Acts 9:18 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.
And immediately there fell from his eyes as it had been scales: and he received sight forthwith, and arose, and was baptized.
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 straightway there fell from his eyes as it were scales, and he received his sight; and he arose and was baptized;
1901 · Public domain · The American revision of the English Revised Version. Deliberately literal, and the base text behind several later translations.
And straightway there fell from his eyes as it were scales, and he saw, and rising up was baptised;
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 immediately there fell from his eyes as it were scales, he saw again also presently, and having risen, was baptized,
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.
Immediately something like scales fell from his eyes, and he received his sight. He arose and was baptized.
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.
Instantly it seemed as if a film fell from Saul’s eyes, and his sight was restored. Then he got up and was baptized,
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 straight away it seemed as if a veil was taken from his eyes, and he was able to see; and he got up, and had baptism;
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.
immediately something like scales fell from his eyes and he received his sight He arose, and was baptized.
Word-for-word swaps
- there→something
- and→He
The verses either side
King James text. A comparison is easier to judge when you can see the sentence the verse sits inside.