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.
an <And> Lo! in her mouth an olive leaf (plucked off) so Noah knew that the waters were abated from off the Earth. </> <23/> And he stayed yet other seven days & sent forth a dove which returned not again unto him any more. </> & And it came to <24/> pass in the Sixhundreth & first year in the first Month the first day of the Month the waters were dried up from off the Earth. And Noah removed the covering of the ark & looked & behold the face of the ground was dry. And in the second Month on the seven & twentieth day of the Month was the Earth dried. </> And God spake unto Noah Saying, go forth 1 out of the ark, thou & thy wife, & they Sons & thy sons wives with thee. Bring forth with thee evry living thing that is with thee of all flesh, both of fowl, & of cattle, & of evry creeping thing that creepeth upon the Earth; that they may breed abundantly in the Earth, & be fruitful & multiply upon the Earth. </> And Noah went forth, & his sons, & his wife, & his sons <2/> wives with him. And evry beast, & evry creeping thing, & evry fowl, <and whatsoever creepeth> upon the Earth after their kind<s> went forth out of the ark. </> And Noah builded an altar unto the Lord, & took of <3/> evry clean beast, & of evry clean fowl, & offered burnt offer ings on the altar; And gave thanks unto the Lord, & rejoiced in his heart. </> And the Lord spake unto Noah, & he blessed him <4/> And Noah smelled a sweet saviour, & he said in his heart I will call on the name of the Lord that he will not again curse the ground any more for mans sake; for the imagination of mans heart is evil from his youth. And, that he will not again smite any more, evry thing living, as he hath done, while the Earth remaineth. And, that seed time & harvest, & cold & heat, & summer & winter, & day & night may not cease with man. </> <9:7>
Chapter VII the covenant which God made to Noah & when the City of Enoch should come down out of Heaven, &c. &c
<5/> And God Called <blessed> Noah & his Sons, & said unto them; be fruitful & multiply, & replenish the Earth. And the fear of you, & the dread of you, shall be upon evry beast, of the Earth, & upon evry fowl of the air, upon all that moveth upon the Earth, And upon all the fishes of the Sea, unto your hand are they delivered. evry moveing thing that liveth shall be meat for you; even as the green herb, [p. 30]
Source Note
Source Note
Document Transcript
Document Information
Document Information
Footnotes
Footnotes
- [52]
TEXT: Text is enclosed in a box.
- [53]
TEXT: A “9” written in graphite over “out”; probably a chapter designation.
- [54]
TEXT: Line numbers down left margin in graphite: 17, 18, 25, 27.
- [55]
TEXT: Insertion in graphite; graphite and handwriting appear to match those of line numbers on the page.
- [56]
TEXT: A large parenthesis spans this and the following line.
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