Matthew 26:38 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.
Then saith he unto them, My soul is exceeding sorrowful, even unto death: tarry ye here, and watch with 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.
Then saith he unto them, My soul is exceeding sorrowful, even unto death: abide ye here, and watch with me.
1901 · Public domain · The American revision of the English Revised Version. Deliberately literal, and the base text behind several later translations.
Then he says to them, My soul is very sorrowful even unto death; remain here and watch with 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.
then saith he to them, `Exceedingly sorrowful is my soul--unto death; abide ye here, and watch with 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.
Then he said to them, “My soul is exceedingly sorrowful, even to death. Stay here, and watch with 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.
“I am sad at heart,” he said, “sad even to death; wait here and watch with me.”
in progress · Public domain (CC0) · A modern open-licensed translation, still being completed. Some Old Testament books are not yet available.
‘I am sad at heart,’ he said, ‘sad even to death; wait here and watch with 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.
Then says he to them, My soul is very sad, even to death: keep watch with me here.
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.
Then he said to them, My soul is exceedingly sorrowful, even to death: Stay here, and watch with me.
Word-for-word swaps
- unto→said
- exceeding→exceedingly
- unto→to
- ye→Stay
The verses either side
King James text. A comparison is easier to judge when you can see the sentence the verse sits inside.