Acts 1 | » |
1 I have given an earlier account, O Theophilus, of all the things which Jesus did, and of his teaching from the first,
2 Till the day when he was taken up to heaven after he had given his orders, through the Holy Spirit, to the Apostles of whom he had made selection:
3 And to whom he gave clear and certain signs that he was living, after his death; for he was seen by them for forty days, and gave them teaching about the kingdom of God:
4 And when they were all together, with him, he gave them orders not to go away from Jerusalem, but to keep there, waiting till the word of the Father was put into effect, of which, he said, I have given you knowledge:
5 For the baptism of John was with water, but you will have baptism with the Holy Spirit, after a little time.
6 So, when they were together, they said to him, Lord, will you at this time give back the kingdom to Israel?
7 And he said to them, It is not for you to have knowledge of the time and the order of events which the Father has kept in his control.
8 But you will have power, when the Holy Spirit has come on you; and you will be my witnesses in Jerusalem and all Judaea and Samaria, and to the ends of the earth.
9 And when he had said these things, while they were looking, he was taken up, and went from their view into a cloud.
10 And while they were looking up to heaven with great attention, two men came to them, in white clothing,
11 And said, O men of Galilee, why are you looking up into heaven? This Jesus, who was taken from you into heaven, will come again, in the same way as you saw him go into heaven.
12 Then they went back to Jerusalem from the mountain named Olivet, which is near Jerusalem, a Sabbath day's journey away.
13 And when they came in, they went up into the room where they were living; Peter and John and James and Andrew, Philip and Thomas, Bartholomew and Matthew, James, the son of Alphaeus, and Simon the Zealot, and Judas, the son of James.
14 And they all with one mind gave themselves up to prayer, with the women, and Mary the mother of Jesus, and his brothers.
15 And in those days Peter got up among the brothers (there were about one hundred and twenty of them), and said,
16 My brothers, the word of God had to be put into effect, which the Holy Spirit had said before, by the mouth of David, about Judas, who was guide to those who took Jesus,
17 For he was numbered among us, and had his part in our work.
18 (Now this man, with the reward of his evil-doing, got for himself a field, and falling head first, came to a sudden and violent end there.
19 And this came to the knowledge of all those who were living in Jerusalem, so that the field was named in their language, Akel-dama, or, The field of blood.)
20 For in the book of Psalms it says, Let his house be waste, and let no man be living in it: and, Let his position be taken by another.
21 For this reason, of the men who have been with us all the time, while the Lord Jesus went in and out among us,
22 Starting from the baptism of John till he went up from us, one will have to be a witness with us of his coming back from death.
23 And they made selection of two, Joseph, named Barsabbas, whose other name was Justus, and Matthias.
24 And they made prayers and said, Lord, having knowledge of the hearts of all men, make clear which of these two has been marked out by you,
25 To take that position as a servant and Apostle, from which Judas by his sin was shut out, so that he might go to his place.
26 And they put it to the decision of chance, and the decision was given for Matthias, and he was numbered with the eleven Apostles.
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.