Alma 13:25
1830 Edition
And now we only wait to hear the joyful news declared unto us by the mouth of angels, of his coming: for the time cometh, we know not how soon. Would to God that it might be in my day; but let it be sooner or later, in it I will rejoice.
Changes
Simple English
'We are waiting to hear the happy news from angels about his coming. The time is coming, but we don’t know how soon. I wish it could happen while I am alive. But whenever it happens, I will be happy.'
Paraphrase
'We’re just waiting to hear the joyful news announced by angels that he’s coming. We don’t know when it will be. I wish to God it could happen in my lifetime—but whether it’s sooner or later, I’ll celebrate when it comes.'
Notes
Based off of 1 Nephi 10:4 and 19:8, the exact timing of the coming of Christ was known by the ancient Nephites from the time they left the Old World. Strangely, this knowledge seems unknown to Alma, who states, "And now we only wait to hear the joyful news declared unto us by the mouth of angels, of his coming; for the time cometh, we do not know how soon. Would to God that it might be in my day; but let it be sooner or later, in it I will rejoice" (Alma 13:25).
Brent Metcalfe theorizes that because Joseph Smith dictated the opening portion of the Book of Mormon last—a position also held by scholars such as Grant Hardy—he may have forgotten, by the time he composed Nephi, that Alma had stated he was unaware of the timing of Christ’s birth. This explanation is arguably more plausible than assuming that such significant information would not have been preserved through Nephite tradition or written records. -Metcalfe, New Approaches, pp. 417-418.