Basic English Version : Read the Bible in 1 Year

2 Samuel (2 Kings) 7 / Basic English

1. Now when the king was living in his house, and the Lord had given him rest from war on every side;
2. The king said to Nathan the prophet, See now, I am living in a house of cedar, but the ark of God is housed inside the curtains of a tent.
3. And Nathan said to the king, Go and do whatever is in your heart; for the Lord is with you.
4. Now that night the word of the Lord came to Nathan, saying,
5. Go and say to my servant David, The Lord says, Are you to be the builder of a house, a living-place for me?
6. For from the day when I took the children of Israel up out of Egypt till this day, I have had no house, but have gone from place to place in a tent.
7. In all the places where I went with all the children of Israel, did I ever say to any of the judges of Israel, to whom I gave the care of my people Israel, Why have you not made me a house of cedar?
8. Then say these words to my servant David, The Lord of armies says, I took you from the fields, from keeping the sheep, so that you might be a ruler over my people, over my people Israel:
9. And I have been with you wherever you went, cutting off before you all those who were against you; and I will make your name great, like the name of the greatest ones of the earth.
10. And I will make a resting-place for my people Israel, planting them there, so that they may be living in the place which is theirs, and never again be moved; and never again will they be troubled by evil men as they were at the first,
11. From the time when I put judges over my people Israel; and I will give you peace from all who are against you. And the Lord says to you that he will make you the head of a line of kings.
12. And when the time comes for you to go to rest with your fathers, I will put in your place your seed after you, the offspring of your body, and I will make his kingdom strong.
13. He will be the builder of a house for my name, and I will make the seat of his authority certain for ever.
14. I will be to him a father and he will be to me a son: if he does wrong, I will give him punishment with the rod of men and with the blows of the children of men;
15. But my mercy will not be taken away from him, as I took it from him who was before you.
16. And your family and your kingdom will keep their place before me for ever: the seat of your authority will never be overturned.
17. So Nathan gave David an account of all these words and this vision.
18. Then David the king went in and took his seat before the Lord, and said, Who am I, O Lord God, and what is my family, that you have been my guide till now?
19. And this was only a small thing to you, O Lord God; but your words have even been about the far-off future of your servant's family, O Lord God!
20. What more may David say to you? for you have knowledge of your servant, O Lord God.
21. Because of your word and from your heart, you have done all this great work, and let your servant see it.
22. Truly you are great, O Lord God: there is no one like you and no other God but you, as is clear from everything which has come to our ears.
23. And what other nation in the earth, like your people Israel, did a god go out to take for himself, to be his people, and to make a name for himself, and to do great and strange things for them, driving out a nation and its gods from before his people?
24. But you took and made strong for yourself your people Israel, to be your people for ever; and you, Lord, became their God.
25. And now, O Lord God, may the word which you have said about your servant and about his family, be made certain for ever, and may you do as you have said!
26. And let your name be made great for ever, and let men say, The Lord of armies is God over Israel: and let the family of David your servant be made strong before you!
27. For you, O Lord of armies, the God of Israel, have clearly said to your servant, I will make you the head of a family of kings: and so it has come into your servant's heart to make this prayer to you.
28. And now, O Lord God, you are God and your words are true and you have said you will give your servant this good thing;
29. So may it be your pleasure to give your blessing to the family of your servant, so that it may go on for ever before you: (for you, O Lord God, have said it,) and may your blessing be on your servant's family line for ever!

2 Samuel (2 Kings) 8 / Basic English

1. And it came about after this that David made an attack on the Philistines and overcame them; and David took the authority of the mother-town from the hands of the Philistines.
2. And he overcame the Moabites, and he had them measured with a line when they were stretched out on the earth; marking out two lines for death and one full line for life. So the Moabites became servants to David and gave him offerings.
3. And David overcame Hadadezer, the son of Rehob, king of Zobah, when he went to make his power seen by the River.
4. And David took from him one thousand, seven hundred horsemen and twenty thousand footmen: and David had the leg-muscles of the horses cut, only keeping enough of them for a hundred war-carriages.
5. And when the Aramaeans of Damascus came to the help of Hadadezer, king of Zobah, David put to the sword twenty-two thousand of the Aramaeans.
6. And David put armed forces in Aram of Damascus: and the Aramaeans became servants to David and gave him offerings. And the Lord made David overcome wherever he went.
7. And David took their gold body-covers from the servants of Hadadezer and took them to Jerusalem.
8. And from Tebah and Berothai, towns of Hadadezer, King David took a great store of brass.
9. And when Tou, king of Hamath, had news that David had overcome all the army of Hadadezer,
10. He sent his son Hadoram to David, with words of peace and blessing, because he had overcome Hadadezer in the fight, for Hadadezer had wars with Tou; and Hadoram took with him vessels of silver and gold and brass:
11. These King David made holy to the Lord, together with the silver and gold which he had taken from the nations he had overcome--
12. The nations of Edom and Moab, and the children of Ammon and the Philistines and the Amalekites and the goods he had taken from Hadadezer, the son of Rehob, king of Zobah.
13. And David got great honour for himself, when he came back, by the destruction of Edom in the valley of Salt, to the number of eighteen thousand men.
14. And he put armed forces in Edom; all through Edom he had armed forces stationed, and all the Edomites became servants to David. And the Lord made David overcome wherever he went.
15. And David was king over all Israel, judging and giving right decisions for all his people.
16. And Joab, the son of Zeruiah, was chief of the army; and Jehoshaphat, the son of Ahilud, was keeper of the records;
17. And Zadok and Abiathar, the son of Ahimelech, the son of Ahitub, were priests; and Seraiah was the scribe;
18. And Benaiah, the son of Jehoiada, was over the Cherethites and the Pelethites; and David's sons were priests.

Psalms 142 / Basic English

1. <Maschil. Of David. A prayer when he was in the hole of the rock.> The sound of my cry went up to the Lord; with my voice I made my prayer for grace to the Lord.
2. I put all my sorrows before him; and made clear to him all my trouble.
3. When my spirit is overcome, your eyes are on my goings; nets have been secretly placed in the way in which I go.
4. Looking to my right side, I saw no man who was my friend: I had no safe place; no one had any care for my soul.
5. I have made my cry to you, O Lord; I have said, You are my safe place, and my heritage in the land of the living.
6. Give ear to my cry, for I am made very low: take me out of the hands of my haters, for they are stronger than I.
7. Take my soul out of prison, so that I may give praise to your name: the upright will give praise because of me; for you have given me a full reward.

Psalms 143 / Basic English

1. <A Psalm. Of David.> Let my prayer come to you, O Lord; give ear to my requests for your grace; keep faith with me, and give me an answer in your righteousness;
2. Let not your servant come before you to be judged; for no man living is upright in your eyes.
3. The evil man has gone after my soul; my life is crushed down to the earth: he has put me in the dark, like those who have long been dead.
4. Because of this my spirit is overcome; and my heart is full of fear.
5. I keep in mind the early days of the past, giving thought to all your acts, even to the work of your hands.
6. My hands are stretched out to you: my soul is turned to you, like a land in need of water. (Selah.)
7. Be quick in answering me, O Lord, for the strength of my spirit is gone: let me see your face, so that I may not be like those who go down into the underworld.
8. Let the story of your mercy come to me in the morning, for my hope is in you: give me knowledge of the way in which I am to go; for my soul is lifted up to you.
9. O Lord, take me out of the hands of my haters; my soul is waiting for you.
10. Give me teaching so that I may do your pleasure; for you are my God: let your good Spirit be my guide into the land of righteousness.
11. Give me life, O Lord, because of your name; in your righteousness take my soul out of trouble.
12. And in your mercy put an end to my haters, and send destruction on all those who are against my soul; for I am your servant.