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.
Let the children of the kingdom first be filled; for it is not meat to take the childrens bread, & to cast it unto the dogs. & And she answered & said unto him, Yes, Lord; thou sayest truly, yet the dogs under the table eat of the children’s crumbs. And he said unto her, For this saying go thy way; the Devil is gone out of thy daughter. And when she was come to her house, she found that the devil had gone out, & her daughter 6/ and she was laid upon the bed. 6/ And again, departing from the Coast of Tyre & Sidon, he came unto the Sea of Gallilee, through the midst of the coasts of Decapolis. And they bring unto him one that was deaf, & had an impediment in his speach; & they beseach him to put his hand upon him. & And he took him aside from the Multitude, & put his finger into his ears, & he spit, & touched his tongue; & looking up to Heaven, he sighed, & said unto him, Ephpatha, that is, Be opened. & And straitway his ears were opened, & the string of his tongue was loosed, & he spake plain. And he charged them that they should tell no man; but the more he charged them, so much the more a great deal they published him; & were beyond measure astonished, saying, He hath done all things well; he maketh both the deaf to hear, & the dumb to speak.
Chapter 8th
2/ In those days, the Multitude being very great, & having nothing to eat, Jesus called his Deciples, & said unto them, I have compassion on the multitude, because they have now been with me three days & have nothing to eat; & if I send them away fasting to their own houses, they will 2/ faint by the way; for divers of them came from afar. 2/ And his deciples answered him, From whence can a man satisfy these so great a multitude, with bread, here in the wilderness? And he asked them, How many loaves have ye? And they said, Seven. & And he commanded the People to sit down on the ground; & he took the seven loaves, & gave thanks, & break, & gave to his Deciples to set before the People; & they did set them before the People. And they had a few small fishes; & he blessed them, & commanded to set them also before the People, that they should eat. So they did eat, & were filled; & they took up of the broken bread that was left, seven baskets. And they that had eaten were 3/ about four thousand; & he sent them away. 3/ & And straitway he entered into a shop [ship] with his Deciples, & came into the Ports of Dalmanutha And the Pharisees came forth, & began to question with him, seeking of him a sign from heaven, tempting him. And he sighed deeply in [p. 22 (second numbering)]
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