The Preacher Gets a New Bible: Why I've Switched to the ESV
by Mike Miller
It might have become obvious to those who listen to my preaching that I have begun using a different Bible translation recently, specifically the English Standard Version (ESV). Of course, anyone who is not using the New International Version (NIV) would not notice, but I wanted to give an explanation of the reasons for my decision to change.
First of all, if you know anything about me, you know that I don’t like change. I’m naturally resistant to any kind of changes in my life. Not only that, but I really don’t like getting a new Bible. I write in my Bible, and when I get a new one, I lose all the notes and highlights of my old one. And if I get a new translation, passages that I have memorized are worded differently. I say all that to let you know that I don’t take this change I’ve made lightly, nor have I made the change hastily.
Indeed, my decision to begin using the ESV has come at the end of about a year of careful examination and critical review. The ESV has been around since 2001, and over the past couple of years, I have seen it used by some of the authors and preachers I respect. So when it became available on Bible Works, the computer program I use, I decided to start taking a look at it (Just so you know, when I study Scripture, I consult the Greek New Testament, the Hebrew Old Testament, the Greek translation of the Old Testament, and seven different English translations). What I have found is (in my opinion) the most literally accurate, yet readable, translation I have seen.
Now, let me explain what I mean by that, but before I do, I want to be clear that I am not going to deride any of the most competent translations that are so widely used today. Nevertheless, I feel a responsibility to critically examine any translation of the Word of God so that I can be as true to the original meaning of the text as possible. With that said, let me give you a brief (very brief!) synopsis of a few of the translations you are probably most familiar with.
King James Version (KJV). Thank God for the King James Version! This text was completed in the year 1611 and is a brilliant translation from the original languages. If you own a KJV, then you have a good translation. However, I do not use it for two reasons. First, the language of 1611 is not the language of today, and I personally find it difficult to understand—as do many who did not grow up using it. If you did grow up with the KJV, then this might not be an issue for you. The second reason is that many, many Greek and Hebrew texts have been discovered since 1611 which give us a more accurate picture of the original manuscripts than the King James translators had at their disposal in their day. In fact, those very translators wrote at the time that translations would need to be updated and kept in the common language of the readers. If anyone is interested in learning more about the KJV, we have a wonderful book in our church library called The King James Only Controversy by James R. White.
New King James Version (NKJV). The NKJV is simply the KJV adapted to modern language, and that makes it very readable. The only drawback is that it uses the same manuscripts as the KJV without consideration given to older, more reliable manuscripts available today.
New American Standard Bible (NASB). This was my first Bible as a new Christian, and it sits open on my desk today. The NASB is a very literal translation and has been used for several decades by teachers, preachers, and scholars who need a reliable English text. The biggest problem with it is its readability. The translation is so literal that it tends to be wooden and therefore at times difficult for the typical reader to understand. Because of that, it also doesn’t lend itself very well to the public reading of Scripture.
New International Version (NIV). The NIV is the most widely used translation in America. It is very easy to read (I read somewhere that it is on an eighth grade reading level), which has made it popular for preaching, teaching, and devotional reading. I have been preaching from the NIV since my first year as a pastor, and it has been my staple for devotional reading since 1993. Nevertheless, even though the NIV has been instrumental in putting the Word of God into the hands of millions of readers, in many places it is more of a paraphrase than a translation. If you have heard my preaching for any length of time, you know that I regularly say something like “What this literally says is . . . ,” or “In the original language this says . . . .” While that will likely be the case with any translation (because all translations use some paraphrasing), since I learned the original languages, I have longed for a translation as literal as the KJV or the NASB with the readability of the NIV.
New Living Translation (NLT). While this translation was done by some very competent scholars, it employs paraphrase much more than the NIV, and I have not found it to be as useful. It would still fall under that category of “translation,” but it is not the best one on the market.
Holman Christian Standard Bible (HCSB). This is the new translation published by the Southern Baptist Convention, and as a whole I’ve been quite impressed with it. It is somewhat more literal than the NIV while retaining a good readability, but I have not found it sufficiently more literal to warrant making a change to it from the NIV.
The Living Bible and The Message. These are not translations. They are paraphrases. The wording makes them very readable and even enjoyable, but I cannot recommend them for serious Bible study. While some love them for the “fuller” meaning they bring to the text, it is important to remember that the meaning presented is the opinion and interpretation of the ones doing the paraphrase. With all the translations listed above, I can confidently say that exposure to them means exposure to the Word of God. With a paraphrase, however, we are so far removed from the original languages as to almost totally eclipse the Word of God. I am not saying that paraphrases should not be consulted, but if used at all they should be secondary to a faithful translation.
English Standard Version (ESV). After a year of examination, comparing the ESV with the Greek, the Hebrew, and other English translations, I believe I have found the best translation available today. It is very literal and at least as readable as the NIV (if not more so). I agree with the translation philosophy behind the ESV, and I am most impressed with the Translation Team and the Translation Oversight Committee (to find out more, check out www.esv.org). The English Standard Version is now my Bible for preaching, teaching, and devotional reading.
Again, let me be clear. If you own a KJV, NKJV, NASB, NIV, NLT, or HCSB, you have in your possession the Word of God (and this is not an exhaustive list). When you read any of those, God can and will speak to you. My purpose in writing this is not to disparage any of those translations. I only wanted to explain my decision to make a change. If you have any questions, please do not hesitate to contact me directly.
(For further reading, you can check out John Piper’s comments on his church’s shift to the ESV by clicking here.)