Basic English Version : Read the Bible in 1 Year

1 Samuel (1 Kings) 29 / Basic English

1. Now the Philistines got all their army together at Aphek: and the Israelites put their forces in position by the fountain in Jezreel.
2. And the lords of the Philistines went on with their hundreds and their thousands, and David and his men came after with Achish.
3. Then the rulers of the Philistines said, What are these Hebrews doing here? And Achish said to the rulers of the Philistines, Is this not David, the servant of Saul the king of Israel, who has been with me for a year or two, and I have never seen any wrong in him from the time when he came to me till now?
4. But the rulers of the Philistines were angry with him, and said to him, Make the man go back to the place you have given him; do not let him go down with us to the fight, or he may be turned against us and be false to us: for how will this man make peace with his lord? will it not be with the heads of these men?
5. Is this not David, who was named in their songs, when in the dance they said to one another, Saul has put to death thousands, and David tens of thousands?
6. Then Achish sent for David and said to him, By the living Lord, you are upright, and everything you have done with me in the army has been pleasing to me: I have seen no evil in you from the day when you came to me till now: but still, the lords are not pleased with you.
7. So now go back, and go in peace, so that you do not make the lords of the Philistines angry.
8. And David said to Achish, But what have I done? what have you seen in your servant while I have been with you till this day, that I may not go and take up arms against those who are now making war on my lord the king?
9. And Achish in answer said, It is true that in my eyes you are good, like an angel of God: but still, the rulers of the Philistines have said, He is not to go up with us to the fight.
10. So get up early in the morning, with the servants of your lord who are with you, and go to the place I have given you, and have no evil design in your heart, for you are good in my eyes; but when there is light enough in the morning, go away.
11. So David and his men got up early in the morning to go back to the land of the Philistines. And the Philistines went up to Jezreel.

1 Samuel (1 Kings) 30 / Basic English

1. Now when David and his men came to Ziklag on the third day, the Amalekites had made an attack on the South and on Ziklag, and had overcome Ziklag and put it on fire;
2. And had made the women and all who were there, small and great, prisoners: they had not put any of them to death, but had taken them all away.
3. And when David and his men came to the town, they saw that it had been burned down, and their wives and their sons and daughters had been made prisoners.
4. Then David and the people who were with him gave themselves up to weeping till they were able to go on weeping no longer.
5. And David's two wives, Ahinoam of Jezreel and Abigail, the wife of Nabal of Carmel, had been made prisoners.
6. And David was greatly troubled; for the people were talking of stoning him, because their hearts were bitter, every man sorrowing for his sons and his daughters: but David made himself strong in the Lord his God.
7. And David said to Abiathar the priest, the son of Ahimelech, Come here to me with the ephod. And Abiathar took the ephod to David.
8. Then David, questioning the Lord, said, Am I to go after this band? will I be able to overtake them? And in answer he said, Go after them, for you will certainly overtake them, and get back everything.
9. So David went, and his six hundred men went with him, and they came to the stream Besor.
10. And David, with four hundred men, went on: but two hundred of them were overcome with weariness, and not able to go across the stream.
11. And in the fields they saw an Egyptian whom they took to David, and they gave him bread, and he had a meal, and they gave him water for drink;
12. And they gave him part of a cake of figs and some dry grapes; and after the food, his spirit came back to him, for he had had no food or drink for three days and nights.
13. And David said to him, Whose man are you and where do you come from? And he said, I am a young man of Egypt, servant to an Amalekite; and my master went on without me because three days back I became ill.
14. We made an attack on the south part of the country of the Cherethites, and on the land which is Judah's, and on the south of Caleb; and we put Ziklag on fire.
15. And David said to him, Will you take me down to this band? And he said, If you give me your oath that you will not put me to death or give me up to my master, I will take you to them.
16. And when he had taken him down, they saw them all, seated about on all sides, feasting and drinking among all the mass of goods which they had taken from the land of the Philistines and the land of Judah.
17. And David went on fighting them from evening till the evening of the day after; and not one of them got away but only four hundred young men who went in flight on camels.
18. And David got back everything the Amalekites had taken; and he got back his two wives.
19. There was no loss of anything, small or great, sons or daughters or goods or anything which they had taken away: David got it all back.
20. And they took all the flocks and herds, and driving them in front of him, said, These are David's.
21. And David came to the two hundred men, who because of weariness had not gone with him, but were waiting at the stream Besor: and they went out, meeting David and the people who were with him; and when they came near them, they said, How are you?
22. Then the bad and good-for-nothing men among those who went with David said, Because they did not go with us, we will give them nothing of the goods which we have got back, but only to every man his wife and children, so that he may take them and go.
23. Then David said, You are not to do this, my brothers, after what the Lord has given us, who has kept us safe and given up the band which came against us into our hands.
24. Who is going to give any attention to you in this question? for an equal part will be given to him who went to the fight and to him who was waiting by the goods: they are all to have the same.
25. And so he made it a rule and an order for Israel from that day till now.
26. And when David came to Ziklag, he sent some of the goods to the responsible men of Judah, and to his friends, saying, Here is an offering for you from the goods of those who were fighting against the Lord;
27. He sent to those who were in Beth-el, and in Ramah of the South, and in Jattir;
28. And to those in Arara and Eshtemoa
29. and Carmel and in the towns of the Jerahmeelites, and in the towns of the Kenites;
30. And to those who were in Hormah and in Bor-ashan and in Athach;
31. And in Hebron, and to all the places where David and his men had been living.

Psalms 136 / Basic English

1. O give praise to the Lord, for he is good: for his mercy is unchanging for ever.
2. O give praise to the God of gods: for his mercy is unchanging for ever.
3. O give praise to the Lord of lords: for his mercy is unchanging for ever.
4. To him who only does great wonders: for his mercy is unchanging for ever.
5. To him who by wisdom made the heavens: for his mercy is unchanging for ever.
6. To him by whom the earth was stretched out over the waters: for his mercy is unchanging for ever.
7. To him who made great lights: for his mercy is unchanging for ever.
8. The sun to have rule by day: for his mercy is unchanging for ever.
9. The moon and the stars to have rule by night: for his mercy is unchanging for ever.
10. To him who put to death the first-fruits of Egypt: for his mercy is unchanging for ever:
11. And took out Israel from among them: for his mercy is unchanging for ever:
12. With a strong hand and an outstretched arm: for his mercy is unchanging for ever.
13. To him who made a way through the Red Sea: for his mercy is unchanging for ever:
14. And let Israel go through it: for his mercy is unchanging for ever:
15. By him Pharaoh and his army were overturned in the Red Sea: for his mercy is unchanging for ever.
16. To him who took his people through the waste land: for his mercy is unchanging for ever.
17. To him who overcame great kings: for his mercy is unchanging for ever:
18. And put noble kings to death: for his mercy is unchanging for ever:
19. Sihon, king of the Amorites: for his mercy is unchanging for ever:
20. And Og, king of Bashan: for his mercy is unchanging for ever:
21. And gave their land to his people for a heritage: for his mercy is unchanging for ever.
22. Even a heritage for his servant Israel: for his mercy is unchanging for ever.
23. Who kept us in mind when we were in trouble: for his mercy is unchanging for ever.
24. And has taken us out of the hands of our haters: for his mercy is unchanging for ever.
25. Who gives food to all flesh: for his mercy is unchanging for ever.
26. O give praise to the God of heaven: for his mercy is unchanging for ever.