D&C 9 and 10

This week, the Come Follow Me lesson covers D&C 6-9. An important part of these sections, especially D&C 9, will be overlooked by most Latter-day Saints and all of the podcasters, especially those associated with Scripture Central.

We'll discuss why below.

First, notice that there is a supplementary section after the lesson titled "Voice of the Restoration." This is a carryover from the Come Follow Me manual for 2021.

We offer suggestions for improvement here:

https://www.ldshistoricalnarratives.com/2025/02/2025-improvements-come-follow-me-manual.html

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The designated readings in the lesson manual skip right over D&C 9:1-2.

That's unfortunate because these two verses provide the first clue about the two separate sets of plates that Joseph translated: the abridged plates in Harmony and the original plates of Nephi in Fayette.

For a diagram of this process, see (https://www.lettervii.com/p/the-two-sets-of-plates-schematic.html)

Here are the two verses:

1 Behold, I say unto you, my son, that because you did not translate according to that which you desired of me, and did commence again to write for my servant, Joseph Smith, Jun., even so I would that ye should continue until you have finished this record, which I have entrusted unto him.

2 And then, behold, other records have I, that I will give unto you power that you may assist to translate.

(Doctrine and Covenants 9:1–2)

We learn later in verse 5 that Oliver did begin to translate, but he did not continue as he commenced. Naturally, we wonder what he actually translated when he began. 

It's possible that Oliver translated Alma 45:22, which is the only part of the extant Original Manuscript that is in Joseph Smith's handwriting. 

You can see this passage here: https://www.mobom.org/church-history-issues

Some scholars think Joseph wrote this because Oliver got tired or had a hand cramp or some other reason for not writing, which is possible. But there is no other evidence of Oliver actually translating anything, so it makes more sense to me that Oliver translated this passage.

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Regardless of what Oliver translated when he began, in verse 1 the Lord told him to continue as scribe "until you have finished this record." "This record" refers to the plates Joseph found in Moroni's stone box, which were the abridged plates. Assuming this revelation referred to Oliver's translation of Alma 45:22, they were about 60% of the way through the abridged plates (assuming the lost 116 pages represented about the same amount of text as 1 Ne. through WofM in our current text). 

Apparently Joseph and Oliver thought that, to "finish this record," they would have to work through the end of the plates to the Title Page, which was the last leaf of the plates, and then go back and re-translate the Book of Lehi to replace the 116 pages. Of course, in D&C 10 the Lord later told them not to do that.

In retrospect, Joseph and Oliver might have realized that they didn't need to retranslate the lost portion because in verse 2, the Lord explained that once they had finished translating the abridged plates, the Lord had "other records" for them to translate. IOW, they would "finish this record" by translating it once, without going back to retranslate the first part. 

This instruction in verses 1 and 2 is significant for at least two reasons.

One, it alerted Joseph and Oliver that there were "other records" in their future, which was a near future because they would have them once they "finished this record."

Two, it points out the importance of the record itself. If Joseph was merely reading words that appeared on a stone-in-the-hat (SITH), they wouldn't even know what specific records they were "translating" and so there would be no point in the Lord telling them about "other records." Joseph would just keep reading words off the stone regardless.

D&C 10 makes all of this even more clear, as we'll discuss in the next post.