The English Standard Version (ESV) is an English translation of the Bible. The ESV was published in 2001 by Crossway. Crossway describes the ESV as a translation that "emphasizes 'word-for-word' accuracy, literary excellence, and depth of meaning." The ESV continues a legacy of precision and faithfulness in English translation of the original text, begun by William Tyndale's New Testament, and historically followed by "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 1952 and 1971 (RSV)."