In contrast, the ESV® Catholic Edition follows a word-for-word translation philosophy, offering the most precise and up-to-date translation available. A thought-for-thought translation is of necessity more inclined to reflect the interpretive views of the translator and the influences of contemporary culture. Some Bible versions have followed a thought-for-thought rather than word-for-word translation philosophy, emphasizing “dynamic equivalence” rather than the precise meaning of the original.

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. As such, its emphasis is on a 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. The ESV® Catholic Edition is a translation that seeks as far as possible to reproduce the precise wording of the original text and the personal style of each biblical writer.

Esv bible buy