Luke 2:10 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 the angel said unto them, Fear not: for, behold, I bring you good tidings of great joy, which shall be to all people.
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 the angel said unto them, Be not afraid; for behold, I bring you good tidings of great joy which shall be to all the people:
1901 · Public domain · The American revision of the English Revised Version. Deliberately literal, and the base text behind several later translations.
And the angel said to them, Fear not, for behold, I announce to you glad tidings of great joy, which shall be to all the people;
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 the messenger said to them, `Fear not, for lo, I bring you good news of great joy, that shall be to all the people--
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.
The angel said to them, “Don’t be afraid, for behold, I bring you good news of great joy which will be to all the people.
2000s · Public domain · A modern-English update of the ASV. Reads close to contemporary speech while staying in the literal tradition. Includes the Apocrypha.
“Have no fear,” the angel said. “For I bring you good news of a great joy in store for all the nation.
in progress · Public domain (CC0) · A modern open-licensed translation, still being completed. Some Old Testament books are not yet available.
‘Have no fear,’ the angel said. ‘For I bring you good news of a great joy in store for all the nation.
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 the angel said, Have no fear; for truly, I give you good news of great joy which will be for all the people:
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.
the angel said to them, “Don’t be afraid, for, behold, I bring you good news of great joy, which will be to all the people.
Word-for-word swaps
- unto→to
- not→Don’t
- tidings→news
- shall→will
The verses either side
King James text. A comparison is easier to judge when you can see the sentence the verse sits inside.