Romans 10:21 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.
But to Israel he saith, All day long I have stretched forth my hands unto a disobedient and gainsaying people.
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.
But as to Israel he saith, All the day long did I spread out my hands unto a disobedient and gainsaying people.
1901 · Public domain · The American revision of the English Revised Version. Deliberately literal, and the base text behind several later translations.
But unto Israel he says, All the day long I have stretched out my hands unto a people disobeying and opposing.
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 unto Israel He saith, `All the day I did stretch out My hands unto a people unbelieving and gainsaying.'
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.
But as to Israel he says, “All day long I stretched out my hands to a disobedient and contrary people.”
2000s · Public domain · A modern-English update of the ASV. Reads close to contemporary speech while staying in the literal tradition. Includes the Apocrypha.
But of the people of Israel he says – ‘All day long I have stretched out my hands to a people who disobey and contradict.’
in progress · Public domain (CC0) · A modern open-licensed translation, still being completed. Some Old Testament books are not yet available.
But of the people of Israel he says – “All day long I have stretched out my hands to a people who disobey and contradict.”
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.
But about Israel he says; All the day my hands have been stretched out to a people whose hearts were turned away, and who put themselves against my word.
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.
But as to Israel he says, All day long I stretched out my hands to a disobedient and contrary people.
Word-for-word swaps
- saith→says
- forth→out
- unto→to
- gainsaying→contrary
The verses either side
King James text. A comparison is easier to judge when you can see the sentence the verse sits inside.