Bible Question: How about some opinions regarding the new English Standard Version. |
Bible Answer: Parousia, the preface to the English Standard Version (ESV) calls it an "essentially literal" translation. The Revised Standard Version (RSV) -- not the New RSV -- was used as a base or starting point for the ESV and the ESV is the RSV except for revisions in about 8 per cent of the text. J.I.Packer who headed the translation committee said in a recent interview that they took the RSV and, in his words, "tightened it up." I own a copy and have discovered that it reads well; is written in excellent, standard modern English; is theologically strong..... The competition in the Bible market is fierce today. So many new versions are crying for attention, it's hard to predict which ones will eventually capture a large chunk of the market. But I would expect the ESV to find increasing favor among a broad spectrum of churches, notably among the more conservative wings of mainliners and particularly among conservative reformed churches. I think it is a fine addition to modern English translations, one of the best to come along since 1611. --Hank |