John 1:18 in every translation
Leer en españolThe same verse in each translation we publish, grouped by language and by the tradition that made it. Numbering is matched for each text (for example, Psalms in the Septuagint).
Why does my Bible say something different?
- John 1:18: “the only-begotten Son” or “the only-begotten God”?
The Patriarchal Text, the KJV and most manuscripts read “the only begotten Son, which is in the bosom of the Father.” The oldest papyri and great codices read “only-begotten God.” Both readings come from the early centuries, and both confess the same Christ. Neither reading favours a lower view of the Son.
English
Catholic
DRB Douay-Rheims (Challoner), American Edition 1899
No man hath seen God at any time: the only begotten Son who is in the bosom of the Father, he hath declared him.
CPDV Catholic Public Domain Version
No one ever saw God; the only-begotten Son, who is in the bosom of the Father, he himself has described him.
Protestant
WEB World English Bible (Classic, with Deuterocanon)
No one has seen God at any time. The only born Son, who is in the bosom of the Father, has declared him.
WEBBE World English Bible British Edition (with Deuterocanon)
No one has seen God at any time. The only born Son, who is in the bosom of the Father, has declared him.
KJV King James Version (with Apocrypha)
No man hath seen God at any time; the only begotten Son, which is in the bosom of the Father, he hath declared [him.]
RV Revised Version with Apocrypha
No man hath seen God at any time; the only begotten Son, which is in the bosom of the Father, he hath declared [him].
MSB Majority Standard Bible
No one has ever seen God, but the one and only Son, who is at the Father’s side, has made Him known.
BSB Berean Standard Bible
No one has ever seen God, but the one and only Son, who is Himself God and is at the Father’s side, has made Him known.
ASV American Standard Version (1901)
No man hath seen God at any time; the only begotten Son, who is in the bosom of the Father, he hath declared [him].
LSV Literal Standard Version
No one has ever seen God; the only begotten God who is on the bosom of the Father—He has expounded [Him].
Read in context · Literal Standard Version. Copyright © 2020 Covenant Press. Text from eBible.org (https://ebible.org/englsv/), unaltered. Licensed CC BY-SA 4.0.
Darby Darby Translation
No one has seen God at any time; the only-begotten Son, who is in the bosom of the Father, he hath declared [him].
Webster Noah Webster's Bible (1833)
No man hath seen God at any time; the only begotten Son, who is in the bosom of the Father, he hath declared [him] .
GNV Geneva Bible (1599)
No man hath seene God at any time: that onely begotten Sonne, which is in the bosome of the Father, he hath declared him.
ULB Unlocked Literal Bible
No one has seen God at any time. The one and only God, who is at the side of the Father, he has made him known.
Read in context · Unlocked Literal Bible. Copyright © 2017 Door43 World Missions Community. Text from eBible.org (https://ebible.org/engULB/), unaltered. Licensed CC BY-SA 4.0.
Tyndale Tyndale New Testament (1534)
No man hath sene God at eny tyme. The only begotte sonne which is in the bosome of the father he hath declared him.
Individual translator
YLT Young's Literal Translation
God no one hath ever seen; the only begotten Son, who is on the bosom of the Father — he did declare.
FBV Free Bible Version
While no one has ever seen God, God the one and only, who is close beside the Father, has shown us what God is like.
Read in context · Free Bible Version. Copyright © 2018 Dr. Jonathan Gallagher. Text from eBible.org (https://ebible.org/engfbv/), unaltered. Licensed CC BY-SA 4.0.
Scholarly edition
BBE Bible in Basic English
No man has seen God at any time; the only Son, who is on the breast of the Father, he has made clear what God is.
Spanish
Catholic
Scío Scío de San Miguel New Testament (1797)
A Dios nadie le vió jamas. El Hijo Unigénito, que está en el seno del Padre, él mismo lo ha declarado.
Protestant
RV1909 Reina-Valera 1909
A Dios nadie le vió jamás: el unigénito Hijo, que está en el seno del Padre, él [le] declaró.
ONBV Biblica Open New Living Bible (Nueva Biblia Viva 2008)
A Dios nadie lo ha visto nunca; pero el Hijo único, que es Dios mismo y siempre está en unión con el Padre, nos ha enseñado cómo es, para que así lo podamos conocer.
Read in context · Biblica® Open Nueva Biblia Viva™ Copyright © 2006, 2008 by Biblica, Inc. “Biblica” es una marca registrada en la oficina de Patentes y Marcas de los Estados Unidos por Biblica, Inc. Usado con permiso. “Biblica” is a trademark registered in the United States Patent and Trademark Office by Biblica, Inc. Used with permission. Texto de eBible.org (https://ebible.org/spaonbv/), sin cambios. Licencia CC BY-SA 4.0.
PDT God's Word for You (Latin American Textual Bible)
Nadie vio jamás a Dios. El Unigénito Dios, Quien está en el seno del Padre, Él se dio a conocer.
Read in context · Palabra de Dios para ti © 2020 Asociación Bíblica Latinoamericana. Texto de eBible.org (https://ebible.org/spapddpt/), sin cambios. Licencia CC BY-SA 4.0.
Individual translator
VBL Free Bible Version (Spanish)
Aunque ninguno ha visto a Dios, Jesucristo, el Único e Incomparable, quien está cerca del Padre, nos ha mostrado cómo es Dios.
Read in context · Versión Biblia Libre. Copyright © 2018-2020 Jonathan Gallagher y Shelly Barrios de Avila. Texto de eBible.org (https://ebible.org/spavbl/), sin cambios. Licencia CC BY-SA 4.0.
BES Bible in Simple Spanish (2026)
Nadie ha visto jamás a Dios. El Hijo único, que está en íntima comunión con el Padre, nos lo ha dado a conocer.
Read in context · La Biblia en Español Sencillo, traducida y editada por Irma Flores (AudioBiblia.org).
Greek
Orthodox
PT1904 Patriarchal Text 1904 (accented, eBible edition)
Θεὸν οὐδεὶς ἑώρακε πώποτε· ὁ μονογενὴς υἱὸς ὁ ὢν εἰς τὸν κόλπον τοῦ πατρός, ἐκεῖνος ἐξηγήσατο.
PT Patriarchal Text (Antoniades 1904/1912)
θεον ουδεις εωρακεν πωποτε· ο μονογενης υιος ο ων εις τον κολπον του πατρος, εκεινος εξηγησατο.
Read in context · Patriarchal Text, Antoniades 1904/1912 edition, verified by Maurice A. Robinson and Jussi Ala-Konni (https://github.com/byztxt/greektext-antoniades). Public domain.
Individual translator
TR Textus Receptus (Boyd collation)
Θεὸν οὐδεὶς ἑώρακε πώποτε· ὁ μονογενὴς υἱός, ὁ ὢν εἰς τὸν κόλπον τοῦ πατρός, ἐκεῖνος ἐξηγήσατο.
Scholarly edition
RP2018 Byzantine Textform (Robinson-Pierpont 2018)
θεον ουδεισ εωρακεν πωποτε ο μονογενησ υιοσ ο ων εισ τον κολπον του πατροσ εκεινοσ εξηγησατο
Nestle 1904 Nestle Greek New Testament (1904)
Θεὸν οὐδεὶς ἑώρακεν πώποτε· μονογενὴς Θεὸς ὁ ὢν εἰς τὸν κόλπον τοῦ Πατρὸς, ἐκεῖνος ἐξηγήσατο.
SBLGNT SBL Greek New Testament
θεὸν οὐδεὶς ἑώρακεν πώποτε· ⸂μονογενὴς θεὸς ὁ ὢν εἰς τὸν κόλπον τοῦ πατρὸς ἐκεῖνος ἐξηγήσατο.
Read in context · The Greek New Testament: SBL Edition. Copyright 2010 by the Society of Biblical Literature and Logos Bible Software. Text from eBible.org (https://ebible.org/grcsbl/), unaltered. Licensed CC BY 4.0.
Latin
Catholic
VUL Clementine Vulgate
Deum nemo vidit umquam: unigenitus Filius, qui est in sinu Patris, ipse enarravit.]
Church Slavonic
Orthodox
Slavonic Church Slavonic Bible (Elizabeth Bible)
Бг҃а никто́же ви́дѣ нигдѣ́же: є҆диноро́дный сн҃ъ, сы́й въ ло́нѣ ѻ҆́ч҃и, то́й и҆сповѣ́да.
Read in context · Church Slavonic text: Ponomar Project (github.com/typiconman/ponomar), © 2006–2018 Aleksandr Andreev and others, licensed under the GNU General Public License v3 or later. Changes for this site (2026-10-18): lectionary pericope markers, marginal glosses and the closing note of Genesis removed, Psalm verses renumbered to the Russian Synodal numbering, joined verses noted; the words are unchanged.
Russian
Orthodox
Synodal Russian Synodal Bible (1876)
Бога не видел никто никогда; Единородный Сын, сущий в недре Отчем, Он явил.
Greek (modern)
Individual translator
Vamvas Modern Greek Bible: Vamvas (1850)
Ουδείς είδε ποτέ τον Θεόν· ο μονογενής Υιός, ο ων εις τον κόλπον του Πατρός, εκείνος εφανέρωσεν αυτόν.
Serbian
Individual translator
DK Serbian Bible: Daničić–Karadžić (Cyrillic)
Бога нико није видео никад: Јединородни Син који је у наручју Очевом, Он Га јави.
DK latinica Serbian Bible: Daničić–Karadžić (Latin script)
Boga niko nije video nikad: Jedinorodni Sin koji je u naručju Očevom, On Ga javi.
Arabic
Protestant
SVD Arabic Bible: Smith–Van Dyck (1865)
ٱللهُ لَمْ يَرَهُ أَحَدٌ قَطُّ. اَلِٱبْنُ ٱلْوَحِيدُ ٱلَّذِي هُوَ فِي حِضْنِ ٱلْآبِ هُوَ خَبَّرَ.
Not in these translations (5)
Brenton, LXXUP, JPS, LXX, WLC