The [Condensed] Book of Mormon: A 20% Shorter Testament of Jesus Christ

About this book

Whether reading The Book of Mormon for the first time or the fifty-first, this 18% shorter version eliminates much of the poetic, repetitive words and allows you to move through story and doctrine more quickly. Only purely repetitive words which added no additional meaning were removed and certain words and verb forms shortened. Based on the public-domain, copyright-free version. Sample verse 1 Nephi 2:16 And it came to pass that I, Nephi, being exceedingly young, nevertheless being large in stature, and also having great desires to know of the mysteries of God, wherefore, I did cry unto the Lord; and behold he did visit me, and did soften my heart that I did believe all the words which had been spoken by my father; wherefore, I did not rebel against him like unto my brothers. Being exceedingly young, nevertheless large in stature, and having great desires to know the mysteries of God, I cried to the Lord; and he visited me, and softened my heart that I believed all the words spoken by my father; wherefore, I did not rebel against him. A Note from the Condenser As I read through the Book of Mosiah for nearly the fiftieth time, I noted how much repetition exists and wished I could read the stories and doctrine more quickly without so many words to slow me down. Mark Twain’s reaction came to mind that quipped that if all the “and it came to pass”es were removed, The Book of Mormon would only be The Pamphlet of Mormon [paraphrased]. That’s when it occurred to me to condense the book myself, at least for my own use, and possibly share this briefer version with the world. I downloaded the copyright-free text from Gutenberg.org and began, doing my best to only eliminate repetitive phrases and words that contributed no additional meaning. I only removed (or shortened) words, and never added anything except in the case of changing verb tenses from constructs like “did deliver” to “delivered” and “did go” to “went,” and fixing a few typos. Thus what you read here is the original, just 20% less of it. Some repetition was impossible to remove without eliminating entire verses or rendering the grammar incomplete and confusing, so I left it in place. Though I often felt the presence of the Holy Ghost as I worked (a common experience to any sincere reader of this book), I do not in any way claim my reduction to be inspired or to have removed the perfect amount of words. Perhaps I was prepared for the task by teaching university writing for fifteen years and publishing ten books of my own, and was left to use my best judgment in the endeavor. This version reads less poetically than the original, and many sentence transitions may seem more abrupt, but others read more smoothly. I hope readers will appreciate the faster pacing and that they’ll find, as I do, that the book’s messages stand out more clearly and cogently when stated more directly with fewer words to distract the mind. If you enjoy this version - whether reading the Book of Mormon for the first time or the fifty-first - then I’m happy to have been of service. If you prefer the original for whatever reason, then please continue to read it and reap its several benefits. I simply wish to make reading this book of scripture more efficient and accessible, and I like to think of the words of Paul in First Corinthians, who writes, “To the weak became I as weak, that I might gain the I am made all things to all men, that I might by all means save some.” If you sometimes find it difficult to focus on the original text, perhaps this version will make it easier.