Psalms 141:6 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 their judges are overthrown in stony places, they shall hear my words; for they are sweet.
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.
Their judges are thrown down by the sides of the rock; And they shall hear my words; for they are sweet.
1901 · Public domain · The American revision of the English Revised Version. Deliberately literal, and the base text behind several later translations.
When their judges are thrown down from the rocks, they shall hear my words, for they are sweet.
1890 · Public domain · John Nelson Darby's translation, made for close study rather than public reading. Often exposes grammatical detail other versions smooth over.
Their judges have been released by the sides of a rock, And they have heard my sayings, For they have been pleasant.
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.
Their judges are thrown down by the sides of the rock. They will hear my words, for they are well spoken.
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.
Abandoned they are to the hands of their judges: they shall learn that my words are true.
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.
When destruction comes to their judges by the side of the rock, they will give ear to my words, for they are sweet.
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.
their judges are thrown down by the sides of the rock. they will hear my words; for they are well spoken.
Word-for-word swaps
- places→thrown
- shall→will
- sweet→well
The verses either side
King James text. A comparison is easier to judge when you can see the sentence the verse sits inside.