Acts 8:20 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.
But Peter said unto him, Thy money perish with thee, because thou hast thought that the gift of God may be purchased with money.
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.
But Peter said unto him, Thy silver perish with thee, because thou hast thought to obtain the gift of God with money.
1901 · Public domain · The American revision of the English Revised Version. Deliberately literal, and the base text behind several later translations.
And Peter said to him, Thy money go with thee to destruction, because thou hast thought that the gift of God can be obtained by money.
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 Peter said unto him, `Thy silver with thee--may it be to destruction! because the gift of God thou didst think to possess through money;
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.
But Peter said to him, “May your silver perish with you, because you thought you could obtain the gift of God with money!
2000s · Public domain · A modern-English update of the ASV. Reads close to contemporary speech while staying in the literal tradition. Includes the Apocrypha.
“A curse on you and on your money,” Peter exclaimed, “for thinking that God’s free gift can be bought with gold!
in progress · Public domain (CC0) · A modern open-licensed translation, still being completed. Some Old Testament books are not yet available.
‘A curse on you and on your money,’ Peter exclaimed, ‘for thinking that God’s free gift can be bought with gold!
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.
But Peter said, May your money come to destruction with you, because you had the idea that what is freely given by God may be got for a price.
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.
But Peter said to him, “May your silver perish with you, because you thought you could obtain the gift of God with money.
Word-for-word swaps
- unto→to
- money→May
- thee→you
- hast→you
- that→you
The verses either side
King James text. A comparison is easier to judge when you can see the sentence the verse sits inside.