The Missing “Book” of the Bible

Based on a search at BibleGateway.com, all the following New Testament verses (except Mark 16 and John 8) are missing in English Standard Version and New International Version Bibles.[i] The Mark 16 and John 8 passages are included in brackets with the warning that they are not included in “the earliest manuscripts.” Supporters of the modern Critical Texts believe Mark 16:9-20 and John 7:53-8:11 do not belong in the Bible. However, the purveyors of this line of thought usually do not have the audacity to omit the words altogether from their line of text.[ii] These omitted verses together contain nine hundred and fifty-four (954) words, according to Microsoft Word “Word Count”[iii] – fifty-eight more words than the entire three-chapter epistle of Paul to Titus.[iv]

Thirty-two passages in the King James translation and 1881/1894 Textus Receptus Greek text that are rejected by the Critical Text, the ESV, or the NIV

• Matthew 6.13b: For thine is the kingdom, and the power, and the glory, for ever. Amen.[v]
  
• Matthew 17:21: Howbeit this kind goeth not out but by prayer and fasting. 
• Matthew 18:11: For the Son of man is come to save that which was lost. 
• Matthew 23:14: 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. 
• Matthew 20:16b: for many be called, but few chosen. 
• Mark 6:11b: Verily I say unto you, It shall be more tolerable for Sodom and Gomorrha in the day of judgment, than for that city. 
• Mark 7:16: If any man have ears to hear, let him hear. 
• Mark 9:44: where their worm dieth not, and the fire is not quenched. 
• Mark 9:46: where their worm dieth not, and the fire is not quenched. 
• Mark 10:24b: for them that trust in riches 
• Mark 11:26: But if ye do not forgive, neither will your Father which is in heaven forgive your trespasses. 
• Mark 15:28: And the scripture was fulfilled, which saith, And he was numbered with the transgressors. 
• Mark 16:9-20: Now when Jesus was risen early the first day of the week, he appeared first to Mary Magdalene, out of whom he had cast seven devils. And she went and told them that had been with him, as they mourned and wept. And they, when they had heard that he was alive, and had been seen of her, believed not. After that he appeared in another form unto two of them, as they walked, and went into the country. And they went and told it unto the residue: neither believed they them.  Afterward he appeared unto the eleven as they sat at meat, and upbraided them with their unbelief and hardness of heart, because they believed not them which had seen him after he was risen. And he said unto them, Go ye into all the world, and preach the gospel to every creature. He that believeth and is baptized shall be saved; but he that believeth not shall be damned. And these signs shall follow them that believe; In my name shall they cast out devils; they shall speak with new tongues; they shall take up serpents; and if they drink any deadly thing, it shall not hurt them; they shall lay hands on the sick, and they shall recover. So then after the Lord had spoken unto them, he was received up into heaven, and sat on the right hand of God. And they went forth, and preached every where, the Lord working with them, and confirming the word with signs following. Amen. 
• Luke 4:8b: Get thee behind me, Satan 
• Luke 9:55b–56a: and said, 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. 
• Luke 17:36: Two men shall be in the field; the one shall be taken, and the other left. 
• Luke 23:17: For of necessity he must release one unto them at the feast. 
• John 5:3b–4 waiting for the moving of the water. 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. 
• John 7:53–8:11: And every man went unto his own house. Jesus went unto the mount of Olives. And early in the morning he came again into the temple, and all the people came unto him; and he sat down, and taught them. And the scribes and Pharisees brought unto him a woman taken in adultery; and when they had set her in the midst, they say unto him, Master, this woman was taken in adultery, in the very act. Now Moses in the law commanded us, that such should be stoned: but what sayest thou? This they said, tempting him, that they might have to accuse him. But Jesus stooped down, and with his finger wrote on the ground, as though he heard them not. So when they continued asking him, he lifted up himself, and said unto them, He that is without sin among you, let him first cast a stone at her. And again he stooped down, and wrote on the ground. And they which heard it, being convicted by their own conscience, went out one by one, beginning at the eldest, even unto the last: and Jesus was left alone, and the woman standing in the midst. When Jesus had lifted up himself, and saw none but the woman, he said unto her, Woman, where are those thine accusers? hath no man condemned thee? She said, No man, Lord. And Jesus said unto her, Neither do I condemn thee: go, and sin no more. 
• Acts 2:30b: according to the flesh 
• Acts 8:37: 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. 
• Acts 9:5b–6a: it is hard for thee to kick against the pricks. And he trembling and astonished said, Lord, what wilt thou have me to do? And the Lord said unto him 
• Acts 15:24: saying, Ye must be circumcised and keep the law 
• Acts 15:34: Notwithstanding it pleased Silas to abide there still.
• Acts 18:21: I must by all means keep this feast that cometh in Jerusalem 
• Acts 23:9: let us not fight against God. 
• Acts 24:6b–8a: and would have judged according to our law. But the chief captain, Lysias, came upon us, and with great violence took him away out of our hands, Commanding his accusers to come unto thee 
• Acts 28:29: And when he had said these words, the Jews departed, and had great reasoning among themselves. 
• Romans 16:24: The grace of our Lord Jesus Christ be with you all. Amen. 
• Colossians 1:14b: through his blood 
• 1 Peter 1:22b: through the Spirit 
• 1 John 5:7b–8a: in heaven, the Father, the Word, and the Holy Ghost: and these three are one. And there are three that bear witness in earth,

In this post, I will not attempt to discuss the reasons these verses should or should not be included in the Bible. (Suffice to say I think they should be in it.) However, I want to make one point. Some people enjoy debating about the original language texts and competing translations. Despite bearing down against certain Bible versions, at a certain point in the “debate” they often feel a need to say something like this:

“I really don’t care which version of the Bible you use. It doesn’t matter. All Bibles say and mean basically the same thing.”

This seems quite flippant for someone to say this after they have been strenuously arguing (usually against our embracing the King James translation, the TR Greek text, and/or the Bomberg Hebrew text). O, the magnanimity! It sounds so laissez faire, perhaps intended to elicit an agreement from us that it really doesn’t matter.[vi] But does it? Fact is, comparing the KJV to the ESV and NIV in the above cases, they have diminished some 1000 of God’s words or we have added some 1000 to God’s words. To me, that sounds like it matters.

“For I testify unto every man that heareth the words of the prophecy of this book, If any man shall add unto these things, God shall add unto him the plagues that are written in this book: and if any man shall take away from the words of the book of this prophecy, God shall take away his part out of the book of life, and out of the holy city, and from the things which are written in this book.” Revelation 22:17-19
 
Ye shall not add unto the word which I command you, neither shall ye diminish ought from it, that ye may keep the commandments of the Lord your God which I command you. Deuteronomy 4:2

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[i] This conclusion does not apply only to the ESV and NIV. I compared these two because of their relative popularity in “evangelical” Christian circles.
[ii] Excluding several paragraphs is much more attention getting that leaving out a verse here and there.
[iii] This list does not include all omissions. Generally, I include the longer or more notable ones. In my study of the book of Acts alone, it appears that such textual differences will near 200 (I have not yet completed the study of the differences).
[iv] These omitted words in total make their content more than either the book of Obadiah, Titus, Philemon, 2 John, 3 John, or Jude. Additionally Mark 16:9-20 (12 verses, 255 words) and John 7:53-8:11 (12 verses, 245 words) are roughly equivalent in size to 2 John (13 verses, 298 words) and 3 John (14 verses, 294 words).
[v] I have used “a” and “b” after the verse numbers to indicate where only part of a verse may be missing. The intent is to suggest to “first half” or “last half” of the verse – though this is not an exact correspondence. Some verses could rightfully be divided into more than two parts.
[vi] After which they will take their fight about the KJV, etc. to someone else. Internet apologist James White (The King James Only Controversy, p. 67) makes the no big deal point this way, “The reality is that the amount of variation between the two most extremely different New Testament manuscripts would not fundamentally alter the message of the Scriptures.” Interesting admission. For all the strife they stir up, by their own standard, they say they are fundamentally accomplishing nothing.