The ESV and the NABRE are both serious, carefully edited English Bibles, but they are built on different philosophies. The ESV aims for a close, word-for-word rendering of the original Hebrew and Greek, which suits readers who want to study the wording closely. The NABRE is a Catholic translation that balances faithfulness to the text with readable English and includes the deuterocanonical books, which suits readers in the Catholic tradition and anyone who wants a broader Old Testament. Choose by the kind of reading you plan to do.
Background
The English Standard Version was published in 2001 by Crossway, a nonprofit publisher associated with evangelical Protestant ministries. It grew out of the Revised Standard Version tradition, and its editors aimed to keep the literary quality of older English Bibles while updating the language and drawing on newer manuscript scholarship. It has since become one of the most widely used study Bibles in English-speaking Protestant churches.
The New American Bible Revised Edition was produced for the Catholic Church in the United States and reflects the work of Catholic biblical scholars. It is the Bible used in the Lectionary for Mass in the United States, which gives it a place in weekly worship for many Catholic parishes. Its Old Testament includes the books that Protestant Bibles generally omit, such as Tobit, Judith and 1 and 2 Maccabees, and it presents those books alongside the rest.
Translation Method
The ESV is usually described as an essentially literal, or formal equivalence, translation. Its goal is to follow the structure, word choices and sentence patterns of the original languages as closely as English allows. This gives you a text that is useful for comparing phrases, tracing a repeated word through a book, or checking how a passage is built. The trade-off is that some sentences read stiffly, and a few idioms stay closer to the original than an ordinary speaker would write them.
The NABRE uses a dynamic approach that aims to convey the meaning of each passage in natural English, while still staying close to the source texts. Where a literal rendering would confuse a modern reader, the translators are more willing to restate the idea in fuller language. The effect is a smoother reading experience, though you lose some of the word-level detail that a more literal version preserves.
Reading Level and Style
The ESV reads with a formal, slightly elevated tone. Its sentences often mirror the rhythm of older English Bibles, which many readers find dignified and memorable, especially in the Psalms and the wisdom books. Readers who grew up with the King James or Revised Standard Version will often feel at home with it, though it is not written in archaic language.
The NABRE is generally more direct and conversational in its phrasing, which makes it easier to read straight through, particularly for new readers or those reading in a group. Its notes are written for a Catholic audience and explain historical background and the traditional reading of difficult passages. If you are reading with a catechism class or a parish study group, that apparatus can be a real help.
A Verse to Compare
Psalm 23:1
The LORD is my shepherd: I shall lack nothing.
(WEB)
This short verse shows the difference clearly. The ESV keeps the familiar shepherd image in a sentence that follows the Hebrew structure closely, so the key idea of the Lord as shepherd stands out as the subject of the line. The NABRE expresses the same confidence in a more flowing modern sentence, placing the emphasis on the sense of what the shepherd provides. Both render the central claim faithfully, but they reach it by different routes.
Who Should Use It
Choose the ESV if you want a close, word-for-word text for detailed Bible study, sermon preparation, or comparing wording across passages. It is especially well suited to Protestant readers and to anyone who values a formal style. Its limits are that the sentences can feel heavy in long narrative stretches, and it does not include the deuterocanonical books.
Choose the NABRE if you are Catholic, if you attend Mass and want the readings to match your personal reading, or if you want a more fluid text with explanatory notes from a Catholic perspective. It is also a good choice if you want the wider Old Testament. Its limits are that it is less literal, so close word study takes more care, and its notes reflect a specific tradition.
Frequently Asked Questions
Is the ESV or the NABRE more accurate?
Both are carefully made translations, but they use different methods, so “more accurate” depends on what you are measuring. The ESV tends to preserve the wording of the original languages more closely, while the NABRE aims for clear meaning in natural English.
Does the NABRE include books the ESV leaves out?
Yes. The NABRE includes the deuterocanonical books, such as Tobit, Judith, Wisdom and 1 and 2 Maccabees, which are part of the Catholic Old Testament. The ESV follows the Protestant Old Testament and does not include them.
Which one is easier to read?
Most readers find the NABRE more immediately readable because its sentences tend to be more direct. The ESV rewards slower reading and is often preferred for close study rather than casual reading.
