Deseret News (scripture passages)

Transcription | 𐐓𐑉𐐰𐑌𐑅𐐿𐑉𐐮𐐹𐑇𐐲𐑌

We provide a complete transcription of the passages from scripture printed in the Deseret New in two formats. Choose your preferred version below:

SAMPA 𐐔𐐯𐑅𐐨𐑉𐐯𐐻

About the scripture passsages | 𐐈𐐺𐐵𐐻 𐑄 𐑅𐐿𐑉𐐮𐐹𐐻𐐷𐐲𐑉 𐐹𐐰𐑅𐐯𐐾𐐯𐑆

From 1859 to partway through 1860, then again in 1864, scriptural texts transcribed in the Deseret Alphabet were published in the Deseret News, the church-owned newspaper in Salt Lake City. While there was some expectation that more features, and eventually the entire paper, might be printed in the Deseret Alphabet, this never occurred. The spelling in these passages varies widely, pointing to the involvement of multiple transcribers and typesetters, as well as an orthography that was still in flux. Each feature included a key to the alphabet.

Scans of the Deseret Alphabet passages contained in the Deseret News are available through the J. Willard Marriott Library at the University of Utah Digital Newspapers project.

Historical Context | 𐐐𐐮𐑅𐐻𐐱𐑉𐐨𐐿𐐲𐑊 𐐗𐐱𐑌𐐻𐐯𐐿𐑅𐐻

Scriptural passages printed serially in the Deseret News were the Latter-day Saints’ first extended effort to publish material in the Deseret Alphabet. Passages included texts from the Hebrew Bible and the New Testament, the Book of Mormon, and the Doctrine and Covenants. The passages (see table) published in the new alphabet may be understood as reflecting issues of spiritual relevance to the Latter-day Saints at the time. Editorial leadership during the publication era included Albert Carrington and Elias Smith.

The project depended on a Deseret Alphabet font designed in St. Louis and cast in Great Salt Lake City. The result is a distinctive documentary record, suggesting either a genuine spread of phonetic literacy in early Utah or, more likely, an elite effort to persuade readers of its value.

Portrait of Albert Carrington — Albert Carrington (1813–1889), editor of the *Deseret News* in 1859 and again starting in 1862. C. R. Savage, photographer. Courtesy The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints.

Portrait of Elias Smith — Elias Smith (1804–1888), succeeded Albert Carrington in 1859. C. R. Savage, photographer. Courtesy The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints.

Publication Sources | 𐐑𐐲𐐺𐑊𐐮𐐿𐐩𐑇𐐲𐑌 𐐝𐐬𐑉𐑅𐐯𐑆

Deseret News (1859)

Date	Page	Text
16 February	1	Matthew 5:1–15
23 February	1	Matthew 5:16–48
2 March	1	Matthew 6:1–13
9 March	8	Matthew 6:14–26
16 March	1	Matthew 6:27–34
23 March	8	Matthew 7:1–10
6 April	3	Matthew 7:11–20
13 April	3	Matthew 7:21–29
20 April	6	Proverbs 16:1–10
27 April	6	Proverbs 16:11–20
4 May	6	Proverbs 16:21–33
11 May	3	Proverbs 7:1–10
18 May	3	Proverbs 17:11–20
25 May	3	Proverbs 17:21–28
1 June	3	Psalms 52:1–5
8 June	3	Isaiah 34:1–6
15 June	3	Isaiah 34:7–13
22 June	3	Isaiah 34:14–17
29 June	3	Psalms 26:1–12
6 July	3	Psalms 66:1–10
13 July	3	Psalms 66:11–20
20 July	3	Alma 16, p. 301
27 July	3	1 Nephi 5, p. 44
3 August	3	Alma 10, p. 248
10 August	3	Psalms 87:1–7
17 August	3	Proverbs 22:1–7
24 August	3	Isaiah 27:1–6
31 August	3	D&C p. 91
7 September	3	D&C 2:2
14 September	3	“Revelation on Prayer”, October 1831 (D&C)
21 September	3	The Testimony of Eight Witnesses (Book of Mormon)
28 September	3	Matthew 18:1–9
12 October	3	Isaiah 43:1–7
19 October	3	Ecclesiastes 4:1–6
2 November	3	1 John 1:1–6
9 November	3	Ecclesiastes 5:1–7
16 November	3	Deuteronomy 8:1–6
23 November	3	Deuteronomy 8:7–12
30 November	3	Deuteronomy 8:13–17
14 December	3	Deuteronomy 8:18–20
21 December	3	Revelation, May 1833 §1 (D&C)
28 December	3	Revelation, May 1833 §2 (D&C)

Deseret News (1860)

Date	Page	Text
4 January	3	Revelation, May 1833 §§3–4
11 January	2	Revelation, May 1833 §5
25 January	7	Revelation, May 1833 §6
1 February	2	Revelation, May 1833 ¶¶7–8
8 February	3	Revelation, May 1833 ¶¶7–8*
15 February	6	D&C §12 ¶1
22 February	3	D&C §12 ¶1*
29 February	3	Proverbs 7:1–10*
7 March	3	Proverbs 7:1–10*
14 March	3	Proverbs 7:1–10*
21 March	3	Proverbs 26:1–8
11 April	3	Psalms 144:1–6
18 April	3	D&C p. 269, ¶6
2 May	2	Luke 6:20–23

Deseret News (1864)

Date	Page	Text
11 May	6	Proverbs 24:1–12
18 May	6	D&C §103 ¶13
25 May	6	D&C p. 283 ¶12
1 June	6	D&C p. 303 ¶15
8 June	6	D&C p. 291
15 June	6	D&C p. 291 ¶2
22 June	6	D&C p. 206 §54
29 June	6	D&C §38 ¶¶1–2
6 July	6	Ecclesiastes 8:1–5
13 July	6	Proverbs 18:1–7
20 July	6	Zephaniah 3:1–7
27 July	6	Micah 4:1–4
10 August	6	Joel 2:18–22
17 August	6	Isaiah 10:1–4
24 August	6	Nahum 1:1–5
2 November	3	Hosea 4:1–5
16 November	6	Proverbs 23:1–8
30 November	9	Alma 5, p. 228
28 December	7	2 Nephi 12, p. 109 ¶14

Note: References to the Book of Mormon and D&C follow the Deseret News’s own citations, including contemporary chaptering, versification, and revelation titles; asterisks (*) indicate repeated items in the series.

𐐔𐐯𐑅𐐨𐑉𐐯𐐻 𐐤𐐮𐐭𐑆 (𐑅𐐿𐑉𐐮𐐹𐐻𐐷𐐲𐑉 𐐹𐐰𐑅𐐯𐐾𐐯𐑆)

Transcription | 𐐓𐑉𐐰𐑌𐑅𐐿𐑉𐐮𐐹𐑇𐐲𐑌

About the scripture passsages | 𐐈𐐺𐐵𐐻 𐑄 𐑅𐐿𐑉𐐮𐐹𐐻𐐷𐐲𐑉 𐐹𐐰𐑅𐐯𐐾𐐯𐑆

Historical Context | 𐐐𐐮𐑅𐐻𐐱𐑉𐐨𐐿𐐲𐑊 𐐗𐐱𐑌𐐻𐐯𐐿𐑅𐐻

Publication Sources | 𐐑𐐲𐐺𐑊𐐮𐐿𐐩𐑇𐐲𐑌 𐐝𐐬𐑉𐑅𐐯𐑆