What I like most of 3 Nephi 12 is the “Nephite version” of the Sermon on the Mount. It’s similar, but different in key details. As I read it, I think this is the version He actually gave on that “mount” it’s just that by the time it was actually written down, some of these points had been lost in the repeated retellings.
This underscores the “why” of the Book of Mormon. It was written and revealed in our day to prove the truths contained in the Bible… to be that second witness. Jesus in his day, didn’t have the Old Testament we have now. What we have is based on the Masoretic Text while the scriptures He had were based, most likely, on the Septuagint which is a Greek translation of a much older Hebrew text that no longer exists. The oldest Masoretic Text was written some time in AD 900. The Septuagint dates back to a few hundred years BC. The Qumran record dates back to about AD 200 and matches the Masoretic Text very closely. The Isaiah in the Book of Mormon tracks closely to the Masoretic version but there are many differences… much to the delight of critics and consternation of the believers.
I digress… again. The point being like my eyesight, the Bible due to mistranslations (deliberate or otherwise) has over time gotten out of focus. The Book of Mormon, like my bifocals brings these truths back into focus and confirms the veracity of the Bible’s teachings.
It is the second witness.
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