• The Bible = Original • “Nevertheless the dimness shall not be such as was in her vexation, when at the first he lightly afflicted the land of Zebulun and the land of Naphtali, and afterward did more grievously afflict her by the way of the sea, beyond Jordan, in Galilee of the nations. The people that walked in darkness have seen a great light: they that dwell in the land of the shadow of death, upon them hath the light shined. Thou hast multiplied the nation, and not increased the joy: they joy before thee according to the joy in harvest, and as men rejoice when they divide the spoil.” (Isaiah 9:1-3) – About 700–681 B.C.
• The Book Of Mormon = Plagiarism • “Nevertheless, the dimness shall not be such as was in her vexation, when at first he lightly afflicted the land of Zebulun, and the land of Naphtali, and afterwards did more grievously afflict by the way of the Red Sea beyond Jordan in Galilee of the nations. The people that walked in darkness have seen a great light; they that dwell in the land of the shadow of death, upon them hath the light shined. Thou hast multiplied the nation, and increased the joy — they joy before thee according to the joy in harvest, and as men rejoice when they divide the spoil.” (2 Nephi 19:1-3) – About 559–545 B.C.
The King James Version of Isaiah, chapter 9, was copied and pasted into the Book of Mormon. This chapter of Isaiah can be found in 2 Nephi, chapter 19. The book of Isaiah and 2 Nephi are also available to read in the next chapters of this book. Details of what took place can be found below…
When a person adds even a single word to the writings of the Bible, it changes the entire meaning. Slowly God’s Word is corrupted until it is unrecognizable. This is the case with the different passages Joseph Smith added to his Book of Mormon. He had to use additional writings to fill in the gaps of his small book. However, he didn’t just plagiarize the Bible by making these verses his own, but changed the meaning as well. Isaiah, chapter 9, is included in this mess. Let's first read what the first few verses say and then compare them to what the Book of Mormon says. It is written, “nevertheless the dimness shall not be such as was in her vexation, when at the first he lightly afflicted the land of Zebulun and the land of Naphtali, and afterward did more grievously afflict her by the way of the sea, beyond Jordan, in Galilee of the nations. The people that walked in darkness have seen a great light: they that dwell in the land of the shadow of death, upon them hath the light shined. Thou hast multiplied the nation, and not increased the joy: they joy before thee according to the joy in harvest, and as men rejoice when they divide the spoil.” (Isaiah 9:1-3) These are pure words that are uncorrupted.
In Isaiah, chapter 9, we learn about a sea beyond Jordan in Galilee. The sea that is next to Galilee is the Mediterranean Sea and the sea of Galilee. These two seas surround the region of Galilee. We just don’t know exactly what this is talking about, but in the Book of Mormon it makes the assumption that it is the Red Sea. How interesting since the Red Sea is far away from Galilea and not even close to it. Joseph Smith got this wrong. Please observe, as you read the same verses in the Book of Mormon. It is written, “nevertheless, the dimness shall not be such as was in her vexation, when at first he lightly afflicted the land of Zebulun, and the land of Naphtali, and afterwards did more grievously afflict by the way of the Red Sea beyond Jordan in Galilee of the nations. The people that walked in darkness have seen a great light; they that dwell in the land of the shadow of death, upon them hath the light shined. Thou hast multiplied the nation, and increased the joy. They joy before thee according to the joy in harvest, and as men rejoice when they divide the spoil.” (2 Nephi 19:1-3) This is a copy of Isaiah with words added. Adding to the verses, "Red Sea", has serious consequences. Not only is it against God's will, but it impacts the person's credibility. God’s wrath is upon people like Joseph Smith who do this. Amen.
Let us pray: Oh Lord, Your words are so sacred. Why can’t everyone see this who says they believe in You? How is it that certain individuals can ascertain that their prophets can change the Bible as much as they please? This is so wrong and denies what You have said about preserving Your Words throughout all generations. How hard is it to see how beautiful Your Words are in scripture when we read it daily? It isn’t hard. Sure, there was a time when I would fall asleep during my time reading the Bible. The same thing happened at church. But this was because I didn’t have the true gospel message in my life. I was being fed a lie through the Mormon church. Thankfully, You freed me from this bondage. I am no longer tied down by their rules, regulations, covenants, man-made works and doctrines. Thank You for opening my eyes to the false teachings and for allowing me a second chance to be saved. I was on the path of destruction those many years in Mormonism, but You didn’t give up on me. You saw the person I would become. And since You came into my life I have been more and more engaged with You. I love reading the Bible now, and talking to others about You, Jesus. You put this fire in me and nobody can put it out. I love You, Jesus. I give You praise. Amen.
