Guide to Permissions

If you are seeking permission to quote from or reproduce Crossway resources, please refer to the following pages:

ESV Bible Permissions

ESV Copyright and Permissions Information

The Holy Bible, English Standard Version® (ESV®)
© 2001 by Crossway, a publishing ministry of Good News Publishers.
All rights reserved. The ESV text may not be quoted in any publication made available to the public by a Creative Commons license. The ESV may not be translated in whole or in part into any other language.
ESV Text Edition: 2016

The Holy Bible, English Standard Version (ESV) is adapted from the Revised Standard Version of the Bible, copyright Division of Christian Education of the National Council of the Churches of Christ in the U.S.A. All rights reserved.

Crossway is a not-for-profit organization (a publishing ministry of Good News Publishers) that exists solely for the purpose of publishing the good news of the gospel and the truth of God’s Word, the Bible. A portion of the purchase price of every Bible is donated to help support Bible distribution ministry around the world.

To view our ESV permission policies, please see categories of usage below:

ESV Print Permissions

Crossway’s Standard Use Guidelines for the ESV

The ESV text may be quoted (in written or print form) up to and inclusive of five hundred (500) verses without express written permission of the publisher, providing that the verses quoted do not amount to more than one-half of any one book of the Bible nor do the verses quoted account for 25 percent or more of the total text of the work in which they are quoted.

Common Uses Include:

Church bulletin
Bible studies
Classroom use
Writing a book (print format)

Notice of copyright must appear as follows on the title page or copyright page of printed works quoting from the ESV, or in a corresponding location when the ESV is quoted in other media:

“Scripture quotations are from the ESV® Bible (The Holy Bible, English Standard Version®), © 2001 by Crossway, a publishing ministry of Good News Publishers. Used by permission. All rights reserved. The ESV text may not be quoted in any publication made available to the public by a Creative Commons license. The ESV may not be translated in whole or in part into any other language.”

Requests Outside Standard Use Guidelines

Permission requests that exceed the above guidelines require written permission. To obtain written permission, complete and submit our Online Form.

For more information on ESV usage, continue reading here.

When more than one translation is quoted in printed works or other media, the foregoing notice of copyright should begin as follows:

“Unless otherwise indicated, all Scripture quotations are from… [etc.]”; or,

“Scripture quotations marked (ESV) are from… [etc.].”

The “ESV” and “English Standard Version” are registered trademarks of Crossway. Use of either trademark requires the permission of Crossway.

When quotations from the ESV text are used in non-saleable media, such as church bulletins, orders of service, posters, transparencies, or similar media, a complete copyright notice is not required, but the initials (ESV) must appear at the end of the quotation.

Permission requests for use of the Anglicized ESV Bible text within the UK and EU that exceed the above guidelines must be directed to HarperCollins publishers. To learn more, visit their permissions page.

Attn: William Collins Bibles,
The News Building, 1 London Bridge St
London SE1 9GF
United Kingdom

ESV Digital Permissions

Crossway’s Standard Use Guidelines for the ESV

The ESV text may be quoted (in visual or electronic form) up to and inclusive of five hundred (500) verses without express written permission of the publisher, providing that the verses quoted do not amount to more than one-half of any one book of the Bible nor do the verses quoted account for 25 percent or more of the total text of the work in which they are quoted.

Common Uses Include:

Website/Blog
Email
Social Media
Writing a book (Ebook)

Notice of copyright must appear as follows on digital works quoting from the ESV:

ESV API

Crossway allows you to access the ESV Bible text from our server and include it on your website or app, free of charge for non-commercial use. To learn more or register for the API, visit api.esv.org.

Requests Outside Standard Use Guidelines

Permission requests that exceed the above guidelines require written permission. To obtain written permission, complete and submit our Online Form.

For more information on ESV usage, continue reading here.

When more than one translation is quoted in printed works or other media, the foregoing notice of copyright should begin as follows:

“Unless otherwise indicated, all Scripture quotations are from… [etc.]”; or,

“Scripture quotations marked (ESV) are from… [etc.].”

The “ESV” and “English Standard Version” are registered trademarks of Crossway. Use of either trademark requires the permission of Crossway.

Attn: William Collins Bibles,
The News Building, 1 London Bridge St
London SE1 9GF
United Kingdom

ESV Audio Permissions

Crossway’s Standard Use Guidelines for the ESV

The ESV text may be quoted verbatim (completely conforming to and unchanged from the current ESV text) for audio use up to and inclusive of five hundred (500) verses without express written permission of the publisher, providing that the verses quoted do not amount to more than one-half of any one book of the Bible nor do the verses quoted account for 25 percent or more of the total text of the work in which they are quoted.

Common Uses Include:

Podcast/website
CDs
Video
Audio book
TV/Radio
Quoting in a sermon

Notice of copyright must fully be listed on audio products quoting from the ESV:

Verbal credit must also be given to the “ESV”.

Requests Outside Standard Use Guidelines

Permission requests that exceed the above guidelines require written permission. To obtain written permission, complete and submit our Online Form.

For more information on ESV usage, continue reading here.

When more than one translation is quoted in printed works or other media, the foregoing notice of copyright should begin as follows:

“Unless otherwise indicated, all Scripture quotations are from… [etc.]”; or,

“Scripture quotations marked (ESV) are from… [etc.].”

The “ESV” and “English Standard Version” are registered trademarks of Crossway. Use of either trademark requires the permission of Crossway.

Attn: William Collins Bibles,
The News Building, 1 London Bridge St
London SE1 9GF
United Kingdom

ESV Artwork/Stationery Permissions

Crossway’s Standard Use Guidelines for the ESV

The ESV text may be quoted in artwork/stationery (print and digital form) up to and inclusive of fifty (50) verses without express written permission of the publisher, providing that the ESV text does not make up 25 percent or more of the whole text in the work, and does not use more than one-half of any one book of the Bible.

Common uses that require written permission include:

Greeting cards
Paintings
Photography prints

Notice of copyright must fully be listed on artwork products quoting from the ESV:

Obtaining Written Permission

Permission requests that exceed the above guidelines require written permission. To obtain written permission, complete and submit our Online Form.

For more information on ESV usage, continue reading here.

When more than one translation is quoted in printed works or other media, the foregoing notice of copyright should begin as follows:

“Unless otherwise indicated, all Scripture quotations are from… [etc.]”; or,

“Scripture quotations marked (ESV) are from… [etc.].”

The “ESV” and “English Standard Version” are registered trademarks of Crossway. Use of either trademark requires the permission of Crossway.

Attn: William Collins Bibles,
The News Building, 1 London Bridge St
London SE1 9GF
United Kingdom

ESV Musical Permissions

Crossway’s Standard Use Guidelines for the ESV

The ESV text may be quoted verbatim (completely conforming to and unchanged from the current ESV text) up to and inclusive of fifty (50) verses without express written permission of the publisher, providing that the verses quoted do not amount to more than one-half of any one book of the Bible nor do the verses quoted account for 25 percent or more of the total text of the work in which they are quoted (a single composition).

Common uses include:

Live Performance
Print/sheet music
Audio recording
Physical/Digital media

Notice of copyright must fully be listed when quoting from the ESV:

Obtaining Written Permission

Permission requests that exceed the above guidelines may require a license with Crossway. To apply for one, complete and submit our Online Form.

For more information on ESV usage, continue reading here.

When more than one translation is quoted in printed works or other media, the foregoing notice of copyright should begin as follows:

“Unless otherwise indicated, all Scripture quotations are from… [etc.]”; or,

“Scripture quotations marked (ESV) are from… [etc.].”

The “ESV” and “English Standard Version” are registered trademarks of Crossway. Use of either trademark requires the permission of Crossway.

Attn: William Collins Bibles,
The News Building, 1 London Bridge St
London SE1 9GF
United Kingdom

ESV Study Bible Permissions

Study Bible Content (Study Notes, Articles, Introductions)

To quote study content text in larger resources, it is possible to quote up to 400 words without seeking permission from Crossway, as long as the source is properly cited.

Notice of copyright must fully be listed when quoting from the ESV Study Bible:

Any request to quote more than 400 words, make copies of material, or use images requires formal permission from Crossway. To request permission, complete and submit our Online Form.

Book and Blog Permissions

The “Fair Use” clause of current US copyright law allows one to reproduce short excerpts from copyrighted works with standard credit.

Crossway’s Guidelines for using text from books and blogs

No formal permission request is necessary to use a small number of quotes for noncommercial use. As long as the source is credited, it is possible to quote up to 400 words without seeking permission from Crossway. This holds especially true in the following contexts:

Educational paper
Photocopies for personal use
Quoting material in a sermon or lecture
Using an excerpt for church-related printouts (i.e. Bulletins, small groups, newsletters, programs, etc.)
Quoting on a website, blog, or social media

Notice of copyright must fully be listed when quoting from Crossway content. A credit line or footnote similar to this should be used:

Permission requests that exceed the above guidelines require written permission. To obtain written permission, complete and submit our Online Form.

Artwork Permissions

If you would like to use artwork from a Crossway book, you must receive written permission. We do not always own the rights to the artwork we use, so we may be unable to fulfill your request. To submit your request, complete and submit our Online Form.

Translation

If you would like to translate a portion of a Crossway book or an entire blog article, you must receive written permission. To submit your request, complete and submit our Online Form.

Translating an entire book would require a Foreign Rights License with Crossway. It is our policy to license to publishers or ministry organizations rather than to individuals. If you are an organization interested in acquiring translation rights, please complete and submit this form.

Tract Permissions

The “Fair Use” clause of current US copyright law allows one to reproduce short excerpts from copyrighted works with standard credit.

Crossway’s Guidelines for using text from tracts

Educational paper
Photocopies for personal use
Quoting material in a sermon or lecture
Using an excerpt for church-related printouts (i.e. Bulletins, small groups, newsletters, programs, etc.)
Quoting on a website, blog, or social media

Permission requests that exceed the above guidelines require written permission. To obtain written permission, complete and submit our online form.

Artwork Permissions

Crossway cannot provide any cover art included with tracts.

Translation

It is Crossway’s policy to license publishers or ministry organizations to translate content, rather than individuals. If you are an organization interested in acquiring translation rights, please complete and submit this form.

If you are an individual interested in seeing a tract translated, please direct your inquiry to a recognized publisher or ministry organization to fill out the Publisher Questionnaire above.

For general questions about tract rights, please contact tractpermissions@crossway.org.