Read this verse in 6 Bible translations — from word-for-word to thought-for-thought.
New International Version · 1978 (rev. 2011)
By the sweat of your brow you will eat your food until you return to the ground, since from it you were taken; for dust you are and to dust you will return.”
33 words · Balance of accuracy and readability
King James Version · 1611
In the sweat of thy face shalt thou eat bread, till thou return unto the ground; for out of it wast thou taken: for dust thou art, and unto dust shalt thou return.
33 words · Formal / word-for-word
English Standard Version · 2001 (rev. 2016)
By the sweat of your face you shall eat bread, till you return to the ground, for out of it you were taken; for you are dust, and to dust you shall return.”
33 words · Essentially literal
New Living Translation · 1996 (rev. 2015)
By the sweat of your browwill you have food to eatuntil you return to the groundfrom which you were made.For you were made from dust,and to dust you will return.”
30 words · Thought-for-thought clarity
The Message · 2002
sweating in the fields from dawn to dusk, Until you return to that ground yourself, dead and buried; you started out as dirt, you'll end up dirt."
27 words · Contemporary paraphrase
New American Standard Bible · 1971 (rev. 2020)
By the sweat of your face You will eat bread, Till you return to the ground, Because from it you were taken; For you are dust, And to dust you shall return.'
32 words · Most literal English translation
Bible Verse Randomizer offers Genesis 3:19 in 6 translations: New International Version, King James Version, English Standard Version, New Living Translation, The Message, New American Standard Bible. Each uses a different translation philosophy — from word-for-word (KJV, ESV, NASB) to thought-for-thought (NIV, NLT) to paraphrase (MSG).
No single translation is "best" — it depends on your purpose. For deep study, use the ESV or NASB (word-for-word). For devotional reading, the NIV balances accuracy and readability. The NLT and MSG are excellent for understanding the general meaning in modern English. Comparing multiple translations helps grasp the full richness of the text.
Literal (formal equivalence) translations like KJV, ESV, and NASB translate word-for-word from the original Hebrew/Greek. Dynamic equivalence translations like NIV and NLT translate thought-for-thought for clarity. The MSG is a paraphrase that captures the spirit in contemporary language. Each approach has strengths — that's why comparing translations is valuable.