Luke 21:28 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 when these things begin to come to pass, then look up, and lift up your heads; for your redemption draweth nigh.
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 when these things begin to come to pass, look up, and lift up your heads; because your redemption draweth nigh.
1901 · Public domain · The American revision of the English Revised Version. Deliberately literal, and the base text behind several later translations.
But when these things begin to come to pass, look up and lift up your heads, because your redemption draws nigh.
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 these things beginning to happen bend yourselves back, and lift up your heads, because your redemption doth draw nigh.'
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 when these things begin to happen, look up, and lift up your heads, because your redemption is near.”
2000s · Public domain · A modern-English update of the ASV. Reads close to contemporary speech while staying in the literal tradition. Includes the Apocrypha.
And, when these things begin to occur, look upwards and lift your heads, for your deliverance will be at hand.”
in progress · Public domain (CC0) · A modern open-licensed translation, still being completed. Some Old Testament books are not yet available.
And, when these things begin to occur, look upwards and lift your heads, for your deliverance will be at hand.’
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.
But when these things come about, let your heads be lifted up, because your salvation is near.
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 when these things begin to happen, look up, and lift up your heads; because your redemption is near.”
Word-for-word swaps
- And→But
- then→happen
- for→because
- nigh→is
The verses either side
King James text. A comparison is easier to judge when you can see the sentence the verse sits inside.