Psalms 112:9 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.
He hath dispersed, he hath given to the poor; his righteousness endureth for ever; his horn shall be exalted with honour.
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.
He hath dispersed, he hath given to the needy; His righteousness endureth for ever: His horn shall be exalted with honor.
1901 · Public domain · The American revision of the English Revised Version. Deliberately literal, and the base text behind several later translations.
He scattereth abroad, he giveth to the needy; his righteousness abideth for ever: his horn shall be exalted with honour.
1890 · Public domain · John Nelson Darby's translation, made for close study rather than public reading. Often exposes grammatical detail other versions smooth over.
He hath scattered--hath given to the needy, His righteousness is standing for ever, His horn is exalted with honour.
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.
He has dispersed, he has given to the poor. His righteousness endures forever. His horn will be exalted with honor.
2000s · Public domain · A modern-English update of the ASV. Reads close to contemporary speech while staying in the literal tradition. Includes the Apocrypha.
With lavish hands they give to the poor, and their prosperity stands forever. They are lifted to heights of triumph and honor.
in progress · Public domain (CC0) · A modern open-licensed translation, still being completed. Some Old Testament books are not yet available.
With lavish hands they give to the poor, and their prosperity stands forever. They are lifted to heights of triumph and honour.
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.
He has given with open hands to the poor; his righteousness is for ever; his horn will be lifted up with honour.
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.
He has dispersed, he has given to the poor; his righteousness endures forever. his horn will be exalted with honor.
Word-for-word swaps
- hath→has
- ever→endures
- shall→will
- honour→honor
The verses either side
King James text. A comparison is easier to judge when you can see the sentence the verse sits inside.