Basic English Version : Read the Bible in 1 Year

Deuteronomy 29 / Basic English

1. These are the words of the agreement which Moses was ordered by the Lord to make with the children of Israel in the land of Moab, in addition to the agreement which he made with them in Horeb.
2. And Moses said in the hearing of all Israel, You have seen all the Lord did before your eyes in the land of Egypt to Pharaoh and to all his servants and all his land;
3. The great tests which your eyes saw, and the signs and wonders:
4. But even to this day the Lord has not given you a mind open to knowledge, or seeing eyes or hearing ears.
5. For forty years I have been your guide through the waste land: your clothing has not become old on your backs, or your shoes on your feet.
6. You have had no bread, or wine, or strong drink: so that you might see that I am the Lord your God.
7. When you came to this place, Sihon, king of Heshbon, and Og, king of Bashan, came out to make war against us and we overcame them:
8. And we took their land and gave it to the Reubenites and the Gadites and the half-tribe of Manasseh, for their heritage.
9. So keep the words of this agreement and do them, so that it may be well for you in everything you do.
10. You have come here today, all of you, before the Lord your God; the heads of your tribes, the overseers, and those who are in authority over you, with all the men of Israel,
11. And your little ones, your wives, and the men of other lands who are with you in your tents, down to the wood-cutter and the servant who gets water for you:
12. With the purpose of taking part in the agreement of the Lord your God, and his oath which he makes with you today:
13. And so that he may make you his people today, and be your God, as he has said to you, and as he made an oath to your fathers, Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob.
14. And not with you only do I make this agreement and this oath;
15. But with everyone who is here with us today before the Lord our God, as well as with those who are not here:
16. (For you have in mind how we were living in the land of Egypt; and how we came through all the nations which were on your way;
17. And you have seen their disgusting doings, and the images of wood and stone and silver and gold which were among them:)
18. So that there may not be among you any man or woman or family or tribe whose heart is turned away from the Lord our God today, to go after other gods and give them worship; or any root among you whose fruit is poison and bitter sorrow;
19. If such a man, hearing the words of this oath, takes comfort in the thought that he will have peace even if he goes on in the pride of his heart, taking whatever chance may give him:
20. The Lord will have no mercy on him, but the wrath of the Lord will be burning against that man, and all the curses recorded in this book will be waiting for him, and the Lord will take away his name completely from the earth.
21. He will be marked out by the Lord, from all the tribes of Israel, for an evil fate, in keeping with all the curses of the agreement recorded in this book of the law.
22. And future generations, your children coming after you, and travellers from far countries, will say, when they see the punishments of that land and the diseases which the Lord has sent on it;
23. And that all the land is a salt and smoking waste, not planted or giving fruit or clothed with grass, but wasted like Sodom and Gomorrah, Admah and Zeboiim, on which the Lord sent destruction in the heat of his wrath:
24. Truly all the nations will say, Why has the Lord done so to this land? what is the reason for this great and burning wrath?
25. Then men will say, Because they gave up the agreement of the Lord, the God of their fathers, which he made with them when he took them out of the land of Egypt:
26. And they went after other gods and gave them worship, gods who were strange to them, and whom he had not given them:
27. And so the wrath of the Lord was moved against this land, to send on it all the curse recorded in this book:
28. Rooting them out of their land, in the heat of his wrath and passion, and driving them out into another land, as at this day.
29. The secret things are the Lord our God's: but the things which have been made clear are ours and our children's for ever, so that we may do all the words of this law.

Deuteronomy 30 / Basic English

1. Now when all these things have come on you, the blessing and the curse which I have put before you, if the thought of them comes back to your minds, when you are living among the nations where the Lord your God has sent you,
2. And your hearts are turned again to the Lord your God, and you give ear to his word which I give you today, you and your children, with all your heart and with all your soul:
3. Then the Lord will have pity on you, changing your fate, and taking you back again from among all the nations where you have been forced to go.
4. Even if those who have been forced out are living in the farthest part of heaven, the Lord your God will go in search of you, and take you back;
5. Placing you again in the land of your fathers as your heritage; and he will do you good, increasing you till you are more in number than your fathers were.
6. And the Lord your God will give to you and to your seed a circumcision of the heart, so that, loving him with all your heart and all your soul, you may have life.
7. And the Lord your God will put all these curses on those who are against you, and on your haters who put a cruel yoke on you.
8. And you will again give ear to the voice of the Lord, and do all his orders which I have given you today.
9. And the Lord your God will make you fertile in all good things, blessing the work of your hands, and the fruit of your body, and the fruit of your cattle, and the fruit of your land: for the Lord will have joy in you, as he had in your fathers:
10. If you give ear to the voice of the Lord your God, keeping his orders and his laws which are recorded in this book of the law, and turning to the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul.
11. For these orders which I have given you today are not strange and secret, and are not far away.
12. They are not in heaven, for you to say, Who will go up to heaven for us and give us knowledge of them so that we may do them?
13. And they are not across the sea, for you to say, Who will go over the sea for us and give us news of them so that we may do them?
14. But the word is very near you, in your mouth and in your heart, so that you may do it.
15. See, I have put before you today, life and good, and death and evil;
16. In giving you orders today to have love for the Lord your God, to go in his ways and keep his laws and his orders and his decisions, so that you may have life and be increased, and that the blessing of the Lord your God may be with you in the land where you are going, the land of your heritage.
17. But if your heart is turned away and your ear is shut, and you go after those who would make you servants and worshippers of other gods:
18. I give witness against you this day that destruction will certainly be your fate, and your days will be cut short in the land where you are going, the land of your heritage on the other side of Jordan.
19. Let heaven and earth be my witnesses against you this day that I have put before you life and death, a blessing and a curse: so take life for yourselves and for your seed:
20. In loving the Lord your God, hearing his voice and being true to him: for he is your life and by him will your days be long: so that you may go on living in the land which the Lord gave by an oath to your fathers, Abraham, Isaac and Jacob.

Psalms 99 / Basic English

1. The Lord is King; let the peoples be in fear: his seat is on the winged ones; let the earth be moved.
2. The Lord is great in Zion; he is high over all the nations.
3. Let them give praise to your name, for it is great and to be feared; holy is he.
4. The king's power is used for righteousness; you give true decisions, judging rightly in the land of Jacob.
5. Give high honour to the Lord our God, worshipping at his feet; holy is he.
6. Moses and Aaron among his priests, and Samuel among those who gave honour to his name; they made prayers to the Lord, and he gave answers to them.
7. His voice came to them from the pillar of cloud; they kept his witness, and the law which he gave them.
8. You gave them an answer, O Lord our God; you took away their sin, though you gave them punishment for their wrongdoing.
9. Give high honour to the Lord our God, worshipping with your faces turned to his holy hill; for the Lord our God is holy.

Psalms 100 / Basic English

1. <A Psalm of Praise.> Make a glad sound to the Lord, all the earth.
2. Give worship to the Lord with joy; come before him with a song.
3. Be certain that the Lord is God; it is he who has made us, and we are his; we are his people, and the sheep to whom he gives food.
4. Come into his doors with joy, and into his house with praise; give him honour, blessing his name.
5. For the Lord is good, and his mercy is never-ending; his faith is unchanging through all generations.

Luke 1 / Basic English

1. As a number of attempts have been made to put together in order an account of those events which took place among us,
2. As they were handed down to us by those who saw them from the first and were preachers of the word,
3. It seemed good to me, having made observation, with great care, of the direction of events in their order, to put the facts in writing for you, most noble Theophilus;
4. So that you might have certain knowledge of those things about which you were given teaching.
5. In the days of Herod, king of Judaea, there was a certain priest, by name Zacharias, of the order of Abijah; and he had a wife of the family of Aaron, and her name was Elisabeth.
6. They were upright in the eyes of God, keeping all the rules and orders of God, and doing no wrong.
7. And they were without children, because Elisabeth had never given birth, and they were at that time very old.
8. Now it came about that in his turn he was acting as priest before God,
9. And as was the way of the priests, he had to go into the Temple to see to the burning of perfumes.
10. And all the people were offering prayers outside, at the time of the burning of perfumes.
11. And he saw an angel of the Lord in his place on the right side of the altar.
12. And Zacharias was troubled when he saw him, and fear came on him.
13. But the angel said, Have no fear, Zacharias, for your prayer has come to the ears of God, and your wife Elisabeth will have a son, and his name will be John.
14. And you will be glad and have great delight; and numbers of people will have joy at his birth.
15. For he will be great in the eyes of the Lord; he will not take wine or strong drink; and he will be full of the Spirit of God from his birth.
16. And through him great numbers of the children of Israel will be turned to the Lord their God.
17. And he will go before his face in the spirit and power of Elijah, turning the hearts of fathers to their children, and wrongdoers to the way of righteousness; to make ready a people whose hearts have been turned to the Lord.
18. And Zacharias said to the angel, How may I be certain of this? For I am an old man, and my wife is far on in years.
19. And the angel, answering, said, I am Gabriel, whose place is before God; I have been sent to say these words to you and to give you this good news.
20. Now, see, you will be without voice or language till the day when these things come about, because you had not faith in my words, which will have effect at the right time.
21. And the people were waiting for Zacharias and were surprised because he was in the Temple for such a long time.
22. And when he came out he was not able to say anything, and they saw that he had seen a vision in the Temple; and he was making signs to them without words.
23. And when the days of his work in the Temple were ended, he went back to his house.
24. After that time, Elisabeth, being certain that she was to become a mother, kept herself from men's eyes for five months, saying,
25. The Lord has done this to me, for his eyes were on me, to take away my shame in the eyes of men.
26. Now in the sixth month the angel Gabriel was sent from God to a town in Galilee, named Nazareth,
27. To a virgin who was to be married to a man named Joseph, of the family of David; and the name of the virgin was Mary.
28. And the angel came in to her and said, Peace be with you, to whom special grace has been given; the Lord is with you.
29. But she was greatly troubled at his words, and said to herself, What may be the purpose of these words?
30. And the angel said to her, Have no fear, Mary, for you have God's approval.
31. And see, you will give birth to a son, and his name will be Jesus.
32. He will be great, and will be named the Son of the Most High: and the Lord God will give him the kingdom of David, his father:
33. He will have rule over the house of Jacob for ever, and of his kingdom there will be no end.
34. And Mary said to the angel, How may this be, because I have had no knowledge of a man?
35. And the angel in answer said to her, The Holy Spirit will come on you, and the power of the Most High will come to rest on you, and so that which will come to birth will be named holy, Son of God.
36. Even now Elisabeth, who is of your family, is to be a mother, though she is old: and this is the sixth month with her who was without children.
37. For there is nothing which God is not able to do.
38. And Mary said: I am the servant of the Lord; may it be to me as you say. And the angel went away.
39. Then Mary got up and went quickly into the high lands, to a town of Judah;
40. And went into the house of Zacharias and took Elisabeth in her arms.
41. And when the voice of Mary came to the ears of Elisabeth, the baby made a sudden move inside her; then Elisabeth was full of the Holy Spirit,
42. And she said with a loud voice: May blessing be on you among women, and a blessing on the child of your body.
43. How is it that the mother of my Lord comes to me?
44. For, truly, when the sound of your voice came to my ears, the baby in my body made a sudden move for joy.
45. Happy will she be who had faith that the things which the Lord has said to her will be done.
46. And Mary said: My soul gives glory to God;
47. My spirit is glad in God my Saviour.
48. For he has had pity on his servant, though she is poor and lowly placed: and from this hour will all generations give witness to the blessing which has come to me.
49. For he who is strong has done great things for me; and holy is his name.
50. His mercy is for all generations in whom is the fear of him.
51. With his arm he has done acts of power; he has put to flight those who have pride in their hearts.
52. He has put down kings from their seats, lifting up on high the men of low degree.
53. Those who had no food he made full of good things; the men of wealth he sent away with nothing in their hands;
54. His help he has given to Israel, his servant, so that he might keep in mind his mercy to Abraham and his seed for ever,
55. As he gave his word to our fathers.
56. And Mary was with her for about three months and then went back to her house.
57. Now it was time for Elisabeth to give birth, and she had a son.
58. And it came to the ears of her neighbours and relations that the Lord had been very good to her, and they took part in her joy.
59. And on the eighth day they came to see to the circumcision of the child, and they would have given him the name of Zacharias, his father's name;
60. But his mother made answer and said, No, his name is John.
61. And they said, Not one of your relations has that name.
62. And they made signs to his father, to say what name was to be given to him.
63. And he sent for writing materials and put down: His name is John; and they were all surprised.
64. And straight away his mouth was open and his tongue was free and he gave praise to God.
65. And fear came on all those who were living round about them: and there was much talk about all these things in all the hill-country of Judaea.
66. And all who had word of them kept them in their minds and said, What will this child be? For the hand of the Lord was with him.
67. And his father, Zacharias, was full of the Holy Spirit, and with the voice of a prophet said these words:
68. Praise be to the Lord, the God of Israel, for he has come to his people and made them free,
69. Lifting up a horn of salvation for us in the house of his servant David,
70. (As he said, by the mouth of his holy prophets, from the earliest times,)
71. Salvation from those who are against us, and from the hands of those who have hate for us;
72. To do acts of mercy to our fathers and to keep in mind his holy word,
73. The oath which he made to Abraham, our father,
74. That we, being made free from the fear of those who are against us, might give him worship,
75. In righteousness and holy living before him all our days.
76. And you, child, will be named the prophet of the Most High: you will go before the face of the Lord, to make ready his ways;
77. To give knowledge of salvation to his people, through the forgiveness of sins,
78. Because of the loving mercies of our God, by which the dawn from heaven has come to us,
79. To give light to those in dark places, and in the shade of death, so that our feet may be guided into the way of peace.
80. And the child became tall, and strong in spirit; and he was living in the waste land till the day when he came before the eyes of Israel.