Matthew 24:21 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.
For then shall be great tribulation, such as was not since the beginning of the world to this time, no, nor ever shall be.
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.
for then shall be great tribulation, such as hath not been from the beginning of the world until now, no, nor ever shall be.
1901 · Public domain · The American revision of the English Revised Version. Deliberately literal, and the base text behind several later translations.
for then shall there be great tribulation, such as has not been from [the] beginning of [the] world until now, nor ever shall be;
1890 · Public domain · John Nelson Darby's translation, made for close study rather than public reading. Often exposes grammatical detail other versions smooth over.
for there shall be then great tribulation, such as was not from the beginning of the world till now, no, nor may be.
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.
for then there will be great oppression, such as has not been from the beginning of the world until now, no, nor ever will be.
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.
for that will be a time of great distress, the like of which has not occurred from the beginning of the world down to the present time – no, nor ever will again.
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.
Because in those days there will be great sorrow, such as there has not been from the start of the world till now, or ever will be.
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.
For then there will be great oppression, such as has not been from the beginning of the world until now, no, nor ever will be.
Word-for-word swaps
- shall→there
- tribulation→oppression
- was→has
- since→been
- time→until
- shall→will
The verses either side
King James text. A comparison is easier to judge when you can see the sentence the verse sits inside.