Changes Between the 2011 and 2016 ESV Text

In my last post I explored the revisions between the 2007 and 2011 ESV Text.¹ Now I’m moving on to the third revision to the 2016 text edition. The list of changes are relatively short this time (52) and so is this post. Crossway still has the changes posted on their website.² Unfortunately, the HTML table they use is formatted in an annoying way so that instead of

Reference

Old Text

New Text

it is

Reference
Old Text	New Text

I decided to copy the HTML table into a tab seperated file (*.tsv) and then write a Python script to transpose the rows into the right format. I’ve been writing a lot of text formatting scripts in Python lately and I don’t know if that’s a good thing. In this case, it turns out to be fairly straightforward. I can use the csv library to iterate through the file. If the row has one column it’s the reference and if it has two columns it’s the old and new texts.

This is bit of an aside but I wish there was a rich text format for comma seperated tables. I wantted to maintain the bold text in the original HTML (indicating which words were changed) but all that was lost when I copied it to the *.tsv file. I suppose that’s why I keep using Markdown tables to save these changes as it is plaintext but can also have formatting applied. And as I discovered in my last post it’s easy to pull the data (as long as it’s not formatted) into Pandas. Anyways, my script ended up looking like this:

import csv

# tab-delimited table
filename = '.tables/.esv-2016-changes.tsv'

md_table = '|Bible Reference|2011 Text|2016 Text|\n|---|---|---|\n'

# open the file in read mode
with open(filename, 'r', newline='', encoding='utf-8') as tsvfile:
  # Create a csv reader object, specifying the tab delimiter
  tsv_reader = csv.reader(tsvfile, delimiter='\t')

  # combine every other row
  for row in tsv_reader:
    if len(row) == 1:
      ref = row[0]
    elif len(row) == 2:
      md_table += f'|{ref}|{row[1]}|{row[0]}|\n'

# save Markdown file
with open('.tables/.esv-2016-changes.md', 'w') as f:
    print(md_table, file=f)

Now that I have the table formatted the way I wanted I need to highlight the changed words for readability. I used the same approach as my last post with the difflib and using my own functions for each opcode tag. I won’t repeat the code but you can find it on my last post.¹ And there you have it, nice and easy. The 2025 revisions are going to take a little longer as they’re in a PDF format and also include footnote changes.

2011->2016 Changes

Bible Reference	2011 Text	2016 Text
Genesis 3:16	Your desire shall be for your husband, and he shall rule over you.	Your desire shall be contrary to your husband, but he shall rule over you.
Genesis 4:7	Its desire is for you, but you must rule over it.	Its desire is contrary to you, but you must rule over it.
Exodus 38:11	And for the north side there were hangings of a hundred cubits, their twenty pillars, their twenty bases were of bronze, but the hooks of the pillars and their fillets were of silver.	And for the north side there were hangings of a hundred cubits; their twenty pillars and their twenty bases were of bronze, but the hooks of the pillars and their fillets were of silver.
Numbers 14:42	Do not go up, for the Lord is not among you, lest you be struck down before your enemies.	Do not go up, for the LORD is not among you, lest you be struck down before your enemies.
Judges 6:13	And Gideon said to him, “Please, sir, if the LORD is with us, why then has all this happened to us?	And Gideon said to him, “Please, my lord, if the LORD is with us, why then has all this happened to us?
2 Samuel 23:34	Eliphelet the son of Ahasbai of Maacah, Eliam the son of Ahithophel of Gilo,	Eliphelet the son of Ahasbai of Maacah, Eliam the son of Ahithophel the Gilonite,
1 Kings 8:48	if they repent with all their mind and with all their heart in the land of their enemies,	if they repent with all their heart and with all their soul in the land of their enemies,
2 Kings 20:18	And some of your own sons, who shall be born to you, shall be taken away,	And some of your own sons, who will come from you, whom you will father, shall be taken away,
2 Chronicles 6:38	if they repent with all their mind and with all their heart in the land of their captivity to which they were carried captive,	if they repent with all their heart and with all their soul in the land of their captivity to which they were carried captive,
2 Chronicles 13:9	Whoever comes for ordination with a young bull or seven rams becomes a priest of what are no gods.	Whoever comes for ordination with a young bull or seven rams becomes a priest of what are not gods.
Esther 9:32	The command of Queen Esther confirmed these practices of Purim, and it was recorded in writing.	The command of Esther confirmed these practices of Purim, and it was recorded in writing.
Psalm 18:48	who delivered me from my enemies; yes, you exalted me above those who rose against me; you rescued me from the man of violence.	who rescued me from my enemies; yes, you exalted me above those who rose against me; you delivered me from the man of violence.
Proverbs 13:16	In everything the prudent acts with knowledge, but a fool flaunts his folly.	Every prudent man acts with knowledge, but a fool flaunts his folly.
Isaiah 2:3	For out of Zion shall go the law, and the word of the LORD from Jerusalem.	For out of Zion shall go forth the law, and the word of the LORD from Jerusalem.
Isaiah 10:5	Ah, Assyria, the rod of my anger; the staff in their hands is my fury!	Woe to Assyria, the rod of my anger; the staff in their hands is my fury!
Ezekiel 40:14	He measured also the vestibule, twenty cubits. And around the vestibule of the gateway was the court.	He measured also the vestibule, sixty cubits. And around the vestibule of the gateway was the court.
Hosea 13:14	Shall I ransom them from the power of Sheol? Shall I redeem them from Death?	I shall ransom them from the power of Sheol; I shall redeem them from Death.
Micah 4:3	He shall judge between many peoples, and shall decide for strong nations far away;	He shall judge between many peoples, and shall decide disputes for strong nations far away;
Matthew 4:24	So his fame spread throughout all Syria, and they brought him all the sick, those afflicted with various diseases and pains, those oppressed by demons, epileptics, and paralytics, and he healed them.	So his fame spread throughout all Syria, and they brought him all the sick, those afflicted with various diseases and pains, those oppressed by demons, those having seizures, and paralytics, and he healed them.
Luke 7:36	One of the Pharisees asked him to eat with him, and he went into the Pharisee’s house and reclined at the table.	One of the Pharisees asked him to eat with him, and he went into the Pharisee’s house and reclined at table.
Luke 22:44	And being in an agony he prayed more earnestly; and his sweat became like great drops of blood falling down to the ground.	And being in agony he prayed more earnestly; and his sweat became like great drops of blood falling down to the ground.
Luke 24:47	and that repentance and forgiveness of sins should be proclaimed in his name to all nations, beginning from Jerusalem.	and that repentance for the forgiveness of sins should be proclaimed in his name to all nations, beginning from Jerusalem.
Luke 24:50	Then he led them out as far as Bethany, and lifting up his hands he blessed them.	And he led them out as far as Bethany, and lifting up his hands he blessed them.
John 5:22	The Father judges no one, but has given all judgment to the Son,	For the Father judges no one, but has given all judgment to the Son,
Ephesians 1:5	he predestined us for adoption as sons through Jesus Christ, according to the purpose of his will.	he predestined us for adoption to himself as sons through Jesus Christ, according to the purpose of his will.
Ephesians 3:1	For this reason I, Paul, a prisoner for Christ Jesus on behalf of you Gentiles—	For this reason I, Paul, a prisoner of Christ Jesus on behalf of you Gentiles—
Colossians 1:11	May you be strengthened with all power, according to his glorious might, for all endurance and patience with joy,	being strengthened with all power, according to his glorious might, for all endurance and patience with joy,
James 2:10	For whoever keeps the whole law but fails in one point has become accountable for all of it.	For whoever keeps the whole law but fails in one point has become guilty of all of it.

Sources

1. Revisions Between the 2007 and 2011 ESV Text ↩︎ ↩︎²

2. ESV 2016 Changes ↩︎