Psalms 80:1 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.
Give ear, O Shepherd of Israel, thou that leadest Joseph like a flock; thou that dwellest the cherubims, shine forth.
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.
Give ear, O Shepherd of Israel, Thou that leadest Joseph like a flock; Thou that sittest [above] the cherubim, shine forth.
1901 · Public domain · The American revision of the English Revised Version. Deliberately literal, and the base text behind several later translations.
{To the chief Musician. On Shoshannim-Eduth. Of Asaph. A Psalm.} Give ear, O Shepherd of Israel, thou that leadest Joseph like a flock; thou that sittest [between] the cherubim, shine forth.
1890 · Public domain · John Nelson Darby's translation, made for close study rather than public reading. Often exposes grammatical detail other versions smooth over.
To the Overseer. --`On the Lilies.' A testimony of Asaph. --A Psalm. Shepherd of Israel, give ear, Leading Joseph as a flock, Inhabiting the cherubs--shine forth,
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.
Hear us, Shepherd of Israel, you who lead Joseph like a flock, you who sit above the cherubim, shine out.
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.
Listen, Shepherd of Israel, who leads Joseph like a flock of sheep; from your throne on the cherubs shine forth
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.
<To the chief music-maker; put to Shoshannim-eduth. Of Asaph. A Psalm.> Give ear, O Keeper of Israel, guiding Joseph like a flock; you who have your seat on the winged ones, let your glory be seen.
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.
Hear us, Shepherd of Israel, you who lead Joseph like a flock; you who sit above the cherubim, shine out.
Word-for-word swaps
- O→Hear
- leadest→you
- dwellest→you
- cherubims→cherubim
- forth→out
The verses either side
King James text. A comparison is easier to judge when you can see the sentence the verse sits inside.