Matthew 8:16 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.
When the even was come, they brought unto him many that were possessed with devils: and he cast out the spirits with word, and healed all that were sick:
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 when even was come, they brought unto him many possessed with demons: and he cast out the spirits with a word, and healed all that were sick:
1901 · Public domain · The American revision of the English Revised Version. Deliberately literal, and the base text behind several later translations.
And when the evening was come, they brought to him many possessed by demons, and he cast out the spirits with a word, and healed all that were ill;
1890 · Public domain · John Nelson Darby's translation, made for close study rather than public reading. Often exposes grammatical detail other versions smooth over.
And evening having come, they brought to him many demoniacs, and he did cast out the spirits with a word, and did heal all who were ill,
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.
When evening came, they brought to him many possessed with demons. He cast out the spirits with a word, and healed all who were sick;
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.
In the evening the people brought to Jesus many who were possessed by demons; and he drove out the spirits with a word, and cured all who were ill,
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 in the evening, they took to him a number of people who had evil spirits; and he sent the spirits out of them with a word, and made well all who were ill;
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.
When evening came, they brought to him many possessed with demons. he cast out the spirits with a word, and healed all who were sick:
Word-for-word swaps
- come→evening
- unto→to
- and→demons
- 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.