Members of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints (Mormon Church) believe that the Bible is the word of God. It contains Jesus' teachings. It describes God's dealings with man. It also spells out many prophesies which pertain directly to these, the last days of the world before the Savior's Second Coming. 

Genesis 49:22 refers to the posterity of Joseph in Egypt as a "fruitful bough by a well; whose branches run over the wall." This same chapter, as well as Deuteronomy 33, discusses a greatly blessed people and their enjoyment of life in a land of "everlasting hills." 

These are but two biblical sources of revelation which, Mormons assert, foreshadow events relating to the Book of Mormon, a new volume of God's word brought forth in modern times. As the book recounts, Lehi, a Jerusalem-born descendant of Joseph, departed from the land of his fathers and ultimately founded a colony in the New World some six hundred years before Christ. His progeny became a tremendous nation which prospered and received many divine blessings in the Americas, a place where the Rocky and Andes mountain ranges form a long, continuous continental divide, the very embodiment of everlasting hills. 

Under the Lord's direction and by His power, prophets living among Lehi's American nation recorded the history of the people and, more importantly, shared their personal convictions regarding Jesus Christ. Because of the ministrations of the Holy Ghost, angels, and Christ Himself, these prophets were enabled to receive and set down the saving gospel in fullness and purity, and, by similar divine means, their compiled record came into the hands of the prophet Joseph Smith. It was he who was responsible for the translation, publication, and distribution of the sacred text, now known the world over as the Book of Mormon: Another Testament of Jesus Christ. 

Joseph Smith had no idea that he would be called of God to assist in such a "marvellous work" (Isaiah 29:14). A devout student of the Bible, he desired at the age of fourteen merely to know which church was the correct one for him to adhere to. Encouraged by the invitation found in James 1:5, he humbly sought and received guidance from the Lord, who personally commanded him to join none of the churches because of their universal corruption: "they draw near to me with their lips, but their hearts are far from me, they teach for doctrines the commandments of men, having a form of godliness, but they deny the power thereof" (see Joseph Smith—History 1:9 and compare Isaiah 29:13 and 2 Timothy 3:5). Three and a half years later, on September 21, 1823, Joseph called on the Lord and found his prayer answered through the visitation of an angel named Moroni. This heavenly messenger was, in fact, the last ancient American prophet who had contributed to the aforementioned sacred text and then protectively buried it in the earth, in the fifth century, A.D. By so doing he fulfilled Isaiah's prophecy of speech that would "whisper out of the dust" (Isaiah 29:4). 

Moroni now came to the young, modern-day prophet with instructions regarding the reverent handling of the record while it should be translated, being engraved, as it was, upon plates of gold. Joseph was not to gain possession of the plates immediately, but first underwent a four-year period of personal preparation and further instruction. Finally, in September 1827, he obtained divine leave to remove the plates from their hiding place in the hill near his home. Also concealed there were the Urim and Thummim, a sacred means of translation (see Exodus 28:30), and a few other artifacts of historical and spiritual significance. 

More time was required for Joseph's personal development before the translation work could begin in earnest. He and his wife, Emma Hale, moved from New York state to Harmony, Pennsylvania to escape the severe harassment of malicious mobs. Joseph dictated a little of the text to Emma and her brother Reuben, who acted as scribes. Martin Harris later offered his scribal services. Joseph was to experience dreadful regret when, as a result of Martin's faithless prodding, he placed 116 pages of translated text in his scribe's unreliable custody—so that the skeptical Mrs. Harris might be appeased by seeing the work. The manuscript was stolen. This grave misstep cost Joseph the very possession of the gold plates; Moroni retrieved them from the prophet and did not return them until the bitterly sorrowing man regained divine trust in September 1828. Although the lost Book of Lehi would no longer be included in the Book of Mormon text—for God commanded Joseph not to retranslate it—we thankfully have portions of Lehi's personal history contained within the divinely directed writings of his son Nephi. 

When the heaven-inspired school teacher Oliver Cowdery became Joseph Smith's new scribe in April 1829, the translation progressed rapidly, concluding by the end of June. It is reported that the dictation was handled with Joseph translating, by God's gift, about twelve words at a time, and Oliver writing down the phrase and reading it back to the prophet for verification. They would continue on to the following set of words without further interruption. Emma Smith firmly stated later in her life that Joseph never turned to any means of research while translating, and that, day after day, he was able, unaided, to continue in his dictation exactly where he had left off previously. 

During these final and most productive two to three months of translation, the prophet was simultaneously engaged in many other activities. Money had to be earned for paper and supplies, and these had to be obtained thirty miles away in Colesville, New York. A federal copyright for the work was received on June 11. Preaching and baptizing occurred. And, at the translation's end, the Three and Eight Witnesses fulfilled their calling as they saw and bore testimony of the gold plates. 

Despite his shortcomings, Martin Harris was forgiven and privileged to be counted among the Three Witnesses. He was further instrumental in the coming forth of the sacred work by mortgaging his farm, thereby gaining a loan of $3,000 to pay for the contractual printing of 5,000 copies of the Book of Mormon. 

The printing took place between August 1829 and March 1830. Ever under the threat of persecution, the prophet Joseph ordered Oliver Cowdery to immediately make a second copy of the translated manuscript and to only allow a few pages of one copy to be given to the printer for typesetting. When those pages were returned, a few more could be delivered—continually under guard. The Book of Mormon was finally published to the world on March 26, 1830. Joseph Smith immediately began to dispatch missionaries to spread the work abroad, and the "Church of Jesus Christ," later including the appellation "of Latter-day Saints," was officially established on April 6, 1830. 

This was a moment in which further biblical prophecy was fulfilled. Whereas before Joseph Smith's prophetic calling, the world suffered for want of truth like a hungry man who can only dream of food (see Isaiah 29:8), now a new era of divine providence would allow them "that erred in spirit [to] come to understanding, and [them] that murmured [to] learn doctrine (Isaiah 29: 24). 

Mormons understand that the "stick of Judah" mentioned in Ezekiel 37:16-19 is the Bible. The "stick of Joseph," prophesied of in the same passage, refers to the Book of Mormon. As two sticks together in a person's hand, these two important volumes of scripture act cooperatively (and therefore to much greater effect) in "the convincing of the Jew and Gentile that JESUS is the CHRIST, the ETERNAL GOD, manifesting himself unto all nations" (see Book of Mormon, Title Page). Christ Himself alluded to His personal visit to Lehi's American posterity after His resurrection when he made mention of "other sheep" (John 10:16). In His infinite love, He hopes that all people will eventually embrace Him as their Shepherd and enter into His fold. As a means to that end, it is the sincere and beneficent aim of Mormons—members of His true Church—that more people might open their hands, their minds, and their hearts to receive both these great and holy works, the Bible and the Book of Mormon.