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.
41/ Holy Ghost & fire. 41/ And then cometh Jesus from Galilee 42/ to Jordan, unto John, to be baptized of him; 42/ But John refused him, saying, I have need to be baptized of thee, & why 43/ comest thou to me? 43/ And Jesus answering, said unto him, Suffer me to be baptized of thee, for thus it becometh 44/ us to fulfill all righteousness, Then he suffered him. 44/ And 45/ John went down into the water, and Baptized him. 45/ And Jesus when he was baptized, went up straitway out of the water; and John saw, and Lo! the Heavens were opened unto him, () & he saw the spirit of God decending like a 46/ dove, & lighting upon Jesus; 46/ and Lo! he heard a voice from heaven, saying, This is my beloved son, in whom I am well pleased; hear ye him.
Chapter IV Christ being led away by the spirit & the 1/ Devil came tempting him commencement of his ministery &c
1/ Then Jesus was led up of the spirit, into the wilderness, to be (2) with God. (2) And when he had fasted forty days & forty nights, and had communed with God, he was afterwards an hungered, & was 3/ left to be tempted of the Devil. 3/ And when the tempter came to him, he said, If thou be the Son of God, command that these stones 4/ be made bread. 4/ But Jesus answered & said, It is written, Man shall not live by bread alone, but by every word that procedeth 5/ out of the mouth of God. 5/ Then Jesus was taken up into the Holy City, and the spirit seteth him on the pinacle of the Temple. 6/ Then the Devil came unto him & said, If thou be the Son of God, cast thyself down; for it is written, He shall give his Angels charge concerning thee, and in their hands they shall bear thee up, lest at any time thou dash thy foot against a stone. 7/ Jesus said unto him, It is written again, Thou shalt not tempt 8/ the Lord thy God. 8/ And again, Jesus was in the spirit and it taketh him up into an exceeding high mountain, & sheweth him all the Kingdoms of the world & the glory of 9/ them. 9/ And the Devil came unto him again, and said, All these things will I give unto thee, if thou wilt fall down & 10/ worship me. 10/ Then said Jesus unto him, Get thee hence, Satan; for it is written, Thou shalt worship the Lord thy God, & him 11/ only shalt thou serve. Then the Devil laveth him. 11/ And now Jesus knew that John was cast into prison, and he sent angels, [p. 5 (first numbering)]
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