Acts 13:5 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.
And when they were at Salamis, they preached the word of God in the synagogues of the Jews: and they had also John to their minister.
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.
And when they were at Salamis, they proclaimed the word of God in the synagogues of the Jews: and they had also John as their attendant.
1901 · Public domain · The American revision of the English Revised Version. Deliberately literal, and the base text behind several later translations.
And being in Salamis, they announced the word of God in the synagogues of the Jews. And they had John also as [their] attendant.
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 having come unto Salamis, they declared the word of God in the synagogues of the Jews, and they had also John as a ministrant;
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.
When they were at Salamis, they proclaimed God’s word in the Jewish synagogues. They had also John as their attendant.
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.
On reaching Salamis, they began to tell the message of God in the Jewish synagogues; and they had John with them as an assistant.
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.
And at Salamis they were preaching the word of God in the Synagogues of the Jews: and John was with them, helping them.
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.
when they were at Salamis, they proclaimed God’s word in the Jewish synagogues they had also John as their attendant.
Word-for-word swaps
- the→proclaimed
- to→as
- minister→attendant
The verses either side
King James text. A comparison is easier to judge when you can see the sentence the verse sits inside.