I'm really enjoying the ESV (English Standard Version) Bible. I've been following their read the Bible in a year program through their RSS feed for a couple of days. I really like the translation so far.
RC Sproul gives it high praise. The ESV may be my new favorite translation. I'd often switch back and forth between the NIV and the NASB; the language of the NIV is easier to read, but I'd often prefer the NASB when I wanted something more literal. I've noticed that the ESB seems to bridge that gap nicely, and it turns out it was their goal to provide a literal, but more readable translation. I'm psyched.
I'm just trying to find out more historical information on the translation, such as when the translation was done and what year it was released, whether it was done from scratch or whether it was derived from other translations, and so on, but haven't been able to find the info on their site. Ah, here we go. Published in October 2001, and was based on the 1971 RSV version. Here's a verse-by-verse comparison, as well as a very helpful explanation of the different major translations available and how the ESV compares. Here are some more details about the translation.
The geek in me also loves it 
They have RSS feeds (even using embedded, not escaped, (X)HTML) and a very detailed web service API. It's really nice how open they are about everything. And their site even uses clean URLs!!
Tuesday, March 8, 2005
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Hi! I have found and collated a GAGGLE of people who like you are endorsing this fantastic bible- pop over my place if you like