Building the Bible · the tracer
The Tracer
One variant verse at a time: which reading does each translation put in its text, and does it tell the reader?
How to read it
Every verse here has two readings, because the old copies do not all agree. Under each verse the first line names the earlier reading and the copies that have it. The second line names the later reading: the wording of the later copies, which became the standard text.
Each cell says which of the two that Bible puts in its own text. Under that it says whether the Bible flags the other reading, which means a footnote or margin note tells the reader that the other reading exists. Dark cells are flagged. Light cells are not flagged: the Bible has no note on the variant, or its notes on the verse explain something else. The cream cell is where the Bible prints neither of the two readings. The NET column has a gold outline because it is the project text.
What counts as a note, and which editions
A note is anything printed with the Bible’s own text at that verse: a footnote, a bracketed line or heading, a translators’ note or a margin note. A list of cross-references alone is not a note. A cell is flagged when a note says that other copies or ancient versions read differently at that spot. When a Bible has notes on the verse that are about something else (what a word means, another way to render it, a different verse number), the cell says so and is not flagged.
The editions read are the KJV (the 1769 text; the 1611 margin is not in it, and has one note here, at 1 Samuel 10:27, about the Hebrew words for “held his peace”), NKJV 1982, NASB 2020 (the 1995 text differs at Deuteronomy 32:8, 1 Samuel 10:27 and Acts 8:37), ESV 2016, NIV 2011, CSB 2017, NLT 2015, NRSV 1989 (the 2021 revision differs at Isaiah 53:11), NABRE 2011 (it numbers the Psalms by the Hebrew verses, so Psalm 22:16 is its 22:17) and the NET, second edition. Every cell was read again on 27 October 2026. The data file gives, for each of the 80 cells, the edition read, the verse number that edition uses, what its text prints and the first words of each note.
Swipe the table sideways to see all ten Bibles. The verse column stays put.
| Verse | KJV | NKJV | NASB | ESV | NIV | CSB | NLT | NRSV | NABRE | NETproject text |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Deuteronomy 32:8Scrolls + Septuagint: divine beings | Masoretic: “sons of Israel” | later readingno note | later readingflagged: tells the reader | later readingflagged: tells the reader | earlier readingflagged: tells the reader | later readingflagged: tells the reader | later readingflagged: tells the reader | earlier readingflagged: tells the reader | earlier readingflagged: tells the reader | earlier readingnotes explain something else, not the variant | earlier readingflagged: tells the reader |
| Isaiah 53:11Scrolls + Septuagint: “see light” | Masoretic: no object for “see” | later readingno note | later readingflagged: tells the reader | later readingflagged: tells the reader | later readingflagged: tells the reader | earlier readingflagged: tells the reader | earlier readingflagged: tells the reader | later readingno note | earlier readingflagged: tells the reader | earlier readingnotes explain something else, not the variant | later readingnotes explain something else, not the variant |
| Psalm 22:16Septuagint, Vulgate: “pierced” | Masoretic: “like a lion” | earlier readingno note | earlier readingflagged: tells the reader | earlier readingflagged: tells the reader | earlier readingflagged: tells the reader | earlier readingflagged: tells the reader | earlier readingflagged: tells the reader | earlier readingflagged: tells the reader | neither readingnotes explain something else, not the variant | earlier readingnotes explain something else, not the variant | later readingflagged: tells the reader |
| 1 Samuel 10:27–11:1Qumran + Septuagint phrase: Nahash paragraph | Masoretic: shorter text | later readingno note | later readingnotes explain something else, not the variant | later readingflagged: tells the reader | later readingno note | later readingflagged: tells the reader | later readingflagged: tells the reader | earlier readingflagged: tells the reader | earlier readingflagged: tells the reader | later readingflagged: tells the reader | later readingflagged: tells the reader |
| Mark 16:9–20Sinaiticus, Vaticanus end at v. 8 | Received Text: long ending (all ten keep it) | later readingno note | later readingflagged: tells the reader | later readingflagged: tells the reader | later readingflagged: tells the reader | later readingflagged: tells the reader | later readingflagged: tells the reader | later readingflagged: tells the reader | later readingflagged: tells the reader | later readingflagged: tells the reader | later readingflagged: tells the reader |
| John 7:53–8:11Earliest Greek copies lack it | Received Text: in the text (all ten keep it) | later readingno note | later readingflagged: tells the reader | later readingflagged: tells the reader | later readingflagged: tells the reader | later readingflagged: tells the reader | later readingflagged: tells the reader | later readingflagged: tells the reader | later readingflagged: tells the reader | later readingflagged: tells the reader | later readingflagged: tells the reader |
| 1 John 5:7–8Greek copies before the 14th c.: shorter | Received Text: Trinitarian “comma” | later readingno note | later readingflagged: tells the reader | earlier readingflagged: tells the reader | earlier readingno note | earlier readingflagged: tells the reader | earlier readingflagged: tells the reader | earlier readingflagged: tells the reader | earlier readingflagged: tells the reader | earlier readingnotes explain something else, not the variant | earlier readingflagged: tells the reader |
| Acts 8:37Earliest Greek copies lack the verse | Received Text: Philip’s question and the confession | later readingno note | later readingflagged: tells the reader | earlier readingflagged: tells the reader | earlier readingflagged: tells the reader | earlier readingflagged: tells the reader | earlier readingflagged: tells the reader | earlier readingflagged: tells the reader | earlier readingflagged: tells the reader | earlier readingflagged: tells the reader | earlier readingflagged: tells the reader |
Each cell gives the reading the Bible puts in its text (earlier or later) and what its notes do. The cream cell is one where the Bible puts neither reading in its text. The text of each cell says the same as its colour, so the table reads without colour.