Nephi mentions the prophecies of Joseph that were written on the brass plates of Laban, and, he concludes, “there are not many greater.” (2 Nephi 4:2.) But where are these great prophecies of Joseph? Why do they not appear in the Old Testament? We do not know the answers to these questions, but the following observations might give some clues as to possible answers.
In the first place, Joseph’s prophecies would logically be written most completely on the “stick” or record of Joseph; thus, they were probably included in detail on the brass plates of Laban. However, Joseph’s prophecies are not found presently in the “stick” or record of Judah—the Bible. Again, this would indicate that the records on the brass plates of Laban were more comprehensive and complete than the records from which we get our Old Testament.
In the second place, evidently some of the writings of Joseph are still in existence but have not been published to the world. Joseph Smith said that he received some papyri scrolls that contained the record of Abraham and Joseph at the same time he obtained the Egyptian mummies from Michael Chandler. Concerning this record, Joseph Smith has written: “The record of Abraham and Joseph, found with the mummies, is beautifully written on papyrus, with black, and a small part red, ink or paint, in perfect preservation.” (History of the Church, 2:348.) The Prophet next describes how the mummies and the record came into his possession and then concludes: “Thus I have given a brief history of the manner in which the writings of the fathers, Abraham and Joseph, have been preserved, and how I came in possession of the same—a correct translation of which I shall give in its proper place.” (Ibid., 2:350-51.)
The record of Abraham translated by the Prophet was subsequently printed, and it is now known as the book of Abraham in the Pearl of Great Price. However, the translation of the book of Joseph has not yet been published. Evidently the record of Joseph was translated by the Prophet, but perhaps the reason it was not published was because the great prophecies therein were “too great” for the people of this day.