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Dear Gramps,
I was reading the Pearl of Great Price last night. And I was reading the Book of Moses and the Book of Abraham and I was wondering if there was ever the full works of both books. So is there the works of the Book of Moses and the Book of Abraham in existence today? And why don’t we have the full publishing of the Book of Moses and the Book of Abraham?
Amanda, from Narrabri, New South Wales, Australia

Dear Amanda,
The Book of Moses in the Pearl of Great Price is the Joseph Smith Translation (JST) of selections from the Book of Genesis in the Bible. Other parts of the JST are contained as footnotes and as an addendum to the Bibles published by the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. Although called a translation, Joseph Smith did not have some early document that he converted from another language into English. Rather, the JST was a revelation from God, correcting errors that had crept into the current editions of the Bible. I am not acquainted with the total extent of those revisions. I only know of those published, as mentioned above.
The Book of Abraham, on the other hand, is a direct translation from hieroglyphic inscriptions on papyri that had fallen into the hands of Joseph Smith. Other papyri containing other sacred writings were also translated, such as the record of Joseph who was sold into Egypt, but these were not published, and I have no idea if a record of the translation of the Book of Joseph exists.
Gramps

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