John 9:34 in 8 translations
7 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.
These 2 editions word this verse identically.
They answered and said unto him, Thou wast altogether born in sins, and dost thou teach us? And they cast him out.
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 answered and said to him, Thou hast been wholly born in sins, and thou teachest us? And they cast him out.
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 answered and said to him, `In sins thou wast born altogether, and thou dost teach us!' and they cast him forth without.
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 answered him, “You were altogether born in sins, and do you teach us?” They threw him out.
2000s · Public domain · A modern-English update of the ASV. Reads close to contemporary speech while staying in the literal tradition. Includes the Apocrypha.
“You,” they retorted, “were born totally depraved; and are you trying to teach us?” So they expelled him.
in progress · Public domain (CC0) · A modern open-licensed translation, still being completed. Some Old Testament books are not yet available.
‘You,’ they retorted, ‘were born totally depraved; and are you trying to teach us?’ So they expelled him.
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.
Their answer was: You came to birth through sin; do you make yourself our teacher? And they put him out of the Synagogue.
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 answered him, “You were altogether born in sins, and do you teach us? they threw him out.
Word-for-word swaps
- wast→You
- thou→do
- cast→threw
The verses either side
King James text. A comparison is easier to judge when you can see the sentence the verse sits inside.