5 Wherefore, Joseph truly saw our day. And he obtained a promise of the Lord, that out of the fruit of his loins the Lord God would raise up a righteous branch unto the house of Israel; not the Messiah, but a branch which was to be broken off, nevertheless, to be remembered in the covenants of the Lord that the Messiah should be made manifest unto them in the latter days, in the spirit of power, unto the bringing of them out of darkness unto light—yea, out of hidden darkness and out of captivity unto freedom.24 And Joseph said unto his brethren, I die, and go unto my fathers; and I go down to my grave with joy. The God of father Jacob be with you, to deliver you out of affliction in the days of your bondage; for the Lord hath visited me, and I have obtained a promise of the Lord, that out of the fruit of my loins, the Lord God will raise up a righteous branch out of my loins; and unto thee, whom my father Jacob hath named Israel, a prophet; [not the Messiah who is called Shilo] and this prophet shall deliver my people out of Egypt in the days of thy bondage.6 For Joseph truly testified, saying: A seer shall the Lord my God raise up, who shall be a choice seer unto the fruit of my loins. [2 Nephi 3:5–6]25 And it shall come to pass that they shall be scattered again; and a branch shall be broken off, and shall be carried into a far country; nevertheless they shall be remembered in the covenants of the Lord, when the Messiah cometh; for he shall be made manifest unto them in the latter days, in the Spirit of power; and shall bring them out of darkness into light; out of hidden darkness, and out of captivity unto freedom. 26 A seer shall the Lord my God raise up, who shall be a choice seer unto the fruit of my loins. [JST, Genesis 50:24–26]
All that follows “And Joseph said unto his brethren, I die, and” in the JST, Genesis 50:24–26 was restored by the Prophet Joseph. A comparison of Lehi’s text and the JST text shows that Lehi was only quoting what was applicable to his people. The first part of the covenant made to Joseph of Egypt was that “the Lord God would raise up a righteous branch unto the house of Israel, not the Messiah, but a branch to be broken off” (v. 5). This righteous branch of the house of Israel was the same as the blessing upon Joseph of Egypt by his father Jacob quoted under the commentary of 1 Nephi 7:2–5. “Joseph is a fruitful bough, even a fruitful bough by a well; whose branches run over the wall” (Genesis 49:22). The Lord later confirmed to Jacob, son of Lehi, that the Nephites were the righteous branch promised to Joseph of Egypt. “Wherefore, thus saith the Lord, I have led this people forth out of the land of Jerusalem, by the power of mine arm, that I might raise up unto me a righteous branch from the fruit of the loins of Joseph” (Jacob 2:25). About five hundred years later Ammon, the son of King Mosiah, identified the Nephite people as “a branch of the tree of Israel, and has been lost from its body in a strange land” (Alma 26:36).
Two promises were given to this righteous branch of Israel. Through the Messiah being manifest to them in the latter days, they were to be brought “out of darkness unto light,” and they were to be brought “out of captivity unto freedom” (v. 5). The JST, Genesis 50:25 contains the two promises. Being brought out of darkness unto light has come and will continue to come through the restoration of the fullness of the gospel among them. When the angel Moroni appeared to the boy Joseph Smith, the early morning of September 22, 1823; he “said that the fullness of the everlasting Gospel was contained in [The Book of Mormon], as delivered by the Savior to the ancient inhabitants [of America]” (JS—History, 1:34). In a revelation to Joseph Smith on the day of the organization of the Church, the Lord declared that he had given Joseph power “to translate the Book of Mormon,” and that it contains “the fulness of the gospel of Jesus Christ to the Gentiles and to the Jews also” (D&C 20:8–9; see also 27:5; 42:12). Their being brought out of captivity unto freedom seems to be a political freedom and will be discussed later in the chapter.
The second part of the covenant to Joseph of Egypt stated that in the last days the Lord would raise up a choice seer from the loins of Joseph, a choice seer unto the fruit of Joseph’s (of Egypt) loins (v. 6). The Lord said more about this seer than of the righteous branch. This is probably because the seer was to be the Lord’s instrument in bringing about the spiritual delivery from darkness unto light. The spiritual delivery was to take place before the political delivery. As recorded in the Book of Mormon and the JST, Genesis 50 text, there are nine descriptions of the choice seer in Joseph’s prophecy. All of the nine descriptions fit the Prophet Joseph Smith, thus verifying his being the seer spoken of by Joseph of Egypt. The nine will now be considered.