Revelation 16:6 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.
For they have shed the blood of saints and prophets, and thou hast given them blood to drink; for they are worthy.
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 they poured out the blood of the saints and the prophets, and blood hast thou given them to drink: they are worthy.
1901 · Public domain · The American revision of the English Revised Version. Deliberately literal, and the base text behind several later translations.
for they have poured out the blood of saints and prophets, and thou hast given them blood to drink; they are worthy.
1890 · Public domain · John Nelson Darby's translation, made for close study rather than public reading. Often exposes grammatical detail other versions smooth over.
because blood of saints and prophets they did pour out, and blood to them Thou didst give to drink, for they are worthy;'
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 they poured out the blood of the saints and prophets, and you have given them blood to drink. They deserve this.”
2000s · Public domain · A modern-English update of the ASV. Reads close to contemporary speech while staying in the literal tradition. Includes the Apocrypha.
for men shed the blood of Christ’s people and of the prophets, and you have given them blood to drink. It is what they deserve.’
in progress · Public domain (CC0) · A modern open-licensed translation, still being completed. Some Old Testament books are not yet available.
for men shed the blood of Christ’s people and of the prophets, and you have given them blood to drink. It is what they deserve.”
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.
For they made the blood of saints and prophets come out like a stream, and blood have you given them for drink; which is their right reward.
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 they poured out the blood of the saints and prophets, and you have given them blood to drink; they deserve this.”
Word-for-word swaps
- shed→poured
- hast→you
- worthy→deserve
The verses either side
King James text. A comparison is easier to judge when you can see the sentence the verse sits inside.