Many people assume Latter-day Saints swapped the Bible for the Book of Mormon. Here’s what the Church actually teaches about the Bible, which version members use, and why.
Yes. Latter-day Saints read the Bible and believe it is the word of God “as far as it is translated correctly” (Article of Faith 8). English-speaking members use the King James Version, and the Church’s 2026 Come, Follow Me course is the Old Testament. The Book of Mormon doesn’t replace the Bible; the two “grow together” as witnesses of Christ (2 Nephi 3:12; Ezekiel 37:17).
Article of Faith 8The Bible is scripture for Latter-day Saints
Joseph Smith put it in the Articles of Faith: “We believe the Bible to be the word of God as far as it is translated correctly; we also believe the Book of Mormon to be the word of God” (Article of Faith 8). The Bible comes first in that sentence, and it’s the first of the four books Latter-day Saints call the standard works.
The Lord told the early Church what to teach: “the elders, priests and teachers of this church shall teach the principles of my gospel, which are in the Bible and the Book of Mormon” (D&C 42:12). And the Restoration itself began with a Bible verse. Joseph was reading “the Epistle of James, first chapter and fifth verse … If any of you lack wisdom, let him ask of God,” and he wrote, “Never did any passage of scripture come with more power to the heart of man than this did at this time to mine” (JS-H 1:11–12).
King JamesWhich Bible Latter-day Saints use
The Church’s General Handbook explains: “The Church identifies editions of the Bible that align well with the Lord’s doctrine in the Book of Mormon and modern revelation.” Examples it lists: “The King James Version in English. The Reina-Valera (2009) in Spanish. The Almeida (2015) in Portuguese” (General Handbook 38.8.41.1).
Church editions add “footnotes, subject indexes, and other study aids.” Members use the preferred edition in classes so everyone is reading the same words. For personal study, the Handbook says, “Other Bible translations may also be used. Some individuals may benefit from translations that are doctrinally clear and also easier to understand.” When translations disagree on doctrine, members turn to “the Book of Mormon, Doctrine and Covenants, Pearl of Great Price, and teachings of latter-day prophets.” If you use AI tools in personal study too, here is how to use AI for scripture study, with prompts and cautions.
So the answer to “Do Latter-day Saints have their own Bible?” is no. They use the same King James text millions of other English-speaking Christians use, with study helps added.
Every SundayHow much Latter-day Saints study the Bible
The Church’s home and Sunday School course, Come, Follow Me, rotates through the standard works, and in 2026 the course is the Old Testament (Come, Follow Me—For Home and Church: Old Testament 2026). Families and classes across the Church are reading Genesis through Malachi this year, week by week.
Latter-day Saints are also taught to read the way the Bereans did, who “searched the scriptures daily, whether those things were so” (Acts 17:11). Paul told Timothy the holy scriptures “are able to make thee wise unto salvation through faith which is in Christ Jesus” (2 Timothy 3:15). Almost every post on this site argues from the Bible first, because that’s common ground.
“Translated correctly”What “as far as it is translated correctly” means
Critics sometimes say that phrase means Latter-day Saints don’t trust the Bible. It doesn’t. It means the Bible we have passed through many hands. The Book of Mormon says “there are many plain and precious things taken away from the book” (1 Nephi 13:28). Scholars of every faith know the manuscripts differ in places; I walk through examples in “As Far As It Is Translated Correctly”.
The same chapter promises the Book of Mormon would “establish the truth of the first,” meaning the Bible, and “make known … that the Lamb of God is the Son of the Eternal Father, and the Savior of the world” (1 Nephi 13:40). The Book of Mormon was written to support the Bible, not replace it: “this is written for the intent that ye may believe that” (Mormon 7:9).
2 Nephi 29“A Bible! A Bible!”: why the Bible isn’t the whole story
The Book of Mormon predicted the most common objection to it:
And because my words shall hiss forth—many of the Gentiles shall say: A Bible! A Bible! We have got a Bible, and there cannot be any more Bible.
2 Nephi 29:3
Then the Lord answers: “Wherefore, because that ye have a Bible ye need not suppose that it contains all my words; neither need ye suppose that I have not caused more to be written” (2 Nephi 29:10). He also reminds readers where the Bible came from: “Have ye obtained a Bible save it were by the Jews?” (2 Nephi 29:6).
Ezekiel saw two records joined “one in thine hand” (Ezekiel 37:17), and the Book of Mormon says the writings of Judah and Joseph “shall grow together” (2 Nephi 3:12). Latter-day Saints read the Bible and the Book of Mormon side by side because they believe they’re two witnesses of the same Christ. I make the case for an open canon in The Canon Was Never Meant to Close.
Check the premiseThe presuppositions baked into the question
Before this question can be answered fairly, the person asking has to justify a few assumptions packed inside it:
- That Latter-day Saints replaced the Bible with the Book of Mormon. D&C 42:12 tells the Church to teach from “the Bible and the Book of Mormon,” and the 2026 Sunday course is the Old Testament.
- That “translated correctly” means the Bible can’t be trusted. It means translation and copying matter, which every serious Bible scholar agrees with. Latter-day Saints still use the Bible as the word of God (Article of Faith 8).
- That Latter-day Saints have a different Bible. English-speaking members use the King James Version, the same text used by many other Christians, with study aids added.
- That the Bible says God can’t give more scripture. The asker has to show the verse. Revelation 22:18 is about “this book,” the same warning as Deuteronomy 4:2, which didn’t close the Old Testament.
FAQQuick answers
Do Latter-day Saints read the Bible?
Yes. Latter-day Saints believe “the Bible to be the word of God as far as it is translated correctly” (Article of Faith 8) and study it alongside the Book of Mormon. In 2026 the Church’s Come, Follow Me course covers the Old Testament.
What Bible do Latter-day Saints use?
English-speaking members use the King James Version, published by the Church with footnotes and study aids. The Church also uses the Reina-Valera (2009) in Spanish and the Almeida (2015) in Portuguese.
Can Latter-day Saints use other Bible translations?
Yes. The General Handbook says, “Other Bible translations may also be used,” especially ones that are “doctrinally clear and also easier to understand,” while the preferred edition is used in Church classes.
Why do Latter-day Saints say “as far as it is translated correctly”?
Because the Bible has passed through many copyists and translators. The phrase affirms the Bible as God’s word while acknowledging that translation errors and lost passages exist (1 Nephi 13:28).
Is the Book of Mormon a replacement for the Bible?
No. The Book of Mormon says it was written so readers would believe the Bible (Mormon 7:9) and that the two records “shall grow together” (2 Nephi 3:12).
Do Latter-day Saints believe the Bible is the word of God?
Yes: “We believe the Bible to be the word of God as far as it is translated correctly; we also believe the Book of Mormon to be the word of God” (Articles of Faith 1:8).
What is the Joseph Smith Translation?
Joseph Smith’s inspired revision of the King James Bible, begun in 1830. Selections appear in the footnotes and appendix of the Church’s edition of the Bible, and parts are in the Pearl of Great Price (the Book of Moses and Joseph Smith—Matthew).
Do Latter-day Saints study the Bible at church?
Yes. The Come, Follow Me course rotates through the Old Testament, the New Testament, the Book of Mormon, and the Doctrine and Covenants and Church history over four years, so two of every four years are spent in the Bible.
SummaryKey takeaways
- The Bible is scripture for Latter-day Saints (Article of Faith 8; D&C 42:12).
- English-speaking members use the King James Version; other translations may be used for personal study.
- The 2026 Come, Follow Me course is the Old Testament.
- The Book of Mormon supports the Bible: “this is written for the intent that ye may believe that” (Mormon 7:9).
Ask a Latter-day Saint friend what they read in the Old Testament this week. For quick, sourced answers, open Galatians18, and follow me on X at @TraviXai.
Sources
- King James Bible (churchofjesuschrist.org): Ezekiel 37:17 · Acts 17:11 · 2 Timothy 3:15–16
- Book of Mormon: 1 Nephi 13:28 · 1 Nephi 13:40 · 2 Nephi 3:12 · 2 Nephi 29:3–10 · Mormon 7:9
- Doctrine and Covenants and Pearl of Great Price: D&C 42:12 · JS-H 1:11–12 · Article of Faith 8
- General Handbook 38.8.41 “Scriptures”
- Come, Follow Me—For Home and Church: Old Testament 2026
- Featured image and in-article graphic: original graphics by thebookofmormon.ai (painterly backgrounds; no photographs or likenesses of real people).
