Basic English Version : Read the Bible in 1 Year

Genesis 27 / Basic English

1. Now when Isaac was old and his eyes had become clouded so that he was not able to see, he sent for Esau, his first son, and said to him, My son: and he said, Here am I.
2. And he said, See now, I am old, and my death may take place at any time:
3. So take your arrows and your bow and go out to the field and get meat for me;
4. And make me food, good to the taste, such as is pleasing to me, and put it before me, so that I may have a meal and give you my blessing before death comes to me.
5. Now Isaac's words to his son were said in Rebekah's hearing. Then Esau went out to get the meat.
6. And Rebekah said to Jacob, her son, Your father said to your brother Esau in my hearing,
7. Go and get some roe's meat and make me a good meal, so that I may be full, and give you my blessing before the Lord before my death.
8. Now, my son, do what I say.
9. Go to the flock and get me two fat young goats; and I will make of them a meal to your father's taste:
10. And you will take it to him, so that he may have a good meal and give you his blessing before his death.
11. And Jacob said to Rebekah, his mother, But Esau my brother is covered with hair, while I am smooth:
12. If by chance my father puts his hand on me, it will seem to him that I am tricking him, and he will put a curse on me in place of a blessing.
13. And his mother said, Let the curse be on me, my son: only do as I say, and go and get them for me.
14. So he went and got them and took them to his mother: and she made a meal to his father's taste.
15. And Rebekah took the fair robes of her oldest son, which were with her in the house, and put them on Jacob, her younger son:
16. And she put the skins of the young goats on his hands and on the smooth part of his neck:
17. And she gave into the hand of Jacob, her son, the meat and the bread which she had made ready.
18. And he came to his father, and said, My father: and he said, Here am I: who are you, my son?
19. And Jacob said, I am Esau, your oldest son; I have done as you said: come now, be seated and take of my meat, so that you may give me a blessing.
20. And Isaac said, How is it that you have got it so quickly, my son? And he said, Because the Lord your God made it come my way.
21. And Isaac said, Come near so that I may put my hand on you, my son, and see if you are truly my son Esau or not.
22. And Jacob went near his father Isaac: and he put his hands on him; and he said, The voice is Jacob's voice, but the hands are the hands of Esau.
23. And he did not make out who he was, because his hands were covered with hair like his brother Esau's hands: so he gave him a blessing.
24. And he said, Are you truly my son Esau? And he said, I am.
25. And he said, Put it before me and I will take of my son's meat, so that I may give you a blessing. And he put it before him and he took it; and he gave him wine, and he had a drink.
26. And his father Isaac said to him, Come near now, my son, and give me a kiss.
27. And he came near and gave him a kiss; and smelling the smell of his clothing, he gave him a blessing, and said, See, the smell of my son is like the smell of a field on which the blessing of the Lord has come:
28. May God give you the dew of heaven, and the good things of the earth, and grain and wine in full measure:
29. Let peoples be your servants, and nations go down before you: be lord over your brothers, and let your mother's sons go down before you: a curse be on everyone by whom you are cursed, and a blessing on those who give you a blessing.
30. And when Isaac had come to the end of blessing Jacob, and Jacob had not long gone away from Isaac his father, Esau came in from the field.
31. And he made ready a meal, good to the taste, and took it to his father, and said to him, Let my father get up and take of his son's meat, so that you may give me a blessing.
32. And Isaac his father said to him, Who are you? And he said, I am your oldest son, Esau.
33. And in great fear Isaac said, Who then is he who got meat and put it before me, and I took it all before you came, and gave him a blessing, and his it will be?
34. And hearing the words of his father, Esau gave a great and bitter cry, and said to his father, Give a blessing to me, even to me, O my father!
35. And he said, Your brother came with deceit, and took away your blessing.
36. And he said, Is it because he is named Jacob that he has twice taken my place? for he took away my birthright, and now he has taken away my blessing. And he said, Have you not kept a blessing for me?
37. And Isaac answering said, But I have made him your master, and have given him all his brothers for servants; I have made him strong with grain and wine: what then am I to do for you, my son?
38. And Esau said to his father, Is that the only blessing you have, my father? give a blessing to me, even me! And Esau was overcome with weeping.
39. Then Isaac his father made answer and said to him, Far from the fertile places of the earth, and far from the dew of heaven on high will your living-place be:
40. By your sword will you get your living and you will be your brother's servant; but when your power is increased his yoke will be broken from off your neck.
41. So Esau was full of hate for Jacob because of his father's blessing; and he said in his heart, The days of weeping for my father are near; then I will put my brother Jacob to death.
42. Then Rebekah, hearing what Esau had said, sent for Jacob, her younger son, and said to him, It seems that your brother Esau is purposing to put you to death.
43. So now, my son, do what I say: go quickly to Haran, to my brother Laban;
44. And be there with him for a little time, till your brother's wrath is turned away;
45. Till the memory of what you have done to him is past and he is no longer angry: then I will send word for you to come back; are the two of you to be taken from me in one day?
46. Then Rebekah said to Isaac, My life is a weariness to me because of the daughters of Heth: if Jacob takes a wife from among the daughters of Heth, such as these, the women of this land, of what use will my life be to me?

Matthew 15 / Basic English

1. Then there came to Jesus from Jerusalem Pharisees and scribes, saying,
2. Why do your disciples go against the teaching of the fathers? for they take food with unwashed hands.
3. And in answer he said to them, Why do you, yourselves, go against the word of God on account of the teaching which has been handed down to you?
4. For God said, Give honour to your father and mother: and, He who says evil of father or mother will be put to death.
5. But you say, If a man says to his father or his mother, That by which you might have had profit from me is given to God;
6. There is no need for him to give honour to his father. And you have made the word of God without effect because of your teaching.
7. You false ones, well did Isaiah say of you,
8. These people give me honour with their lips, but their heart is far from me.
9. But their worship is to no purpose, while they give as their teaching the rules of men.
10. And he got the people together and said to them, Give ear, and let my words be clear to you:
11. Not that which goes into the mouth makes a man unclean, but that which comes out of the mouth.
12. Then the disciples came and said to him, Did you see that the Pharisees were troubled when these words came to their ears?
13. But he said in answer, Every plant which my Father in heaven has not put in the earth, will be taken up by the roots.
14. Let them be: they are blind guides. And if a blind man is guiding a blind man, the two will go falling into a hole together.
15. Then Peter said to him, Make the story clear to us.
16. And he said, Are you, like them, still without wisdom?
17. Do you not see that whatever goes into the mouth goes on into the stomach, and is sent out as waste?
18. But the things which come out of the mouth come from the heart; and they make a man unclean.
19. For out of the heart come evil thoughts, the taking of life, broken faith between the married, unclean desires of the flesh, taking of property, false witness, bitter words:
20. These are the things which make a man unclean; but to take food with unwashed hands does not make a man unclean.
21. And Jesus went away from there into the country of Tyre and Sidon.
22. And a woman of Canaan came out from those parts, crying and saying, Have pity on me, O Lord, Son of David; my daughter is greatly troubled with an unclean spirit.
23. But he gave her no answer. And his disciples came and said to him, Send her away, for she is crying after us.
24. But he made answer and said, I was sent only to the wandering sheep of the house of Israel.
25. But she came and gave him worship, saying, Help, Lord.
26. And he made answer and said, It is not right to take the children's bread and give it to the dogs.
27. But she said, Yes, Lord: but even the dogs take the bits from under their masters' table.
28. Then Jesus, answering, said to her, O woman, great is your faith: let your desire be done. And her daughter was made well from that hour.
29. And Jesus went from there and came to the sea of Galilee; and he went up into the mountain, and took his seat there.
30. And there came to him great numbers of people having with them those who were broken in body, or blind, or without voice, or wounded, or ill in any way, and a number of others; they put them down at his feet and he made them well:
31. So that the people were full of wonder when they saw that those who had no voice were talking, the feeble were made strong, those whose bodies were broken had the power of walking, and the blind were able to see: and they gave glory to the God of Israel.
32. And Jesus got his disciples together and said, I have pity for the people, because they have now been with me three days and have no food: and I will not send them away without food, or they will have no strength for the journey.
33. And the disciples say to him, How may we get enough bread in a waste place, to give food to such a number of people?
34. And Jesus says to them, How much bread have you? And they said, Seven cakes, and some small fishes.
35. Then he gave an order to the people to be seated on the earth,
36. And he took the seven cakes of bread and the fishes; and having given praise, he gave the broken bread to the disciples, and the disciples gave it to the people.
37. And they all took food, and had enough; and they took up of the broken bits, seven baskets full.
38. And there were four thousand men who took food, together with women and children.
39. And when he had sent the people away, he got into the boat, and came into the country of Magadan.