New Testament Revision 2 (first numbering)
New Testament Revision 2
Source Note
Source Note
New Testament Revision 2, ca. 4 Apr. 1831–24 Mar. 1832 and 20–31 July 1832; handwriting of , , , and an unidentified scribe; 206 pages; CHL.
The Bible revision manuscripts remained in JS’s possession throughout his life—except during a brief period in 1838 and another in 1839. Upon the death of JS, the manuscript was in possession of his wife for over twenty years, until 1867 when she gave it to her son so that the Reorganized Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints (RLDS church) could publish it. It was in the possession of the RLDS church (now Community of Christ) until 2024, when The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints acquired it. The manuscript is now held at the Church History Library in Salt Lake City.
Note: The transcript of New Testament Revision 2 presented here is used with generous permission of the Brigham Young University Religious Studies Center. It was published earlier, with some differences in style, in Scott H. Faulring, Kent P. Jackson, and Robert J. Matthews, eds., Joseph Smith's New Translation of the Bible: Original Manuscripts (Provo, UT: Religious Studies Center, Brigham Young University, 2004), 229–581.
Footnotes
- [1]
Call, “Copied from the Journal of Anson Call,” 9 and Cooper, “Spiritual Reminiscences, No. 2,” Autumn Leaves (January 1891): 18.
Call, Anson. “Copied from the Journal of Anson Call,” 1879. CHL. MS 4783.
Cooper, F. M. “Spiritual Reminiscences.—No. 2,” Autumn Leaves 4, no. 1 (Jan. 1891): 17–20.
- [2]
Emma Smith Bidamon, Nauvoo, IL, to Joseph Smith III, Plano, IL, 10 Feb. 1867, CCLA.
Bidamon, Emma Smith. Materials, 1842–1871. CCLA.
- [3]
The Holy Scriptures: Translated and Corrected by the Spirit of Revelation ([Plano, IL]: [Reorganized] Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints, 1867).
Historical Introduction
Historical Introduction
As noted in the introduction to Old Testament Revision 1, in June 1830, JS and began recording a revelation related to Moses and other prominent Old Testament figures. (See Visions of Moses, June 1830 [Moses 1].) Eventually this work expanded into what is now designated as the Book of Moses and a complete revelatory re-reading, reviewing, and revising of the Bible, an endeavor that came to be known as JS’s “New Translation,” or Bible revision. By March 1831, JS and his scribes created a sixty-one-page manuscript containing a narrative account of the visions of Moses and a revised version of the Old Testament book of Genesis, from the beginning to chapter 24, verse 41. (See Old Testament Revision 1.)
JS set that work aside when instructed in a March 1831 revelation to instead begin work on the New Testament. (Revelation, ca. 7 Mar. 1831 [D&C 45:60–61].) He and began the new document on 8 March 1831, titling it “A Translation of the New Testament translated by the power of God.” It is currently designated as New Testament Revision 1. , who had been directed by revelation to “write & keep a regulal [regular] history & assist my servant Joseph in Transcribing all things which shall be given him,” (Revelation, ca. 8 Mar. 1831–B [D&C 47:1]) began in early April 1831 to copy New Testament Revision 1 through Matthew 26:1, stopping a little short of where JS and Sidney Rigdon left off before they traveled to in June 1831. (JS History, vol. A-1, 126.)
When JS resumed the revision of the New Testament, he did so using ’s copy, currently designated New Testament Revision 2. He began with Matthew 26:1, though he had previously translated through Matthew 26:71 in New Testament Revision 1. Work continued on the rest of the New Testament through late July 1832. In addition to , JS was assisted by John Whitmer, , and .
New Testament Revision 2, presented here, consists of 203 pages. Work on this manuscript was completed in and , Ohio. During the revision project, JS adopted an abbreviated format for annotating the changes to be made to the New Testament. Previously, JS dictated the entire Bible text to his scribe, revising verses as he read from the Bible. But beginning after John 5, JS marked his copy of the Bible as he read in it, indicating where a change should be made. In the manuscript, the scribes wrote the scripture reference and the specifics of the revisions. Thus, the Bible and manuscript together now constituted the text of the revision project.
In total, JS made changes to about 2,100 New Testament verses (Faulring et al., Joseph Smith’s New Translation of the Bible, 5). He introduced a number of significant changes to the King James New Testament text in New Testament Revision 2. Among the more prominent clarifications and corrections were those in Matthew 24 and Mark 13 related to Jesus’s discourse on the Mount of Olives, as well as those in the beginning verses of the Gospel of John. (See, Faulring et al., Joseph Smith’s New Translation of the Bible, 234, 303, and 424–425.)
Note: The transcript of New Testament Revision 2 presented here is used with generous permission of the Brigham Young University Religious Studies Center. It was published earlier, with some differences in style, in Scott H. Faulring, Kent P. Jackson, and Robert J. Matthews, eds., Joseph Smith's New Translation of the Bible: Original Manuscripts (Provo, UT: Religious Studies Center, Brigham Young University, 2004), 229–581.
see not; and hearing, <they> hear not; neither do they understand. & <And> in them is fulfilled the prophecy of Esaias concerning them, which saith, By hearing, ye shall hear, and shall not understand; & seeing ye shall see, and shall not perceive. For this people’s heart is waxed gross, & their ears are dull of hearing, and their eyes they have closed; lest at any time they should see with their eyes, and hear with their ears, & should understand with their hearts, and should be converted, & I should hear <heal> <4/> them. <4/> But blessed are your eyes, for they see; & your ears, for they hear. And blessed are you because these things are come unto you, that you might understand them. And verily I say unto you, many righteous Prophets have desired to see these days which you see. & have not seen them; and to hear that which you hear, & have not <5/> heard. them <5/> Hear ye therefore the parable of the sower. When any one heareth the word of the Kingdom, & understandeth it not, then cometh the wicked one, & catcheth it away that which was sown in his heart; this <6/> is he who received seed by the way side. <6/> But he that received the seed into stony places, the same is he that heareth the word & readily with Joy receiveth it, yet he hath not root in himself & endureth but for a while; for when tribulation or persecution ariseth because of the <7/> word, by & by he is offended. <7/> He also who received seed among <the> thorns, is he that heareth the word; & the care of this world and the deceitfulness <8/> of riches, choke the word, & he becometh unfruitful. <8/> But he who received seed into the good ground, is he that heareth the word And understandeth & endureth; which also beareth fruit, & bringeth forth, some <9/> an hundred fold, some sixty & some thirty. <9/> Another parable put he forth unto them, saying, The Kingdom of Heaven is likened unto a man which <who> sowed good seed in his field; but while he slept, his enemy came & sowed tears <tares> among the wheat, & went his way. But when the blade sprung up & brought forth fruit, then appeared the tares also. So the servents of the householder came & said unto him, Sir, didst not thou sow good seed in thy field; whence then hath it tares? He said unto them, An enemy hath done this. And the Servents said unto him, Wilt thou then that we go & gether them up? But he said, Nay, <least> while ye gether up the tares ye root up also the wheat with them. Let both grow together untill the harvest, & in the time of harvest, I will say to the reapers, gether ye together first the tares & bind them in bundles to burn them but gether the wheat into my Barn* <10/> Another parable put he forth unto them, Saying, the Kingdom of Heaven is like to a grain of musterdseed, which a man took and [p. 25 (first numbering)]
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