Basic English Version : Read the Bible in 1 Year

Nehemiah 4 / Basic English

1. Now, Sanballat, hearing that we were building the wall, was very angry, and in his wrath made sport of the Jews.
2. And in the hearing of his countrymen and the army of Samaria he said, What are these feeble Jews doing? will they make themselves strong? will they make offerings? will they get the work done in a day? will they make the stones which have been burned come again out of the dust?
3. Now Tobiah the Ammonite was by him, and he said, Such is their building that if a fox goes up it, their stone wall will be broken down.
4. Give ear, O our God, for we are looked down on: let their words of shame be turned back on themselves, and let them be given up to wasting in a land where they are prisoners:
5. Let not their wrongdoing be covered or their sin washed away from before you: for they have made you angry before the builders.
6. So we went on building the wall; and all the wall was joined together half-way up: for the people were working hard.
7. But when it came to the ears of Sanballat and Tobiah and the Arabians and the Ammonites and the Ashdodites, that the building of the walls of Jerusalem was going forward and the broken places were being made good, they were full of wrath;
8. And they made designs, all of them together, to come and make an attack on Jerusalem, causing trouble there.
9. But we made our prayer to God, and had men on watch against them day and night because of them.
10. And Judah said, The strength of the workmen is giving way, and there is much waste material; it is impossible for us to put up the wall.
11. And those who were against us said, Without their knowledge and without their seeing us, we will come among them and put them to death, causing the work to come to a stop.
12. And it came about that when the Jews who were living near them came, they said to us ten times, From all directions they are coming against us.
13. So in the lowest part of the space at the back of the walls, in the open places, I put the people by families, with their swords, their spears, and their bows.
14. And after looking, I got up and said to the great ones and to the chiefs and to the rest of the people, Have no fear of them: keep in mind the Lord who is great and greatly to be feared, and take up arms for your brothers, your sons, and your daughters, your wives and your houses.
15. And when it came to the ears of those who were against us, that we had knowledge of their designs and that God had made their purpose come to nothing, we all went back to the wall, everyone to his work
16. And from that time, half of my servants were doing their part of the work, and half kept the spears and body-covers and the bows and the metal war-dresses; and the chiefs were at the back of the men of Judah.
17. Those who were building the wall and those who were moving material did their part, everyone working with one hand, with his spear in the other;
18. Every builder was working with his sword at his side. And by my side was a man for sounding the horn.
19. And I said to the great ones and the chiefs and the rest of the people, The work is great and widely spaced and we are far away from one another on the wall:
20. Wherever you may be when the horn is sounded, come here to us; our God will be fighting for us.
21. So we went on with the work: and half of them had spears in their hands from the dawn of the morning till the stars were seen.
22. And at the same time I said to the people, Let everyone with his servant come inside Jerusalem for the night, so that at night they may keep watch for us, and go on working by day.
23. So not one of us, I or my brothers or my servants or the watchmen who were with me, took off his clothing, everyone went armed to the water.

Nehemiah 5 / Basic English

1. Then there was a great outcry from the people and their wives against their countrymen the Jews.
2. For there were some who said, We, our sons and our daughters, are a great number: let us get grain, so that we may have food for our needs.
3. And there were some who said, We are giving our fields and our vine-gardens and our houses for debt: let us get grain because we are in need.
4. And there were others who said, We have given up our fields and our vine-gardens to get money for the king's taxes.
5. But our flesh is the same as the flesh of our countrymen, and our children as their children: and now we are giving our sons and daughters into the hands of others, to be their servants, and some of our daughters are servants even now: and we have no power to put a stop to it; for other men have our fields and our vine-gardens.
6. And on hearing their outcry and what they said I was very angry.
7. And after turning it over in my mind, I made a protest to the chiefs and the rulers, and said to them, Every one of you is taking interest from his countryman. And I got together a great meeting of protest.
8. And I said to them, We have given whatever we were able to give, to make our brothers the Jews free, who were servants and prisoners of the nations: and would you now give up your brothers for a price, and are they to become our property? Then they said nothing, answering not a word.
9. And I said, What you are doing is not good: is it not the more necessary for you to go in the fear of our God, because of the shame which the nations may put on us?
10. Even I and my servants have been taking interest for the money and the grain we have let them have. So now, let us give up this thing.
11. Give back to them this very day their fields, their vine-gardens, their olive-gardens, and their houses, as well as a hundredth part of the money and the grain and the wine and the oil which you have taken from them.
12. Then they said, We will give them back, and take nothing for them; we will do as you say. Then I sent for the priests and made them take an oath that they would keep this agreement.
13. And shaking out the folds of my robe, I said, So may God send out from his house and his work every man who does not keep this agreement; even so let him be sent out and made as nothing. And all the meeting of the people said, So be it, and gave praise to the Lord. And the people did as they had said.
14. Now from the time when I was made ruler of the people in the land of Judah, from the twentieth year till the thirty-second year of Artaxerxes the king, for twelve years, I and my servants have never taken the food which was the right of the ruler.
15. But earlier rulers who were before me made the people responsible for their upkeep, and took from them bread and wine at the rate of forty shekels of silver; and even their servants were lords over the people: but I did not do so, because of the fear of God.
16. And I kept on with the work of this wall, and we got no land for ourselves: and all my servants were helping with the work.
17. And more than this, a hundred and fifty of the Jews and the rulers were guests at my table, in addition to those who came to us from the nations round about us.
18. Now the food made ready for one day was one ox and six fat sheep, as well as fowls; and once in ten days a store of all sorts of wine: but all the same, I did not take the food to which the ruler had a right, because the people were crushed under a hard yoke.
19. Keep in mind, O my God, for my good, all I have done for this people.

Acts 18 / Basic English

1. After these things, he went away from Athens, and came to Corinth.
2. And there he came across a certain Jew named Aquila, a man of Pontus by birth, who not long before had come from Italy with his wife Priscilla, because Claudius had given orders that all Jews were to go away from Rome: and he came to them;
3. And because he was of the same trade, he was living with them, and they did their work together; for by trade they were tent-makers.
4. And every Sabbath he had discussions in the Synagogue, turning Jews and Greeks to the faith.
5. And when Silas and Timothy came down from Macedonia, Paul was completely given up to the word, preaching to the Jews that the Christ was Jesus.
6. And when they put themselves against him, and said evil words, he said, shaking his clothing, Your blood be on your heads, I am clean: from now I will go to the Gentiles.
7. And moving from there, he went into the house of a man named Titus Justus, a God-fearing man, whose house was very near the Synagogue.
8. And Crispus, the ruler of the Synagogue, with all his family, had faith in the Lord; and a great number of the people of Corinth, hearing the word, had faith and were given baptism.
9. And the Lord said to Paul in the night, in a vision, Have no fear and go on preaching:
10. For I am with you, and no one will make an attack on you to do you damage: for I have a number of people in this town.
11. And he was there for a year and six months, teaching the word of God among them.
12. But when Gallio was ruler of Achaia, all the Jews together made an attack on Paul, and took him to the judge's seat,
13. Saying, This man is teaching the people to give worship to God in a way which is against the law.
14. But when Paul was about to say something, Gallio said to the Jews, If this was anything to do with wrongdoing or crime, there would be a reason for me to give you a hearing:
15. But if it is a question of words or names or of your law, see to it yourselves; I will not be a judge of such things.
16. And he sent them away from the judge's seat.
17. And they all made an attack on Sosthenes, the ruler of the Synagogue, and gave him blows before the judge's seat; but Gallio gave no attention to these things.
18. And Paul, after waiting some days, went away from the brothers and went by ship to Syria, Priscilla and Aquila being with him; and he had had his hair cut off in Cenchrea, for he had taken an oath.
19. And they came down to Ephesus and he left them there: and he himself went into the Synagogue and had a discussion with the Jews.
20. And being requested by them to be there for a longer time, he said, No;
21. And went from them, saying, I will come back to you if God lets me; and he took ship from Ephesus.
22. And when he had come to land at Caesarea, he went to see the church, and then went down to Antioch.
23. And having been there for some time, he went through the country of Galatia and Phrygia in order, making the disciples strong in the faith.
24. Now a certain Jew named Apollos, an Alexandrian by birth, and a man of learning, came to Ephesus; and he had great knowledge of the holy Writings.
25. This man had been trained in the way of the Lord; and burning in spirit, he gave himself up to teaching the facts about Jesus, though he had knowledge only of John's baptism:
26. And he was preaching in the Synagogue without fear. But Priscilla and Aquila, hearing his words, took him in, and gave him fuller teaching about the way of God.
27. And when he had a desire to go over into Achaia, the brothers gave him help, and sent letters to the disciples requesting them to take him in among them: and when he had come, he gave much help to those who had faith through grace:
28. For he overcame the Jews in public discussion, making clear from the holy Writings that the Christ was Jesus.