Basic English Version : Read the Bible in 1 Year

Judges 21 / Basic English

1. Now the men of Israel had taken an oath in Mizpah, saying, Not one of us will give his daughter as a wife to Benjamin.
2. And the people came to Beth-el, waiting there till evening before God, and gave themselves up to bitter weeping.
3. And they said, O Lord, the God of Israel, why has this fate come on Israel, that today one tribe has been cut off from Israel?
4. Then on the day after, the people got up early and made an altar there, offering burned offerings and peace-offerings.
5. And the children of Israel said, Who is there among all the tribes of Israel, who did not come up to the Lord at the meeting of all Israel? For they had taken a great oath that whoever did not come up to Mizpah to the Lord was to be put to death.
6. And the children of Israel were moved with pity for Benjamin their brother, saying, Today one tribe has been cut off from Israel.
7. What are we to do about wives for those who are still living? For we have taken an oath by the Lord that we will not give them our daughters for wives.
8. And they said, Which one of the tribes of Israel did not come up to Mizpah to the Lord? And it was seen that no one had come from Jabesh-gilead to the meeting.
9. For when the people were numbered, not one man of the people of Jabesh-gilead was present.
10. So they (the meeting) sent twelve thousand of the best fighting-men, and gave them orders, saying, Go and put the people of Jabesh-gilead to the sword without mercy, with their women and their little ones.
11. And this is what you are to do: every male, and every woman who has had sex relations with a man, you are to put to the curse, but you are to keep safe the virgins. And they did so.
12. Now there were among the people of Jabesh-gilead four hundred young virgins who had never had sex relations with a man; these they took to their tents in Shiloh in the land of Canaan.
13. And all the meeting sent to the men of Benjamin who were in the rock of Rimmon, offering them peace.
14. Then Benjamin came back; and they gave them the women whom they had kept from death among the women of Jabesh-gilead: but still there were not enough for them.
15. And the people were moved with pity for Benjamin, because the Lord had let his wrath loose on the tribes of Israel.
16. Then the responsible men of the meeting said, What are we to do about wives for the rest of them, seeing that the women of Benjamin are dead?
17. And they said, How is the rest of Benjamin to be given offspring so that one tribe of Israel may not be put out of existence,
18. Seeing that we may not give them our daughters as wives? For the children of Israel had taken an oath, saying, Cursed is he who gives a wife to Benjamin.
19. And they said, See, every year there is a feast of the Lord in Shiloh, which is to the north of Beth-el, on the east side of the highway which goes up from Beth-el to Shechem, and on the south of Lebonah.
20. And they said to the men of Benjamin, Go into the vine-gardens, waiting there secretly,
21. And watching; and if the daughters of Shiloh come out to take part in the dances, then come from the vine-gardens and take a wife for every one of you from among the daughters of Shiloh, and go back to the land of Benjamin.
22. And when their fathers or their brothers come and make trouble, you are to say to them, Give them to us as an act of grace; for we did not take them as wives for ourselves in war; and if you yourselves had given them to us you would have been responsible for the broken oath.
23. So the men of Benjamin did this, and got wives for themselves for every one of their number, taking them away by force from the dance; then they went back to their heritage, building up their towns and living in them.
24. Then the children of Israel went away from there, every man to his tribe and his family, every man went back to his heritage.
25. In those days there was no king in Israel: every man did what seemed right to him.

Ruth 1 / Basic English

1. Now there came a time, in the days of the judges, when there was no food in the land. And a certain man went from Beth-lehem-judah, he and his wife and his two sons, to make a living-place in the country of Moab.
2. And the name of the man was Elimelech, and the name of his wife Naomi, and the name of his two sons Mahlon and Chilion, Ephrathites of Beth-lehem-judah. And they came into the country of Moab, and were there for some time.
3. And Elimelech, Naomi's husband, came to his end; and only her two sons were with her.
4. And they took two women of Moab as their wives: the name of the one was Orpah, and the name of the other Ruth; and they went on living there for about ten years.
5. And Mahlon and Chilion came to their end; and the woman was without her two sons and her husband.
6. So she and her daughters-in-law got ready to go back from the country of Moab, for news had come to her in the country of Moab that the Lord, in mercy for his people, had given them food.
7. And she went out of the place where she was, and her two daughters-in-law with her; and they went on their way to go back to the land of Judah.
8. And Naomi said to her two daughters-in-law, Go back to your mothers' houses: may the Lord be good to you as you have been good to the dead and to me:
9. May the Lord give you rest in the houses of your husbands. Then she gave them a kiss; and they were weeping bitterly.
10. And they said to her, No, but we will go back with you to your people.
11. But Naomi said, Go back, my daughters; why will you come with me? Have I more sons in my body, to become your husbands?
12. Go back, my daughters, and go on your way; I am so old now that I may not have another husband. If I said, I have hopes, if I had a husband tonight, and might have sons,
13. Would you keep yourselves till they were old enough? would you keep from having husbands for them? No, my daughters; but I am very sad for you that the hand of the Lord is against me.
14. Then again they were weeping; and Orpah gave her mother-in-law a kiss, but Ruth would not be parted from her.
15. And Naomi said, See, your sister-in-law has gone back to her people and to her gods: go back after your sister-in-law.
16. But Ruth said, Give up requesting me to go away from you, or to go back without you: for where you go I will go; and where you take your rest I will take my rest; your people will be my people, and your God my God.
17. Wherever death comes to you, death will come to me, and there will be my last resting-place; the Lord do so to me and more if we are parted by anything but death.
18. And when she saw that Ruth was strong in her purpose to go with her she said no more.
19. So the two of them went on till they came to Beth-lehem. And when they came to Beth-lehem all the town was moved about them, and they said, Is this Naomi?
20. And she said to them, Do not let my name be Naomi, but Mara, for the Ruler of all has given me a bitter fate.
21. I went out full, and the Lord has sent me back again with nothing; why do you give me the name Naomi, seeing that the Lord has given witness against me, and the Ruler of all has sent sorrow on me?
22. So Naomi came back out of the country of Moab, and Ruth the Moabitess, her daughter-in-law, with her; and they came to Beth-lehem in the first days of the grain-cutting.

Psalms 105 / Basic English

1. O give praise to the Lord; give honour to his name, talking of his doings among the peoples.
2. Let your voice be sounding in songs and melody; let all your thoughts be of the wonder of his works.
3. Have glory in his holy name; let the hearts of those who are searching after the Lord be glad.
4. Let your search be for the Lord and for his strength; let your hearts ever be turned to him.
5. Keep in mind the great works which he has done; his wonders, and the decisions of his mouth;
6. O you seed of Abraham, his servant, you children of Jacob, his loved ones.
7. He is the Lord our God: he is judge of all the earth.
8. He has kept his agreement in mind for ever, the word which he gave for a thousand generations;
9. The agreement which he made with Abraham, and his oath to Isaac;
10. And he gave it to Jacob for a law, and to Israel for an eternal agreement;
11. Saying, To you will I give the land of Canaan, the measured line of your heritage:
12. When they were still small in number, and strange in the land;
13. When they went about from one nation to another, and from one kingdom to another people.
14. He would not let anyone do them wrong; he even kept back kings because of them,
15. Saying, Put not your hand on those who have been marked with my holy oil, and do my prophets no wrong.
16. And he took away all food from the land, so that the people were without bread.
17. He sent a man before them, even Joseph, who was given as a servant for a price:
18. His feet were fixed in chains; his neck was put in iron bands;
19. Till the time when his word came true; he was tested by the word of the Lord.
20. The king sent men to take off his chains; even the ruler of the people, who let him go free.
21. He made him lord of his house, and ruler over everything he had;
22. To give his chiefs teaching at his pleasure, and so that his law-givers might get wisdom from him.
23. Then Israel came into Egypt, and Jacob was living in the land of Ham.
24. And his people were greatly increased, and became stronger than those who were against them.
25. Their hearts were turned to hate against his people, so that they made secret designs against them.
26. He sent Moses, his servant, and Aaron, the man of his selection.
27. He let his signs be seen among the people, and his wonders in the land of Ham.
28. He sent black night and made it dark; and they did not go against his word.
29. At his word their waters were turned to blood, and he sent death on all their fish.
30. Their land was full of frogs, even in the rooms of the king.
31. He gave the word, and there came the dog-fly, and insects over all the land.
32. He gave them ice for rain, and flaming fire in their land.
33. He gave their vines and their fig-trees to destruction, and the trees of their land were broken down.
34. At his word the locusts came, and young locusts more than might be numbered,
35. And put an end to all the plants of their land, taking all the fruit of the earth for food.
36. He put to death the first child of every family in the land, the first-fruits of their strength.
37. He took his people out with silver and gold: there was not one feeble person among them.
38. Egypt was glad when they went; for the fear of them had come down on them.
39. A cloud was stretched over them for a cover; and he sent fire to give light in the night.
40. At the people's request he sent birds, and gave them the bread of heaven for food.
41. His hand made the rock open, and the waters came streaming out; they went down through the dry places like a river.
42. For he kept in mind his holy word, and Abraham, his servant.
43. And he took his people out with joy, the men of his selection with glad cries:
44. And gave them the lands of the nations; and they took the work of the peoples for a heritage;
45. So that they might keep his orders, and be true to his laws. Give praise to the Lord.