Easier to read: NIV or ESV?

A few weeks ago a friend gave me a pen-style hand scanner she bought a year or two ago and became frustrated with (it's kind of tricky to use and requres a steady hand and lots of patience). I finally got around to fiddling with it this weekend, scanning whatever I could find that might be useful to have in my computer. I was hoping to use it to scan Scripture verses during church so I could review them later, so I pulled out my little ESV Trutone and scanned a bit with it, and then I pulled out my wife's NIV Life Application Study Bible and tried it out on that. Here are some of my results of scanning John 3:16:

NIV

16"For God so Ioveda the world that he gaye his one and only Sbn,t tii~t~ 4ho-el'er believes in him shall not perish but tiive eternal life.

16"For God so loveda tee world that he gave his one and onl? Song tliat whoever believes in him shall not perish but liave eternal life.

ESV

1~s~hr dd~~lo~td'fhe 4-oddl that Cave dis ohli~ Sofi, Flat i~rh~aver beje~ee iR tum 4htJula'~tlt)f'perlsn~idt' haire"et~ih~il He.

i6 aFLY GJCI so liked ~e R?or1d,6 Bat he ~~~e Cis ~iih~~iEiin~'djii i&~ohhir klieg ~i~i him should ~lo~pi~iE~biiti h$tje -et~ihHl;lii~

1e"Fi:)r Gob so l~~?eci ihe World.5 tin_et h_e gave his ~ht~scn.1 dlat jhe~'er believer Ri should uo~ perish but ha~x etcmal lae.

16 AF ,Genii SO Ibved -~i-idiid,~ ~at'he ~a,~ Cis only Son diat whoever be~ew~ hi belau Nm ihoulti net perish bu2 Inane eternal life.

~foi Ehd ? lb&a~ die Se]Ad.6 dint he g@Pit li% Tidy-SLni'dia~'%okiii 'l~l~ehh~s~ait hbii t~~ cut iJer1S[l But- wade-tiffie EJEe


It has been argued that the NIV is easier to read than the ESV. Clearly that is the case (at least it is if you are a handheld pen-style text reader!)