Psalms 94:23 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.
And he shall bring upon them their own iniquity, and shall cut them off in their own wickedness; the LORD our God shall cut them off.
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.
And he hath brought upon them their own iniquity, And will cut them off in their own wickedness; Jehovah our God will cut them off. Psalm 95
1901 · Public domain · The American revision of the English Revised Version. Deliberately literal, and the base text behind several later translations.
And he will bring upon them their iniquity, and will cut them off in their own evil: Jehovah our God will cut them off.
1890 · Public domain · John Nelson Darby's translation, made for close study rather than public reading. Often exposes grammatical detail other versions smooth over.
And turneth back on them their iniquity, And in their wickedness cutteth them off; Jehovah our God doth cut them off!
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 brought on them their own iniquity, and will cut them off in their own wickedness. Yahweh, our God, will cut them off.
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.
He will bring back their sin upon them, for their wickedness he will destroy them; the Lord our God will destroy them.
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.
And he has made their evil designs come back on themselves, cutting them off in their sin; the Lord our God will put an end to them.
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 brought on them their own iniquity, and will cut them off in their own wickedness; Yahweh, our God will cut them off.
Word-for-word swaps
- upon→has
- shall→will
- LORD→Yahweh
The verses either side
King James text. A comparison is easier to judge when you can see the sentence the verse sits inside.