So which bible did Joseph Smith translate?

Question

Do you know which version of the bible the Mormons use?


Some people said that Joseph Smith translated the bible and messed everything up in it...so what version do we use? If you don't know...look it up, I'm sure you'll be throwing your "mormon" bible out when you realize you probably have the bible version we use.

Lucan...you just made that statment up, convenietly never learning abotu the church.

Over a dozen of people saw the plates.

pennstate, you read my statements wrong.

I was saying that a lot of people do not like the church and deal with nothing of it...but when they would found out we use the KJV they would throw out their's because they hate Mormons...

Joseph Smith didn't translate the bible, but yes, he did put foot notes which explained what it was talking about.

Granny Annie...maybe you should know what the hell you're talking about too..

I'm Mormon...

Answer 1

Joseph Smith translated the following bibles:

The KJV was 'translated' into the Inspired Version (LDS don't use this version because royalties to the RLDS Church, who owns it, are quite expensive)

The Golden Plates were 'translated' into the Book of Mormon

The Joseph Smith papyri were 'translated' into the Book of Abraham


Since all of these were technically a "collection of writings," they are all three technically "bibles," since the word "bible" literally means "collection of writings."


Edit: No, Brian, a dozen people didn't see the plates. Three people claimed to see them "with their spiritual eyes," and another 8 people "hefted them" while they were wrapped in a blanket. For all they knew, a box of rocks could have been wrapped in that blanket.

Edit2: Yes, Brian, Joseph DID claim to translate the Bible. The reason we only have the footnotes in the LDS KJV is because since they're under 250 words long, they qualify for royalty-free reference under the Fair Use clause of US copyright law. Here is an LDS weblink for you to read all about the JST:
http://scriptures.lds.org/en/bd/j/63

Answer 2

Joseph Smith, and the Mormans, use the King James Version of the Bible. Smith did not translate the King James Bible. It had been around for alomst a century and a half when Smith came along. So he has nothing to do with the translation. But he did have a vision in which he was given additions to the King James Bible, such as a passage in Genesis where the Bible Joseph predicts that a prophet would come with the same name (Joseph Smith). These additions are only found in some of the "King James" Bibles mis-published by the Mormans.

Answer 3

Unless I am mistaken, he stated he found a set of golden plates and he translated those using the urim and thummim which were seer stones. That became the Book of Mormon which Mormons see as a new new testament.
I believe you use the King James version of the Bible, right?
I am Jewish so I am may be totally off base here and I am assuming if I am that you will correct me so that I can be more knowledgeable about this. (Meant seriously and not sarcastically)

Answer 4

Sorry Brian...but Granny Annie's correct.

1) he did get his "message" from Moroni...
2) It does contradict the Bible.

Face it...doesn't matter if every Mormon use King James, or NIV or NKJV...the fact is they hold two books in their hands.(not to even count Pearl of Wisdom and the other, Doctrines and Covenent).

and when asked which is superior, you might be surprised.

And when shown how the BoM flat our contradicts almost everything in OT, we're told to trust BoM.

Again...doesn't matter what version of Bible they use, the LDS have demoted the Bible and promoted the BoM.

which is a little bit of a boo-boo if anyone studies the Ot/NT. Oh wait..didn't think BoM contradicted KJV, or...does it?

Answer 5

We use the KJV. In the footnotes, there is the occasional "JST", or "Joseph Smith Translation", and there also is a section at the back which contains the lengthier corrections Joseph made. And no, I don't plan to throw out my Bible anytime soon. Sorry.

Answer 6

I read the Bible from cover to cover and then I purchased a Joseph Smith Translation of the Bible and read it from cover to cover, the JST made more scence and was more understandable. So he didn't mess things up but clarified some things.

We don't use the JST bible in our services, we use the KJV and will use it until God says otherwise.

Answer 7

The Bible was written in the 1st Century and Mormonism began in Fayette, New York on April 6, 1830. Mormons put The Book of Mormon and Doctrines and Covenants on par with the Bible. Another book in which they have great confidence is The Pearl of Great Price. Though the Mormons may use the Joseph Smith Translation (an unreliable text) some of their teachings are still contrary to the very same Bible.

1. They believe there are many gods and “as man is now, God once was; as God is now, man may become.” The Bible teaches that there is one God. (Ephesians 4.6.)
2. They teach the Father has a body of flesh and bones. (Doctrine and Covenants, 130:22.) The Bible teaches that God is a Spirit. (John 4.24.)
3. They teach that there can be no true church today without living apostles and prophets. The Bible teaches that the gift of prophecy was temporary (1 Corinthians 13.9-10), and no man now living can qualify to be an apostle. (Acts 1.21-22.)
4. They teach that Adam was Michael, the Archangel, the Ancient of Days, who came to earth with one of his wives. (Doctrine and Covenants, 27:11.) The Bible teaches that Adam and his wife Eve were created by God in the beginning. (Genesis 1.27.)
5. They teach that new revelations are still being made. (2 Nephi, 29:10.) The Bible teaches that God's final revelation was made through Jesus Christ. (Hebrews 1.1-2.)
6. They teach that marriages can be contracted for time and also eternity (i.e. “celestial” marriages). Although polygamy is no longer practiced because of U.S. law it is permitted in their sacred writings. The Bible teaches that in heaven there is no marriage, (Matthew 22.30), and that marriage is to involve one man and one woman coming together as one flesh for life. (Matthew 19.5-9.)
7. They practice baptism for the dead. The Bible teaches that at death a person's destiny becomes fixed. (Hebrews 9.27.)
8. They teach that the final state includes three realms: The Celestial Kingdom on the glorified earth for all those with celestial marriages; The Terrestial Kingdom on some planet for the morally clean; and The Telestial Kingdom on another planet for all the morally unclean. The Bible teaches that there are just two eternal destinies--heaven or hell. (Matthew 25.46.)
9. They teach that Jesus was to be born in Jerusalem. (Alma, 7:10.) The Bible teaches that Jesus was born in Bethlehem. (Matthew 2.1-6.)
10. They teach that darkness was over the land for 3 days after the death of Jesus. (Helaman, 14:20.) The Bible says that darkness covered the land for 3 hours. (Luke 23.44.)
11. They teach that the church was in existence in 147 B.C. (Mosiah, 18.17.) The Bible teaches that the church had not yet been built just prior to our Lord's crucifixion around 30 A.D. (Matthew 16.18.)
12. They teach that disciplies were called Christians in 73 B.C. (Alma, 46:15). The Bible teaches that disciples were first called Christians in Antioch around 44 A.D. (Acts 11:26).
13. They taught for many years that blacks could not participate in the Mormon priesthood. Arthur M. Richardson, a Mormon writer, declared, “The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints has no call to carry the gospel to the *****, and it does not do so.” In June of 1978, Mormon President Spencer Kimball announced that by divine revelation the Mormon church is now free to accept the black man into priesthood. The Bible says that in Christ there are no class or racial distinctions, (Galatians 3.27-29), and Christ insisted from the beginning that His followers were to go into all the world, and preach the gospel to every creature.” (Mark 16.15.)

Answer 8

A) Joseph Smith never translated the Bible. He added to it in direct contrvention of Scripture's own command NOT to do so. And he claimed to have taken dictation from the Angel Moroni who translated for him a series of plates covered with a "strange script" that today are called the Book of Mormon. They purport to be the adventures of Jesus in North America.

B) If you're gonna get down on someone else's faith, at least know what the H E double hockey sticks you're talking about!

Answer 9

Smith didnt re-translate the entire Bible, he just modified it to reflect Mormon values, added commentary and stuff. He used the King James bible. You can read them both side by side and there is very little difference.
I threw them both out long ago coz I saw clearly that none of these scriptures were written by God, even though the Bible is always trying to make you think that God wrote it or dictated it so you'd be properly impressed and be a goodlittle conformist church drone and give your money to the church so that someone, somewhere could keep on driving their Hummer and living in their mansion with indoor pool.

Answer 10

Brian- what are you doing stirring up contetion??

I'm assuming you already know all the crap you're gonna get. And I mean literally!

The junk about Joseph "supposedly" translating a golden bible that "nobody" saw...
(http://scriptures.lds.org/en/bm/eghtwtns .... how could they say it had the appearance of gold if they didn't see it??)

The junk about Joseph "rewriting" KJV...
(http://scriptures.lds.org/en/jst/contents)