2 Peter 2:16 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.
But was rebuked for his iniquity: the dumb ass speaking with man’s voice forbad the madness of the prophet.
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.
but he was rebuked for his own transgression: a dumb ass spake with man`s voice and stayed the madness of the prophet.
1901 · Public domain · The American revision of the English Revised Version. Deliberately literal, and the base text behind several later translations.
but had reproof of his own wickedness [the] dumb ass speaking with man's voice forbad the folly of the prophet.
1890 · Public domain · John Nelson Darby's translation, made for close study rather than public reading. Often exposes grammatical detail other versions smooth over.
and had a rebuke of his own iniquity--a dumb ass, in man's voice having spoken, did forbid the madness of the prophet.
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.
but he was rebuked for his own disobedience. A mute donkey spoke with a man’s voice and stopped the madness of the prophet.
2000s · Public domain · A modern-English update of the ASV. Reads close to contemporary speech while staying in the literal tradition. Includes the Apocrypha.
but was rebuked for his offense. A dumb animal spoke with a human voice, and checked the prophet’s madness.
in progress · Public domain (CC0) · A modern open-licensed translation, still being completed. Some Old Testament books are not yet available.
but was rebuked for his offence. A dumb animal spoke with a human voice, and checked the prophet’s madness.
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.
But his wrongdoing was pointed out to him: an ass, talking with a man's voice, put a stop to the error of the prophet.
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.
But he was rebuked for his own disobedience. A mute donkey spoke with a man’s voice and stopped the madness of the prophet.
Word-for-word swaps
- speaking→own
- forbad→and
The verses either side
King James text. A comparison is easier to judge when you can see the sentence the verse sits inside.