Luke 6:2 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 certain of the Pharisees said unto them, Why do ye that which is not lawful to do on the sabbath days?
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 certain of the Pharisees said, Why do ye that which it is not lawful to do on the sabbath day?
1901 · Public domain · The American revision of the English Revised Version. Deliberately literal, and the base text behind several later translations.
But some of the Pharisees said to them, Why do ye what is not lawful to do on the sabbath?
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 certain of the Pharisees said to them, `Why do ye that which is not lawful to do on the sabbaths?'
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 some of the Pharisees said to them, “Why do you do that which is not lawful to do on the Sabbath day?”
2000s · Public domain · A modern-English update of the ASV. Reads close to contemporary speech while staying in the literal tradition. Includes the Apocrypha.
“Why are you doing what it is not allowable to do on the Sabbath?” asked some of the Pharisees.
in progress · Public domain (CC0) · A modern open-licensed translation, still being completed. Some Old Testament books are not yet available.
‘Why are you doing what it is not allowable to do on the Sabbath?’ asked some of the Pharisees.
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 some of the Pharisees said, Why do you do what it is not right to do on the Sabbath?
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 some of the Pharisees said to them, Why do you do that which is not lawful to do on the sabbath day?”
Word-for-word swaps
- certain→But
- unto→to
- ye→you
- days→day
The verses either side
King James text. A comparison is easier to judge when you can see the sentence the verse sits inside.