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. Archaic language has been brought to current usage and significant corrections have been made in the translation of key texts. The words and phrases themselves grow out of the TyndaleвЂ“King James legacy, and most recently out of the RSV, with the 1971 RSV text providing the starting point for our work. 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. Our goal has been to carry forward this legacy for a new century. In that stream, faithfulness to the text and vigorous pursuit of accuracy were combined with simplicity, beauty, and dignity of expression. The fountainhead of that stream was William TyndaleвЂ™s 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 19 (RSV).

The English Standard Version (ESV) stands in the classic mainstream of English Bible translations over the past half-millennium. is that inestimable treasure that excelleth all the riches of the earth.вЂќ This assessment of the Bible is the motivating force behind the publication of the English Standard Version.

These words echo the King James Bible translators, who wrote in 1611: вЂњGodвЂ™s sacred Word. Here is Wisdom this is the royal Law these are the lively Oracles of God.вЂќ With these words the Moderator of the Church of Scotland hands a Bible to the new monarch in BritainвЂ™s coronation service. вЂњThis Book the most valuable thing that this world affords. Preface to the English Standard Version The Bible

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