Romans 3:9 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.
What then? are we better No, in no wise: for we have before proved both Jews and Gentiles, that they are all under sin;
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.
What then? are we better than they? No, in no wise: for we before laid to the charge both of Jews and Greeks, that they are all under sin;
1901 · Public domain · The American revision of the English Revised Version. Deliberately literal, and the base text behind several later translations.
What then? are we better? No, in no wise: for we have before charged both Jews and Greeks with being all under sin:
1890 · Public domain · John Nelson Darby's translation, made for close study rather than public reading. Often exposes grammatical detail other versions smooth over.
What, then? are we better? not at all! for we did before charge both Jews and Greeks with being all under sin,
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.
What then? Are we better than they? No, in no way. For we previously warned both Jews and Greeks, that they are all under sin.
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.
What follows, then? Are we Jews in any way superior to others? Not at all. Our indictment against both Jews and Greeks was that all alike were in subjection to sin.
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.
What then? are we worse off than they? In no way: because we have before made it clear that Jews as well as Greeks are all under the power of sin;
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.
What then? are we better than they? No, in no way. for we previously warned both Jews and Greeks, that they are all under sin;
Word-for-word swaps
- wise→way
- proved→previously
- Gentiles→Greeks
The verses either side
King James text. A comparison is easier to judge when you can see the sentence the verse sits inside.