Luke 19:42 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.
Saying, If thou hadst known, even thou, at least in this thy day, the things unto thy peace! but now they are hid from thine eyes.
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.
saying, If thou hadst known in this day, even thou, the things which belong unto peace! but now they are hid from thine eyes.
1901 · Public domain · The American revision of the English Revised Version. Deliberately literal, and the base text behind several later translations.
saying, If thou hadst known, even thou, even at least in this thy day, the things that are for thy peace: but now they are hid from thine eyes;
1890 · Public domain · John Nelson Darby's translation, made for close study rather than public reading. Often exposes grammatical detail other versions smooth over.
saying--`If thou didst know, even thou, at least in this thy day, the things for thy peace; but now they were hid from thine eyes.
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.
saying, “If you, even you, had known today the things which belong to your peace! But now, they are hidden from your eyes.
2000s · Public domain · A modern-English update of the ASV. Reads close to contemporary speech while staying in the literal tradition. Includes the Apocrypha.
“If only you had known, while yet there was time – even you – the things that make for peace! But now they have been hidden from your sight.
in progress · Public domain (CC0) · A modern open-licensed translation, still being completed. Some Old Testament books are not yet available.
‘If only you had known, while yet there was time – even you – the things that make for peace! But now they have been hidden from your sight.
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.
Saying, If you, even you, had knowledge today, of the things which give peace! but you are not able to see them.
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.
Saying, If you, even you, had known today the things which belong to your peace! but now they are hidden from your eyes.
Word-for-word swaps
- known→you
- day→you
- thy→which
- hid→hidden
- thine→your
The verses either side
King James text. A comparison is easier to judge when you can see the sentence the verse sits inside.