Basic English Version : Read the Bible in 1 Year

Job 22 / Basic English

1. Then Eliphaz the Temanite made answer and said,
2. Is it possible for a man to be of profit to God? No, for a man's wisdom is only of profit to himself.
3. Is it of any interest to the Ruler of all that you are upright? or is it of use to him that your ways are without sin?
4. Is it because you give him honour that he is sending punishment on you and is judging you?
5. Is not your evil-doing great? and there is no end to your sins.
6. For you have taken your brother's goods when he was not in your debt, and have taken away the clothing of those who have need of it.
7. You do not give water to the tired traveller, and from him who has no food you keep back bread.
8. For it was the man with power who had the land, and the man with an honoured name who was living in it.
9. You have sent widows away without hearing their cause, and you have taken away the support of the child who has no father.
10. For this cause nets are round your feet, and you are overcome with sudden fear.
11. Your light is made dark so that you are unable to see, and you are covered by a mass of waters.
12. Is not God as high as heaven? and see the stars, how high they are!
13. And you say, What knowledge has God? is he able to give decisions through the deep dark?
14. Thick clouds are covering him, so that he is unable to see; and he is walking on the arch of heaven.
15. Will you keep the old way by which evil men went?
16. Who were violently taken away before their time, who were overcome by the rush of waters:
17. Who said to God, Go away from us; and, What is the Ruler of all able to do to us?
18. Though he made their houses full of good things: but the purpose of the evil-doers is far from me!
19. The upright saw it and were glad: and those who had done no wrong made sport of them,
20. Saying, Truly, their substance is cut off, and their wealth is food for the fire.
21. Put yourself now in a right relation with him and be at peace: so will you do well in your undertakings.
22. Be pleased to take teaching from his mouth, and let his words be stored up in your heart.
23. If you come back to the Ruler of all, making yourself low before him; if you put evil far away from your tents;
24. And put your gold in the dust, even your gold of Ophir among the rocks of the valleys;
25. Then the Ruler of all will be your gold, and his teaching will be your silver;
26. For then you will have delight in the Ruler of all, and your face will be lifted up to God.
27. You will make your prayer to him, and be answered; and you will give effect to your oaths.
28. Your purposes will come about, and light will be shining on your ways.
29. For God makes low those whose hearts are lifted up, but he is a saviour to the poor in spirit.
30. He makes safe the man who is free from sin, and if your hands are clean, salvation will be yours.

Job 23 / Basic English

1. And Job made answer and said,
2. Even today my outcry is bitter; his hand is hard on my sorrow.
3. If only I had knowledge of where he might be seen, so that I might come even to his seat!
4. I would put my cause in order before him, and my mouth would be full of arguments.
5. I would see what his answers would be, and have knowledge of what he would say to me.
6. Would he make use of his great power to overcome me? No, but he would give attention to me.
7. There an upright man might put his cause before him; and I would be free for ever from my judge.
8. See, I go forward, but he is not there; and back, but I do not see him;
9. I am looking for him on the left hand, but there is no sign of him; and turning to the right, I am not able to see him.
10. For he has knowledge of the way I take; after I have been tested I will come out like gold.
11. My feet have gone in his steps; I have kept in his way, without turning to one side or to the other.
12. I have never gone against the orders of his lips; the words of his mouth have been stored up in my heart.
13. But his purpose is fixed and there is no changing it; and he gives effect to the desire of his soul.
14. For what has been ordered for me by him will be gone through to the end: and his mind is full of such designs.
15. For this cause I am in fear before him, my thoughts of him overcome me.
16. For God has made my heart feeble, and my mind is troubled before the Ruler of all.
17. For I am overcome by the dark, and by the black night which is covering my face.

Romans 9 / Basic English

1. I say what is true in Christ, and not what is false, my mind giving witness with me in the Holy Spirit,
2. That I am full of sorrow and pain without end.
3. For I have a desire to take on myself the curse for my brothers, my family in the flesh:
4. Who are Israelites: who have the place of sons, and the glory, and the agreements with God, and the giving of the law, and the worship, and the hope offered by God:
5. Whose are the fathers, and of whom came Christ in the flesh, who is over all, God, to whom be blessing for ever. So be it.
6. But it is not as if the word of God was without effect. For they are not all Israel, who are of Israel:
7. And they are not all children because they are the seed of Abraham; but, In Isaac will your seed be named.
8. That is, it is not the children of the flesh, but the children of God's undertaking, who are named as the seed.
9. For this is the word of God's undertaking, At this time will I come, and Sarah will have a son.
10. And not only so, but Rebecca being about to have a child by our father Isaac--
11. Before the children had come into existence, or had done anything good or bad, in order that God's purpose and his selection might be effected, not by works, but by him whose purpose it is,
12. It was said to her, The older will be the servant of the younger.
13. Even as it is said, I had love for Jacob, but for Esau I had hate.
14. What may we say then? is God not upright? let it not be said.
15. For he says to Moses, I will have mercy on whom I will have mercy, and pity on whom I will have pity.
16. So then, it is not by the desire or by the attempt of man, but by the mercy of God.
17. For the holy Writings say to Pharaoh, For this same purpose did I put you on high, so that I might make my power seen in you, and that there might be knowledge of my name through all the earth.
18. So then, at his pleasure he has mercy on a man, and at his pleasure he makes the heart hard.
19. But you will say to me, Why does he still make us responsible? who is able to go against his purpose?
20. But, O man, who are you, to make answer against God? May the thing which is made say to him who made it, Why did you make me so?
21. Or has not the potter the right to make out of one part of his earth a vessel for honour, and out of another a vessel for shame?
22. What if God, desiring to let his wrath and his power be seen, for a long time put up with the vessels of wrath which were ready for destruction:
23. And to make clear the wealth of his glory to vessels of mercy, which he had before made ready for glory,
24. Even us, who were marked out by him, not only from the Jews, but from the Gentiles?
25. As he says in Hosea, They will be named my people who were not my people, and she will be loved who was not loved.
26. And in the place where it was said to them, You are not my people, there they will be named the sons of the living God.
27. And Isaiah says about Israel, Even if the number of the children of Israel is as the sand of the sea, only a small part will get salvation:
28. For the Lord will give effect to his word on the earth, putting an end to it and cutting it short.
29. And, as Isaiah had said before, If the Lord of armies had not given us a seed, we would have been like Sodom and Gomorrah.
30. What then may we say? That the nations who did not go after righteousness have got righteousness, even the righteousness which is of faith:
31. But Israel, going after a law of righteousness, did not get it.
32. Why? Because they were not searching for it by faith, but by works. They came up against the stone which was in the way;
33. As it is said, See, I am putting in Zion a stone causing a fall, and a rock in the way: but he who has faith in him will not be put to shame.