The worst single Biblical mistranslation of all time?

MEMBERS of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints only believe the Bible "as far as it is translated correctly" (Eighth Article of Faith).
LDS Church members believe in modern and continual revelation and have additional Scriptures from God.
Yet, perhaps the worst single word mistranslation in the entire Bible is found in the Old Testament.

The Kings James Version, Exodus 22:18 states: "Thou shalt not suffer a witch to live."

The Prophet Joseph Smith did a partial restoration of the Bible in his "Inspired Version" (also called "Inspired Translation").

Here's what the Joseph Smith version of Exodus 22:18 states:
"Thou shalt not suffer a murderer to live."

-One single wrong word may have prompted the Salem Witch trials and related murders over the centuries.

-One single word, if it had been correct, would have also given more support for capital punishment ... still a hot issue in 2016.

While the Book of Mormon is the best asset to help gain a testimony of the Restoration of the Gospel and that Joseph Smith was a modern prophet of God, the Inspired Translation also proves its worth as a supplemental testimony builder.

First Vision Date: Sunday, March 26, 1820?

Official records and scriptures of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints state that Joseph Smith's historic "First Vision" happened in the Spring of 1820.
Every full-time missionary knows that in particular.
However, why isn't there an exact date?
That loophole is simply because exact records were not kept.
(There is also no exact date for the restoration of the Melchizedek Priesthood either.)
Two LDS researchers, working apart from each other, have checked various calendars, weather records and the usual dates for maple tree production in New York State -- and both have found that Sunday, March 26, was the likely date for Joseph Smith's First Vision.
Based on Joseph's own description of the weather, that's the only date that fits the bill.
John P. Pratt and Dr. John C. Lefgren both came up with that same March 26, 1820 date.
Lefgren in particular, found that April 6, 1820 was cloudy and freezing weather that day. So, it could not have been on that date.

-A detailed account of Dr. Lefgren's weather research was previously published in the Meridian on-line LDS Magazine.

NOTE: This article and all of the NighUntoKolob blog are NOT an official website of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. They are the author's conclusions and opinions only.

Nature's Monument to The Prophet Joseph Smith?

                      A statue of Joseph and Emma Smith in downtown SLC.

By Lynn Arave

Does a likeness of Joseph Smith Jr., first president of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, exist in the vast Millard County deseret, southwest of Delta?

Some believe so.

On a remote hillside in Utah's Sevier Desert, about four miles southwest of Deseret and some 17 miles southwest of Delta, rises a craggy volcanic outcrop. For almost seven decades, area residents and visitors have been attracted to the formation.

In it, they can discern the outlines of a man's features: head, brow, nose, mouth and even perhaps a high collar.

Welcome to the "Great Stone Face," or the "Guardian of Deseret," or "Keeper of the Desert." From a certain angle, notes the book "A History of Millard County," a 1999 entry in the Utah Centennial County History Series, "some see a resemblance to LDS Church founder Joseph Smith."

This remains a still seldom visited outdoor treasure for Mormons.
The Great Stone Face was originally called "Guardian of the Desert" by Millard County newspapers during the 1920s, the era when it first claimed local fame as a tourist destination.
(Part of that reference is for the nearby town of Deseret.)

"Many Mormons see an uncanny resemblance of this naturally carved formation to profile pictures of church founder Joseph Smith," Millard County's official tourism site www.millardcounty.com reads.

Whether or not it is partly the power of suggestion, there definitely is a face to be spotted here in the rocks, though some may argue whose face.

Visitors have to decide that for themselves at the site, about 150 miles southwest of Salt Lake City.

The rock pillar sits some 150 feet above the Sevier Desert floor amid a field of lava rock and sagebrush, with a view to Notch Peak to the west.

A steep scramble along a 400-yard-long trail takes hikers to the base of the monument over loose rock. A rugged path, outlined by lava rocks, marks the way.

Indian petroglyphs dating back about 1,000 years are found in the general area just north of the Great Stone Face. These markings are now highlighted by a new sign.

--To reach this natural wonder, travel to Delta and then go southwest on U.S. 6/50 about five miles and turn south on state Route 257.

Then travel about six miles south on S.R. 257 to a signed turnoff to the west (right).

Go west on the gravel road and travel for almost six miles to the north edge of the black lava beds. The gravel road — passable by cars in dry weather, though there are washboard ruts in the road in places and three cattleguards to cross — loops around the west side of the hill and ends at a small parking area. There is no admission fee. 

The petroglyphs are located just a few hundred yards before the parking lot and feature their own sign.
These inscriptions were jokingly called the first edition of the Deseret News back in the 1920s and 1930s by Millard County newspapers.

Hike south up the hillside, looking for the dominant rock. Those who can't or don't want to hike can still see the Great Stone Face from a distance, best viewed with binoculars.

This is a moderately strenuous hike up the hill side.

(The accompanying photos show the Great Stone Face, as well as the petyroglyphs sign.)

The Great Stone Face formation was reported as early as Nov. 18, 1927, when the Millard County Chronicle reported a visit there by local Boy Scouts.
Even then, the connection to being a likeness of Joseph Smith was reported.
The Chronicle newspaper reported on April 7, 1938 that sunrise Easter Services were held at the Great Stone Face that year by the Hinckley and Deseret Wards of the LDS Church.

For more information on the Great Stone Face, go to:

http://www.millardcounty.com/places-to-see/great-stone-face.html

(Modified/expanded, but originally presented in the Deseret News,  May 13, 2010, by Lynn Arave.)

NOTE: This article and all of the NighUntoKolob blog are NOT an official website of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. 

Amp Up Your Testimony With The 'Inspired Version'

There’s more than just the Book of Mormon, the Doctrine and Covenants and the Pearl of Great Price as proof that Joseph Smith was a prophet and that The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints is the only true and living Church on the face of the Earth.
(All too many church members these days read ONLY the Book of Mormon over and over again and nothing else.)

There’s also, among other things, the “Inspired Version” of the Bible, that Joseph Smith produced.

Sometimes also  referred to as “The Joseph Smith Translation,” much of this work is footnoted in the LDS Church’s Standard Works.

However, you can amp up your own testimony of both Joseph Smith and the Church by studying this marvelous work on your own and cross referencing it with the King James Version of the Bible.

Although never completed by the Prophet Joseph Smith, I’ve compared his Inspired Translation word-for-word with the entire Bible and I came away with a greater testimony, as well as some enhanced Gospel knowledge.

Joseph Smith didn’t go through the Bible word-for-word, or even book-by-book in the Bible when he used direct revelation to produce his own Biblical version. He went through the Bible by subject and that work led to many other great revelations, such as D&C section 76.

The Lord did caution Joseph Smith to “hold thy peace” and “not teach them until ye have received them in full.” (D&C 42:57)

This is a direct reference to this “Inspired Translation” of the Bible and this injunction from the Lord is obviously why the Church does not use the “Inspired Translation” directly and rather the King James Version of the Bible.

However, for personal  use,  there’s likely nothing wrong with reading the Inspired Translation, as long as it is studied in conjunction with the Standard Works.

Note that the King James Bible still works best for all missionary work and related conversations.

It is also worth noting that the copyright to Joseph Smith’s Inspired Translation of the Bible is held by the Community of Christ, formerly the Reorganized Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints.

So, does that outside copyright mean it is still accurate, as Joseph Smith penned it?

Yes, pretty much.

The late LDS Church Scholar Robert J. Matthews was able to study and compare the original Inspired Translation manuscript with the Community of Christ’s version (see Ensign Magazine, Dec. 1972, p. 63). He found only a few small changes made and on a whole concluded  the work "accurately represents" what Joseph Smith penned.

(The only change made in the Inspired Translation that I have a problem with is also one of the few Brother Matthew pointed out – Revelation 1:6. The word “and” was deleted from that verse, to better conform to a belief the Community of Christ has, that there is no plurality of Gods.)

Notwithstanding, as a whole, the Inspired Translation is simply incredible, majestic and powerful.

It reaffirms the Church’s 8^th Article of Faith, that proclaims a belief in the Bible, “as far as it is translated correctly.” That’s because the Inspired Translation contains a large sampling of just how many errors have crept into the Bible.

And, the LDS Church does use a portion of the Inspired Translation in the Standard Works.

The Book of Moses is simply an extraction from the Book of Genesis from Joseph Smith’s translation of the Bible (as stated in the “Introductory Note” at the beginning of the Pearl of Great Price). So also is “Joseph Smith – Matthew”  in the PGP an extraction from the Prophet’s own Inspired Translation of Matthew Chapter 24.

(Brigham Young had copies made of the above portions of the Joseph Smith Translation of the Bible, before the Saints went westward and this became the Book of Moses and Joseph Smith – Matthew. Meanwhile, the entire Inspired Translation ended up in the hands of Emma Smith, who eventually gave it to the Reorganized Church.)

What are some key samples of Joseph Smith’s Translation of the Bible that aren’t well known, in contrast to the previously mentioned portions contained in the Pearl of Great Price?

I would give you four  samples, for your own comparison and study.

1. Inspired Version, Exodus 22:18, comparable to Exodus 22:18 in the King James Version: “Thou shalt not suffer a murderer to live.”

2. Inspired Version, Mark 9:20, comparable to Mark 9:23, in the King James Version:  “Jesus said unto him, If thou wilt believe all things I shall say unto you, this is possible to him that believeth.”

3. Inspired Version, Luke 23:35, comparable to Luke 23:34 in the King James Version: “Then said Jesus, Father, forgive them; for they know not what they do. (Meaning the soldiers who crucified him.) And they parted his raiment and cast lots.”

4. Inspired Version, Matthew 12:14, comparable to Matthew 12:16, in the King James Version: "Behold, I will send your forth as sheep in the midst of wolves; be ye therefore wise servants, and as harmless as doves."