Luke 2:44 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 they, supposing him to have been in the company, went a day’s journey; and they sought him among kinsfolk and acquaintance.
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 supposing him to be in the company, they went a day`s journey; and they sought for him among their kinsfolk and acquaintance:
1901 · Public domain · The American revision of the English Revised Version. Deliberately literal, and the base text behind several later translations.
but, supposing him to be in the company that journeyed together, they went a day's journey, and sought him among their relations and acquaintances:
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, having supposed him to be in the company, they went a day's journey, and were seeking him among the kindred and among the acquaintances,
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 supposing him to be in the company, they went a day’s journey, and they looked for him among their relatives and acquaintances.
2000s · Public domain · A modern-English update of the ASV. Reads close to contemporary speech while staying in the literal tradition. Includes the Apocrypha.
Thinking that he was with their fellow travelers, they went one day’s journey before searching for him among their relatives and acquaintances;
in progress · Public domain (CC0) · A modern open-licensed translation, still being completed. Some Old Testament books are not yet available.
Thinking that he was with their fellow travellers, they went one day’s journey before searching for him among their relatives and acquaintances;
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 in the belief that he was with some of their number, they went a day's journey; and after looking for him among their relations and friends,
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 supposing him to be in the company, they went a day’s journey; and they looked for him among their relatives and acquaintances.
Word-for-word swaps
- been→be
- sought→looked
- kinsfolk→their
- acquaintance→acquaintances
The verses either side
King James text. A comparison is easier to judge when you can see the sentence the verse sits inside.