Crossway - ESV Classic Reference Bible

The Old Testament The New Testament Thank you for purchasing the ESV Bible, ePub Edition. This edition is designed to provide all of the contents of the print edition of the ESV Classic Reference Bible, in an ePub format. This Foreword highlights the differences between the print edition and the ePub edition. All cross-references and footnotes in the ESV Bible, ePub Edition, are represented as links. A superscript letter ( a ) links to a cross-reference list. A number inside brackets ( [] ) links to a footnote.

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The Holy Bible, English Standard Version (ESV) Crossway
Wheaton, Illinois ESV Bible, ePub Edition The Holy Bible, English Standard Version (ESV)
Copyright 2001 by Crossway,
a publishing ministry of Good News Publishers
All rights reserved. ESV Text Edition: Version: esv.2012.05.a.epub Permissions notice: The ESV text may be quoted (in written, visual, or electronic form) up to and inclusive of one thousand (1,000) verses without express written permission of the publisher, provided that the verses quoted do not amount to a complete book of the Bible nor do the verses quoted account for 50 percent or more of the total text of the work in which they are quoted. The ESV text may be quoted for audio use (audio cassettes, CDs, audio television) up to two hundred fifty (250) verses without express written permission of the publisher provided that the verses quoted do not amount to a complete book of the Bible nor do the verses quoted account for 50 percent or more of the total text of the work in which they are quoted. Notice of copyright must appear as follows on the title page or copyright page of printed works quoting from the ESV, or in a corresponding location when the ESV is quoted in other media: Scripture quotations are from The ESV Bible (The Holy Bible, English Standard Version), copyright 2001 by Crossway, a publishing ministry of Good News Publishers. Used by permission.

All rights reserved. When more than one translation is quoted in printed works or other media, the foregoing notice of copyright should begin as follows: Unless otherwise indicated, all Scripture quotations are from... [etc.]; or,
Scripture quotations marked (ESV) are from... [etc.]. The ESV and English Standard Version are registered trademarks of Crossway. Use of either trademark requires the permission of Crossway.

When quotations from the ESV text are used in non-saleable print and digital media, such as church bulletins, orders of service, posters, transparencies, or similar media, a complete copyright notice is not required, but the initials (ESV) must appear at the end of the quotation. Publication of any commentary or other Bible reference work produced for commercial sale that uses the English Standard Version (ESV) must include written permission for use of the ESV text. Permission requests that exceed the above guidelines must be directed to Crossway, Attn: Bible Rights, 1300 Crescent Street, Wheaton, IL 60187, USA. Permission requests for use of the anglicized ESV Bible text that exceed the above guidelines must be directed to: HarperCollins Religious, 77-85 Fulham Palace Road, Hammersmith, London W6 8JB, England. Supplemental material: The ESV Preface, Explanation of Features, and headings in the Bible text copyright 2001 by Crossway. The Holy Bible, English Standard Version (ESV) is adapted from the Revised Standard Version of the Bible, copyright Division of Christian Education of the National Council of the Churches of Christ in the U.S.A.

All rights reserved. Published by Crossway
Wheaton, Illinois 60187, U.S.A.
www.crosswaybibles.org Crossway is a not-for-profit publishing ministry that exists solely for the purpose of publishing the Good News of the Gospel and the Truth of Gods Word, the Bible. A portion of the purchase price of every ESV Bible is donated to help support Bible distribution ministry around the world.

This Book [is] the most valuable thing that this world affords. Here is Wisdom; this is the royal Law; these are the lively Oracles of God. With these words the Moderator of the Church of Scotland hands a Bible to the new monarch in Britains coronation service.

These words echo the King James Bible translators, who wrote in 1611: Gods sacred Word... is that inestimable treasure that excelleth all the riches of the earth. This assessment of the Bible is the motivating force behind the publication of the English Standard Version.

The English Standard Version (ESV) stands in the classic mainstream of English Bible translations over the past half-millennium. The fountainhead of that stream was William Tyndales New Testament of 1526; marking its course were the King James Version of 1611 (KJV), the English Revised Version of 1885 (RV), the American Standard Version of 1901 (ASV), and the Revised Standard Version of 1952 and 1971 (RSV). In that stream, faithfulness to the text and vigorous pursuit of accuracy were combined with simplicity, beauty, and dignity of expression.

Our goal has been to carry forward this legacy for a new century. To this end each word and phrase in the ESV has been carefully weighed against the original Hebrew, Aramaic, and Greek to ensure the fullest accuracy and clarity and to avoid under-translating or overlooking any nuance of the original text. The words and phrases themselves grow out of the TyndaleKing James legacy, and most recently out of the RSV, with the 1971 RSV text providing the starting point for our work. Archaic language has been brought to current usage and significant corrections have been made in the translation of key texts. But throughout, our goal has been to retain the depth of meaning and enduring language that have made their indelible mark on the English-speaking world and have defined the life and doctrine of the church over the last four centuries.

The ESV is an essentially literal translation that seeks as much as possible to capture the precise wording of the original text and the personal style of each Bible writer.

As such, its emphasis is on word-for-word correspondence, at the same time taking into account differences of grammar, syntax, and idiom between current literary English and the original languages. Thus it seeks to be transparent to the original text, letting the reader see as directly as possible the structure and meaning of the original. In contrast to the ESV, some Bible versions have followed a thought-for-thought rather than word-for-word translation philosophy, emphasizing dynamic equivalence rather than the essentially literal meaning of the original. A thought-for-thought translation is of necessity more inclined to reflect the interpretative opinions of the translator and the influences of contemporary culture. Every translation is at many points a trade-off between literal precision and readability, between formal equivalence in expression and functional equivalence in communication, and the ESV is no exception. Within this framework we have sought to be as literal as possible while maintaining clarity of expression and literary excellence.

Therefore, to the extent that plain English permits and the meaning in each case allows, we have sought to use the same English word for important recurring words in the original; and, as far as grammar and syntax allow, we have rendered Old Testament passages cited in the New in ways that show their correspondence. Thus in each of these areas, as well as throughout the Bible as a whole, we have sought to capture the echoes and overtones of meaning that are so abundantly present in the original texts. As an essentially literal translation, then, the ESV seeks to carry over every possible nuance of meaning in the original words of Scripture into our own language. As such, the ESV is ideally suited for in-depth study of the Bible. Indeed, with its emphasis on literary excellence, the ESV is equally suited for public reading and preaching, for private reading and reflection, for both academic and devotional study, and for Scripture memorization.