Luke 2:35 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.
(Yea, a sword shall pierce through thy own soul also,) that the thoughts of many hearts may be revealed.
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.
yea and a sword shall pierce through thine own soul; that thoughts out of many hearts may be revealed.
1901 · Public domain · The American revision of the English Revised Version. Deliberately literal, and the base text behind several later translations.
(and even a sword shall go through thine own soul;) so that [the] thoughts may be revealed from many hearts.
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 also thine own soul shall a sword pass through) --that the reasonings of many hearts may be revealed.'
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.
Yes, a sword will pierce through your own soul, that the thoughts of many hearts may be revealed.”
2000s · Public domain · A modern-English update of the ASV. Reads close to contemporary speech while staying in the literal tradition. Includes the Apocrypha.
Yes, the sword will pierce your own heart – and so the thoughts in many minds will be disclosed.”
in progress · Public domain (CC0) · A modern open-licensed translation, still being completed. Some Old Testament books are not yet available.
Yes, the sword will pierce your own heart – and so the thoughts in many minds will be disclosed.’
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 a sword will go through your heart;) so that the secret thoughts of men may come to light.
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.
Yes, a sword will pierce through your own soul that the thoughts of many hearts may be revealed.
Word-for-word swaps
- Yea→Yes
- shall→will
- thy→your
The verses either side
King James text. A comparison is easier to judge when you can see the sentence the verse sits inside.