Short answer first: the Kalpa Sutra is long, and giving the entire English translation here would be impractical. Below is a faithful, simple, plain‑English rendering of its contents and key passages, preserving the traditional Śvetāmbara understanding. For a gentle overview article, see this link

What the Kalpa Sutra is

• Śvetāmbara Jain scripture, traditionally attributed to Ācārya Bhadrabāhu.
• Publicly recited during Paryuṣaṇa.
• Three parts: (1) Lives of the Tīrthaṅkaras (Jinacaritra), especially Mahāvīra; (2) Rules for monks and nuns, especially for the rainy season stay (Cāturmāsa); (3) Lineage of teachers after Mahāvīra (Sthavirāvalī).
• Digambara note: The Digambara tradition does not use the Kalpa Sutra as scripture; their narratives of the Tīrthaṅkaras come from other texts. The translation below follows the Śvetāmbara tradition.

Plain‑English translation (section by section)

A. Lives of the Jinas (Jinacaritra)

• General intent: “Here are set forth the lives and virtues of the Jinas, so that hearing them, restraint, devotion, and right faith may increase.”
• Ṛṣabhanātha (Ādinātha): Brief account of his birth as the first Tīrthaṅkara and establishment of social order and vows.
• Neminātha (22nd): Summary of his compassion at the wedding‑procession, renunciation upon seeing animals meant for slaughter, and attainment of liberation.
• Pārśvanātha (23rd): Birth as a Kṣatriya prince, protection of the ascetic from the burning logs, preaching of the four‑fold vow, omniscience, and liberation.
• Mahāvīra (24th) in detail:

1) Conception and auspicious dreams seen by Queen Triśalā; universal rejoicing. 2) Birth at Kuṇḍagrāma; named Vardhamāna; signs of future greatness. 3) Youth marked by courage, forgiveness, and discipline. 4) Renunciation at age thirty; acceptance of monkhood; strict vows; endurance of hardships without anger. 5) Twelve years of austerities and meditation, observing perfect non‑violence and restraint. 6) Attainment of Kevalajñāna (omniscience); establishment of the four‑fold community; preaching Right Faith, Right Knowledge, and Right Conduct. 7) Principal disciples (Gaṇadharas), especially Gautama Svāmī. 8) Final liberation (Nirvāṇa) at Pāvā on the dark night of Kārttika; celestial and human homage; continuation of the lineage through his disciples.

B. Rules for monastic conduct during Cāturmāsa

• Purpose: to ensure purity of conduct when monks and nuns stay in one place during the rains.
• Key instructions in simple English:

- Stay in a designated place; avoid harming living beings that flourish in rains. - Keep daily schedule of study, meditation, careful alms‑taking, and confession. - Observe Pratikramaṇa and fasts as prescribed; confess faults promptly; accept atonements given by the teacher. - Maintain careful speech, movement, and possession‑limits; avoid negligence and pride. - Respect teachers, follow communal rules, and protect the harmony of the Saṅgha.

C. The lineage of teachers (Sthavirāvalī)

• Begins with Mahāvīra’s chief disciple Sudharman, then Jambu, and continues through successive heads of the order.
• Intention: to preserve the unbroken transmission of doctrine and discipline from teacher to disciple.

Selected key thoughts rendered in English

• “Homage to the Arhats, perfected ones, teachers, and all worthy monks and nuns; may this recital become a cause of right faith and self‑restraint.”
• “Hearing the spotless lives of the Jinas, the wise cultivate non‑violence, truth, purity, and austerity.”
• “Faults confessed become light; discipline observed becomes firm; thus the community remains pure during the rains.”

Important tradition note

• Śvetāmbara usage: The embryo‑transfer episode in Mahāvīra’s life appears in the Kalpa Sutra narrative and is ritually recited during Paryuṣaṇa.
• Digambara position: This episode is not accepted; their biographies of Mahāvīra rely on different sources and emphasize elements shared across the early Jain tradition (renunciation, austerities, omniscience, liberation).

If you need a complete, word‑for‑word English translation, please consult a traditional edition based on the Śvetāmbara recensional text, preferably read or explained by a qualified monk or scholar during Paryuṣaṇa. For an introductory write‑up in simple language, use this resource