Zechariah 6:6 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.
The black horses which are therein go forth into the north country; and the white go forth after them; and the grisled go forth toward the south country.
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.
[The chariot] wherein are the black horses goeth forth toward the north country; and the white went forth after them; and the grizzled went forth toward the south country.
1901 · Public domain · The American revision of the English Revised Version. Deliberately literal, and the base text behind several later translations.
That in which are the black horses goeth forth into the north country; and the white go forth after them; and the grisled go forth towards the south country;
1890 · Public domain · John Nelson Darby's translation, made for close study rather than public reading. Often exposes grammatical detail other versions smooth over.
The brown horses that are therein, are coming forth unto the land of the north; and the white have come forth unto their hinder part; and the grisled have come forth unto the land of the south;
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.
The one with the black horses goes out toward the north country; and the white went out after them; and the dappled went out toward the south country.”
2000s · Public domain · A modern-English update of the ASV. Reads close to contemporary speech while staying in the literal tradition. Includes the Apocrypha.
The black horses are going toward the north country and the white toward the west and the dappled toward the south country.”
in progress · Public domain (CC0) · A modern open-licensed translation, still being completed. Some Old Testament books are not yet available.
The black horses are going toward the north country and the white toward the west and the dappled toward the south country.’
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.
The carriage in which are the black horses goes in the direction of the north country; the white go to the west; and those of mixed colour go in the direction of the south country.
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.
The one with the black horses goes out toward the north country; and the white went out after them; and the dappled went out toward the south country.
Word-for-word swaps
- into→goes
- forth→went
- forth→dappled
The verses either side
King James text. A comparison is easier to judge when you can see the sentence the verse sits inside.