Matthew 14:30 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 when he saw the wind boisterous, he was afraid; and beginning to sink, he cried, saying, Lord, save me.
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 when he saw the wind, he was afraid; and beginning to sink, he cried out, saying, Lord, save me.
1901 · Public domain · The American revision of the English Revised Version. Deliberately literal, and the base text behind several later translations.
But seeing the wind strong he was afraid; and beginning to sink he cried out, saying, Lord, save me.
1890 · Public domain · John Nelson Darby's translation, made for close study rather than public reading. Often exposes grammatical detail other versions smooth over.
but seeing the wind vehement, he was afraid, and having begun to sink, he cried out, saying, `Sir, save me.'
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 when he saw that the wind was strong, he was afraid, and beginning to sink, he cried out, saying, “Lord, save me!”
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, when he felt the wind, he was frightened, and, beginning to sink, cried out, “Master! Save me!”
in progress · Public domain (CC0) · A modern open-licensed translation, still being completed. Some Old Testament books are not yet available.
but, when he felt the wind, he was frightened, and, beginning to sink, cried out, ‘Master! Save me!’
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 when he saw the wind he was in fear and, starting to go down, he gave a cry, saying, Help, Lord.
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 when he saw that the wind was strong, he was afraid; and beginning to sink, he cried, out, saying, Lord, save me.
Word-for-word swaps
- boisterous→was
The verses either side
King James text. A comparison is easier to judge when you can see the sentence the verse sits inside.