The Urim and Thummim were not used alone for translation, but most of the early revelations were obtained by their means. Speaking of those days, the Prophet usually says: "I enquired of the Lord through the Urim and Thummim, and obtained the following."[A] The "stones in silver bows" seemed, therefore, to have possessed the general power of converting manifestations of the spiritual world into terms suitable to the understanding of Joseph Smith.