Luke 11:48 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.
Truly ye bear witness that ye allow the deeds of your fathers: for they indeed killed them, and ye build their sepulchres.
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 ye are witnesses and consent unto the works of your fathers: for they killed them, and ye build [their tombs].
1901 · Public domain · The American revision of the English Revised Version. Deliberately literal, and the base text behind several later translations.
Ye bear witness then, and consent to the works of your fathers; for *they* killed them, and *ye* build [their sepulchres].
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 do ye testify, and are well pleased with the works of your fathers, because they indeed killed them, and ye do build their tombs;
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 you testify and consent to the works of your fathers. For they killed them, and you build their tombs.
2000s · Public domain · A modern-English update of the ASV. Reads close to contemporary speech while staying in the literal tradition. Includes the Apocrypha.
These 2 editions word this verse identically.
You are actually witnesses to your ancestors’ acts and show your approval of them, because, while they killed the prophets, you build tombs for them.
in progress · Public domain (CC0) · A modern open-licensed translation, still being completed. Some Old Testament books are not yet available.
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 you are witnesses and give approval to the work of your fathers; for they put them to death and you make their last resting-places.
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 you testify and consent to the works of your fathers: for they killed them, and you build their tombs.
Word-for-word swaps
- allow→So
- deeds→works
- ye→you
- sepulchres→tombs
The verses either side
King James text. A comparison is easier to judge when you can see the sentence the verse sits inside.