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.
Is gone out of a man, he walketh through dry places, seeking rest, & findeth none; but when a man speaketh against the Holy Ghost, then he saith, I will return into my house from whence I came out; & when he is come, he findeth him emty, swept & garnished; for the good spirit leaveth him unto himself. Then goeth the evil spirit, & taketh with himself seven other spirits more wicked than himself, & they enter in & dwell there; & the last end of that man is worse then the first. Even so shall it be also unto this wicked generation. 11/ & While he yet talked to the people, behold his mother & brethren stood without, desiring to speak with him. Then one said unto him; Behold, thy mother & thy brethren stand without, desiring to speak with thee. But he answered & said unto the man that told him, Who is my mother? & who are my brethren. & And he stretched forth his hand toward his Deciples, & said, behold my mother & my brethren! And he gave them charge concerning her, saying, I go my way for my father hath sent me, and whosoever shall do the will of my father is in heaven, the same is my brother, & sister, & mother.
Chapter XIII Jesus teaches the multitude by parables. The parable of the Sower, of the tares & of the grain of musterd seed &c
1/ And it came to pass the same day, Jesus went out of the house, & sat by the Sea side. And great multitudes were gathered together unto him, So that he went into a ship & sat; & the whole multitude stood on the 2/ shore. & And he spake many things unto them in parables, saying, behold, a sower went forth to sow; & when he sowed, some seeds fell by the wayside, & the fowls came & devoured them up; some fell upon stony places, where they had not much earth, & forthwith they sprung up, and when the Sun was up they were scorched, because they had no deepness of earth; & because they had no root they withered away. And some fell among thorns; & the thorns sprung up, & choked them; but others fell into good ground, and brought forth fruit; some an hundred fold, some Sixty fold, & some thirty fold. Who hath ears to hear, let him 3/ hear. 3/ Then the Deciples came, & said unto him, Why speakest thou unto them in parables? He answered, & said unto them, Because it is given unto you to know the mysteries of the kingdom of Heaven, but to them it is not given; for whosoever receiveth, to him shall be given, and he shall have more abundance; but whosoever continueth not to receive, from him shall be taken away even that he hath. Therefore I speak to them in parables; because they seeing [p. 24 (first numbering)]
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