Comparison of 1 Nephi 21 and Isaiah 49

This is a side-by-side comparison of 1 Nephi 21 and Isaiah 49.

Differences in the text are marked in RED. Variations in the text are marked in ROSE. 1 Nephi 21	Differences in the text are marked in BLUE. Variations in the text are marked in GREEN. Isaiah 49
1 And again: Hearken, O ye house of Israel, all ye that are broken off and are driven out because of the wickedness of the pastors of my people; yea, all ye that are broken off, that are scattered abroad, who are of my people, O house of Israel. Listen, O isles, unto me, and hearken ye people from far; the Lord hath called me from the womb; from the bowels of my mother hath he made mention of my name.	1 Listen, O isles, unto me; and hearken, ye people, from far; The Lord hath called me from the womb; from the bowels of my mother hath he made mention of my name.
2 And he hath made my mouth like a sharp sword; in the shadow of his hand hath he hid me, and made me a polished shaft; in his quiver hath he hid me;	2 And he hath made my mouth like a sharp sword; in the shadow of his hand hath he hid me, and made me a polished shaft; in his quiver hath he hid me;
3 And said unto me: Thou art my servant, O Israel, in whom I will be glorified.	3 And said unto me, Thou art my servant, O Israel, in whom I will be glorified.
4 Then I said, I have labored in vain, I have spent my strength for naught and in vain; surely my judgment is with the Lord, and my work with my God.	4 Then I said, I have laboured in vain, I have spent my strength for nought, and in vain: yet surely my judgment is with the Lord, and my work with my God.
5 And now, saith the Lord—that formed me from the womb that I should be his servant, to bring Jacob again to him—though Israel be not gathered, yet shall I be glorious in the eyes of the Lord, and my God shall be my strength.	5 And now, saith the Lord that formed me from the womb to be his servant, to bring Jacob again to him, Though Israel be not gathered, yet shall I be glorious in the eyes of the Lord, and my God shall be my strength.
6 And he said: It is a light thing that thou shouldst be my servant to raise up the tribes of Jacob, and to restore the preserved of Israel. I will also give thee for a light to the Gentiles, that thou mayest be my salvation unto the ends of the earth.	6 And he said, It is a light thing that thou shouldest be my servant to raise up the tribes of Jacob, and to restore the preserved of Israel: I will also give thee for a light to the Gentiles, that thou mayest be my salvation unto the end of the earth.
7 Thus saith the Lord, the Redeemer of Israel, his Holy One, to him whom man despiseth, to him whom the nations abhorreth, to servant of rulers: Kings shall see and arise, princes also shall worship, because of the Lord that is faithful.	7 Thus saith the Lord, the Redeemer of Israel, and his Holy One, to him whom man despiseth, to him whom the nation abhorreth, to a servant of rulers, Kings shall see and arise, princes also shall worship, because of the Lord that is faithful, and the Holy One of Israel, and he shall choose thee.
8 Thus saith the Lord: In an acceptable time have I heard thee, O isles of the sea, and in a day of salvation have I helped thee; and I will preserve thee, and give thee my servant for a covenant of the people, to establish the earth, to cause to inherit the desolate heritages;	8 Thus saith the Lord, In an acceptable time have I heard thee, and in a day of salvation have I helped thee: and I will preserve thee, and give thee for a covenant of the people, to establish the earth, to cause to inherit the desolate heritages;
9 That thou mayest say to the prisoners: Go forth; to them that sit in darkness: Show yourselves. They shall feed in the ways, and their pastures shall be in all high places.	9 That thou mayest say to the prisoners, Go forth; to them that are in darkness, Shew yourselves. They shall feed in the ways, and their pastures shall be in all high places.
10 They shall not hunger nor thirst, neither shall the heat nor the sun smite them; for he that hath mercy on them shall lead them, even by the springs of water shall he guide them.	10 They shall not hunger nor thirst; neither shall the heat nor sun smite them: for he that hath mercy on them shall lead them, even by the springs of water shall he guide them.
11 And I will make all my mountains a way, and my highways shall be exalted.	11 And I will make all my mountains a way, and my highways shall be exalted.
12 And then, O house of Israel, behold, these shall come from far; and lo, these from the north and from the west; and these from the land of Sinim.	12 Behold, these shall come from far: and, lo, these from the north and from the west; and these from the land of Sinim.
13 Sing, O heavens; and be joyful, O earth; for the feet of those who are in the east shall be established; and break forth into singing, O mountains; for they shall be smitten no more; for the Lord hath comforted his people, and will have mercy upon his afflicted.	13 Sing, O heavens; and be joyful, O earth; and break forth into singing, O mountains: for the Lord hath comforted his people, and will have mercy upon his afflicted.
14 But, behold, Zion hath said: The Lord hath forsaken me, and my Lord hath forgotten me—but he will show that he hath not.	14 But Zion said, The Lord hath forsaken me, and my Lord hath forgotten me.
15 For can a woman forget her sucking child, that she should not have compassion on the son of her womb? Yea, they may forget, yet will I not forget thee, O house of Israel.	15 Can a woman forget her sucking child, that she should not have compassion on the son of her womb? yea, they may forget, yet will I not forget thee.
16 Behold, I have graven thee upon the palms of my hands; thy walls are continually before me.	16 Behold, I have graven thee upon the palms of my hands; thy walls are continually before me.
17 Thy children shall make haste against thy destroyers; and they that made thee waste shall go forth of thee.	17 Thy children shall make haste; thy destroyers and they that made thee waste shall go forth of thee.
18 Lift up thine eyes round about and behold; all these gather themselves together, and they shall come to thee. And as I live, saith the Lord, thou shalt surely clothe thee with them all, as with an ornament, and bind them on even as a bride.	18 Lift up thine eyes round about, and behold: all these gather themselves together, and come to thee. As I live, saith the Lord, thou shalt surely clothe thee with them all, as with an ornament, and bind them on thee, as a bride doeth.
19 For thy waste and thy desolate places, and the land of thy destruction, shall even now be too narrow by reason of the inhabitants; and they that swallowed thee up shall be far away.	19 For thy waste and thy desolate places, and the land of thy destruction, shall even now be too narrow by reason of the inhabitants, and they that swallowed thee up shall be far away.
20 The children whom thou shalt have, after thou hast lost the first, shall again in thine ears say: The place is too strait for me; give place to me that I may dwell.	20 The children which thou shalt have, after thou hast lost the other, shall say again in thine ears, The place is too strait for me: give place to me that I may dwell.
21 Then shalt thou say in thine heart: Who hath begotten me these, seeing I have lost my children, and am desolate, a captive, and removing to and fro? And who hath brought up these? Behold, I was left alone; these, where have they been?	21 Then shalt thou say in thine heart, Who hath begotten me these, seeing I have lost my children, and am desolate, a captive, and removing to and fro? and who hath brought up these? Behold, I was left alone; these, where had they been?
22 Thus saith the Lord God: Behold, I will lift up mine hand to the Gentiles, and set up my standard to the people; and they shall bring thy sons in their arms, and thy daughters shall be carried upon their shoulders.	22 Thus saith the Lord God, Behold, I will lift up mine hand to the Gentiles, and set up my standard to the people: and they shall bring thy sons in their arms, and thy daughters shall be carried upon their shoulders.
23 And kings shall be thy nursing fathers, and their queens thy nursing mothers; they shall bow down to thee with their face towards the earth, and lick up the dust of thy feet; and thou shalt know that I am the Lord; for they shall not be ashamed that wait for me.	23 And kings shall be thy nursing fathers, and their queens thy nursing mothers: they shall bow down to thee with their face toward the earth, and lick up the dust of thy feet; and thou shalt know that I am the Lord: for they shall not be ashamed that wait for me.
24 For shall the prey be taken from the mighty, or the lawful captives delivered?	24 Shall the prey be taken from the mighty, or the lawful captive delivered?
25 But thus saith the Lord, even the captives of the mighty shall be taken away, and the prey of the terrible shall be delivered; for I will contend with him that contendeth with thee, and I will save thy children.	25 But thus saith the Lord, Even the captives of the mighty shall be taken away, and the prey of the terrible shall be delivered: for I will contend with him that contendeth with thee, and I will save thy children.
26 And I will feed them that oppress thee with their own flesh; they shall be drunken with their own blood as with sweet wine; and all flesh shall know that I, the Lord, am thy Savior and thy Redeemer, the Mighty One of Jacob.	26 And I will feed them that oppress thee with their own flesh; and they shall be drunken with their own blood, as with sweet wine: and all flesh shall know that I the Lord am thy Saviour and thy Redeemer, the mighty One of Jacob.

Comparison of 1 Nephi 20 and Isaiah 48

This is a side-by-side comparison of 1 Nephi 20 and Isaiah 48.

There is an important difference in the text found in the first verse. This article gives a break down of the changes to the verse found in the different manuscripts and publication versions. Also refer to this post and following conversation for more information on that verse.

Differences in the text are marked in RED. Variations in the text are marked in ROSE. 1 Nephi 20	Differences in the text are marked in BLUE. Variations in the text are marked in GREEN. Isaiah 48
1 Hearken and hear this, O house of Jacob, who are called by the name of Israel, and are come forth out of the waters of Judah, or out of the waters of baptism, who swear by the name of the Lord, and make mention of the God of Israel, yet they swear not in truth nor in righteousness.	1 Hear ye this, O house of Jacob, which are called by the name of Israel, and are come forth out of the waters of Judah, which swear by the name of the Lord, and make mention of the God of Israel, but not in truth, nor in righteousness.
2 Nevertheless, they call themselves of the holy city, but they do not stay themselves upon the God of Israel, who is the Lord of Hosts; yea, the Lord of Hosts is his name.	2 For they call themselves of the holy city, and stay themselves upon the God of Israel; The Lord of hosts is his name.
3 Behold, I have declared the former things from the beginning; and they went forth out of my mouth, and I showed them. I did show them suddenly.	3 I have declared the former things from the beginning; and they went forth out of my mouth, and I shewed them; I did them suddenly, and they came to pass.
4 And I did it because I knew that thou art obstinate, and thy neck is an iron sinew, and thy brow brass;	4 Because I knew that thou art obstinate, and thy neck is an iron sinew, and thy brow brass;
5 And I have even from the beginning declared to thee; before it came to pass I showed them thee; and I showed them for fear lest thou shouldst say—Mine idol hath done them, and my graven image, and my molten image hath commanded them.	5 I have even from the beginning declared it to thee; before it came to pass I shewed it thee: lest thou shouldest say, Mine idol hath done them, and my graven image, and my molten image, hath commanded them.
6 Thou hast seen and heard all this; and will ye not declare them? And that I have showed thee new things from this time, even hidden things, and thou didst not know them.	6 Thou hast heard, see all this; and will not ye declare it? I have shewed thee new things from this time, even hidden things, and thou didst not know them.
7 They are created now, and not from the beginning, even before the day when thou heardest them not they were declared unto thee, lest thou shouldst say—Behold I knew them.	7 They are created now, and not from the beginning; even before the day when thou heardest them not; lest thou shouldest say, Behold, I knew them.
8 Yea, and thou heardest not; yea, thou knewest not; yea, from that time thine ear was not opened; for I knew that thou wouldst deal very treacherously, and wast called a transgressor from the womb.	8 Yea, thou heardest not; yea, thou knewest not; yea, from that time that thine ear was not opened: for I knew that thou wouldest deal very treacherously, and wast called a transgressor from the womb.
9 Nevertheless, for my name’s sake will I defer mine anger, and for my praise will I refrain from thee, that I cut thee not off.	9 For my name’s sake will I defer mine anger, and for my praise will I refrain for thee, that I cut thee not off.
10 For, behold, I have refined thee, I have chosen thee in the furnace of affliction.	10 Behold, I have refined thee, but not with silver; I have chosen thee in the furnace of affliction.
11 For mine own sake, yea, for mine own sake will I do this, for I will not suffer my name to be polluted, and I will not give my glory unto another.	11 For mine own sake, even for mine own sake, will I do it: for how should my name be polluted? and I will not give my glory unto another.
12 Hearken unto me, O Jacob, and Israel my called, for I am he; I am the first, and I am also the last.	12 Hearken unto me, O Jacob and Israel, my called; I am he; I am the first, I also am the last.
13 Mine hand hath also laid the foundation of the earth, and my right hand hath spanned the heavens. I call unto them and they stand up together.	13 Mine hand also hath laid the foundation of the earth, and my right hand hath spanned the heavens: when I call unto them, they stand up together.
14 All ye, assemble yourselves, and hear; who among them hath declared these things unto them? The Lord hath loved him; yea, and he will fulfil his word which he hath declared by them; and he will do his pleasure on Babylon, and his arm shall come upon the Chaldeans.	14 All ye, assemble yourselves, and hear; which among them hath declared these things? The Lord hath loved him: he will do his pleasure on Babylon, and his arm shall be on the Chaldeans.
15 Also, saith the Lord; I the Lord, yea, I have spoken; yea, I have called him to declare, I have brought him, and he shall make his way prosperous.	15 I, even I, have spoken; yea, I have called him: I have brought him, and he shall make his way prosperous.
16 Come ye near unto me; I have not spoken in secret; from the beginning, from the time that it was declared have I spoken; and the Lord God, and his Spirit, hath sent me.	16 Come ye near unto me, hear ye this; I have not spoken in secret from the beginning; from the time that it was, there am I: and now the Lord God, and his Spirit, hath sent me.
17 And thus saith the Lord, thy Redeemer, the Holy One of Israel; I have sent him, the Lord thy God who teacheth thee to profit, who leadeth thee by the way thou shouldst go, hath done it.	17 Thus saith the Lord, thy Redeemer, the Holy One of Israel; I am the Lord thy God which teacheth thee to profit, which leadeth thee by the way that thou shouldest go.
18 O that thou hadst hearkened to my commandments—then had thy peace been as a river, and thy righteousness as the waves of the sea.	18 O that thou hadst hearkened to my commandments! then had thy peace been as a river, and thy righteousness as the waves of the sea:
19 Thy seed also had been as the sand; the offspring of thy bowels like the gravel thereof; his name should not have been cut off nor destroyed from before me.	19 Thy seed also had been as the sand, and the offspring of thy bowels like the gravel thereof; his name should not have been cut off nor destroyed from before me.
20 Go ye forth of Babylon, flee ye from the Chaldeans, with a voice of singing declare ye, tell this, utter to the end of the earth; say ye: The Lord hath redeemed his servant Jacob.	20 Go ye forth of Babylon, flee ye from the Chaldeans, with a voice of singing declare ye, tell this, utter it even to the end of the earth; say ye, The Lord hath redeemed his servant Jacob.
21 And they thirsted not; he led them through the deserts; he caused the waters to flow out of the rock for them; he clave the rock also and the waters gushed out.	21 And they thirsted not when he led them through the deserts: he caused the waters to flow out of the rock for them: he clave the rock also, and the waters gushed out.
22 And notwithstanding he hath done all this, and greater also, there is no peace, saith the Lord, unto the wicked.	22 There is no peace, saith the Lord, unto the wicked.

Explanation of text markings

In the side-by-side comparison of the text from the Book of Mormon and from the Bible, the Book of Mormon will always be on the left, and the Bible on the right. Differences in the text, marked in RED and BLUE are places where the text is substantially different, i.e. a word or phrase appears in one text that does not appear in the other. Variations, marked in ROSE and GREEN are places where a word or phase is different, but there is a corresponding word or phrase in the other text with essentially the same meaning (though maybe not the exact same meaning, and that can be important). Examples are given below.

The colors RED and ROSE are used for differences and variations in the Book of Mormon respectively. The colors BLUE and GREEN are used in the differences and variations in the Bible. An example is given below.

Differences in the text are marked in RED. Variations in the text are marked in ROSE. 1 Nephi 20:1	Differences in the text are marked in BLUE. Variations in the text are marked in GREEN. Isaiah 48:1
1 Hearken and hear this, O house of Jacob, who are called by the name of Israel, and are come forth out of the waters of Judah, or out of the waters of baptism, who swear by the name of the Lord, and make mention of the God of Israel, yet they swear not in truth nor in righteousness.	1 Hear ye this, O house of Jacob, which are called by the name of Israel, and are come forth out of the waters of Judah, which swear by the name of the Lord, and make mention of the God of Israel, but not in truth, nor in righteousness.

As seen above the Book of Mormon text has words and phrases that do not appear in the Bible. Hence phrases such as, "Hearken and" and "or out of the waters of baptism" are marked in red since they do not appear in the Bible. Also the word "ye" in the Biblical text is marked in blue since it does not appear in the Book of Mormon text. Those are considered differences.

On the other hand, the words "who" and "which" are marked as variations since they replace one another in the opposite text, but still carry roughly the same meaning.

Punctuation is not considered as a difference or a variation since the punctuation has changed more and in many cases has been modernized.

For verses where a single phrase has been taken from Isaiah and has been used in its entirety or as a paraphrase then I will note the similarities rather than the differences. In this case similarities will be marked in GOLD but variations will still be noted in either ROSE or GREEN. An example is given below.

Similarities in the text are marked in GOLD. Variations in the text are marked in ROSE. 2 Nephi 25:17	Similarities in the text are marked in GOLD. Variations in the text are marked in GREEN. Isaiah 11:11
17 And the Lord will set his hand again the second time to restore his people from their lost and fallen state. Wherefore, he will proceed to do a marvelous work and a wonder among the children of men.	11 And it shall come to pass in that day, that the Lord shall set his hand again the second time to recover the remnant of his people, which shall be left, from Assyria, and from Egypt, and from Pathros, and from Cush, and from Elam, and from Shinar, and from Hamath, and from the islands of the sea.
2 Nephi 29:1
1 But behold, there shall be many—at that day when I shall proceed to do a marvelous work among them, that I may remember my covenants which I have made unto the children of men, that I may set my hand again the second time to recover my people, which are of the house of Israel;	11 And it shall come to pass in that day, that the Lord shall set his hand again the second time to recover the remnant of his people, which shall be left, from Assyria, and from Egypt, and from Pathros, and from Cush, and from Elam, and from Shinar, and from Hamath, and from the islands of the sea.

If you find any errors feel free to let me know through a comment.

The purpose of this project

The idea for this project came while I was doing some investigation for a separate project. The idea for the other project started a few years ago when I came across a comment left under a story on DeseretNews.com. The commenter made the assertion that Joseph Smith had just used place names from around where he lived in New York in order to write the Book of Mormon. But unfortunately for the credibility of the commenter he actually left a list of place names (supposedly from New York) with their "corresponding" name in the Book of Mormon. I did a brief investigation of the list and found it to be entirely unreliable.

But that got me thinking about the origin, and the meaning of the different names in the Book of Mormon. I thus began a more extensive investigation into all the names found in the Book of Mormon. Because my search required me to try and find possible matches and origins to all the names that lead to a lot of Google searches on the names of the Book of Mormon. This lead me to a large number of anti-Mormon sites with extensive lists of all the possible problems with the Book of Mormon. While the great majority of the stuff on those sites was rather childish (i.e. they don't know, or don't care, about the difference between quoting and plagiarism), the one thing that I found rather impressive was the extensive lists of verses or chapters in the Book of Mormon that are quotes of Bible passages.

These lists represented a significant amount of work, time and effort. This is even more amazing considering that the vast majority of the members of the Church don't even attempt to make such lists, or even read the scriptures enough to make such lists. (Though to be fair, most of the sites I looked at the people who posted the lists didn't actually make the lists themselves, they just copied the lists, errors and all, from other places. So not a lot of original content.) Unfortunately all of these lists came with the inflammatory accusation of plagiarism (i.e. "Look! Here is a verse in the Book of Mormon and here is the same verse in the Bible! Proof that Joseph Smith plagiarized the Bible when he wrote the Book of Mormon!" If that counts as plagiarism then they better not read the New Testament and compare it to the Old Testament, since "plagiarism" (quoting as it is called by normal people) tends to happen a lot.) So I set out to see if any members of the Church had any similar lists, or even a side-by-side comparison of the Bible verses quoted in the Book of Mormon.

I looked and I looked, but the vast majority of the sites out there were all run by anti-Mormons, and none had a side-by-side comparison of the texts. I did find a very little known book that apparently has a side-by-side comparison, but not really useful for the vast majority of the members of the Church who do not know about the book, or don't really have the inclination to dish out $18.98 (+s/h). There were a few scholarly papers published on The Maxwell Institute site but those did not contain the oh so convenient lists found on the anti-Mormon sites, nor were they written for a general audience. In other words, if some random seminary student (or teacher!) came across it they would probably have a hard time understanding most of what was being discussed (also the massive texts are just visually intimating). I did come across this handout from Victor Ludlow from a previous BYU Education Week that listed all the Isaiah chapters, quotes and references in the Book of Mormon. It is quite useful, but still not a side-by-side comparison of Isaiah text from the Bible with that found in the Book of Mormon.

So I decided to just make a site and do my own side-by-side comparison of the texts. I am sure that people have done this before. I am sure that their work is better than mine, but I just wanted to do my own version so that I would have the experience, and see the differences for myself. Then I would put my work out there so that anyone who happens to come across my blog can see, side-by-side, the similarities and differences between those verses that are found in both the Book of Mormon and the Bible.

So this site is for the casual reader, the seminary or institute student or teacher, the Sunday School teacher, the bishop, the Relief Society President, the nursery leader, the ward clerk, the common member, the interested non-member, the person who always saw the "Compare Isaiah ___" in the Book of Mormon and either never actually went to Isaiah to do the comparison or did and, like me, got bogged down with the constant switching between books to the point that it became annoying, in other words anyone who goes looking for a side-by-side comparison and finds it, this site is for you.

From this project I have learned that there are important differences between the two texts, and I can tell that while Joseph Smith translated the Book of Mormon he may have relied on the Bible for the general language of the Book of Mormon, he did not do a verbatim, or even a sloppy, copy of passages from the Bible. There are subtle and very important differences that indicate that he was relying on a similar, but still different original text of Isaiah than the one (or ones) that we have in our current version of the Bible.

The other thing I learned is that the actual mechanics of the Book of Mormon translation were rough and not refined. There may be minor errors in our text of the Book of Mormon, but the message, intent and truth contained therein is complete. The people working with Joseph Smith on the translation were not scholars. They were not keen on the intricacies of translation, but they managed to produce something that is far beyond their collective capabilities. That is perhaps one of the strongest testaments to the veracity of Joseph Smith's claim regarding the Book of Mormon. Between Joseph Smith and all his scribes, they had a hard time spelling common words correctly, yet they managed to translate and publish the Book of Mormon which has withstood all the attacks of the critics.