Basic English Version : Read the Bible in 1 Year

Isaiah 59 / Basic English

1. Truly, the Lord's hand has not become short, so that he is unable to give salvation; and his ear is not shut from hearing:
2. But your sins have come between you and your God, and by your evil doings his face has been veiled from you, so that he will give you no answer.
3. For your hands are unclean with blood, and your fingers with sin; your lips have said false things, and your tongue gives out deceit.
4. No one puts forward an upright cause, or gives a true decision: their hope is in deceit, and their words are false; they are with child with sin, and give birth to evil.
5. They give birth to snake's eggs, and make spider's threads: whoever takes their eggs for food comes to his death, and the egg which is crushed becomes a poison-snake.
6. Their twisted threads will not make clothing, and their works will give them nothing for covering themselves: their works are works of sin, and violent acts are in their hands.
7. Their feet go quickly to evil, and they take delight in the death of the upright; their thoughts are thoughts of sin; wasting and destruction are in their ways.
8. They have no knowledge of the way of peace, and there is no sense of what is right in their behaviour: they have made for themselves ways which are not straight; whoever goes in them has no knowledge of peace.
9. For this cause our right is far from us, and righteousness does not overtake us: we are looking for light, but there is only the dark; for the shining of the sun, but our way is in the night.
10. We go on our way, like blind men feeling for the wall, even like those who have no eyes: we are running against things in daylight as if it was evening; our place is in the dark like dead men.
11. We make noises of grief, like bears, and sad sounds like doves: we are looking for our right, but it is not there; for salvation, but it is far from us.
12. For our evil doings are increased before you, and our sins give witness against us: for our evil doings are with us, and we have knowledge of our sins:
13. We have gone against the Lord, and been false to him, turning away from our God, our words have been uncontrolled, and in our hearts are thoughts of deceit.
14. And the right is turned back, and righteousness is far away: for good faith is not to be seen in the public places, and upright behaviour may not come into the town.
15. Yes, faith is gone; and he whose heart is turned from evil comes into the power of the cruel: and the Lord saw it, and he was angry that there was no one to take up their cause.
16. And he saw that there was no man, and was surprised that there was no one to take up their cause: so his arm gave salvation, and he made righteousness his support.
17. Yes, he put on righteousness as a breastplate, and salvation as a head-dress; and he put on punishment as clothing, and wrath as a robe.
18. He will give them the right reward of their doings, wrath to his attackers, punishment to his haters, and even on the sea-lands he will send punishment.
19. So they will see the name of the Lord from the west, and his glory from the east: for he will come like a rushing stream, forced on by a wind of the Lord.
20. And as a saviour he will come to Zion, turning away sin from Jacob, says the Lord.
21. And as for me, this is my agreement with them, says the Lord: my spirit which is on you, and my words which I have put in your mouth, will not go away from your mouth, or from the mouth of your seed, or from the mouth of your seed's seed, says the Lord, from now and for ever.

Isaiah 60 / Basic English

1. Up! let your face be bright, for your light has come, and the glory of the Lord is shining on you.
2. For truly, the earth will be dark, and the peoples veiled in blackest night; but the Lord will be shining on you, and his glory will be seen among you.
3. And nations will come to your light, and kings to your bright dawn.
4. Let your eyes be lifted up, and see: they are all coming together to you: your sons will come from far, and your daughters taken with loving care.
5. Then you will see, and be bright with joy, and your heart will be shaking with increase of delight: for the produce of the sea will be turned to you, the wealth of the nations will come to you.
6. You will be full of camel-trains, even the young camels of Midian and Ephah; all from Sheba will come, with gold and spices, giving word of the great acts of the Lord.
7. All the flocks of Kedar will come together to you, the sheep of Nebaioth will be ready for your need; they will be pleasing offerings on my altar, and my house of prayer will be beautiful.
8. Who are these coming like a cloud, like a flight of doves to their windows?
9. Vessels of the sea-lands are waiting for me, and the ships of Tarshish first, so that your sons may come from far, and their silver and gold with them, to the place of the name of the Lord your God, and to the Holy One of Israel, because he has made you beautiful.
10. And men from strange countries will be building up your walls, and their kings will be your servants: for in my wrath I sent punishment on you, but in my grace I have had mercy on you.
11. Your doors will be open at all times; they will not be shut day or night; so that men may come into you with the wealth of the nations, with their kings at their head.
12. For the nation or kingdom which will not be your servant will come to destruction; such nations will be completely waste.
13. The glory of Lebanon will come to you, the cypress, the plane, and the sherbin-tree together, to make my holy place beautiful; and the resting-place of my feet will be full of glory.
14. And the sons of those who were cruel to you will come before you with bent heads; and those who made sport of you will go down on their faces at your feet; and you will be named, The Town of the Lord, The Zion of the Holy One of Israel.
15. And though you were turned away from, and hated, and had no helper, I will make you a pride for ever, a joy from generation to generation.
16. And you will take the milk of the nations, flowing from the breast of kings; and you will see that I, the Lord, am your saviour, and he who takes up your cause, the Strong One of Jacob.
17. In place of brass, I will give gold, and for iron silver, and for wood brass, and for stones iron: and I will make Peace your judge, and Righteousness your overseer.
18. Violent acts will no longer be seen in your land, wasting or destruction in your limits; but your walls will be named, Salvation, and your doors Praise.
19. The sun will not be your light by day, and the moon will no longer be bright for you by night: but the Lord will be to you an eternal light, and your God your glory.
20. Your sun will never again go down, or your moon keep back her light: for the Lord will be your eternal light, and the days of your sorrow will be ended.
21. Your people will all be upright, the land will be their heritage for ever; the branch of my planting, the work of my hands, to be for my glory.
22. The smallest of their families will become a thousand, and a small one a strong nation: I, the Lord, will make it come quickly in its time.

Galatians 6 / Basic English

1. Brothers, if a man is taken in any wrongdoing, you who are of the Spirit will put such a one right in a spirit of love; keeping watch on yourself, for fear that you yourself may be tested.
2. Take on yourselves one another's troubles, and so keep the law of Christ.
3. For if a man has an idea that he is something when he is nothing, he is tricked by himself.
4. But let every man make test of his work, and then will his cause for glory be in himself only, and not in his neighbour.
5. Because every man is responsible for his part of the work.
6. But let him who gets teaching in the word give a part in all good things to his teacher.
7. Be not tricked; God is not made sport of: for whatever seed a man puts in, that will he get back as grain.
8. Because he who puts in the seed of the flesh will of the flesh get the reward of death; but he who puts in the seed of the Spirit will of the Spirit get the reward of eternal life.
9. And let us not get tired of well-doing; for at the right time we will get in the grain, if we do not give way to weariness.
10. So then, as we have the chance, let us do good to all men, and specially to those who are of the family of the faith.
11. See the size of the handwriting which I myself have made use of in writing to you.
12. Those who have the desire to seem important in the flesh, put force on you to undergo circumcision; only that they may not be attacked because of the cross of Christ.
13. Because even those who undergo circumcision do not themselves keep the law; but they would have you undergo circumcision, so that they may have glory in your flesh.
14. But far be it from me to have glory in anything, but only in the cross of our Lord Jesus Christ, through which this world has come to an end on the cross for me, and I for it.
15. For having circumcision is nothing, and not having circumcision is nothing, but only a new order of existence.
16. And on all who are guided by this rule be peace and mercy, and on the Israel of God.
17. From this time on let no man be a trouble to me; because my body is marked with the marks of Jesus.
18. The grace of our Lord Jesus Christ be with your spirit, brothers. So be it.