Mark 2:2 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 straightway many were gathered together, insomuch that there was no room to receive no, not so much as about the door: and he preached the word unto them.
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 many were gathered together, so that there was no longer room [for them], no, not even about the door: and he spake the word unto them.
1901 · Public domain · The American revision of the English Revised Version. Deliberately literal, and the base text behind several later translations.
and straightway many were gathered together, so that there was no longer any room, not even at the door; and he spoke the word to them.
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 immediately many were gathered together, so that there was no more room, not even at the door, and he was speaking to them the word.
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.
Immediately many were gathered together, so that there was no more room, not even around the door; and he spoke the word to them.
2000s · Public domain · A modern-English update of the ASV. Reads close to contemporary speech while staying in the literal tradition. Includes the Apocrypha.
and so many people collected together, that after a while there was no room for them even around the door; and he began to tell them his message.
in progress · Public domain (CC0) · A modern open-licensed translation, still being completed. Some Old Testament books are not yet available.
and so many people collected together, that after a while there was no room for them even round the door; and he began to tell them his message.
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 a great number had come together, so that there was no longer room for them, no, not even about the door: and he gave them teaching.
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.
Immediately many were gathered together, so that there was no more room not even around the door: and he spoke the word to them.
Word-for-word swaps
- straightway→Immediately
- insomuch→so
- about→even
- preached→spoke
- unto→to
The verses either side
King James text. A comparison is easier to judge when you can see the sentence the verse sits inside.