Which Book of Mormon translation came after English?

We love the Book of Mormon! ¡Nos encanta el Libro de Mormón!

In 1849, only two years after settling in Salt Lake, the Lord told the apostles to send missionaries to new countries. That meant translating the Book of Mormon again… and again… and AGAIN.

Do you know which language was the first translation after English?

DANISH! (You thought it was Spanish, didn’t you? We’re feeling tricky today.)

Here’s the back story.

A man named Peter Hansen was called to serve a mission in his homeland of Denmark. His companion was also his mission president—Elder Erastus Snow—who was also an Apostle! (No pressure, right?)

Elder Snow didn’t speak a bit of Danish! But Peter had already begun translating the Book of Mormon on his own.

Once they had both arrived in Denmark, they began the “tedious work” of finishing Peter’s translation. Some members of the Church there helped, including one woman who spoke four languages.

Finally, the book was completed in May 1851, making this month its 173rd birthday! Or, as they say in Danish, fødselsdag!

Elder Snow worked hard to learn the language so he could review the draft himself before it was sent to press. In a letter to President Brigham Young, he wrote, “I feel that I have done the best I could under the circumstances, and that the Lord has accepted it and will add his blessing.”

Today, there are over 4,300 Latter-day Saints in Denmark and a cherished temple in Copenhagen, the capitol city.

Notes
• Read more in Saints, Volume 2, chapter 9.
• See also “Danish: The first foreign language edition of the Book of Mormon,” Deseret News, 2012 Feb 21.
• See also “Translations of the Book of Mormon,” Church History website.