Zephaniah 1:6 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.
And them that are turned back from the LORD; and those that have not sought the LORD, nor enquired for him.
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.
and them that are turned back from following Jehovah; and those that have not sought Jehovah, nor inquired after him.
1901 · Public domain · The American revision of the English Revised Version. Deliberately literal, and the base text behind several later translations.
and them that turn back from after Jehovah, and that do not seek Jehovah, nor inquire for him.
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 those removing from after Jehovah, And who have not sought Jehovah, nor besought Him.
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.
those who have turned back from following Yahweh, and those who haven’t sought Yahweh nor inquired after him.
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.
and those who turn back from following the Lord, And those who do not seek the Lord nor strive to find him.
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.
And those who are turned back from going after the Lord, and those who have not made prayer to the Lord or got directions from him.
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.
those who have turned back from following Yahweh, and those who haven’t sought Yahweh nor inquired after him.
Word-for-word swaps
- are→those
- LORD→following
- not→who
- LORD→Yahweh
- for→inquired
The verses either side
King James text. A comparison is easier to judge when you can see the sentence the verse sits inside.