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.
Chapter XXIV Christ foretelleth the distruction of Jerusalem & the end of the wicked &c
The two lines belong to C XXIII
14/ Then understood his deciples, that he should come again on the Earth, after that he was glorified & crowned on the right hand of God. & 1/ And Jesus went out & departed from the Temple; & his deciples came to him for to hear him, saying, Master, shew us concerning the buildings of the Temple; as thou hast said, They shall be thrown down & left 2/ unto you desolate. 2// & And Jesus said unto them, See you not all these things? And do yeu not understand them? Verily I say unto you, there shall not be left here upon this temple, one stone upon another, that shall not be thrown down. And Jesus left them & went upon the 3/ Mount of Olives. 3/ And as he sat upon the Mount of Olives, the Deciples came unto him privately, saying, Tell us when shall these things be which thou hast said concerning the distruction of the Temple, & the Jews; & what is the sign of thy coming; & of the end of the World, (or the distruction of the wicked, which is the end of the 4/ World.) 4/ And Jesus answered & said unto them, Take heed that no man deceive you. For many shall come in my name, saying, I am Christ; & shall deceive many. Then shall they deliver you up to be afflicted, & shall kill you; & you shall be hated of all Nations for my name’s sake. And then shall many be offended, & shall betray one another. And many false Prophets shall arise, & shall deceive many. & And because iniquity shall abound, the love of many Shall wax cold. But he that 5/ remaineth stedfast, and is not overcome, the same Shall be Saved. 5/ When you therefore, shall see the abominations of desolation, spoken of by Daniel the Prophet, concerning the distruction of Jerusalem, then you shall stand in the holy place; (whoso readeth let him understand;) then let them who are in Judea, flee into the Mountains; let him who is on the house top, flee and not return to to take any thing out of his house; neither let him who is in the field, return back to take his Clothes. And wo unto them that are with child, & unto them that give suck in those days! Therefore, pray ye the Lord, that your flight be not in thee Winter, neither on the Sabath day; for then, in those days, shall be great tribulations on the Jews & upon the inhabitants of Jerusalem; such as was not before sent upon Israel of God, since the begining of their kingdom till this time; 6/ no, nor ever shall be sent again upon Israel. 6/ all things which have befalen them, are only the begining of the sorrows which shall come upon them; are &, except those days should be shortened, there should none of their flesh be saved. But for the elect’s sake, according to the covenant, those days shall be shortened. Behold those things I have spoken unto [p. 45 (first numbering)]
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