Dr. Jeff VanGoethem
"The ESV is an ‘essentially literal’ translation that seeks as far 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 . . . . 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."
(From the Preface to the English Standard Version, published by Crossway Bibles (Good News, 2001).
What a great statement of Bible translation philosophy! I have been using this new Bible translation, the ESV for a year or two in my own personal devotional time and have become more and more impressed with the quality and accuracy of the work. In my view, it is the best translation to come along in many, many years. At some point in the coming year, I plan to switch to this translation in my preaching and teaching (just as soon as I find the most comfortable edition to use in the pulpit – I am still checking this out).
Translating the Bible accurately for the English reader is so important! Maybe you have heard the folk story of the bandit Jose Rivera (repeated in Ravi Zacharias’ book Can Man Live Without God, Word, 1994, pp. 98-99).Jose Rivera became notorious in several towns in Texas for robbing their banks and businesses. Finally the townsfolk, weary of the constant plundering, hired a ranger to track down Jose Rivera in Mexico and retrieve the money. The ranger at last arrived at a desolate, ramshackle cantina. At the counter he saw a young man enjoying his brew. At one of the tables, another man, with hat over his eyes, was snoring away. The ranger approached the young man at the bar and announced that he was on a mission to bring back Jose Rivera, dead or alive. "Can you help me find him?" he asked. The young man smiled, pointed to the snoring patron, and said, "That is Jose Rivera."
The ranger ambled over to the sleeping bandit, tapping him on the shoulder, "Are you Jose Rivera?" he asked. The man mumbled, "No speak English." The ranger beckoned to the young man to help him communicate with Jose. The ensuing conversation was tedious. First the ranger spoke in English and the young man translated it into Spanish. Jose Rivera responded in Spanish, and young man repeated the answer in English for the ranger.
Finally, the ranger drew his large pistol, placed the end of the barrel on Jose Rivera’s temple and told him that he had two choices: the first was to let him know where all the loot he had stolen was hidden, in which case he could walk away a free man. The second choice was that if he would not reveal where the money was stashed, he would be shot dead instantly. The young man translated the ultimatum.
Jose Rivera pulled himself together and said to the young man, "Tell him to go out of the bar, turn to the right, go about a mile, and he will see a well. Near the well he will see a very tall tree. Beside the trunk of that tree is a large concrete slab. He will need help in removing it. Under the slab is a pit in the ground. If he carefully uncovers it he will find all the jewelry and most of the money I have taken."
The young man turned to the ranger, opened his mouth . . .swallowed . . .paused—and then said, "Jose Rivera says . . . Jose Rivera says . . . Go ahead and shoot!"
If we don’t get an accurate translation, we are dead!
When it comes to the Word of God, this is so true. We need to know what God has said in His Word and if we can’t read Greek and Hebrew, we don’t have access to the Word of God. Hence the need for translation. This is true for every language group. For the English reader, I think that this new translation, the ESV, provides the best translation of God’s Word available today.
I know that many of you have purchased Bibles that reflect the translation I have used throughout my time at East White Oak, The New King James. You should know that I would not make a switch like this without good reason. The ESV is just too good to not use. I know many of you use other translations also. They all have their place, but I am officially jumping on the ESV bandwagon! Let me tell you why.
1. A Sound Philosophy of Translation. The ESV seeks to be as literal as possible in translating the original. It avoids wordy and interpretive translations like many of the other "thought- for-thought" translations.
2. A Sound Use of Original Manuscripts. The translators of the ESV took pains to use the best possible manuscript evidence in wrestling with the various textual traditions.
3. A Sound grasp of English Equivalents. This translation seeks to use the best, plain, modern English terms which grasp the doctrinal ideas and terms of the Bible. This protects the meaning of the Bible. It does not engage in "gender neutral" efforts. It does not try to be political correct. The English is just very clear and plain throughout the translation, reflective of the intent of the original. It is also very readable.
4. A Sound Bible for Reading and Studying. Because the word order is as close to the original as possible, one can read and study this Bible with the sense that the author’s words, purposes and style is preserved. It seeks to retain the grammatical markers and breaks of the original composition. It is therefore highly commended for studying and interpreting the Bible.
Since this translation is relatively new, the various editions may not have all the bells and whistles that some other versions have just yet. But I trust that this will be rectified in time. I imagine that the ESV with come with study notes and other more elaborate features in due time.
What about the other translations?
• New American Standard – a very good, literal translation. The English is a bit choppy and not always smooth in its flow. But it is definitely a good Bible to study from.
• Revised Standard – This is actually not a bad translation, 90% of the time. However, those who worked on it came from the more liberal wing of the church and unfortunately introduced some of their theological biases. Therefore, I have always refused to use it.
• New International – This seems to be the most popular version today. But it is more of a paraphrase (thought for thought) than a translation, and is often overly interpretive in its renderings. The English prose is good but wordy. I do not think this kind of translation does the best job in helping the reader to grasp what the original says. It is too bad it became so popular, as in my view it is not the best choice.
• New King James – a very good update of the standard 1611 King James. It eliminated archaic words and obvious translation errors. It does not always use the best manuscript evidence. I have used it for over twenty years in preaching and teaching. It, like its exalted forefather, is a very literal translation.
• King James – this was of course a landmark work in its day and stood the test of time. Its phrasing is beautiful and accurate to the original. However, the English language evolved so much since 1611 that modern users have problems accessing the clear meaning of many passages. So it is no longer the clearest and most readable translation.
I know there are other translations also, but these seem to be the main ones used today. I don’t belittle any of these translations. They all give the precious Word of God to English readers. But we are blessed to have options and for the above reasons I rejoice that this new option has come to us. I hope it becomes the standard choice for English Bible readers.
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