Blessing given January 23, 1833
As recorded by Joseph Smith:
About 3 o’clock P.M. I dismissed the school and the presidency retired to the loft attic storey of the printing office, where we attended to the ordinance of washing our bodies in pure water. We also perfumed our bodies and our heads, in the name of the Lord. At early candlelight I met with the presidency, at the west school room in the Chapel Temple to attend to the ordinance of anointing our heads with holy oil: Also the councils of Kirtland and Zion met in the two adjoining rooms, who waited in prayer while we attended to the ordinance.
I took the oil in my left hand, Father Smith being seated before me, and the remainder of the presidency encircled him round about. We then stretched our right hands towards heaven and blessed the oil and consecrated it in the name of Jesus Christ. We then laid our hands on our aged Father Smith, and invoked the blessings of heaven. I then anointed his head with the consecrated oil, and sealed many blessings upon him; The presidency then in turn laid his hands upon his head, beginning at the eldest until they had all laid their hands upon him, and pronounced such blessings upon his head, as the Lord put into their hearts, all blessing him to be our Patriarch to anoint our heads and attend to all duties that pertain to that office.
The presidency then took the seat in their turn, according to their age, beginning at the eldest, and received their anointing and blessing under the hand, of father Smith; and in my turn my father anointed my head, and sealed upon me the blessings of Moses, to lead Israel in the latter Days, even as Moses led him in days of old; also the blessings of Abraham, Isaac and Jacob. All of the Presidency laid th[e]ir hands upon me, and pronounced upon my head many prophecies, and blessings, many of which I shall not notice at this time.
But as Paul said, so say I, let us come to visions and revelations. The heavens were opened upon us, and I beheld the celestial kingdom of God, and the glory thereof, whether in the body or out I cannot tell. I saw the transcendent beauty of the gate, through which the heirs of that kingdom will enter, which was like unto circling flames of fire. Also the blazing throne of God, wherein was seated the Father and the Son. I saw the beautiful streets of that kingdom, which had the appearance of being paved with Gold. I saw Father Adam, and Abraham, and Michael, and my Father and Mother, my brother Alvin that has long since slept and marveled how it was, that he had obtained an inheritance in that kingdom, seeing that he had departed this life before the Lord had set his hand to gather Israel the second time, and had not been baptized for the remission of sins. Thus came the voice of the Lord unto me saying. All who have died without a knowledge of this gospel, who would have received it if they had been permitted to tarry shall be heirs of the celestial Kingdom of God: also all that shall die henceforth without a knowledge of it, who would have received it with all their hearts shall be heirs of that kingdom, for I the Lord will jude an all men according to their works, according to the desires of their hearts.
And I also beheld that all children who die before they arrive to the years of accountability, are saved in the celestial Kingdom of heaven. I saw the Twelve Apostles of the Lamb, who are now upon the earth, who hold the keys of this last ministry in foreign lands, standing together in a circle, much fatigued, with their clothes tattered and feet swoolen, with their eyes cast downward, and Jesus standing in their midst, and they did not behold him. The Savior looked upon them and wept. I also beheld Elder McLellin in the South, standing upon a hill, surrounded with a vast multitude, preaching to them, and a lame man standing before him, supported by his crutches; he threw them down at his word and leaped as an hart, by the mighty power of God.
Also Elder Brigham Young standing in a strange land, in the far south west, in a desert place, upon a rock, in the midst of about a dozen men of color who appeared hostile He was preaching to them in their own tongue, and the angel of God standing above his head, with a drawn sword in his hand protecting him, but he did not see it: and I finally saw the Twelve in the celestial kingdom of God. I also beheld the redemption of Zion, and many things which the tongue of man cannot describe in full. Many of my brethren who received this ordinance with me saw glorious visions also, angels ministered unto them, as well as myself, and the power of the highest rested upon us; the house was filled with the glory of God, and we shouted hosanna to God and the Lamb. My scribe also received his anointing with us, and saw in a vision the armies of heaven protecting the saints in their return to Zion— and many things which I saw.
December 1834 Blessing from Father Joseph
Joseph, my son, I lay my hands upon thy head in the name of the Lord Jesus Christ, to confirm upon thee a father’s blessing. The Lord thy God has called thee by name out of the heavens: thou hast heard his voice from on high from time to time, even in thy youth. The hand of the angel of his presence has been extended toward thee by which thou hast been lifted up and sustained; yea, the Lord has delivered thee from the hands of thine enemies and thou hast been made to rejoice in his salvation: thou hast sought to know his ways, and from thy childhood thou hast meditated much upon the great things of his law. Thou hast suffered much in thy youth, and the poverty and afflictions of thy father’s family have been a grief to thy soul. Thou hast desired to see them delivered from bondage, for thou hast lov’d them with a perfect love. Thou hast stood by thy father, and like Shem, would have covered his nakedness, rather than see him exposed to shame: when the daughters of the Gentiles laughed, thy heart has been moved with a just anger to avenge thy kindred. Thou hast been an obedient son: the commands of thy father and the reproofs of thy mother, thou hast respected and obeyed— for all these things the Lord my God will bless thee. Thou hast been called, even in thy youth to the great work of the Lord: to do a work in this generation which no other man would do as thyself, in all things according to the will of the Lord. A marvelous work and a wonder has the Lord wrought by thy hand, even that which shall prepare the way for the remnants of his people to come in among the Gentiles, with their fulness, as the tribes of Israel are restored. I bless thee with the blessings of thy fathers Abraham, Isaac and Jacob; and even the blessings of thy father Joseph, the son of Jacob. Behold, he looked after his posterity in the last days, when they should be scattered and driven by the Gentiles, and wept before the Lord: he sought diligently to know from whence the son should come who should bring forth the word of the Lord, by which they might be enlightened, and brought back to the true fold, and his eyes beheld thee, my son: his heart rejoiced and his soul was satisfied, and he said,
“As my blessings are to extend to the utmost bounds of the everlastings hills; as my father’s blessing prevailed above the blessings of his progen[i]tors, and as my branches are to run over the wall, and my seed are to inherit the choice land whereon the Zion of God shall stand in the last days, from among my seed, scattered with the Gentiles, shall a choice Seer arise whose bowels shall be as a fountain of truth, whose loins shall be girded with the girdle of righteousness, whose hands shall be lifted with acceptance before the God of Jacob to turn away his anger from his annointed, whose heart shall meditate great wisdom, whose intelligence shall circumscribe and comprehend the deep things of God, and whose mouth shall utter the law of the just: His feet shall stand upon the neck of his enemies, and he shall walk upon the ashes of those who seek his destruction: with wine and oil it shall he be sustained, and he shall feed upon the heritage of Jacob his father: the just shall desire his society, and the upright in heart shall be his companions: No weapon formed against him shall prosper, and though the wicked mar him for a little season, he shall be like one rising up in the heat of wine—he shall roar in his strength, and the Lord shall put to flight his persecutors: he shall be blessed like the fruitful olive, and his memory shall be as sweet as the choice cluster of the first ripe grapes. Like a shief [sheaf] fully ripe, gathered into the garner, so shall he stand before the Lord, having produced a hundred fold.”
Thus spake my father Joseph. Therefore, my son, I know for a surety that these things will be fulfilled, and I confirm upon thee all these blessings. Thou shalt live to do the work which the Lord shall command thee: thou shalt hold the keys of this ministry, even the presidency of this church, both in time and in eternity. Thy heart shall be enlarged, and thou shalt be able to fill up the measure of thy days according to the will of the Lord. Thou shalt speak the word of the Lord and the earth shall tremble; the mountains shall move and the rivers shall turn out of their course. Thou shalt escape the edge of the sword, and put to flight the armies of the wicked. At thy word the lame shall walk, the deaf shall hear and the blind shall see. Thou shalt be gathered to Zion and in the goodly land thou shalt enjoy thine inheritance; thy children and thy children’s children to the latest generation; for thy name and the names of thy posterity shall be recorded in the book of the Lord, even in the book of blessings genealogies, for their joy and benefit forever. And now, my son, what more shall I say? Thou art as a fruitful olive and a choice vine: thou shalt be laden with precious fruit. Thousands and tens of thousands shall come to a knowledge of the truth through thy ministry, and thou shalt rejoice with them in the Celestial Kingdom: Thou shalt stand upon the earth when it shall reel to and fro as a drunken man, and be removed out of its place: thou shalt stand when the mighty judgments go forth to the destruction of the wicked: thou shalt stand on mount Zion when the tribes of Jacob come shouting from the north, and with thy brethren, the sons of Ephraim, crown them in the name of Jesus Christ: Thou shalt see thy Redeemer Come in the clouds of heaven, and with the just receive the hallowed throng with shouts of hallalujahs, praise the Lord. Amen
September 1835
Preface written by Oliver Cowdery: “The reader will remember the remarks made at the commencement of the foregoing blessings, pronounced by the first patriarch, and first elder in this church, Joseph Smith, jr. I said that he had authority to bless; this is so, and it may be understood that those men whose names are mentioned in the blessings by his mouth, had long been employed in the work of the Lord, and were personally known to him. I mean those besides his own family, who are myself, Frederick G. Williams, Sidney Rigdon, David Whitmer, John Whitmer, John Corrill and William W. Phelps. Now, after writing these blessings at the mouth of the Seer, I greatly desired to know the mind of the Spirit concerning this my brother, with whom I had labored so many years; And accordingly I besought the Lord with prayer and fasting, who opened the heavens upon me, And thus, while in the heavenly vision, I wrote the following blessing, which is a part of that which was shown and declared should come upon my brother. Therefore, let no one doubt of their correctness and truth, for they will verily be fulfilled. (signed) Oliver Cowdery.” (Patriarchal Blessings Book Volume 2:28, Church Historians Office)
Blessed of the Lord is my brother, for the integrity of his heart and the steadfastness of his soul. Upheld by the arm of the Almighty he shall never fall, but shall be strengthened by his right hand till he overcomes. Like Jacob of old he shall wrestle with the angel, and as a prince shall he have power with God, and shall prevail. Ever faithful to friends and true to his word, the goodness of the Most High shall sustain him, and thousands shall stand up to defend him from the hand of his enemies, and put forth the hand and ward off the blow were it needful: but ere his foes are aware he shall be hid under the pavilion of the Lord Jehovah; for, with the voice of his thunder shall he strike terror to their hearts, and as with the wings of an eagle shall my brother be carried beyond all harm, by the power of the Anointed. From amid the burning bush, like Moses of old, shall he hear the voice, saying, I am the God of thy fathers, Abraham, Isaac and Jacob, I have seen, I have seen, the affliction of my people and am come down to deliver them: go, thou, and say to the strength of my house, To your tents, O Israel: build up the wastes and raise up the foundation of desolation that this generation has made. Thus shall he be honored of the Lord, and thus shall it be recorded of him, that the generations to come may bless his name, in Israel, saying, The Lord make thee as Joseph the Seer, who was of the house of Ephraim, the brother of Manasseh: the Lord do thee good and bring peace and blessings upon [upon] thy house as he brought them upon the house of Joseph the Seer, who was raised up of a choice vine from the stem of Jacob through the root of Joseph, even that Joseph who was separated from his brethren— For, like Joseph of old shall he be: he shall save the just from desolation, by the wise counsel of the Almighty; for by his direction shall they gather into storehouses and barns, till they overflow with the richness of the fruit of harvest: and by this means shall the just be saved from famine, while the nations of the wicked are distressed and faint. In due time shall he go forth toward the north, and by the power of his word shall the deep begin to give way and the ice melt before the sun. By the keys of the Kingdom shall he lead Israel into the land of Zion while the house of Jacob shouts in the danse and in the song— Joy, O my soul, in that day, for thou shalt be with him and bear thy part in the keys which are confirmed thee for an everlasting priesthood, forever and ever— Joy, O my heart, in that day, with thanksgiving and with praise, for thou shalt stand with him before the hosts of Israel— the lame shall leap as a hart, the old shall renew his strength, and the virgin of Israel, with the youth, shall exalt the name of our God upon harps and instruments of tens[e] strings. He shall be a shure arrow in the bow of his God, for he shall be hid under the shadow of his wing. His loins shall be like iron, girded by the hand of the Lord, and his feet shall be swift to execute the commandment of the Most High when he shall say, Destroy. His name shall be had in everlasting remembrance, and his name after him, for they shall be saved to the uttermost. His fame shall be sounded in foreign lands, even to the ends [p. [15]] of the earth, as well as nigh at home: for in this the times shall change— a prophet shall have honor in his own country. His learning and wisdom shall astonish the great, for they shall acknowledge that by his intelligence he has far surpassed their learng and their science. In palaces of governors, rulers and kings shall he be honored, even in his person, for God shall give him power to prevail. He shall be a lawgiver to Israel and shall teach the house of Jacob the statutes of the Most High. His testimony shall shine like the sun, and the weight of his influence shall be like the great river that rises on the east of the lasting hills, and flows into the great deep— so shall his righteousness ever abound. He shall partake of the blessings of Abraham, Isaac and Jacob: the chief things of the ancient mountains, the precious things that couch beneath, and of the treasures hid in the sand. The records of past ages and generations, and the histories of ancient days shall he bring forth: even the record of the Nephites shall he again obtain, with all those hid up by Mormon, and others who were righteous, and many others, till he is overwhelmed with knowledge. No precious thing shall slumber from his possession, for he shall be covered with the most choice of all ages, till his soul shall be satisfied and his heart shall say, Enough, Enough! In his hands shall the Urim and Thummim remain and the holy ministry, and the keys of the evangelical priesthood, also, for an everlasting priesthood forever, even the patriarchal; for, behold, he is the first patriarch in the last days. He shall sit in the great assembly and general council of patriarchs, and execute the will and commandment of God under the direction of the Ancient of Days; for he shall have his place and act in his station. Behold, my brother Joseph is blessed: blessed are all who bless him, and bles sed are all those whom he blesses. Multitudes, multitudes, shall come to a knowledge of the truth through his ministry, and he shall be welcomed into the presence of kings and the great ones of the earth; for he shall claim his place among the nobles of the earth and shall be reverenced by them. He shall also be filled with abundance of the fat of the earth: his flocks shall bring forth thousands and tens of thousands: his fats [vats] shall overflow with wine and oil: his cattle shall increase to a multitude: he shall have horses and mules, asses, she asses and dromedaries, camels and elephants, and all swift beasts, and when he goes forth in haste his chariots shall roar like the approach of an army: he shall have gold and silver, precious stones, diamonds, pearls, and the pure platina [platinum], with the antiquities of every kind. Thus shall God bless, and thus shall he be prospered: and he shall have peace after a little; for his enemies shall be consumed, many of them, and many shall turn and be his friends in very deed: he shall remain to a good old age, even till his head is like the pure wool. Behold, there is no end to the vision, of the multiplicity of blessings and glories which shall come upon my brother Joseph. He shall possess a mansion on high and have an inheritance in that city which is like pure gold, even like transparent glass. His rest shall be glorious and his name remain forever. Thus closes the vision, and thus it shall be; even so. Amen. Given in the evening of September 22, 1835, and recorded October 3, 1835. Oliver Cowdery.
As recorded by Lucy Mack Smith, mother of the Prophet Joseph Smith:
September 14, 1840
“my husband commenced vomitting blood. I sent immediately for Joseph and Hyrum; who as soon as they came, gave him something to alleviate his distress. This was saturday night. The next morning Joseph came in and told his father, that he should not be troubled any more for the present with the Missourians: “and,” said he, “I can now stay with you as much as you wish.”
. . . [Joseph Smith Sr.] addressed himself to me: “Mother, do you not know, that you are the mother of as great a family as ever lived upon the Earth. The world loves its own, but it does not love us— it hates us because we are not of the world; therefore all their malice is poured out upon us, and they seek to take away our lives. When I look upon my Children and realize that, although they were raised up to do the Lord’s work, yet they must pass through scenes of trouble and affliction as long as they live upon the Earth, my heart is pained and I dread to leave them so surrounded by enemies.
. . . To Joseph he said: Joseph, my son; thou art called to an high and holy calling— thou art even called to do the work of the Lord— hold out faithful and you shall be blessed, and your children after you— you shall even live to finish your work.” -[At this Joseph cried out, weeping “Oh my father will I]- “Yes, said his father, “you shall live to lay out the plan of all the work which, which God has given you to do. This is my dying blessing on your head in the name of Jesus— I also confirm your former blessings upon your head; for it shall be fulfilled, even so. Amen.” (Lucy Mack Smith, History, 1845, pg. 296-98)
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