Luke 14:28 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.
For which of you, intending to build a tower, sitteth not down first, and counteth the cost, whether he have to finish
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.
For which of you, desiring to build a tower, doth not first sit down and count the cost, whether he have [wherewith] to complete it?
1901 · Public domain · The American revision of the English Revised Version. Deliberately literal, and the base text behind several later translations.
For which of you, desirous of building a tower, does not first sit down and count the cost, if he have what [is needed] to complete it;
1890 · Public domain · John Nelson Darby's translation, made for close study rather than public reading. Often exposes grammatical detail other versions smooth over.
`For who of you, willing to build a tower, doth not first, having sat down, count the expence, whether he have the things for completing?
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.
For which of you, desiring to build a tower, doesn’t first sit down and count the cost, to see if he has enough to complete it?
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.
Why, which of you, when you want to build a tower, does not first sit down and reckon the cost, to see if you have enough to complete it? –
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.
For which of you, desiring to put up a tower, does not first give much thought to the price, if he will have enough to make it complete?
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.
For which of you, desiring to build a tower, doesn’t first, sit down and count the cost, to see if he has enough to complete it?
Word-for-word swaps
- intending→desiring
- down→doesn’t
- counteth→count
- whether→to
- have→has
- finish→complete
The verses either side
King James text. A comparison is easier to judge when you can see the sentence the verse sits inside.