New Testament Revision 2 (second 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.
Let the children of the kingdom first be filled; for it is not meat for to take the childrens bread, & to <unto> <to> cast <it> unto the dogs. & <And> she answered & said unto him, Yes, Lord; thou sayest truly, yet the dogs under the table eat of the children’s crumbs. & <And> he said unto her, For this saying go thy way; the Devil is gone out of thy daughter. & <And> when she was come to her house, she found that the devil had gone out, & her daughter lay <6/> and <she was> laid upon the bed. <6/> & <And> again, departing from the Coast of tire <Tyre> & Sidon, he came unto the Sea of Gallilee, through the midst of the coasts of Decapolis. & <And> they bring unto him one that was deaf, & had an impediment in his speach; & they beseach him to put his hand upon him. & <And> he took him aside from the Multitude, & put his finger into his ears, & he spat <spit>, & touched his tongue; & looking up to Heaven, he sighed, & saith <said> unto him, Ephpatha, that is, Be opened. & <And> straitway his ears were opened, & the string of his tongue was loosed, & he spake plain. & <And> he charged them that they should tell no man; but the more he charged them, so much the more a great <d>eal <deal> the more they published it him; & were beyond measure astonished, saying, He hath done all things well; he maketh both the deaf to hear, & the dumb to speak.
C[h]apter 8th
<2/> In those days, the Multitude being very great, & having nothing to eat, Jesus calleth <called> his Deciples, & saith <said> unto them, I have compassion on the multitude, because they have now been with me three days & have nothing to eat; & if I send them away fasting to their own houses, they will <2/> faint by the way; for divers cam[e] <of> them came from afar. <2/> & <And> his deciples answered him, From whence can a man satisfy these so great a multitude, <with bread,> here in the wilderness? & <And> he asked them, How many lo[a]ves have ye? & <And> they said, Seven. & <And> he commanded the People to sit down on the ground; & he took the seven lo[a]ves, & gave thanks, & break, & gave to his Deciples to set before the People; & they did set them before the People. & <And> they had a few small fishes; & he blessed them, & commanded to set them also before the People, & <that> they should eat. So they did eat, & were filled; & they took up of <the> broken bread <that was left,> seven baskets. & <And> they that had eaten were <3/> about four thousand; & he sent them away. <3/> & <And> straitway he entered into a shop [ship] with his Deciples, & came into the Ports of Dalmanutha & <And> the Pharisees came forth, & began to question with him, seeking of him a sign from heaven, tempting him. & <And> <he> sighed deeply in [p. 22 (second numbering)]
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