New Testament Revision 2
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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; CCLA.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 in order for the RLDS Church to publish The Holy Scriptures.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.
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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.
with compassion, & loosed him, & forgave him the debt. The servent therefore, fell down & worshiped him. But the same Servent went out, & found one of his fellow servents, which owed him a hundred pence; & he laid hands on him, & took him by the throat, saying, Pay me that thou owest. And his fellow servent fell down at his feet, & besought him, saying, Have patience with me, & I will pay thee all; & he would not; but went & cast him into Prison, till he should pay the debt. So when his fellow servents saw what was done, they ware very sorry, & came & told unto their Lord all that was done. Then his Lord, after that he had called him, said unto him, O thou wicked servent, I forgave thee all that debt, because thou desiredst me, shouldest not thou also have had compassion on thy fellow servent, even as I had pity on thee? & his Lord was wroth, & delivered him to the tormenters, till he should pay all that was due unto him. So likewise shall my heavenly father do also unto you, if ye from your hearts forgive not every one his brother their trespasses.
Chapter XIX The Pharisees tempted Christ asked him whether it were lawful to put away a wife &c
1/ And it came to pass, when Jesus had finished these sayings, he departed from Gallilee, & came into the coast of Judea beyond Jordan. And great multitudes followed him; & many believed on him, & he healed them. there. 2/ The Pharisees came also unto him, tempting him, & saying unto him, Is it lawful for a man to put away his wife for every cause? And he answered & said unto them, Have ye not read, that he who made man at the begining, made him male & female, & said, For this cause shall a man leave father & mother, & shall cleave to his wife; & they twain shall be one flesh? Wherefore they are no more twain, but one flesh. What therefore God hath Joined together, let not man put assunder. 3/ They say unto him, Why did Moses then command to give a writing of divorcement, & to put her away? He said unto them, Moses, because of the hardness of your hearts, suffered you to put away your wives; but from the begining it was not so. And I say unto you, Whosoever shall put away his wife, except for fornication, & shall marry an other, commiteth adultery; & whoso marieth her that is put away, doth com4/ mit adultery. 4/ His Deciples say unto him, If the case of the man be so with a wife, it is not good to mary. But he said unto them, all cannot receive this saying; It is not for them save to whom it is given; for there are some Eunuchs, which were so born from their mothers womb; & there are some Eunuchs, which were made Eunuchs of men; [p. 35 (first numbering)]
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