John 8:25 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.
Then said they unto him, Who art thou? And Jesus saith unto them, Even that I said unto you from the beginning.
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.
They said therefore unto him, Who art thou? Jesus said unto them, Even that which I have also spoken unto you from the beginning.
1901 · Public domain · The American revision of the English Revised Version. Deliberately literal, and the base text behind several later translations.
They said therefore to him, Who art thou? [And] Jesus said to them, Altogether that which I also say 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.
They said, therefore, to him, `Thou--who art thou?' and Jesus said to them, `Even what I did speak of to you at the beginning;
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.
They said therefore to him, “Who are you?” Jesus said to them, “Just what I have been saying to you from the beginning.
2000s · Public domain · A modern-English update of the ASV. Reads close to contemporary speech while staying in the literal tradition. Includes the Apocrypha.
“Who are you?” they asked. “Why ask exactly what I have been telling you?” said Jesus.
in progress · Public domain (CC0) · A modern open-licensed translation, still being completed. Some Old Testament books are not yet available.
‘Who are you?’ they asked. ‘Why ask exactly what I have been telling you?’ said 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.
Then they said to him, Who are you? Jesus said, What I said to you from the first.
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.
they said therefore to him, Who are you?” Jesus said to them, “Just what I have been saying to you from the beginning.
Word-for-word swaps
- unto→said
- And→are
- that→Just
- unto→have
The verses either side
King James text. A comparison is easier to judge when you can see the sentence the verse sits inside.