Gideons ESV & Crossway ESV

By Prophet Jacob R. Blandford

Reference research done by Joshua Holman

The list of scriptures references (total of 53) was done by Joshua Holman, which I found on a google search on the internet. The references listed below indicate differences between the Crossway’s ‘standard’ ESV and Gideons’ ESV. This Gideons ESV was printed in 2013 and represents an Alexandrian bible (or new testament in this case) with 50 Textus Receptus readings from the King James Bible reintroduced or reinserted into the ESV; so the ESV then becomes modified, revised, or corrected with the TR, thus becoming a special TR-ESV edition by the Gideons. But my question to the Gideons is this: if the TR readings should be included with the Bible (which they most certainly should be), and over the last 100 years the translations you have distributed all over the world have been TR-based Bibles, why then adopt the ESV (which is a pro-Catholic Alexandrian bible) in the first place? And if there’s anyone you want to have the Christian faith, it’s a scholar or a Bible translator, because you rely on their work and expertise. But isn’t the scholar’s faith tainted if he is stupid enough to recommend an Egyptian bible over a Syrian Bible? And even go so far as to promote one in his work on a new corrupt bible? He is assisting, not resisting the devil: therefore is not his faith tainted? (see Hag. 2:10-14) It is. FAITH IS BASED ON THE WORD, YET HE DOESN’T HAVE IT! (see Romans Chapter 10) Therefore Gideons International, I ask, why would you go with the ESV in the first place? If you don’t believe in the Alexandrian text enough to print it as it is, why do you believe the Alexandrian scholars are any better? The translation work in the ESV is poor because the scholars’ faith is poor to begin with. So you admit that their readings are poor (that’s why you add the TR readings), but you accept their translation work as recommendable; and even pay then for the copyright, when God would have given you the 1611 with no royalties! Is not this hypocrisy?

These ESV scholars can’t even compare to the faith, talent, intellect, fear, and favour the King James translators had? Neither can the ESV’s Greek text (basically Westcott and Hort’s esoteric depraved text) compare to the pure TR: which the KJV translators believed they were handling was indeed the inspired word of God. (Just read the 1611 prefatory material to see the truth of the matter.) See they had FAITH, and they also had enough endowment of the Holy Spirit to have some discernment and judgment to know that the readings from the bibles put out by the popes were corrupt (viz. Vaticanus, LXX, Jerome’s dark age vulgate, and the 1582 Jesuit Rheims). They knew Roman Catholicism was a corrupt, reprobate form of Christianity that hid the real gospel and promoted a host of satanic heresies and errors. (see Matt. 7:15-20) No modern scholar has enough faith to believe the TEXT HE CHOSE is the word of God: therefore the whole modern scholarship movement is seeded in satanic unbelief. The final authority for textual criticism is none other than the scholar’s opinions. By the way, if Crossway really believed in their ESV they wouldn’t have agreed to let the Gideons alter it, but I’m sure Crossway is in the bible translation work for the wrong reasons, as all of the modern bible publishers—the real reason is found in 1 Timothy 6:10. A true man of God won’t sell out his Holy Bible God gave him for “filthy lucre” (Titus 1:7), he knows the Holy Scriptures are more valuable than “the unrighteous mammon” (Luke 16:11). Quote, “The law of thy mouth is better unto me than thousands of gold and silver.” (Ps. 119:72) Again, “Therefore I love thy commandments above gold; yea, above fine gold.” (Ps. 119:127) And again, “More to be desired are they than gold, yea, than much fine gold” (Ps. 19:10). [See also Prov. 10:20, 20:15, 25:11]

If you want a pure Bible, simply chose one based on the pure original tongues, translated by translators who were real born-again men of God with a heart for Jesus and pure faith, and real talent. What you would find is the KJV 1611 of the Protestant Reformation, the end-time Holy Scriptures in the worldwide language of English. I now reprove Gideons by the Holy Ghost, ‘O Gideons! Who hath bewitched you that you should leave the precious jewel you wrought through Me to bless so many souls, don’t turn from the battle, keep the mighty sword of the Lord in your hand and fight on!’ In Jesus Christ’s name I pray, Amen.

· Matt. 1:7, 8, 10, 25, 5:44, 47, 6:13, 12:47, 17:21, 18:11, 19:9, 23:14, 26:45

· Mark 7:16, 9:29, 44, 46, 49, 10:24, 11:26, 13:33, 15:28, 16:9-20

· Luke 2:43, 3:33, 4:4, 8, 44, 9:55, 11:4, 11:11, 17:36, 23:17

· John 5:3, 4, 7:8, 7:53-8:11

· Acts 8:37, 20:28, 24:6, 7, 8, 28:29

· Rom. 8:1, 16:24

· 1 Cor. 11:24

· Col. 1:14, 20

· 2 Thess. 2:13

· 1 Tim. 3:16

· Heb. 13:20

· 1 Pet. 1:18

· Rev. 1:5

Additional research...

In David W. Daniels’ book ‘Look What’s Missing’ on pages 137-146 he has a ‘Short list’ of about 22 passages removed from modern bible versions. It appears that the Gideons ESV moved these verses from the regular ESV’s footnotes into the body of the text. That’s a move in the right direction; but that’s like saying the murderer only shot his victim three times instead of eight. I say that because just about all of the more subtle Alexandrian errors and omissions are fully carried out in this Gideons ESV. I’ve use the ‘Bible Version Comparison’ tract by Dr. Terry Watkins to prove it. Watkins lists about 240 Egyptian perversions of the Biblical text and this Gideons ESV has just about all of them—chock full o’ leaven! By the way, Watkins also has Daniels’ ‘short list’ in his tract: and the verses are... Matt. 12:47, 17:21, 18:11, 21:44, 23:14; Mark 7:16, 9:44, 46, 11:26, 15:28, 16:9-20; Luke 17:36, 22:43, 44, 23:17, 24:12, 40; John 5:4, 7:53-8:11; Acts 8:37, 15:34, 24:7, 28:29; Rom. 16:24.

Gideons International ESV Preface:

About this Bible

This edition of The Holy Bible is distributed free of charge throughout the world by The Gideons International. For more information about the ministry of The Gideons, please contact: The Gideons International, Post Office Box 140800, Nashville, TN 37214-0800 USA, or visit The Gideons website at: www.gideons.org.

The Holy Bible, English Standard Version® (ESV®) is copyright © Crossway, a publishing ministry of Good News Publishers, 1300 Crescent Street, Wheaton, Illinois 60187, USA. The ESV Bible text maybe quoted (in written, visual, or electronic form) up to and inclusive of one thousand (1,000) verses without express written permission of the publisher, provided that the verses quoted do not amount to a complete book of the Bible nor do the verses quoted account for 50% or more of the total text of the work in which they are quoted. When quoting from the ESV in written, visual, and electronic form, the letters “ESV” must be included as part of the Scripture reference given with the quote. “ESV” and “English Standard Version” are registered trademarks of Crossway. The use of either trademark requires permission of Crossway. The ESV Bible translation carries forward the historic stream of Bible translation in English exemplified especially by the King James Version (KJV) Bible of 1611 and subsequent essentially literal Bible translations. At the request of The Gideons—and in appreciation for their worldwide, century-plus distribution of more than 1.8 billion Bibles—Crossway is pleased to license the ESV Bible text to The Gideons, and to grant permission to The Gideons to include certain alternative readings based in the Textus Receptus, for exclusive free distribution of a Gideons edition, as follows: Bible translations of the New Testament into English and other languages are almost exclusively based on either (a) the Greek Textus Receptus manuscript tradition (which was the basis for the 1611 translation of the KJV Bible), or (b) the Greek NA-UBS manuscript corpus (which is the basis for almost all Bible translations completed since the late 1800s). In some places in the New Testament of the ESV Gideons edition, as printed and distributed exclusively under license to The Gideons International, the Gideons edition follows the Textus Receptus manuscript tradition, which corresponds in vast majority of instances to the corpus of New Testament Greek manuscripts known among scholars today as the Majority Text. Regarding the Old Testament, the primary textual basis for translation of the ESV Old Testament is the Masoretic text of the Hebrew Bible as found in the Biblia Hebraica Stuttgartensia (2^nd ed. 1983); regarding the ESV New Testament, the primary textual basis for translation for the ESV New Testament is the Greek text of the 1993 editions of the Greek New Testament (4^th corrected), published by the United Bible Societies (UBS), and the Novum Testamentum Graece (27^th ed.), edited by Nestle and Aland. The ESV Bible is based on the original Greek and Hebrew sources noted above, as adapted from the English Revised Standard Version, copyright division of the Christian Education of the National Council of Churches of Christ in the USA. Crossway is a not-for-profit publishing ministry of Good News Publishers, and is the sole copyright holder of the ESV (English Standard Version) Bible. Crossway exists solely for the purpose of publishing the Gospel and the Truth of God’s Word, the Bible. Crossway donates a portion of the purchase of every Bible sold to help support Bible distribution and Bible teaching ministries around the world. Crossway can be found online at www.crossway.org; the online ESV Bible can be found at www.esvbible.org.