Issues Concerning the Contents of the Book of Mormon

1769 KJV Errors 

How is it possible that Joseph Smith translated the Book of Mormon if it contains Translational errors that are unique to the 1769 KJV of the Bible.

To make sure you understand this we need to understand what versions of the Bible exist and a comparison between those versions can be helpful.

St. Marks Scroll - Dead Sea

Masoretic1000 ADHebrew Aramaic Text of the 24 books of the Torah
Aleppo Codex
Aleppo Codex Hebrew version of the Old Testament
Septuagint (LXX)
Greek Translation of the Old Testament from Original Hebrew - differs from Masoretic
Inspired Version1833Not actually a translation but rather a revision with commentary - the Joseph Smith Translation
Bishops Bible1568
King James Version1611
Revised Standard Version1901
Jewish Bible1917



This is not actually an issue at all Consider the Following:

This is not actually a complete picture of the issue... for you see there are many other verses in the Book of Mormon that differ from the KJV of the Bible and partially agree with Septuagint(LXX) which didn't come from the Masoretic translation class but rather from older Hebrew versions. Thus demonstrating that these are not translation errors but rather translation differences from an older Hebraic Source - of which the Septuagint is also a translation from such a source.

Consider Hebraic Poetic Forms and the way in which they exist within the Book of Mormon.  Many of these variants vary from the KJV and yet restore the poetic form of the original.  Thus demonstrating this isn't a translation error - but rather a restoration of what it should have been all along.  Thus the idea that these are mis-translations is actually just ignorance of the fact that it is a correct translation of a previous version that the Masoretic text was incorrectly copied from, or some other error.

Isaiah 2:5Isaiah 2:6Isaiah 2:9Isaiah 2:12Isaiah 2:13Isaiah 2:14
Isaiah 3:1Isaiah 3:18Isaiah 5:5Isaiah 5:9Isaiah 5:28Isaiah 7:15
Isaiah 7:18Isaiah 9:18Isaiah 13:14Isaiah 29:6Isaiah 48:1Isaiah 48:2
Isaiah 48:5Isaiah 48:11Isaiah 48:14Isaiah 48:15Isaiah 48:16Isaiah 48:17
Isaiah 49:1Isaiah 50:1Isaiah 50:9Isaiah 54:15

17th Century Italics 

During the translation of the 17th century KJV of the Bible. The translators added words to make the English translation of the Bible more readable.  These words were placed in italics so that the reader would know that they were additions for understanding not part of the actual translation.  

How is it possible that Joseph Smith translated the Book of Mormon if it contains italicized words that are not part of the actual original document?
Furthermore, why are these words the exact same words that were used in the Bible that Joseph Smith would have been reading?
Surely this demonstrates that the Book of Mormon isn't an ancient record at all - but rather portions of it are plagiarized from the 17th Century Bible doesn't it?

How the Book of Mormon italics don't come from KJV translations but rather are an example of variants supported by the Masoretic Texts!

This is yet again a lack of understanding on how these variants also are supported by Masoretic text against the KJV of the same.

Consider the Following variants that are Book of Mormon Variants different than the KJV and yet are supported by the Masoretic Text:
There are seventy eight variants of these variants that are associated with KJV added words in italics.


isaiah 3:9 2 variants
isaiah 3:10 2 variants isaiah 8:12 isaiah 48:5
isaiah 33111122 variants isaiah 91 isaiah 489
isaiah 331414 isaiah 97 isaiah 4813
isaiah 315 3 15 isaiah 917 isaiah 4814
isaiah 318 3 1833 variants isaiah 921 isaiah 4815
isaiah 326 3 26 isaiah 102 isaiah 4821
isaiah 424 222 variants isaiah 10011 ioli11 isaiah 494
isaiah 519 5 19 isaiah 10101313 isaiah 497
isaiah 521 5 21 isaiah 1015 isaiah 4991010
isaiah 524 5 24 isaiah 1010172 17 2 variants isaiah 4914
isaiah 529 5 2933 variants isaiah 122 isaiah 4918
isaiah 656 5 isaiah 133 isaiah 4920
isaiah 717 1 isaiah 1311 isaiah 519
isaiah 787 8 isaiah 1317 isaiah 5111 111illii
isaiah 715 7 15 isaiah 144 isaiah 511711722 variants
isaiah 717 7 17 isaiah 145 isaiah 511811833 variants
isaiah 720 7 20 isaiah 1411 isaiah 5121
isaiah 72121 isaiah 1416 isaiah 512212222 variants
isaiah 722 7 22 isaiah 141741722 variants isaiah 522
isaiah 7232322 variants isaiah 1427 isaiah 5311
isaiah 725 7 2522 variants isaiah 1432 isaiah 549
isaiah 482 isaiah 5415



References:
Carol F. Ellertson - 2001 - Thesis - The Isaiah Passages in the Book of Mormon - 


Mistranslations

While translating the Book of Mormon, Joseph Smith and Oliver Cowdery found they held different views on the meaning of a passage in the Bible. They “mutually agreed to settle” the question “by the Urim and [Thummim].” As a result, Joseph received a revelation giving the translation of an account by the ancient disciple John, written on parchment but lost to history. This early experience seeking revelation that expanded the text of a Bible passage was an important precedent. About a year later, during the summer of 1830, Joseph and Oliver received by revelation an account of a vision of Moses not found in the Old Testament. This revelation marked the beginning of Joseph Smith’s efforts to prepare an inspired revision or translation of the Bible. For the next three years, Joseph continued work on his “new translation of the Bible,” considering the project a “branch of [his] calling” as a prophet of God.

Joseph Smith did not employ Hebrew and Greek sources, lexicons, or a knowledge of biblical languages to render a new English text. Rather, he used a copy of the King James Bible as the starting point for his translation, dictating inspired changes and additions to scribes who recorded them first on paper and later as notes in the margins of the Bible itself.
- Joseph Smith Translation

The Book of Mormon also contains sections from the Old Testament within it.  You would have thought that if this translation of the Bible was correct - it would also have matched the sections of the Bible in the Book of Mormon right?