Old Testament Revision 1

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Old Testament Revision 1
Moses, Chapter 1 Page 1 Genesis, Chapter 1 Page 3 Genesis, Chapter 2 Page 5 Genesis, Chapter 3 Page 6 Genesis, Chapter 4 Page 8 Genesis, Chapter 5 Page 11 Genesis, Chapter 6 Page 20 Genesis, Chapter 7 Page 21 Genesis, Chapter 8 Page 22 Genesis, Chapter 9 Page 23 Genesis, Chapter 10 Page 25 Genesis, Chapter 11 Page 27 Genesis, Chapter 12 Page 28 Genesis, Chapter 13 Page 30 Genesis, Chapter 14 Page 32 Genesis, Chapter 15 Page 35 Genesis, Chapter 16 Page 36 Genesis, Chapter 17 Page 40 Genesis, Chapter 18 Page 43 Genesis, Chapter 19 Page 46 Genesis, Chapter 20 Page 50 Genesis, Chapter 21 Page 52 Genesis, Chapter 22 Page 54 Genesis, Chapter 23 Page 56 Genesis, Chapter 24 Page 58
Source Note

Old Testament Revision 1, June 1830–ca. 7 Mar. 1831; handwriting of
Sidney Rigdon
19 Feb. 1793–14 July 1876. Tanner, farmer, minister. Born at St. Clair, Allegheny Co., Pennsylvania. Son of William Rigdon and Nancy Gallaher. Joined United Baptists, ca. 1818. Preached at Warren, Trumbull Co., Ohio, and vicinity, 1819–1821. Married Phebe...
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,
Oliver Cowdery
3 Oct. 1806–3 Mar. 1850. Clerk, teacher, justice of the peace, lawyer, newspaper editor. Born at Wells, Rutland Co., Vermont. Son of William Cowdery and Rebecca Fuller. Raised Congregationalist. Moved to western New York and clerked at a store, ca. 1825–1828...
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,
Emma Smith
10 July 1804–30 Apr. 1879. Scribe, editor, boardinghouse operator, clothier. Born at Willingborough Township (later in Harmony), Susquehanna Co., Pennsylvania. Daughter of Isaac Hale and Elizabeth Lewis. Member of Methodist church at Harmony (later in Oakland...
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, and
John Whitmer
27 Aug. 1802–11 July 1878. Farmer, stock raiser, newspaper editor. Born in Pennsylvania. Son of Peter Whitmer Sr. and Mary Musselman. Member of German Reformed Church, Fayette, Seneca Co., New York. Baptized by Oliver Cowdery, June 1829, most likely in Seneca...
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; 60 pages; CCLA. Includes redactions, wrapper, and archival markings.

The possibility that the first pages inscribed by
Oliver Cowdery
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, especially the first two-and-a-half pages following the original heading, were copied from an earlier dictation text cannot be ruled out. At least by October 1830, when
John Whitmer
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replaced Cowdery as scribe, this manuscript is the dictation copy.

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
Emma
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for over twenty years, until 1867 when she gave it to her son
Joseph Smith III
6 Nov. 1832–10 Dec. 1914. Clerk, hotelier, farmer, justice of the peace, editor, minister. Born at Kirtland, Geauga Co., Ohio. Son of JS and Emma Hale. Moved to Far West, Caldwell Co., Missouri, 1838; to Quincy, Adams Co., Illinois, 1839; and to Commerce ...
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in order for the RLDS Church to publish The Holy Scriptures.

Note: The transcript of Old Testament Revision 1 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), 75–152.
Historical Introduction
In June 1830, only weeks after the Book of Mormon was published (in March) and the Church of Christ organized (in April), JS began dictating to
Oliver Cowdery
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a revelation dealing with several key Old Testament figures. The revelation opens with “the words of God which he spake unto Moses,” a visionary experience in which Moses receives a knowledge of God and his Only Begotten and learns the purpose of creation. He sees the spirit creation of all things, the appointment of Christ during a premortal council, the effects of the Fall, and the introduction of the gospel to fallen mankind. Moses understands the place of man in the divine plan and foresees his own future role. The manuscript continues with the story of Adam and Eve and several generations of their descendants. A detailed exposition of the experiences of Enoch is included, even though the biblical account contains only a brief mention of that ancient prophet. The manuscript records Enoch’s prophecies of the coming of the Son of Man and recounts the ministry of Noah and the life of Abraham.

Like many other revelations, this manuscript bears a simple heading. Written in the hand of scribe
Cowdery
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, the heading reads, “A Revelation given to Joseph the Revelator June 1830.” What prompted this revelation when JS first began dictating in June 1830 is unknown, but the resulting lengthy manuscript opened an ambitious project of biblical expansion and revision. After the vision of Moses, which recounts a conversation with Deity unrelated to known biblical texts, on the third page and under a new heading (“A Revelation given to the Elders of the Church of Christ On the First Book of Moses”) the manuscript begins an account of the Creation that resembles Genesis 1. The lengthy opening vision and some portions later in the manuscript record prophetic experience at best hinted at in biblical texts, but as the transcript unfolded over the next several months, it became a commentary on and often an expansion of the King James Version of Genesis.

At some point during the creation of this manuscript, JS came to see such “restoration” of lost biblical texts as part of his prophetic mission. Book of Mormon passages he dictated to
Oliver Cowdery
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in 1829 spoke of “plain and precious things” missing from “the Book, which is the Book of the Lamb of God” and promised that these “plain and most precious parts of the Gospel of the Lamb” would be restored. (Book of Mormon, 1830 ed., 30–31 [1 Nephi 13:28, 32].) On the third page of this manuscript, just before the beginning of the creation account, this revelation similarly declares that lost scriptural passages “shall be had again among the Children of men.” An early December 1830 revelation was explicit. After affirming that JS had been given keys to unlock ancient knowledge, the revelation addressed
Sidney Rigdon
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, commanding “that thou shalt write for [JS] and the scriptures shall be given even as they are in mine own bosom.” (Revelation, 7 Dec. 1830, in Doctrine and Covenants 11:5, 1835 ed. [D&C 35:20].)

This manuscript was begun at a time when JS and his religious associates in the Susquehanna valley of northern
Pennsylvania
Area first settled by Swedish immigrants, 1628. William Penn received grant for territory from King Charles II, 1681, and established British settlement, 1682. Philadelphia was center of government for original thirteen U.S. colonies from time of Revolutionary...
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(JS resided in
Harmony
Located in northeastern Pennsylvania. Area settled, by 1787. Organized 1809. Population in 1830 about 340. Population in 1840 about 520. Contained Harmony village (no longer in existence). Josiah Stowell hired JS to help look for treasure in area, Oct. 1825...
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) and southern
New York
Located in northeast region of U.S. Area settled by Dutch traders, 1620s; later governed by Britain, 1664–1776. Admitted to U.S. as state, 1788. Population in 1810 about 1,000,000; in 1820 about 1,400,000; in 1830 about 1,900,000; and in 1840 about 2,400,...
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(a number of followers lived in nearby
Colesville
Area settled, beginning 1785. Formed from Windsor Township, Apr. 1821. Population in 1830 about 2,400. Villages within township included Harpursville, Nineveh, and Colesville. Susquehanna River ran through eastern portion of township. JS worked for Joseph...
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) faced intense opposition from both neighbors and civil authorities. Despite such pressures, JS and
Cowdery
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may have begun this manuscript in Harmony, but in part to escape harassment later in June they moved north to
Fayette Township
Located in northern part of county between Seneca and Cayuga lakes. Area settled, by 1790. Officially organized as Washington Township, 14 Mar. 1800. Name changed to Fayette, 6 Apr. 1808. Population in 1830 about 3,200. Population in 1840 about 3,700. Significant...
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, New York, a more hospitable environment. When Cowdery departed Fayette in early fall 1830 for a mission to the West, he had written nine manuscript pages from JS’s dictation. His replacement as scribe,
John Whitmer
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, inscribed seventeen lines under the date of 21 October 1830, and then another page and a half under the date of 30 November 1830. The next day
Emma Smith
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began writing and inscribed two pages under the date of 1 December 1830. After his early December arrival,
Sidney Rigdon
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, an educated new convert from
Ohio
French explored and claimed area, 1669. British took possession following French and Indian War, 1763. Ceded to U.S., 1783. First permanent white settlement established, 1788. Northeastern portion maintained as part of Connecticut, 1786, and called Connecticut...
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, became the main scribe (as commanded in the revelation already noted). Most of the remainder of the sixty-page manuscript is in his hand.

A January 1831 move to
Ohio
French explored and claimed area, 1669. British took possession following French and Indian War, 1763. Ceded to U.S., 1783. First permanent white settlement established, 1788. Northeastern portion maintained as part of Connecticut, 1786, and called Connecticut...
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interrupted progress on what was now clearly a work of biblical revision, but JS and
Rigdon
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resumed work in February and finished this manuscript in March. Before his move to Ohio in early January 1831,
John Whitmer
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made a copy of the first 19 pages and first five lines of page 20 of the manuscript, possibly indicating that JS and Rigdon had finished through Genesis chapter 5 when they moved to Ohio. It is unknown why Whitmer made this copy. When both the Old Testament Revision manuscript and Whitmer were in Ohio, Whitmer made a second copy of the completed manuscript (known as Old Testament Revision 2). He documented his work by inserting a final date at the end of this copy: “April 5th 1831 transcribed thus far.” This original manuscript (Old Testament Revision 1) was then retired and JS and Rigdon continued the ambitious Bible revision using Whitmer’s second copy. The project remained an important concern of JS into 1833.

Note: The transcript of Old Testament Revision 1 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), 75–152.
Asterisk (*) denotes a "featured" version, which includes an introduction and annotation. *Visions of Moses, June 1830 [Moses 1]
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Genesis, Chapter 18

And the Lord appeared unto him in the plaines of Mamre and he sat in his tent door in the heat of the day. and he lifted up his eyes and looked and lo! three men stood by him and when he saw he ran to meet them from his tent door and bowed himself toward the ground and said my Lord <breatheren> if now I have found favour in thy <your> sight pass not away I pray thee <you> from thy servent let a little watter I pray <thee> <you> be fetched and wash your feet and rest yourselves under the tree, and I will fetch a morsal of bread and comfort ye your hearts, after that you shall pass on for therefore are ye come to your servent and they said so do as thou has said and Abraham hastened into the tent unto Sarah and said make ready quickly three measures of fine meal knead and make cakes upon the hearth and Abraham ran unto the heard and fetched a calf tender and good and gave it <it> unto a young man and he hasted to dreess it, and he took butter and milk and the calf which he had dressed and set before them and he stood by them under the tree and they did eat and they said unto him where is Sarah thy wife and he said behold in the tent and one of them blessed Abraham and he said I will certainly return unto thee from my journey and lo! according to the time of life Sarah thy wife shall have a son, and Sarah heard him in the tent door and now Abraham and Sarah being old and stricken in age, therefore it had ceased to be with Sarah after the manner of women therefore Sarah laughed within herself saying after I have waxed old shall I have pleasure my Lord being old also and the Angel of the Lord said unto Abraham wherefore did Sarah laugh saying shall <I> of surety bear a child when I <which> am old is any thing too hard for the Lord at the time appointed behold I will return unto the<e> from my journey which the Lord hath sent <me> and according to the time of life thou mayest know that Sarah shall have a [p. 43]
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