Basic English Version : Read the Bible in 1 Year

Genesis 32 / Basic English

1. And on his way Jacob came face to face with the angels of God.
2. And when he saw them he said, This is the army of God: so he gave that place the name of Mahanaim.
3. Now Jacob sent servants before him to Esau, his brother, in the land of Seir, the country of Edom;
4. And he gave them orders to say these words to Esau: Your servant Jacob says, Till now I have been living with Laban:
5. And I have oxen and asses and flocks and men-servants and women-servants: and I have sent to give my lord news of these things so that I may have grace in his eyes.
6. When the servants came back they said, We have seen your brother Esau and he is coming out to you, and four hundred men with him.
7. Then Jacob was in great fear and trouble of mind: and he put all the people and the flocks and the herds and the camels into two groups;
8. And said, If Esau, meeting one group, makes an attack on them, the others will get away safely.
9. Then Jacob said, O God of my father Abraham, the God of my father Isaac, the Lord who said to me, Go back to your country and your family and I will be good to you:
10. I am less than nothing in comparison with all your mercies and your faith to me your servant; for with only my stick in my hand I went across Jordan, and now I have become two armies.
11. Be my saviour from the hand of Esau, my brother: for my fear is that he will make an attack on me, putting to death mother and child.
12. And you said, Truly, I will be good to you, and make your seed like the sand of the sea which may not be numbered.
13. Then he put up his tent there for the night; and from among his goods he took, as an offering for his brother Esau,
14. Two hundred she-goats and twenty he-goats, two hundred females and twenty males from the sheep,
15. Thirty camels with their young ones, forty cows, ten oxen, twenty asses, and ten young asses.
16. These he gave to his servants, every herd by itself, and he said to his servants, Go on before me, and let there be a space between one herd and another.
17. And he gave orders to the first, saying, When my brother Esau comes to you and says, Whose servant are you, and where are you going, and whose are these herds?
18. Then say to him, These are your servant Jacob's; they are an offering for my lord, for Esau; and he himself is coming after us.
19. And he gave the same orders to the second and the third and to all those who were with the herds, saying, This is what you are to say to Esau when you see him;
20. And you are to say further, Jacob, your servant, is coming after us. For he said to himself, I will take away his wrath by the offering which I have sent on, and then I will come before him: it may be that I will have grace in his eyes.
21. So the servants with the offerings went on in front, and he himself took his rest that night in the tents with his people.
22. And in the night he got up, and taking with him his two wives and the two servant-women and his eleven children, he went over the river Jabbok.
23. He took them and sent them over the stream with all he had.
24. Then Jacob was by himself; and a man was fighting with him till dawn.
25. But when the man saw that he was not able to overcome Jacob, he gave him a blow in the hollow part of his leg, so that his leg was damaged.
26. And he said to him, Let me go now, for the dawn is near. But Jacob said, I will not let you go till you have given me your blessing.
27. Then he said, What is your name? And he said, Jacob.
28. And he said, Your name will no longer be Jacob, but Israel: for in your fight with God and with men you have overcome.
29. Then Jacob said, What is your name? And he said, What is my name to you? Then he gave him a blessing.
30. And Jacob gave that place the name of Peniel, saying, I have seen God face to face, and still I am living.
31. And while he was going past Peniel, the sun came up. And he went with unequal steps because of his damaged leg.
32. For this reason the children of Israel, even today, never take that muscle in the hollow of the leg as food, because the hollow of Jacob's leg was touched.

Genesis 33 / Basic English

1. Then Jacob, lifting up his eyes, saw Esau coming with his four hundred men. So he made a division of the children between Leah and Rachel and the two women-servants.
2. He put the servants and their children in front, Leah and her children after them, and Rachel and Joseph at the back.
3. And he himself, going before them, went down on his face to the earth seven times till he came near his brother.
4. Then Esau came running up to him, and folding him in his arms, gave him a kiss: and the two of them were overcome with weeping.
5. Then Esau, lifting up his eyes, saw the women and the children, and said, Who are these with you? And he said, The children whom God in his mercy has given to your servant.
6. Then the servants and their children came near, and went down on their faces.
7. And Leah came near with her children, and then Joseph and Rachel, and they did the same.
8. And he said, What were all those herds which I saw on the way? And Jacob said, They were an offering so that I might have grace in my lord's eyes.
9. But Esau said, I have enough; keep what is yours, my brother, for yourself.
10. And Jacob said, Not so; but if I have grace in your eyes, take them as a sign of my love, for I have seen your face as one may see the face of God, and you have been pleased with me.
11. Take my offering then, with my blessing; for God has been very good to me and I have enough: so at his strong request, he took it.
12. And he said, Let us go on our journey together, and I will go in front.
13. But Jacob said, My lord may see that the children are only small, and there are young ones in my flocks and herds: one day's over-driving will be the destruction of all the flock.
14. Do you, my lord, go on before your servant; I will come on slowly, at the rate at which the cattle and the children are able to go, till I come to my lord at Seir.
15. And Esau said, Then keep some of my men with you. And he said, What need is there for that, if my lord is pleased with me?
16. So Esau, turning back that day, went on his way to Seir.
17. And Jacob went on to Succoth, where he made a house for himself and put up tents for his cattle: for this reason the place was named Succoth.
18. So Jacob came safely from Paddan-aram to the town of Shechem in the land of Canaan, and put up his tents near the town.
19. And for a hundred bits of money he got from the children of Hamor, the builder of Shechem, the field in which he had put up his tents.
20. And there he put up an altar, naming it El, the God of Israel.

Matthew 19 / Basic English

1. And it came about that after saying these words, Jesus went away from Galilee, and came into the parts of Judaea on the other side of Jordan.
2. And a great number went after him; and he made them well there.
3. And certain Pharisees came to him, testing him, and saying, Is it right for a man to put away his wife for every cause?
4. And he said in answer, Have you not seen in the Writings, that he who made them at the first made them male and female, and said,
5. For this cause will a man go away from his father and mother, and be joined to his wife; and the two will become one flesh?
6. So that they are no longer two, but one flesh. Then let not that which has been joined by God be parted by man.
7. They say to him, Why then did Moses give orders that a husband might give her a statement in writing and be free from her?
8. He says to them, Moses, because of your hard hearts, let you put away your wives: but it has not been so from the first.
9. And I say to you, Whoever puts away his wife for any other cause than the loss of her virtue, and takes another, is a false husband: and he who takes her as his wife when she is put away, is no true husband to her.
10. The disciples say to him, If this is the position of a man in relation to his wife, it is better not to be married.
11. But he said to them, Not all men are able to take in this saying, but only those to whom it is given.
12. For there are men who, from birth, were without sex: and there are some who were made so by men: and there are others who have made themselves so for the kingdom of heaven. He who is able to take it, let him take it.
13. Then some people took little children to him, so that he might put his hands on them in blessing: and the disciples said sharp words to them.
14. But Jesus said, Let the little ones come to me, and do not keep them away: for of such is the kingdom of heaven.
15. And he put his hands on them, and went away.
16. And one came to him and said, Master, what good thing have I to do, so that I may have eternal life?
17. And he said to him, Why are you questioning me about what is good? One there is who is good: but if you have a desire to go into life, keep the rules of the law.
18. He says to him, Which? And Jesus said, Do not put anyone to death, Do not be untrue in married life, Do not take what is not yours, Do not give false witness,
19. Give honour to your father and your mother: and, Have love for your neighbour as for yourself.
20. The young man says to him, All these things have I done: what more is there?
21. Jesus said to him, If you have a desire to be complete, go, get money for your property, and give it to the poor, and you will have wealth in heaven: and come after me.
22. But hearing these words the young man went away sorrowing: for he had much property.
23. And Jesus said to his disciples, Truly I say to you, It is hard for a man with much money to go into the kingdom of heaven.
24. And again I say to you, It is simpler for a camel to go through a needle's eye, than for a man with much money to go into the kingdom of God.
25. And the disciples, hearing this, were greatly surprised, saying, Who then may have salvation?
26. And Jesus, looking at them, said, With men this is not possible; but with God all things are possible.
27. Then Peter said to him, See, we have given up everything and have come after you; what then will we have?
28. And Jesus said to them, Truly I say to you that in the time when all things are made new, and the Son of man is seated in his glory, you who have come after me will be seated on twelve seats, judging the twelve tribes of Israel.
29. And everyone who has given up houses, or brothers, or sisters, or father, or mother, or child, or land, for my name, will be given a hundred times as much, and have eternal life.
30. But a great number who are first will be last, and some who are last will be first.