English Standard Version question

B

Bonk!Ow!

Banned
Was it this version that was the version that tried to stay as completely 100% true to the original language as grammatically possible? I use the NIV a lot but I would like something totally literal and less of a paraphrase
 
The English Standard Version (ESV) Bible is a new, essentially literal Bible translation that combines word-for-word precision and accuracy with literary excellence, beauty, and depth of meaning.

It is supposed to be as accurate or more then the NASB while still having a poetic feel. This has made it highly recommended as an all-in-one bible that is good for daily reading, deep study, and memorizing.

I absolutely love the ESV, myself.
 
ewoksrule said:
The English Standard Version (ESV) Bible is a new, essentially literal Bible translation that combines word-for-word precision and accuracy with literary excellence, beauty, and depth of meaning.

It is supposed to be as accurate or more then the NASB while still having a poetic feel. This has made it highly recommended as an all-in-one bible that is good for daily reading, deep study, and memorizing.

I absolutely love the ESV, myself.
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Me too. Excellent version and highly recommended. It does, from my limited knowledge, tread a line between the NIV and the NASB in terms of literal translation (i.e. more readable than the NASB and more literal than the NIV). It can be a bit cumbersome to read at first but I love mine and it is free if you use e-sword or pocket sword on your PC or PDA.
 
I like my ESV too. But it still has some things left out that the KJV has in, but it's a whole lot easier to read.
 
Bonk!Ow! said:
Awesome. Is the NASB more literal, then?
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As far as I know yes the NASB is more literal* (or at least the claims are that it is more literal - my guess is that it is prob more complex than that).


*This information comes from when we (that is my church at the time) made the switch from NIV to ESV (I have the notes somewhere and will post if i find them). I remember being really unsure when we made the switch but don't think i would go back in a hurry.
 
If I were looking for something literal, I would also opt for NASB. Maybe it's just that I know more about it though.

What I usually prefer for general, everyday reading is the Holman Christian Standard Bible. While I'd rather not be quoting publishers, it really is a good balance between "word-for-word" and "thought-for-thought." It doesn't seem like it has a lot of paraphrase at all. It's just very readable.
 
I still prefer the KJV, when I hit up the NIV I could see what was left out that the KJV had and that bothered me...
 
You are right. While the NIV (1978) is a solid translation of the Bible, it is largely a paraphrase. Though the translation is literal, it is not word for word. Also, because the translators come from over thirty denominations, it is free of narrow bias. It is probably the best all-purpose Bible available today.

The NASB (1971) was a revision of the old ASV, and has high priority on literal translation, but often sacrifices English style to be faithful to Greek and Hebrew manuscripts, as a result it sometimes sounds rigid (though it is an accurate translation) such as in Mark 4:2 "And He was teaching them many things in parables, and was saying to them in His teaching..."

The ESV (2001) stands in the classic mainstream of English Bible translation over the past 500 years. Each word and phrase has been carefully weighted against the original languages to ensure the fullest accuracy and clarity. The ESV uses the RSV (Revised Standard Version, 1952) as its starting point and seeks to be a literal translation. Just as a note, the translation team for this work consisted of over 1000 international scholars from a variety of denominations.

As a plug for Embers post, I would also agree that the HCSB (Holman Christian Standard Bible, 1999) is another outstanding modern translation.

In short, I dont think you could go wrong with any of these. I find it best to read more then one translation if possible. ^_^
 
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Yeah, for reading I have HCSB.

But there are others around for reference. Like Tek has a NKJV Bible. I have a NASB that is actually a parallel Bible (Spanish)...I like to go to it if I want to delve deeper into what something might mean. My old Bible that I used for years was NIV. It's the only one I have that's a Study Bible with all the commentary at the bottom.
 
Well I found a nice LEATHERBOUND thinline compact type Bible with readable print (for me, that's good--I like small sized Bibles but also decent print) for 24.99 , English Standard Version. Good stuff (considering the one I originally wanted was 70 something dollars and the other I looked at was 44.99 )
 
Also, leather-bound Bibles are awesome, did I mention that already? :p

I mean, paperbacks end up destroyed with all the use, and hardcovers aren't nearly as forgiving. Plus, leather is just classy. And I'm a pretty classy guy! :p
 
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