Changed LDS Scripture/Part 24

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Joseph Smith claimed that all Bible translations including the King James Version (KJV) were not fully reliable because of translation errors and because “many important points touching the salvation of men” had been taken from the Bible, or lost before it was compiled (see 8^th Article of Faith and Teachings of the Prophet Joseph Smith, pp. 10-11). Smith also said he translated the Book of Mormon by the gift and power of God. LDS believe he translated the Joseph Smith Translation of the Bible (JST) by the same power since he said it was “revealed” or “inspired” by God. Smith said the JST was given to correct errors in the Bible and restore important doctrines like salvation that were missing or corrupted. Our quotations from the JST are given so that readers can see for themselves whether it actually does that.

In the KJV of Matthew 6:31-34 Jesus said,

Therefore take no thought, saying What shall we eat? Or, What shall we drink? Or, Wherewithal shall we be clothed? (For after all these things do the Gentiles seek:) for your Heavenly Father knoweth that ye have need of all these things. But seek ye first the kingdom of God, and his righteousness; and all these things shall be added unto you. Take, therefore no thought for the morrow: for the morrow shall take thought for the things of itself. Sufficient unto the day is the evil thereof.”

In the JST that message is in Matthew 6:35-39, which says,

Therefore take no thought, saying, What shall we eat? Or, What shall we drink? Or, Wherewithal shall we be clothed? Why is it that ye murmur among yourselves, saying, We cannot obey thy word because ye have not all these things, and seek to excuse yourselves, saying that After all these things do the Gentiles seek. Behold, I say unto you that your heavenly Father knoweth that ye have need of all these things. Wherefore, seek not the things of this world but seek ye first to build up the kingdom of God, and to establish his righteousness, and all these things shall be added unto you. Take, therefore, no thought for the morrow; for the morrow shall take thought for the things of itself. Sufficient unto the day shall be the evil thereof.

The JST has 42 more words than the KJV, but it doesn’t clarify salvation or anything else. It also attributed Jesus’ words to His disciples and indicated that men build the kingdom of God and establish His righteousness which the Bible doesn’t teach. If the KJV is wrong, why does III Nephi 13:31-34 in the Book of Mormon have exactly the same words as the KJV in Matthew 6:31-34 except for leaving out the nine words in parenthesis in verse 32?

In the KJV of Matthew 7:1-5 Jesus said,

Judge not, that ye be not judged. For with what judgment ye judge, ye shall be judged: and with what measure ye mete, it shall be measured to you again. And why beholdest thou the mote that is in thy brother’s eye, but considerest not the beam that is in thine own eye? Or how wilt thou say to thy brother, Let me pull out the mote out of thine eye; and, behold, a beam is in thine own eye? Thou hypocrite, first cast out the beam out of thine own eye; and then shalt thou see clearly to cast out the mote out of thy brother’s eye.

But in the JST the same text is in Matthew 7:1-8, which says,

Now these are the words which Jesus taught his disciples that they should say unto the people. Judge not unrighteously, that ye be not judged; but judge righteous judgment. For with what judgment ye shall judge, ye shall be judged; and with what measure ye mete, it shall be measured to you again. And again, ye shall say unto them, Why is it that thou beholdest the mote that is in thy brother’s eye, but considerest not the beam that is in thine own eye? Or how wilt thou say to thy brother, Let me pull the mote out of thine eye; and canst not behold the beam that is in thine own eye? And Jesus said unto his disciples, Beholdest thou the Scribes, and the Pharisees, and the Priests, and the Levites? They teach in their synagogues, but do not observe the law, nor the commandments; and all have gone out of the way, and are under sin. Go thou and say unto them, Why teach ye men the law and the commandments, when ye yourselves are the children of corruption? Say unto them, Ye hypocrites, first cast out the beam out of thine own eye; and then shalt thou see clearly to cast out the mote out of thy brother’s eye.

Notice that the JST has twice as many words as the KJV, yet all of those extra words clarify nothing! The JST attributes Jesus’ words to His disciples. But the original documents show that Jesus said them, not His disciples. Third Nephi 14:1-5 in the Book of Mormon has exactly the same words as the KJV in Matthew 7:1-5, except for 34 meaningless words added at the beginning of the first verse in III Nephi 14. So, again the Book of Mormon verifies the KJV, not the JST!

Matthew 7:6-12 in the KJV is found in Matthew 7:10-21 in the JST. Notice that it takes 11 verses in the JST to say what is in six verses in the KJV. Once again III Nephi 14:6-12 is identical with the KJV, not the JST! So did God reveal it the way it is in the KJV or the JST?

We won’t quote any more text from the Sermon on the Mount, but anyone interested can look the verses up and see that once again a lot of words were added in the JST, but they don’t clarify anything! Does that sound like something that God would do? Among the many added words is a statement supposedly made by the Jewish people saying, “We have the law for our salvation and that is sufficient for us” (Matt. 7:15 in the JST). Since Jesus didn’t correct that in the JST, it appears that we are supposed to believe it is true. But Paul said in Romans 3:19-20 that no one is justified by the law and that it is by the law that we know we are sinners. Jesus also said in John 14:6 that He is the way to God the Father and that no one will get the Father except through Him (not through keeping the law). The JST certainly didn’t clarify that!

Next time we will look at other JST texts in the New Testament. Read more about the JST from an LDS viewpoint in Joseph Smith’s Revision of the Bible by Richard J. Matthews.

Read Part 25