John 17:20

(KJV) Neither pray I for these alone, but for them also which shall believe on me through their word;
(1611 KJV) Neither pray I for these alone; but for them also which shall beleeue on me through their word:
(1587 Geneva Bible) I praie not for these alone, but for them also which shall beleeue in mee, through their woorde,
(1526 Tyndale) I praye not for them alone: but for them also which shall beleve on me thorowe their preaching

Counterfeit Versions
(1881 RV) Neither for these only do I pray, but for them also that believe on me through their word;
(1901 ASV) Neither for these only do I pray, but for them also that believe on me through their word;
(CEB) “I’m not praying only for them but also for those who believe in me because of their word.

(CSB) “I pray not only for these, but also for those who believe in me through their word.

(GNB) “I pray not only for them, but also for those who believe in me because of their message.
(HCSB) I pray not only for these, but also for those who believe in Me through their message.
(NASV) “I do not ask on behalf of these alone, but for those also who believe in Me through their word;
(NET) “I am not praying only on their behalf, but also on behalf of those who believe in me through their testimony,
(RSV) “I do not pray for these only, but also for those who believe in me through their word,
(NWT-Jehovah’s Witnesses) “I make request, not concerning these only, but also concerning those putting faith in me through their word,

Textus Receptus - Traditional Text
ου περι τουτων δε ερωτω μονον αλλα και περι των πιστευσοντων δια του λογου αυτων εις εμε

Hort-Westcott - Critical Text
ου περι τουτων δε ερωτω μονον αλλα και περι των πιστευοντων δια του λογου αυτων εις εμε

Corrupted Manuscripts
This verse is corrupted in the following manuscripts:
Byzantine Text (450-1450 A.D.)
Aleph 01 - Sinaiticus - Nineteenth Century Counterfeit
A 02 - Alexandrinus - Fifth century
B 03 - Vaticanus - Fourth century
C 04 - Ephraemi Rescriptus - Fifth century
D 05 - Bezae Cantabrigiensis - Fifth century (original)
K 017 - Ninth century
L 019 - Seventh century
Gamma 036 - Ninth or Tenth century
Delta 037 - Ninth century
Theta 038 - Ninth century

Manuscripts which agree with the Textus Receptus for this verse
D 05 - Bezae Cantabrigiensis - Fifth century (corrected)
Stephanus (1550 AD)
Elzevir 1624

Published Critical Greek Texts with Corruptions
Reads “believe” instead of “shall believe”
Greisbach, Johann - 1805
Lachmann, Karl - 1842
Tischendorf, Constantine - 1869
Tregelles, Samuel - 1857
Alford, Henry - 1849 revised in 1871
Wordsworth, Christopher - 1856 revised in 1870
Westcott and Hort - 1881
Weiss, Bernhard - 1894
Nestle - 1927 as revised in seventeenth edition in 1941
Nestle-Aland - 1979 - Twenty Sixth Edition
Nestle-Aland - 1993 - Twenty Seventh Edition
United Bible Societies - 1983 - Fourth Edition
Von Soden, Freiherr - 1902
Hodges and Farstad - Majority Text 1982 as corrected in 1985

Affected Teaching
The word “shall” is in the future tense while without that Greek word being spelled accurately in the modern versions, it is limited to the present tense, in other words, only to the time of the Apostles. Jesus widens that prayer request to go beyond the scope of the disciples. He now prays for all those who will become saved through the hearing of the Word of God by all the Elect down until the last day. Jesus is praying that Christians in our day will continue to sanctify themselves for the task of sending forth the Gospel. Those who become saved through our ministries, will go forth with the Gospel and others will become saved, and then they will go out and proclaim the Gospel, and this will continue in this fashion until the last day. In our day, the apostasy is definitely entrenched in Christianity and there only seems to be a remnant of Christians sanctified unto the Great Commission that have not compromised with the world.

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