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.
12/ and behold, they came & ministered unto him. ()/ 12/ And Jesus departed in to gallilee, and leaveing Nazareth, in Zebulon, he came & dwelt in Capurnaum, which is upon the Sea coast, in the borders of 13/ Nephthalim ; 13/ That it might be fulfilled which was 14/ spoken by Esaias, the Prophet, saying, 14/ The land of Zebulon, & the Land of Nephthalim, in the way of the sea, beyond Jordan, 15/ Gallilee of the Gentiles; 15/ The people which sat in darkness saw a great light, & unto them that sat in the region & shadow of death, 16/ light is sprung up. 16/ From that time, Jesus began to preach, 17/ & to say, Repent; for the Kingdom of Heaven is at hand. 17/ & Jesus walking by the sea of Gallilee, saw two brethren, Simon called Peter, and Andrew his brother, casting a net into the 18/ Sea; for they were fishers. 18/ And he said unto them, I am he of whom it is written by the Prophets; follow me, and I 19/ will make you fishers of men. 19/ And they, believeing on his 20/ words, left their net & straitway followed him. 20/ And going on from thence, he saw other two brethren, James, & John his brother, the sons of Zebedee, in a Ship with Zebedee their 21/ father, mending their net;/ And he called them. 21/ And they immediate22/ly left their father in the Ship, & followed him. 22/ And Jesus went about all Gallilee, teaching in their synegogues, & preaching the Gospel of the Kingdom; And healing all manner of sickness, & all manner of deiseases/, among the people which believed on 23/ his name. 23/ And his fame went throughout all Syria; and they brought unto him all sick people that were taken with diverse diseases, & torments, and those who were possessed with Devils, & those who were lunatic, & those that had the 24/ palsy; And he healed them. 24/ And there followed him great multitudes of people, from Gallilee, and Decapolis, & Jerusalem, & Judea, & beyond Jordan.
Chapter V The commencement of Christs teaching on the mountain &c
1/ And Jesus seeing the multitudes, he went up into a mountain; and when he was set down, his Deciples came unto him; 2/ and he 2/ opened his mouth, & taught them, saying, 2/ Blessed are they who 3/ shall believe on me; and again, more blessed are they who shall believe on your words, when ye shall testify that ye have seen 4/ me, & that I am;/ 4/ yea, blessed are they who shall believe on your [p. 6 (first numbering)]
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