Ever since I heard of the ESV translation and read through select parts of Scripture I’ve wanted to switch to it as my daily reader/study Bible. Starting in college I was using the NASB and I thoroughly enjoyed the literalness of the translation. Using the NASB made word studies much more simple than a more dynamic translation such as the NIV or the NLT which utilize a “thought-for-thought” structure rather than a “word-for-word” structure. Unfortunately the NASB still includes some semi-archaic language and words certain passages in ways that can be somewhat misleading to a younger audience who is not familiar with the translation.
This is why I love the ESV so much. It retains a word-for-word literalness but brings the archaic words into current usage.
The back of the box in which the Bible came sums up what exactly the ESV is:
The ESV is essentially a literal Bible translation that combines “word-for-word” precision and accuracy with literary excellence, beauty, and readability.
I’ve included some photos of the Bible, its packaging and wonderful typography.
UPDATE 6/27/07: The official ESV blog picked up on this post and linked to it. Sweet!
