Why is the ASV being ‘Refreshed’?

The ASV 1901 is no longer published in a portable, printed format, and it is now only available in a small number of New Testament formats.  With many around the world who cherish the ASV 1901, there is an increasing desire to see the interest in the ASV preserved, renewed, and increased, but without the archaic 17th Century Elizabethan English, while still retaining the translational heritage of the ASV, which itself has been referred to as “the rock of Biblical honesty” by the editors of the New American Standard Bible®.  

What is the Refreshed ASV?

The Refreshed ASV is a minimally emended edition of the ASV which replaces the archaic personal pronouns, archaic verbal terminations, archaic spelling, archaic punctuation spacing, archaic, obsolete, and/or dated vocabulary resulting from semantic shift since the 17th century.  The remainder of the ASV text is intentionally retained.

Who is the Refreshed ASV for?

The Refreshed ASV is for those who cherish the ASV 1901 as “the rock of Biblical honesty” (NASB Editor-in-Chief, 1963, Preface) who desire to preserve its translational heritage for the next generation. The Refreshed ASV is also referenced by pastors, seminary/college professors, seminary/college students, Sunday school teachers, and Bible Study leaders who want to use as their primary translation, or alongside their primary translation.

What isn’t the Refreshed ASV?

The Refreshed ASV is not a modernization of the ASV into colloquial 21st century English. It is not an attempt to ‘fix’ the textual decisions of the American Revision Committee responsible for the ASV 1901. It is not also a Revision of the ASV, nor a creation of new Translation, and purposefully avoids “rehashing the text”.

Is the Refreshed ASV right for me?

Our recommendation is to consider the Welcome video, the introductory preface material, the endorsements, the reader comments, and the sample chapters. If the priorities delineated and demonstrated in this material resonate with you, then we are highly confident there is a print or digital edition that will meet your needs.

Are the ASV’s footnotes being retained?

The Refreshed ASV is focused on the increased simplicity and focus on the biblical text itself, so a large number of original footnotes which merely offer alternate renderings to the main text have not been retained, unless they warrant attention, such as were the American Revision Committee of the ASV 1901 omitted text, where text is disputed, or where the text is theologically sensitive.  In no such cases has the original footnote of the ASV been altered itself other that to Refresh the archaic Elizabethan English included in the footnote. For examples, refer to Matthew 17:20, 18:10, 23:13; Mark 7:15, 9:43, 11:25, 15: 27, 16:9; Luke 17:36, 23:16; John 5:3, 7:53; Acts 8:36, 15:33, 24:6, 28:28; Romans 16:23.

What New Testament manuscript is used as the source of ASV translation reference?

Like the ASV, Westcott & Hort is the authoritative Greek New Testament used in the Refresh of the ASV as one of the philosophical efforts to avoid “rehashing the text” that could otherwise turn a Refresh into a Revision, the latter of which is purposefully outside the scope of this work.

How do I re-download a digital purchase?

If you have purchased a digital edition (e.g. PDF, PDF Large Print, or ePub), access to your your purchase is retained:

  1. Sign into your RASV.org/account

  2. In the right-hand fly-out menu, select “Orders”

  3. Select the digital order

  4. In the “Items” section, select “Download item” to be presented with the download file

Do you ship internationally?

Our worldwide distribution network of more than 40,000 partners means we can either print directly from a regional facility closest to your location, or we can ship internationally. Let us know if you have any questions.

Is a complimentary institutional copy available?

Yes, a complimentary copy can be made available for an Institute, College, University, or Seminary. Please contact us with the details.

Is Bible Software integration planned?

Preliminary content publishing agreements have been reached with Logos Bible Software and e-Sword for Mobile, Tablet, and Desktop use. When the Refreshed ASV is completed, we will proceed with the integration.