In place of the lost Book of Lehi, the translation from the small plates of Nephi was used, which covered the same time period. Both Nephi () and Mormon () recorded that the small plates were made for a "wise purpose" that was known to the Lord. The aforementioned sections of the Doctrine and Covenants (D&C 3, D&C 10) state that the loss of the Book of Lehi was foreseen by the Lord and that it was for this purpose that the small plates were provided.