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Receiving a Promise

Read the 1842 account

The fourth written account of the First Vision was written in response to Chicago Democrat editor John Wentworth’s request for information about the Latter-day Saints and was printed in the Times and Seasons in 1842. Commonly known as the “Wentworth Letter,” this account is concise and straightforward and is the source for the Articles of Faith. As with earlier accounts, Joseph noted the confusion he experienced and the appearance of two personages in answer to his prayer.

Related Resources

This is My Beloved Son
1838 Account: “One of them spake unto me … and said, pointing to the other—This is My Beloved Son. Hear Him!”
Contemporary Accounts
In addition to the four accounts written by Joseph Smith himself, five accounts were written by contemporaries who heard Joseph Smith speak about the vision.
The First Vision