Acts 8:24 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.
Then answered Simon, and said, Pray ye to the Lord for me, that none of these things which ye have spoken come upon me.
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 Simon answered and said, Pray ye for me to the Lord, that none of the things which ye have spoken come upon me.
1901 · Public domain · The American revision of the English Revised Version. Deliberately literal, and the base text behind several later translations.
And Simon answering said, Supplicate *ye* for me to the Lord, so that nothing may come upon me of the things of which ye have spoken.
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 Simon answering, said, `Beseech ye for me unto the Lord, that nothing may come upon me of the things ye have spoken.'
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.
Simon answered, “Pray for me to the Lord, that none of the things which you have spoken happen to me.”
2000s · Public domain · A modern-English update of the ASV. Reads close to contemporary speech while staying in the literal tradition. Includes the Apocrypha.
“Pray to the Lord for me, all of you,” Simon answered, “so that none of the things you have spoken of may happen to me.”
in progress · Public domain (CC0) · A modern open-licensed translation, still being completed. Some Old Testament books are not yet available.
‘Pray to the Lord for me, all of you,’ Simon answered, ‘so that none of the things you have spoken of may happen to me.’
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.
And Simon, answering, said, Make prayer for me to the Lord, so that these things which you have said may not come on me.
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.
Simon, answered, Pray for me to the Lord that none of the things which you have spoken happen to me.
Word-for-word swaps
- said→answered
- ye→for
- these→the
- ye→you
- upon→happen
The verses either side
King James text. A comparison is easier to judge when you can see the sentence the verse sits inside.