Acts 12:1 in 8 translations
7 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.
Now about that time Herod the king stretched forth his hands to vex certain of the church.
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.
Now about that time Herod the king put forth his hands to afflict certain of the church.
1901 · Public domain · The American revision of the English Revised Version. Deliberately literal, and the base text behind several later translations.
At that time Herod the king laid his hands on some of those of the assembly to do them hurt,
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 about that time, Herod the king put forth his hands, to do evil to certain of those of the assembly,
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.
Now about that time, King Herod stretched out his hands to oppress some of the assembly.
2000s · Public domain · A modern-English update of the ASV. Reads close to contemporary speech while staying in the literal tradition. Includes the Apocrypha.
These 2 editions word this verse identically.
It was at that time that King Herod began to ill-treat some of the members of the church.
in progress · Public domain (CC0) · A modern open-licensed translation, still being completed. Some Old Testament books are not yet available.
Simplified English
Built from a deliberately small vocabulary so the sense stays reachable for new readers and non-native speakers. Trades nuance for clarity.
Now, about that time, Herod the king made cruel attacks on the Christians.
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.
Now about that time king Herod stretched out his hands to oppress some of the assembly.
Word-for-word swaps
- forth→out
- certain→oppress
- church→assembly
The verses either side
King James text. A comparison is easier to judge when you can see the sentence the verse sits inside.