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1 The King James Version A Study of Translations
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The King James Version
A Study of Translations
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“If the King James Version was good
enough for the apostle Paul, it is good enough for
me.”
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“My King James Version corrects
your Greek text.”
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There is no perfect English Translation
available
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KJV - Strengths
•Beauty and Poetry–Elizabethan / Shakespearean style of language
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KJV - Strengths
•Accuracy–KJV – Dynamic Equivalence
•Attempts to convey the thought expressed in a source text
•Does not give the most literal translation, but allows translators to work with speech patterns of the current time
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KJV - Weaknesses
•Paraphrase–The use of paraphrase is a simple fact of translation
–However the abuse of paraphrase must be avoided
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KJV - Weaknesses
•Paraphrase–“Let the king live”
•“God save the king”•1 Samuel 10:24
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1 Samuel 10:24
“And Samuel said to all the people, See ye him whom the Lord hath chosen, that there is
none like him among all the people? And all the people
shouted, and said, God save the king.”
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2 Samuel 16:16
“And it came to pass, when Hushai the Archite, David's
friend, was come unto Absalom, that Hushai said unto
Absalom, God save the king, God save the king.”
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KJV - Weaknesses
•Paraphrase–“Then Abraham gave up the ghost …”•Genesis 25:8•A liberal paraphrase of a verb which simply means “to breathe out; die, expire”
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KJV - Inaccuracies
•Psalm 8:5“thou hast made him a little lower
than the angels …”–“elohim” which means “God, gods”–Correctly translated in Psalm 138:1
“I will praise thee with my whole heart; before the gods will I sing
praise unto thee.”
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KJV - Inaccuracies
•Genesis 12:19“Why saidst thou, She is my
sister? so I might have taken her to me to wife: now
therefore behold thy wife, take her, and go thy way.”
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KJV - Inaccuracies
•Genesis 12:19“Why saidst thou, She is my
sister? so I might have taken her to me to wife: …”–Hebrew text actually reads “I took her”
–Change the tense – change the meaning
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KJV - Inaccuracies
•2 Corinthians 2:17“For we are not as many, which corrupt the word of God: but as of sincerity, but as of God, in
the sight of God speak we in Christ.”
–“kapeleuo” – “huckster, peddler; to make a trade of: - peddling
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KJV - Inaccuracies
•James 3:2“For in many things we offend
all. If any man offend not in word, the same is a perfect
man, and able also to bridle the whole body.”
–“For we all stumble in many ways”
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KJV - Inaccuracies
•“agape” is used over 300 times in the New Testament–KJV renders it “love” in most cases
–However, renders it “charity” in 26 different locations
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Archaeology & the KJV
•Almost 400 years since 1611–Many important discoveries made
–More information available now than they had available to them
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Archaeology & the KJV
•Joshua 11:13“But as for the cities that stood
still in their strength, Israel burned none of them…”
–Hebrew speaks of cities “standing on their mounds”•ASV, NASB-U & NKJV translate it correctly
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Archaeology & the KJV
•1 Kings 10:28“And Solomon had horses brought out
of Egypt, and linen yarn: the king's merchants received the linen yarn at a
price.”
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Archaeology & the KJV
•1 Kings 10:28•Hebrew - “Kue” is translated “linen yarn”
•“Kue” was actually a location in Cilicia where Solomon purchased his horses
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Archaeology & the KJV
•1 Kings 10:28“Also Solomon's import of
horses was from Egypt and Kue, and the king's merchants procured them from Kue for a
price.” [NASB-U]
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Archaeology & the KJV
•1 Kings 16:33“And Ahab made a grove; and Ahab did more to provoke the
Lord God of Israel to anger than all the kings of Israel that
were before him.”
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Archaeology & the KJV
•1 Kings 16:33“And Ahab made a grove;…”–What’s wrong with that?–Original word “Asherah”, a Phoenician goddess common in Canaan
–Truthfully, he made an idol
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Archaeology & the KJV
•In 17th century England, it was normal to light a “candle” and place it on a “candlestick”–In 1st century Palestine, oil lamps were used and placed on lampstands
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Archaeology & the KJV
•Matthew 5:15“Neither do men light a candle,
and put it under a bushel, but on a candlestick; and it giveth
light unto all that are in the house.”
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Archaeology & the KJV
•Matthew 5:15“nor does anyone light a lamp and put it under a basket, but on the lampstand, and it gives
light to all who are in the house.”[NASB-U]
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Lack of Uniformity in KJV
•Unnecessary confusion is created in a translation when a name or place is spelled in more than one way
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Lack of Uniformity in KJV
•Note just a few examples:–Sheth – Seth–Agar – Hagar–Jeremiah – Jeremias – Jeremie–Jonah – Jona – Jonas–Isaiah – Esaias – Esay–Hosea – Osee
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Lack of Uniformity in KJV
•Most versions simplify the matter by adopting one form of a name or place and using it consistently throughout.
•Admittedly, some Greek and Hebrew words can have different shades of meaning and should be reflected in the translation.
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Lack of Uniformity in KJV
•Variety for the sake of variety can lead to confusion–“dabhar” – rendered by 84 different English words in the KJV
–“katargeo” appears 27 times in the NT and in the KJV is rendered by 17 different English words.
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Lack of Uniformity in KJV
•“logizomai” is translated by three different words in one chapter–Romans 4:3, 9, 22-23
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Romans 4:3
“For what saith the scripture? Abraham believed God, and it
was counted unto him for righteousness.”
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Romans 4:9
“Cometh this blessedness then upon the circumcision only, or upon the uncircumcision also?
for we say that faith was reckoned to Abraham for
righteousness.”
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Romans 4:22-23
“And therefore it was imputed to him for righteousness. 23
Now it was not written for his sake alone, that it was
imputed to him;”
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Lack of Uniformity in KJV
•“logizomai” is translated by three different words in one chapter–Romans 4:3, 9, 22-23–ASV – “reckoned” in all four instances
–NASB-U – “credited” in all four–NKJV – “accounted” for three, but keeps “imputed” for the last
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“Understandest thou what
thou readest?”•“How shall men meditate on that which they do not understand”–Goal was to give the word of God to the people in a form that could be readily understood by the common man
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“Understandest thou what
thou readest?”•Genesis 25:29“And Jacob sod pottage”
–He cooked pottage or made a stew
•Psalm 5:6“Thou shalt destroy them that
speak leasing”–falsehood
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“Understandest thou what
thou readest?”•Luke 17:9
“Doth he thank that servant because he did the things that were commanded him? I trow
not.”–I think not
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“Understandest thou what
thou readest?”•2 Corinthians 6:12“Ye are not straitened in us, but ye are straitened in your
own bowels.”–“straitened” – “restrained”–“bowels” – “affections”
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“Understandest thou what
thou readest?”•“ouches of gold” – Exodus 28:11–Filligree settings
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“Understandest thou what
thou readest?”•“ouches of gold” – Exodus 28:11
•“wimples, crisping pins and glasses” – Isaiah 3:22-23–Cloaks, money-purses, and hand mirrors
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“Understandest thou what
thou readest?”•“ouches of gold” – Exodus 28:11
•“wimples, crisping pins and glasses” – Isaiah 3:22-23
•“tabering upon their breasts” – Nahum 2:7–beating
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“Understandest thou what
thou readest?”•Some words from 17th century are still in use, but their meaning has changed dramatically–These words in the KJV can become “hidden rocks on which the ship of understanding runs aground” (Dr. Jack P. Lewis
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“Understandest thou what
thou readest?”•“Study” – 2 Timothy 2:15
–meant “to be diligent”
•“mean men” – Proverbs 22:29–meant “common men”
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“Understandest thou what
thou readest?”•“meat” referred to food in general
•“flesh” used for “meat”•“flesh” also used for “human nature”
•Leviticus 14:10 – the “meat offering” was actually an offering of “grain”, not flesh!
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“Understandest thou what
thou readest?”•“Made a road” – 1 Samuel 27:10–to go on a “raid”
•A “target of brass” – 1 Samuel 17:6–actually a “javelin”
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“Understandest thou what
thou readest?”•“Prevent”
–“to come before; go before”–Psalm 88:13
“But unto thee have I cried, O Lord; and in the morning shall
my prayer prevent thee.”
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“Understandest thou what
thou readest?”•“Prevent”–“to come before; go before”–Matthew 17:25“He saith, Yes. And when he
was come into the house, Jesus prevented him, saying,
What thinkest thou, Simon?...”
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“Understandest thou what
thou readest?”•“Prevent”
–“to come before; go before”–1 Thessalonians 4:15
“…that we which are alive and remain unto the coming of the
Lord shall not prevent them which are asleep.”
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“Understandest thou what
thou readest?”•“let” actually meant “prevent” in many places in the KJV–Romans 1:13
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Romans 1:13
“Now I would not have you ignorant, brethren, that
oftentimes I purposed to come unto you, (but was let
hitherto,) that I might have some fruit among you also,
even as among other Gentiles.”
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Romans 1:13
“And I would not have you ignorant, brethren, that
oftentimes I purposed to come unto you (and was hindered hitherto), that I might have
some fruit in you also, even as in the rest of the Gentiles.”
[ASV]
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Doctrinal Problems in the KJV
•Many claim the KJV is “totally free” from any doctrinal problems–Unfortunately this is not true of any translation
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Doctrinal Problems in the KJV
•Unwillingness to properly translate “baptizo”–Means – “to immerse; to make whelmed; i.e. fully wet; to dip; sink”
–Instead they transliterated it, and left it at baptism so the various false teachings of sprinkling and pouring could remain
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Calvinistic Verses
•Acts 2:47“Praising God, and having
favour with all the people. And the Lord added to the church
daily such as should be saved.”
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Calvinistic Verses
•Acts 2:47“… such as should be saved.”–The actual Greek verb form here is “the ones who are being saved”
–KJV leaves open to reflect the doctrines of election and predetermination
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Calvinistic Verses
•Galatians 5:17“For the flesh lusteth against
the Spirit, and the Spirit against the flesh: and these are contrary the one to the other: so that ye cannot do the things that ye would.”
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Calvinistic Verses
•Galatians 5:17 “…so that ye cannot do the things that ye would.”–It is a conditional statement, not an absolute
–A correct translation would be, “so that ye might not do …”
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Calvinistic Verses
•Hebrews 6:6“If they shall fall away, to
renew them again unto repentance; seeing they
crucify to themselves the Son of God afresh, and put him to
an open shame.”
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Calvinistic Verses
•Hebrews 6:6 “If they shall fall away...”–The word “if” is not in the original Greek text
–Text actually reads, “and having fallen away”, stating an absolute fact.
–KJV translators changed it into a conditional statement
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Calvinistic Verses
•Hebrews 10:38“Now the just shall live by faith:
but if any man draw back, my soul shall have no pleasure in
him.”
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Calvinistic Verses
•Hebrews 10:38 “…but if any man draw back…”
–The words “any man” have been added to the text.
–The actual subject of the verb “draw back” is “the just man”
–Correct reading is “but if he draw back”
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Mythological Animals
•Deuteronomy 33:17“His glory is like the firstling of his bullock, and his horns are like the horns of unicorns: with them he
shall push the people together to the ends of the earth: and they
are the ten thousands of Ephraim, and they are the thousands of
Manasseh.”
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Mythological Animals
•Deuteronomy 33:17•“…his horns are like the horns of unicorns…”–Horns mentioned in the original text is the “wild ox”
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Mythological Animals
•Deuteronomy 33:17•“…his horns are like the horns of unicorns…”–In the original text, the passage speaks of one animal with horns
–KJV changed the text so that the animal was plural so it would fit better with “horns”
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Mythological Animals
•Matthew 12:40“For as Jonas was three days
and three nights in the whale's belly; so shall the Son
of man be three days and three nights in the heart of
the earth.”
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Mythological Animals
•Matthew 12:40“For as Jonas was three days and three nights in the whale's
belly;”–No mention of this creature being a “whale”
–“big fish” or “large sea creature” is more correct
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Mythological Animals
•Song of Solomon 2:12“The flowers appear on the earth; the time of the singing
of birds is come, and the voice of the turtle is heard in our
land;”
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Mythological Animals
•Song of Solomon 2:12“…and the voice of the turtle is
heard in our land;”–The passage literally reads:
“And the voice of the turtle-dove is heard in our land;”
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Doctrinal Problems
•Exodus 20:13“Thou shalt not kill.”
–Proper translation of the actual Hebrew would be “murder”, not “kill”
–Command is against murdering someone, not against killing someone
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Doctrinal Problems
•KJV has lead to confusion over the state of the dead due to the misuse of several key words–“Sheol” is translated as “grave” 31 times and “hell” 31 times.
–“Hades” is always translated “hell”, but so is “Gehenna” and “Tartarus”
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Doctrinal Problems
•John 10:16“And other sheep I have, which are not of this fold: them also I must bring, and they shall hear
my voice; and there shall be one fold, and one shepherd.”
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Doctrinal Problems
•John 10:16“And other sheep I have, which
are not of this fold: … and there shall be one fold, and one
shepherd.”–This passage has led some to believe there are many routes (folds) which lead to God
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Doctrinal Problems
•John 10:16“I have other sheep, which are
not of this fold; I must bring them also, and they will hear
My voice; and they will become one flock with one
shepherd.”
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Doctrinal Problems
•John 10:16“I have other sheep, which are not
of this fold; … and they will become one flock with one
shepherd.”–The “folds” that Jesus is speaking of are the Jews and Gentiles
–They will be brought together into “one flock”
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Doctrinal Problems
•Luke 18:12“I fast twice in the week, I give
tithes of all that I possess.”–The Law did NOT require one to tithe a tenth of all that he “possessed”
–Rather a tenth of his increase•Cf. Deuteronomy 14
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Doctrinal Problems
•Luke 18:12“I fast twice in the week, I give
tithes of all that I possess.”–Clearly stated in the Greek word used in this passage.
“I fast twice a week; I pay tithes of all that I get.”
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Doctrinal Problems
•Matthew 26:27“And he took the cup, and gave
thanks, and gave it to them, saying, Drink ye all of it;”
–Does this mean…•They were all to drink from this cup?
•They were to drink all of the contents of the cup?
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Doctrinal Problems
•Matthew 26:27“…Drink ye all of it;”
–In the original Greek, the word “all” agrees in number and case with the word “you”
–It differs in number and case with the word “it”
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Doctrinal Problems
•Matthew 26:27“…Drink ye all of it;”
–“All” refers to the people, not the contents
“Drink from it, all of you”
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Doctrinal Problems
•Isaiah 14:12“How art thou fallen from
heaven, O Lucifer, son of the morning! how art thou cut down to the ground, which didst weaken the nations!”
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Doctrinal Problems
•Isaiah 14:12“How art thou fallen from heaven, O Lucifer, son of the morning! …”–The teaching that “Lucifer” is a name for “Satan” comes from the KJV
–The Hebrew word actually means “bright one” or “bringer of light”
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Doctrinal Problems
•Isaiah 14:12“How art thou fallen from
heaven, O Lucifer, son of the morning! …”
–The word “Lucifer” is simply the Latin translation of this Hebrew word “helel” which means “a shining one; star of the morning”
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Doctrinal Problems
•Isaiah 35:8“And an highway shall be there, and a way, and it shall be called The way of holiness; the unclean shall not pass over it; but it shall be for those: the wayfaring men,
though fools, shall not err therein.”
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Doctrinal Problems
•Isaiah 35:8“… though fools, shall not err
therein.”–Left with two false conclusions:
•Fools will be found traveling the highway of holiness
•These foolish travelers are unable to sin while traveling the highway of holiness
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Doctrinal Problems
•Isaiah 35:8“… though fools, shall not err
therein.”–The text simply states that wicked fools will not be found walking in the Way that leads to life!
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Doctrinal Problems
•Isaiah 35:8“A highway will be there, a
roadway, And it will be called the Highway of Holiness. The
unclean will not travel on it, But it will be for him who walks that way, And fools will not wander
on it.”
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Doctrinal Problems
•Acts 12:4“And when he had apprehended him, he put him in prison, and
delivered him to four quaternions of soldiers to keep him; intending after Easter to bring him forth to the people.”
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Doctrinal Problems
•Acts 12:4“…intending after Easter to
bring him forth to the people.”–The Greek word here is “Pascha” which means “Passover”
–“Easter” – “a Christian festival celebrating the resurrection of Jesus”
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