Psalms 96:10 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.
Say among the heathen the LORD reigneth: the world also shall be established that it shall not be moved: he shall judge the people righteously.
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.
Say among the nations, Jehovah reigneth: The world also is established that it cannot be moved: He will judge the peoples with equity.
1901 · Public domain · The American revision of the English Revised Version. Deliberately literal, and the base text behind several later translations.
Say among the nations, Jehovah reigneth! yea, the world is established, it shall not be moved; he will execute judgment upon the peoples with equity.
1890 · Public domain · John Nelson Darby's translation, made for close study rather than public reading. Often exposes grammatical detail other versions smooth over.
Say among nations, `Jehovah hath reigned, Also--established is the world, unmoved, He judgeth the peoples in uprightness.'
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.
Say among the nations, “Yahweh reigns.” The world is also established. It can’t be moved. He will judge the peoples with equity.
2000s · Public domain · A modern-English update of the ASV. Reads close to contemporary speech while staying in the literal tradition. Includes the Apocrypha.
Say to the nations, “The Lord is king.” The world stands firm to be shaken no more. He will judge the peoples with equity.
in progress · Public domain (CC0) · A modern open-licensed translation, still being completed. Some Old Testament books are not yet available.
Say to the nations, ‘The Lord is king.’ The world stands firm to be shaken no more. He will judge the peoples with equity.
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.
Say among the nations, The Lord is King; yes, the world is ordered so that it may not be moved; he will be an upright judge of the peoples.
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.
Say among the nations, “Yahweh reigns.” the world is also established it can’t be moved: he will judge the peoples with equity.
Word-for-word swaps
- reigneth→nations
- not→can’t
- shall→will
- righteously→peoples
The verses either side
King James text. A comparison is easier to judge when you can see the sentence the verse sits inside.