Problems with the ESV?

A problem with the Reformed World's faaaaavorite Bible translation?

I think the ESV is a great translation. Neither my Hebrew nor my Greek are good enough to start offering critique of actual translation choices, other than to say that I understand the difference between formal equivalence, in which the text is translated word-for-word, and dynamic equivalence, in which the text is translated thought-for-thought. I think that missionaries should be using dynamic translations as they seek to win and inform non- and new Christians.

There are a few places where I would like to see the ESV retain the Authorized Version's word-for-word literal translation philosophy, or that of the NASB . . . see how the ESV takes the teeth out of Ezekiel's proclamation -

KJV - Ezekiel 16:25 Thou hast built thy high place at every head of the way, and hast made thy beauty to be abhorred, and hast opened thy feet to every one that passed by, and multiplied thy whoredoms.

NASB - Ezekiel 16:25 "You built yourself a high place at the top of every street and made your beauty abominable, and you spread your legs to every passer-by to multiply your harlotry.

ESV Ezekiel 16:25 At the head of every street you built your lofty place and made your beauty an abomination, offering yourself to any passerby and multiplying your whoring.

How lame. The raw, crude offensiveness of the KJV and NASB are neutered by the ESV. But overall, I can't complain about the ESV.

I wouldn't complain about the ESV.

After all, I'm Reformed.

The Translation Oversight Committee consists of 9 men whom I know to be Reformed, particularly Packer, Collins, Grudem and Polythress. Some of the others may be as well. As for the Translation Review Scholars, I can't say.

But this I do know: this is the Reformed Translation of the Bible. Reformed and Calvinist churches love it, use it, reccomend it.

Now, again, I'm reformed, and I do the same thing. But it does worry me that now the Baptists have the Holman Christian Standard, and Calvinists have the ESV, and Rick Warren has The Message, etc.

We are so divided as Christ's One Holy Church that we now all have our individualized Bibles.

We've already done it with study notes and marketing. Women's Devotional Bible, Spirit of the Reformation Study Bible, Teen Study Bible, etc. etc. It was only a matter of time before we all started getting our own translations as well.

How long until we have nothing in common at all?

I love the ESV but sometimes I wish that we all still had nothing but the King James Version, and we would have to learn to make do, and we would all be happy with our Bibles in basic black.