New Testament Revision 1
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Source Note
New Testament Revision 1, 8 Mar.–ca. June 1831; handwriting of ; 65 pages; CCLA. Includes redactions.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 1 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), 153–228.
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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 and consists of sixty-five pages, all of it in Rigdon’s hand.New Testament Revision 1, presented here, begins with Matthew 1:1 and continues through part of Matthew 26:71. It was copied almost immediately by , 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].) Whitmer’s copy (New Testament Revision 2) became the working copy of the New Testament for the revision project, and JS’s subsequent corrections to the text were inscribed on it. Consequently, New Testament Revision 1 is largely free from later revisions and emendations. Although the exact date JS stopped work on New Testament Revision 1 is unknown, it was apparently prior to his and ’s journey to in June 1831. (JS History, vol. A-1, 126.) John Whitmer’s copying of the manuscript began in early April 1831 and continued until shortly after JS and Sidney Rigdon stopped working on New Testament Revision 1.An analysis of both New Testament manuscripts indicates that JS made changes to about 2,100 New Testament verses (Faulring et al., Joseph Smith’s New Translation of the Bible, 5). He introduced several significant changes to the King James New Testament text in New Testament Revision 1. Among other revisions, he revised and clarified material related to Matthew 24, John the Baptist’s role, and some aspects of the Sermon on the Mount and the Beautitudes. (See, Faulring et al., Joseph Smith’s New Translation of the Bible, 157.)Note: The transcript of New Testament Revision 1 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), 153–228.
hath ten tallents for unto every one who hath obtained other tallents shall be given and he shall have abundence but from him that hath not obtained other tallents shall be taken away even that which he hath received and his Lord * * shall say unto his servents cast ye the unprofitable servent into outer darkness there shall be weeping and gnashing of teeth. When the son of man shall come in his glory and all the holy Angels with him then he shall set upon the throne of his glory and before him shall be gethered all nations and he shall seperate them one from another as a shepperd divideth sheep from the goates the sheep on his right hand but the goats on his left and he shall set upon his throne and the twelve Apostles with him and then shall the king say unto them on his right hand come ye blessed of my father inherit the Kingdom prepared for you from the foundation of the world for I was an hungered and you gave me meet I was thirsty and you gave me drink I was a stranger and ye took me in naked and ye clothed me I was sick and ye visited me I was in prison and ye came unto me then shall the righteous answer him saying, lord when saw we thee an hungerd and fed thee or thirsty and gave thee drink when saw we thee a stranger and took thee in or naked and cloathed thee or when saw we thee sick or in prison and came unto thee and the King shall answer and say unto them verily I say unto you inasmuch as ye have done it unto one of the least of these my breatheren ye have done it unto me then shall he say also unto them on the left hand depart from me ye cursed into everlasting fire prepared for the Devil and his Angels for I was an hungered and you gave me no meat I was thirsty and you gave me no drink I was a stranger and you took me not in naked and you cloathed me not sick and in prison and you visited me not then shall they also answer him saying Lord when saw we thee an hungered or a thirst or a stranger or naked or sick or in prison and did not minister unto thee then shall he answer them saying verily I say unto you inasmuch as you done it not to one of the least of these my breatheren you did it not unto me and these shall go away into everlasting punishment but the righteous unto life eternal.
26th) And it came to pass when Jesus had finished all these sayings [p. 59]
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