Matthew 9:12 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 Jesus heard he said unto them, They that be whole need not a physician, but they that are 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.
But when he heard it, he said, They that are whole have no need of a physician, but they that are sick.
1901 · Public domain · The American revision of the English Revised Version. Deliberately literal, and the base text behind several later translations.
But [Jesus] hearing it, said, They that are strong have not need of a physician, but those that are 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 Jesus having heard, said to them, `They who are whole have no need of a physician, but they who are 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 Jesus heard it, he said to them, “Those who are healthy have no need for a physician, but those who are sick do.
2000s · Public domain · A modern-English update of the ASV. Reads close to contemporary speech while staying in the literal tradition. Includes the Apocrypha.
On hearing this, Jesus said, “It is not those who are healthy who need a doctor, but those who are ill.
in progress · Public domain (CC0) · A modern open-licensed translation, still being completed. Some Old Testament books are not yet available.
On hearing this, Jesus said, ‘It is not those who are healthy who need a doctor, but those who are ill.
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 on hearing this he said, Those who are well have no need of a medical man, but those who are 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 Jesus heard it, he said to them, “Those who are healthy have no need for a physician, but those who are sick. do.
Word-for-word swaps
- unto→to
- whole→Those
- not→for
- that→those
The verses either side
King James text. A comparison is easier to judge when you can see the sentence the verse sits inside.