Luke 18:16 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.
But Jesus called them and said, Suffer little children to come unto me, and forbid them not: for of such is the kingdom of God.
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.
But Jesus called them unto him, saying, Suffer the little children to come unto me, and forbid them not: for to such belongeth the kingdom of God.
1901 · Public domain · The American revision of the English Revised Version. Deliberately literal, and the base text behind several later translations.
But Jesus calling them to [him] said, Suffer little children to come to me, and do not forbid them, for of such is the kingdom of God.
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 Jesus having called them near, said, `Suffer the little children to come unto me, and forbid them not, for of such is the reign of God;
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.
Jesus summoned them, saying, “Allow the little children to come to me, and don’t hinder them, for God’s Kingdom belongs to such as these.
2000s · Public domain · A modern-English update of the ASV. Reads close to contemporary speech while staying in the literal tradition. Includes the Apocrypha.
Jesus, however, called the little children to him. “Let the little children come to me,” he said, “and do not hinder them, for it is to the childlike that the kingdom of God belongs.
in progress · Public domain (CC0) · A modern open-licensed translation, still being completed. Some Old Testament books are not yet available.
Jesus, however, called the little children to him. ‘Let the little children come to me,’ he said, ‘and do not hinder them, for it is to the childlike that the kingdom of God belongs.
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.
But Jesus sent for them, saying, Let the children come to me, and do not keep them away, for of such is the kingdom of heaven.
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.
Jesus summoned them saying, “Allow the little children to come to me, and don’t hinder them for God’s kingdom belongs to such as these.
Word-for-word swaps
- called→summoned
- Suffer→saying
- unto→to
- forbid→don’t
- the→God’s
- God→belongs
The verses either side
King James text. A comparison is easier to judge when you can see the sentence the verse sits inside.