John 9:24 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 again called they the man that was blind, and said unto him, Give God the praise: we know that this man is a sinner.
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 they called a second time the man that was blind, and said unto him, Give glory to God: we know that this man is a sinner.
1901 · Public domain · The American revision of the English Revised Version. Deliberately literal, and the base text behind several later translations.
They called therefore a second time the man who had been blind, and said to him, Give glory to God: we know that this man is sinful.
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 called, therefore, a second time the man who was blind, and they said to him, `Give glory to God, we have known that this man is a sinner;'
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 they called the man who was blind a second time, and said to him, “Give glory to God. We know that this man is a sinner.”
2000s · Public domain · A modern-English update of the ASV. Reads close to contemporary speech while staying in the literal tradition. Includes the Apocrypha.
So the authorities again called the man who had been blind, and said to him, “Give God the praise; we know that this is a bad man.”
in progress · Public domain (CC0) · A modern open-licensed translation, still being completed. Some Old Testament books are not yet available.
So the authorities again called the man who had been blind, and said to him, ‘Give God the praise; we know that this is a bad man.’
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 they sent a second time for the man who had been blind and they said to him, Give glory to God: it is clear to us that this man is a sinner.
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 they called the man who was blind, a second time, and said to him, Give glory to God we know that this man is a sinner.
Word-for-word swaps
- called→So
- that→who
- 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.