1 BEHOLD, thus saith the Lord unto the elders of his church, who are to return speedily [ Return as quickly as you can. Remember when they were sent here some were to go speedily, some were assigned other paths to get here, but of the return they are to go speedily. Why? Because there is a work to do in Ohio and the Lord needs them back there now. ] to the land from whence they came: Behold, it pleaseth me, that you have come up hither; [ The Lord's way of saying thank you for your service. ]

2 But with some I am not well pleased, [ The Elders had gathered for a conference; and were previously commanded to preach on their journey there. some had not done so; some had not - to these he is addressing in this verse. Many had asked for a revelation hoping for a change of assignment; this was the revelation given. ] for they will not open their mouths, [ They had only made the journey - not preaching on the way.] but they hide the talent which I have given unto them, [ We all have talents and the Lord expects us to bring forth every talent that we have and I might add that we want to have to bear fruit in building the kingdom. If we go back to Matt 25 the source for this parable relates to the parable of the ten virgins as well. The oil as part of the parable of the ten virgins is the covenants that we have made with God, to build a relationship through our covenants with him. So as part of that covenant relationship he expects us to use our talents to build his kingdom, or as it says in verse 3 he will just take them away. ] because of the fear of man. [ Or as if to say - you fear man more than you fear me! ] Wo unto such, for mine anger is kindled against them. [ Compare. 59:21's "against none is his wrath kindled save those who...". Obviously, there were those among the present company (Ezra Booth and Isaac Moorley who did not spend much time preaching at all during their travels as they were instructed in D&C 52. ) who did not take the warning of the previous day's revelation seriously. They had not performed their missionary labors zealously, and apparently still are not eager to do this type of work. ]

3 And it shall come to pass, if they are not more faithful unto me, it shall be taken away, [ What specifically is the Lord referring to here - reference is to talent in the previous verse? ] even that which they have. [ Or those talents that are given them. The Lord defines that further in D&C 101:39-49 that those who are part of this covenant relation with him are to be the salt of the earth. ]

4 For I, the Lord, rule in the heavens above, [ The Lord intend for them to understand who they are dealing with here, when they fail to fulfill their responsibilities. ] and among the armies of the earth; and in the day when I shall make up my jewels, [ Compare Mal. 3:17, Isa. 49:18, Isa. 61:10, Isa. 62:3. ] all men shall know what it is that bespeaketh the power of God.

5 But, verily, I will speak unto you concerning your journey unto the land from whence you came. [ Think about this in light of your own life. Think about the fact that you are here on earth and you are preparing to return to our heavenly home. What things do we need do as we prepare to return? How do we make the decisions? ] Let there be a craft [ See D&C 62:7. The Elders' were petitioning the Lord on how would be the best way to travel home. The Lord responded that it does not matter to him, and they should decide for themselves. Here we have the implication that while God does care about us, he whats us to use our own wisdom and agency. We do not need to seek the Lords permission for everything nor do we need to have the blessings from our priesthood leader on every little decision we make. somethings he has already taught us the correct principles and we need to be responsible to govern and decide for ourselves. President Dallin H. Oaks spoke of two lines of communication to God. The first is the personal line, which is “of paramount importance in personal decisions and in the governance of the family.” The second is “the priesthood line, which operates principally to govern heavenly communications on Church matters.” President Oaks counseled, “We must use both the personal line and the priesthood line in proper balance to achieve the growth that is the purpose of mortal life. If personal religious practice relies too much on the personal line, individualism erases the importance of divine authority. If personal religious practice relies too much on the priesthood line, individual growth suffers. The children of God need both lines to achieve their eternal destiny. The restored gospel teaches both, and the restored Church provides both” (“Two Lines of Communication,” Ensign, November 2010, 83–86). ] made, or bought, as seemeth you good, it mattereth not unto me, [ In D&C 58:25-28 the Lord has previously instructed them that He expects them to council among themselves and with Him. The Lord delights in servants who do not have to be instructed in all things, but go out and do on their own. He doesn't want to tell them everything they have to do. In otherwords "Make your own decisions" - that is how you grow and learn. Also; some were distracted in their callings because they were in fear of man - So the Lord could be implying that it does not matter how you go about do they work - just go get it done - DO IT as President Hinkley would say. ] and take your journey speedily for the place which is called St. Louis.

6 And from thence let my servants, Sidney Rigdon, Joseph Smith, Jun., and Oliver Cowdery, take their journey for Cincinnati;

7 And in this place let them lift up their voice and declare my word with loud voices, without wrath or doubting, lifting up holy hands upon them. For I am able to make you holy, and your sins are forgiven you.

8 And let the residue take their journey from St. Louis, two by two, and preach the word, not in haste, among the congregations of the wicked, [ Defined as "the inhabitants of the earth" in D&C 62:5. This phrase is used in D&C 60-62 exclusively. Its appearance in these sections might be a reflection of Smith’s own unflattering description of the locals, appearing as a preface to D&C 57. See the historical material for D&C 57. ] until they return to the churches from whence they came.

9 And all this for the good of the churches; for this intent have I sent them.

10 And let my servant Edward Partridge impart of the money which I have given him, a portion unto mine elders who are commanded to return;

11 And he that is able, let him return it by the way of the agent; and he that is not, of him it is not required.

12 And now I speak of the residue who are to come unto this land.

13 Behold, they have been sent to preach my gospel among the congregations of the wicked; [ The Lord restates from where he began in verse 2-4. Verses 12-17 broadly apply the initial statements found in verse 2-4 only applied to the rest of the elders of the church who were not present. ] wherefore, I give unto them a commandment, thus: Thou shalt not idle away thy time, neither shalt thou bury thy talent that it may not be known. [ In this case it seems to be tha they are not willing to share their testimony and the gospel. ]

14 And after thou hast come up unto the land of Zion, and hast proclaimed my word, thou shalt speedily return, proclaiming my word among the congregations of the wicked, not in haste, neither in wrath nor with strife.

15 And shake off the dust of thy feet against those who receive thee not, not in their presence, [ They are told to shake off the dust of their feet as in D&C 24:15. Here it is made more explicit that the purpose of this action is not to be an affront to those who reject you but to be a witness to their lack of hospitality, so they are told not to do it in public. This is alluded to in the D&C 24:15 reference to "by the wayside", but this statement here is much more plain. This prohibition is probably the result of the exchange between Parley P. Pratt and Ashbel Kitchell, a leader of the Shakers, which resulted in a rather hostile situation. See the historical material for D&C 49. There is much folklore in the Church surrounding the practice of “casting off the dust of your feet against them as a testimony” (v. 15). Elder James E. Talmage later offered clarification on this practice, explaining, “To ceremonially shake the dust from one’s feet as a testimony against another was understood by the Jews to symbolize a cessation of fellowship and a renunciation of all responsibility for consequences that might follow. It became an ordinance of accusation and testimony by the Lord’s instructions to His apostles as cited in the text. In the current dispensation, the Lord has similarly directed His authorized servants to so testify against those who willfully and maliciously oppose the truth when authoritatively presented (D&C 24:15; 60:15; 75:20; 84:92; 99:4). The responsibility of testifying before the Lord by this accusing symbol is so great that the means may be employed only under unusual and extreme conditions, as the Spirit of the Lord may direct (Jesus the Christ, 1915, 345). ] lest thou provoke them, but in secret; and wash thy feet, as a testimony against them in the day of judgment.

16 Behold, this is sufficient for you, and the will of him who hath sent you.

17 And by the mouth of my servant Joseph Smith, Jun., it shall be made known concerning Sidney Rigdon and Oliver Cowdery. The residue hereafter. Even so. Amen.

[ Historical Material Pertaining to Doctrine & Covenants 60 Smith’s comments do nothing to explain context. Pratt’s comments indicate some of the other missionaries had not fulfilled their duties as he himself had. Whitmer similarly notes that some of the missionaries had established branches as they worked, implying some hadn’t, without naming any names. The final excerpt is a more blunt historical comment stating flatly what the problem was. See also the historical material for D&C 61 for the excerpt from Ezra Booth, wherein he makes it clear he and some others had no interest whatsoever in preaching. It seems likely some of the Elders were hoping they would no longer have to act as traveling missionaries, hoping instead to act in some other capacity to help establish Zion there in Missouri. As such, they kept asking Smith for a revelation diverting them onto some other work. Excerpt from History of the Church On the 8th, as there had been some inquiry among the Elders what they were to do, I received the following: [text of D&C 60 quoted] On the 9th, in company with ten Elders, I left Independence landing for Kirtland. We started down the river in canoes, and went the first day as far as Fort Osage, where we had an excellent wild turkey for supper. (Joseph Smith, History of the Church, volume 1, pages 201-202) Excerpt from Autobiography of Parley P. Pratt soon after the conference my brother and myself commenced our journey without any means to bear our expenses. We traveled through the States of Ohio, Indiana, Illinois and Missouri, in the midst of the heat of summer on foot, and faithfully preached the gospel in many parts of all these States. We suffered the hardships incident to a new and, in many places, unsettled country, such as hunger, thirst, fatigue, etc. We arrived in upper Missouri in September, having baptized many people and organized branches of the Church in several parts of Ohio, Illinois and Indiana. On our arrival we found a considerable settlement of the brethren from Ohio, who had immigrated during the summer and taken up their residence in Jackson County. President Smith, and many of the Elders, had been there and held a conference, and, having organized a Stake of Zion, pointed out and consecrated certain grounds for a city and temple, they had again returned to the East. With them, the brethren whom I had left there the previous winter, had also returned. I felt somewhat disappointed in not meeting with the brethren; but was consoled with the reflection that I had been diligent in preaching the gospel on my journey, while others had hurried through the country, perhaps, without tarrying to do much good. (Parley P. Pratt, Autobiography of Parley Parker Pratt, pages 53-54) Excerpt from the Book of John Whitmer some of the elders who traveled to the land of Missouri and preached by the way, tarried here in this land, among whom is the Bishop E. [Edward] Partridge, Isaac Morley and John Corrill. some were sick on their way to the land, but all were restored to health. Among those who were sick were John Murdock, Parley P. Pratt and Thomas B. Marsh-They all tarried until after they attended a conference in this land. They have since all gone to preach the gospel and call sinners to repentance. There were some Churches built by the way as they journeyed to this land (Missouri) and the people were warned of the danger they were in, if they did not repent. (John Whitmer, Book of John Whitmer, chapter 9, paragraphs 7-8) Excerpt from Church History and Modern Revelation On the 8th day of August, 1831, at the close of the first conference held in Missouri, the elders inquired what they were to do. The Prophet inquired of the Lord and received a revelation giving them direction in relation to their return journey. The Lord commenced his instruction by saying that he was pleased with them for making the journey to Missouri, and now they were to return speedily to the land from whence they came. However, some of them received a rebuke for the Lord was not pleased with them because on the journey from Ohio, they had not followed the counsels that had been given. They had been commanded to preach the Gospel along the way and bear testimony among the people, but some had failed to magnify this commandment because of their fear of man.... On this occasion the Lord gave a warning to those who had failed, and had "not opened their mouths," but had hid the talent the Lord had given them. They were told that the authority which had been given them would be taken away, if they did not improve in their ministry. "For I, the Lord, rule in the heavens above, and among the armies of the earth; and in the day when I shall make up my jewels, all men shall know what it is that speaketh the power of God."... The manner by which the returning brethren were to travel was pointed out to them. The Lord said: "Let there be a craft made, or bought, as seemeth you good, it mattereth not unto me, and take your journey speedily for the place which is called St. Louis." Joseph Smith and Sidney Rigdon were to travel together to Cincinnati where they were to lift up their voices and declare the word "with loud voices, without wrath or doubting, lifting up holy hands upon them, for I am able to make you holy, and your sins are forgiven you. The residue were to take their journey to St. Louis and declare the word among the congregations of the wicked. They were to travel two by two, not in haste, but to take time to declare the message of salvation among the people.... On the way to Missouri some of these missionaries had "idled away their time." The Lord was determined that this should not be the case on this return journey, neither on the part of those who were to remain in that land or who were yet to come (Joseph Fielding Smith, Church History and Modern Revelation, volume 1, pages 203-205)

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