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.
<Ch 26> Septembr 26th 1831 C[h]apt 26 <matt>
<1/> And it came to pass, when Jesus had finshed all these sayings, he said unto his deciples, Ye know that after two days is the <2/> passover; & <then> the Son of man is betrayed & to be crucified. <2/> then assembelled together the chief Priests, & the Scribes, & the Elders of the people, unto the palace of the high Priest, who was called Caiaphas, & consulted that they might take Jesus by Subtility, & kill him. But they said, Not on the feast day, lest there be an <3/> uproar among the people. <3/> Now when Jesus was in Bethlehem <Bethany,> in the house of siomon the Leper, there came unto him a woman, having an alabasterbox of very precious ointment, & poured <4/> it on his head, as he sat in the house, <4/> But when his Deciples saw <some saw> this, they had indignation, saying, Unto what purpose is this waste? For this o[i]ntment might be have been sold for much, <5/> & given to the poor. <5/> When they had said thus, Jesus understood them, & he said unto them, Why trouble ye the woman? For she hath wrought a good work upon me. For ye have the poor alwa always with you; but me ye have not always. For she hath poured this o[i]ntment on my body, for my burial. & <And> in this thing that <what<that>> she hath done, she shall be blessed; for verily I say unto you, wheresoever this gospel shall be preached in the whole world, this thing that this woman hath done, shall also be told for a mem<6/> morial of her. <6/> Then one of the Twelve, called Judas Iscariot, went unto the chief Priests & said, What will ye give me & I will deliver him unto you? & <And> they covenanted with him for thirty Peices of silver. & <And> from that time he sought opportunity to betray <7> him <Jesus.>, <7/> Now on the first day of the feast of unleavened bread, the Deciples came unto Jesus, saying unto him, Where wilt thou that we prepare for thee to eat the passover? & <And> he said, Go into the city to such a man, & say unto him, The master <master> saith, my time is at hand; I will keep the pasover at thy house with my Deciples. <8/> & <And> the Deciples did as Jesus appointed them & they made ready the <8/> passover. <8/> Now when the evening was come, he sat down with the twelve. & <And> as they did eat, he said, Verily I say unto <you,> that one of you shall betray me. & <And> they were exceeding sorrowfull, & began every one of them to say <unto him,> Lord, is it I? & <And> he answered & said, He that dipeth his hand with me in the dish, the same shall [p. 1 (second numbering)]
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