Side by Side
Bible Translation Comparison
Read the Septuagint beside the King James, the World English Bible or the Geneva Bible, with every word that differs highlighted. Every Old Testament chapter, free.
The comparison matters most where the New Testament quotes the Old. In passage after passage the apostles quote the Septuagint wording, and Masoretic-based Bibles read something else.
Where the apostles quote the Septuagint
Each passage below shows the Septuagint, the King James Old Testament, and the New Testament verse that quotes it. Verse text is exactly as published.
Isaiah 7:14: the virgin birth
Matthew cites the sign of Emmanuel in the Septuagint form: a virgin conceives and bears a son, and he is called Emmanuel.
“Therefore the Lord himself shall give you a sign; behold, a virgin shall conceive in the womb, and shall bring forth a son, and you shall call his name Emmanuel.”
“Therefore the Lord himself shall give you a sign; Behold, a virgin shall conceive, and bear a son, and shall call his name Immanuel.”
“Behold, a virgin shall be with child, and shall bring forth a son, and they shall call his name Emmanuel, which being interpreted is, God with us.”
Psalm 40:6: a body prepared for Christ
Hebrews 10:5 quotes "a body hast thou prepared me" as the words of Christ coming into the world. That line is in the Septuagint. Masoretic-based Bibles read "mine ears hast thou opened."
“Sacrifice and offering you would not; but a body have you prepared me: whole burnt offering and [sacrifice] for sin you did not require.”
“Sacrifice and offering thou didst not desire; mine ears hast thou opened: burnt offering and sin offering hast thou not required.”
“Wherefore when he cometh into the world, he saith, Sacrifice and offering thou wouldest not, but a body hast thou prepared me:”
Deuteronomy 32:43: the angels worship the Son
Hebrews 1:6 proves the Son is above the angels with "let all the angels of God worship him." The line stands in the Septuagint Song of Moses and is missing from Masoretic-based Bibles.
“Rejoice, ye heavens, with him, and let all the angels of God worship him; rejoice ye Gentiles, with his people, and let all the sons of God strengthen themselves in him; for he will avenge the blood of his sons, and he will render vengeance, and recompense justice to his enemies, and will reward them that hate him; and the Lord shall purge the land of his people.”
“Rejoice, O ye nations, with his people: for he will avenge the blood of his servants, and will render vengeance to his adversaries, and will be merciful unto his land, and to his people.”
“And again, when he bringeth in the firstbegotten into the world, he saith, And let all the angels of God worship him.”
Amos 9:12: the Gentiles seek the Lord
At the Jerusalem council James quotes Amos to show the Gentiles are called. His wording, "the residue of men might seek after the Lord," is the Septuagint. Masoretic-based Bibles read "possess the remnant of Edom."
“that the remnant of men, and all the Gentiles upon whom my name is called, may earnestly seek [me], says the Lord who does all these things.”
“That they may possess the remnant of Edom, and of all the heathen, which are called by my name, saith the Lord that doeth this.”
“That the residue of men might seek after the Lord, and all the Gentiles, upon whom my name is called, saith the Lord, who doeth all these things.”
Isaiah 42:4: in his name shall the Gentiles trust
Matthew 12:21 applies Isaiah 42 to Christ in the Septuagint wording. Masoretic-based Bibles read "the isles shall wait for his law."
“He shall shine out, and shall not be discouraged, until he have set judgment on the earth: and in his name shall the Gentiles trust.”
“He shall not fail nor be discouraged, till he have set judgment in the earth: and the isles shall wait for his law.”
“And in his name shall the Gentiles trust.”
Exodus 1:5: seventy-five souls
Stephen counts the household of Jacob that went down to Egypt as seventy-five. The Septuagint says seventy-five. Masoretic-based Bibles say seventy.
“But Joseph was in Egypt. And all the souls [born] of Jacob were seventy-five.”
“And all the souls that came out of the loins of Jacob were seventy souls: for Joseph was in Egypt already.”
“Then sent Joseph, and called his father Jacob to him, and all his kindred, threescore and fifteen souls.”
Genesis 5: a longer chronology
The Septuagint gives the patriarchs before the flood longer lives before their first sons, which adds centuries to the timeline from Adam to Abraham.
“And Adam lived two hundred and thirty years, and begot [a son] after his [own] form, and after his [own] image, and he called his name Seth.”
“And Adam lived an hundred and thirty years, and begat a son in his own likeness, after his image; and called his name Seth:”
Translations you can compare
- Septuagint in American English (2012). The Greek Old Testament the apostles quoted, in modern English.
- Brenton's Septuagint (1851). The classic English Septuagint.
- King James Version (1611). Old Testament from the Masoretic text, with the Apocrypha.
- World English Bible. A modern public-domain revision of the 1901 American Standard Version.
- Geneva Bible (1599, and the 1560 Apocrypha). The English Bible before the King James, original spelling.
Questions
- How do I compare Bible translations side by side?
- Open any Old Testament chapter in the compare view. The Septuagint appears on one side and the King James, World English Bible, Geneva Bible or the other Septuagint translation on the other, with the words that differ highlighted.
- What is the difference between the Septuagint and the King James Old Testament?
- The King James Old Testament is translated from the Masoretic text, standardized in the Middle Ages. The Septuagint is the Greek translation made before Christ, the text the New Testament writers quoted. In passages like Isaiah 7:14, Psalm 40:6 and Deuteronomy 32:43 the New Testament follows the Septuagint wording.
- Why do chapter and verse numbers not always line up?
- The traditions divide some books differently. Most psalms are numbered one lower in the Septuagint, and Jeremiah, Exodus, Proverbs, Esther, Daniel and Job order or number parts of the text differently. The compare view maps each verse to its counterpart rather than pairing equal numbers.
- Which Bible translations can I compare?
- The Septuagint in American English (2012), Brenton’s Septuagint (1851), the King James Version with Apocrypha, the World English Bible, and the Geneva Bible. All are public domain.