Acts 16:11 in 8 translations
6 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.
Therefore loosing from Troas, we came with a straight course to Samothracia, and the next day to Neapolis;
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.
These 2 editions word this verse identically.
Setting sail therefore from Troas, we made a straight course to Samothrace, and the day following to Neapolis;
1901 · Public domain · The American revision of the English Revised Version. Deliberately literal, and the base text behind several later translations.
Having sailed therefore away from Troas, we went in a straight course to Samothracia, and on the morrow to Neapolis,
1890 · Public domain · John Nelson Darby's translation, made for close study rather than public reading. Often exposes grammatical detail other versions smooth over.
having set sail, therefore, from Troas, we came with a straight course to Samothracia, on the morrow also to Neapolis,
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.
These 2 editions word this verse identically.
Accordingly we set sail from Troas, and ran before the wind to Samothrace, reaching Neapolis the next day.
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.
So, from Troas we went straight by ship to Samothrace and the day after to Neapolis;
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.
Setting sail Therefore from Troas, we made a straight course to Samothrace, and the day following to Neapolis;
Word-for-word swaps
- with→made
- Samothracia→Samothrace
The verses either side
King James text. A comparison is easier to judge when you can see the sentence the verse sits inside.