John 1:43 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.
The day following Jesus would go forth into Galilee, and findeth Philip, and saith unto him, Follow 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.
On the morrow he was minded to go forth into Galilee, and he findeth Philip: and Jesus saith unto him, Follow me.
1901 · Public domain · The American revision of the English Revised Version. Deliberately literal, and the base text behind several later translations.
On the morrow he would go forth into Galilee, and Jesus finds Philip, and says to him, Follow me.
1890 · Public domain · John Nelson Darby's translation, made for close study rather than public reading. Often exposes grammatical detail other versions smooth over.
On the morrow, he willed to go forth to Galilee, and he findeth Philip, and saith to him, `Be following me.'
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.
On the next day, he was determined to go out into Galilee, and he found Philip. Jesus said to him, “Follow 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.
The following day Jesus decided to leave for Galilee. He found Philip, and said to him, “Follow me.”
in progress · Public domain (CC0) · A modern open-licensed translation, still being completed. Some Old Testament books are not yet available.
The following day Jesus decided to leave for Galilee. He found Philip, and said to him, ‘Follow 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.
The day after this, Jesus had a desire to go into Galilee. He came across Philip and said to him, Come and be my disciple.
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.
On The next day he was determined to go out into Galilee, and he found Philip, Jesus said to him, Follow me.
Word-for-word swaps
- would→he
- forth→out
- findeth→he
- unto→Jesus
The verses either side
King James text. A comparison is easier to judge when you can see the sentence the verse sits inside.