Section 10: Introduction

By mid-June of 1828, Joseph Smith had already produced the first 116 pages of the Book of Mormon. His scribe was Martin Harris, a neighbor who was one of his first followers. Harris provided financial support for Joseph Smith and his family, and he was considering selling his farm to pay for the publishing of the Book of Mormon.

Harris's wife, Lucy, however, was skeptical of the entire enterprise and demanded to see some evidence. So Martin talked Joseph into letting him bring home the first 116 pages of the Book of Mormon. No one knows what Lucy did with the manuscript, and no one ever saw it again.

When Joseph Smith heard about the disaster, he was devastated, and cried out, "Oh my God. All is lost!"

He knew he couldn't reproduce the story exactly, and if it was compared to the original it would show that the whole thing was a fraud.

But sometime in July, he came up with a solution: he'd have a revelation from God.

And the result is what is now called Section 10 of the Doctrine and Covenants.