Basic English Version : Read the Bible in 1 Year

1 Chronicles 17 / Basic English

1. Now when David was living in his house, he said to Nathan the prophet, See, I am living in a house of cedar-wood, but the ark of the Lord's agreement is under the curtains of a tent.
2. And Nathan said to David, Do whatever is in your heart, for God is with you.
3. But that same night, the word of God came to Nathan, saying,
4. Go and say to David my servant, The Lord says, You are not to make me a house for my living-place:
5. For from the day when I took Israel up, till this day, I have had no house, but have gone from tent to tent, and from living-place to living-place.
6. In all the places where I have gone with all Israel, did I ever say to any of the judges of Israel, whom I made the keepers of my people, Why have you not made for me a house of cedar?
7. So now, say to my servant David, The Lord of armies says, I took you from the fields, from keeping sheep, so that you might be a ruler over my people Israel;
8. 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 like the name of the greatest ones of the earth.
9. And I will make a resting-place for my people Israel, planting them there, so that they may be in the place which is theirs and never again be moved; and never again will they be made waste by evil men, as they were at first,
10. From the time when I put judges over my people Israel; and I will overcome all those who are against you; and I will make you great and the head of a line of kings.
11. And when the time comes for you to go to your fathers, I will put in your place your seed after you, one of your sons, and I will make his kingdom strong.
12. He will be the builder of my house, and I will make the seat of his authority certain for ever.
13. I will be to him a father and he will be to me a son; and I will not take my mercy away from him as I took it from him who was before you;
14. But I will make his place in my house and in my kingdom certain for ever; and the seat of his authority will never be overturned.
15. So Nathan gave David an account of all these words and this vision.
16. 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?
17. And this was only a small thing to you, O God; but your words have even been about the far-off future of your servant's family, looking on me as on one of high position, O Lord God.
18. What more may David say to you? for you have knowledge of your servant.
19. O Lord, because of your servant, and from your heart, you have done all these great things and let them be seen.
20. O Lord, there is no one like you, and no other God but you, as is clear from everything which has come to our ears.
21. And what other nation in the earth, like your people Israel, did a god go out to take for himself, to be his people, making his name great and to be feared, driving out the nations from before your people whom you made free and took out of Egypt?
22. For your people Israel you made yours for ever; and you, Lord, became their God.
23. And now, Lord, let your words about your servant and about his family be made certain for ever, and do as you have said.
24. So let your words be made certain and your name be made great, when men say, The Lord of armies is the God of Israel; and when the family of David your servant is made strong before you.
25. For you, O my God, have let your servant see that you will make him head of a line of kings; and so it has come into your servant's heart to make his prayer to you.
26. And now, O Lord, you are God, and you have said you will give this good thing to your servant:
27. And now you have been pleased to give your blessing to the family of your servant, so that it may go on for ever before you; you, O Lord, have given your blessing, and a blessing will be on it for ever.

1 Chronicles 18 / Basic English

1. And it came about after this that David made an attack on the Philistines and overcame them, and took Gath with its daughter-towns out of the hands of the Philistines.
2. And he overcame Moab, and the Moabites became his servants and gave him offerings.
3. Then David overcame Hadadezer, king of Zobah, near Hamath, when he was going to make his power seen by the river Euphrates.
4. And David took from him a thousand war-carriages and seven thousand horsemen and twenty thousand footmen: and he had the leg-muscles of all the horses cut, keeping only 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 Aramaeans.
6. Then David put armed forces in Damascus, and the Aramaeans became his servants and gave him offerings. And the Lord made David overcome wherever he went.
7. And the gold body-covers of the servants of Hadadezer, David took to Jerusalem.
8. And from Tibhath and from Cun, towns of Hadadezer, David took a great store of brass, of which Solomon made the great brass water-vessel and the brass pillars and vessels.
9. Now when Tou, king of Hamath, had news that David had overcome all the army of Hadadezer, king of Zobah,
10. He sent his son Hadoram to King David, to give him words of peace and blessing, because he had overcome Hadadezer in the fight, for Hadadezer had been at war with Tou; and he gave him all sorts of vessels of gold and silver and brass.
11. These King David made holy to the Lord, together with the silver and gold he had taken from all nations; from Edom and Moab and from the children of Ammon and from the Philistines and from Amalek.
12. And when he came back from putting to the sword eighteen thousand of the Edomites in the Valley of Salt,
13. David put armed forces in all the towns of Edom; and all the Edomites became servants to David. The Lord made David overcome wherever he went.
14. So David was king over all Israel, judging and giving right decisions for all his people.
15. And Joab, the son of Zeruiah, was chief of the army; and Jehoshaphat, son of Ahilud, was keeper of the records.
16. And Zadok, the son of Ahitub; and Ahimelech, the son of Abiathar, were priests; and Shavsha was the scribe;
17. And Benaiah, the son of Jehoiada, was over the Cherethites and the Pelethites; and the sons of David were chief of those whose places were at the king's side.

Proverbs 22 / Basic English

1. A good name is more to be desired than great wealth, and to be respected is better than silver and gold.
2. The man of wealth and the poor man come face to face: the Lord is the maker of them all.
3. The sharp man sees the evil and takes cover: the simple go straight on and get into trouble.
4. The reward of a gentle spirit and the fear of the Lord is wealth and honour and life.
5. Thorns and nets are in the way of the twisted: he who keeps watch over his soul will be far from them.
6. If a child is trained up in the right way, even when he is old he will not be turned away from it.
7. The man of wealth has rule over the poor, and he who gets into debt is a servant to his creditor.
8. By planting the seed of evil a man will get in the grain of sorrow, and the rod of his wrath will be broken.
9. He who is kind will have a blessing, for he gives of his bread to the poor.
10. Send away the man of pride, and argument will go out; truly fighting and shame will come to an end.
11. He whose heart is clean is dear to the Lord; for the grace of his lips the king will be his friend.
12. The eyes of the Lord keep knowledge, but by him the acts of the false man will be overturned.
13. The hater of work says, There is a lion outside: I will be put to death in the streets.
14. The mouth of strange women is a deep hole: he with whom the Lord is angry will go down into it.
15. Foolish ways are deep-seated in the heart of a child, but the rod of punishment will send them far from him.
16. He who is cruel to the poor for the purpose of increasing his profit, and he who gives to the man of wealth, will only come to be in need.
17. Let your ear be bent down for hearing my words, and let your heart give thought to knowledge.
18. For it is a delight to keep them in your heart, to have them ready on your lips.
19. So that your faith may be in the Lord, I have made them clear to you this day, even to you.
20. Have I not put in writing for you thirty sayings, with wise suggestions and knowledge,
21. To make you see how certain are true words, so that you may give a true answer to those who put questions to you?
22. Do not take away the property of the poor man because he is poor, or be cruel to the crushed ones when they come before the judge:
23. For the Lord will give support to their cause, and take the life of those who take their goods.
24. Do not be friends with a man who is given to wrath; do not go in the company of an angry man:
25. For fear of learning his ways and making a net ready for your soul.
26. Be not one of those who give their hands in an agreement, or of those who make themselves responsible for debts:
27. If you have nothing with which to make payment, he will take away your bed from under you.
28. Let not the old landmark be moved which your fathers have put in place.
29. Have you seen a man who is expert in his business? he will take his place before kings; his place will not be among low persons.