Basic English Version : Read the Bible in 1 Year

Genesis 31 / Basic English

1. Now it came to the ears of Jacob that Laban's sons were saying, Jacob has taken away all our father's property, and in this way he has got all this wealth.
2. And Jacob saw that Laban's feeling for him was no longer what it had been before.
3. Then the Lord said to Jacob, Go back to the land of your fathers, and to your relations, and I will be with you.
4. And Jacob sent for Rachel and Leah to come to him in the field among his flock.
5. And he said to them, It is clear to me that your father's feeling is no longer what it was to me; but the God of my father has been with me
6. And you have seen how I have done all in my power for your father,
7. But your father has not kept faith with me, and ten times he has made changes in my payment; but God has kept him from doing me damage.
8. If he said, All those in the flock which have marks are to be yours, then all the flock gave birth to marked young; and if he said, All the banded ones are to be yours, then all the flock had banded young.
9. So God has taken away your father's cattle and has given them to me.
10. And at the time when the flock were with young, I saw in a dream that all the he-goats which were joined with the she-goats were banded and marked and coloured.
11. And in my dream the angel of the Lord said to me, Jacob: and I said, Here am I.
12. And he said, See how all the he-goats are banded and marked and coloured: for I have seen what Laban has done to you.
13. I am the God of Beth-el, where you put oil on the pillar and took an oath to me: now then, come out of this land and go back to the country of your birth.
14. Then Rachel and Leah said to him in answer, What part or heritage is there for us in our father's house?
15. Are we not as people from a strange country to him? for he took a price for us and now it is all used up.
16. For the wealth which God has taken from him is ours and our children's; so now, whatever God has said to you, do.
17. Then Jacob put his wives and his sons on camels;
18. And sending on before him all his cattle and his property which he had got together in Paddan-aram, he made ready to go to Isaac his father in the land of Canaan.
19. Now Laban had gone to see to the cutting of the wool of his sheep; so Rachel secretly took the images of the gods of her father's house.
20. And Jacob went away secretly, without giving news of his flight to Laban the Aramaean.
21. So he went away with all he had, and went across the River in the direction of the hill-country of Gilead.
22. And on the third day Laban had news of Jacob's flight.
23. And taking the men of his family with him, he went after him for seven days and overtook him in the hill-country of Gilead.
24. Then God came to Laban in a dream by night, and said to him, Take care that you say nothing good or bad to Jacob.
25. Now when Laban overtook him, Jacob had put up his tent in the hill-country; and Laban and his brothers put up their tents in the hill-country of Gilead.
26. And Laban said to Jacob, Why did you go away secretly, taking my daughters away like prisoners of war?
27. Why did you make a secret of your flight, not giving me word of it, so that I might have sent you away with joy and songs, with melody and music?
28. You did not even let me give a kiss to my sons and my daughters. This was a foolish thing to do.
29. It is in my power to do you damage: but the God of your father came to me this night, saying, Take care that you say nothing good or bad to Jacob.
30. And now, it seems, you are going because your heart's desire is for your father's house; but why have you taken my gods?
31. And Jacob, in answer, said to Laban, My fear was that you might take your daughters from me by force.
32. As for your gods, if anyone of us has them, let him be put to death: make search before us all for what is yours, and take it. For Jacob had no knowledge that Rachel had taken them.
33. So Laban went into Jacob's tent and into Leah's tent, and into the tents of the two servant-women, but they were not there; and he came out of Leah's tent and went into Rachel's.
34. Now Rachel had taken the images, and had put them in the camels' basket, and was seated on them. And Laban, searching through all the tent, did not come across them.
35. And she said to her father, Let not my lord be angry because I do not get up before you, for I am in the common condition of women. And with all his searching, he did not come across the images.
36. Then Jacob was angry with Laban, and said, What crime or sin have I done that you have come after me with such passion?
37. Now that you have made search through all my goods, what have you seen which is yours? Make it clear now before my people and your people, so that they may be judges between us.
38. These twenty years I have been with you; your sheep and your goats have had young without loss, not one of your he-goats have I taken for food.
39. Anything which was wounded by beasts I did not take to you, but myself made up for the loss of it; you made me responsible for whatever was taken by thieves, by day or by night.
40. This was my condition, wasted by heat in the day and by the bitter cold at night; and sleep went from my eyes.
41. These twenty years I have been in your house; I was your servant for fourteen years because of your daughters, and for six years I kept your flock, and ten times was my payment changed.
42. If the God of my father, the God of Abraham and the Fear of Isaac, had not been with me, you would have sent me away with nothing in my hands. But God has seen my troubles and the work of my hands, and this night he kept you back.
43. Then Laban, answering, said, These women are my daughters and these children my children, the flocks and all you see are mine: what now may I do for my daughters and for their children?
44. Come, let us make an agreement, you and I; and let it be for a witness between us.
45. Then Jacob took a stone and put it up as a pillar.
46. And Jacob said to his people, Get stones together; and they did so; and they had a meal there by the stones.
47. And the name Laban gave it was Jegar-sahadutha: but Jacob gave it the name of Galeed.
48. And Laban said, These stones are a witness between you and me today. For this reason its name was Galeed,
49. And Mizpah, for he said, May the Lord keep watch on us when we are unable to see one another's doings.
50. If you are cruel to my daughters, or if you take other wives in addition to my daughters, then though no man is there to see, God will be the witness between us.
51. And Laban said, See these stones and this pillar which I have put between you and me;
52. They will be witness that I will not go over these stones to you, and you will not go over these stones or this pillar to me, for any evil purpose.
53. May the God of Abraham and the God of Nahor, the God of their father, be our judge. Then Jacob took an oath by the Fear of his father Isaac.
54. And Jacob made an offering on the mountain, and gave orders to his people to take food: so they had a meal and took their rest that night on the mountain.
55. And early in the morning Laban, after kissing and blessing his daughters, went on his way back to his country.

Matthew 18 / Basic English

1. In that hour the disciples came to Jesus, saying, Who is greatest in the kingdom of heaven?
2. And he took a little child, and put him in the middle of them,
3. And said, Truly, I say to you, If you do not have a change of heart and become like little children, you will not go into the kingdom of heaven.
4. Whoever, then, will make himself as low as this little child, the same is the greatest in the kingdom of heaven.
5. And whoever gives honour to one such little child in my name, gives honour to me:
6. But whoever is a cause of trouble to one of these little ones who have faith in me, it would be better for him to have a great stone fixed to his neck, and to come to his end in the deep sea.
7. A curse is on the earth because of trouble! for it is necessary for trouble to come; but unhappy is that man through whom the trouble comes.
8. And if your hand or your foot is a cause of trouble, let it be cut off and put it away from you: it is better for you to go into life with the loss of a hand or a foot than, having two hands or two feet, to go into the eternal fire.
9. And if your eye is a cause of trouble to you, take it out, and put it away from you: it is better for you to go into life with one eye than, having two eyes, to go into the hell of fire.
10. Let it not seem to you that one of these little ones is of no value; for I say to you that in heaven their angels see at all times the face of my Father in heaven.
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12. What would you say now? if a man has a hundred sheep, and one of them has gone wandering away, will he not let the ninety-nine be, and go to the mountains in search of the wandering one?
13. And if he comes across it, truly I say to you, he has more joy over it than over the ninety-nine which have not gone out of the way.
14. Even so it is not the pleasure of your Father in heaven for one of these little ones to come to destruction.
15. And if your brother does wrong to you, go, make clear to him his error between you and him in private: if he gives ear to you, you have got your brother back again.
16. But if he will not give ear to you, take with you one or two more, that by the lips of two or three witnesses every word may be made certain.
17. And if he will not give ear to them, let it come to the hearing of the church: and if he will not give ear to the church, let him be to you as a Gentile and a tax-farmer.
18. Truly I say to you, Whatever things are fixed by you on earth will be fixed in heaven: and whatever you make free on earth will be made free in heaven.
19. Again, I say to you, that if two of you are in agreement on earth about anything for which they will make a request, it will be done for them by my Father in heaven.
20. For where two or three are come together in my name, there am I among them.
21. Then Peter came and said to him, Lord, what number of times may my brother do wrong against me, and I give him forgiveness? till seven times?
22. Jesus says to him, I say not to you, Till seven times; but, Till seventy times seven.
23. For this reason the kingdom of heaven is like a king, who went over his accounts with his servants.
24. And at the start, one came to him who was in his debt for ten thousand talents.
25. And because he was not able to make payment, his lord gave orders for him, and his wife, and his sons and daughters, and all he had, to be given for money, and payment to be made.
26. So the servant went down on his face and gave him worship, saying, Lord, give me time to make payment and I will give you all.
27. And the lord of that servant, being moved with pity, let him go, and made him free of the debt.
28. But that servant went out, and meeting one of the other servants, who was in debt to him for one hundred pence, he took him by the throat, saying, Make payment of your debt.
29. So that servant went down on his face, requesting him and saying, Give me time and I will make payment to you.
30. And he would not: but went and put him into prison till he had made payment of the debt.
31. So when the other servants saw what was done they were very sad, and came and gave word to their lord of what had been done.
32. Then his lord sent for him and said, You evil servant; I made you free of all that debt, because of your request to me:
33. Was it not right for you to have mercy on the other servant, even as I had mercy on you?
34. And his lord was very angry, and put him in the hands of those who would give him punishment till he made payment of all the debt.
35. So will my Father in heaven do to you, if you do not everyone, from your hearts, give forgiveness to his brother.