Mark 14:31 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.
But he spake the more vehemently, If I should die with thee, I will not deny thee in any wise. Likewise also said they all.
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 he spake exceedingly vehemently, If I must die with thee, I will not deny thee. And in like manner also said they all.
1901 · Public domain · The American revision of the English Revised Version. Deliberately literal, and the base text behind several later translations.
But he said [so much] exceedingly the more, If I should have to die with thee, I will in no wise deny thee. And likewise said they all too.
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 he spake the more vehemently, `If it may be necessary for me to die with thee--I will in no wise deny thee;' and in like manner also said they all.
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 he spoke all the more, “If I must die with you, I will not deny you.” They all said the same thing.
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 Peter vehemently protested, “Even if I must die with you, I will never disown you!” And they all said the same.
in progress · Public domain (CC0) · A modern open-licensed translation, still being completed. Some Old Testament books are not yet available.
But Peter vehemently protested, ‘Even if I must die with you, I will never disown you!’ And they all said the same.
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 he said with passion, If I have to be put to death with you, I will not be false to you. And they all said the same.
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 he spoke all the more If I must die with you, I will not deny you.” they all. said the same thing.
Word-for-word swaps
- spake→spoke
- should→must
- thee→you
- said→you
The verses either side
King James text. A comparison is easier to judge when you can see the sentence the verse sits inside.