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.
to worship him; & when he heard him he did <done> many things <for him,> & heard <8/> him gladly. <8> & <But> when the <a> coven<i>ant day was come that Herods on his birth day <was come, he> made a supper to <for> his Lords, high Captains, & <the> chief Priests of Gallilee; & the covenant day was come that Herod on his birth made & when the dauter of the said Herodias came in, & danced, & pleased Herod & them that sat with him, the King said unto the Damsel, Ask of me whatsoever thou wilt, & I will give <thee.> & <And> he swear unto her, Whatsoever thou wilt <shalt> ask of me, I will give <thee,> unto the half of my kingdom. & <And> she went forth, & said unto her mother, What shall I ask? & <And> she said, The head of John the Baptist. & <And> she came in straitway with haste unto the king, & asked, saying, I will <that thou> <that thou> give me, by & by, in a Charger, the head <9/> of John the Baptist. <9/> & <And> the king was exceeding sorry; <but> for his oaths sake, & for their sakes which sat with him, & he would not reject her. & <And> immediately the King sent an executioner, & commanded his head to be brought; & he went & beheaded him in the Prison, & brought his head in a charger, & gave it to the Damsel; & the Damsel gave it to her Mother. & <And> when his <John’s> Deciples heard of it, <they> came & took up his Corpse <10/> & laid it in a tomb. <10/> & <Now> the Apostles gethered themselves to gether to <unto> Jesus, & told him all things; both what they had done, & what they had taught. & <And> he said unto them, Come ye yourselves apart into a desert <Soletary> place, & rest a while; for there were many coming & going, & they had no leisure, <11/> <not> so much as to eat. <11/> & <And> they departed into a Desert <solatary> place by ship privately. & <And> the People saw them Departing; & many knew him <Jesus,> & ran a foot thither out of all Cities, & out went <ran> them, & came together unto him. & <And> Jesus, when he came out, saw much People, & was moved with compassion towards them, because they were as sheep not having a shepherd; <12> & he began to teach them many things. <12/> & <And> when the day was now far spent, his Deciples came unto him & said, This is a desert <solitary> place. & now the time for Departure is passed <come,> send them away, that they may go in<to> the Country round about, & into the villeges, & buy themselves bread; for they have nothing to eat. & <And> he answered & said unto them, Give ye them to eat. & <And> they say unto him, Shall we go & buy two hundred penny worth <of bred,> & give them to eat? He saith <said> unto them, How many lo[a]ves have ye? Go & see. & <And> when they knew they say, Five, & two fishe <13/> fishes. <13> & <And> he commanded them to make all to sit down by companies, upon the green grass. & <And> they sat down in ranks, by hundreds, & by fifties. & <And> when he had taken the five lo[a]ves & two fishes [p. 19 (second numbering)]
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