The Revised Standard Version Bible is a revision of the 1901 American Standard Version, which was itself a revision of the King James Version, which seeks to preserve all that is in the historic English translations, but also to incorporate insights from the more ancient manuscripts discovered in the last century.

It uses simple, enduring words and is designed for use in public and private worship, for reading and instruction. It is generally a formal correspondence, or word-for-word, translation. The RSV is ideal for scholarly use, where words and passages require theological analysis.