English Standard Version

The English Standard Version (ESV) of the Bible is an "essentially literal," word-for-word style English translation by over 100 contributors that was published in 2001. A word-for-word translation is in contrast with a "thought-for-thought" or functional translation that attempts to convey meaning rather than specific terms. In other words, the English Standard Version strives for formal equivalence more than functional equivalence, although idioms and other passages always require some functional considerations. In January 2009, Oxford University Press began printing an ESV translation with Apocrypha because of the ESV's growing popularity.

The English Standard Version utilizes a vocabulary of nearly 14,000 words. As a word-for-word translation, the ESV is particularly suitable for study using a concordance.

The English Standard Version is theologically conservative and eschews unisex "gender inclusive" language that plagues the Revised Standard Version and New Revised Standard Version.

Along with the Conservative Bible Translation, the English Standard Version translates the miracle of the transformation of water into wine consistent with modern insight of quantum mechanics.

The English Standard Version excludes "For Thine is the Kingdom and the Power and the Glory, forever" in Matthew 6:13 except in its footnote.