Matthew 26:52 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 said Jesus unto him, Put up again thy sword into his place: for all they that take the sword shall perish with the sword.
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 Jesus unto him, Put up again thy sword into its place: for all they that take the sword shall perish with the sword.
1901 · Public domain · The American revision of the English Revised Version. Deliberately literal, and the base text behind several later translations.
Then saith Jesus to him, Return thy sword to its place; for all who take the sword shall perish by the sword.
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 Jesus to him, `Turn back thy sword to its place; for all who did take the sword, by the sword shall perish;
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 Jesus said to him, “Put your sword back into its place, for all those who take the sword will die by the sword.
2000s · Public domain · A modern-English update of the ASV. Reads close to contemporary speech while staying in the literal tradition. Includes the Apocrypha.
“Sheathe your sword,” Jesus said, “for all who draw the sword will be put to the sword.
in progress · Public domain (CC0) · A modern open-licensed translation, still being completed. Some Old Testament books are not yet available.
‘Sheathe your sword,’ Jesus said, ‘for all who draw the sword will be put to the sword.
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 Jesus to him, Put up your sword again into its place: for all those who take the sword will come to death by the sword.
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 Jesus said to him, Put your sword back into its place: for all those who take the sword will die by the sword.
Word-for-word swaps
- unto→said
- thy→your
- his→its
- that→those
- with→will
The verses either side
King James text. A comparison is easier to judge when you can see the sentence the verse sits inside.