Basic English Version : Read the Bible in 1 Year

Ecclesiastes 3 / Basic English

1. For everything there is a fixed time, and a time for every business under the sun.
2. A time for birth and a time for death; a time for planting and a time for uprooting;
3. A time to put to death and a time to make well; a time for pulling down and a time for building up;
4. A time for weeping and a time for laughing; a time for sorrow and a time for dancing;
5. A time to take stones away and a time to get stones together; a time for kissing and a time to keep from kissing;
6. A time for search and a time for loss; a time to keep and a time to give away;
7. A time for undoing and a time for stitching; a time for keeping quiet and a time for talk;
8. A time for love and a time for hate; a time for war and a time for peace.
9. What profit has the worker in the work which he does?
10. I saw the work which God has put on the sons of man.
11. He has made everything right in its time; but he has made their hearts without knowledge, so that man is unable to see the works of God, from the first to the last.
12. I am certain that there is nothing better for a man than to be glad, and to do good while life is in him.
13. And for every man to take food and drink, and have joy in all his work, is a reward from God.
14. I am certain that whatever God does will be for ever. No addition may be made to it, nothing may be taken from it; and God has done it so that man may be in fear before him.
15. Whatever is has been before, and what is to be is now; because God makes search for the things which are past.
16. And again, I saw under the sun, in the place of the judges, that evil was there; and in the place of righteousness, that evil was there.
17. I said in my heart, God will be judge of the good and of the bad; because a time for every purpose and for every work has been fixed by him.
18. I said in my heart, It is because of the sons of men, so that God may put them to the test and that they may see themselves as beasts.
19. Because the fate of the sons of men and the fate of the beasts is the same. As is the death of one so is the death of the other, and all have one spirit. Man is not higher than the beasts; because all is to no purpose.
20. All go to one place, all are of the dust, and all will be turned to dust again.
21. Who is certain that the spirit of the sons of men goes up to heaven, or that the spirit of the beasts goes down to the earth?
22. So I saw that there is nothing better than for a man to have joy in his work--because that is his reward. Who will make him see what will come after him?

Ecclesiastes 4 / Basic English

1. And again I saw all the cruel things which are done under the sun; there was the weeping of those who have evil done to them, and they had no comforter: and from the hands of the evil-doers there went out power, but they had no comforter.
2. So my praise was for the dead who have gone to their death, more than for the living who still have life.
3. Yes, happier than the dead or the living seemed he who has not ever been, who has not seen the evil which is done under the sun.
4. And I saw that the cause of all the work and of everything which is done well was man's envy of his neighbour. This again is to no purpose and a desire for wind.
5. The foolish man, folding his hands, takes the flesh of his body for food.
6. One hand full of rest is better than two hands full of trouble and desire for wind.
7. Then I came back, and I saw an example of what is to no purpose under the sun.
8. It is one who is by himself, without a second, and without son or brother; but there is no end to all his work, and he has never enough of wealth. For whom, then, am I working and keeping myself from pleasure? This again is to no purpose, and a bitter work.
9. Two are better than one, because they have a good reward for their work.
10. And if one has a fall, the other will give him a hand; but unhappy is the man who is by himself, because he has no helper.
11. So again, if two are sleeping together they are warm, but how may one be warm by himself?
12. And two attacked by one would be safe, and three cords twisted together are not quickly broken.
13. A young man who is poor and wise is better than a king who is old and foolish and will not be guided by the wisdom of others.
14. Because out of a prison the young man comes to be king, though by birth he was only a poor man in the kingdom.
15. I saw all the living under the sun round the young man who was to be ruler in place of the king.
16. There was no end of all the people, of all those whose head he was, but they who come later will have no delight in him. This again is to no purpose and desire for wind.

1 Corinthians 5 / Basic English

1. It is said, in fact, that there is among you a sin of the flesh, such as is not seen even among the Gentiles, that one of you has his father's wife.
2. And in place of feeling sorrow, you are pleased with yourselves, so that he who has done this thing has not been sent away from among you.
3. For I myself, being present in spirit though not in body, have come to a decision about him who has done this thing;
4. In the name of our Lord Jesus, when you have come together with my spirit, with the power of our Lord Jesus,
5. That this man is to be handed over to Satan for the destruction of the flesh, so that his spirit may have forgiveness in the day of the Lord Jesus.
6. This pride of yours is not good. Do you not see that a little leaven makes a change in all the mass?
7. Take away, then, the old leaven, so that you may be a new mass, even as you are without leaven. For Christ has been put to death as our Passover.
8. Let us then keep the feast, not with old leaven, and not with the leaven of evil thoughts and acts, but with the unleavened bread of true thoughts and right feelings.
9. In my letter I said to you that you were not to keep company with those who go after the desires of the flesh;
10. But I had not in mind the sinners who are outside the church, or those who have a desire for and take the property of others, or those who give worship to images; for it is not possible to keep away from such people without going out of the world completely:
11. But the sense of my letter was that if a brother had the name of being one who went after the desires of the flesh, or had the desire for other people's property, or was in the way of using violent language, or being the worse for drink, or took by force what was not his, you might not keep company with such a one, or take food with him.
12. For it is no business of mine to be judging those who are outside; but it is yours to be judging those who are among you;
13. As for those who are outside, God is their judge. So put away the evil man from among you.