Psalms 109:19 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.
Let it be unto him as the garment covereth him, and for a girdle wherewith he is girded continually.
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.
Let it be unto him as the raiment wherewith he covereth himself, And for the girdle wherewith he is girded continually.
1901 · Public domain · The American revision of the English Revised Version. Deliberately literal, and the base text behind several later translations.
Let it be unto him as a garment with which he covereth himself, and for a girdle wherewith he is constantly girded.
1890 · Public domain · John Nelson Darby's translation, made for close study rather than public reading. Often exposes grammatical detail other versions smooth over.
It is to him as apparel--he covereth himself, And for a continual girdle he girdeth it on.
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.
Let it be to him as the clothing with which he covers himself, for the belt that is always around him.
2000s · Public domain · A modern-English update of the ASV. Reads close to contemporary speech while staying in the literal tradition. Includes the Apocrypha.
Let them be like the robe he wraps round him, like the belt he wears every day.”
in progress · Public domain (CC0) · A modern open-licensed translation, still being completed. Some Old Testament books are not yet available.
Let them be like the robe he wraps round him, like the belt he wears every day.’
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.
Let it be to him as a robe which he puts on, let it be like a band which is round him at all times.
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.
Let it be to him as the clothing with which he covers himself, for the belt that is always around him.
Word-for-word swaps
- unto→to
- wherewith→clothing
- continually→always
The verses either side
King James text. A comparison is easier to judge when you can see the sentence the verse sits inside.