« | Genesis 2 | » |
1 And the heaven and the earth and all things in them were complete.
2 And on the seventh day God came to the end of all his work; and on the seventh day he took his rest from all the work which he had done.
3 And God gave his blessing to the seventh day and made it holy: because on that day he took his rest from all the work which he had made and done.
4 These are the generations of the heaven and the earth when they were made.
5 In the day when the Lord God made earth and heaven there were no plants of the field on the earth, and no grass had come up: for the Lord God had not sent rain on the earth and there was no man to do work on the land.
6 But a mist went up from the earth, watering all the face of the land.
7 And the Lord God made man from the dust of the earth, breathing into him the breath of life: and man became a living soul.
8 And the Lord God made a garden in the east, in Eden; and there he put the man whom he had made.
9 And out of the earth the Lord made every tree to come, delighting the eye and good for food; and in the middle of the garden, the tree of life and the tree of the knowledge of good and evil.
10 And a river went out of Eden giving water to the garden; and from there it was parted and became four streams.
11 The name of the first is Pishon, which goes round about all the land of Havilah where there is gold.
12 And the gold of that land is good: there is bdellium and the onyx stone.
13 And the name of the second river is Gihon: this river goes round all the land of Cush.
14 And the name of the third river is Tigris, which goes to the east of Assyria. And the fourth river is Euphrates.
15 And the Lord God took the man and put him in the garden of Eden to do work in it and take care of it.
16 And the Lord God gave the man orders, saying, You may freely take of the fruit of every tree of the garden:
17 But of the fruit of the tree of the knowledge of good and evil you may not take; for on the day when you take of it, death will certainly come to you.
18 And the Lord God said, It is not good for the man to be by himself: I will make one like himself as a help to him
19 And from the earth the Lord God made every beast of the field and every bird of the air, and took them to the man to see what names he would give them: and whatever name he gave to any living thing, that was its name.
20 And the man gave names to all cattle and to the birds of the air and to every beast of the field; but Adam had no one like himself as a help.
21 And the Lord God sent a deep sleep on the man, and took one of the bones from his side while he was sleeping, joining up the flesh again in its place:
22 And the bone which the Lord God had taken from the man he made into a woman, and took her to the man.
23 And the man said, This is now bone of my bone and flesh of my flesh: let her name be Woman because she was taken out of Man.
24 For this cause will a man go away from his father and his mother and be joined to his wife; and they will be one flesh.
25 And the man and his wife were without clothing, and they had no sense of shame.
The Bible in Basic English (BBE)
The Bible in Basic English (BBE) is a translation of the Bible that aims to make the scriptures accessible to people with limited English proficiency. Completed in 1941 by Professor Samuel Henry Hooke and a team of scholars, the BBE utilizes a simplified vocabulary of approximately 1,000 basic English words, along with additional words necessary to maintain the integrity of the biblical text. This approach ensures that the translation is easily understandable while still conveying the core messages and teachings of the Bible.
One of the defining features of the BBE is its commitment to simplicity and clarity. By using a restricted vocabulary and straightforward sentence structures, the BBE makes it easier for readers to grasp the fundamental ideas of the scriptures without being hindered by complex language. This makes the BBE particularly valuable for non-native English speakers, children, and individuals with limited literacy skills. The translation aims to break down language barriers, allowing a broader audience to engage with Bible teachings.
Despite its simplified language, the BBE strives to remain faithful to the original Hebrew, Aramaic, and Greek texts. The translators worked carefully to ensure that the essential meanings and theological concepts were preserved, even as they adapted the language to be more accessible. This balance of simplicity and fidelity to the original texts helps maintain the Bible’ s depth and spiritual richness while making it more approachable. The BBE’ s emphasis on clarity without sacrificing essential meaning has made it a useful tool for teaching and evangelism.
However, the BBE has faced some criticism, particularly from scholars and theologians who argue that the simplification process may lead to the loss of some nuances and deeper meanings present in the original languages. Some feel that the restricted vocabulary can oversimplify complex theological concepts, potentially limiting the reader’ s understanding of the full depth of the scriptures. Despite these criticisms, the Bible in Basic English remains a valuable resource for those seeking an easily understandable version of the Bible, providing a bridge for many to access the timeless messages contained within the holy scriptures.