In that stream, faithfulness to the text and vigorous pursuit of accuracy were combined with simplicity, beauty, and dignity of expression. The fountainhead of that stream was William Tyndale’s New Testament of 1526 marking its course were the King James Version of 1611 (KJV), the English Revised Version of 1885 (RV), the American Standard Version of 1901 (ASV), and the Revised Standard Version of 19 (RSV). The English Standard Version (ESV) stands in the classic mainstream of English Bible translations over the past half-millennium. He told me that he had discovered that the RSV is only 6% different from the ESV. He read it, I think regularly, per my arrival to the church I preach at. A congregant in my church slowly turned me on to the RSV. Some of this will be similar content, just by sheer necessity of the topic at hand.
One other full disclosure: I’ll be arguing from a Conservative Protestant perspective, because, “I are one.”
I read from it for devotional purposes for probably 4-5 years exclusively. I didn’t do much research, other than, “Well the guy I listen to and agree with on pretty much everything Bible seems to think it’s an okay Bible.” So since about age 24, the ESV’s been my primary. He really pushed reading the ESV, so I bought one, partially convicted that I was still using a 3rd grade reading level Bible otherwise (ESV clocks in at an 8th grade reading level). I quickly, like many people, became an avid listener, and would read a blog post or two from him here and there on my own time. Newly married, and working in a job away from home that required a substantial amount of driving time, I started listening to podcasts of a fairly controversial pastor who preached the ESV. The very easy reading of the NCV hooked me as a teenager, and I stuck with it, because most Christians seem to just have that “one Bible,” and nothing else is required, nor did I even think about reading multiple Bibles at one time. I grew up in an NIV family, sat under NIV preaching, and had trouble getting into the Bible. Upon marriage at 23, I was still regularly reading the New Century Version Bible, a 3rd grade reading level Bible I believe.
I have been in the ESV fairly regularly for the most of my adult life.