John 13:12 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.
So after he had washed their feet, and had taken his garments, and was set down again, he said unto them, Know ye what I have done to you?
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.
So when he had washed their feet, and taken his garments, and sat down again, he said unto them, Know ye what I have done to you?
1901 · Public domain · The American revision of the English Revised Version. Deliberately literal, and the base text behind several later translations.
When therefore he had washed their feet, and taken his garments, having sat down again, he said to them, Do ye know what I have done to you?
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, therefore, he washed their feet, and took his garments, having reclined (at meat) again, he said to them, `Do ye know what I have done to you?
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.
So when he had washed their feet, put his outer garment back on, and sat down again, he said to them, “Do you know what I have done to you?
2000s · Public domain · A modern-English update of the ASV. Reads close to contemporary speech while staying in the literal tradition. Includes the Apocrypha.
When he had washed their feet, and had put on his upper garments and taken his place, he spoke to them again. “Do you understand what I have been doing to you?” he asked.
in progress · Public domain (CC0) · A modern open-licensed translation, still being completed. Some Old Testament books are not yet available.
When he had washed their feet, and had put on his upper garments and taken his place, he spoke to them again. ‘Do you understand what I have been doing to you?’ he asked.
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.
Then, after washing their feet and putting on his robe again, he took his seat and said to them, Do you see what I have done to you?
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.
So when he had washed their feet, put his outer garment back on, and sat down again, he said to them, “Do you Know what I have done to you?
Word-for-word swaps
- after→when
- taken→put
- garments→outer
- set→sat
- unto→to
The verses either side
King James text. A comparison is easier to judge when you can see the sentence the verse sits inside.