Why the English Standard Version translation?
The Bible in English Translation: An Essential Guide
Steven M. Sheeley & Robert N. Nash
Choosing a translation of the Bible in the English language used to be relatively simple. At most, one would have been forced to choose between the king James Version and the Revised Standard Version. A visit to the bookstore today reveals a bewildering array of choices: in addition to the venerable KJV there are the NRSV, NIV, JB, REB, NASB, GNB, NKJV, CEV, LB, and more. Adding to the confusion which this variety of translations produces are the hundreds of editions in which they appear. So which do you choose? This book will help students of the Bible evaluate, for themselves, the strengths and weaknesses of the different contemporary English translations of Scripture. To aid the reader in making that assessment, Sheeley and Nash begin with a brief overview of the Bible's structure and history, highlighting the development of the canon and pointing out the major events in the story of the Bible's translation into English. Steven M. Sheeley is Associate Professor of Religion, Chair of the Department of Religion and Philosophy, and Associate Dean of the College at Shorter College in Rome, Georgia. Robert N. Nash, Jr. is Assistant Professor of Religion at Shorter College in Rome, Georgia.
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Why have we chosen the English
Standard Version translation of the Bible for this site? There are two main
reasons: accuracy and clarity.
The ESV first appeared on the scene in 2001, the result of a growing concern
among scholars that existing modern translations had sacrificed accuracy for
the sake of using informal, conversational language, and for the sake of
"gender inclusive language," which is considered by many as an unnecessary bow
to political correctness. A translation committee was formed, and it was decided
that instead of creating a wholly new translation, the work would start with the
existing Revised Standard Version (itself a revision of the King James Version),
comparing it thoroughly with ancient texts, and so a
translation would be created that both reflected the familiar King James Version
tradition and modern scholarship. The result
is a text that has the ring of familiarity to those who have grown up with the
King James Bible, while clarifying things that are considered by Bible scholars
to be weak or faulty translations or language choices.
On a personal level... I had been an NIV-reader for over a decade when I happened
across the ESV. Over the years I had run across one or two of the places that
the NIV translation appears to have taken a wrong turn in translation, and when
I heard that there was a new translation that was specifically intended to address
those very kinds of issues, I was intrigued. Since I discovered the ESV I have spent
quite a bit of time with it, and I have to say that in my study times it seems to
me to have a high degree of accuracy and clarity. Is it perfect? No, of course not.
An English translation can never be perfect; it is mankind's attempt to replace
the inspired words of God in the Scripture with equivalent words in another
language. And there are still some defects in the translation (still-archaic words
and phrasings, that sort of thing) that are being worked on for an upcoming edition.
But I consider the ESV a good start, trustworthy for reading and study. With the
help of this site, you can see for yourself if you agree!
If you would like to read more about the ESV, visit
Crossway Bibles' "About
The ESV" Page.
If you are interested in finding out about some of the other translations
currently available, try
this
list of the grade levels of different translations.
