Old Testament Revision 2
Old Testament Revision 2
Source Note
Source Note
Old Testament Revision 2, ca. 8 Mar. 1831–5 Apr. 1831 and late July 1832–July 1833; handwriting of , , and ; 119 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 Old 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), 583–851.
Footnotes
- [1]
Call, “Copied from the Journal of Anson Call”; Cooper, “Spiritual Reminiscences, No. 2,” Autumn Leaves (January 1891): 9, 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
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].) Over the next three years, this work expanded into what is now designated the Book of Moses and a complete revelatory re-reading of the Bible, an endeavor that came to be known as JS’s “New Translation,” or Bible revision. Initially, JS and his scribes, including Cowdery, , , and , 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. This manuscript is currently designated Old Testament Revision 1.
JS set aside work on the new translation of the Old Testament when instructed in a March 1831 revelation to instead begin work on New Testament texts. (Revelation, ca. 7 Mar. 1831 [D&C 45:60–61].) Shortly thereafter, was 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].) Among other undertakings, he proceeded to create a duplicate copy of the existing sixty-one-page Old Testament manuscript. This second manuscript, featured here, is now designated Old Testament Revision 2. At the same time, JS commenced work on the New Testament and continued until July 1832 (Letter to William W. Phelps, 31 July 1832), resulting in two manuscripts, currently designated as New Testament Revision 1 and New Testament Revision 2.
After the completion of his new translation of the New Testament in late July 1832, JS resumed his revision of the Old Testament, now assisted by as scribe. When this work resumed, it was ’s copy, Old Testament Revision 2, that became the working manuscript for the rest of the Old Testament. A year later, Frederick G. Williams noted the completion of work on the text, writing at the end of Malachi, “Finished on the 2d of July 1833.”
Old Testament Revision 2 contains 119 pages. The first fifty-nine pages contain ’s copy of Old Testament Revision 1. At first, JS continued his earlier practice of having entire verses written out in the manuscript to record a change. After several pages, however, he switched to a procedure that he had adopted during his translation work on the New Testament. Rather than record an entire verse, JS marked his copy of the Bible as he read in it, indicating where a change should be made. In the manuscript, wrote the scripture reference and the specifics of the revisions, thus saving time and space. In effect, the notations made in JS’s Bible, coupled with his scribes’ inscriptions in Old Testament Revision 2, now constituted the revision project.
In total, JS made changes to about 1,300 Old Testament verses (Faulring et al., Joseph Smith’s New Translation of the Bible, 5). The introduction to Old Testament Revision 1 on the Joseph Smith Papers website notes some of the significant passages in the Book of Moses and JS’s revision of Genesis chapters 1–24. Some of the more prominent revisions, clarifications, and corrections JS incorporated into Old Testament Revision 2 included important material related to Joseph of Egypt added to the latter chapters in Genesis; a clarification in Exodus regarding the hardening of Pharaoh’s heart; and additions to Isaiah 29 foretelling the coming forth of the Book of Mormon (Faulring et al., Joseph Smith’s New Translation of the Bible, 589).
Note: The transcript of Old 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), 583–851.
into the Ark <*> & they that went in went in male & female of all flesh, as God had commanded him. & the Lord shut him in. </> & the <18/> flood was forty days upon the Earth, & the waters increased & bear up the ark & it was lifted up above the Earth, & the waters prevailed & increased greatly upon the Earth. And the ark went upon the face of the waters. And the waters prevailed exceedingly upon the face of the Earth. And all the high hills that are under the wholl [whole] Heavens were covered, fifteen cubits <and> upward. Did the waters prevail. And the mountains were covered. & all flesh died that moved upon the face of the Earth. Both of fowl & of Cattle & of beasts & of evry creeping thing that creepeth upon the Earth & evry man All in whose noistrills the Lord had breathed the breath of life of all that were in <on> the dry land died & evry living substance was destroyed which was upon the face of the ground both men & Cattle & the creeping things & the fowls of the air <Heaven> & they were destroyed from the Earth & Noah only remained, & they that were with him in the ark. And the waters prevailed on the Earth one hundred & fifty days. </> And God remembered Noah <every living thing> & all <the cattle> that were with <19/> him in the ark. And God made a wind to pass over the Earth And the waters receded assuaged, the fountains also of the deep & the windows of Heaven were stop[p]ed. And the rain from Heavn was retained from off the Earth & the waters returned from off the Earth <continually>. </> And after the end of the Hundred & fifty days the waters <20/> waters were abated. And the ark rested in the seventh Month on the seventh <seventeenth> day of the Month upon the Mountain of Arrarat & the waters decreased <continually> untill the tenth Month & in <on> <& in> the tenth day of <on> the <first of the> Month were the tops of the Mountains seen. </> & it came to <21/> pass At the end of forty days that Noah opened the window of the ark which he had made & he sint forth a raven which went forth to & fro untill the waters were dried up from off the Earth he also sent forth a dove from him to see if the waters were abated from off the face of the ground but the dove found no rest for the sole of her foot. And she returned unto him into the ark for the waters had not receded from off the face of the whole Earth then he for put forth his hand & took her, And pulled her in unto him into the ark. </> And he <22/> stay<ed> yet other seven days. And again he sent forth the the dove out of the ark & <&> the dove came in to him in the evening [p. 29]
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Source Note
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Footnotes
Footnotes
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TEXT: Line numbers down left margin in graphite: 1, 5, 7, 8, 16, 19, 23, 24, 27, 38.
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