Study Insights
Doctrine and Covenants Section 10: God’s Power Over the Plot of Evil (Summer 1828–Spring 1829)
Doctrine and Covenants Section 10 is a revelation that emerges out of heartbreak, repentance, and divine mercy. It is directly tied to one of the most painful setbacks in the history of the Restoration—the loss of the 116 manuscript pages of the Book of Mormon translation entrusted to Martin Harris. Joseph Smith, still a young and relatively inexperienced prophet, had allowed the manuscript to be taken against repeated divine warnings. When the pages were lost, it plunged Joseph into grief and fear, unsure if he had forfeited his prophetic calling. In this context of divine chastisement and personal repentance, the Lord gave Section 10—a revelation that is both corrective and empowering.
This section is unique because it spans two time periods: the initial revelation came in the summer of 1828, shortly after the pages were lost, and additional instructions were added in the spring of 1829 as the translation process resumed. It’s a layered revelation—part warning, part encouragement, part unveiling of God’s eternal plan. D&C 10 is not merely about a mistake—it’s about how the Lord turns even human weakness into a display of divine foreknowledge and power.
The Devil’s Strategy and God’s Wisdom
A central theme in D&C 10 is the exposure of Satan’s cunning strategies. The Lord reveals to Joseph that wicked men had taken the lost manuscript and were planning to alter the words, then publish them and claim that the new manuscript was false. Their intent was to discredit Joseph and stop the translation by proving he was inconsistent. It was a sophisticated and malicious plan—a trap designed to destroy trust in the Prophet’s divine mission.
But God, whose knowledge is not bound by time, had anticipated all of this long before it happened. He reassured Joseph that the adversary would not succeed. What Satan meant for destruction, the Lord had already prepared to overcome. The Lord instructed Joseph not to retranslate the lost portion from the Book of Lehi. Instead, he was to translate a different account of the same events, found in the Plates of Nephi—an inspired backup prepared over a thousand years earlier. This alternate record would provide the same historical material but with added spiritual depth and commentary.
This astonishing revelation reveals a God who works through layers of foreknowledge. The small plates of Nephi, seemingly a secondary source, were actually positioned by the Lord centuries before as a divine safeguard for a future prophet. In D&C 10, the Lord teaches a profound truth: no plan of the adversary can outmaneuver the purposes of God. Where humans stumble, God’s providence stands ready.
The Lord’s Grace Toward His Servants
While D&C 10 addresses the gravity of the loss, it is not a harsh condemnation. Instead, it reflects the Lord’s patience and mercy toward Joseph. The Prophet is chastened, yes—but also reassured. The Lord tells him, “You are still chosen,” words that must have brought immense relief to Joseph, who feared he had lost everything.
In this revelation, God does not focus on what cannot be recovered. Instead, He points Joseph forward, instructing him to continue translating from where he left off. The focus shifts from guilt to mission, from the weight of error to the strength of God’s ongoing work. The Lord models divine parenting here: correction with compassion, discipline with love.
Moreover, the Lord reaffirms Joseph’s prophetic calling and recommissions him to bring forth the Book of Mormon. This recommitment signifies that although mistakes may delay divine work, they cannot derail it when repentance and faith are present. The Lord works through the weak and fallible, but He always preserves His purposes.
The Unstoppable Power of the Book of Mormon
Another major emphasis in D&C 10 is the purpose of the Book of Mormon. The Lord declares boldly that “the gospel might be preached in power unto the convincing of men,” and that the book is meant to help build His Church and gather His elect. He outlines that the purpose of the book is not just historical or theological—it is transformational. It is designed to bring souls to Christ, refute false doctrines, and stand as a witness that the Lord remembers His covenant people.
This section makes it clear that the Book of Mormon is not merely a backup for lost scripture—it is a divinely orchestrated tool in the hands of God. Its power lies in its ability to restore truth, bring light where there is confusion, and prepare the world for the Second Coming of Christ. The adversary’s schemes to discredit it are evidence of its importance. The fact that God protected the project with such foresight speaks to its unparalleled spiritual significance.
Divine Instructions for the Coming Work
In the latter part of Section 10, the Lord gives Joseph precise instructions. He is told to begin translating from the small plates of Nephi and to avoid falling into the same temptation that led to the loss of the 116 pages. This is not only a command but a teaching moment—God reminds Joseph that His voice will guide the work, that the adversary must be watched carefully, and that true disciples must not be overpowered by flattery, pride, or impatience.
The Lord also gives assurance that those who fight against Zion will fall. This promise offers a clear sense of divine backing for the mission ahead. The revelation closes with a strong reaffirmation: the Church will be established, the elect will be gathered, and the truth will prevail. Nothing—not even deceit, theft, or lies—can stop the Lord’s hand.
A Message of Hope, Redemption, and Eternal Planning
Doctrine and Covenants 10 is more than a crisis-management revelation. It is a powerful declaration of God’s ability to anticipate, protect, and prevail. It offers a roadmap for how God works with fallible mortals to accomplish His perfect will. It highlights the Lord’s mercy, the power of repentance, and the wisdom in divine timing.
For modern readers, D&C 10 is both warning and comfort. It warns us not to give in to temptation or fear, and it comforts us with the truth that God’s work is unstoppable—even when we falter. It reminds us that every setback, when placed in the Lord’s hands, can become a setup for something greater. In the story of D&C 10, the Restoration presses forward—not in spite of human weakness, but through it, under the guiding hand of a God who sees the end from the beginning.
Verses in D&C 10
Doctrine and Covenants 10
Revelation given to Joseph Smith the Prophet, at Harmony, Pennsylvania, summer of 1828, in response to his supplication to the Lord concerning the loss of the manuscript of the first part of the Book of Mormon. The revelation was written at the time indicated in the headnote, but portions may have been received as early as the summer of 1828.
1 Now, behold, I say unto you, that because you delivered up those writings which you had power given unto you to translate by the means of the Urim and Thummim, into the hands of a wicked man, you have lost them.
2 And you also lost your gift at the same time, and your mind became darkened.
3 Nevertheless, it is now restored unto you again; therefore see that you are faithful and continue on unto the finishing of the remainder of the work of translation as you have begun.
4 Do not run faster or labor more than you have strength and means provided to enable you to translate; but be diligent unto the end.
5 Pray always, that you may come off conqueror; yea, that you may conquer Satan, and that you may escape the hands of the servants of Satan that do uphold his work.
6 Behold, they have sought to destroy you; yea, even the man in whom you have trusted has sought to destroy you.
7 And for this cause I said 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.
8 And because you have delivered the writings into his hands, behold, wicked men have taken them from you.
9 Therefore, you have delivered them up, yea, that which was sacred, unto wickedness.
10 And, behold, Satan hath 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.
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;
12 And, on this wise, the devil has sought to lay a cunning plan, that he may destroy this work;
13 For he hath 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.
14 Verily, I say unto you, that I will not suffer that Satan shall accomplish his evil design in this thing.
15 For behold, he has put it into their hearts to get thee to tempt the Lord thy God, in asking to translate it over again.
16 And then, behold, they say and think in their hearts—We will see if God has given him power to translate; if so, he will also give him power again;
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 Therefore they will not agree, and we will say that he hath lied in his words, and that he has no gift, and that he has no power;
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 Verily, verily, I say unto you, that Satan hath great hold upon their hearts; he stirreth them up to iniquity against that which is good;
21 And their hearts are corrupt, and full of wickedness and abominations; and they love darkness rather than light, because their deeds are evil; therefore they will not ask of me.
22 Satan stirreth them up, that he may lead their souls to destruction.
23 And thus he has laid a cunning plan, thinking to destroy the work of God;
24 But I will require this at their hands, and it shall turn to their shame and condemnation in the day of judgment.
25 Yea, he stirreth up their hearts to anger against this work.
26 Yea, he saith unto them: Deceive and lie in wait to catch, that ye may destroy; behold, this is no harm. 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.
27 And thus he flattereth them, and leadeth them along until he draggeth their souls down to hell; and thus he causeth them to catch themselves in their own snare.
28 And thus he goeth up and down, to and fro in the earth, seeking to destroy the souls of men.
29 Verily, verily, I say unto you, woe be unto him that lieth to deceive because he supposeth that another lieth to deceive.
30 For such are not exempt from the justice of God.
31 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 get thee to tempt the Lord thy God.
32 Behold, I say unto you, that you shall not translate again those words which have gone forth out of your hands;
33 For, behold, they shall not accomplish their evil designs in lying against those words. For, behold, if you should bring forth the same words they will say that you have lied; that you have pretended to translate, but that you have contradicted yourself;
34 And, behold, they will publish this, and Satan will harden the hearts of the people to stir them up to anger against you, that they will not believe my words.
35 Thus Satan thinketh to overpower your testimony in this generation, that the work may not come forth in this generation.
36 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 of translation.
37 Marvel not that I said unto you: Here is wisdom, show it not unto the world—for I said, show it not unto the world, that you may be preserved.
38 Behold, I do not say that you shall not show it unto the righteous;
39 But as you cannot always judge the righteous, or as you cannot always tell the wicked from the righteous;
40 Therefore I say unto you, hold your peace until I shall see fit to make all things known unto the world concerning the matter.
41 And now, verily I say unto you, that an account of those things that you have written, which have gone out of your hands, is engraven upon the plates of Nephi;
42 Yea, and you remember it was said in those writings that a more particular account was given of these things upon the plates of Nephi.
43 And now, because the account which is engraven upon the plates of Nephi is more particular concerning the things which, in my wisdom, I would bring to the knowledge of the people in this account—
44 Therefore, you shall translate the engravings which are on the plates of Nephi, down even till you come to the reign of king Benjamin, or until you come to that which you have translated, which you have retained;
45 And behold, you shall publish it as the record of Nephi; and thus I will confound those who have altered my words.
46 I will not suffer that they shall destroy my work; yea, I will show unto them that my wisdom is greater than the cunning of the devil.
47 Behold, they have only got a part, or an abridgment of the account of Nephi.
48 Behold, there are many things engraven upon the plates of Nephi which do throw greater views upon my gospel; therefore, it is wisdom in me that you should translate this first part of the engravings of Nephi, and send forth in this work.
49 And, behold, all the remainder of this work does contain all those parts of my gospel which my holy prophets, yea, and also my disciples, desired in their prayers should come forth unto this people.
50 And I said unto them, that it should be granted unto them according to their faith in their prayers;
51 Yea, and this was their faith—that my gospel, which I gave unto them that they might preach in their days, might come unto their brethren the Lamanites, and also all that had become Lamanites because of their dissensions.
52 Now, this is not all—their faith in their prayers was that this gospel should be made known also, if it were possible that other nations should possess this land;
53 And thus they did leave a blessing upon this land in their prayers, that whosoever should believe in this gospel in this land might have eternal life;
54 Yea, that it might be free unto all of whatsoever nation, kindred, tongue, or people they may be.
55 And now, behold, according to their faith in their prayers will I bring this part of my gospel to the knowledge of my people.
56 Behold, I do not bring it to destroy that which they have received, but to build it up.
57 And for this cause have I said: If this generation harden not their hearts, I will establish my church among them.
58 Now I do not say this to destroy my church, but I say this to build up my church;
59 Therefore, whosoever belongeth to my church need not fear, for such shall inherit the kingdom of heaven.
60 But it is they who do not fear me, neither keep my commandments but build up churches unto themselves to get gain, yea, and all those that do wickedly and build up the kingdom of the devil—yea, verily, verily, I say unto you, that it is they that I will disturb, and cause to tremble and shake to the center.
61 Behold, I am Jesus Christ, the Son of God. I came unto mine own, and mine own received me not.
62 I am the light which shineth in darkness, and the darkness comprehendeth it not.
63 I am he who said—Other sheep have I which are not of this fold—unto my disciples, and many there were that understood me not.
64 And I will show unto this people that I had other sheep, and that they were a branch of the house of Jacob;
65 And I will bring to light their marvelous works, which they did in my name;
66 Yea, and I will also bring to light my gospel, which was ministered unto them, and, behold, they shall not deny that which you have received, but they shall build it up, and shall bring to light the true points of my doctrine, yea, and the only doctrine which is in me.
67 And this I do that I may establish my gospel, that there may not be so much contention;
68 Yea, Satan doth stir up the hearts of the people to contention concerning the points of my doctrine; and in these things they do err, for they do wrest the scriptures and do not understand them.
69 Therefore, I will unfold unto them this great mystery;
70 For, behold, I will gather them as a hen gathereth her chickens under her wings, if they will not harden their hearts;
71 Yea, if they will come, they may, and partake of the waters of life freely.
72 Behold, this is my doctrine—whosoever repenteth and cometh unto me, the same is my church.
73 Whosoever declareth more or less than this, the same is not of me, but is against me; therefore he is not of my church.
74 And now, behold, whosoever is of my church, and endureth of my church to the end, him will I establish upon my rock, and the gates of hell shall not prevail against them.
75 And now, remember the words of him who is the life and light of the world, your Redeemer, your Lord and your God. Amen.