The Joseph Smith Translation of the Bible — By the Spirit of Revelation, He Restores Lost Plain and Precious Truths (1830–1833)

Beginning in June 1830 and continuing through July 1833, Joseph Smith undertook a work of divine translation and restoration that stands alongside the translation of the Book of Mormon as a miracle of revealed knowledge: the inspired revision of the Bible, commonly known as the Joseph Smith Translation (JST) or the "Inspired Version."

Joseph was commanded by the Lord to revise the Bible, not merely to correct textual errors, but to restore "many plain and precious truths" that had been lost through centuries of transmission, translation, and corruption (as foretold in 1 Nephi 13). The Lord told Joseph that the Bible contained many errors caused by the "many plain and precious things" being "taken away" and "kept back" by the "great and abominable church."

The work began in Fayette, New York, in June 1830, when Joseph, by the spirit of revelation, began revising the book of Genesis. The first fruits of this labor were the Book of Moses (Moses 1–8) and later the Book of Enoch (Moses 6–7), which restored ancient accounts of the creation, the fall, the ministry of Enoch, the building of the city of Zion, and the translation of Enoch's people — accounts that had been lost from the biblical record.

Oliver Cowdery served as the first scribe, followed by John Whitmer, Sidney Rigdon, and Frederick G. Williams. The work continued through periods of intense persecution, mob violence, and the Saints' removal from New York to Ohio and then to Missouri. Despite the hardships, Joseph persisted, and by February 1833 he had completed the revision of the Old Testament; the New Testament was finished in July 1833.

The JST is remarkable as a miracle of revelation for several reasons:

— It restored ancient truths that had been lost from the Bible for centuries, including accounts of Enoch, the premortal existence, the nature of God, the plan of salvation, and the ministry of ancient prophets whose words had been removed from the scriptural record.

— Joseph did not know Hebrew or Greek; he did not work from ancient manuscripts or scholarly sources. He worked by the spirit of revelation, receiving inspired corrections, additions, and restorations directly from the Lord. This is the same gift by which he translated the Book of Mormon — the gift of a seer.

— The work produced thousands of changes, additions, and restorations to the biblical text, many of which are substantial and doctrinally significant. Among the most remarkable are the restored accounts of Enoch (Moses 6–7), the prophecy of Joseph of Egypt (JST Genesis 50), and the vision of the ministry of Christ (JST Matthew 24).

— The JST demonstrates that Joseph Smith was not merely a translator of one ancient record (the Book of Mormon) but a seer through whom the Lord restored lost scripture across the entire biblical canon. It is a testament to the breadth and depth of the prophetic gift that rested upon him.

The JST was never fully published during Joseph's lifetime, but the manuscripts were preserved and later published by the Reorganized Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints (now Community of Christ). The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints has incorporated significant portions of the JST into its scriptures, including the Book of Moses and Joseph Smith—Matthew in the Pearl of Great Price, and the Joseph Smith Translation footnotes throughout the Latter-day Saint edition of the Bible.

The Joseph Smith Translation stands as a lasting witness that God continued to speak to His children through His prophet in the latter days, restoring the plain and precious truths that had been lost, and confirming that the canon of scripture was not closed but open to continued revelation through living prophets.