Psalms 32:8 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.
I will instruct thee and teach thee in the way which thou shalt go: I will guide thee with mine eye.
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.
I will instruct thee and teach thee in the way which thou shalt go: I will counsel thee with mine eye upon thee.
1901 · Public domain · The American revision of the English Revised Version. Deliberately literal, and the base text behind several later translations.
I will instruct thee and teach thee the way in which thou shalt go; I will counsel [thee] with mine eye upon thee.
1890 · Public domain · John Nelson Darby's translation, made for close study rather than public reading. Often exposes grammatical detail other versions smooth over.
I cause thee to act wisely, And direct thee in the way that thou goest, I cause mine eye to take counsel concerning thee.
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.
I will instruct you and teach you in the way which you shall go. I will counsel you with my eye on you.
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 my eye steadfastly upon you, I will instruct and teach you The way you should go.
in progress · Public domain (CC0) · A modern open-licensed translation, still being completed. Some Old Testament books are not yet available.
‘With my eye steadfastly upon you, I will instruct and teach you The way you should go.
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.
I will give you knowledge, teaching you the way to go; my eye will be your guide.
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.
I will instruct you and teach you in the way which you shall go: I will counsel you with my eye. on you.
Word-for-word swaps
- thee→you
- shalt→you
- thee→counsel
- mine→my
The verses either side
King James text. A comparison is easier to judge when you can see the sentence the verse sits inside.