Luke 12:13 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.
And one of the company said unto him, Master, speak to my brother, that he divide the inheritance with me.
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.
And one out of the multitude said unto him, Teacher, bid my brother divide the inheritance with me.
1901 · Public domain · The American revision of the English Revised Version. Deliberately literal, and the base text behind several later translations.
And a person said to him out of the crowd, Teacher, speak to my brother to divide the inheritance with me.
1890 · Public domain · John Nelson Darby's translation, made for close study rather than public reading. Often exposes grammatical detail other versions smooth over.
And a certain one said to him, out of the multitude, `Teacher, say to my brother to divide with me the inheritance.'
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.
One of the multitude said to him, “Teacher, tell my brother to divide the inheritance with me.”
2000s · Public domain · A modern-English update of the ASV. Reads close to contemporary speech while staying in the literal tradition. Includes the Apocrypha.
“Teacher,” a man in the crowd said to Jesus, “tell my brother to share the property with me.”
in progress · Public domain (CC0) · A modern open-licensed translation, still being completed. Some Old Testament books are not yet available.
‘Teacher,’ a man in the crowd said to Jesus, ‘tell my brother to share the property with me.’
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.
And one of the people said to him, Master, give an order to my brother to make division of the heritage with me.
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.
one of the multitude said to him, “Teacher, tell my brother, to divide the inheritance with me.
Word-for-word swaps
- company→multitude
- he→to
The verses either side
King James text. A comparison is easier to judge when you can see the sentence the verse sits inside.