JOEL - In a sense the translation was completed but the entire work was not published in Joseph Smith's day. Because of the distraction of persecution, the demands of Church business, and the lack of financial means, he was not able to release a finalized manuscript ready for publication. So we don't know for sure if it was as complete as he intended it to be. Also there is some evidence that Smith's wife and others may have changed some of the texts to remove references to polygamy to protect his character. This may have been done by Reorganized Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints(RLDS) leaders in the 1860s, prior to their first publication of the work in 1867. Most scholars believe the bulk of the translation is as Smith intended, but because of these uncertainties, the LDS church does not accept this translation of the Bible as part of the official canon, but does accept many of the changes made as doctrinally significant.

THOMAS - If not, when was a Prophet ever killed before he finished his work?

JOEL - In Matthew 23:35 and Luke 11:51 Jesus speaks of the prophet Zechariah who was "murdered between the temple and the altar." (See also 1 Kings 18:13, Matt 23:31, Mark 6:25, Luke 11:49, Acts 7:59-60)
So many prophets were killed, but how can anyone know when a prophet's work is done? There is no set amount of time that a prophet is to remain on the earth. He does what he can while he is here, and when he dies another one takes over if it is God's will.

THOMAS - Also, if we are commanded to “live by every word that proceeds out of the mouth of God”, why is there not an emphasis from the Church to read from the JST?

JOEL - We are encouraged to stick with the King James version of the Bible because that is the most accepted version in the world today. It gives our missionaries something to use that most other Christians can relate to. People of other faiths might not be willing to accept what Joseph Smith's translation says, especially where it differs from what accepted versions say. The more recent LDS publications of the King James version do have some of the more significant verses of the Inspired Version either in the footnotes or at the end of the book, and in the church we are encouraged to refer to the inspired translation when appropriate.