Acts 16:7 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.
After they were come to Mysia, they assayed to go into Bithynia: but the Spirit suffered them not.
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 come over against Mysia, they assayed to go into Bithynia; and the Spirit of Jesus suffered them not;
1901 · Public domain · The American revision of the English Revised Version. Deliberately literal, and the base text behind several later translations.
having come down to Mysia, they attempted to go to Bithynia, and the Spirit of Jesus did not allow them;
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 gone toward Mysia, they were trying to go on toward Bithynia, and the Spirit did not suffer them,
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 had come opposite Mysia, they tried to go into Bithynia, but the Spirit didn’t allow them.
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.
When they reached the borders of Mysia, they attempted to go into Bithynia, but the Spirit of Jesus did not permit them.
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 having come to Mysia, they made an attempt to go into Bithynia, but the Spirit of Jesus did not let 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 had come opposite Mysia, they tried to go into Bithynia: but the Spirit didn’t allow them
Word-for-word swaps
- After→When
- were→had
- to→opposite
- assayed→tried
- suffered→didn’t
The verses either side
King James text. A comparison is easier to judge when you can see the sentence the verse sits inside.