What if I'm Not Using the ESV Bible?

Why We Chose the English Standard Version (ESV)

Not only has the ESV been our personal Bible go-to for over a decade, but it's also where we landed in terms of permissions for Abidible. Crossway is the publisher for the ESV Bible version, and gave us their blessing saying:

"[We are] very happy to know that these approvals will help further the Lord's kingdom and bring many blessings to your life and others."

The ESV seeks to be:

• "an 'essentially literal' translation that seeks as far as possible to reproduce the precise wording of the original text and the personal style of each Bible writer"
• a translation with "word-for-word" correspondence 
• "as literal as possible while maintaining clarity of expression and literary excellence"
• "suited for in-depth study of the Bible"

(Quotes take from the ESV® Bible (The Holy Bible, English Standard Version®), copyright © 2001 by Crossway, a publishing ministry of Good News Publishers.)  

You can find the ESV Study Bible we use here.

Planning on Using an Alternate Translation?

We understand many of you may have fierce loyalty to a particular translation of the Bible. That does not exclude you from being able to participate in our Abidible studies. We have plenty of customers who use different versions. You definitely should still stick around.

(Need some more help understanding what Bible "translations" even are? Check out this short article.)

That said, there will be some modifications you'll need to make and a few things you'll need to be aware of before you proceed.

1. All of our lettered products use letters from the ESV and will remain that way for the foreseeable future.
2. All of the printed verses in our Digital Study are written in the ESV.
3. Quotes and content on our website and social media will be in the ESV.

How to Modify Your Study

There are only a few places where you'll need to modify your study to accommodate the version you plan on using. These modifications will be necessary in order for you to complete the exercise.

We've listed them for you below:

1. The Annotation Page - Copy the entire passage from your version and create a new double-spaced document with plenty of room in the margins. Print it off and replace that page in your study.
2. Lettering - Add or remove letter bubbles as necessary.
3. Fill in the Blank - Fill in and mark up this section as needed to make it accurate to your version.
4. Recap Days - In the "Remember" section, adjust letter bubbles again as needed.

That's it! That's how easy the modifications will be for you if you'd like to continue using your Bible version. We want to honor your preference the best that we can! If you're uncertain about making these changes and not having lettered products that match the version you're using, maybe pray about trying a new version and see if the Lord opens your heart to that idea.

Regardless of what you choose, you are a welcome part of our Abidible community! There are SO many fantastic translations out there and we know that some of you love the versions you use. So stick with it, make a few simple modifications, and jump right in with us.

Want real training when it comes to translations? Get that and so much more in our "How to Study the Bible" course! Click the link to learn more.

Let's Abide!

Jason and Kate