Luke 22:49 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.
When they which were about him saw what would follow, they said unto him, Lord, shall we smite with the sword?
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 when they that were about him saw what would follow, they said, Lord, shall we smite with the sword?
1901 · Public domain · The American revision of the English Revised Version. Deliberately literal, and the base text behind several later translations.
And they who were around him, seeing what was going to follow, said [to him], Lord, shall we smite with [the] sword?
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 those about him, having seen what was about to be, said to him, `Sir, shall we smite with a sword?'
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.
When those who were around him saw what was about to happen, they said to him, “Lord, shall we strike with the sword?”
2000s · Public domain · A modern-English update of the ASV. Reads close to contemporary speech while staying in the literal tradition. Includes the Apocrypha.
But when those who were around Jesus saw what was going to happen, they exclaimed, “Master, should we use our swords?”
in progress · Public domain (CC0) · A modern open-licensed translation, still being completed. Some Old Testament books are not yet available.
But when those who were round Jesus saw what was going to happen, they exclaimed, ‘Master, should we use our swords?’
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 when those who were with him saw what was coming, they said, Lord, may we not make use of our swords?
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.
When those who were around him saw what was about to happen, they said to him, Lord, shall we strike with the sword?
Word-for-word swaps
- which→those
- about→around
- follow→was
- unto→to
- smite→strike
The verses either side
King James text. A comparison is easier to judge when you can see the sentence the verse sits inside.