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.
a piece of new cloth on an old garment; else the new piece that filled it up taketh away from the old, & the wrent is made worse. And no man puteth new wine into old bottles; else the new wine doth burst the bottles, & the wine is spilled, & the bottles will be marred; but new wine must be put into New bottles. 8/ And it came to pass, that he went through the cornfields on the Sabath day; & his deciples began, as they went, to pluck the ears of Corn. And the Pharisees said unto him, Behold, why do thy Disciples on the Sabath day that which is not lawful? And he said unto them, Have ye never read what David did, when he had need, & was a hungered, he, & they who were with him? How he went into the house of God, in the days of Abiathar the high Priest, & did eat the shew bread, which is not lawfull to eat but for the Priests, & gave also to them 9/ which were with him? 9/ And he said unto them, The sabath was maid for man, & not man for the Sabath. Wherefore the sabath was given unto man for a day of rest; & also that man should gloryfy God, & not that man should not eat; for the Son of man made the Sabath day, therefore the Son of man is Lord also of the Sabath.
Chapter 3rd
1/ And he entered again into the Synegouge; & there was a man there that had a withered hand. And they watched him to see whether he would heal him on the Sabathday; that they might accuse him. And he said unto the man which had the withered hand, Stand forth. And he said unto them, Is it Lawful to do good on the Sabath days, or to do evil? To save life, or to kill? But they held their peace. And when he had looked round about on them with anger, being grieved for the hardness of their hearts, he said unto the man, Stretch forth thy hand. & And he stretched 2/ out his hand; & his hand was restored whole as the other. 2 And the Pharisees went forth, & straitway took counil with the Herodians against him, how they might destroy him. But Jesus withdrew himself, with his Deciples, to the Sea; & a great multitude from Gallilee followed him, & from Jeudea, & from Jerusalem, & from Idumea, & from beyond Jordan; & they about Tyre & Sidon, a great multitude, when they had heard what great things he did, 3/ came unto him. 3/ And he spake unto his Deciples, that a small ship should wait on him, because of the multitude, lest they should throng him. For he had healed many; in somuch that they pressed [p. 12 (second numbering)]
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