Luke 19:27 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 those mine enemies, which would not that I should reign over them, bring hither, and slay before 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.
But these mine enemies, that would not that I should reign over them, bring hither, and slay them before me.
1901 · Public domain · The American revision of the English Revised Version. Deliberately literal, and the base text behind several later translations.
Moreover those mine enemies, who would not [have] me to reign over them, bring them here and slay [them] before 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.
but those my enemies, who did not wish me to reign over them, bring hither and slay before me.'
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.
But bring those enemies of mine who didn’t want me to reign over them here, and kill them before 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.
But as for my enemies, these men who would not have me as their king, bring them here and put them to death in my presence.’”
in progress · Public domain (CC0) · A modern open-licensed translation, still being completed. Some Old Testament books are not yet available.
But as for my enemies, these men who would not have me as their king, bring them here and put them to death in my presence.”’
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 as for those who were against me, who would not have me for their ruler, let them come here, and be put to death before 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.
But bring those enemies, of mine who didn’t want me to reign over them, here, and kill them before me.’”
Word-for-word swaps
- should→of
- hither→here
- slay→kill
The verses either side
King James text. A comparison is easier to judge when you can see the sentence the verse sits inside.