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.
Gold of that land was good & there was bdellium & the Onyx stone And the name of the Second River was called Ghihon the same was it that compasseth the whole land of Ethiophia And the name of the third River was Hiddekel that was it which goeth towards the East of Assyrria And the forth River was Euphrates. </> & <And> I the Lord God took the man & put him into the <7/> Garden of Eden to dress it & to keep it & I the Lord God commanded the man saying, Of evry tree of the garden thou mayest freely eat, but of the tree of the knowledge of good & evil thou shalt not eat of it, nevertheless, thou mayest choose for thyself, for it is given unto thee. But remember, that I forbid it, for in the day that thou eatest thereof thou shalt shurely die. </> And I the Lord God said unto mine only Begotten that <8/> it was not good that <the> man should be alone Wherefore I will make an help meet for him. </> & out of the ground I the Lord God formed <9/> evry beast of the field & evry fowl of the air & commanded that they should be brought <come> unto Adam to see what he would call them & they were also living souls & it was <for I, God,> breathed into them the breath of life & <commanded that> whatsoever Adam called evry living creature that was <should> <be> the name thereof. </> & Adam gave names to all cattle & to the fowl <10/> of the air & to evry beast of the field but <as> for Adam there was not found a<n> help meet for him. </> & I, the Lord God, caus<10 <11>/>ed a deep sleep to fall upon Adam, & he slept, & I took one of his ribs & closed up the flesh in the stead thereof, & the rib which I, the Lord God had taken from man, made I a woman, & brought her unto the man. </> & Adam said, This I know now is bone of <11 <12>/> my bones & flesh of my flesh, she shall be called woman, because she was taken out of man. </> Therefore shall a man leave his father & <13/> mother & shall cleave unto his wife & they shall be one flesh. <1/> & they were both naked, the man & his wife, & were not ashamed. </> And I the Lord God spake unto Moses saying, That Satan <1/> whom thou hast commanded in the name of mine only begotten is the same which was from the begining, & he came before me saying, Behold I, send me, I will be thy Son, & I will redeem all mankind, that one soul shall not be lost; & shurely, I will do it; </> Wherefore, give me thine honour. </> But, behold; my beloved <2/> Son, which was my beloved <& chosen> from the begining, saith <said> unto me; Father, thy will be done, & the glory be thine forever. </> Wherefore, <3/> because that satan rebelled against me, & sought to destroy the [p. 7]
Source Note
Source Note
Document Transcript
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Footnotes
Footnotes
- [8]
TEXT: Line numbers written down left margin in graphite: 3, 4, 12, 15, 17, 18, 19, 21, 37.
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