Abide #2 Doctrine and Covenants 77-80
Channel: Maxwell Institute
Date: 2021-10-13

Joseph Smith began his Bible translation project by June 1830. Rather than a new translation from ancient languages, he made the biblical text more easily understood for his followers. This project helps us to think about translation more broadly. The Joseph Smith Papers described what we call the Joseph Smith Translation of the Bible or "JST" as “an inspired process of revising, clarifying, and augmenting the text of the Bible.” 

Joseph began with the Old Testament and then moved to the New Testament when prompted by the Lord in a March 1831 revelation--the one we know as Doctrine and Covenants Section 45. Though never prepared for publication,  Joseph changed more than 3000 verses. 

Joseph worked on the translation during the month of March 1832, as they neared the end of the New Testament with the Book of Revelation. Though Joseph later said “ The book of Revelation is one of the plainest books God ever caused to be written,” he still had questions like many nineteenth century Christians and many of the Saints.