Luke 22:26 in 8 translations
7 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 ye not so: but he that is greatest among you, let him be as the younger; and he that is chief, as he that doth serve.
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 ye [shall] not [be] so: but he that is the greater among you, let him become as the younger; and he that is chief, as he that doth serve.
1901 · Public domain · The American revision of the English Revised Version. Deliberately literal, and the base text behind several later translations.
But *ye* [shall] not [be] thus; but let the greater among you be as the younger, and the leader as he that serves.
1890 · Public domain · John Nelson Darby's translation, made for close study rather than public reading. Often exposes grammatical detail other versions smooth over.
but ye are not so, but he who is greater among you--let him be as the younger; and he who is leading, as he who is ministering;
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 not so with you. But one who is the greater among you, let him become as the younger, and one who is governing, as one who serves.
2000s · Public domain · A modern-English update of the ASV. Reads close to contemporary speech while staying in the literal tradition. Includes the Apocrypha.
These 2 editions word this verse identically.
But with you it must not be so. No, let the greatest among you become like the youngest, and him who leads like him who serves.
in progress · Public domain (CC0) · A modern open-licensed translation, still being completed. Some Old Testament books are not yet available.
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 let it not be so with you; but he who is greater, let him become like the younger; and he who is chief, like a servant.
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 not so: with you. but one who is the greater among you, let him become as the younger; and one who is governing, as one who serves.
Word-for-word swaps
- that→one
- greatest→the
- be→become
- chief→governing
- serve→one
The verses either side
King James text. A comparison is easier to judge when you can see the sentence the verse sits inside.