Malachi 3:18 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.
Then shall ye return, and discern between the righteous and the wicked, between him that serveth God and him that serveth him not.
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.
Then shall ye return and discern between the righteous and the wicked, between him that serveth God and him that serveth him not.
1901 · Public domain · The American revision of the English Revised Version. Deliberately literal, and the base text behind several later translations.
And ye shall return and discern between the righteous and the wicked, between him that serveth God and him that serveth him not.
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 ye have turned back and considered, Between the righteous and the wicked, Between the servant of God and him who is not His servant.
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.
Then you shall return and discern between the righteous and the wicked, between him who serves God and him who doesn’t serve him.
2000s · Public domain · A modern-English update of the ASV. Reads close to contemporary speech while staying in the literal tradition. Includes the Apocrypha.
Once again my people will see the difference between the righteous and the wicked, between the person who serves God and the person who does not.”
in progress · Public domain (CC0) · A modern open-licensed translation, still being completed. Some Old Testament books are not yet available.
Once again my people will see the difference between the righteous and the wicked, between the person who serves God and the person who does not.’
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.
Then you will again see how the upright man is different from the sinner, and the servant of God from him who is not.
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.
Then you shall return, and discern between the righteous and the wicked, between him who serves God and him who doesn’t serve him
Word-for-word swaps
- serveth→who
The verses either side
King James text. A comparison is easier to judge when you can see the sentence the verse sits inside.