Basic English Version : Read the Bible in 1 Year

Job 11 / Basic English

1. Then Zophar the Naamathite made answer and said,
2. Are all these words to go unanswered? and is a man seen to be right because he is full of talk?
3. Are your words of pride to make men keep quiet? and are you to make sport, with no one to put you to shame?
4. You may say, My way is clean, and I am free from sin in your eyes.
5. But if only God would take up the word, opening his lips in argument with you;
6. And would make clear to you the secrets of wisdom, and the wonders of his purpose!
7. Are you able to take God's measure, to make discovery of the limits of the Ruler of all?
8. They are higher than heaven; what is there for you to do? deeper than the underworld, and outside your knowledge;
9. Longer in measure than the earth, and wider than the sea.
10. If he goes on his way, shutting a man up and putting him to death, who may make him go back from his purpose?
11. For in his eyes men are as nothing; he sees evil and takes note of it.
12. And so a hollow-minded man will get wisdom, when a young ass of the field gets teaching.
13. But if you put your heart right, stretching out your hands to him;
14. If you put far away the evil of your hands, and let no wrongdoing have a place in your tent;
15. Then truly your face will be lifted up, with no mark of sin, and you will be fixed in your place without fear:
16. For your sorrow will go from your memory, like waters flowing away:
17. And your life will be brighter than day; though it is dark, it will become like the morning.
18. And you will be safe because there is hope; after looking round, you will take your rest in quiet;
19. Sleeping with no fear of danger; and men will be desiring to have grace in your eyes;
20. But the eyes of the evil-doers will be wasting away; their way of flight is gone, and their only hope is the taking of their last breath.

Job 12 / Basic English

1. And Job made answer and said,
2. No doubt you have knowledge, and wisdom will come to an end with you.
3. But I have a mind as well as you; I am equal to you: yes, who has not knowledge of such things as these?
4. It seems that I am to be as one who is a cause of laughing to his neighbour, one who makes his prayer to God and is answered! the upright man who has done no wrong is to be made sport of!
5. In the thought of him who is in comfort there is no respect for one who is in trouble; such is the fate of those whose feet are slipping.
6. There is wealth in the tents of those who make destruction, and those by whom God is moved to wrath are safe; even those whose god is their strength.
7. But put now a question to the beasts, and get teaching from them; or to the birds of the heaven, and they will make it clear to you;
8. Or to the things which go flat on the earth, and they will give you wisdom; and the fishes of the sea will give you news of it.
9. Who does not see by all these that the hand of the Lord has done this?
10. In whose hand is the soul of every living thing, and the breath of all flesh of man.
11. Are not words tested by the ear, even as food is tasted by the mouth?
12. Old men have wisdom, and a long life gives knowledge.
13. With him there is wisdom and strength; power and knowledge are his.
14. Truly, there is no building up of what is pulled down by him; when a man is shut up by him, no one may let him loose.
15. Truly, he keeps back the waters and they are dry; he sends them out and the earth is overturned.
16. With him are strength and wise designs; he who is guided into error, together with his guide, are in his hands;
17. He takes away the wisdom of the wise guides, and makes judges foolish;
18. He undoes the chains of kings, and puts his band on them;
19. He makes priests prisoners, overturning those in safe positions;
20. He makes the words of responsible persons without effect, and takes away the good sense of the old;
21. He puts shame on chiefs, and takes away the power of the strong;
22. Uncovering deep things out of the dark, and making the deep shade bright;
23. Increasing nations, and sending destruction on them; making wide the lands of peoples, and then giving them up.
24. He takes away the wisdom of the rulers of the earth, and sends them wandering in a waste where there is no way.
25. They go feeling about in the dark without light, wandering without help like those overcome with wine.

Romans 4 / Basic English

1. What, then, may we say that Abraham, our father after the flesh, has got?
2. For if Abraham got righteousness by works, he has reason for pride; but not before God.
3. But what does it say in the holy Writings? And Abraham had faith in God, and it was put to his account as righteousness.
4. Now, the reward is credited to him who does works, not as of grace but as a debt.
5. But to him who without working has faith in him who gives righteousness to the evil-doer, his faith is put to his account as righteousness.
6. As David says that there is a blessing on the man to whose account God puts righteousness without works, saying,
7. Happy are those who have forgiveness for their wrongdoing, and whose sins are covered.
8. Happy is the man against whom no sin is recorded by the Lord.
9. Is this blessing, then, for the circumcision only, or in the same way for those who have not circumcision? for we say that the faith of Abraham was put to his account as righteousness.
10. How, then, was it judged? when he had circumcision, or when he had it not? Not when he had it, but when he did not have it:
11. And he was given the sign of circumcision as a witness of the faith which he had before he underwent circumcision: so that he might be the father of all those who have faith, though they have not circumcision, and so that righteousness might be put to their account;
12. And the father of circumcision to those who not only are of the circumcision, but who keep to the way of that faith which our father Abraham had before he underwent circumcision.
13. For God's word, that the earth would be his heritage, was given to Abraham, not through the law, but through the righteousness of faith.
14. For if they who are of the law are the people who get the heritage, then faith is made of no use, and the word of God has no power;
15. For the outcome of the law is wrath; but where there is no law it will not be broken.
16. For this reason it is of faith, so that it may be through grace; and so that the word of God may be certain to all the seed; not only to that which is of the law, but to that which is of the faith of Abraham, who is the father of us all,
17. (As it is said in the holy Writings, I have made you a father of a number of nations) before him in whom he had faith, that is, God, who gives life to the dead, and to whom the things which are not are as if they were.
18. Who without reason for hope, in faith went on hoping, so that he became the father of a number of nations, as it had been said, So will your seed be.
19. And not being feeble in faith though his body seemed to him little better than dead (he being about a hundred years old) and Sarah was no longer able to have children:
20. Still, he did not give up faith in the undertaking of God, but was made strong by faith, giving glory to God,
21. And being certain that God was able to keep his word.
22. For which reason it was put to his account as righteousness.
23. Now, it was not because of him only that this was said,
24. But for us in addition, to whose account it will be put, if we have faith in him who made Jesus our Lord come back again from the dead,
25. Who was put to death for our evil-doing, and came to life again so that we might have righteousness.