Another factor that might raise questions about the completeness of one’s Bible is that certain words, phrases and even entire verses found in some older translations do not appear in many modern translations. For example, note the following quotations from the Authorized or King James Version: “For the Son of man is come to save that which was lost.” (Matt. 18:11)

Biblical scholarship has brought to light that these words were manifestly never a part of the original manuscripts. These statements are missing from ancient manuscripts dating back as far as the fourth century. Contrary to what might be expected, copyists were more prone to add than to leave things out. This is evident from the fact that the oldest and most reliable Bible manuscripts are the most condensed. So if you cannot locate certain words or texts in a modern translation, you need not be alarmed. Such modern translation of the Bible may be closer to the original than an older version, the translators of which did not even have available to them such valuable fourth-century manuscripts as Codex Vaticanus and Codex Sinaiticus.