“Voices of the Restoration: Translation of the Book of Mormon,” Come, Follow Me—For Home and Church: Doctrine and Covenants 2025 (2025)
“Translation of the Book of Mormon,” Come, Follow Me—For Home and Church: 2025
Voices of the Restoration
Translation of the Book of Mormon
In April 1829, the month when sections 6–9 of the Doctrine and Covenants were received, Joseph Smith’s main work was the translation of the Book of Mormon. We don’t know many details about the miraculous translation process, but we do know that Joseph Smith was a seer, aided by instruments that God had prepared: two transparent stones called the Urim and Thummim and another stone called a seer stone.1
When asked later to relate how this record was translated, Joseph said “that it was not intended to tell the world all the particulars.”2 He often stated simply that it was translated “by the gift, and power of God.”3
The following statements, from eyewitnesses to the translation process, support Joseph’s witness.
It is believed that this box, which belonged to Hyrum Smith, was used to temporarily hide the gold plates.
Emma Smith
“When my husband was translating the Book of Mormon, I wrote a part of it, as he dictated each sentence, word for word, and when he came to proper names he could not pronounce, or long words, he spelled them out, and while I was writing them, if I made any mistake in spelling, he would stop me and correct my spelling although it was impossible for him to see how I was writing them down at the time. Even the word Sarah he could not pronounce at first, but had to spell it, and I would pronounce it for him.”4
“The plates often lay on the table without any attempt at concealment, wrapped in a small linen tablecloth, which I had given him to fold them in. I once felt of the plates, as they thus lay on the table, tracing their outline and shape. They seemed to be pliable like thick paper, and would rustle with a metallic sound when the edges were moved by the thumb, as one does sometimes thumb the edges of a book. …
“My belief is that 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, [Joseph] would dictate to me 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. This was a usual thing for him to do. It would have been improbable that a learned man could do this; and, for one so ignorant and unlearned as he was, it was simply impossible.”5
Oliver Cowdery
“I wrote with my own pen the entire Book of Mormon (save a few pages) as it fell from the lips of the prophet, as he translated it by the gift and power of God, by means of the Urim and Thummim, or, as it is called by the book, holy interpreters. I beheld with my eyes, and handled with my hands, the gold plates from which it was translated. I also beheld the interpreters.”6