A Groundbreaking New Bible Translation Was Released This Year, and It Charts a Different Course

The recently published LSV Bible from Covenant Press has charted a fundamentally different course than the 20th and 21st century Critical Text translations. The new Literal Standard Version is based on the Textus Receptus, in line with the earlier Geneva Bible and King James. It’s a major revision of the literal translation by Robert Young, known popularly as Young’s Literal Translation, with a relationship to Young’s that is similar to that between the English Standard Version and the Revised Standard Version or the NKJV and MEV to the King James.

Readers will experience a translation that is even further along the formal equivalence spectrum than Young’s—in fact, the most literal English translation ever made—yet is much easier to read, given that the LSV translation is written in modern English. For students of the Bible searching for a faithful translation like the King James that is literal, à la Young’s or the NASB, but is written in the common tongue, they may have finally found what they’ve been looking for.

The LSV combines the strengths of many of the most excellent translations, including the literal nature of Young’s, the usage of the Name of God as found in translations such as the HCSB and World English Bible, and the capitalization of nouns and pronouns that clearly refer to God, Christ, or the Holy Spirit, as is the case in the NKJV. The LSV also follows the same path laid out by Young’s in translating verbs in the most accurate way possible, recognizing the aspectual or perfect/imperfect nature of biblical Hebrew, as defended by scholars like Wilhelm Gesenius, Heinrich Ewald, and Samuel Lee.

While not necessarily as smooth as dynamic equivalence translations used in daily devotionals that incorporate paraphrase, readers of the LSV will get the closest glimpse possible into the meaning of the Hebrew, Aramaic, and Greek text of the Bible, without resorting to an interlinear resource or the original languages themselves. The text is elegant and powerful, allowing the reader to experience Scripture in a much deeper and more accurate way. In addition, by utilizing justified text-blocks similar to the original autographs, as well as caesura marks in poetry, the LSV is the easiest English translation to publish, share, and distribute ever made—the first Bible translation formatted especially for the digital era.

Related Links:

LSV Bible website

Available LSV Bible formats

Psalm 23 and Romans 8 in the LSV:

Psalm 23:
A PSALM OF DAVID. YHWH [is] my shepherd, I do not lack, He causes me to lie down in pastures of tender grass, || He leads me by quiet waters. He refreshes my soul, || He leads me in paths of righteousness || For His Name’s sake; Also—when I walk in a valley of death-shade, || I fear no evil, for You [are] with me, || Your rod and Your staff—they comfort me. You arrange a table before me, || In front of my adversaries, || You have anointed my head with oil, || My cup is full! Surely goodness and kindness pursue me || All the days of my life, || And my dwelling [is] in the house of YHWH, || For [the] length of [my] days!

Romans 8:
There is, then, now no condemnation to those in Christ Jesus, who walk not according to the flesh, but according to the Spirit; for the law of the Spirit of life in Christ Jesus set me free from the law of sin and of death; for what the Law was not able to do, in that it was weak through the flesh, God, His own Son having sent in the likeness of sinful flesh, and for sin, condemned sin in the flesh, that the righteousness of the Law may be fulfilled in us, who do not walk according to the flesh, but according to the Spirit. For those who are according to the flesh, mind the things of the flesh; and those according to the Spirit, the things of the Spirit; for the mind of the flesh [is] death, and the mind of the Spirit—life and peace; because the mind of the flesh [is] enmity to God, for to the Law of God it does not subject itself, for neither is it able; and those who are in the flesh are not able to please God. And you are not in the flesh, but in the Spirit, if indeed the Spirit of God dwells in you; and if anyone does not have the Spirit of Christ—this one is not His; and if Christ [is] in you, the body, indeed, [is] dead because of sin, and the Spirit [is] life because of righteousness, and if the Spirit of Him who raised up Jesus out of the dead dwells in you, He who raised up the Christ out of the dead will also quicken your dying bodies, through His Spirit dwelling in you. So, then, brothers, we are debtors, not to the flesh, to live according to the flesh; for if according to the flesh you live, you are about to die; and if, by the Spirit, the deeds of the body you put to death, you will live; for as many as are led by the Spirit of God, these are the sons of God; for you did not receive a spirit of bondage again for fear, but you received [the] Spirit of adoption in which we cry, “Abba—Father!” [This] One—the Spirit—testifies with our spirit, that we are children of God; and if children, also heirs, heirs, indeed, of God, and heirs together of Christ—if, indeed, we suffer together, that we may also be glorified together. For I reckon that the sufferings of the present time [are] not worthy [to be compared] with the glory about to be revealed in us; for the earnest looking out of the creation expects the revelation of the sons of God; for to vanity was the creation made subject—not of its will, but because of Him who subjected [it]—in hope, that also the creation itself will be set free from the servitude of the corruption to the liberty of the glory of the children of God; for we have known that all the creation groans together, and travails in pain together until now. And not only [so], but also we ourselves, having the first-fruit of the Spirit, we also ourselves groan in ourselves, expecting adoption—the redemption of our body; for in hope we were saved, and hope beheld is not hope; for what anyone beholds, why does he also hope for [it]? And if what we do not behold we hope for, through continuance we expect [it]. And in like manner also, the Spirit helps our weaknesses; for what we may pray for, as it is necessary, we have not known, but [this] One—the Spirit—makes intercession for us with unutterable groanings, and He who is searching the hearts has known what [is] the mind of the Spirit, because according to God He intercedes for holy ones. And we have known that to those loving God all things work together for good, to those who are called according to purpose; because whom He foreknew, He also foreordained, conformed to the image of His Son, that He might be firstborn among many brothers; and whom He foreordained, these also He called; and whom He called, these also He declared righteous; and whom He declared righteous, these also He glorified. What, then, will we say to these things? If God [is] for us, who [is] against us? He who indeed did not spare His own Son, but delivered Him up for us all, how will He not also with Him grant to us all things? Who will lay a charge against the chosen ones of God? God [is] He that is declaring righteous, who [is] he that is condemning? Christ [is] He that died, indeed, rather also, was raised up; who is also on the right hand of God—who also interceded for us. Who will separate us from the love of the Christ? Tribulation, or distress, or persecution, or famine, or nakedness, or peril, or sword? (according as it has been written: “For Your sake we are put to death all the day long, we were reckoned as sheep of slaughter,”) but in all these we more than conquer, through Him who loved us; for I am persuaded that neither death, nor life, nor messengers, nor principalities, nor powers, nor things present, nor things about to be, nor height, nor depth, nor any other created thing, will be able to separate us from the love of God, that [is] in Christ Jesus our Lord.

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