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Jesus the Messiah is the Torah made flesh and dwelt among us.Synthesis of 3 Nephi 15:9 & John 1:14_______________________________For Zion's sake will I not hold my peace, and for Jerusalem's sake
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Please share the PDF file with your Jewish friends.
The Jews have carried their Torah scrolls as they fled burning villages.
Nephi carried the Torah, as engraved on the "plates of brass," across the ocean to the New World.
The Book of Mormon is a volume of scripture derived from the Torah and the Nevi'im.
The Book of Mormon conveys the prophecies of Joseph, who was sold into Egypt.
It also gives the prophecies of the Hebrew prophets Neum, Zenock, and Zenos.
The House of Israel is the Olive-tree. The people of the Book of Mormon are a branch of this tree.
- Tom Irvine
Email: tomirvine@aol.com
Tom's Facebook Profile
The Hebrew translation is given in PDF format. Each verse is given in both Hebrew and English.
Download PDF: Book of Mormon, Hebrew Translation
(Right Mouse Click, Save Target or Link)
Download: BofM_Hebrew.htm
Guests who have the DavkaWriter Hebrew word processor may download: BofM_Hebrew.dwd
The English verses given in the PDF documents are taken from project Gutenberg via: http://www.hti.umich.edu/m/mormon/
This is a work in progress which may take many years to complete.
Verses will be added on a regular basis until the entire Book of Mormon is posted. Revisions will occur in parallel.
I welcome suggestions and corrections.
I need volunteers to proofread the translation!
Perfunctory but Necessary Disclaimers:
1. I am not an expert in Hebrew.
2. I do not possess an Urim and Thummin, a Liahona, or any other miraculous device.
3. I have not received any angelic visitations.
4. I am not a prophet.
5. I am not an apostle.
6. I am not trying to start a church.
7. This is a private site which is not endorsed by The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints.
8. This Hebrew translation does not represent an official version of the LDS Church.
9. The LDS Church has an ironclad agreement with the government of Israel that no missionary work will be undertaken within Israel.
10. The LDS Church owns the copyright to the Book of Mormon.
11. Yes, there is a difference between Biblical and modern Hebrew; I need to learn both.
12. I have never participated in Sunstone or any similar symposia.
13. See Book of Mormon, Mormon 9:33.
14. See Doctrine & Covenants, Section 58:26-29.
15. See Mark 9:38-41.
16. If this depth of inquiry troubles you in any way, then I invite you to skip this site altogether and instead read the Especially For Mormons
book series.
17. I am receiving no monetary compensation for this effort. Rather I am spending a great deal of my own time and money on this endeavor.
18. I look forward to the day when the LDS church finally releases a permanent, full, official Hebrew translation of the Book of Mormon (including the nikkud vowel marks). This official version would then clearly take precedence over my own translation.
19. It is easier to ask for forgiveness than to ask for permission.
20. Actually, I am a Rocket Scientist. I analyze mechanical shock & vibration data from launch vehicles.
21. BYU students, alumni, faculty, administrative staff and football fans should not even download the Hebrew translation, due to extraordinarily sensitive agreements between BYU and the government of Israel.
22. If you are from BYU and in violation of no. 21, then you need to "go see your bishop."
23. Nos. 21 & 22 include BYU-Idaho, BYU-Hawaii and LDS Business College.
24. I have autism/Aspergers syndrome, and I hyperfocus.
25. (Insert your own disclaimer here.)
And don't criticize what you can't understand. - Bob Dylan
Rather I am learning Hebrew, in part through this translation effort. My tools are computer software, Hebrew textbooks and dictionaries, as well as a stubborn desire to bring forth this Hebrew translation of my own free will and choice, if only one verse at a time.
The Book of Mormon story about the two thousand stripling warriors is a story about faith, obedience, physical strength and great courage. These valiant young men were also know as the Army of Helaman and as the Sons of Helaman. Their story is also an account of the faith of their mothers.
There is another dimension to the stripling warriors' story...... Their fathers had made a covenant of peace whereby they buried their weapons in the ground. The fathers vowed that they would never again shed the blood of men. Yet the sons had not made this covenant. Furthermore, the fathers and sons collectively had a moral imperative to take up arms in defense of the Nephite people.....
The Book of Mormon title page twice sets forth the moral imperative that we must convey the Book of Mormon to the Jews. This imperative is repeated several times throughout the Book of Mormon.
Following the example of the stripling warriors, we can carry the Hebrew Book of Mormon forth to the Jewish people in ways that the LDS Church has covenanted not to do so.
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Photograph: Translating Moroni 5:1-2 on June 28, 2008 on the Hill Cumorah: Translation_2.jpg
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quix·ot·ic - Caught up in the romance of noble deeds and the pursuit of unreachable goals; idealistic without regard to practicality - American Heritage Dictionary.
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Don't Ask Who Will Let Me? but Who Will STOP Me? - Ayn Rand
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Please God, please, don't let me be normal!
Luisa, Monologue from The Fantasticks
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We are what we repeatedly do. Excellence, therefore, is not an act, but a habit. -Aristotle
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Also, if someone needs a project... but is unable to help with the Hebrew translation.... we still need to translate the Book of Mormon into Latin! Let's do this for our Catholic brothers and sisters!
William Tyndale
William Tyndale (1494 - 1536) translated the Bible into English directly from Hebrew and Greek texts.
He was the first person to take advantage of Gutenberg's movable-type press for the purpose of printing the scriptures in the English language.
Tyndale declared to a clergyman who opposed his work:
"If God spare my life ere many years, I will cause the boy that drives the plow to know more of the scriptures than you!"
(Elder D. Todd Christofferson spoke of William Tyndale in his April 2010 conference talk).
My simple goal is to translate the Book of Mormon from English to Hebrew so that the Jewish boy or girl on a kibbutz may know as much of this book as any teacher or leader in the LDS faith.
Shema
Sh'ma Yis'ra'eil Adonai Eloheinu Adonai echad.
Hear, Israel, the Lord is our God, the Lord is One.
Barukh sheim k'vod malkhuto l'olam va'ed.
Blessed be the Name of His glorious kingdom for ever and ever.
I have sung the Shema, acapella solo, in the Mesa, Arizona Temple and in the Birmingham, Alabama Temple. This is not part of any current temple ceremony, but it was recited by the high priests in Solomon's Temple. See also Deuteronomy 6:4 and Mark 12:29. The restoration of the fullness of the gospel is a work in progress. The day will come when the Sons of Levi do again offer an offering unto the Lord in righteousness within our Latter-Day Temples. When that time comes, the walls of our Temples will reverberate with the Shema.
Lesson Learned from Translating the Book of Mormon into Hebrew
1. HaMashiach, the Messiah, is used instead of Christ. Both titles refer to the "anointed one." But the name Christ is Greek. The authors of the Book of Mormon would have been unfamiliar with Greek. Furthermore the Jews are well acquainted with the concept of a Messiah.
2. The Hebrew name for Jesus is: Yeshua, which means "He who saves." (See Matthew 1:19-21)
3. The subtitle is changed to: Another Testament of Jesus the Messiah, Son of David, or Yeshua HaMashiach, Ben David. The purpose is to emphasize that Jesus was Jewish and was of the lineage of David, following the example of Matthew 1.
4. Jesus the Messiah is the Torah made flesh and dwelt among us. Synthesis of 3 Nephi 15:9 & John 1:14.
5. YHWH is used for Lord. YHWH is a form of the Hebrew Hayah (I AM) and is pronounced as Yahweh. The equivalent name in English is Jehovah. See Exodus 3:14.
6. Elohim is plural, meaning Gods.
7. The condescension of God is explained using a Hebrew phrase for God will lower himself to mortal life. This may be the single most important concept for the Jews to understand. (1 Nephi 11:16)
8. Jacob bids farewell using the term adieu (Jacob 7:27). Shalom, or peace, is used for adieu.
9. Hosanna (Hoshea na) - Hebrew for Please save or save now. See 3 Nephi 11:17.
10. Yam Suph, the Sea of Reeds, is substituted for the Red Sea, per Jewish tradition. See 1 Nephi 2:5.
11. The law of Moses is translated as the Torah of Moses. (1 Nephi 4:15 & elsewhere)
12. The verb shema means listen and obey. This verb is used throughout the translation.
13. The most common commandment in the Book of Mormon is to Behold.
14. The Lord commands us to be baptized "that ye may be numbered with my people who are of the house of Israel." See 3 Nephi 30:2.
15. Lashuv meets to return and repent. See Jacob 3:8 & elsewhere.
16. Teshuvah is the noun for return and repentance.
17. Adam also means man. The children of men is translated as the children of Adam.
18. Mary is Miriam in Hebrew. See Mosiah 3:8.
19. The phrase I would that ye should remember appears 15 times in the Book of Mormon. See 2 Nephi 31:4 and elsewhere.
20. Some of the Isaiah verses are quoted multiple times in the Book of Mormon. For example, Isaiah 52:9 is quoted four times:
Break forth into joy; sing together ye waste places of Jerusalem; for the Lord hath comforted his people, he hath redeemed Jerusalem;
Mosiah 12:23, Mosiah 15:30, 3 Nephi 16:19, 3 Nephi 20:34.
21. The phrase how beautiful upon the mountains are the feet is used five times in the Book of Mormon, starting with Mosiah 12:21.
22. The imperative lift up your heads is given five times in the Book of Mormon beginning with 2 Nephi 9:3. It is followed by phrases such as rejoice and be comforted.
23. Tzedakah means charity, and the religious obligation to perform charity. It is based on the root tzedek which is justice. tzedek also means righteous.
Readers may also be interested in:
Chronicles of the Nephites - Restoration Bookstore
B.H. Roberts, Rasha - The Jew, A Message to All Jews; Deseret News Press, Salt Lake City, Utah, 1932.
Arnold H. Green, A Survey of LDS Proselyting Efforts to the Jewish People
For information on LDS translations of the Book of Mormon, please visit: http://www.bycommonconsent.com/2007/05/hebrew-translations-of-the-bom/
Software and Learning Materials:
If you would like to learn Hebrew, I recommend that you start with the materials at: http://www.ekspublishing.com/
Here is the Software that I use for the translation:
Main word processor: http://www.davkawriter.com/
Dagesh Pro Translator: http://www.jewishsoftware.com
Adding Nikud: Dagesh Pro IV Hebrew: http://www.jewishsoftware.com
Verb conjugations SAFFA: http://www.hebrewworks.com/Purchase.htm
Dictionary: http://www.lingvosoft.com/
Jewish Charities
And I will bless them that bless thee. Genesis 12:3
And if thou draw out thy soul to the hungry, and satisfy the afflicted soul; then shall thy light rise in obscurity, and thy darkness be as the noonday: Isaiah 58:10
Other Charities and Worthwhile Causes
Provide loans to the working poor: Kiva
Ryan's Well Foundation
"Chessed" - (pl. Chasadim) - an act of kindness. It was said by Shimon HaTzaddik (Simon the Righteous) that the world continues to exist because of three things: Torah Study, the worship of Hashem, and the performance of "gemilut chasadim," "acts of kindness."
Ma'os Chittim
In Orech Chayim 429:7, the Aruch HaShulchan writes: "All of the nation of Israel has the custom (in the month of Nissan) to collect 'Ma'os Chittim' - to purchase flour for the poor for Pesach, or to give them money so they can purchase it for themselves."
The custom of contributing "Ma'os Chittim," literally "money for wheat," is widespread. Not only do we contribute money to provide for the flour (and therefore Matzos) of the poor, but to provide as well for all the needed Pesach provisions.
Rosh Hashanah, or the Feast of the Trumpets
Rosh Hashanah began on the evening of September 21, 1827. This is the Jewish New Year.
That evening, prayers were said pleading that God would remember his Covenant People in exile.
The Shofar, which is a trumpet, was blown the following morning in Jewish communites throughout the world. The shofar heralded the period of repentance and preparation for The Day of Atonement, or Yom Kippur.
Joseph Smith received the golden plates on this same day that the shofar was sounded, September 22, 1827. The Book of Mormon was taken from these plates.
Prophet Joseph Smith
Joseph Smith wrote, "Those engaged in seeking the outcasts of Israel, and the dispersed of Judah, cannot fail to enjoy the Spirit of the Lord and have the choicest blessings of Heaven rest upon them in copious effusions . . . He [the Lord] will endow you with power, wisdom, might, and intelligence, and every qualification necessary; while your minds will expand wider and wider, until you can circumscribe the earth and the heavens, reach forth into eternity, and contemplate the mighty acts of Jehovah in all their variety and glory" (History of the Church, 4:128-129).
This quote is from a letter to Orson Hyde and John E. Page, dated 14 May 1840.
Elder Jeffrey R. Holland
"In so many ways, Jerusalem ... constitutes the scene, the setting and the circumference of our religious heritage," Holland recently told a new group of 44 students at the church's Jerusalem center. "The origins of our sacred texts all focus us here."
(Reference: LDS leaders find acceptance in Israel, Visit far different from 1987 opening of center, By Marshall Thompson, Associated Press, Saturday, March 31, 2007)
YouTube Videos
An American Girl, The Problems of Prejudice
Books about Israel
B'nai Shalom - Children of Peace
Holy Lands Revealed with Daniel Rona
Jewish and Mormon Fellowship
Acknowledgements
Special thanks to Arthur D. Mullenaux, Brian D. Strong, E. Keith Stott Jr, George R. Webb, Dennis D. Shaub, & Bob Plowman, each of Arizona.
It is to these brethren that I dedicate this song.
I also express gratitude to the entire gospel doctrine class of Keating Ward, Mesa West Stake, of the Summer of 2007.
Although none of these brethren or sisters has endorsed this translation, each has rendered compassionate service to me as I have journeyed along this path.
Each life that touches ours for good
Reflects thine own great mercy, Lord;
Thou sendest blessings from above
Thru words and deeds of those who love.
What greater gift dost thou bestow,
What greater goodness can we know
Than Christlike friends, whose gentle ways
Strengthen our faith, enrich our days.
(from a hymn by Karen Lynn Davidson and A. Laurence Lyon)
Romans 8
[35] Who shall separate us from the love of Christ? shall tribulation, or distress, or persecution, or famine, or nakedness, or peril, or sword?
[36] As it is written, For thy sake we are killed all the day long; we are accounted as sheep for the slaughter.
[37] Nay, in all these things we are more than conquerors through him that loved us.
[38] For I am persuaded, that neither death, nor life, nor angels, nor principalities, nor powers, nor things present, nor things to come,
[39] Nor height, nor depth, nor any other creature, shall be able to separate us from the love of God, which is in Christ Jesus our Lord.
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E. Keith Stott Jr. is the Editorial Staff member of the Arizona Supreme Court Judical Ethics Advisory Committee.
http://www.supreme.state.az.us/ethics/Judicial_Ethics_Advisory_Committee_Members.htm
Brian D. Strong is an attorney in Mesa, Arizona.
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