“To those charged to keep these records: keep them safe, keep them hidden until Fullness of Times; for in them are the manna to feed Israel, and in them are the coat of many colors preserved unto the seed of our father, Joseph, as given Him by his Father, Jacob; and in Israel is found the straight path to YHVH Elohim.” -Plates of Brass, Title Page
There are a number of differences between the Book of the Law of the Lord and the plates of brass translated as the Books of Moses or the Stick of Ephraim. (If you are unfamiliar with the plates of brass, Mormon Rescue has made a video covering them here.) For starters, the prophet James Strang had physical plates, and witnesses stated there were eighteen plates, each measuring approximately seven to eight inches wide, nine inches long, and they were loose. The plates David saw were roughly the same size but there were far more of them and they were bound together with oval rings.
James translated the plates given to him using the Urim and Thummim. The prophet David translated the plates of brass by going into a visionary state, he did not have physical copies of the pages as James did.
James translated only the selections that were pertinent for running the church and kingdom in this modern era, David has translated the complete books of Moses, and other books with still more to come.
James had witnesses to the plates, while God has told David that He will be the witness, that people will gain their own witness from the Lord as they read the book and bear testimony of its truth. The Book of Mormon has been around long enough that people now know to go to God to gain their own witness.
When the translation was completed, David did a word search to try to find the Book of the Law of the Lord in his translation, only to find that just over half of the Book of the Law of the Lord could be found in the text. Confused, he went to the Lord, who took him in vision back to the cave and showed him that other parts of the Book of the Law of the Lord are on the plates of brass, but not in these 5 books of Moses. Rather, they are quotes of Moses found in other books. This led David to believe that the reason James Strang was given loose plates to translate was because the parts of the book he was called to translate were not together. He was given exactly what he needed to complete his work for the Lord.
It should also be noted that some of the chapters in the Book of the Law of the Lord were not translated from the brass plates, nor were they found in the first edition of the published work. Because of this there was never going to be a perfect comparison between these two works of scripture.
Book of the Law of the Lord | Books of Moses |
The Decalogue | 4 Moses 3; 5 Moses 1 |
The True God | N/A |
Oaths | 4 Moses 17; 5 Moses 9 |
Benedictions | 4 Moses 6:4-6; 5 Moses 10:22-25 |
Maledictions | 4 Moses 12:1-3; 5 Moses 10:26-31 |
Prayer | 4 Moses 7:1-5; 5 Moses 12:1-5 |
Thanksgiving | 5 Moses 12:6-7, 23:24-26 |
Sacrifice | 4 Moses 21:1-8; 5 Moses 12:8-15 |
Monuments | 4 Moses 13:24-27; 5 Moses 12:16-26 |
Blessing of Infants | Compare to 1 Moses 27:20-25 |
Baptism | Compare to 4 Moses 31:1-4 |
Baptism for the Dead | N/A |
Confirmation | N/A |
Eucharist | N/A |
Marriage | 4 Moses 44:15-16; 5 Moses 25:1-3 |
Healing | Compare to 4 Moses 34:1-14 |
Absolution | 5 Moses 24:25-30 |
Ordination | N/A |
Adoption | 5 Moses 25:13-16 |
Calling of a King | N/A |
Duty of the King | 5 Moses 16:5-18 |
Abstinence of the King | 5 Moses 16:19-24 |
Viceroys | N/A |
King’s Council | 5 Moses 16:25-33 |
King’s Court | 5 Moses 16:34-43 |
City Court | N/A |
Municipalities | Compare to 5 Moses 17:1-3 |
Twelve Apostles | N/A |
High Priests | N/A |
Seventies | N/A |
Elders | N/A |
Priests | N/A |
Teachers | N/A |
Deacons | N/A |
Establishment of the Law | N/A |
Priesthood | N/A |
Place of your Dwellings | 5 Moses 17:4-9 |
Groves, Forests, and Waters | 5 Moses 17:10-18 |
Apparel and Ornaments | 5 Moses 17:21-26 |
Feasts | N/A |
Inheritances | N/A |
Descent of Inheritances | 5 Moses 26:13-29 |
Social Order: | |
vs 1-14 | 5 Moses 27:1-27 |
vs 15-14 | 5 Moses 13:20-27 |
Household Relations | |
vs 1-10 | 5 Moses 25:23-44 |
vs 11-15 | 5 Moses 26:1-8 |
Highways vs 1-2 | 5 Moses 17:19-20 |
Tithing | Compare to 5 Moses 18:10-23 |
Payment of Debts | Compare to 5 Moses 13 |
Read the 5 Books of Moses here.