Introductory Pages of the Book of Mormon

Joseph Smith’s Testimony of the Book of Mormon

“Translated … by the Gift and Power of God”

Joseph Smith

© 1998 David Lindsley

How did the Book of Mormon come forth? How did Joseph Smith translate it from an unknown language into English? This lesson can help you better understand and explain how the Book of Mormon came forth “by the gift and power of God” (Doctrine and Covenants 135:3).

The coming forth of the Book of Mormon

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1. Review the following images that depict events during the coming forth of the Book of Mormon. Arrange them in the correct chronological order of when the events took place. As you look at these images, imagine how Joseph Smith might have felt on each of these occasions.

   The correct answers are located at the end of the lesson.

   • A.

     Printing of the first Book of Mormon

   • B.

     Translating the Book of Mormon

   • C.

     Cumorah’s Hill

   • D.

     Moroni appears to young Joseph Smith

   • E.

     First-edition Book of Mormon

“By the gift and power of God”

Think of someone you know who could benefit from learning more about the coming forth of the Book of Mormon. It could be someone who is not a member of the Church, or perhaps a member of the Church who is struggling with their faith. Briefly describe their circumstances in your study journal and identify why learning more about the coming forth of the Book of Mormon would benefit them.

As you study, seek for evidence of the truth that Joseph Smith brought forth the Book of Mormon by the gift and power of God (see the title page of the Book of Mormon and Doctrine and Covenants 135:3).

Joseph Smith wrote about his experience during the coming forth of the Book of Mormon.

Read “The Testimony of the Prophet Joseph Smith” from the introductory pages of the Book of Mormon. Mark insights or details that you might share with the person you thought of earlier. If you have access to digital scriptures, you may want to listen to the text and follow along in your scriptures.

• What statements did you find that indicate that the Book of Mormon was brought forth by the gift and power of God?

• Why do you think Joseph Smith was chosen to translate the Book of Mormon, rather than a distinguished scholar of this time period?

• What did you learn about the coming forth of the Book of Mormon that you would share with the person you thought of?

Historical details

After Joseph Smith received the plates, he translated the Book of Mormon by the gift and power of God. “Sometimes Joseph translated by looking through the interpreters [the Urim and Thummim] and reading in English the characters on the plates. Often he found a single seer stone to be more convenient. He would put the seer stone in his hat, place his face into the hat to block out the light, and peer at the stone. Light from the stone would shine in the darkness, revealing words that Joseph dictated” (Saints: The Story of the Church of Jesus Christ in the Latter Days, vol. 1, The Standard of Truth, 1815–1846 [2018], 61). To learn more about the seer stone and the translation of the Book of Mormon, see the Gospel Topics Essay “Book of Mormon Translation.”

If available, watch “Days of Harmony” from time code 5:44 to 9:24, which can be found on ChurchofJesusChrist.org.

Read the following statement by President Dallin H. Oaks of the First Presidency. You could also watch the video “Opposition in All Things” on ChurchofJesusChrist.org from time code 8:18 to 9:24.

President Dallin H. Oaks

After Joseph Smith had completed translating the Book of Mormon, he still had to find a publisher. This was not easy. The complexity of this lengthy manuscript and the cost of printing and binding thousands of copies were intimidating. Joseph first approached E. B. Grandin, a Palmyra printer, who refused. He then sought another printer in Palmyra, who also turned him down. He traveled to Rochester, 25 miles (40 km) away, and approached the most prominent publisher in western New York, who also turned him down. Another Rochester publisher was willing, but circumstances made this alternative unacceptable.

Weeks had passed, and Joseph must have been bewildered at the opposition to accomplishing his divine mandate. The Lord did not make it easy, but He did make it possible. Joseph’s fifth attempt, a second approach to the Palmyra publisher Grandin, was successful. (Dallin H. Oaks, “Opposition in All Things,” Ensign or Liahona, May 2016, 116)

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2. Answer the following questions:

   • How do these historical details influence your personal feelings about the Book of Mormon?

   • What does the coming forth of the Book of Mormon teach you about Heavenly Father and Jesus Christ?

Explaining the coming forth of the Book of Mormon

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3. Complete the following:

   Think of the person you thought of earlier who could benefit from knowing more about how the Book of Mormon came forth. Write a brief summary for him or her. Include details that could help answer questions he or she might have. Share what these events teach about Heavenly Father and Jesus Christ. Consider including your own personal testimony of the Book of Mormon and how it was translated by the gift and power of God.

The correct order of the images at the beginning is D, C, B, A, E.

Optional: Want to Learn More?

How did Joseph Smith translate the Book of Mormon?

Elder Ulisses Soares of the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles taught:

Elder Ulisses Soares

The translation process of the Book of Mormon was also a miracle. This sacred ancient record was not “translated” in the traditional way that scholars would translate ancient texts by learning an ancient language. We ought to look at the process more like a “revelation” with the aid of physical instruments provided by the Lord, as opposed to a “translation” by one with knowledge of languages. Joseph Smith declared that through God’s power he “translated the Book of Mormon from [hieroglyphs], the knowledge of which was lost to the world, in which wonderful event [he] stood alone, an unlearned youth, to combat the worldly wisdom and multiplied ignorance of eighteen centuries, with a new revelation.” The Lord’s help in the translation of the plates—or revelation, so to speak—is also evident when considering the miraculously short time Joseph Smith took to translate them. (Ulisses Soares, “The Coming Forth of the Book of Mormon,” Ensign or Liahona, May 2020, 33)

The Gospel Topics Essay “Book of Mormon Translation” provides additional insight:

Emma Smith

Joseph’s wife Emma explained that she “frequently wrote day after day” at a small table in their house in Harmony, Pennsylvania. She described Joseph “sitting with his face buried in his hat, with the stone in it, and dictating hour after hour with nothing between us.” According to Emma, the plates “often lay on the table without any attempt at concealment, wrapped in a small linen table cloth.” When asked if Joseph had dictated from the Bible or from a manuscript he had prepared earlier, Emma flatly denied those possibilities: “He had neither manuscript nor book to read from.” Emma told her son Joseph Smith III, “The Book of Mormon is of divine authenticity—I have not the slightest doubt of it. I am satisfied that no man could have dictated the writing of the manuscripts unless he was inspired; for, when acting as his scribe, your father would dictate to me for hour after hour; and when returning after meals, or after interruptions, he would at once begin where he had left off, without either seeing the manuscript or having any portion of it read to him.” (Gospel Topics Essays, “Book of Mormon Translation,” topics.ChurchofJesusChrist.org)

Watch “Seer Stone” (3:47), which can be found on ChurchofJesusChrist.org, to learn more about this miraculous process.

How was the Book of Mormon translated into various languages?

Read the article “Translations of the Book of Mormon” (history.ChurchofJesusChrist.org) to learn more about the translation of the Book of Mormon into many languages.