Basic English Version : Read the Bible in 1 Year

Deuteronomy 23 / Basic English

1. No man whose private parts have been wounded or cut off may come into the meeting of the Lord's people.
2. One whose father and mother are not married may not come into the meeting of the Lord's people, or any of his family to the tenth generation.
3. No Ammonite or Moabite or any of their people to the tenth generation may come into the meeting of the Lord's people:
4. Because they gave you no bread or water on your way, when you came out of Egypt: and they got Balaam, the son of Peor, from Pethor in Aram-naharaim to put curses on you.
5. But the Lord your God would not give ear to Balaam, but let the curse be changed into a blessing to you, because of his love for you.
6. Do nothing for their peace or well-being for ever.
7. But have no hate for an Edomite, because he is your brother, or for an Egyptian, for you were living in his land.
8. Their children in the third generation may come into the meeting of the Lord's people.
9. When you go out to war and put your tents in position, keep from every evil thing.
10. If any man among you becomes unclean through anything which has taken place in the night, he is to go out from the tent-circle and keep outside it:
11. But when evening comes near, let him take a bath: and after sundown he may come back to the tents.
12. Let there be a place outside the tent-circle to which you may go;
13. And have among your arms a spade; and when you have been to that place, let that which comes from you be covered up with earth:
14. For the Lord your God is walking among your tents, to keep you safe and to give up into your hands those who are fighting against you; then let your tents be holy, so that he may see no unclean thing among you, and be turned away from you.
15. Do not give back to his master a servant who has gone in flight from his master and come to you:
16. Let him go on living among you in whatever place is most pleasing to him: do not be hard on him.
17. No daughter of Israel is to let herself be used as a loose woman for a strange god, and no son of Israel is to give himself to a man.
18. Do not take into the house of the Lord your God, as an offering for an oath, the price of a loose woman or the money given to one used for sex purposes in the worship of the gods: for these two things are disgusting to the Lord your God.
19. Do not take interest from an Israelite on anything, money or food or any other goods, which you let him have:
20. From men of other nations you may take interest, but not from an Israelite: so that the blessing of the Lord your God may be on everything to which you put your hand, in the land which you are about to take as your heritage.
21. When you take an oath to the Lord, do not be slow to give effect to it: for without doubt the Lord your God will make you responsible, and will put it to your account as sin.
22. But if you take no oath, there will be no sin.
23. Whatever your lips have said, see that you do it; for you gave your word freely to the Lord your God.
24. When you go into your neighbour's vine-garden, you may take of his grapes at your pleasure, but you may not take them away in your vessel.
25. When you go into your neighbour's field, you may take the heads of grain with your hand; but you may not put your blade to his grain.

Deuteronomy 24 / Basic English

1. If a man takes a wife, and after they are married she is unpleasing to him because of some bad quality in her, let him give her a statement in writing and send her away from his house.
2. And when she has gone away from him, she may become another man's wife.
3. And if the second husband has no love for her and, giving her a statement in writing, sends her away; or if death comes to the second husband to whom she was married;
4. Her first husband, who had sent her away, may not take her back after she has been wife to another; for that is disgusting to the Lord: and you are not to be a cause of sin in the land which the Lord your God is giving you for your heritage.
5. A newly married man will not have to go out with the army or undertake any business, but may be free for one year, living in his house for the comfort of his wife.
6. No one is to take, on account of a debt, the stones with which grain is crushed: for in doing so he takes a man's living.
7. If a man takes by force one of his countrymen, the children of Israel, using him as his property or getting a price for him, that thief is to be put to death: so you are to put away evil from among you.
8. In connection with the leper's disease, take care to keep and do every detail of the teaching of the priests, the Levites: as I gave them orders, so you are to do.
9. Keep in mind what the Lord your God did to Miriam on the way, when you came out of Egypt.
10. If you let your brother have the use of anything which is yours, do not go into his house and take anything of his as a sign of his debt;
11. But keep outside till he comes out and gives it to you.
12. If he is a poor man, do not keep his property all night;
13. But be certain to give it back to him when the sun goes down, so that he may have his clothing for sleeping in, and will give you his blessing: and this will be put to your account as righteousness before the Lord your God.
14. Do not be hard on a servant who is poor and in need, if he is one of your countrymen or a man from another nation living with you in your land.
15. Give him his payment day by day, not keeping it back over night; for he is poor and his living is dependent on it; and if his cry against you comes to the ears of the Lord, it will be judged as sin in you.
16. Fathers are not to be put to death for their children or children for their fathers: every man is to be put to death for the sin which he himself has done.
17. Be upright in judging the cause of the man from a strange country and of him who has no father; do not take a widow's clothing on account of a debt:
18. But keep in mind that you were a servant in the land of Egypt, and the Lord your God made you free: for this is why I give you orders to do this.
19. When you get in the grain from your field, if some of the grain has been dropped by chance in the field, do not go back and get it, but let it be for the man from a strange land, the child without a father, and the widow: so that the blessing of the Lord your God may be on all the work of your hands.
20. When you are shaking the fruit from your olive-trees, do not go over the branches a second time: let some be for the man from a strange land, the child without a father, and the widow.
21. When you are pulling the grapes from your vines, do not take up those which have been dropped; let them be for the man from a strange land, the child without a father, and the widow.
22. Keep in mind that you were a servant in the land of Egypt: for this is why I give you orders to do this.

Psalms 94 / Basic English

1. O God, in whose hands is punishment, O God of punishment, let your shining face be seen.
2. Be lifted up, O judge of the earth; let their reward come to the men of pride.
3. How long will sinners, O Lord, how long will sinners have joy over us?
4. Words of pride come from their lips; all the workers of evil say great things of themselves.
5. Your people are crushed by them, O Lord, your heritage is troubled,
6. They put to death the widow and the guest, they take the lives of children who have no father;
7. And they say, Jah will not see it, the God of Jacob will not give thought to it.
8. Give your mind to my words, you who are without wisdom among the people; you foolish men, when will you be wise?
9. Has he by whom your ears were planted no hearing? or is he blind by whom your eyes were formed?
10. He who is the judge of the nations, will he not give men the reward of their acts, even he who gives knowledge to man?
11. The Lord has knowledge of the thoughts of man, for they are only a breath.
12. Happy is the man who is guided by you, O Jah, and to whom you give teaching out of your law;
13. So that you may give him rest from the days of evil, till a hole is made ready for the destruction of the sinners.
14. The Lord will not give up his people, or take away his support from his heritage;
15. But decisions will again be made in righteousness; and they will be kept by all whose hearts are true.
16. Who will give me help against the sinners? and who will be my support against the workers of evil?
17. If the Lord had not been my helper, my soul would quickly have gone down into death.
18. If I say, My foot is slipping; your mercy, O Lord, is my support.
19. Among all my troubled thoughts, your comforts are the delight of my soul.
20. What part with you has the seat of sin, which makes evil into a law?
21. They are banded together against the soul of the upright, to give decisions against those who have done no wrong.
22. But the Lord is my safe resting-place; my God is the Rock where I am safe.
23. And he has made their evil designs come back on themselves, cutting them off in their sin; the Lord our God will put an end to them.