Found an interesting page that had more ESV information. It certainly has piqued my curiosity, I will probably have to order one now.
http://www.bible-researcher.com/esv.htmlThis is an evangelical revision of the Revised Standard Version that corrects the non-Christian interpretations of the RSV in the Old Testament and improves the accuracy throughout with more literal renderings. It also updates the language somewhat. The makers of this version undertook the work with the idea that there was a need for an evangelical version that was more literal than the New International Version but more idiomatic than the New American Standard Bible. The Revised Standard Version seemed close enough to this middle ground that it might be suitably revised in a short period of time.
Some Corrected Prophecies
More significant than any of the changes listed in the sample above are the following three examples from the Old Testament. The passages of the RSV given below are examples of the many which were found to be highly objectionable by evangelicals, and prevented the RSV from ever gaining acceptance outside of liberal circles.
Genesis 22:15-18
RSV
And the angel of the Lord called to Abraham a second time from heaven, and said, "By myself I have sworn, says the Lord, because you have done this, and have not withheld your son, your only son, I will indeed bless you, and I will multiply your descendants as the stars of heaven and as the sand which is on the seashore. And your decendants shall possess the gate of their enemies, and by your decendants shall all the nations of the earth bless themselves, because you have obeyed my voice.
ESV
And the angel of the Lord called to Abraham a second time from heaven, and said, "By myself I have sworn, declares the Lord, because you have done this, and have not withheld your son, your only son, I will surely bless you, and I will surely multiply your offspring as the stars of heaven and as the sand that is on the seashore. And your offspring shall possess the gate of his enemies, and in your offspring shall all the nations of the earth be blessed, because you have obeyed my voice.
This passage is in the RSV a good example of that version's tendency to interpret the Old Testament without reference to the New Testament. The true Christological meaning of the blessing and the prophecy given here is simply ruled out by the RSV, though it is practically required by a New Testament passage (see Galatians 3:16) which interprets the blessing of Abraham as a prophecy of Christ. The ESV restores this interpretation, on the authority of the Apostle Paul. A similar revision is made in the related passages, Genesis 12:3, 22:18, 26:4, and 28:14. See also "offspring" in Psalm 89:4, 29, and 36 in relation to John 12:34 (to which the ESV points in a cross-reference note at Psalm 89:4).
Psalm 2:11-12
RSV
Serve the Lord with fear, with trembling kiss his feet, lest he be angry, and you perish in the way; for his wrath is quickly kindled. Blessed are all who take refuge in him.
ESV
Serve the Lord with fear, and rejoice with trembling. Kiss the Son, lest he be angry, and you perish in the way; for his wrath is quickly kindled. Blessed are all who take refuge in him.
The meaning of this verse in the ESV (which gives a literal rendering of the Hebrew text) ought to be clear to any Christian. The RSV translators gave instead a conjectural emendation of the text, with the footnote, "Cn [correction]: The Hebrew of 11b and 12a is uncertain."
Isaiah 7:14
RSV
Therefore the Lord himself will give you a sign. Behold, a young woman shall conceive and bear a son, and shall call his name Immanuel.
ESV
Therefore the Lord himself will give you a sign. Behold, the virgin shall conceive and bear a son, and shall call his name Immanuel.
This verse gives a prophecy of Christ, as explained in Matthew 1:23. The RSV translators chose to ignore the New Testament, as usual, and it was their belief that the immediate context made "young woman" a more likely interpretation (though "virgin" is undoubtedly a correct translation of the Hebrew word almah). The ESV follows the inspired interpretation of Matthew, and includes no footnote giving an alternate rendering. Many similar examples could be given where the ESV has restored traditional Christian interpretations in the Old Testament.
The ESV revisers have normally left unchanged the RSV's generic use of "man" and "men" (see the translation of anthropos in 1.18, 1.23, 2.1, 2.3, 2.16, 2.29) and also "his" (see 2.6, 2.29), and so it is hard to see on what principle they have changed or qualified "men," "man," "brothers," and "he" in these places. But apart from these few places, the changes of the ESV are a distinct improvement upon the RSV.
