Revelation given to Joseph Smith the Prophet, at Harmony, Pennsylvania, July 1828, relating to the loss of 116 pages of manuscript translated from the first art of the Book of Mormon, which was called the book Lehi. The Prophet had reluctantly allowed these pages to pass from his custody to that of Martin Harris, who had served for a brief period as scribe in the translation of the Book of Mormon. The revelation was given through the Urim and Thummim. (See Section 10.)
1-4, The Lord’s course
is one eternal round; 5-15, Joseph Smith must repent or lose the gift to
translate; 16-20, The Book of Mormon comes forth to save the seed of Lehi.
1. The works, and the designs, and the purposes of God
cannot be frustrated, neither can they come to naught.
2. For God doth not walk in crooked paths, neither doth he
turn to the right hand nor to the left, neither doth he vary from that which he
hath said, therefore his paths are straight, and his course is one eternal
round.
3. Remember, remember that it is not the work of God that is
frustrated, ut the work of men;
4. For although a man may have many revelations, and have
power to do many mighty works, yet if he boasts in his own strength, and sets
at naught the counsels of God, and follows after the dictates of his own will
and carnal desires, he must fall and incur the vengeance of a just God upon
him.
5. Behold, you have been entrusted with these things, but
how strict were your commandments; and remember also the promises which were
made to you, if you did not transgress them.
6. And behold, how oft you have transgressed the
commandments and the laws of God, and have gone on in the persuasions of men.
7. For, behold, you should not have feared man more than
God. Although men set at naught the counsels of God, and despise his words—
8. Yet you should have been faithful; and he would have
extended his arm and supported you against all the fiery darts of the
adversary; and he would have been with you in every time of trouble.
9. Behold, thou art Joseph, and thou wast chosen to do the
work of the Lord, but because of transgression, if thou art not aware thou wilt
fall.
10. But remember, God is merciful; therefore, repent of that
which thou hast done which is contrary to the commandment which I gave you, and
thou art still chosen, and art again called to the work.
11. Except thou do this, thou shalt be delivered u and
become as other men, and have no more gift.
12. And when thou delieveredst up that which God had given
thee sight and power to translate, thou deliveredst u that which was sacred
into the hands of a wicked man,
13. Who has set at naught the counsels of God, and has
broken the most sacred promises which were made before God, and has depended
upon his own judgment and boasted in his own wisdom.
14. And this is the reason that thou hast lost thy
privileges for a season—
15. For thou hast suffered the counsel of thy director to be
trampled upon from the beginning.
16. Nevertheless, my work shall go forth, for inasmuch as
the knowledge of a Savior has come unto the world, through the testimony of the
Jews, even so shall the knowledge of a Savior come unto my people—
17. And to the Nephites, and the Jacobites, and the
Josephites, and the Zoramites, through the testimony of their fathers—
18. And this testimony shall come to the knowledge of the
Lamanites, and the Lemuelites, and Ishmaelites, who dwindled in unbelief because
of the iniquity of their fathers, whom the Lord has suffered to destroy their
brethren the Nephites, because of their iniquities and their abominations.
19. And for this very purpose are these plates preserved,
which contain these records—that the promises of the Lord might be fulfilled,
which he made to his people;
20. And that the Lamanites might come to the knowledge of
their fathers, and that they might know the promises of the Lord, and that they
may believe the gospel and rely upon the merits of Jesus Christ, and be
glorified through their repentance they might be saved. Amen.
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