The Miraculous “Revelation” of the Book of Mormon

The translation process of the Book of Mormon was nothing short of a miracle. The term “translation” can oft cause confusion among those that inquire about how Joseph did it. In actuality Joseph never said that he translated the words from the golden plates, but says that it was simply done by “the gift and power of God.” When the many first hand witnesses of the process are taken into account, we learn that Joseph rarely even looked at the plates, but actually read the words from either the seer stone, or the Urim and Thumim.  God says in 2 Nephi 27:20 about the translation of the Book of Mormon:” …I am able to do mine own work, wherefore thou shalt read the words which I shall give unto thee.” Joseph would often pick up the translation process after a break without even reviewing where they had left off, demonstrating that the real guiding authority behind the process was God, and that Joseph simply “read the words which [were given] unto [him].” Another interesting comment from the scribes is that when encountering a word in which the spelling was unknown, and upon writing it down wrongfully, Joseph would halt, and spell the word out for them without ever seeing that it was wrongfully spelled on the script. Truly This sacred book is the marvelous and predestined work of none other than God our Eternal Father. By making it a part of our lives and living by its precepts we will experience greater joy and a deeper sense of meaning throughout our lives.