Basic English Version : Read the Bible in 1 Year

Judges 10 / Basic English

1. Now after Abimelech, Tola, the son of Puah, the son of Dodo, a man of Issachar, became the saviour of Israel; he was living in Shamir in the hill-country of Ephraim.
2. He was judge over Israel for twenty-three years; and at his death his body was put to rest in the earth in Shamir.
3. And after him came Jair the Gileadite, who was judge over Israel for twenty-two years.
4. And he had thirty sons, who went on thirty young asses; and they had thirty towns in the land of Gilead, which are named Havvoth-Jair to this day.
5. And at the death of Jair his body was put to rest in the earth in Kamon.
6. And again the children of Israel did evil in the eyes of the Lord, worshipping the Baals and Astartes, and the gods of Aram and the gods of Zidon and the gods of Moab and the gods of the children of Ammon and the gods of the Philistines; they gave up the Lord and were servants to him no longer.
7. And the wrath of the Lord was burning against Israel, and he gave them up into the hands of the Philistines and into the hands of the children of Ammon.
8. And that year the children of Israel were crushed under their yoke; for eighteen years all the children of Israel on the other side of Jordan, in the land of the Amorites which is in Gilead, were cruelly crushed down.
9. And the children of Ammon went over Jordan, to make war against Judah and Benjamin and the house of Ephraim; and Israel was in great trouble.
10. Then the children of Israel, crying out to the Lord, said, Great is our sin against you, for we have given up our God and have been servants to the Baals.
11. And the Lord said to the children of Israel, Were not the Egyptians and the Amorites and the children of Ammon and the Philistines
12. And the Zidonians and Amalek and Midian crushing you down, and in answer to your cry did I not give you salvation from their hands?
13. But, for all this, you have given me up and have been servants to other gods: so I will be your saviour no longer.
14. Go, send up your cry for help to the gods of your selection; let them be your saviours in the time of your trouble.
15. And the children of Israel said to the Lord, We are sinners; do to us whatever seems good to you: only give us salvation this day.
16. So they put away the strange gods from among them, and became the Lord's servants; and his soul was angry because of the sorrows of Israel.
17. Then the children of Ammon came together and put their army in position in Gilead. And the children of Israel came together and put their army in position in Mizpah.
18. And the people of Israel said to one another, Who will be the first to make an attack on the children of Ammon? We will make him head over all Gilead.

Judges 11 / Basic English

1. Now Jephthah the Gileadite was a great man of war; he was the son of a loose woman, and Gilead was his father.
2. And Gilead's wife gave birth to sons, and when her sons became men, they sent Jephthah away, saying, You have no part in the heritage of our father's house, for you are the son of another woman.
3. So Jephthah went in flight from his brothers and was living in the land of Tob, where a number of good-for-nothing men, joining Jephthah, went out with him on his undertakings.
4. Now after a time the children of Ammon made war against Israel.
5. And when the children of Ammon made war against Israel, the responsible men of Gilead went to get Jephthah back from the land of Tob;
6. And they said to Jephthah, Come and be our chief so that we may make war against the children of Ammon.
7. But Jephthah said to the responsible men of Gilead, Did you not, in your hate for me, send me away from my father's house? Why do you come to me now when you are in trouble?
8. And the responsible men of Gilead said to Jephthah, That is the reason we have come back to you; so go with us and make war against the children of Ammon, and we will make you our head over all the people of Gilead.
9. Then Jephthah said to the responsible men of Gilead, If you take me back to make war against the children of Ammon, and if with the help of the Lord I overcome them, will you make me your head?
10. And the responsible men of Gilead said to Jephthah, May the Lord be our witness: we will certainly do as you say.
11. So Jephthah went with the responsible men of Gilead, and the people made him head and chief over them; and Jephthah said all these things before the Lord in Mizpah.
12. Then Jephthah sent men to the king of the children of Ammon, saying, What have you against me that you have come to make war against my land?
13. And the king of the children of Ammon said to the men sent by Jephthah, Because Israel, when he came up out of Egypt, took away my land, from the Arnon as far as the Jabbok and as far as Jordan: so now, give me back those lands quietly.
14. And Jephthah sent again to the king of the children of Ammon,
15. And said to him, This is the word of Jephthah: Israel did not take away the land of Moab or the land of the children of Ammon;
16. But when they came up from Egypt, Israel went through the waste land to the Red Sea and came to Kadesh;
17. Then Israel sent men to the king of Edom saying, Let me now go through your land; but the king of Edom did not give ear to them. And in the same way he sent to the king of Moab, but he would not; so Israel went on living in Kadesh.
18. Then he went on through the waste land and round the land of Edom and the land of Moab, and came by the east side of the land of Moab, and put up their tents on the other side of the Arnon; they did not come inside the limit of Moab, for the Arnon was the limit of Moab.
19. And Israel sent men to Sihon, king of the Amorites, the king of Heshbon; and Israel said to him, Let me now go through your land to my place.
20. But Sihon would not give way and let Israel go through his land; and Sihon got together all his people, and put his army in position in Jahaz, and made war on Israel.
21. And the Lord, the God of Israel, gave Sihon and all his people into the hands of Israel, and they overcame them; so all the land of the Amorites, the people of that land, became Israel's.
22. All the limit of the Amorites was theirs, from the Arnon as far as the Jabbok and from the waste land even to Jordan.
23. So now the Lord, the God of Israel, has taken away their land from the Amorites and given it to his people Israel; are you then to have it?
24. Do you not keep the lands of those whom Chemosh your god sends out from before you? So we will keep all the lands of those whom the Lord our God sends out from before us.
25. What! are you any better than Balak, the son of Zippor, king of Moab? Did he ever take up a cause against Israel or make war against them?
26. While Israel was living in Heshbon and its daughter-towns and in Aroer and its daughter-towns and in all the towns which are by the side of the Arnon, for three hundred years, why did you not get them back at that time?
27. So I have done no wrong against you, but you are doing wrong to me in fighting against me: may the Lord, who is Judge this day, be judge between the children of Israel and the children of Ammon.
28. The king of the children of Ammon, however, did not give ear to the words which Jephthah sent to him.
29. Then the spirit of the Lord came on Jephthah, and he went through Gilead and Manasseh, and came to Mizpeh of Gilead; and from Mizpeh of Gilead he went over to the children of Ammon.
30. And Jephthah took an oath to the Lord, and said, If you will give the children of Ammon into my hands,
31. Then whoever comes out from the door of my house, meeting me when I come back in peace from the children of Ammon, will be the Lord's and I will give him as a burned offering.
32. So Jephthah went over to the children of Ammon to make war on them; and the Lord gave them into his hands.
33. And he made an attack on them from Aroer all the way to Minnith, overrunning twenty towns, as far as Abel-cheramim, and put great numbers to the sword. So the children of Ammon were crushed before the children of Israel.
34. Then Jephthah came back to his house in Mizpah, and his daughter came out, meeting him on his way with music and with dances; she was his only child; he had no other sons or daughters.
35. And when he saw her he was overcome with grief, and said, Ah! my daughter! I am crushed with sorrow, and it is you who are the chief cause of my trouble; for I have made an oath to the Lord and I may not take it back.
36. And she said to him, My father, you have made an oath to the Lord; do then to me whatever you have said; for the Lord has sent a full reward on your haters, on the children of Ammon.
37. Then she said to her father, Only do this for me: let me have two months to go away into the mountains with my friends, weeping for my sad fate.
38. And he said, Go then. So he sent her away for two months; and she went with her friends to the mountains, weeping for her sad fate.
39. And at the end of two months she went back to her father, who did with her as he had said in his oath: and she had never been touched by a man. So it became a rule in Israel,
40. For the women to go year by year sorrowing for the daughter of Jephthah the Gileadite, four days in every year.

Luke 22 / Basic English

1. Now the feast of unleavened bread was near, which is called the Passover.
2. And the chief priests and the scribes were looking for a chance to put him to death, but they went in fear of the people.
3. And Satan came into Judas Iscariot, who was one of the twelve.
4. And he went away and had a discussion with the chief priests and the rulers, about how he might give him up to them.
5. And they were glad, and undertook to give him money.
6. And he made an agreement with them to give him up to them, if he got a chance, when the people were not present.
7. And the day of unleavened bread came, when the Passover lamb is put to death.
8. And Jesus sent Peter and John, saying, Go and make the Passover ready for us, so that we may take it.
9. And they said to him, Where are we to get it ready?
10. And he said to them, When you go into the town you will see a man coming to you with a vessel of water; go after him into the house into which he goes.
11. And say to the master of the house, The Master says, Where is the guest-room, where I may take the Passover with my disciples?
12. And he will take you up to a great room with a table and seats: there make ready.
13. And they went, and it was as he had said: and they made the Passover ready.
14. And when the time had come, he took his seat, and the Apostles with him.
15. And he said, I have had a great desire to keep this Passover with you before I come to my death;
16. For I say to you, I will not take it till it is made complete in the kingdom of God.
17. And he took a cup and, having given praise, he said, Make division of this among yourselves;
18. For I say to you, I will not take of the fruit of the vine till the kingdom of God has come.
19. And he took bread and, having given praise, he gave it to them when it had been broken, saying, This is my body, which is given for you: do this in memory of me.
20. And in the same way, after the meal, he took the cup, saying, This cup is the new testament, made with my blood which is given for you.
21. But the hand of him who is false to me is with me at the table.
22. For it will be done to the Son of man after the purpose of God, but unhappy is that man by whom he is given up.
23. And they were wondering among themselves which of them it was who would do this thing.
24. And there was an argument among them about which of them was the greatest.
25. And he said, The kings of the Gentiles are lords over them, and those who have authority are given names of honour.
26. But let it not be so with you; but he who is greater, let him become like the younger; and he who is chief, like a servant.
27. For which is greater, the guest who is seated at a meal or the servant who is waiting on him? is it not the guest? but I am among you as a servant.
28. But you are those who have kept with me through my troubles;
29. And I will give you a kingdom as my Father has given one to me,
30. So that you may take food and drink at my table in my kingdom, and be seated like kings, judging the twelve tribes of Israel.
31. Simon, Simon, Satan has made a request to have you, so that he may put you to the test as grain is tested:
32. But I have made prayer for you, that your faith may not go from you: and when you are turned again, make your brothers strong.
33. And he said to him, Lord, I am ready to go with you to prison and to death.
34. And he said, I say to you, Peter, before the cock's second cry today, you will say three times that you have no knowledge of me.
35. And he said to them, When I sent you out without money or bag or shoes, were you in need of anything? And they said, Nothing.
36. And he said to them, But now, he who has a money-bag, or a bag for food, let him take it: and he who has not, let him give his coat for money and get a sword.
37. For I say to you that these words will be put into effect in me, And he was numbered among the evil-doers: for what has been said in the Writings about me has an end.
38. And they said, Lord, here are two swords. And he said, It is enough.
39. And he came out, and went, as his way was, to the Mountain of Olives, and the disciples went with him.
40. And when he came to the place, he said to them, Make a prayer that you may not be put to the test.
41. And he went a little distance away from them and, falling on his knees in prayer, he said,
42. Father, if it is your pleasure, take this cup from me: but still, let your pleasure, not mine, be done.
43. And an angel from heaven came to him, to give him strength.
44. And being in great trouble of soul, the force of his prayer became stronger, and great drops, like blood, came from him, falling to the earth.
45. And, getting up from prayer, he came to the disciples, and saw that they were sleeping for sorrow.
46. And he said, Why are you sleeping? Get up, and give yourselves to prayer, so that you may not be put to the test.
47. And while he was saying these words, there came a band of people, and Judas, one of the twelve, was in front of them, and he came near to Jesus to give him a kiss.
48. But Jesus said to him, Judas, will you be false to the Son of man with a kiss?
49. And when those who were with him saw what was coming, they said, Lord, may we not make use of our swords?
50. And one of them gave a blow to the servant of the high priest, cutting off his right ear.
51. But Jesus, answering, said, Put up with this, at least. And touching his ear, he made it well.
52. And Jesus said to the chief priests and the captains of the Temple and the rulers, who had come against him, Have you come out as against a thief, with swords and sticks?
53. When I was in the Temple with you every day, your hands were not stretched out against me: but this is your hour, and the authority of the dark power.
54. And they made him a prisoner and took him away to the house of the high priest. But Peter went after them at a distance.
55. And a fire was lighted in the middle of the open square, and they were seated together, and Peter was among them.
56. And a certain woman-servant, seeing him in the light of the fire, and looking at him with attention, said, This man was with him.
57. But he said, Woman, it is not true; I have no knowledge of him.
58. And after a little time, another saw him and said, You are one of them; and he said, Man, I am not.
59. And after about an hour, another man said, with decision, Certainly this man was with him, for he is a Galilaean.
60. And Peter said, Man, I have no knowledge of these things of which you are talking. And straight away, while he was saying these words, there came the cry of a cock.
61. And the Lord, turning, gave Peter a look. And the words of the Lord came to Peter's mind, how he had said, This night, before the hour of the cock's cry, you will be false to me three times.
62. And he went out, weeping bitterly.
63. And the men in whose hands Jesus was, made sport of him and gave him blows.
64. And, covering his eyes, they said to him, Are you prophet enough to say who gave you that blow?
65. And they said a number of other evil things against him.
66. And when it was day, the rulers of the people came together, with the chief priests and the scribes, and they took him before their Sanhedrin, saying,
67. If you are the Christ, say so. But he said, If I say so you will not have belief;
68. And if I put a question to you, you will not give an answer.
69. But in the future the Son of man will be seated at the right hand of the power of God.
70. And they all said, Are you then the Son of God? and he said, You say that I am.
71. And they said, What more need have we of witness? we have the very words of his mouth.