1 Corinthians 14:27 in 8 translations
8 distinct wordings, grouped by what each translation is trying to do. Differences from the King James text are marked below.
Early modern English
Seventeenth-century wording and sentence shape. Familiar, rhythmic, and the version most quotations you have heard are taken from.
If any man speak in an tongue, by two, or at the most three, and by course; and let one interpret.
1611 / 1769 · Public domain · The Authorised Version, revised to the 1769 Blayney text. Includes the Apocrypha as printed in 1611.
Literal, word-for-word
Follows Hebrew and Greek word order and grammar closely, even where the English becomes stiff. Useful for seeing what the underlying sentence is doing.
If any man speaketh in a tongue, [let it be] by two, or at the most three, and [that] in turn; and let one interpret:
1901 · Public domain · The American revision of the English Revised Version. Deliberately literal, and the base text behind several later translations.
If any one speak with a tongue, [let it be] two, or at the most three, and separately, and let one interpret;
1890 · Public domain · John Nelson Darby's translation, made for close study rather than public reading. Often exposes grammatical detail other versions smooth over.
if an unknown tongue any one do speak, by two, or at the most, by three, and in turn, and let one interpret;
1898 · Public domain · The most extreme word-for-word rendering here, keeping Hebrew and Greek tense and word order at the cost of natural English.
Modern English
Contemporary vocabulary and punctuation, aiming for the sentence a present-day reader would write while staying close to the source.
If any man speaks in another language, let it be two, or at the most three, and in turn; and let one interpret.
2000s · Public domain · A modern-English update of the ASV. Reads close to contemporary speech while staying in the literal tradition. Includes the Apocrypha.
If any of you use the gift of ‘tongues,’ not more than two, or at the most three, should do so – each speaking in his turn – and someone should interpret them.
in progress · Public domain (CC0) · A modern open-licensed translation, still being completed. Some Old Testament books are not yet available.
If any of you use the gift of “tongues,” not more than two, or at the most three, should do so – each speaking in his turn – and someone should interpret them.
in progress · Public domain (CC0) · The Commonwealth spelling edition of the Open English Bible. Identical wording to the US edition apart from spelling.
Simplified English
Built from a deliberately small vocabulary so the sense stays reachable for new readers and non-native speakers. Trades nuance for clarity.
If any man makes use of a tongue, let it not be more than two, or at the most three, and in turn; and let someone give the sense:
1949 · Public domain · Written with roughly a thousand basic English words plus a small Bible vocabulary. The plainest reading available here.
What changes between the King James and modern wording
The modern rendering is printed below with every word that differs from the King James text marked, so the actual divergence is visible rather than left for you to spot.
If any man speaks in another language, let it be two, or at the most three, and in turn; and let one interpret.
Word-for-word swaps
- speak→speaks
- by→another
- course→in
The verses either side
King James text. A comparison is easier to judge when you can see the sentence the verse sits inside.