Version Information
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 Tyndale’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 1952 and 1971 (RSV). In that stream, faithfulness to the text and vigorous pursuit of precision were combined with simplicity, beauty, and dignity of expression. The translation committee’s goal was to carry forward this legacy for this generation and generations to come.
To this end, each word and phrase in the ESV was 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 Tyndale–King James legacy, and most recently out of the RSV, with the 1971 RSV text providing the starting point for the translation work. Archaic language was brought into line with current usage and significant corrections were made in the translation of key texts. But throughout, the goal was to retain the depth of meaning and enduring quality of language that have made their indelible mark on the English-speaking world and have defined the life and doctrine of its church over the last five centuries.
The ESV is an “essentially literal” translation that seeks, as far as possible, to reproduce 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 full account of differences in 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 exact force of the original.
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 the translation committee sought to be “as literal as possible” while maintaining clarity of expression and literary excellence. More about the ESV translation philosophy.
Copyright Information
Crossway’s Standard Use Guidelines allow for the ESV text to be quoted in print, digital, and audio formats up to and inclusive of five hundred (500) verses without a formal license or express written permission of Crossway, provided that the verses quoted do not amount to more than one-half of any one book of the Bible or its equivalent measured in bytes, nor do the verses quoted account for twenty-five percent (25%) or more of the total text of the work in which they are quoted, and the verses are not being quoted in a commentary or other biblical reference work.
Permission or license requests that exceed the above guidelines require written permission or a formal license. To obtain written permission or a formal license as required, please complete and submit Crossway’s online form at www.crossway.org/permissions/.
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®), © 2001 by Crossway, a publishing ministry of Good News Publishers. ESV Text Edition: 2025. The ESV text may not be quoted in any publication made available to the public by a Creative Commons license. The ESV may not be translated in whole or in part into any other language. Used by permission. All rights reserved.”
When more than one Bible 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.
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.
The ESV Bible is available for free access online and on mobile devices everywhere worldwide at www.ESV.org.
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Versions
| Language | Version | Available Versions |
|---|---|---|
| English (EN) 1 | English Standard Version (ESV) | |
| Greek (GRC) – Κοινη 1 | Tyndale House Greek New Testament (THGNT) | NT |
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