Psalms 38:16 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.
For I said, lest they should rejoice over me: when my foot slippeth, they magnify against me.
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.
For I said, Lest they rejoice over me: When my foot slippeth, they magnify themselves against me.
1901 · Public domain · The American revision of the English Revised Version. Deliberately literal, and the base text behind several later translations.
For I said, Let them not rejoice over me! When my foot slipped, they magnified [themselves] against me.
1890 · Public domain · John Nelson Darby's translation, made for close study rather than public reading. Often exposes grammatical detail other versions smooth over.
When I said, `Lest they rejoice over me, In the slipping of my foot against me they magnified themselves.
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.
For I said, “Don’t let them gloat over me, or exalt themselves over me when my foot slips.”
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.
when I utter the hope that those who made scorn of my tottering feet may not rejoice over me.
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.
I said, Let them not be glad over me; when my foot is moved, let them not be lifted up with pride against me.
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.
For I said, “Don’t let them gloat over me: or exalt themselves over me when my foot slips.”
Word-for-word swaps
- rejoice→Don’t
- me→slips
The verses either side
King James text. A comparison is easier to judge when you can see the sentence the verse sits inside.