Basic English Version : Read the Bible in 1 Year

Genesis 44 / Basic English

1. Then he gave orders to the servant who was over his house, saying, Put as much food into the men's bags as will go into them, and put every man's money in the mouth of his bag;
2. And put my cup, my silver cup, in the youngest one's bag, with his money. So he did as Joseph said.
3. And at dawn the men, with their asses, were sent away.
4. And when they had gone only a little way out of the town, Joseph said to the servant who was over his house, Go after them; and when you overtake them, say to them, Why have you done evil in reward for good?
5. Is not this the cup from which my lord takes wine and by which he gets knowledge of the future? Truly, you have done evil.
6. So he overtook them and said these words to them.
7. And they said to him, Why does my lord say such words as these? far be it from your servants to do such a thing:
8. See, the money which was in the mouth of our bags we gave back to you when we came again from Canaan: how then might we take silver or gold from your lord's house?
9. If it comes to light that any of your servants has done this, let him be put to death, and we will be your lord's servants.
10. And he said, Let it be as you say: he in whose bag it is seen will become my servant; and you will not be responsible.
11. Then every man quickly got his bag down and undid it.
12. And he made a search, starting with the oldest and ending with the youngest; and the cup was in Benjamin's bag.
13. Then in bitter grief they put the bags on the asses again and went back to the town.
14. So Judah and his brothers came to Joseph's house; and he was still there: and they went down on their faces before him.
15. And Joseph said, What is this thing which you have done? had you no thought that such a man as I would have power to see what is secret?
16. And Judah said, What are we to say to my lord? how may we put ourselves right in his eyes? God has made clear the sin of your servants: now we are in your hands, we and the man in whose bag your cup was seen.
17. Then he said, Far be it from me to do so: but the man who had my cup will be my servant; and you may go back to your father in peace.
18. Then Judah came near him, and said, Let your servant say a word in my lord's ears, and let not your wrath be burning against your servant: for you are in the place of Pharaoh to us.
19. My lord said to his servants, Have you a father or a brother?
20. And we said to my lord, We have an old father and a young child, whom he had when he was old; his brother is dead and he is the only son of his mother, and is very dear to his father.
21. And you said to your servants, Let him come down to me with you, so that I may see him.
22. And we said to my lord, His father will not let him go; for if he went away his father would come to his death.
23. But you said to your servants, If your youngest brother does not come with you, you will not see my face again.
24. And when we went back to your servant, our father, we gave him an account of my lord's words.
25. And our father said, Go again and get us a little food.
26. And we said, Only if our youngest brother goes with us will we go down; for we may not see the man's face again if our youngest brother is not with us.
27. And our father said to us, You have knowledge that my wife gave me two sons;
28. The one went away from me, and I said, Truly he has come to a violent death; and from that time I have not seen him,
29. If now you take this one from me, and some evil comes to him, you will make my grey head go down in sorrow to the underworld.
30. If then I go back to your servant, my father, without the boy, because his life and the boy's life are one,
31. When he sees that the boy is not with us, he will come to his death, and our father's grey head will go down in sorrow to the underworld.
32. For I made myself responsible for the boy to my father, saying, If I do not give him safely back to you, let mine be the sin for ever.
33. So now let me be my lord's servant here in place of the boy, and let him go back with his brothers.
34. For how may I go back to my father without the boy, and see the evil which will come on my father?

Genesis 45 / Basic English

1. Then Joseph, unable to keep back his feelings before those who were with him, gave orders for everyone to be sent away, and no one was present when he made clear to his brothers who he was.
2. And so loud was his weeping, that it came to the ears of the Egyptians and all Pharaoh's house.
3. And Joseph said to his brothers, I am Joseph: is my father still living? But his brothers were not able to give him an answer for they were troubled before him.
4. Then Joseph said to his brothers, Come near to me. And they came near, And he said, I am Joseph your brother, whom you sent into Egypt.
5. Now do not be troubled or angry with yourselves for sending me away, because God sent me before you to be the saviour of your lives.
6. For these two years have been years of need, and there are still five more years to come in which there will be no ploughing or cutting of grain.
7. God sent me before you to keep you and yours living on earth so that you might become a great nation.
8. So now it was not you who sent me here, but God: and he has made me as a father to Pharaoh, and lord of all his house, and ruler over all the land of Egypt.
9. Now go quickly to my father, and say to him, Your son Joseph says, God has made me ruler over all the land of Egypt: come down to me straight away:
10. The land of Goshen will be your living-place, and you will be near me; you and your children and your children's children, and your flocks and herds and all you have:
11. And there I will take care of you, so that you and your family may not be in need, for there are still five bad years to come.
12. Now truly, your eyes see, and the eyes of my brother Benjamin see, that it is my mouth which says these things to you.
13. Give my father word of all my glory in Egypt and of all you have seen; and come back quickly with my father.
14. Then, weeping, he took Benjamin in his arms, and Benjamin himself was weeping on Joseph's neck.
15. Then he gave a kiss to all his brothers, weeping over them; and after that his brothers had no fear of talking to him.
16. And news of these things went through Pharaoh's house, and it was said that Joseph's brothers were come; and it seemed good to Pharaoh and his servants.
17. And Pharaoh said to Joseph, Say to your brothers, Put your goods on your beasts and go back to the land of Canaan;
18. And get your father and your families and come back to me: and I will give you all the good things of Egypt, and the fat of the land will be your food.
19. And say to them, This you are to do: take carts from the land of Egypt for your little ones and for your wives, and get your father and come back.
20. And take no thought for your goods, for the best of all the land of Egypt is yours.
21. And the children of Israel did as he said; and Joseph gave them carts as had been ordered by Pharaoh, and food for their journey.
22. To every one of them he gave three changes of clothing; but to Benjamin he gave three hundred bits of silver and five changes of clothing.
23. And to his father he sent ten asses with good things from Egypt on their backs, and ten she-asses with grain and bread and food for his father on the journey.
24. And he sent his brothers on their way, and said to them, See that you have no argument on the road.
25. So they went up from Egypt and came to the land of Canaan, to their father Jacob.
26. And they said to him, Joseph is living, and is ruler over all the land of Egypt. And at this word Jacob was quite overcome, for he had no faith in it.
27. And they gave him an account of everything Joseph had said to them; and when he saw the carts which Joseph had sent for them, his spirit came back to him:
28. And Israel said, It is enough: Joseph my son is still living; I will go and see him before my death.

Matthew 26 / Basic English

1. And when Jesus had come to the end of all these words, he said to his disciples,
2. After two days is the Passover, and the Son of man will be given up to the death of the cross.
3. Then the chief priests and the rulers of the people came together in the house of the high priest, who was named Caiaphas.
4. And they made designs together to take Jesus by some trick, and put him to death.
5. But they said, Not while the feast is going on, for fear of trouble among the people.
6. Now when Jesus was in Bethany in the house of Simon the leper,
7. There came to him a woman having a bottle of perfume of great price, and she put the perfume on his head when he was seated at table.
8. But when the disciples saw it they were angry, saying, To what purpose is this waste?
9. For we might have got much money for this and given it to the poor.
10. But Jesus, seeing it, said to them, Why are you troubling the woman? she has done a kind act to me.
11. For the poor you have ever with you, but me you have not for ever.
12. For in putting this perfume on my body, she did it to make me ready for my last resting-place.
13. Truly I say to you, Wherever this good news goes out in all the world, what this woman has done will be talked of in memory of her.
14. Then one of the twelve, who was named Judas Iscariot, went to the chief priests and said,
15. What will you give me, if I give him up to you? And the price was fixed at thirty bits of silver.
16. And from that time he was watching for a chance to give him into their hands.
17. Now on the first day of unleavened bread the disciples came to Jesus, saying, Where are we to make ready for you to take the Passover meal?
18. And he said to them, Go into the town to such a man, and say to him, The Master says, My time is near: I will keep the Passover at your house with my disciples.
19. And the disciples did as Jesus had said to them; and they made ready the Passover.
20. Now when evening was come, he was seated at table with the twelve disciples;
21. And while they were taking food, he said, Truly I say to you that one of you will be false to me.
22. And they were very said, and said to him, one by one, Is it I, Lord?
23. And he made answer and said, He who puts his hand into the plate with me, the same will be false to me.
24. The Son of man goes, even as the Writings say of him: but a curse is on that man through whom the Son of man is given up; it would have been well for that man if he had never come into the world.
25. And Judas, who was false to him, made answer and said, Is it I, Master? He says to him, Yes.
26. And when they were taking food, Jesus took bread and, after blessing it, he gave the broken bread to the disciples and said, Take it; this is my body.
27. And he took a cup and, having given praise, he gave it to them, saying,
28. Take of it, all of you, for this is my blood of the testament, which is given for men for the forgiveness of sins.
29. But I say to you that from now I will not take of this fruit of the vine, till that day when I take it new with you in my Father's kingdom.
30. And after a song of praise to God, they went out to the Mountain of Olives.
31. Then said Jesus to them, All of you will be turned away from me this night: for it is said in the Writings, I will put to death the keeper of the sheep, and the sheep of the flock will be put to flight.
32. But after I am come back from the dead, I will go before you into Galilee.
33. But Peter made answer and said to him, Though all may be turned away from you, I will never be turned away.
34. Jesus said to him, Truly I say to you that this night, before the hour of the cock's cry, you will say three times that you have no knowledge of me.
35. Peter says to him, Even if I am put to death with you, I will not be false to you. So said all the disciples.
36. Then comes Jesus with them to a place named Gethsemane, and says to his disciples, Be seated here, while I go over there for prayer.
37. And he took with him Peter and the two sons of Zebedee, and became sad and very troubled.
38. Then says he to them, My soul is very sad, even to death: keep watch with me here.
39. And he went forward a little, and falling down on his face in prayer, he said, O my Father, if it is possible, let this cup go from me; but let not my pleasure, but yours be done.
40. And he comes to the disciples, and sees that they are sleeping, and says to Peter, What, were you not able to keep watch with me one hour?
41. Keep watch with prayer, so that you may not be put to the test: the spirit truly is ready, but the flesh is feeble.
42. Again, a second time he went away, and said in prayer, O my Father, if this may not go from me without my taking it, let your pleasure be done.
43. And he came again and saw them sleeping, for their eyes were tired.
44. And he went away from them again, and a third time said the same prayer.
45. Then he comes to the disciples; and says to them, Go on sleeping now, and take your rest: for the hour is come, and the Son of man is given into the hands of evil men.
46. Up, let us be going: see, he who gives me up is near.
47. And while he was still talking, Judas, one of the twelve, came, and with him a band armed with swords and sticks, from the chief priests and those in authority over the people.
48. Now the false one had given them a sign saying, The one to whom I give a kiss, that is he: take him.
49. And straight away he came to Jesus and said, Master! and gave him a kiss.
50. And Jesus said to him, Friend, do that for which you have come. Then they came and put hands on Jesus, and took him.
51. And one of those who were with Jesus put out his hand, and took out his sword and gave the servant of the high priest a blow, cutting off his ear.
52. Then says Jesus to him, Put up your sword again into its place: for all those who take the sword will come to death by the sword.
53. Does it not seem possible to you that if I make request to my Father he will even now send me an army of angels?
54. But how then would the Writings come true, which say that so it has to be?
55. In that hour Jesus said to the people, Have you come out as against a thief with swords and sticks to take me? I was teaching every day in the Temple and you took me not.
56. But all this has taken place so that the writings of the prophets might come true. Then all his disciples went from him in flight.
57. And those who had made Jesus prisoner took him away to the house of Caiaphas, the high priest, where the scribes and those in authority over the people had come together.
58. But Peter went after him at a distance, to the house of the high priest, and went in and took his seat with the servants, to see the end.
59. Now the chief priests and all the Sanhedrin were looking for false witness against Jesus, so that they might put him to death;
60. And they were not able to get it, though a number of false witnesses came.
61. But later there came two who said, This man said, I am able to give the Temple of God to destruction, and to put it up again in three days.
62. And the high priest got up and said to him, Have you no answer? what is it which these say against you?
63. But Jesus said not a word. And the high priest said to him, I put you on oath, by the living God, that you will say to us if you are the Christ, the Son of God.
64. Jesus says to him, You say so: but I say to you, From now you will see the Son of man seated at the right hand of power, and coming on the clouds of heaven.
65. Then the high priest, violently parting his robes, said, He has said evil against God: what more need have we of witnesses? for now his words against God have come to your ears:
66. What is your opinion? They made answer and said, It is right for him to be put to death.
67. Then they put shame on him, and were cruel to him: and some gave him blows, saying,
68. Be a prophet, O Christ, and say who gave you a blow!
69. Now Peter was seated in the open square outside the house: and a servant-girl came to him, saying, You were with Jesus the Galilaean.
70. But he said before them all that it was false, saying, I have no knowledge of what you say.
71. And when he had gone out into the doorway, another saw him and says to those who were there, This man was with Jesus the Nazarene.
72. And again he said with an oath, I have no knowledge of the man.
73. And after a little time those who were near came and said to Peter, Truly you are one of them; because your talk is witness against you.
74. Then with curses and oaths he said, I have no knowledge of the man. And straight away there came the cry of a cock.
75. And the word of Jesus came back to Peter, when he said, Before the hour of the cock's cry, you will say three times that you have no knowledge of me. And he went out, weeping bitterly.