John 4:53 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 the father knew that at the same hour, in the which Jesus said unto him, Thy son liveth: and himself believed, and his whole house.
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 the father knew that [it was] at that hour in which Jesus said unto him, Thy son liveth: and himself believed, and his whole house.
1901 · Public domain · The American revision of the English Revised Version. Deliberately literal, and the base text behind several later translations.
The father therefore knew that [it was] in that hour in which Jesus said to him, Thy son lives; and he believed, himself and his whole house.
1890 · Public domain · John Nelson Darby's translation, made for close study rather than public reading. Often exposes grammatical detail other versions smooth over.
then the father knew that it was in that hour in which Jesus said to him--`Thy son doth live,' and he himself believed, and his whole house;
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 the father knew that it was at that hour in which Jesus said to him, “Your son lives.” He believed, as did his whole house.
2000s · Public domain · A modern-English update of the ASV. Reads close to contemporary speech while staying in the literal tradition. Includes the Apocrypha.
By this the father knew that it was at the very time when Jesus had said to him ‘Your son is living’ ; and he himself, with all his household, believed in Jesus.
in progress · Public domain (CC0) · A modern open-licensed translation, still being completed. Some Old Testament books are not yet available.
By this the father knew that it was at the very time when Jesus had said to him “Your son is living” ; and he himself, with all his household, believed in Jesus.
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.
It was clear then to the father that this was the very time at which Jesus said to him, Your son is living. And he had faith in Jesus, he and all his family.
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 the father knew that it was at that hour, in which Jesus said to him, “Your son lives.” He believed, as did his whole house.
Word-for-word swaps
- same→that
- unto→to
- Thy→Your
- himself→lives
- and→as
The verses either side
King James text. A comparison is easier to judge when you can see the sentence the verse sits inside.