David’s lament for Saul and Jonathan.
The ancient book cited by Scripture is not contained in the 1611 Bible. Later works published under the name Jasher cannot be identified with certainty as the same book.
3. The Book of the Acts of Solomon
1 Kings 11:41
“And the rest of the acts of Solomon…are they not written in the book of the acts of Solomon?”
The Bible identifies a fuller record of Solomon’s acts. That record is not contained as a separate book in the Bible.
4. The Chronicles of the Kings of Israel
1 Kings 14:19
“And the rest of the acts of Jeroboam…behold, they are written in the book of the chronicles of the kings of Israel.”
The same record is cited repeatedly throughout Kings.
It is not the same title as the canonical books of First and Second Chronicles. It appears to have been a royal record used as a source for the biblical history.
5. The Chronicles of the Kings of Judah
1 Kings 14:29
“Now the rest of the acts of Rehoboam…are they not written in the book of the chronicles of the kings of Judah?”
Kings repeatedly directs the reader to a fuller record of Judah’s kings.
That record is not contained as a separate book in the Bible.
6. Samuel’s Written Record of the Kingdom
1 Samuel 10:25
“Then Samuel told the people the manner of the kingdom, and wrote it in a book, and laid it up before the LORD.”
Samuel wrote a formal record concerning the kingdom.
No separate book bearing that description is included in the Bible. The material may have been partly incorporated into later Scripture, but the verse does not say that the entire record was preserved.
7. The Book of Samuel the Seer
1 Chronicles 29:29
“Now the acts of David the king, first and last, behold, they are written in the book of Samuel the seer…”
This may refer to material preserved in the books of Samuel, but Chronicles describes it as one source among several records of David’s life.
8. The Book of Nathan the Prophet
1 Chronicles 29:29
David’s acts were also written “in the book of Nathan the prophet.”
No separate Book of Nathan is contained in the Bible.
9. The Book of Gad the Seer
1 Chronicles 29:29
David’s acts were also written “in the book of Gad the seer.”
No separate Book of Gad is contained in the Bible.
10. The Prophecy of Ahijah the Shilonite
2 Chronicles 9:29
The acts of Solomon were written “in the prophecy of Ahijah the Shilonite.”
No separate work under that title is included in the Bible.
11. The Visions of Iddo the Seer
2 Chronicles 9:29
The acts of Solomon and Jeroboam were recorded “in the visions of Iddo the seer.”
No complete Book of Iddo is included in the Bible.
12. The Book of Shemaiah the Prophet
2 Chronicles 12:15
The acts of Rehoboam were written “in the book of Shemaiah the prophet.”
That book is not contained as a separate work in the Bible.
13. The Story of the Prophet Iddo
2 Chronicles 13:22
“And the rest of the acts of Abijah…are written in the story of the prophet Iddo.”
The word “story” here means a written account or record.
That record is not separately preserved in the Bible.
14. The Book of Jehu
2 Chronicles 20:34
The acts of Jehoshaphat were written “in the book of Jehu the son of Hanani.”
No separate Book of Jehu is contained in the Bible.
15. Isaiah’s Record of Uzziah
2 Chronicles 26:22
“Now the rest of the acts of Uzziah…did Isaiah the prophet…write.”
The canonical Book of Isaiah mentions Uzziah but does not contain an identifiable complete history of his reign.
16. The Vision of Isaiah Concerning Hezekiah
2 Chronicles 32:32
The acts of Hezekiah were written “in the vision of Isaiah the prophet.”
Some related material appears in Isaiah and Kings, but the verse points to a fuller record.
17. The Sayings of the Seers
2 Chronicles 33:19
The history, prayer and sins of Manasseh were written “in the sayings of the seers.”
The exact collection is not identified and is not contained as a separate book in the Bible.
18. The Lamentations for Josiah
2 Chronicles 35:25
Jeremiah lamented for Josiah, and those laments were “written in the lamentations.”
The canonical Book of Lamentations does not name Josiah. The collection mentioned here cannot be identified with certainty as the same book.
19. The Chronicles of the Kings of Media and Persia
Esther 10:2
The acts of Ahasuerus and Mordecai were written “in the book of the chronicles of the kings of Media and Persia.”
Those imperial records are not part of the biblical collection.
20. The Book of Enoch
Jude 14–15
“And Enoch also, the seventh from Adam, prophesied of these, saying, Behold, the Lord cometh with ten thousands of his saints…”
This closely follows 1 Enoch 1:9.
Jude does not merely repeat an unidentified saying. He names Enoch and says that Enoch “prophesied.”
The Book of Enoch is not contained in the 1611 King James Bible, but part of its prophecy is contained in Jude.
Jude does not state that every portion of the surviving Book of Enoch is Scripture. Jude does establish that this Enochic prophecy was accepted as true.
21. The Watchers Who Left Their Habitation
Jude 6
“And the angels which kept not their first estate, but left their own habitation…”
Genesis 6 briefly describes the “sons of God” taking human women. It does not provide Jude’s full description of angels leaving their habitation, being bound in darkness and awaiting judgment.
That expanded account appears in 1 Enoch’s description of the Watchers.
22. The Wandering Stars Reserved in Darkness
Jude 13
“Wandering stars, to whom is reserved the blackness of darkness for ever.”
First Enoch describes rebellious stars or heavenly beings that abandoned their appointed course and were imprisoned until judgment.
Jude uses the same pattern: departure from appointed order followed by confinement in darkness.
23. Michael’s Dispute Over the Body of Moses
Jude 9
“Michael the archangel, when contending with the devil he disputed about the body of Moses…”
No such event appears in the Old Testament.
Early Christian writers connected it with a work known as the Assumption or Ascension of Moses. The surviving Moses text is incomplete and does not contain the scene.
Jude preserves an event from a Moses tradition that is otherwise missing from the Bible.
24. Jannes and Jambres
2 Timothy 3:8
“Now as Jannes and Jambres withstood Moses…”
Exodus mentions Pharaoh’s magicians but does not give their names.
Paul uses names preserved in Jewish tradition outside the written account of Exodus.
25. The Rock That Followed Israel
1 Corinthians 10:4
“For they drank of that spiritual Rock that followed them: and that Rock was Christ.”
The books of Moses record water coming from rocks but do not plainly state that a rock followed Israel.
Paul uses an interpretation known in Jewish tradition and identifies its spiritual meaning as Christ.
26. A Saying of Jesus Not Recorded in the Four Gospels
Acts 20:35
“To remember the words of the Lord Jesus, how he said, It is more blessed to give than to receive.”
That saying does not appear in Matthew, Mark, Luke or John.
Acts preserves a saying of Jesus transmitted outside the four Gospel accounts.
27. The Martyrs Behind Hebrews 11
Hebrews 11:35
“Others were tortured, not accepting deliverance; that they might obtain a better resurrection.”
This closely resembles the martyrdoms recorded in 2 Maccabees 6 and 7.
Second Maccabees was printed in the Apocrypha section of the original 1611 King James Bible. It is absent from most modern KJV printings.
Part Two: What Is Missing From Most Bibles That Are Not Complete 1611 Editions
28. First Esdras
Printed in the 1611 Apocrypha. Missing from most present-day KJV editions.
29. Second Esdras
Printed in the 1611 Apocrypha. Missing from most present-day KJV editions.
30. Tobit
Printed in the 1611 Apocrypha. Missing from most present-day KJV editions.
31. Judith
Printed in the 1611 Apocrypha. Missing from most present-day KJV editions.
32. The Rest of Esther
Printed in the 1611 Apocrypha. Missing from most present-day KJV editions.
33. The Wisdom of Solomon
Printed in the 1611 Apocrypha. Missing from most present-day KJV editions.
34. Ecclesiasticus, or the Wisdom of Jesus the Son of Sirach
Printed in the 1611 Apocrypha. Missing from most present-day KJV editions.
35. Baruch
Printed in the 1611 Apocrypha. Missing from most present-day KJV editions.
36. The Song of the Three Holy Children
Printed in the 1611 Apocrypha. Missing from most present-day KJV editions.
37. Susanna
Printed in the 1611 Apocrypha. Missing from most present-day KJV editions.
38. Bel and the Dragon
Printed in the 1611 Apocrypha. Missing from most present-day KJV editions.
39. The Prayer of Manasses
Printed in the 1611 Apocrypha. Missing from most present-day KJV editions.
40. First Maccabees
Printed in the 1611 Apocrypha. Missing from most present-day KJV editions.
41. Second Maccabees
Printed in the 1611 Apocrypha. Missing from most present-day KJV editions.
What Modern Bibles Leave Out of the 1611 Text
The NIV and ESV are used below as representative translations based on the modern critical Greek text.
Whole Verses Missing From the Main Text
1. Matthew 17:21 — Prayer and Fasting
Authorized Version:
“Howbeit this kind goeth not out but by prayer and fasting.”
NIV and ESV main text:
Verse 21 is absent.
Meaning missing:
The disciples are not merely told that faith is necessary. The Authorized Version states that some spiritual opposition requires both prayer and fasting. Removing the verse removes fasting entirely from this instruction.
2. Matthew 18:11 — The Purpose of the Son of Man
Authorized Version:
“For the Son of man is come to save that which was lost.”
NIV and ESV main text:
Verse 11 is absent.
Meaning missing:
The parable of the lost sheep is no longer introduced by the direct statement that the Son of Man came to save the lost. The idea remains elsewhere, particularly Luke 19:10, but it is missing from this passage.
3. Matthew 23:14 — Devouring Widows’ Houses
Authorized Version:
“Woe unto you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites! for ye devour widows’ houses, and for a pretence make long prayer: therefore ye shall receive the greater damnation.”
NIV and ESV main text:
Verse 14 is absent.
Meaning missing:
The direct charge that religious authorities exploit widows while using long public prayers as a pretence is removed from Matthew. The statement also teaches that some wrongdoing receives “greater damnation,” establishing degrees of judgment. Similar wording remains in Mark 12:40 and Luke 20:47, but it is absent from Matthew’s concentrated list of woes.
4. Mark 9:44 — The Undying Worm and Unquenched Fire
Authorized Version:
“Where their worm dieth not, and the fire is not quenched.”
NIV and ESV main text:
Verse 44 is absent.
Meaning missing:
Christ’s warning concerning the undying worm and unquenched fire is repeated three times in the Authorized Version: verses 44, 46 and 48. Modern versions retain it only once, in verse 48. The doctrine is not eliminated, but Christ’s threefold repetition is reduced to one statement.
5. Mark 9:46 — The Warning Repeated Again
Authorized Version:
“Where their worm dieth not, and the fire is not quenched.”
NIV and ESV main text:
Verse 46 is absent.
Meaning missing:
The repeated structure connecting hand, foot and eye with the same final judgment is shortened. The Authorized Version gives the warning after both the hand and the foot before repeating it after the eye.
6. Mark 11:26 — Refusing to Forgive
Authorized Version:
“But if ye do not forgive, neither will your Father which is in heaven forgive your trespasses.”
NIV and ESV main text:
Verse 26 is absent.
Meaning missing:
Verse 25 states the positive command to forgive. Verse 26 states the negative consequence of refusing. Without verse 26, the passage retains the command but loses its direct warning.
7. Mark 15:28 — Fulfilment of Prophecy at the Crucifixion
Authorized Version:
“And the scripture was fulfilled, which saith, And he was numbered with the transgressors.”
NIV and ESV main text:
Verse 28 is absent.
Meaning missing:
The Authorized Version explicitly identifies Christ’s crucifixion between criminals as fulfilment of Isaiah 53:12. Modern versions still contain the event and retain the prophecy elsewhere, but Mark’s declaration of fulfilment is missing.
8. Luke 17:36 — Two Men in the Field
Authorized Version:
“Two men shall be in the field; the one shall be taken, and the other left.”
NIV and ESV main text:
Verse 36 is absent.
Meaning missing:
The Authorized Version gives three paired examples:
-
Two in one bed.
-
Two women grinding.
-
Two men in the field.
Modern versions contain the first two but omit the third.
9. Luke 23:17 — Pilate’s Feast-Day Obligation
Authorized Version:
“(For of necessity he must release one unto them at the feast.)”
NIV and ESV main text:
Verse 17 is absent.
Meaning missing:
The reason the crowd is asked to choose a prisoner is no longer stated directly within Luke’s account. The reader sees Barabbas requested but is not told in this location that Pilate was expected to release someone at the feast.
10. John 5:4 — Why the Sick Waited at the Pool
Authorized Version:
“For an angel went down at a certain season into the pool, and troubled the water: whosoever then first after the troubling of the water stepped in was made whole of whatsoever disease he had.”
NIV and ESV main text:
Verse 4 is absent.
Meaning missing:
The Authorized Version explains:
-
What stirred the water.
-
Why the sick gathered there.
-
Why the disabled man says someone always entered before him.
In the modern main text, the man still speaks about the water being stirred, but the explanation of the stirring is absent.
11. Acts 8:37 — Belief Before Baptism
Authorized Version:
“And Philip said, If thou believest with all thine heart, thou mayest. And he answered and said, I believe that Jesus Christ is the Son of God.”
NIV and ESV main text:
Verse 37 is absent.
Meaning missing:
The Authorized Version records:
-
Philip stating the condition for baptism.
-
The eunuch confessing personal belief.
-
The explicit confession that Jesus Christ is the Son of God.
Without the verse, the eunuch asks what prevents baptism and is baptized without the recorded answer and confession between those events.
12. Acts 28:29 — The Reaction of Paul’s Hearers
Authorized Version:
“And when he had said these words, the Jews departed, and had great reasoning among themselves.”
NIV and ESV main text:
Verse 29 is absent.
Meaning missing:
The Authorized Version records that Paul’s hearers left divided and continued debating his message. Modern versions move directly from Paul’s final statement to his two years of preaching in Rome.
13. Romans 16:24 — A Final Blessing
Authorized Version:
“The grace of our Lord Jesus Christ be with you all. Amen.”
NIV and ESV main text:
Verse 24 is absent.
Meaning missing:
Paul’s direct blessing invoking the grace of the Lord Jesus Christ is removed from this location. A similar blessing remains in verse 20, so the doctrine is not absent from Romans, but this repeated conclusion is missing.
Portions of Verses Missing From the Main Text
14. Matthew 5:44 — Two Commands Reduced to One
Authorized Version:
“Love your enemies, bless them that curse you, do good to them that hate you, and pray for them which despitefully use you, and persecute you.”
ESV:
“Love your enemies and pray for those who persecute you.”
Meaning changed:
The modern text preserves love and prayer but removes the separate commands to:
-
Bless those who curse.
-
Do good to those who hate.
The command is not reversed, but its stated actions are reduced.
15. Matthew 6:13 — The Ending of the Lord’s Prayer
Authorized Version:
“For thine is the kingdom, and the power, and the glory, for ever. Amen.”
NIV and ESV main text:
The prayer ends with deliverance from evil.
Meaning missing:
The Lord’s Prayer no longer ends by returning the kingdom, power and glory to the Father. The modern main text ends with the request for deliverance rather than a declaration of divine ownership and glory.
16. Luke 9:55–56 — Christ’s Explanation of His Rebuke
Authorized Version:
“Ye know not what manner of spirit ye are of. For the Son of man is not come to destroy men’s lives, but to save them.”
NIV main text:
“But Jesus turned and rebuked them. Then he and his disciples went to another village.”
Meaning missing:
The rebuke remains, but Christ’s explanation is removed:
-
The disciples were acting under the wrong spirit.
-
The Son of Man’s mission was to save lives, not destroy them.
The reader sees that Christ rejected their proposal but is not given his stated reason.
17. John 3:13 — “Which Is in Heaven”
Authorized Version:
“Even the Son of man which is in heaven.”
ESV:
“The Son of Man.”
Meaning missing:
The Authorized Version states that the Son of Man, while speaking on earth, is also “in heaven.” The modern sentence retains his descent from heaven but removes the explicit statement of his continuing heavenly presence.
18. John 6:47 — The Object of Belief
Authorized Version:
“He that believeth on me hath everlasting life.”
NIV and ESV:
“The one who believes has eternal life.”
Meaning changed:
The modern wording retains belief but removes “on me” from the sentence. The surrounding discourse identifies Jesus as the object of faith, but the direct object is no longer stated in this verse itself.
19. Acts 9:5–6 — Saul’s Resistance and Submission
Authorized Version:
“It is hard for thee to kick against the pricks.”
“Lord, what wilt thou have me to do?”
NIV and ESV main text:
Both statements are absent from the Damascus-road account in Acts 9.
Meaning missing:
The Authorized Version records both:
-
Christ’s statement that Saul had been resisting.
-
Saul’s immediate submission and request for instruction.
Modern versions retain Christ’s statement about kicking against the goads in Paul’s later account at Acts 26:14, but remove it from Acts 9. Saul is told what to do without his recorded question, “Lord, what wilt thou have me to do?”
20. Romans 8:1 — The Walk After the Spirit
Authorized Version:
“There is therefore now no condemnation to them which are in Christ Jesus, who walk not after the flesh, but after the Spirit.”
NIV and ESV:
“There is now no condemnation for those who are in Christ Jesus.”
Meaning changed:
The modern sentence gives the declaration without the attached description of those who walk after the Spirit rather than the flesh.
The same flesh-and-Spirit distinction remains in Romans 8:4. It is therefore not removed from the chapter, but it is removed from the statement in verse 1.
21. Colossians 1:14 — Redemption Through Christ’s Blood
Authorized Version:
“In whom we have redemption through his blood, even the forgiveness of sins.”
NIV and ESV:
“In whom we have redemption, the forgiveness of sins.”
Meaning missing:
Redemption and forgiveness remain, but “through his blood” is absent from this verse. Modern translations retain the same teaching elsewhere, including Ephesians 1:7. The blood is not removed from their entire New Testament, but it is removed as the stated means of redemption in Colossians 1:14.
22. First Timothy 3:16 — “God” Changed to “He”
Authorized Version:
“God was manifest in the flesh.”
ESV:
“He was manifested in the flesh.”
NIV:
“He appeared in the flesh.”
Meaning changed:
The Authorized Version directly identifies the one manifested in flesh as God. Modern versions use a pronoun instead. The passage still describes Christ’s manifestation, proclamation and reception into glory, but the explicit noun “God” is no longer present in the sentence.
23. First John 5:7–8 — The Heavenly Witnesses
Authorized Version:
“There are three that bear record in heaven, the Father, the Word, and the Holy Ghost: and these three are one.”
NIV and ESV:
“For there are three that testify: the Spirit, the water and the blood…”
Meaning missing:
The Authorized Version contains a direct statement naming:
-
The Father.
-
The Word.
-
The Holy Ghost.
-
Their unity: “these three are one.”
The modern main text contains only the Spirit, water and blood as witnesses. The explicit heavenly Trinitarian formula is absent.
24. Revelation 22:14 — Commandments or Washed Robes
Authorized Version:
“Blessed are they that do his commandments…”
NIV and ESV:
“Blessed are those who wash their robes…”
Meaning changed:
These are not modern synonyms for the same action.
The Authorized Version states that those entering the city are characterized by doing God’s commandments. The modern text states that they wash their robes. Both readings connect the blessed with access to the tree of life, but they identify the blessed by different actions.
25. Revelation 22:19 — Book of Life or Tree of Life
Authorized Version:
“God shall take away his part out of the book of life…”
NIV and ESV:
“God will take away from that person any share in the tree of life…”
Meaning changed:
The object is different:
-
Authorized Version: a person’s part in the book of life.
-
Modern versions: a person’s share in the tree of life.
Both are severe warnings, but they do not say the same thing.
Required Conclusion
These differences cannot all be described merely as updates from old English to modern English.
Some are:
-
Complete verses absent from the main text.
-
Complete statements of Christ absent.
-
Prophetic fulfilments absent.
-
Conditions and confessions absent.
-
Commands shortened.
-
Titles changed.
-
Doctrinally significant nouns replaced by pronouns.
-
Different objects or actions substituted within the same numbered verse.
This comparison is not exhaustive and does not, by itself, prove why a reading entered or left the Greek manuscript tradition. It establishes the narrower fact required here:
**A reader of many modern translations receives less wording, and at several points receives materially different wording, than a reader of the Authorized Version but the AV itself seems to be missing quite a lot too.
