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The second half of Nephi's account consists of sermons and prophecies, many of which are derived from Isaiah. Several chapters from the King James Version of Isaiah are quoted at length, but with modifications. Within the narrative frame of the Book of Mormon, Nephi is presented as an interpreter of scripture, who adds glosses and reinterprets the biblical prophecies as applying to his own family. Nephi also lifts key phrases from Isaiah and works them into novel predictions concerning his descendants, the Book of Mormon, and the cultural context of its eventual publication (nineteenth-century America). Non-biblical prophecies ascribed to Joseph of Egypt are given particular weight as well, and Nephi reports a vision of his own that might be classified as an apocalypse.

Though few Latter-day Saints are conscious of the change, the King James Version (KJV) of the Bible underwent a subtle metamorphosis in the corporate Mormon mind between 1867 and 1979. This chapter examines the historical, theological, and emotional reasons for the transformation of the KJV from the common into the official version of English-speaking Mormonism. The discussion centers on J. Reuben Clark Jr., a longtime member of the Church's First Presidency. By 1956, Clark had appropriated the arguments of Protestant KJV defenders and mingled them with his uniquely Mormon perspectives. In so doing, he made virtually all subsequent Mormon spokesmen for the KJV dependent on his logic.

This introductory chapter traces the history of homosexuality in mainline Protestantism. Appearing for the first time in the Revised Standard Version (RSV) of the Bible in 1946, in Apostle Paul's first epistle to the Corinthians, the term “homosexual” was added by liberal Protestant Bible scholars who believed that homosexuality was a vice that had been opposed since Sodom. Two enigmatic Greek nouns, referenced in the older King James Version (KJV) as “effeminate” and “abusers of themselves with mankind,” now appeared as a single, streamlined “homosexual.” Some Bible readers, however, opposed this textual change and noted that before the addition, the topic of same-sex relationships was absent in Protestant literature. The chapter argues that the Bible's specifically same-sex meaning was an invention of the twentieth century. It also discusses how this liberal Protestant legacy shaped all sides of the oppositional politics over gay rights.

This chapter focuses on new translations and editions of the King James Version (KJV) of the Bible that were published in the modern world after World War II, including a fresh version of the Vulgate by Monsignor Ronald Knox, the Jerusalem Bible and its successor, the New Jerusalem Bible, the New American Bible, and the New English Bible. It also considers versions by other denominations such as Jehovah's Witnesses with their own New World Translation of the Holy Scriptures, along with the New International Version and Today's New International Version by evangelical groups; the King James Only Movement, whose members prefer the KJV for literary or religious reasons; the readership of the KJV; and the KJV's influence on the development of the English language. The chapter concludes by assessing the status of the KJV in 2011.

Chapter 3 describes the conflicts over scripture in the last two decades of the nineteenth century, focusing particularly on the Revised Version of the Bible, of which Testaments appeared in 1881 and 1885. The translators of the Revised Version still trusted in the power of the verbal Word of God and felt that a more accessible translation would reignite evangelism in the city. However, by providing an alternative to the King James Version they also, inadvertently, separated the words of any given text from the eternal and divine Word. Suddenly, there were multiple Protestant Bibles in New York City, and the sense of discontent was palpable. Charles Briggs, a professor of scripture at Union Theological Seminary, seized upon this disassociation to propound a new way of interpreting scripture: as a model for action rather than a collection of truths.

This chapter focuses on the revised edition of the King James Version (KJV) of the Bible. It first considers the rationale for the revision of the KJV and the proposals for revision, along with the rules that were devised to govern the process of revision. It then assesses the reception of the Revised Version of the New Testament before turning to a discussion of the revision of the Old Testament and of the Revised Version of the KJV. Finally, it examines whether the Revised Version of the KJV can be viewed as a modernisation of the KJV or as a new version of the Bible.

This chapter discusses William Tyndale's translation of the Bible, and how the Bible was translated into the King James Version. Printed Bibles in English was initiated by William Tyndale, who was born in Gloucestershire sometime in the early 1490s. Critics described him as ‘the best prose writer of his age’, because of the prosaic phrases in his Bible translations such as alpha and omega, apple of his eye, cast the first stone, and fell flat on his face. Shortly before Tyndale's execution, a fellow Protestant, Miles Coverdale, published the first complete Bible in English called the Great Bible. Plans for further Bible translation and marketing continued until King James I ordered the creation of a new English version in response to the perceived problems of the earlier translations. The new translation was eventually called the King James Version.

This book chronicles the history of the King James Version (KJV) of the Bible from 1611 to 2011. Known in the United Kingdom as the Authorised Version, the KJV is the most celebrated book in the English-speaking world, particularly the United States. The book tells the complex story of how this translation came to be commissioned and accomplished, as well as the people behind the translation. Aside from its printing history, it traces the KJV's political, ecclesiastical, and cultural history from 1611 to Oxford University Press's publication of the modern version in 1769, along with the subsequent generations who edited and interacted with the text and the controversies surrounding later revisions. The reception of the King James Version is considered as well.

This chapter focuses on the commissioning of the King James Version (KJV) of the Bible. It begins with an account of the Hampton Court Conference initiated in January 1604 by King James I of England to assemble a group of bishops, led by Richard Bancroft, and moderate puritans, led by John Rainolds. It then considers the fifteen rules that were adopted during the conference for use in the translation of the Bible, along with the implementation of the procedures. It also discusses the inclusion of the Apocrypha in the early editions of the KJV.

This chapter focuses on editions of the King James Version (KJV) of the Bible that were published in the nineteenth century. It first considers the challenge to the monopoly held by the king's printer, Oxford University Press, and Cambridge University Press in publishing the KJV in England. It then examines the complaints lodged by learned dissenting ministers (mostly Congregationalists), led by Thomas Curtis, against Benjamin Blayney's text of 1769. It also looks at the printing of the KJV in America, focusing on the editions of Robert Aitken and the American Bible Society as well as Joseph Smith's Mormon Version, commonly known as the Joseph Smith Translation or the Inspired Version. Finally, the chapter discusses the distribution of the KJV in the nineteenth century and the printing of illustrated Bibles, along with the reception of the KJV during the period.

This chapter focuses on editions of the King James Version (KJV) of the Bible that were printed in the early twentieth century. It first considers the scholarly editions that were published to commemorate the tercentenary of the KJV in 1911, including three versions by Oxford University Press. It then turns to two Bibles designed for aesthetic pleasure: the Doves Press Bible and the Oxford Lectern Bible. It also examines the Scofield Reference Bible, first published in 1909 by Cyrus I. Scofield, before concluding with a commentary on the adulation of the KJV as a great work of literature.

This chapter makes use of the recent survey Bible in American Life, conducted by the Center for the Study of Religion and Culture at Indiana University-Purdue University Indianapolis, to explore continuities and discontinuities in the nation’s history of engagement with the Bible. Many features of contemporary life testify to the continuing ubiquity of the Scriptures, but at the same time, no one can doubt that increasing competition from media of every kind has rendered Scripture less central in the contemporary United States than it was in previous eras. The survey does, however, helpfully disclose noteworthy facts about the nearly one-half of the population who read the Bible at least once a year (one-fourth weekly, 10 percent daily). More Catholics read the Bible outside worship services than often thought; even after intensive marketing of many other translations the King James Version remains the majority Bible of choice; African Americans read the Bible in far higher percentages than any other ethnic group; and a huge majority of Bible reading takes place for purposes of personal religious edification rather than for anything political.

This chapter focuses on the first edition of the King James Version (KJV) of the Bible, printed in 1611 by Robert Barker, the king's printer. It first considers the first edition's two folios, the ‘He’ Bible and the ‘She’ Bible, before turning to a discussion of its artwork and the errors committed during its printing.

This chapter focuses on the history of publication of the King James Version (KJV) of the Bible in America. It first provides a historical overview of America's Bible culture, paying particular attention to developments such as the First and Second Awakenings whose millenarian emphasis was articulated through the language of the KJV, along with the rise of a fundamentalist movement from evangelical Protestantism in the late nineteenth century and the evangelicals' involvement in politics in the late 1970s. It then considers the use of the KJV in either the inaugurations or funerals of various U.S. presidents and concludes by assessing the role of the KJV in American public life.

This chapter focuses on editions of the King James Version (KJV) of the Bible that were published in the seventeenth century. It begins with an overview of all English Bibles printed by Robert Barker, the king's printer, and his partners, Bonham Norton and John Bill. It then considers the two folios of KJV, printed in 1611, and those published by the universities of Oxford and Cambridge. It also assesses the reception of the KJV in the seventeenth century.

This essay explores the answer to a seemingly simple question: What is the most popular English translation of the Bible today in the United States? Scholars have mainly used two approaches to determine the answer to this question. In the broadest terms, these two approaches focus on the number of copies produced of a Bible version or numbers tied to the actual usage of a certain Bible version. To put it another way, those who study the Bible in America have sought to determine a Bible version’s popularity by using the differing lenses of American Bible production studies and reception studies. This essay uses the recent survey completed by the Center for the Study of Religion and American Culture, to argue that the King James Version currently enjoys the greatest popularity today in the United States.

This chapter focuses on the translation of the King James Version (KJV) of the Bible. It begins with an account of the revision of the Bishops' Bible, followed by a discussion of the textual and critical apparatus used in the translation of the KJV. It then considers the language, style, and theology of the KJV.

In the aftermath of the Book of Mormon, Smith and his disciples saw that the King James Bible itself needed to be more directly repaired, in a project they called the New Translation. The project encompassed three phases: (1) visionary work on the primeval history, (2) direct repair of the English text, and (3) marvelously literal exegeses that extended through Smith’s entire career. Contrary to prior treatments, this New Translation project also included large sections of the scripture called Doctrine and Covenants. This chapter on Smith’s Bible translation activities more clearly integrates them with his other scriptures and his ongoing work of targumizing the Bible.