Hosea 13:1 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.
When Ephraim spake trembling, he exalted himself in Israel; but when he offended in Baal, he died.
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.
When Ephraim spake, there was trembling; he exalted himself in Israel; but when he offended in Baal, he died.
1901 · Public domain · The American revision of the English Revised Version. Deliberately literal, and the base text behind several later translations.
When Ephraim spoke, there was trembling; he exalted himself in Israel: but he trespassed through Baal, and he died.
1890 · Public domain · John Nelson Darby's translation, made for close study rather than public reading. Often exposes grammatical detail other versions smooth over.
When Ephraim speaketh tremblingly, He hath been lifted up in Israel, When he becometh guilty in Baal he dieth.
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 Ephraim spoke, there was trembling. He exalted himself in Israel, but when he became guilty in Baal, he died.
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 Ephraim used to speak there was trembling; a prince was he in Israel. But he incurred guilt through Baal and died.
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.
When the words of my law came from Ephraim, he was lifted up in Israel; but when he did evil through the Baal, death overtook him.
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 Ephraim spoke, there was trembling, he exalted himself in Israel; but when he became guilty in Baal, he died.
Word-for-word swaps
- spake→spoke
- offended→became
The verses either side
King James text. A comparison is easier to judge when you can see the sentence the verse sits inside.