diff --git a/awesome-version-internal.h.in b/awesome-version-internal.h.in
index 4157088f4..85d23b7c6 100644
--- a/awesome-version-internal.h.in
+++ b/awesome-version-internal.h.in
@@ -1,7 +1,7 @@
 #ifndef _AWE_VERSION_INTERNAL_H_
 #define _AWE_VERSION_INTERNAL_H_
 
-#define AWESOME_VERSION_INTERNAL    "@AWESOME_VERSION_INTERNAL@"
+#define AWESOME_VERSION             "@AWESOME_VERSION@"
 #define AWESOME_COMPILE_MACHINE     "@AWESOME_COMPILE_MACHINE@"
 #define AWESOME_COMPILE_BY          "@AWESOME_COMPILE_BY@"
 #define AWESOME_COMPILE_HOSTNAME    "@AWESOME_COMPILE_HOSTNAME@"
diff --git a/awesomeConfig.cmake b/awesomeConfig.cmake
index ebe341041..858fe35d0 100644
--- a/awesomeConfig.cmake
+++ b/awesomeConfig.cmake
@@ -161,7 +161,7 @@ ENDIF()
 IF(DEFINED PREFIX)
     SET(CMAKE_INSTALL_PREFIX ${PREFIX})
 ENDIF()
-SET(AWESOME_VERSION_INTERNAL devel )
+SET(AWESOME_VERSION          ${VERSION} )
 SET(AWESOME_COMPILE_MACHINE  ${CMAKE_SYSTEM_PROCESSOR} )
 SET(AWESOME_COMPILE_HOSTNAME $ENV{HOSTNAME} )
 SET(AWESOME_COMPILE_BY       $ENV{USER} )
diff --git a/common/version.c b/common/version.c
index 50cb72cc1..38f3f5279 100644
--- a/common/version.c
+++ b/common/version.c
@@ -32,7 +32,7 @@
 void
 eprint_version(const char *const executable)
 {
-    printf("%s (awesome) " AWESOME_VERSION_INTERNAL
+    printf("%s (awesome) " AWESOME_VERSION
 	   " (" AWESOME_RELEASE ")\n"
 	   "built",
 	   executable);
@@ -50,4 +50,13 @@ eprint_version(const char *const executable)
     exit(EXIT_SUCCESS);
 }
 
+/** Get version string.
+ * \return A string describing the current version.
+ */
+const char*
+version_string(void)
+{
+    return AWESOME_VERSION;
+}
+
 // vim: filetype=c:expandtab:shiftwidth=4:tabstop=8:softtabstop=4:encoding=utf-8:textwidth=80
diff --git a/common/version.h b/common/version.h
index d6c1ad5db..4445a671d 100644
--- a/common/version.h
+++ b/common/version.h
@@ -23,5 +23,6 @@
 #define AWESOME_COMMON_VERSION_H
 
 void eprint_version(const char *const executable) __attribute__ ((noreturn));
+const char *version_string(void);
 
 #endif
diff --git a/config.h.in b/config.h.in
index 64b993207..41e50aff8 100644
--- a/config.h.in
+++ b/config.h.in
@@ -1,10 +1,8 @@
 #ifndef _CONFIG_H_
 #define _CONFIG_H_
 
-#define AWESOME_RELEASE "@AWESOME_RELEASE@"
 #define AWESOME_LUA_LIB_PATH "@AWESOME_LUA_LIB_PATH@"
 #define AWESOME_CONF_PATH "@AWESOME_CONF_PATH@"
-#define VERSION "@VERSION@"
 
 #cmakedefine WITH_DBUS
 #cmakedefine WITH_IMLIB2
diff --git a/lua.c b/lua.c
index 9cdb6e57d..47786622a 100644
--- a/lua.c
+++ b/lua.c
@@ -45,6 +45,7 @@
 #include "screen.h"
 #include "layouts/tile.h"
 #include "common/socket.h"
+#include "common/version.h"
 
 extern awesome_t globalconf;
 
@@ -540,7 +541,7 @@ luaA_init(void)
     luaA_openlib(L, "keybinding", awesome_keybinding_methods, awesome_keybinding_meta);
 
     lua_pushliteral(L, "AWESOME_VERSION");
-    lua_pushliteral(L, VERSION);
+    lua_pushstring(L, version_string());
     lua_settable(L, LUA_GLOBALSINDEX);
 
     luaA_dostring(L, "package.path = package.path .. \";" AWESOME_LUA_LIB_PATH  "/?.lua\"");