Mark 6:55 in 8 translations
7 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 ran through that whole region round about, and began to carry about in beds those that were sick, where they heard he was.
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 ran round about that whole region, and began to carry about on their beds those that were sick, where they heard he was.
1901 · Public domain · The American revision of the English Revised Version. Deliberately literal, and the base text behind several later translations.
they ran through that whole country around, and began to carry about those that were ill on couches, where they heard that he was.
1890 · Public domain · John Nelson Darby's translation, made for close study rather than public reading. Often exposes grammatical detail other versions smooth over.
having run about through all that region round about, they began upon the couches to carry about those ill, where they were hearing that he is,
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.
and ran around that whole region, and began to bring those who were sick, on their mats, to where they heard he was.
2000s · Public domain · A modern-English update of the ASV. Reads close to contemporary speech while staying in the literal tradition. Includes the Apocrypha.
These 2 editions word this verse identically.
hurried over the whole country-side, and began to carry about on mats those who were ill, wherever they heard he was.
in progress · Public domain (CC0) · A modern open-licensed translation, still being completed. Some Old Testament books are not yet available.
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 went running through all the country round about, and took on their beds those who were ill, to where it was said that he was.
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.
And ran around that whole region and began to bring those who were sick, on their mats, to where they heard he was.
Word-for-word swaps
- through→around
- beds→bring
- that→who
The verses either side
King James text. A comparison is easier to judge when you can see the sentence the verse sits inside.