Micah 2:10 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.
Arise ye, and depart; for this not rest: because it is polluted, it shall destroy even with a sore destruction.
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.
Arise ye, and depart; for this is not your resting-place; because of uncleanness that destroyeth, even with a grievous destruction.
1901 · Public domain · The American revision of the English Revised Version. Deliberately literal, and the base text behind several later translations.
Arise ye, and depart; for this is not the resting-place, because of defilement that bringeth destruction, even a grievous destruction.
1890 · Public domain · John Nelson Darby's translation, made for close study rather than public reading. Often exposes grammatical detail other versions smooth over.
Rise and go, for this is not the rest, Because of uncleanness it doth corrupt, And corruption is powerful.
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.
Arise, and depart! For this is not your resting place, because of uncleanness that destroys, even with a grievous destruction.
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.
Rise and begone, for this is no place to rest. Your uncleanness brings destruction, severe destruction.
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.
Up! and go; for this is not your rest: because it has been made unclean, the destruction ordered will come on you.
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.
Arise and depart; for this is not your resting place, because of uncleanness that destroys, even with a grievous destruction.
Word-for-word swaps
- rest→your
- destroy→of
- sore→grievous
The verses either side
King James text. A comparison is easier to judge when you can see the sentence the verse sits inside.