Acts 2:25 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.
For David speaketh concerning him, I foresaw the Lord always before my face, for he is on my right hand, that I should not be moved:
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.
For David saith concerning him, I beheld the Lord always before my face; For he is on my right hand, that I should not be moved:
1901 · Public domain · The American revision of the English Revised Version. Deliberately literal, and the base text behind several later translations.
for David says as to him, I foresaw the Lord continually before me, because he is at my right hand that I may not be moved.
1890 · Public domain · John Nelson Darby's translation, made for close study rather than public reading. Often exposes grammatical detail other versions smooth over.
for David saith in regard to him: I foresaw the Lord always before me--because He is on my right hand--that I may not be moved;
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.
For David says concerning him, ‘I saw the Lord always before my face, For he is on my right hand, that I should not be moved.
2000s · Public domain · A modern-English update of the ASV. Reads close to contemporary speech while staying in the literal tradition. Includes the Apocrypha.
Indeed he was the one David was referring to when he said – ‘I have had the Lord ever before my eyes, for he stands at my right hand, so that I should not be disquieted.
in progress · Public domain (CC0) · A modern open-licensed translation, still being completed. Some Old Testament books are not yet available.
Indeed he was the one David was referring to when he said – “I have had the Lord ever before my eyes, for he stands at my right hand, so that I should not be disquieted.
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.
For David said of him, I saw the Lord before my face at all times, for he is at my right hand, so that I may not be moved:
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.
For David says concerning him, I saw the Lord always before my face, for he is on my right hand, that I should not be moved:
Word-for-word swaps
- speaketh→says
- foresaw→saw
The verses either side
King James text. A comparison is easier to judge when you can see the sentence the verse sits inside.