“Joseph Smith’s Testimony of the Book of Mormon: ‘Translated … by the Gift and Power of God,’” Book of Mormon Teacher Manual (2024)

“Joseph Smith’s Testimony of the Book of Mormon,” Book of Mormon Teacher Manual

Introductory Pages of the Book of Mormon

Joseph Smith’s Testimony of the Book of Mormon

“Translated … by the Gift and Power of God”

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Joseph Smith

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).

Knowing each learner’s name. Knowing and addressing each student by his or her name can help a student feel your love. Take time to learn students’ names. You might have picture rolls available or do activities in class that can help you and the students learn each other’s names.

Student preparation: Invite students to come prepared to share what they know about the coming forth of the Book of Mormon and what questions they have about it.

Possible Learning Activities

The coming forth of the Book of Mormon

Display the following images. Remind students of their preparation for class and invite them to arrange the images in correct chronological order. The correct order is D, C, B, A, E.

Adjust the activities in the lesson based on how well students understand these events.

How do you think Joseph Smith might have felt during each of these events? Why?

“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.

Invite students to read “The Testimony of the Prophet Joseph Smith” from the introductory pages of the Book of Mormon. One way to do this is to divide the reading and assign half the class to read paragraphs 1–14, about Moroni’s visit at night. The other half could read paragraphs 15–23, about what Joseph did after Moroni’s visit.

Another option is to summarize portions of the account and select paragraphs for students to read that would be most helpful to them. Students could also refer to Saints: The Story of the Church of Jesus Christ in the Latter Days, vol. 1, The Standard of Truth, 1815–1846 [2018], 20–30.

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 students have additional questions about the seer stone, you could show the video about the seer stone in the “Commentary and Background Information” section below.

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.

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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)

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

Invite students to consider what they might share with the person they thought of earlier that would help that person better understand how the Book of Mormon came forth by the gift and power of God.

Place students in pairs. Invite them to each take a turn playing the part of a Church member explaining and answering questions and of a person who needs to learn more about the coming forth of the Book of Mormon. Move around the room and listen to the explanations to determine if further study on this topic is needed.

After students complete their explanations, consider sharing personal testimony of God’s power, gift, and love shown through the coming forth of the Book of Mormon. Invite willing students to share their testimonies as well.

Commentary and Background Information

How did Joseph Smith translate the Book of Mormon?

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

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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:

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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.

Supplemental Learning Activities

Physical instruments used to show the power of God

If students would benefit from seeing additional examples of physical instruments demonstrating the power of God, consider displaying the following pictures and inviting them to study one or more of the following accounts.

Those who look to the brass serpent are healed (see Numbers 21:4–9).

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Moses and the brass serpent

The Lord leads Lehi and his family using the Liahona (see 1 Nephi 16:9–10, 23–29).

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Liahona

Jesus heals a blind man using clay and spittle (see John 9:1–7).

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Christ heals a blind man

Invite students to share what they learn about Heavenly Father and Jesus Christ from the use of these physical instruments. Discuss how these accounts of physical objects being used in miracles are similar to the account of the Book of Mormon translation. Consider sharing how these examples strengthen your testimony of Heavenly Father, Jesus Christ, and the Book of Mormon, and invite willing students to share as well.

Answering questions about the coming forth of the Book of Mormon

Invite students to think of questions that they have or that others may have about the coming forth of the Book of Mormon. Write their questions on the board and invite students to search for answers in divinely appointed sources. Some of these sources include the following:

Gospel Topics Essays, “Book of Mormon Translation,” ChurchofJesusChrist.org
Guide to the Scriptures, “Book of Mormon,” “Translate,” “Urim and Thummim,” scriptures.ChurchofJesusChrist.org
Saints: The Story of the Church of Jesus Christ in the Latter Days, vol. 1, The Standard of Truth, 1815–1846 (2018), chapters 4–6.

Church historic sites

If students would benefit from learning more about the places where key events related to the coming forth of the Book of Mormon transpired, the class could take a virtual tour of these historic sites, available on ChurchofJesusChrist.org.