1
After I had obtained the above revelation, both the plates and the seer stone were taken from me again; but in a few days they were returned to me.
2
When I later inquired of the Lord, the Lord said thus unto me:
3 [3:1a-b/10:1-2a]
¶ Now, behold I say unto you, that because you delivered up so many writings, which you had power to translate, into the hands of a wicked man, you have lost them, and you also lost your gift at the same time,
4 [3:1c/10:3]
Nevertheless it has been restored unto you again: therefore, see that you are faithful and go on unto the finishing of the remainder of the work as you have begun.
5 [3:1d-e1/10:4]
Do not run faster than you have strength and means provided to translate, but be diligent unto the end, that you may come off conqueror;
6 [3:1e2/10:5]
Yea, that you may conquer Satan, and those that do uphold his work.
7 [3:1f-g1/10:6]
¶ Behold they have sought to destroy you; yea even the man in whom you have trusted;
8 [3:1g2-h1/10:7]
And for this cause said I, that he is a wicked man, for he has sought to take away the things wherewith you have been entrusted, and he has also sought to destroy your gift;
9 [3:1h2/10:8]
And because you have delivered the writings into his hands, behold they have taken them from you:
10 [3:1h3/10:9]
Therefore, you have delivered them up; yea, that which was sacred unto wickedness.
11 [3:1i/10:10]
And behold, Satan has put it into their hearts to alter the words which you have caused to be written, or which you have translated, which have gone out of your hands;
12 [3:1j/10:11]
And behold I say unto you, that because they have altered the words, they read contrary from that which you translated and caused to be written;
13 [3:1k1/10:12]
And on this wise the devil has sought to lay a cunning plan, that he may destroy this work;
14 [3:1k2/10:13]
For he has put it into their hearts to do this, that by lying they may say they have caught you in the words which you have pretended to translate.
15 [3:2a/10:14-15]
¶ Verily I say unto you, that I will not suffer that Satan shall accomplish his evil design in this thing, for behold he has put it into their hearts to tempt the Lord their God;
16 [3:2b1/10:16]
For behold they say in their hearts: We will see if God has given him power to translate, if so, he will also give him power again;
17 [3:2b2/10:17]
And if God giveth him power again, or if he translates again, or in other words, if he bringeth forth the same words, behold we have the same with us, and we have altered them.
18 [3:2c/10:18]
Therefore, they will not agree, and we will say that he has lied in his words, and that he has no gift, and that he has no power.
19 [3:2d/10:19]
Therefore, we will destroy him, and also the work, and we will do this that we may not be ashamed in the end, and that we may get glory of the world.
20 [3:3a-b/10:20-22]
¶ Verily, verily I say unto you, that Satan has great hold upon their hearts; he stirreth them up to do iniquity against that which is good, that he may lead their souls to destruction;
21 [3:3c/10:23-24]
And thus he has laid a cunning plan to destroy the work of God; yea, he stirreth up their hearts to anger against this work.
22 [3:3d1/10:25a]
Yea, he saith unto them: Deceive and lie in wait to catch, that ye may destroy, behold this is no harm,
23 [3:3d2/10:25b]
And thus he flattereth them and telleth them that it is no sin to lie, that they may catch a man in a lie, that they may destroy him.
24 [3:3e/10:26a]
And thus he flattereth them, and leadeth them along until he draggeth their souls down to hell;
25 [3:3f/10:26b-27]
And thus he causeth them to catch themselves in their own snare; and thus, he goeth up and down, to and fro in the earth, seeking to destroy the souls of men.
26 [3:4/10:28]
¶ Verily, verily I say unto you: Wo be unto him that lieth to deceive, because he supposeth that another lieth to deceive, for such are not exempt from the justice of God.
27 [3:5/10:29]
¶ “Now, behold they have altered those words, because Satan saith unto them: He hath deceived you,’ and thus he flattereth them away to do iniquity, to tempt the Lord their God.
28 [3:6a1/10:30]
¶ Behold I say unto you, that you shall not translate again those words which have gone forth out of your hands;
29 [3:6a2/10:31a]
For behold, they shall not lie any more against those words;
30 [3:6b/10:31b]
For behold, if you should bring forth the same words, they would say that you have lied; that you have pretended to translate, but that you have contradicted your words.
31 [3:6c/10:32]
And behold, they would publish this, and Satan would harden the hearts of the people, to stir them up to anger against you, that they might not believe my words.
32 [3:6d/10:33]
Thus Satan would overpower this generation, that the work might not come forth in this generation.
33 [3:6e/10:34]
But behold here is wisdom, and because I show unto you wisdom and give you commandments concerning these things, what you shall do, show it not unto the world until you have accomplished the work.
34 [3:7a1/10:35a]
¶ Marvel not that I said unto you: Here is wisdom, show it not unto the world;
35 [3:7a2/10:35b]
For I said: Show it not unto the world, that you may be preserved.
36 [3:7b1/10:36]
Behold I do not say that you shall not show it unto the righteous;
37 [3:7b2/10:37a]
But as you cannot always judge the righteous, or as you cannot always tell the wicked from the righteous.
38 [3:7c/10:37b]
Therefore, I say unto you, hold your peace until I shall see fit to make all things known unto the world concerning the matter. laboring with my hands upon a small farm which I had purchased of my wife’s father.