John 5:10 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 Jews therefore said unto him that was cured, It is the sabbath day: it is not lawful for thee to carry bed.
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 Jews said unto him that was cured, It is the sabbath, and it is not lawful for thee to take up thy bed.
1901 · Public domain · The American revision of the English Revised Version. Deliberately literal, and the base text behind several later translations.
The Jews therefore said to the healed [man], It is sabbath, it is not permitted thee to take up thy couch.
1890 · Public domain · John Nelson Darby's translation, made for close study rather than public reading. Often exposes grammatical detail other versions smooth over.
the Jews then said to him that hath been healed, `It is a sabbath; it is not lawful to thee to take up the couch.'
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 Jews said to him who was cured, “It is the Sabbath. It is not lawful for you to carry the mat.”
2000s · Public domain · A modern-English update of the ASV. Reads close to contemporary speech while staying in the literal tradition. Includes the Apocrypha.
Now it was the Sabbath. So the religious authorities said to the man who had been cured, “This is the Sabbath; you must not carry your mat.”
in progress · Public domain (CC0) · A modern open-licensed translation, still being completed. Some Old Testament books are not yet available.
Now it was the Sabbath. So the religious authorities said to the man who had been cured, ‘This is the Sabbath; you must not carry your mat.’
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.
So the Jews said to the man who had been made well, It is the Sabbath; and it is against the law for you to take up your bed.
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 Jews said to him who was cured, It is the sabbath it is not lawful for you to carry the mat.”
Word-for-word swaps
- unto→to
- that→who
- thee→you
- bed→the
The verses either side
King James text. A comparison is easier to judge when you can see the sentence the verse sits inside.