Book of Mormon facts for kids
The Book of Mormon is a special book. People who are part of the Latter Day Saints faith believe it is the word of God. They read it along with the Bible.
The first English version of the Book of Mormon was printed in March 1830. A man named Joseph Smith, Jr. published it. He said he was a prophet, like the prophets in the Old Testament.
Joseph Smith explained that an angel gave him gold plates. He said he translated the book from these plates into English. The book itself says it was written in a language that mixed "the learning of the Jews and the language of the Egyptians."
The Book of Mormon tells a long story. It is a shorter version of records kept by two main groups of people. These groups were called the Nephites and the Lamanites. Their ancestors left Jerusalem about 600 years before Christ was born. They sailed across a huge ocean and settled in the New World.
The book shares details about their families and cities. It talks about their wars and how they governed themselves. It also describes their spiritual experiences and religious beliefs. The main goal of the Book of Mormon is to teach about Jesus Christ.
The Book of Mormon also includes another old book called the Book of Ether. The Nephites found this book. It tells the story of another group, the Jaredites. They lived in some of the same areas a long time ago. This was shortly after the time of the Tower of Babel. The Jaredites eventually died out because of many wars.
Usually, the stories in the Book of Mormon show the Nephites as good people. They were hardworking and peaceful. The Lamanites are often shown as wicked, lazy, and warlike. Wars happened often between these two groups.
However, near the end of the book, the Nephites became more wicked than the Lamanites. Almost all the Nephites died in their final war. Only one Nephite, named Moroni, survived. God told Moroni to bury the Book of Mormon in a hill. This was so Joseph Smith, Jr. could find it later.
The main message of the book is about Jesus Christ. It describes Him visiting the people in the book. He performed miracles and taught them the right way to live.
Images for kids
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A page from the original manuscript of the Book of Mormon, covering 1_Nephi 4:38 - 1_Nephi 5:14
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A depiction of Joseph Smith dictating the Book of Mormon through the use of a seer stone placed in a hat to block out light
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Cover page of The Book of Mormon from an original 1830 edition, by Joseph Smith (Image from the U.S. Library of Congress Rare Book and Special Collections Division)
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An artistic depiction of the climactic moment in the Book of Mormon, the visitation of Jesus to the Nephites
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A depiction of Joseph Smith's description of receiving the golden plates from the angel Moroni at the Hill Cumorah
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Smith Patented Improved Press used by E.B. Grandin to print the first 5,000 copies of the Book of Mormon
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Uncut sheet of the 1830 Book of Mormon
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Book of Mormon printer's manuscript, shown with a 19th-century owner, George Schweich (grandson of early Latter Day Saint movement figure David Whitmer)
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Replica of the cabin in Fayette (Waterloo), New York (owned by Peter Whitmer) where much of the manuscript of the Book of Mormon was written
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Translations of the Book of Mormon
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Still from The Life of Nephi (1915)
See also
In Spanish: Libro de Mormón para niños
