Thoughts On Genesis 50: 30-33 --- Wait, What?!?

Between bouts of the self imposed penance of turning a tree stump into a planter (photos WILL appear here when that little project is completed) I spent the weekend doing a bit of reading (Deuteronomy) and watching some videos on Youtube (Chris White - awesome stuff, it caused a major rethink in my Mystery Babylon article that I have in the works) and generally bouncing around on the internet.

While bouncing back and forth through different articles I saw a quick reference to the prophesy in Genesis 50: 30-33. I decided to go check it out later. Checking it out later I was shocked to find out that Genesis 50: 30-33 doesn't exist, the book of Genesis ends at Genesis 50:26. Not wanting to brand my source with a few insidious labels I started to research looking for the rumored verses and found them, and more. I found it, in the Inspired Version of the bible, AKA the Joseph Smith Translation, and in his version Genesis stretches out to verse 38.

Rather than go back to original documents and manuscripts to come up with his version of the bible, not being able to speak Hebrew, Aramaic, or Greek, Joseph Smith chose to translate the King James Version of the bible from it's native English to - well, to English. According to the Doctrine & Covenants (a Mormon appendix to the bible) God inspired Joseph Smith to translate an English bible into English, and supposedly God inspired Joseph to add and revise numerous passages

If he will do my will let him from henceforth hearken to the counsel of my servant Joseph, and with his interest support the cause of the poor, and publish the new translation of my holy word unto the inhabitants of the earth. (Doctrine and Covenants 124:89)

Never in Holy Scripture does God tell any of his prophets to change scripture, translate scripture, or revise scripture, but only to copy scripture:

“Now it shall come about when he sits on the throne of his kingdom, he shall write for himself a copy of this law on a scroll in the presence of the Levitical priests. (Deuteronomy 17:18)

The Bible is not published in a loose-leaf three ringed binder so you can swap out pages as changes are made. That's because changes are not made, and the reason God does not have His servants revise His word is because He never changes, therefore His word never changes.

For I, the LORD, do not change; therefore you, O sons of Jacob, are not consumed. (Malachi 3:6)

Here are the verses I found. To highlight what Joseph Smith did I put God's words in bold black italic, the words in red are Joseph Smiths;

24 And Joseph said unto his brethren, I die, and go unto my fathers; and I go down to my grave with joy. The God of my father Jacob be with you, to deliver you out of affliction in the days of your bondage; for the Lord hath visited me, and I have obtained a promise of the Lord, that out of the fruit of my loins, the Lord God will raise up a righteous branch out of my loins; and unto thee, whom my father Jacob hath named Israel, a prophet; (not the Messiah who is called Shilo;) and this prophet shall deliver my people out of Egypt in the days of thy bondage.

25 And it shall come to pass that they shall be scattered again; and a branch shall be broken off, and shall be carried into a far country; nevertheless they shall be remembered in the covenants of the Lord, when the Messiah cometh; for he shall be made manifest unto them in the latter days, in the Spirit of power; and shall bring them out of darkness into light; out of hidden darkness, and out of captivity unto freedom.

26 A seer shall the Lord my God raise up, who shall be a choice seer unto the fruit of my loins.

27 Thus saith the Lord God of my fathers unto me, A choice seer will I raise up out of the fruit of thy loins, and he shall be esteemed highly among the fruit of thy loins; and unto him will I give commandment that he shall do a work for the fruit of thy loins, his brethren.

28 And he shall bring them to the knowledge of the covenants which I have made with thy fathers; and he shall do whatsoever work I shall command him.

29 And I will make him great in mine eyes, for he shall do my work; and he shall be great like unto him whom I have said I would raise up unto you, to deliver my people, O house of Israel, out of the land of Egypt; for a seer will I raise up to deliver my people out of the land of Egypt; and he shall be called Moses. And by this name he shall know that he is of thy house; for he shall be nursed by the king’s daughter, and shall be called her son.

30 And again, a seer will I raise up out of the fruit of thy loins, and unto him will I give power to bring forth my word unto the seed of thy loins; and not to the bringing forth of my word only, saith the Lord, but to the convincing them of my word, which shall have already gone forth among them in the last days;

31 Wherefore the fruit of thy loins shall write, and the fruit of the loins of Judah shall write; and that which shall be written by the fruit of thy loins, and also that which shall be written by the fruit of the loins of Judah, shall grow together unto the confounding of false doctrines, and laying down of contentions, and establishing peace among the fruit of thy loins, and bringing them to a knowledge of their fathers in the latter days; and also to the knowledge of my covenants, saith the Lord.

32 And out of weakness shall he be made strong, in that day when my work shall go forth among all my people, which shall restore them, who are of the house of Israel, in the last days.

33 And that seer will I bless, and they that seek to destroy him shall be confounded; for this promise I give unto you; for I will remember you from generation to generation; and his name shall be called Joseph, and it shall be after the name of his father; and he shall be like unto you; for the thing which the Lord shall bring forth by his hand shall bring my people unto salvation.

34 And the Lord sware unto Joseph that he would preserve his seed forever, saying, I will raise up Moses, and a rod shall be in his hand, and he shall gather together my people, and he shall lead them as a flock, and he shall smite the waters of the Red Sea with his rod.

35 And he shall have judgment, and shall write the word of the Lord. And he shall not speak many words, for I will write unto him my law by the finger of mine own hand. And I will make a spokesman for him, and his name shall be called Aaron.

36 And it shall be done unto thee in the last days also, even as I have sworn. Therefore, Joseph said unto his brethren, God will surely visit you, and bring you out of this land, unto the land which he sware unto Abraham, and unto Isaac, and to Jacob.

37 And Joseph confirmed many other things unto his brethren, and took an oath of the children of Israel, saying unto them, God will surely visit you, and ye shall carry up my bones from hence.

38 So Joseph died when he was an hundred and ten years old; and they embalmed him, and they put him in a coffin in Egypt; and he was kept from burial by the children of Israel, that he might be carried up and laid in the sepulchre with his father. And thus they remembered the oath which they sware unto him.

If you're anything like me you probably got real tired of all the talk of loin fruit. The term "fruit of my loins" appears nowhere in the bible, but Joseph Smith made it appear 11 times in just 9 verses. He must like that phrase. 

The term 'seer' is used in the bible, it's first use is not in Genesis but in 1 Samuel and is used 25 times thereafter until it's final use in Micah, where Micah prophesys that prophesy will end:

6 Therefore it will be night for you—without vision, And darkness for you—without divination. The sun will go down on the prophets, And the day will become dark over them. 7 The seers will be ashamed And the diviners will be embarrassed. Indeed, they will all cover their mouths Because there is no answer from God. (Micah 3:6-7)

And after fighting through the fruits you will notice that there are two prophets prophesied here, three people in all by name - Moses, Aaron, and Joseph. Maybe I'm wrong but I've been through the NASB and the NIV a few times and I don't remember a prophet ever relating a prophesy of future events including the proper names of the future people involved with that prophesy. Imagine Joseph Smith's excitement as he's translating the bible from English to English and suddenly realizing that not only is he mentioned, but his dad, Joseph Smith Sr. is mentioned too! I would have loved to hear the conversation around the dinner table that evening, yes sir.

Yes, I'm being sarcastic here. To many this is holy writ, God told Joseph Smith to re-write the bible into something that changes the way man and God interact, in many ways contradicting what was set in cannon. To many more it's a disagreement between a couple of Christian factions so who cares? And to others it's pure heresy and sheer blasphemy. I fall into the latter groupWe know from Genesis 3:1-5 that  Satan's first interaction with mankind was to twist God's words. When Satan first spoke to Jesus he said “If You are the Son of God, command that these stones become bread.” Satan knew full well that Jesus was the son of God, that "if" was a dig trying to spur Jesus to action. 

Satan misapplies scripture like when he tried to get Jesus to jump off the Temple roof correctly quoting ‘On their hands they will bear You up, So that You will not strike Your foot against a stone.’” (Matthew 4:6) it was a good verse that Satan used, he used it wrong and Jesus called him on it reminding Satan “On the other hand, it is written, ‘You shall not put the Lord your God to the test.’” A common misapplication is the now tired quotation "Thou shall not judge" which does appear in the bible, but misapplied almost always means "Go away and let me sin." Satan twists scripture and misapplies the Bible but he never doubts what God has said, so Satan doesn't have to change scripture, he has his minions do it, like Rob Bell, and the emergent church. And Joseph Smith.

14 Therefore, beloved, since you look for these things, be diligent to be found by Him in peace, spotless and blameless, 15 and regard the patience of our Lord as salvation; just as also our beloved brother Paul, according to the wisdom given him, wrote to you, 16 as also in all his letters, speaking in them of these things, in which are some things hard to understand, which the untaught and unstable distort, as they do also the rest of the Scriptures, to their own destruction. (2 Peter 3:14-18)

5 Every word of God is tested; He is a shield to those who take refuge in Him. 6 Do not add to His words Or He will reprove you, and you will be proved a liar. (Proverbs 30:5-6)