Luke 8:49 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.
While he yet spake, there cometh one from the ruler of the synagogue’s saying to him, Thy daughter is dead; trouble not the Master.
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.
While he yet spake, there cometh one from the ruler of the synagogue`s [house], saying, Thy daughter is dead; trouble not the Teacher.
1901 · Public domain · The American revision of the English Revised Version. Deliberately literal, and the base text behind several later translations.
While he was yet speaking, comes some one from the ruler of the synagogue, saying to him, Thy daughter is dead; do not trouble the teacher.
1890 · Public domain · John Nelson Darby's translation, made for close study rather than public reading. Often exposes grammatical detail other versions smooth over.
While he is yet speaking, there doth come a certain one from the chief of the synagogue's house, saying to him--`Thy daughter hath died, harass not the Teacher;'
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.
While he still spoke, one from the ruler of the synagogue’s house came, saying to him, “Your daughter is dead. Don’t trouble the Teacher.”
2000s · Public domain · A modern-English update of the ASV. Reads close to contemporary speech while staying in the literal tradition. Includes the Apocrypha.
Before he had finished speaking, someone came from the house of the synagogue leader and said, “Your daughter is dead! Do not trouble the teacher further.”
in progress · Public domain (CC0) · A modern open-licensed translation, still being completed. Some Old Testament books are not yet available.
Before he had finished speaking, someone came from the house of the synagogue leader and said, ‘Your daughter is dead! Do not trouble the teacher further.’
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.
While he was still talking, someone came from the house of the ruler of the Synagogue, saying, Your daughter is dead; do not go on troubling the Master.
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.
While he still spoke, one from the ruler of the synagogue’s house came, saying to him, “Your daughter is dead; Don’t trouble the Teacher.”
Word-for-word swaps
- cometh→still
- Thy→Your
- Master→Teacher
The verses either side
King James text. A comparison is easier to judge when you can see the sentence the verse sits inside.