Comparative Edition of the Book of Mormon
A Comparative Edition
Edited by Lincoln B. Fullmer
©2023
Introduction to this Edition
This edition of the Book of Mormon is
primarily meant to facilitate both synchronic and diachronic comparison of the
various versions of the text that have been printed over the years. There are 3
distinct systems of versification used in this volume: First, the system found
in the 1852 edition published by the LDS mission president in Liverpool,
England , second, the system developed for the 1879 publication produced by the
the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints in Salt Lake City, Utah, and third,
the system developed for the 1908 edition of the Book of Mormon published by
the Reorganized Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints, now the Community
of Christ, in Lamoni, Iowa.
Before 1852, verses were not used at all in
the Book of Mormon, however, chapters have been in place ever since the
original 1830 publication of the Book of Mormon in Palmyra. The 1852 system,
distinguished by its extremely long verses - somewhat comparable to numbered
paragraphs - was used by the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints until
1879, when Orson Pratt was charged with creating a system of shorter chapters
and verses still used today in that church. The 1908 system is distinguished by
generally having shorter verses than the 1879 edition, and the system is used
to this day in the Community of Christ.
Priority in this edition was given to the
largest breaks; thus, 1852 edition verses are marked in this volume using
large, red numbers on the left margin, 1879 edition verses are marked with
smaller, blue, listed numbers, and finally 1908 edition verses are marked with
green numbers nested within the 1879 edition verses. In keeping with this
principle, original 1830 chapters, as used by the 1852 and 1908 editions, are
notated with large, black type and the smaller 1879 edition chapters are
notated with small, blue lettering within the larger chapters.
Finally, the versing in this edition comes
from the following sources: the 1908 RLDS edition verses from http://centerplace.org/hs/bofm/bompref.htm, the
1879 LDS edition verses from https://www.gutenberg.org/files/17/17-h/17-h.htm, and
the 1852 LDS edition verses from https://archive.org/details/bookmormon00smitgoog/page/172/mode/2up. The
bulk of the actual text comes from the 1879 edition found on gutenberg.org,
slightly supplemented by the 1908 text from centerplace.org.
Additional information on the textual
history of the Book of Mormon can be found in the Encyclopedia of Mormonism,
pages 116 and 117, on this website: https://contentdm.lib.byu.edu/digital/collection/EoM/id/5540.
Works Cited
Book of Mormon on Centerplace.org,
centerplace.org/hs/bm/. Accessed 23 Nov. 2022.
“Book of Mormon.” The Church of Jesus
Christ of Latter-Day Saints,
www.churchofjesuschrist.org/study/scriptures/bofm?lang=eng. Accessed 23 Nov.
2022.
Ludlow, Daniel H. “Book of Mormon Editions
(1830-1981).” Encyclopedia of Mormonism. Harold B. Lee Library, Brigham Young
University, 1992, pp 175-176
contentdm.lib.byu.edu/digital/collection/EoM/id/5540. Digital Collections
BYU Library, Accessed 23 Nov. 2022.
“The Book of Mormon : Joseph Smith : Free
Download, Borrow, and Streaming.” Internet Archive, 1 Jan. 1970,
archive.org/details/bookmormon00smitgoog/page/172/mode/2up. Accessed 23 Nov.
2022.
Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints
and Smith Jr, Joseph. “The Book of Mormon.” Project Gutenberg,
www.gutenberg.org/cache/epub/17/pg17-images.html. Accessed 23 Nov. 2022.
THE
FIRST BOOK OF NEPHI
An account of Lehi and his
wife Sariah and his four sons, being called, (beginning at the eldest) Laman,
Lemuel, Sam, and Nephi. The Lord warns Lehi to depart out of the land of
Jerusalem, because he prophesieth unto the people concerning their iniquity and
they seek to destroy his life. He taketh three days’ journey into the
wilderness with his family. Nephi taketh his brethren and returneth to the land
of Jerusalem after the record of the Jews. The account of their sufferings.
They take the daughters of Ishmael to wife. They take their families and depart
into the wilderness. Their sufferings and afflictions in the wilderness. The
course of their travels. They come to the large waters. Nephi’s brethren rebel
against him. He confoundeth them, and buildeth a ship. They call the name of
the place Bountiful. They cross the large waters into the promised land, and so
forth. This is according to the account of Nephi; or in other words, I, Nephi,
wrote this record.
1st Nephi, Chapter 1
1 Nephi; 1:1
1st Nephi, Chapter 1
1:1.
1 I, Nephi, having been born of
goodly parents, therefore I was taught somewhat in all the learning of my
father; and having seen many afflictions in the course of my days,
nevertheless, having been highly favored of the Lord in all my days; yea,
having had a great knowledge of the goodness and the mysteries of God,
therefore I make a record of my proceedings in my days.
1:2.
Yea, I make a record in the language of my
father, which consists of the learning of the Jews and the language of the
Egyptians.
1:3.
2 And I know that the record
which I make is true; and I make it with mine own hand; and I make it according
to my knowledge.
1 Nephi; 1:2
1:4.
3 For it came to pass in the
commencement of the first year of the reign of Zedekiah, king of Judah, (my
father, Lehi, having dwelt at Jerusalem in all his days); and in that same year
there came many prophets, prophesying unto the people that they must repent, or
the great city Jerusalem must be destroyed.
1:5.
4 Wherefore it came to pass
that my father, Lehi, as he went forth prayed unto the Lord, yea, even with all
his heart, in behalf of his people.
1 Nephi; 1:3
1:6.
5 And it came to pass as he
prayed unto the Lord, there came a pillar of fire and dwelt upon a rock before
him; and he saw and heard much; and because of the things which he saw and
heard he did quake and tremble exceedingly.
1 Nephi; 1:4
1:7.
6 And it came to pass that he
returned to his own house at Jerusalem; and he cast himself upon his bed, being
overcome with the Spirit and the things which he had seen.
1:8.
7 And being thus overcome with
the Spirit, he was carried away in a vision, even that he saw the heavens open,
and he thought he saw God sitting upon his throne, surrounded with numberless
concourses of angels in the attitude of singing and praising their God.
1 Nephi; 1:5
1:9.
8 And it came to pass that he
saw One descending out of the midst of heaven, and he beheld that his luster
was above that of the sun at noon-day.
1:10.
9 And he also saw twelve
others following him, and their brightness did exceed that of the stars in the
firmament.
1:11.
And they came down and went forth upon the
face of the earth; 10 and the first came and
stood before my father, and gave unto him a book, and bade him that he should
read.
1 Nephi; 1:6
1:12.
11 And it came to pass that as
he read, he was filled with the Spirit of the Lord.
1:13.
And he read, saying: Wo, wo, unto
Jerusalem, for I have seen thine abominations! 12 Yea,
and many things did my father read concerning Jerusalem—that it should be
destroyed, and the inhabitants thereof; many should perish by the sword, and
many should be carried away captive into Babylon.
1 Nephi; 1:7
1:14.
13 And it came to pass that when
my father had read and seen many great and marvelous things, he did exclaim
many things unto the Lord; such as: Great and marvelous are thy works, O Lord
God Almighty! Thy throne is high in the heavens, and thy power, and goodness,
and mercy are over all the inhabitants of the earth, and, because thou art
merciful, thou wilt not suffer those who come unto thee that they shall perish!
1:15.
14 And after this manner was the
language of my father in the praising of his God; for his soul did rejoice, and
his whole heart was filled, because of the things which he had seen, yea, which
the Lord had shown unto him.
1:16.
15 And now I, Nephi, do not
make a full account of the things which my father hath written, for he hath
written many things which he saw in visions and in dreams; 16 and he also hath written many things which he
prophesied and spake unto his children, of which I shall not make a full
account.
1:17.
But I shall make an account of my
proceedings in my days. 17 Behold, I make an
abridgment of the record of my father, upon plates which I have made with mine
own hands; wherefore, after I have abridged the record of my father then will I
make an account of mine own life.
1 Nephi; 1:8
1:18.
18 Therefore, I would that ye
should know, that after the Lord had shown so many marvelous things unto my
father, Lehi, yea, concerning the destruction of Jerusalem, behold he went
forth among the people, and began to prophesy and to declare unto them concerning
the things which he had both seen and heard.
1 Nephi; 1:9
1:19.
19 And it came to pass that the
Jews did mock him because of the things which he testified of them; for he
truly testified of their wickedness and their abominations; 20 and he testified that the things which he saw
and heard, and also the things which he read in the book, manifested plainly of
the coming of the Messiah, and also the redemption of the world.
1 Nephi; 1:10
1:20.
21 And when the Jews heard these
things they were angry with him; yea, even as with the prophets of old, whom
they had cast out, and stoned, and slain; 22 and
they also sought his life, that they might take it away. 23 But behold, I, Nephi, will show unto you that
the tender mercies of the Lord are over all those whom he hath chosen, because
of their faith, to make them mighty even unto the power of deliverance.
1 Nephi; 1:11
1st Nephi, Chapter 2
2:1.
24 For behold, it came to pass
that the Lord spake unto my father, yea, even in a dream, and said unto him:
Blessed art thou Lehi, because of the things which thou hast done; 25 and because thou hast been faithful and
declared unto this people the things which I commanded thee, behold, they seek
to take away thy life.
1 Nephi; 1:12
2:2.
26 And it came to pass that the
Lord commanded my father, even in a dream, that he should take his family and
depart into the wilderness.
2:3.
27 And it came to pass that he
was obedient unto the word of the Lord, wherefore he did as the Lord commanded
him.
1 Nephi; 1:13
2:4.
28 And it came to pass that he
departed into the wilderness. 29 And he left
his house, and the land of his inheritance, and his gold, and his silver, and
his precious things, and took nothing with him, save it were his family, and
provisions, and tents, and departed into the wilderness.
2:5.
30 And he came down by the
borders near the shore of the Red Sea; 31 and
he traveled in the wilderness in the borders which are nearer the Red Sea; 32 and he did travel in the wilderness with his
family, which consisted of my mother, Sariah, and my elder brothers, who were
Laman, Lemuel, and Sam.
1 Nephi; 1:14
2:6.
33 And it came to pass that
when he had traveled three days in the wilderness, he pitched his tent in a
valley by the side of a river of water.
2:7.
34 And it came to pass that he
built an altar of stones, and made an offering unto the Lord, and gave thanks
unto the Lord our God.
2:8.
35 And it came to pass that he
called the name of the river, Laman, and it emptied into the Red Sea; and the
valley was in the borders near the mouth thereof.
1 Nephi; 1:15
2:9.
36 And when my father saw that
the waters of the river emptied into the fountain of the Red Sea, he spake unto
Laman, saying: O that thou mightest be like unto this river, continually
running into the fountain of all righteousness!
2:10.
37 And he also spake unto
Lemuel: O that thou mightest be like unto this valley, firm and steadfast, and
immovable in keeping the commandments of the Lord!
2:11.
38 Now this he spake because of
the stiffneckedness of Laman and Lemuel; for behold they did murmur in many
things against their father, because he was a visionary man, and had led them
out of the land of Jerusalem, to leave the land of their inheritance, and their
gold, and their silver, and their precious things, to perish in the wilderness.
39 And this they said he had done because of
the foolish imaginations of his heart.
2:12.
40 And thus Laman and Lemuel,
being the eldest, did murmur against their father. 41
And they did murmur because they knew not the dealings of that God who
had created them.
2:13.
42 Neither did they believe that
Jerusalem, that great city, could be destroyed according to the words of the
prophets. 43 And they were like unto the
Jews who were at Jerusalem, who sought to take away the life of my father.
1 Nephi; 1:16
2:14.
44 And it came to pass that my
father did speak unto them in the valley of Lemuel, with power, being filled
with the Spirit, until their frames did shake before him. 45 And he did confound them, that they durst not
utter against him; wherefore, they did as he commanded them.
2:15.
46 And my father dwelt in a
tent.
1 Nephi; 1:17
2:16.
47 And it came to pass that I,
Nephi, being exceedingly young, nevertheless being large in stature, and also
having great desires to know of the mysteries of God, 48
wherefore, I did cry unto the Lord; and behold he did visit me, and did
soften my heart that I did believe all the words which had been spoken by my
father; wherefore, I did not rebel against him like unto my brothers.
2:17.
49 And I spake unto Sam, making
known unto him the things which the Lord had manifested unto me by his Holy
Spirit.
1 Nephi; 1:18
50 And
it came to pass that he believed in my words.
2:18.
51 But, behold, Laman and
Lemuel would not hearken unto my words; 52 and
being grieved because of the hardness of their hearts I cried unto the Lord for
them.
1 Nephi; 1:19
2:19.
53 And it came to pass that the
Lord spake unto me, saying: Blessed art thou, Nephi, because of thy faith, for
thou hast sought me diligently, with lowliness of heart.
2:20.
54 And inasmuch as ye shall
keep my commandments, ye shall prosper, and shall be led to a land of promise;
yea, even a land which I have prepared for you; yea, a land which is choice
above all other lands.
2:21.
55 And inasmuch as thy brethren
shall rebel against thee, they shall be cut off from the presence of the Lord.
2:22.
56 And inasmuch as thou shalt
keep my commandments, thou shalt be made a ruler and a teacher over thy
brethren.
2:23.
57 For behold, in that day that
they shall rebel against me, I will curse them even with a sore curse, and they
shall have no power over thy seed except they shall rebel against me also.
2:24.
58 And if it so be that they
rebel against me, they shall be a scourge unto thy seed, to stir them up in the
ways of remembrance.
1 Nephi; 1:20
1st Nephi, Chapter 3
3:1.
59 And it came to pass that I,
Nephi, returned from speaking with the Lord, to the tent of my father.
3:2.
60 And it came to pass that he
spake unto me, saying: Behold I have dreamed a dream, in the which the Lord
hath commanded me that thou and thy brethren shall return to Jerusalem.
3:3.
61 For behold, Laban hath the
record of the Jews and also a genealogy of my forefathers, and they are
engraven upon plates of brass.
3:4.
62 Wherefore, the Lord hath
commanded me that thou and thy brothers should go unto the house of Laban, and
seek the records, and bring them down hither into the wilderness.
3:5.
63 And now, behold thy brothers
murmur, saying it is a hard thing which I have required of them; but behold I
have not required it of them, but it is a commandment of the Lord.
3:6.
64 Therefore go, my son, and
thou shalt be favored of the Lord, because thou hast not murmured.
1 Nephi; 1:21
3:7.
65 And it came to pass that I,
Nephi, said unto my father: I will go and do the things which the Lord hath
commanded, for I know that the Lord giveth no commandments unto the children of
men, save he shall prepare a way for them that they may accomplish the thing
which he commandeth them.
1 Nephi; 1:22
3:8.
66 And it came to pass that when
my father had heard these words he was exceedingly glad, for he knew that I had
been blessed of the Lord.
3:9.
67 And I, Nephi, and my brethren
took our journey in the wilderness, with our tents, to go up to the land of
Jerusalem.
1 Nephi; 1:23
3:10.
68 And it came to pass that
when we had gone up to the land of Jerusalem, I and my brethren did consult one
with another.
3:11.
And we cast lots—who of us should go in
unto the house of Laban. 69 And it came to
pass that the lot fell upon Laman; and Laman went in unto the house of Laban,
and he talked with him as he sat in his house.
3:12.
70 And he desired of Laban the
records which were engraven upon the plates of brass, which contained the
genealogy of my father.
1 Nephi; 1:24
3:13.
71 And behold, it came to pass
that Laban was angry, and thrust him out from his presence; and he would not
that he should have the records. 72 Wherefore,
he said unto him: Behold thou art a robber, and I will slay thee.
3:14.
73 But Laman fled out of his
presence, and told the things which Laban had done, unto us. 74 And we began to be exceedingly sorrowful, and
my brethren were about to return unto my father in the wilderness.
3:15.
75 But behold I said unto them
that: As the Lord liveth, and as we live, we will not go down unto our father
in the wilderness until we have accomplished the thing which the Lord hath
commanded us.
3:16.
76 Wherefore, let us be
faithful in keeping the commandments of the Lord; 77
therefore let us go down to the land of our father’s inheritance, for
behold he left gold and silver, and all manner of riches. 78 And all this he hath done because of the
commandments of the Lord.
3:17.
For he knew that Jerusalem must be
destroyed, because of the wickedness of the people.
1 Nephi; 1:25
3:18.
79 For behold, they have
rejected the words of the prophets. 80 Wherefore,
if my father should dwell in the land after he hath been commanded to flee out
of the land, behold, he would also perish. 81 Wherefore,
it must needs be that he flee out of the land.
3:19.
82 And behold, it is wisdom in
God that we should obtain these records, that we may preserve unto our children
the language of our fathers;
3:20.
83 And also that we may
preserve unto them the words which have been spoken by the mouth of all the
holy prophets, which have been delivered unto them by the Spirit and power of
God, since the world began, even down unto this present time.
1 Nephi; 1:26
3:21.
84 And it came to pass that
after this manner of language did I persuade my brethren, that they might be
faithful in keeping the commandments of God.
3:22.
85 And it came to pass that we
went down to the land of our inheritance, and we did gather together our gold,
and our silver, and our precious things.
3:23.
86 And after we had gathered
these things together, we went up again unto the house of Laban.
1 Nephi; 1:27
3:24.
87 And it came to pass that we
went in unto Laban, and desired him that he would give unto us the records
which were engraven upon the plates of brass, for which we would give unto him
our gold, and our silver, and all our precious things.
1 Nephi; 1:28
3:25.
88 And it came to pass that
when Laban saw our property, and that it was exceedingly great, he did lust
after it, insomuch that he thrust us out, and sent his servants to slay us,
that he might obtain our property.
3:26.
89 And it came to pass that we
did flee before the servants of Laban, and we were obliged to leave behind our
property, and it fell into the hands of Laban.
1 Nephi; 1:29
3:27.
90 And it came to pass that we
fled into the wilderness, and the servants of Laban did not overtake us, and we
hid ourselves in the cavity of a rock.
3:28.
91 And it came to pass that
Laman was angry with me, and also with my father; and also was Lemuel, for he
hearkened unto the words of Laman. 92 Wherefore
Laman and Lemuel did speak many hard words unto us, their younger brothers, and
they did smite us even with a rod.
1 Nephi; 1:30
3:29.
93 And it came to pass as they
smote us with a rod, behold, an angel of the Lord came and stood before them,
and he spake unto them, saying: Why do ye smite your younger brother with a
rod? 94 Know ye not that the Lord hath
chosen him to be a ruler over you, and this because of your iniquities? 95 Behold ye shall go up to Jerusalem again, and
the Lord will deliver Laban into your hands.
3:30.
96 And after the angel had
spoken unto us, he departed.
3:31.
97 And after the angel had
departed, Laman and Lemuel again began to murmur, saying: How is it possible
that the Lord will deliver Laban into our hands? 98
Behold, he is a mighty man, and he can command fifty, yea, even he can
slay fifty; then why not us?
1 Nephi; 1:31
1st Nephi, Chapter 4
4:1.
99 And it came to pass that I
spake unto my brethren, saying: Let us go up again unto Jerusalem, and let us
be faithful in keeping the commandments of the Lord; for behold he is mightier
than all the earth, then why not mightier than Laban and his fifty, yea, or
even than his tens of thousands?
4:2.
100 Therefore let us go up; let
us be strong like unto Moses; for he truly spake unto the waters of the Red Sea
and they divided hither and thither, and our fathers came through, out of
captivity, on dry ground, and the armies of Pharaoh did follow and were drowned
in the waters of the Red Sea.
4:3.
101 Now behold ye know that this
is true; and ye also know that an angel hath spoken unto you; wherefore can ye
doubt? 102 Let us go up; the Lord is able to
deliver us, even as our fathers, and to destroy Laban, even as the Egyptians.
1 Nephi; 1:32
4:4.
103 Now when I had spoken these
words, they were yet wroth, and did still continue to murmur; nevertheless they
did follow me up until we came without the walls of Jerusalem.
4:5.
104 And it was by night; and I
caused that they should hide themselves without the walls. 105 And after they had hid themselves, I, Nephi,
crept into the city and went forth towards the house of Laban.
4:6.
106 And I was led by the Spirit,
not knowing beforehand the things which I should do.
4:7.
107 Nevertheless I went forth,
and as I came near unto the house of Laban I beheld a man, and he had fallen to
the earth before me, for he was drunken with wine.
4:8.
108 And when I came to him I
found that it was Laban.
4:9.
109 And I beheld his sword, and
I drew it forth from the sheath thereof; and the hilt thereof was of pure gold,
and the workmanship thereof was exceedingly fine, and I saw that the blade
thereof was of the most precious steel.
1 Nephi; 1:33
4:10.
110 And it came to pass that I
was constrained by the Spirit that I should kill Laban; 111 but I said in my heart: Never at any time have I shed the
blood of man. And I shrunk and would that I might not slay him.
4:11.
112 And the Spirit said unto me
again: Behold the Lord hath delivered him into thy hands. Yea, and I also knew
that he had sought to take away mine own life; yea, and he would not hearken
unto the commandments of the Lord; and he also had taken away our property.
1 Nephi; 1:34
4:12.
113 And it came to pass that the
Spirit said unto me again: Slay him, for the Lord hath delivered him into thy
hands;
4:13.
114 Behold the Lord slayeth the
wicked to bring forth his righteous purposes. 115
It is better that one man should perish than that a nation should dwindle and
perish in unbelief.
1 Nephi; 1:35
4:14.
116 And now, when I, Nephi, had
heard these words, I remembered the words of the Lord which he spake unto me in
the wilderness, saying that: Inasmuch as thy seed shall keep my commandments,
they shall prosper in the land of promise.
4:15.
117 Yea, and I also thought that
they could not keep the commandments of the Lord according to the law of Moses,
save they should have the law.
4:16.
118 And I also knew that the law
was engraven upon the plates of brass.
4:17.
119 And again, I knew that the
Lord had delivered Laban into my hands for this cause—that I might obtain the
records according to his commandments.
4:18.
120 Therefore I did obey the
voice of the Spirit, and took Laban by the hair of the head, and I smote off
his head with his own sword.
1 Nephi; 1:36
4:19.
121 And after I had smitten off
his head with his own sword, I took the garments of Laban and put them upon
mine own body; yea, even every whit; and I did gird on his armor about my
loins.
4:20.
122 And after I had done this, I
went forth unto the treasury of Laban. 123 And
as I went forth towards the treasury of Laban, behold, I saw the servant of
Laban who had the keys of the treasury. 124
And I commanded him in the voice of Laban, that he should go with me into the
treasury.
4:21.
And he supposed me to be his master, Laban,
for he beheld the garments and also the sword girded about my loins.
4:22.
125 And he spake unto me
concerning the elders of the Jews, he knowing that his master, Laban, had been
out by night among them.
4:23.
126 And I spake unto him as if
it had been Laban.
4:24.
127 And I also spake unto him
that I should carry the engravings, which were upon the plates of brass, to my
elder brethren, who were without the walls.
4:25.
128 And I also bade him that he
should follow me.
4:26.
129 And he, supposing that I
spake of the brethren of the church, and that I was truly that Laban whom I had
slain, wherefore he did follow me.
4:27.
130 And he spake unto me many
times concerning the elders of the Jews, as I went forth unto my brethren, who
were without the walls.
1 Nephi; 1:37
4:28.
131 And it came to pass that when
Laman saw me he was exceedingly frightened, and also Lemuel and Sam. 132 And they fled from before my presence; for
they supposed it was Laban, and that he had slain me and had sought to take
away their lives also.
1 Nephi; 1:38
4:29.
133 And it came to pass that I
called after them, and they did hear me; wherefore they did cease to flee from
my presence.
4:30.
134 And it came to pass that
when the servant of Laban beheld my brethren he began to tremble, and was about
to flee from before me and return to the city of Jerusalem.
1 Nephi; 1:39
4:31.
135 And now I, Nephi, being a
man large in stature, and also having received much strength of the Lord,
therefore I did seize upon the servant of Laban, and held him, that he should
not flee.
1 Nephi; 1:40
4:32.
136 And it came to pass that I
spake with him, that if he would hearken unto my words, as the Lord liveth, and
as I live, even so that if he would hearken unto our words, we would spare his
life.
4:33.
137 And I spake unto him, even
with an oath, that he need not fear; that he should be a free man like unto us
if he would go down in the wilderness with us.
4:34.
138 And I also spake unto him,
saying: Surely the Lord hath commanded us to do this thing; and shall we not be
diligent in keeping the commandments of the Lord? 139
Therefore, if thou wilt go down into the wilderness to my father thou
shalt have place with us.
1 Nephi; 1:41
4:35.
140 And it came to pass that
Zoram did take courage at the words which I spake. 141
Now Zoram was the name of the servant; and he promised that he would go
down into the wilderness unto our father. 142 Yea,
and he also made an oath unto us that he would tarry with us from that time
forth.
4:36.
143 Now we were desirous that he
should tarry with us for this cause, that the Jews might not know concerning
our flight into the wilderness, lest they should pursue us and destroy us.
1 Nephi; 1:42
4:37.
144 And it came to pass that
when Zoram had made an oath unto us, our fears did cease concerning him.
4:38.
145 And it came to pass that we
took the plates of brass and the servant of Laban, and departed into the
wilderness, and journeyed unto the tent of our father.
1 Nephi; 1:43
1st Nephi, Chapter 5
5:1.
146 And it came to pass that
after we had come down into the wilderness unto our father, behold, he was
filled with joy, and also my mother, Sariah, was exceedingly glad, for she
truly had mourned because of us.
5:2.
For she had supposed that we had perished
in the wilderness; 147 and she also had
complained against my father, telling him that he was a visionary man; saying:
Behold thou hast led us forth from the land of our inheritance, and my sons are
no more, and we perish in the wilderness.
5:3.
148 And after this manner of
language had my mother complained against my father.
1 Nephi; 1:44
5:4.
149 And it had come to pass that
my father spake unto her, saying: I know that I am a visionary man; for if I
had not seen the things of God in a vision I should not have known the goodness
of God, but had tarried at Jerusalem, and had perished with my brethren.
5:5.
150 But behold, I have obtained
a land of promise, in the which things I do rejoice; 151
yea, and I know that the Lord will deliver my sons out of the hands of
Laban, and bring them down again unto us in the wilderness.
5:6.
152 And after this manner of
language did my father, Lehi, comfort my mother, Sariah, concerning us, while
we journeyed in the wilderness up to the land of Jerusalem, to obtain the
record of the Jews.
1 Nephi; 1:45
5:7.
153 And when we had returned to
the tent of my father, behold their joy was full, and my mother was comforted.
5:8.
154 And she spake, saying: Now I
know of a surety that the Lord hath commanded my husband to flee into the
wilderness; 155 yea, and I also know of a
surety that the Lord hath protected my sons, and delivered them out of the
hands of Laban, and given them power whereby they could accomplish the thing
which the Lord hath commanded them. 156 And
after this manner of language did she speak.
1 Nephi; 1:46
5:9.
157 And it came to pass that
they did rejoice exceedingly, and did offer sacrifice and burnt offerings unto
the Lord; and they gave thanks unto the God of Israel.
5:10.
158 And after they had given
thanks unto the God of Israel, my father, Lehi, took the records which were
engraven upon the plates of brass, and he did search them from the beginning.
5:11.
159 And he beheld that they did
contain the five books of Moses, which gave an account of the creation of the
world, 160 and also of Adam and Eve, who
were our first parents;
5:12.
161 And also a record of the
Jews from the beginning, even down to the commencement of the reign of
Zedekiah, king of Judah;
5:13.
162 And also the prophecies of
the holy prophets, from the beginning, even down to the commencement of the
reign of Zedekiah; 163 and also many
prophecies which have been spoken by the mouth of Jeremiah.
1 Nephi; 1:47
5:14.
164 And it came to pass that my
father, Lehi, also found upon the plates of brass a genealogy of his fathers; 165 wherefore he knew that he was a descendant of
Joseph; yea, even that Joseph who was the son of Jacob, who was sold into
Egypt, and who was preserved by the hand of the Lord, that he might preserve
his father, Jacob, and all his household from perishing with famine.
5:15.
166 And they were also led out
of captivity and out of the land of Egypt, by that same God who had preserved
them.
5:16.
167 And thus my father, Lehi,
did discover the genealogy of his fathers. 168 And
Laban also was a descendant of Joseph, wherefore he and his fathers had kept
the records.
1 Nephi; 1:48
5:17.
169 And now when my father saw
all these things, he was filled with the Spirit, and began to prophesy
concerning his seed—
5:18.
That these plates of brass should go forth
unto all nations, kindreds, tongues, and people who were of his seed.
5:19.
170 Wherefore, he said that
these plates of brass should never perish; neither should they be dimmed any
more by time. 171 And he prophesied many
things concerning his seed.
5:20.
172 And it came to pass that
thus far I and my father had kept the commandments wherewith the Lord had
commanded us.
1 Nephi; 1:49
5:21.
173 And we had obtained the
records which the Lord had commanded us, and searched them and found that they
were desirable; yea, even of great worth unto us, insomuch that we could
preserve the commandments of the Lord unto our children.
5:22.
174 Wherefore, it was wisdom in
the Lord that we should carry them with us, as we journeyed in the wilderness
towards the land of promise.
1st Nephi, Chapter 2
1 Nephi; 2:1
1st Nephi, Chapter 6
6:1.
1 And now I, Nephi, do not
give the genealogy of my fathers in this part of my record; neither at any time
shall I give it after upon these plates which I am writing; for it is given in
the record which has been kept by my father; wherefore, I do not write it in
this work.
6:2.
2 For it sufficeth me to say
that we are descendants of Joseph.
6:3.
3 And it mattereth not to me
that I am particular to give a full account of all the things of my father, for
they cannot be written upon these plates, for I desire the room that I may
write of the things of God.
6:4.
4 For the fulness of mine
intent is that I may persuade men to come unto the God of Abraham, and the God
of Isaac, and the God of Jacob, and be saved.
6:5.
5 Wherefore, the things which
are pleasing unto the world I do not write, but the things which are pleasing
unto God and unto those who are not of the world.
6:6.
6 Wherefore, I shall give
commandment unto my seed, that they shall not occupy these plates with things
which are not of worth unto the children of men.
1 Nephi; 2:2
1st Nephi, Chapter 7
7:1.
7 And now I would that ye
might know, that after my father, Lehi, had made an end of prophesying
concerning his seed, it came to pass that the Lord spake unto him again, saying
that it was not meet for him, Lehi, that he should take his family into the wilderness
alone; but that his sons should take daughters to wife, that they might raise
up seed unto the Lord in the land of promise.
1 Nephi; 2:3
7:2.
8 And it came to pass that the
Lord commanded him that I, Nephi, and my brethren, should again return unto the
land of Jerusalem, and bring down Ishmael and his family into the wilderness.
1 Nephi; 2:4
7:3.
9 And it came to pass that I,
Nephi, did again, with my brethren, go forth into the wilderness to go up to
Jerusalem.
7:4.
10 And it came to pass that we
went up unto the house of Ishmael, and we did gain favor in the sight of
Ishmael, insomuch that we did speak unto him the words of the Lord.
1 Nephi; 2:5
7:5.
11 And it came to pass that the
Lord did soften the heart of Ishmael, and also his household, insomuch that
they took their journey with us down into the wilderness to the tent of our
father.
7:6.
12 And it came to pass that as
we journeyed in the wilderness, behold Laman and Lemuel, and two of the
daughters of Ishmael, and the two sons of Ishmael and their families, did rebel
against us; yea, against me, Nephi, and Sam, and their father, Ishmael, and his
wife, and his three other daughters.
1 Nephi; 2:6
7:7.
13 And it came to pass in the
which rebellion, they were desirous to return unto the land of Jerusalem.
7:8.
14 And now I, Nephi, being
grieved for the hardness of their hearts, therefore I spake unto them, saying,
yea, even unto Laman and unto Lemuel: Behold ye are mine elder brethren, and
how is it that ye are so hard in your hearts, and so blind in your minds, that
ye have need that I, your younger brother, should speak unto you, yea, and set
an example for you?
7:9.
15 How is it that ye have not
hearkened unto the word of the Lord?
7:10.
16 How is it that ye have
forgotten that ye have seen an angel of the Lord?
7:11.
17 Yea, and how is it that ye
have forgotten what great things the Lord hath done for us, in delivering us
out of the hands of Laban, and also that we should obtain the record?
7:12.
18 Yea, and how is it that ye
have forgotten that the Lord is able to do all things according to his will,
for the children of men, if it so be that they exercise faith in him?
Wherefore, let us be faithful to him.
7:13.
19 And if it so be that we are
faithful to him, we shall obtain the land of promise; and ye shall know at some
future period that the word of the Lord shall be fulfilled concerning the
destruction of Jerusalem; 20 for all things
which the Lord hath spoken concerning the destruction of Jerusalem must be
fulfilled.
7:14.
21 For behold, the Spirit of
the Lord ceaseth soon to strive with them; 22 for
behold, they have rejected the prophets, and Jeremiah have they cast into
prison. 23 And they have sought to take away
the life of my father, insomuch that they have driven him out of the land.
1 Nephi; 2:7
7:15.
24 Now behold, I say unto you
that if ye will return unto Jerusalem ye shall also perish with them. 25 And now, if ye have choice, go up to the land,
and remember the words which I speak unto you, that if ye go ye will also
perish; for thus the Spirit of the Lord constraineth me that I should speak.
1 Nephi; 2:8
7:16.
26 And it came to pass that
when I, Nephi, had spoken these words unto my brethren, they were angry with
me. 27 And it came to pass that they did lay
their hands upon me, for behold, they were exceedingly wroth, and they did bind
me with cords, for they sought to take away my life, that they might leave me
in the wilderness to be devoured by wild beasts.
1 Nephi; 2:9
7:17.
28 But it came to pass that I
prayed unto the Lord, saying: O Lord, according to my faith which is in thee,
wilt thou deliver me from the hands of my brethren; 29
yea, even give me strength that I may burst these bands with which I am
bound.
1 Nephi; 2:10
7:18.
30 And it came to pass that
when I had said these words, behold, the bands were loosed from off my hands
and feet, and I stood before my brethren, and I spake unto them again.
1 Nephi; 2:11
7:19.
31 And it came to pass that
they were angry with me again, and sought to lay hands upon me; 32 but behold, one of the daughters of Ishmael,
yea, and also her mother, and one of the sons of Ishmael, did plead with my
brethren, insomuch that they did soften their hearts; and they did cease
striving to take away my life.
1 Nephi; 2:12
7:20.
33 And it came to pass that
they were sorrowful, because of their wickedness, insomuch that they did bow
down before me, and did plead with me that I would forgive them of the thing
that they had done against me.
1 Nephi; 2:13
7:21.
34 And it came to pass that I
did frankly forgive them all that they had done, and I did exhort them that
they would pray unto the Lord their God for forgiveness. 35 And it came to pass that they did so. 36 And after they had done praying unto the Lord
we did again travel on our journey towards the tent of our father.
1 Nephi; 2:14
7:22.
37 And it came to pass that we
did come down unto the tent of our father. 38 And
after I and my brethren and all the house of Ishmael had come down unto the
tent of my father, they did give thanks unto the Lord their God; 39 and they did offer sacrifice and burnt
offerings unto him.
1 Nephi; 2:15
1st Nephi, Chapter 8
8:1.
40 And it came to pass that we
had gathered together all manner of seeds of every kind, both of grain of every
kind, and also of the seeds of fruit of every kind.
8:2.
41 And it came to pass that
while my father tarried in the wilderness he spake unto us, saying: Behold, I
have dreamed a dream; or, in other words, I have seen a vision.
8:3.
42 And behold, because of the
thing which I have seen, I have reason to rejoice in the Lord because of Nephi
and also of Sam; for I have reason to suppose that they, and also many of their
seed, will be saved.
8:4.
43 But behold, Laman and
Lemuel, I fear exceedingly because of you; for behold, methought I saw in my
dream, a dark and dreary wilderness.
1 Nephi; 2:16
8:5.
44 And it came to pass that I
saw a man, and he was dressed in a white robe; and he came and stood before me.
8:6.
45 And it came to pass that he
spake unto me, and bade me follow him.
8:7.
46 And it came to pass that as
I followed him I beheld myself that I was in a dark and dreary waste.
8:8.
47 And after I had traveled for
the space of many hours in darkness, I began to pray unto the Lord that he
would have mercy on me, according to the multitude of his tender mercies.
1 Nephi; 2:17
8:9.
48 And it came to pass after I
had prayed unto the Lord I beheld a large and spacious field.
8:10.
49 And it came to pass that I
beheld a tree, whose fruit was desirable to make one happy.
1 Nephi; 2:18
8:11.
50 And it came to pass that I
did go forth and partake of the fruit thereof; and I beheld that it was most
sweet, above all that I ever before tasted. 51 Yea,
and I beheld that the fruit thereof was white, to exceed all the whiteness that
I had ever seen.
8:12.
52 And as I partook of the
fruit thereof it filled my soul with exceedingly great joy; 53 wherefore, I began to be desirous that my
family should partake of it also; for I knew that it was desirable above all
other fruit.
8:13.
54 And as I cast my eyes round
about, that perhaps I might discover my family also, I beheld a river of water;
and it ran along, and it was near the tree of which I was partaking the fruit.
8:14.
55 And I looked to behold from
whence it came; and I saw the head thereof a little way off; 56 and at the head thereof I beheld your mother
Sariah, and Sam, and Nephi; and they stood as if they knew not whither they
should go.
1 Nephi; 2:19
8:15.
57 And it came to pass that I
beckoned unto them; and I also did say unto them with a loud voice that they
should come unto me, and partake of the fruit, which was desirable above all
other fruit.
1 Nephi; 2:20
8:16.
58 And it came to pass that
they did come unto me and partake of the fruit also.
8:17.
59 And it came to pass that I
was desirous that Laman and Lemuel should come and partake of the fruit also; 60 wherefore, I cast mine eyes towards the head of
the river, that perhaps I might see them.
1 Nephi; 2:21
8:18.
61 And it came to pass that I
saw them, but they would not come unto me and partake of the fruit.
8:19.
62 And I beheld a rod of iron,
and it extended along the bank of the river, and led to the tree by which I
stood.
8:20.
63 And I also beheld a strait
and narrow path, which came along by the rod of iron, even to the tree by which
I stood; 64 and it also led by the head of
the fountain, unto a large and spacious field, as if it had been a world.
8:21.
65 And I saw numberless
concourses of people, many of whom were pressing forward, that they might
obtain the path which led unto the tree by which I stood.
1 Nephi; 2:22
8:22.
66 And it came to pass that
they did come forth, and commence in the path which led to the tree.
8:23.
67 And it came to pass that
there arose a mist of darkness; yea, even an exceedingly great mist of
darkness, insomuch that they who had commenced in the path did lose their way,
that they wandered off and were lost.
1 Nephi; 2:23
8:24.
68 And it came to pass that I
beheld others pressing forward, and they came forth and caught hold of the end
of the rod of iron; 69 and they did press
forward through the mist of darkness, clinging to the rod of iron, even until
they did come forth and partake of the fruit of the tree.
8:25.
70 And after they had partaken
of the fruit of the tree they did cast their eyes about as if they were
ashamed.
8:26.
71 And I also cast my eyes
round about, and beheld, on the other side of the river of water, a great and
spacious building; 72 and it stood as it
were in the air, high above the earth.
8:27.
73 And it was filled with
people, both old and young, both male and female; 74
and their manner of dress was exceedingly fine; 75
and they were in the attitude of mocking and pointing their fingers
towards those who had come at and were partaking of the fruit.
8:28.
76 And after they had tasted of
the fruit they were ashamed, because of those that were scoffing at them; and
they fell away into forbidden paths and were lost.
1 Nephi; 2:24
8:29.
77 And now I, Nephi, do not
speak all the words of my father.
8:30.
78 But, to be short in writing,
behold, he saw other multitudes pressing forward; and they came and caught hold
of the end of the rod of iron; and they did press their way forward,
continually holding fast to the rod of iron, until they came forth and fell
down and partook of the fruit of the tree.
8:31.
79 And he also saw other
multitudes feeling their way towards that great and spacious building.
1 Nephi; 2:25
8:32.
80 And it came to pass that
many were drowned in the depths of the fountain; 81
and many were lost from his view, wandering in strange roads.
8:33.
82 And great was the multitude
that did enter into that strange building. 83 And
after they did enter into that building they did point the finger of scorn at
me and those that were partaking of the fruit also; but we heeded them not.
8:34.
84 These are the words of my
father: For as many as heeded them, had fallen away.
8:35.
85 And Laman and Lemuel partook
not of the fruit, said my father.
1 Nephi; 2:26
8:36.
86 And it came to pass after my
father had spoken all the words of his dream or vision, which were many, he
said unto us, because of these things which he saw in a vision, he exceedingly
feared for Laman and Lemuel; 87 yea, he
feared lest they should be cast off from the presence of the Lord.
8:37.
88 And he did exhort them then
with all the feeling of a tender parent, that they would hearken to his words,
that perhaps the Lord would be merciful to them, and not cast them off; 89 yea, my
father did preach unto them.
1 Nephi; 2:27
8:38.
90 And after he had preached
unto them, and also prophesied unto them of many things, he bade them to keep
the commandments of the Lord; 91 and he did
cease speaking unto them.
1st Nephi, Chapter 9
9:1.
92 And all these things did my
father see, and hear, and speak, as he dwelt in a tent, in the valley of
Lemuel, and also a great many more things, which cannot be written upon these
plates.
9:2.
93 And now, as I have spoken
concerning these plates, behold they are not the plates upon which I make a
full account of the history of my people; 94 for
the plates upon which I make a full account of my people I have given the name
of Nephi; 95 wherefore, they are called the
plates of Nephi, after mine own name; and these plates also are called the
plates of Nephi.
1 Nephi; 2:28
9:3.
96 Nevertheless, I have
received a commandment of the Lord that I should make these plates, for the
special purpose that there should be an account engraven of the ministry of my
people.
9:4.
97 Upon the other plates should
be engraven an account of the reign of the kings, and the wars and contentions
of my people; 98 wherefore these plates are
for the more part of the ministry; and the other plates are for the more part
of the reign of the kings and the wars and contentions of my people.
9:5.
99 Wherefore, the Lord hath
commanded me to make these plates for a wise purpose in him, which purpose I
know not.
9:6.
100 But the Lord knoweth all
things from the beginning; 101 wherefore, he
prepareth a way to accomplish all his works among the children of men; for
behold, he hath all power unto the fulfilling of all his words. 102 And thus it is. Amen.
1st Nephi, Chapter 3
1st Nephi, Chapter 10
1 Nephi; 3:1
10:1.
1 And now I, Nephi, proceed to
give an account upon these plates of my proceedings, and my reign and ministry;
wherefore, to proceed with mine account, I must speak somewhat of the things of
my father, and also of my brethren.
1 Nephi; 3:2
10:2.
2 For behold, it came to pass
after my father had made an end of speaking the words of his dream, and also of
exhorting them to all diligence, he spake unto them concerning the Jews—
10:3.
That after they should be destroyed, even
that great city Jerusalem, and many be carried away captive into Babylon,
according to the own due time of the Lord, they should return again, yea, even
be brought back out of captivity; 3 and
after they should be brought back out of captivity they should possess again
the land of their inheritance.
1 Nephi; 3:3
10:4.
4 Yea, even six hundred years
from the time that my father left Jerusalem, a prophet would the Lord God raise
up among the Jews—even a Messiah, or, in other words, a Savior of the world.
10:5.
5 And he also spake concerning
the prophets, how great a number had testified of these things, concerning this
Messiah, of whom he had spoken, or this Redeemer of the world.
10:6.
6 Wherefore, all mankind were
in a lost and in a fallen state, and ever would be save they should rely on
this Redeemer.
1 Nephi; 3:4
10:7.
7 And he spake also concerning
a prophet who should come before the Messiah, to prepare the way of the Lord—
10:8.
8 Yea, even he should go forth
and cry in the wilderness: Prepare ye the way of the Lord, and make his paths
straight; 9 for there standeth one among you
whom ye know not; and he is mightier than I, whose shoe’s latchet I am not
worthy to unloose. 10 And much spake my
father concerning this thing.
1 Nephi; 3:5
10:9.
11 And my father said he should
baptize in Bethabara, beyond Jordan; and he also said he should baptize with
water; even that he should baptize the Messiah with water.
10:10.
12 And after he had baptized
the Messiah with water, he should behold and bear record that he had baptized
the Lamb of God, who should take away the sins of the world.
1 Nephi; 3:6
10:11.
13 And it came to pass after my
father had spoken these words he spake unto my brethren concerning the gospel
which should be preached among the Jews, 14
and also concerning the dwindling of the Jews in unbelief. 15 And after they had slain the Messiah, who
should come, and after he had been slain he should rise from the dead, and
should make himself manifest, by the Holy Ghost, unto the Gentiles.
1 Nephi; 3:7
10:12.
16 Yea, even my father spake
much concerning the Gentiles, and also concerning the house of Israel, that
they should be compared like unto an olive-tree, whose branches should be
broken off and should be scattered upon all the face of the earth.
10:13.
17 Wherefore, he said it must
needs be that we should be led with one accord into the land of promise, unto
the fulfilling of the word of the Lord, that we should be scattered upon all
the face of the earth.
10:14.
18 And after the house of
Israel should be scattered they should be gathered together again; 19 or, in fine, after the Gentiles had received
the fulness of the Gospel, the natural branches of the olive-tree, or the
remnants of the house of Israel, should be grafted in, or come to the knowledge
of the true Messiah, their Lord and their Redeemer.
10:15.
20 And after this manner of
language did my father prophesy and speak unto my brethren, 21 and also many more things which I do not write
in this book; for I have written as many of them as were expedient for me in
mine other book.
10:16.
22 And all these things, of
which I have spoken, were done as my father dwelt in a tent, in the valley of
Lemuel.
1 Nephi; 3:8
10:17.
23 And it came to pass after I,
Nephi, having heard all the words of my father, concerning the things which he
saw in a vision, 24 and also the things
which he spake by the power of the Holy Ghost, which power he received by faith
on the Son of God— 25 and the Son of God was
the Messiah who should come— 26 I, Nephi,
was desirous also that I might see, and hear, and know of these things, by the
power of the Holy Ghost, which is the gift of God unto all those who diligently
seek him, as well in times of old as in the time that he should manifest
himself unto the children of men.
10:18.
27 For he is the same yesterday,
to-day, and forever; 28 and the way is
prepared for all men from the foundation of the world, if it so be that they
repent and come unto him.
10:19.
29 For he that diligently
seeketh shall find; 30 and the mysteries of
God shall be unfolded unto them, by the power of the Holy Ghost, as well in
these times as in times of old, 31 and as
well in times of old as in times to come; 32
wherefore, the course of the Lord is one eternal round.
10:20.
33 Therefore remember, O man,
for all thy doings thou shalt be brought into judgment.
10:21.
34 Wherefore, if ye have sought
to do wickedly in the days of your probation, then ye are found unclean before
the judgment-seat of God; 36 and no unclean
thing can dwell with God; wherefore, ye must be cast off forever.
10:22.
36 And the Holy Ghost giveth
authority that I should speak these things, and deny them not.
1 Nephi; 3:9
1st Nephi, Chapter 11
11:1.
37 For it came to pass after I
had desired to know the things that my father had seen, and believing that the
Lord was able to make them known unto me, 38 as
I sat pondering in mine heart I was caught away in the Spirit of the Lord, yea,
into an exceedingly high mountain, which I never had before seen, and upon
which I never had before set my foot.
11:2.
39 And the Spirit said unto me:
Behold, what desirest thou?
11:3.
40 And I said: I desire to
behold the things which my father saw.
11:4.
41 And the Spirit said unto me:
Believest thou that thy father saw the tree of which he hath spoken?
11:5.
42 And I said: Yea, thou
knowest that I believe all the words of my father.
1 Nephi; 3:10
11:6.
43 And when I had spoken these
words, the Spirit cried with a loud voice, saying: Hosanna to the Lord, the
most high God; for he is God over all the earth, yea, even above all. 44 And blessed art thou, Nephi, because thou
believest in the Son of the most high God; wherefore, thou shalt behold the
things which thou hast desired.
11:7.
45 And behold this thing shall
be given unto thee for a sign, that after thou hast beheld the tree which bore
the fruit which thy father tasted, thou shalt also behold a man descending out
of heaven, and him shall ye witness; and after ye have witnessed him ye shall
bear record that it is the Son of God.
1 Nephi; 3:11
11:8.
46 And it came to pass that the
Spirit said unto me: Look! And I looked and beheld a tree; and it was like unto
the tree which my father had seen; and the beauty thereof was far beyond, yea,
exceeding of all beauty; and the whiteness thereof did exceed the whiteness of
the driven snow.
1 Nephi; 3:12
11:9.
47 And it came to pass after I
had seen the tree, I said unto the Spirit: I behold thou hast shown unto me the
tree which is precious above all.
11:10.
48 And he said unto me: What
desirest thou?
11:11.
49 And I said unto him: To know
the interpretation thereof— 50 for I spake
unto him as a man speaketh; for I beheld that he was in the form of a man; yet
nevertheless, I knew that it was the Spirit of the Lord; and he spake unto me
as a man speaketh with another.
1 Nephi; 3:13
11:12.
51 And it came to pass that he
said unto me: Look! And I looked as if to look upon him, and I saw him not; for
he had gone from before my presence.
1 Nephi; 3:14
11:13.
52 And it came to pass that I
looked and beheld the great city of Jerusalem, and also other cities. 53 And I beheld the city of Nazareth; and in the
city of Nazareth I beheld a virgin, and she was exceedingly fair and white.
1 Nephi; 3:15
11:14.
54 And it came to pass that I
saw the heavens open; and an angel came down and stood before me; and he said
unto me: Nephi, what beholdest thou?
11:15.
55 And I said unto him: A
virgin, most beautiful and fair above all other virgins.
11:16.
56 And he said unto me: Knowest
thou the condescension of God?
11:17.
57 And I said unto him: I know
that he loveth his children; nevertheless, I do not know the meaning of all
things.
11:18.
58 And he said unto me: Behold,
the virgin whom thou seest is the mother of the Son of God, after the manner of
the flesh.
1 Nephi; 3:16
11:19.
59 And it came to pass that I
beheld that she was carried away in the Spirit; 60 and
after she had been carried away in the Spirit for the space of a time the angel
spake unto me, saying: Look!
11:20.
61 And I looked and beheld the
virgin again, bearing a child in her arms.
11:21.
62 And the angel said unto me:
Behold the Lamb of God, yea, even the Son of the Eternal Father! 63 Knowest thou the meaning of the tree which thy
father saw?
11:22.
64 And I answered him, saying:
Yea, it is the love of God, which sheddeth itself abroad in the hearts of the
children of men; wherefore, it is the most desirable above all things.
11:23.
65 And he spake unto me,
saying: Yea, and the most joyous to the soul.
11:24.
66 And after he had said these
words, he said unto me: Look! And I looked, and I beheld the Son of God going
forth among the children of men; 67 and I
saw many fall down at his feet and worship him.
1 Nephi; 3:17
11:25.
68 And it came to pass that I
beheld that the rod of iron, which my father had seen, was the word of God,
which led to the fountain of living waters, or to the tree of life; which
waters are a representation of the love of God; 69 and
I also beheld that the tree of life was a representation of the love of God.
11:26.
70 And the angel said unto me
again: Look and behold the condescension of God!
11:27.
71 And I looked and beheld the
Redeemer of the world, of whom my father had spoken; 72
and I also beheld the prophet who should prepare the way before him. 73 And the Lamb of God went forth and was baptized
of him; 74 and after he was baptized, I
beheld the heavens open, and the Holy Ghost come down out of heaven and abide
upon him in the form of a dove.
11:28.
75 And I beheld that he went
forth ministering unto the people, in power and great glory; 76 and the multitudes were gathered together to
hear him; 77 and I beheld that they cast him
out from among them.
11:29.
78 And I also beheld twelve
others following him.
1 Nephi; 3:18
79 And it came to pass that they
were carried away in the Spirit from before my face, and I saw them not.
11:30.
80 And it came to pass that the
angel spake unto me again, saying: Look! And I looked, and I beheld the heavens
open again, 81 and I saw angels descending
upon the children of men; and they did minister unto them.
11:31.
82 And he spake unto me again,
saying: Look! And I looked, and I beheld the Lamb of God going forth among the
children of men. 83 And I beheld multitudes
of people who were sick, and who were afflicted with all manner of diseases,
and with devils and unclean spirits; 84 and
the angel spake and showed all these things unto me. 85
And they were healed by the power of the Lamb of God; and the devils and
the unclean spirits were cast out.
1 Nephi; 3:19
11:32.
86 And it came to pass that the
angel spake unto me again, saying: Look! And I looked and beheld the Lamb of
God, that he was taken by the people; yea, the Son of the everlasting God was
judged of the world; and I saw and bear record.
11:33.
87 And I, Nephi, saw that he
was lifted up upon the cross and slain for the sins of the world.
11:34.
88 And after he was slain I saw
the multitudes of the earth, that they were gathered together to fight against
the apostles of the Lamb; for thus were the twelve called by the angel of the
Lord.
11:35.
89 And the multitude of the
earth was gathered together; 90 and I beheld
that they were in a large and spacious building, like unto the building which
my father saw. 91 And the angel of the Lord
spake unto me again, saying: Behold the world and the wisdom thereof; 92 yea, behold the house of Israel hath gathered
together to fight against the twelve apostles of the Lamb.
1 Nephi; 3:20
11:36.
93 And it came to pass that I
saw and bear record, that the great and spacious building was the pride of the
world; 94 and it fell, and the fall thereof
was exceedingly great. 95 And the angel of
the Lord spake unto me again, saying: Thus shall be the destruction of all
nations, kindreds, tongues, and people, that shall fight against the twelve
apostles of the Lamb.
1 Nephi; 3:21
1st Nephi, Chapter 12
12:1.
96 And it came to pass that the
angel said unto me: Look, and behold thy seed, and also the seed of thy
brethren. 97 And I looked and beheld the
land of promise; 98 and I beheld multitudes
of people, yea, even as it were in number as many as the sand of the sea.
1 Nephi; 3:22
12:2.
99 And it came to pass that I
beheld multitudes gathered together to battle, one against the other; and I
beheld wars, and rumors of wars, and great slaughters with the sword among my
people.
1 Nephi; 3:23
12:3.
100 And it came to pass that I
beheld many generations pass away, after the manner of wars and contentions in
the land; 101 and I beheld many cities, yea,
even that I did not number them.
1 Nephi; 3:24
12:4.
102 And it came to pass that I
saw a mist of darkness on the face of the land of promise; 103 and I saw lightnings, and I heard thunderings,
and earthquakes, and all manner of tumultuous noises; 104
and I saw the earth and the rocks, that they rent; 105 and I saw mountains tumbling into pieces; 106 and I saw the plains of the earth, that they
were broken up; 107 and I saw many cities
that they were sunk; 108 and I saw many that
they were burned with fire; 109 and I saw
many that did tumble to the earth, because of the quaking thereof.
1 Nephi; 3:25
12:5.
110 And it came to pass after I
saw these things, I saw the vapor of darkness, that it passed from off the face
of the earth; 111 and behold, I saw
multitudes who had not fallen because of the great and terrible judgments of
the Lord.
12:6.
112 And I saw the heavens open,
and the Lamb of God descending out of heaven; and he came down and showed
himself unto them.
12:7.
113 And I also saw and bear
record that the Holy Ghost fell upon twelve others; and they were ordained of
God, and chosen.
1 Nephi; 3:26
12:8.
114 And the angel spake unto me,
saying: Behold the twelve disciples of the Lamb, who are chosen to minister
unto thy seed.
12:9.
115 And he said unto me: Thou
rememberest the twelve apostles of the Lamb? Behold they are they who shall
judge the twelve tribes of Israel; 116 wherefore,
the twelve ministers of thy seed shall be judged of them; for ye are of the
house of Israel.
12:10.
And these twelve ministers whom thou
beholdest shall judge thy seed. 117 And,
behold, they are righteous forever; for because of their faith in the Lamb of
God their garments are made white in his blood.
1 Nephi; 3:27
12:11.
118 And the angel said unto me:
Look! And I looked, and beheld three generations pass away in righteousness;
and their garments were white even like unto the Lamb of God. 119 And the angel said unto me: These are made
white in the blood of the Lamb, because of their faith in him.
12:12.
120 And I, Nephi, also saw many
of the fourth generation who passed away in righteousness.
1 Nephi; 3:28
12:13.
121 And it came to pass that I
saw the multitudes of the earth gathered together.
12:14.
122 And the angel said unto me:
Behold thy seed, and also the seed of thy brethren.
12:15.
123 And it came to pass that I
looked and beheld the people of my seed gathered together in multitudes against
the seed of my brethren; and they were gathered together to battle.
1 Nephi; 3:29
12:16.
124 And the angel spake unto me,
saying: Behold the fountain of filthy water which thy father saw; yea, even the
river of which he spake; and the depths thereof are the depths of hell.
12:17.
125 And the mists of darkness
are the temptations of the devil, which blindeth the eyes, and hardeneth the
hearts of the children of men, and leadeth them away into broad roads, that
they perish and are lost.
12:18.
126 And the large and spacious
building, which thy father saw, is vain imaginations and the pride of the
children of men. 127 And a great and a
terrible gulf divideth them; yea, even the word of the justice of the Eternal
God, and the Messiah who is the Lamb of God, of whom the Holy Ghost beareth
record, from the beginning of the world until this time, and from this time
henceforth and forever.
12:19.
128 And while the angel spake
these words, I beheld and saw that the seed of my brethren did contend against
my seed, according to the word of the angel; 129 and
because of the pride of my seed, and the temptations of the devil, I beheld
that the seed of my brethren did overpower the people of my seed.
1 Nephi; 3:30
12:20.
130 And it came to pass that I
beheld, and saw the people of the seed of my brethren that they had overcome my
seed; and they went forth in multitudes upon the face of the land.
12:21.
131 And I saw them gathered
together in multitudes; 132 and I saw wars
and rumors of wars among them; and in wars and rumors of wars I saw many
generations pass away.
12:22.
133 And the angel said unto me:
Behold these shall dwindle in unbelief.
1 Nephi; 3:31
12:23.
134 And it came to pass that I
beheld, after they had dwindled in unbelief they became a dark, and loathsome,
and a filthy people, full of idleness and all manner of abominations.
1 Nephi; 3:32
1st Nephi, Chapter 13
13:1.
135 And it came to pass that the
angel spake unto me, saying: Look! And I looked and beheld many nations and
kingdoms.
13:2.
136 And the angel said unto me:
What beholdest thou? 137 And I said: I
behold many nations and kingdoms.
13:3.
138 And he said unto me: These
are the nations and kingdoms of the Gentiles.
1 Nephi; 3:33
13:4.
139 And it came to pass that I
saw among the nations of the Gentiles the formation of a great church.
13:5.
140 And the angel said unto me:
Behold the formation of a church which is most abominable above all other
churches, which slayeth the saints of God, yea, and tortureth them and bindeth
them down, and yoketh them with a yoke of iron, and bringeth them down into
captivity.
1 Nephi; 3:34
13:6.
141 And it came to pass that I
beheld this great and abominable church; and I saw the devil that he was the
founder of it.
13:7.
142 And I also saw gold, and
silver, and silks, and scarlets, and fine-twined linen, and all manner of
precious clothing; and I saw many harlots.
13:8.
143 And the angel spake unto me,
saying: Behold the gold, and the silver, and the silks, and the scarlets, and
the fine-twined linen, and the precious clothing, and the harlots, are the
desires of this great and abominable church.
13:9.
144 And also for the praise of
the world do they destroy the saints of God, and bring them down into
captivity.
1 Nephi; 3:35
13:10. 145 And it came to pass that I looked and beheld many waters; and
they divided the Gentiles from the seed of my brethren.
13:11.
146 And it came to pass that the
angel said unto me: Behold the wrath of God is upon the seed of thy brethren.
13:12.
147 And I looked and beheld a
man among the Gentiles, who was separated from the seed of my brethren by the
many waters; and I beheld the Spirit of God, that it came down and wrought upon
the man; and he went forth upon the many waters, even unto the seed of my
brethren, who were in the promised land.
1 Nephi; 3:36
13:13.
148 And it came to pass that I
beheld the Spirit of God, that it wrought upon other Gentiles; and they went
forth out of captivity, upon the many waters.
1 Nephi; 3:37
13:14. 149 And it came to pass that I beheld many multitudes of the
Gentiles upon the land of promise; 150 and I
beheld the wrath of God, that it was upon the seed of my brethren; and they
were scattered before the Gentiles and were smitten.
13:15.
151 And I beheld the Spirit of
the Lord, that it was upon the Gentiles, and they did prosper and obtain the
land for their inheritance; and I beheld that they were white, and exceedingly
fair and beautiful, like unto my people before they were slain.
1 Nephi; 3:38
13:16. 152 And it came to pass that I, Nephi, beheld that the Gentiles who
had gone forth out of captivity did humble themselves before the Lord; and the
power of the Lord was with them.
13:17.
153 And I beheld that their
mother Gentiles were gathered together upon the waters, and upon the land also,
to battle against them.
13:18.
154 And I beheld that the power
of God was with them, and also that the wrath of God was upon all those that
were gathered together against them to battle.
13:19.
155 And I, Nephi, beheld that
the Gentiles that had gone out of captivity were delivered by the power of God
out of the hands of all other nations.
1 Nephi; 3:39
13:20. 156 And it came to pass that I, Nephi, beheld
that they did prosper in the land; 157 and I
beheld a book, and it was carried forth among them.
13:21.
158 And the angel said unto me:
Knowest thou the meaning of the book?
13:22.
159 And I said unto him: I know
not.
13:23.
160 And he said: Behold it
proceedeth out of the mouth of a Jew. And I, Nephi, beheld it; 161 and he said unto me: The book that thou
beholdest is a record of the Jews, which contains the covenants of the Lord,
which he hath made unto the house of Israel; 162 and
it also containeth many of the prophecies of the holy prophets; 163 and it is a record like unto the engravings
which are upon the plates of brass, save there are not so many; nevertheless,
they contain the covenants of the Lord, which he hath made unto the house of
Israel; 164 wherefore, they are of great
worth unto the Gentiles.
1 Nephi; 3:40
13:24. 165 And the angel of the Lord said unto me: Thou hast beheld that
the book proceeded forth from the mouth of a Jew; and when it proceeded forth
from the mouth of a Jew it contained the fulness of the gospel of the Lord, of
whom the twelve apostles bear record; and they bear record according to the
truth which is in the Lamb of God.
13:25.
166 Wherefore, these things go
forth from the Jews in purity unto the Gentiles, according to the truth which
is in God.
13:26.
167 And after they go forth by
the hand of the twelve apostles of the Lamb, from the Jews unto the Gentiles,
thou seest the formation of a great and abominable church, which is most
abominable above all other churches; 168 for
behold, they have taken away from the gospel of the Lamb many parts which are
plain and most precious; 169 and also many
covenants of the Lord have they taken away.
13:27.
170 And all this have they done
that they might pervert the right ways of the Lord, that they might blind the
eyes and harden the hearts of the children of men.
13:28.
171 Wherefore, thou seest that
after the book hath gone forth through the hands of the great and abominable
church, that there are many plain and precious things taken away from the book,
which is the book of the Lamb of God.
13:29.
172 And after these plain and
precious things were taken away it goeth forth unto all the nations of the
Gentiles; 173 and after it goeth forth unto
all the nations of the Gentiles, yea, even across the many waters which thou
hast seen with the Gentiles which have gone forth out of captivity, 174 thou seest—because of the many plain and
precious things which have been taken out of the book, which were plain unto
the understanding of the children of men, according to the plainness which is
in the Lamb of God— 175 because of these
things which are taken away out of the gospel of the Lamb, an exceedingly great
many do stumble, yea, insomuch that Satan hath great power over them.
13:30.
176 Nevertheless, thou beholdest
that the Gentiles who have gone forth out of captivity, and have been lifted up
by the power of God above all other nations, upon the face of the land which is
choice above all other lands, 177 which is
the land that the Lord God hath covenanted with thy father that his seed should
have for the land of their inheritance; wherefore, thou seest that the Lord God
will not suffer that the Gentiles will utterly destroy the mixture of thy seed,
which are among thy brethren.
13:31.
178 Neither will he suffer that
the Gentiles shall destroy the seed of thy brethren.
13:32.
179 Neither will the Lord God
suffer that the Gentiles shall forever remain in that awful state of blindness,
which thou beholdest they are in, because of the plain and most precious parts
of the gospel of the Lamb which have been kept back by that abominable church,
whose formation thou hast seen.
13:33.
180 Wherefore saith the Lamb of
God: I will be merciful unto the Gentiles, unto the visiting of the remnant of
the house of Israel in great judgment.
1 Nephi; 3:41
13:34. 181 And it came to pass that the angel of the Lord spake unto me,
saying: Behold, saith the Lamb of God, after I have visited the remnant of the
house of Israel—and this remnant of whom I speak is the seed of thy father— 182 wherefore, after I have visited them in
judgment, and smitten them by the hand of the Gentiles, 183 and after the Gentiles do stumble exceedingly, because of
the most plain and precious parts of the gospel of the Lamb which have been
kept back by that abominable church, which is the mother of harlots, saith the
Lamb—I will be merciful unto the Gentiles in that day, insomuch that I will
bring forth unto them, in mine own power, much of my gospel, which shall be
plain and precious, saith the Lamb.
13:35.
184 For, behold, saith the Lamb:
I will manifest myself unto thy seed, that they shall write many things which I
shall minister unto them, which shall be plain and precious; 185 and after thy seed shall be destroyed, and
dwindle in unbelief, and also the seed of thy brethren, behold, these things
shall be hid up, to come forth unto the Gentiles, by the gift and power of the
Lamb.
13:36.
186 And in them shall be written
my gospel, saith the Lamb, and my rock and my salvation.
13:37.
187 And blessed are they who
shall seek to bring forth my Zion at that day, for they shall have the gift and
the power of the Holy Ghost; 188 and if they
endure unto the end they shall be lifted up at the last day, and shall be saved
in the everlasting kingdom of the Lamb; 189 and
whoso shall publish peace, yea, tidings of great joy, how beautiful upon the
mountains shall they be.
1 Nephi; 3:42
13:38. 190 And it came to pass that I beheld the remnant of the seed of my
brethren, and also the book of the Lamb of God, which had proceeded forth from
the mouth of the Jew, that it came forth from the Gentiles unto the remnant of
the seed of my brethren.
13:39.
191 And after it had come forth
unto them I beheld other books, which came forth by the power of the Lamb, from
the Gentiles unto them, unto the convincing of the Gentiles and the remnant of
the seed of my brethren, and also the Jews who were scattered upon all the face
of the earth, that the records of the prophets and of the twelve apostles of
the Lamb are true.
1 Nephi; 3:43
13:40. 192 And the angel spake unto me, saying: These last records, which
thou hast seen among the Gentiles, shall establish the truth of the first,
which are of the twelve apostles of the Lamb, and shall make known the plain
and precious things which have been taken away from them; 193 and shall make known to all kindreds, tongues,
and people, that the Lamb of God is the Son of the Eternal Father, and the
Savior of the world; and that all men must come unto him, or they cannot be
saved.
13:41.
194 And they must come according
to the words which shall be established by the mouth of the Lamb; 195 and the words of the Lamb shall be made known
in the records of thy seed, as well as in the records of the twelve apostles of
the Lamb; 196 wherefore they both shall be
established in one; for there is one God and one Shepherd over all the earth.
13:42.
198 And the time cometh that he
shall manifest himself unto all nations, both unto the Jews and also unto the
Gentiles; 199 and after he has manifested
himself unto the Jews and also unto the Gentiles, then he shall manifest
himself unto the Gentiles and also unto the Jews, 200
and the last shall be first, and the first shall be last.
1 Nephi; 3:44
1st Nephi, Chapter 14
14:1.
201 And it shall come to pass,
that if the Gentiles shall hearken unto the Lamb of God in that day that he
shall manifest himself unto them in word, and also in power, in very deed, unto
the taking away of their stumbling blocks—
14:2.
And harden not their hearts against the
Lamb of God, they shall be numbered among the seed of thy father; 202 yea, they shall be numbered among the house of
Israel; 203 and they shall be a blessed
people upon the promised land forever; 204 they
shall be no more brought down into captivity; 205 and
the house of Israel shall no more be confounded.
14:3.
206 And that great pit, which
hath been digged for them by that great and abominable church, which was
founded by the devil and his children, that he might lead away the souls of men
down to hell— 207 yea, that great pit which
hath been digged for the destruction of men shall be filled by those who digged
it, unto their utter destruction, saith the Lamb of God; 208 not the destruction of the soul, save it be
the casting of it into that hell which hath no end.
14:4.
209 For behold, this is
according to the captivity of the devil, and also according to the justice of
God, upon all those who will work wickedness and abomination before him.
1 Nephi; 3:45
14:5.
210 And it came to pass that the
angel spake unto me, Nephi, saying: Thou hast beheld that if the Gentiles
repent it shall be well with them; 211 and
thou also knowest concerning the covenants of the Lord unto the house of
Israel; 212 and thou also hast heard that
whoso repenteth not must perish.
14:6.
213 Therefore, wo be unto the
Gentiles if it so be that they harden their hearts against the Lamb of God.
14:7.
214 For the time cometh, saith
the Lamb of God, that I will work a great and a marvelous work among the
children of men; 215 a work which shall be
everlasting, either on the one hand or on the other— 216
either to the convincing of them unto peace and life eternal, or unto
the deliverance of them to the hardness of their hearts and the blindness of
their minds unto their being brought down into captivity, and also into
destruction, both temporally and spiritually, according to the captivity of the
devil, of which I have spoken.
1 Nephi; 3:46
14:8.
217 And it came to pass that
when the angel had spoken these words, he said unto me: Rememberest thou the
covenants of the Father unto the house of Israel? 218
I said unto him, Yea.
14:9.
219 And it came to pass that he
said unto me: Look, and behold that great and abominable church, which is the
mother of abominations, whose founder is the devil.
14:10.
220 And he said unto me: Behold
there are save two churches only; 221 the
one is the church of the Lamb of God, and the other is the church of the devil;
222 wherefore, whoso belongeth not to the
church of the Lamb of God belongeth to that great church, which is the mother
of abominations; 223 and she is the whore of
all the earth.
1 Nephi; 3:47
14:11.
224 And it came to pass that I
looked and beheld the whore of all the earth, and she sat upon many waters; 225 and she had dominion over all the earth, among
all nations, kindreds, tongues, and people.
1 Nephi; 3:48
14:12.
226 And it came to pass that I
beheld the church of the Lamb of God, and its numbers were few, because of the
wickedness and abominations of the whore who sat upon many waters; 227 nevertheless, I beheld that the church of the
Lamb, who were the saints of God, were also upon all the face of the earth; 228 and their dominions upon the face of the earth
were small, because of the wickedness of the great whore whom I saw.
1 Nephi; 3:49
14:13.
229 And it came to pass that I
beheld that the great mother of abominations did gather together multitudes
upon the face of all the earth, among all the nations of the Gentiles, to fight
against the Lamb of God.
1 Nephi; 3:50
14:14.
230 And it came to pass that I,
Nephi, beheld the power of the Lamb of God, that it descended upon the saints
of the church of the Lamb, and upon the covenant people of the Lord, who were
scattered upon all the face of the earth; 231 and
they were armed with righteousness and with the power of God in great glory.
1 Nephi; 3:51
14:15.
232 And it came to pass that I
beheld that the wrath of God was poured out upon that great and abominable
church, insomuch that there were wars and rumors of wars among all the nations
and kindreds of the earth.
14:16.
233 And as there began to be
wars and rumors of wars among all the nations which belonged to the mother of
abominations, the angel spake unto me, saying: 234 Behold,
the wrath of God is upon the mother of harlots; 235
and behold, thou seest all these things—
14:17.
236 And when the day cometh that
the wrath of God is poured out upon the mother of harlots, which is the great
and abominable church of all the earth, whose founder is the devil, 237 then, at that day, the work of the Father
shall commence, in preparing the way for the fulfilling of his covenants, which
he hath made to his people who are of the house of Israel.
1 Nephi; 3:52
14:18.
238 And it came to pass that the
angel spake unto me, saying: Look!
14:19.
And I looked and beheld a man, and he was
dressed in a white robe.
14:20.
239 And the angel said unto me:
Behold one of the twelve apostles of the Lamb.
14:21.
240 Behold, he shall see and
write the remainder of these things; 241 yea,
and also many things which have been.
14:22.
242 And he shall also write
concerning the end of the world.
14:23.
243 Wherefore, the things which
he shall write are just and true; 244 and
behold they are written in the book which thou beheld proceeding out of the
mouth of the Jew; 245 and at the time they
proceeded out of the mouth of the Jew, or, at the time the book proceeded out
of the mouth of the Jew, the things which were written were plain and pure, and
most precious and easy to the understanding of all men.
14:24.
246 And behold, the things which
this apostle of the Lamb shall write are many things which thou hast seen; 247 and behold, the remainder shalt thou see.
14:25.
248 But the things which thou
shalt see hereafter thou shalt not write; for the Lord God hath ordained the
apostle of the Lamb of God that he should write them.
14:26.
249 And also others who have
been, to them hath he shown all things, and they have written them; 250 and they are sealed up to come forth in their
purity, according to the truth which is in the Lamb, in the own due time of the
Lord, unto the house of Israel.
1 Nephi; 3:53
14:27.
251 And I, Nephi, heard and bear
record, that the name of the apostle of the Lamb was John, according to the
word of the angel.
14:28.
252 And behold, I, Nephi, am
forbidden that I should write the remainder of the things which I saw and
heard; wherefore the things which I have written sufficeth me; 253 and I have written but a small part of the
things which I saw.
14:29.
254 And I bear record that I saw
the things which my father saw, and the angel of the Lord did make them known
unto me.
14:30.
255 And now I make an end of
speaking concerning the things which I saw while I was carried away in the
spirit; 256 and if all the things which I
saw are not written, the things which I have written are true. And thus it is.
Amen.
1st Nephi, Chapter 4
1 Nephi; 4:1
1st Nephi, Chapter 15
15:1.
1 And it came to pass that
after I, Nephi, had been carried away in the spirit, and seen all these things,
I returned to the tent of my father.
15:2.
2 And it came to pass that I
beheld my brethren, and they were disputing one with another concerning the
things my father had spoken unto them.
15:3.
3 For he truly spake many
great things unto them, which were hard to be understood, save a man should
inquire of the Lord; 4 and they being hard
in their hearts, therefore they did not look unto the Lord as they ought.
15:4.
5 And now I, Nephi, was
grieved because of the hardness of their hearts, and also, because of the
things which I had seen, and knew they must unavoidably come to pass because of
the great wickedness of the children of men.
15:5.
6 And it came to pass that I
was overcome because of my afflictions, for I considered that mine afflictions
were great above all, because of the destruction of my people, for I had beheld
their fall.
1 Nephi; 4:2
15:6.
7 And it came to pass that
after I had received strength I spake unto my brethren, desiring to know of
them the cause of their disputations.
15:7.
8 And they said: Behold, we
cannot understand the words which our father hath spoken concerning the natural
branches of the olive-tree, and also concerning the Gentiles.
15:8.
9 And I said unto them: Have
ye inquired of the Lord?
15:9.
10 And they said unto me: We
have not; for the Lord maketh no such thing known unto us.
15:10.
11 Behold, I said unto them:
How is it that ye do not keep the commandments of the Lord? 12 How is it that ye will perish, because of the
hardness of your hearts?
15:11.
13 Do ye not remember the
things which the Lord hath said?—If ye will not harden your hearts, and ask me
in faith, believing that ye shall receive, with diligence in keeping my
commandments, surely these things shall be made known unto you.
1 Nephi; 4:3
15:12.
14 Behold, I say unto you, that
the house of Israel was compared unto an olive-tree, by the Spirit of the Lord
which was in our father; 15 and behold are
we not broken off from the house of Israel, and are we not a branch of the
house of Israel?
15:13.
16 And now, the thing which our
father meaneth concerning the grafting in of the natural branches through the
fulness of the Gentiles, is, that in the latter days, when our seed shall have
dwindled in unbelief, yea, for the space of many years, and many generations
after the Messiah shall be manifested in body unto the children of men, then
shall the fulness of the gospel of the Messiah come unto the Gentiles, and from
the Gentiles unto the remnant of our seed—
15:14.
17 And at that day shall the
remnant of our seed know that they are of the house of Israel, and that they
are the covenant people of the Lord; 18 and
then shall they know and come to the knowledge of their forefathers, and also
to the knowledge of the gospel of their Redeemer, which was ministered unto
their fathers by him; 19 wherefore, they
shall come to the knowledge of their Redeemer and the very points of his
doctrine, that they may know how to come unto him and be saved.
15:15.
20 And then at that day will
they not rejoice and give praise unto their everlasting God, their rock and
their salvation? 21 Yea, at that day, will
they not receive the strength and nourishment from the true vine? 22 Yea, will they not come unto the true fold of
God?
15:16.
23 Behold, I say unto you, Yea;
they shall be remembered again among the house of Israel; 24 they shall be grafted in, being a natural
branch of the olive-tree, into the true olive-tree.
15:17.
25 And this is what our father
meaneth; 26 and he meaneth that it will not
come to pass until after they are scattered by the Gentiles; 27 and he meaneth that it shall come by way of the
Gentiles, that the Lord may show his power unto the Gentiles, for the very
cause that he shall be rejected of the Jews, or of the house of Israel.
15:18.
28 Wherefore, our father hath
not spoken of our seed alone, but also of all the house of Israel, pointing to
the covenant which should be fulfilled in the latter days; 29 which covenant the Lord made to our father
Abraham, saying: In thy seed shall all the kindreds of the earth be blessed.
1 Nephi; 4:4
15:19.
30 And it came to pass that I,
Nephi, spake much unto them concerning these things; 31
yea, I spake unto them concerning the restoration of the Jews in the
latter days.
15:20.
32 And I did rehearse unto them
the words of Isaiah, who spake concerning the restoration of the Jews, or of
the house of Israel; 33 and after they were
restored they should no more be confounded, neither should they be scattered
again. 34 And it came to pass that I did
speak many words unto my brethren, that they were pacified and did humble
themselves before the Lord.
1 Nephi; 4:5
15:21.
35 And it came to pass that
they did speak unto me again, saying: What meaneth this thing which our father
saw in a dream? 36 What meaneth the tree
which he saw?
15:22.
37 And I said unto them: It was
a representation of the tree of life.
15:23.
38 And they said unto me: What
meaneth the rod of iron which our father saw, that led to the tree?
15:24.
39 And I said unto them that it
was the word of God, and whoso would hearken unto the word of God, and would
hold fast unto it, they would never perish; 40 neither
could the temptations and the fiery darts of the adversary overpower them unto
blindness, to lead them away to destruction.
15:25.
41 Wherefore, I, Nephi, did
exhort them to give heed unto the word of the Lord; 42
yea, I did exhort them with all the energies of my soul, and with all
the faculty which I possessed, that they would give heed to the word of God and
remember to keep his commandments always in all things.
15:26.
43 And they said unto me: What
meaneth the river of water which our father saw?
15:27.
44 And I said unto them that
the water which my father saw was filthiness; 45 and
so much was his mind swallowed up in other things that he beheld not the
filthiness of the water.
15:28.
46 And I said unto them that it
was an awful gulf, which separated the wicked from the tree of life, and also
from the saints of God.
15:29.
47 And I said unto them that it
was a representation of that awful hell, which the angel said unto me was
prepared for the wicked.
15:30.
48 And I said unto them that
our father also saw that the justice of God did also divide the wicked from the
righteous; 49 and the brightness thereof was
like unto the brightness of a flaming fire, which ascendeth up unto God forever
and ever, and hath no end.
1 Nephi; 4:6
15:31.
50 And they said unto me: Doth
this thing mean the torment of the body in the days of probation, or doth it
mean the final state of the soul after the death of the temporal body, or doth
it speak of the things which are temporal?
15:32.
51 And it came to pass that I
said unto them that it was a representation of things both temporal and
spiritual; 52 for the day should come that
they must be judged of their works, yea, even the works which were done by the
temporal body in their days of probation.
15:33.
53 Wherefore, if they should
die in their wickedness they must be cast off also, as to the things which are
spiritual, which are pertaining to righteousness; 54
wherefore, they must be brought to stand before God, to be judged of
their works; 55 and if their works have been
filthiness they must needs be filthy; 56 and
if they be filthy it must needs be that they cannot dwell in the kingdom of
God; 57 if so, the kingdom of God must be
filthy also.
15:34.
58 But behold, I say unto you,
the kingdom of God is not filthy, and there cannot any unclean thing enter into
the kingdom of God; 59 wherefore there must
needs be a place of filthiness prepared for that which is filthy.
15:35.
60 And there is a place
prepared, yea, even that awful hell of which I have spoken, and the devil is
the preparator of it; 61 wherefore the final
state of the souls of men is to dwell in the kingdom of God, or to be cast out
because of that justice of which I have spoken.
15:36.
62 Wherefore, the wicked are
rejected from the righteous, and also from that tree of life, whose fruit is
most precious and most desirable above all other fruits; 63 yea, and it is the greatest of all the gifts of
God. 64 And thus I spake unto my brethren.
Amen.
1st Nephi, Chapter 5
1 Nephi; 5:1
1st Nephi, Chapter 16
16:1.
1 And now it came to pass that
after I, Nephi, had made an end of speaking to my brethren, behold they said
unto me: Thou hast declared unto us hard things, more than we are able to bear.
1 Nephi; 5:2
16:2.
2 And it came to pass that I
said unto them that I knew that I had spoken hard things against the wicked,
according to the truth; and the righteous have I justified, and testified that
they should be lifted up at the last day; wherefore, the guilty taketh the
truth to be hard, for it cutteth them to the very center.
16:3.
3 And now my brethren, if ye
were righteous and were willing to hearken to the truth, and give heed unto it,
that ye might walk uprightly before God, then ye would not murmur because of
the truth, and say: Thou speakest hard things against us.
16:4.
4 And it came to pass that I,
Nephi, did exhort my brethren, with all diligence, to keep the commandments of
the Lord.
16:5.
5 And it came to pass that
they did humble themselves before the Lord; insomuch that I had joy and great
hopes of them, that they would walk in the paths of righteousness.
16:6.
6 Now, all these things were
said and done as my father dwelt in a tent in the valley which he called
Lemuel.
1 Nephi; 5:3
16:7.
7 And it came to pass that I,
Nephi, took one of the daughters of Ishmael to wife; and also, my brethren took
of the daughters of Ishmael to wife; and also Zoram took the eldest daughter of
Ishmael to wife.
16:8.
8 And thus my father had
fulfilled all the commandments of the Lord which had been given unto him. 9 And also, I, Nephi, had been blessed of the Lord
exceedingly.
1 Nephi; 5:4
16:9.
10 And it came to pass that the
voice of the Lord spake unto my father by night, and commanded him that on the
morrow he should take his journey into the wilderness.
16:10.
11 And it came to pass that as
my father arose in the morning, and went forth to the tent door, to his great
astonishment he beheld upon the ground a round ball of curious workmanship; and
it was of fine brass. 12 And within the ball
were two spindles; and the one pointed the way whither we should go into the
wilderness.
1 Nephi; 5:5
16:11.
13 And it came to pass that we
did gather together whatsoever things we should carry into the wilderness, and
all the remainder of our provisions which the Lord had given unto us; 14 and we did take seed of every kind that we
might carry into the wilderness.
1 Nephi; 5:6
16:12. 15 And it came to pass that we did take our tents and depart into
the wilderness, across the river Laman.
16:13.
16 And it came to pass that we
traveled for the space of four days, nearly a south-southeast direction, and we
did pitch our tents again; and we did call the name of the place Shazer.
1 Nephi; 5:7
16:14. 17 And it came to pass that we did take our bows and our arrows,
and go forth into the wilderness to slay food for our families; and after we
had slain food for our families we did return again to our families in the
wilderness, to the place of Shazer. 18 And
we did go forth again in the wilderness, following the same direction, keeping
in the most fertile parts of the wilderness, which were in the borders near the
Red Sea.
16:15.
19 And it came to pass that we
did travel for the space of many days, slaying food by the way, with our bows
and our arrows and our stones and our slings.
16:16.
20 And we did follow the
directions of the ball, which led us in the more fertile parts of the
wilderness.
16:17.
21 And after we had traveled
for the space of many days, we did pitch our tents for the space of a time,
that we might again rest ourselves and obtain food for our families.
1 Nephi; 5:8
16:18. 22 And it came to pass that as I, Nephi, went forth to slay food,
behold, I did break my bow, which was made of fine steel; and after I did break
my bow, behold, my brethren were angry with me because of the loss of my bow,
for we did obtain no food.
16:19.
23 And it came to pass that we
did return without food to our families, 24 and
being much fatigued, because of their journeying, they did suffer much for the
want of food.
1 Nephi; 5:9
16:20.
25 And it came to pass that
Laman and Lemuel and the sons of Ishmael did begin to murmur exceedingly,
because of their sufferings and afflictions in the wilderness; and also my
father began to murmur against the Lord his God; yea, and they were all exceedingly
sorrowful, even that they did murmur against the Lord.
1 Nephi; 5:10
16:21. 26 Now it came to pass that I, Nephi, having been afflicted with
my brethren because of the loss of my bow, and their bows having lost their
springs, it began to be exceedingly difficult, yea, insomuch that we could
obtain no food.
16:22.
27 And it came to pass that I,
Nephi, did speak much unto my brethren, because they had hardened their hearts
again, even unto complaining against the Lord their God.
16:23.
28 And it came to pass that I,
Nephi, did make out of wood a bow, and out of a straight stick, an arrow;
wherefore, I did arm myself with a bow and an arrow, with a sling and with
stones. 29 And I said unto my father:
Whither shall I go to obtain food?
16:24.
30 And it came to pass that he
did inquire of the Lord, for they had humbled themselves because of my words;
for I did say many things unto them in the energy of my soul.
1 Nephi; 5:11
16:25. 31 And it came to pass that the voice of the Lord came unto my
father; and he was truly chastened because of his murmuring against the Lord,
insomuch that he was brought down into the depths of sorrow.
16:26.
32 And it came to pass that the
voice of the Lord said unto him: Look upon the ball, and behold the things
which are written.
16:27.
33 And it came to pass that
when my father beheld the things which were written upon the ball, he did fear
and tremble exceedingly, and also my brethren and the sons of Ishmael and our
wives.
1 Nephi; 5:12
16:28. 34 And it came to pass that I, Nephi, beheld the pointers which
were in the ball, that they did work according to the faith and diligence and
heed which we did give unto them.
16:29.
35 And there was also written
upon them a new writing, which was plain to be read, which did give us
understanding concerning the ways of the Lord; and it was written and changed
from time to time, according to the faith and diligence which we gave unto it. 36 And thus we see that by small means the Lord
can bring about great things.
1 Nephi; 5:13
16:30. 37 And it came to pass that I, Nephi, did go forth up into the top
of the mountain, according to the directions which were given upon the ball.
16:31.
38 And it came to pass that I
did slay wild beasts, insomuch that I did obtain food for our families.
16:32.
39 And it came to pass that I
did return to our tents, bearing the beasts which I had slain; 40 and now when they beheld that I had obtained
food, how great was their joy! 41 And it
came to pass that they did humble themselves before the Lord, and did give
thanks unto him.
1 Nephi; 5:14
16:33.
42 And it came to pass that we
did again take our journey, traveling nearly the same course as in the
beginning; 43 and after we had traveled for
the space of many days we did pitch our tents again, that we might tarry for
the space of a time.
1 Nephi; 5:15
16:34. 44 And it came to pass that Ishmael died, and was buried in the
place which was called Nahom.
16:35.
45 And it came to pass that the
daughters of Ishmael did mourn exceedingly, because of the loss of their
father, and because of their afflictions in the wilderness; 46 and they did murmur against my father, because
he had brought them out of the land of Jerusalem, saying: Our father is dead;
yea, and we have wandered much in the wilderness, and we have suffered much
affliction, hunger, thirst, and fatigue; and after all these sufferings we must
perish in the wilderness with hunger.
16:36.
47 And thus they did murmur
against my father, and also against me; and they were desirous to return again
to Jerusalem.
16:37.
48 And Laman said unto Lemuel
and also unto the sons of Ishmael: Behold, let us slay our father, and also our
brother Nephi, who has taken it upon him to be our ruler and our teacher, who
are his elder brethren.
16:38.
49 Now, he says that the Lord
has talked with him, and also that angels have ministered unto him. 50 But behold, we know that he lies unto us; and
he tells us these things, and he worketh many things by his cunning arts, that
he may deceive our eyes, thinking, perhaps, that he may lead us away into some
strange wilderness; 51 and after he has led
us away, he has thought to make himself a king and a ruler over us, that he may
do with us according to his will and pleasure. 52 And
after this manner did my brother Laman stir up their hearts to anger.
1 Nephi; 5:16
16:39.
53 And it came to pass that the
Lord was with us, yea, even the voice of the Lord came and did speak many words
unto them, and did chasten them exceedingly; 54 and
after they were chastened by the voice of the Lord they did turn away their
anger, and did repent of their sins, insomuch that the Lord did bless us again
with food, that we did not perish.
1 Nephi; 5:17
1st Nephi, Chapter 17
17:1.
55 And it came to pass that we
did again take our journey in the wilderness; and we did travel nearly eastward
from that time forth. 56 And we did travel
and wade through much affliction in the wilderness; and our women did bear
children in the wilderness.
17:2.
57 And so great were the
blessings of the Lord upon us, that while we did live upon raw meat in the
wilderness, our women did give plenty of suck for their children, and were
strong, yea, even like unto the men; and they began to bear their journeyings
without murmurings.
17:3.
58 And thus we see that the
commandments of God must be fulfilled. 59 And
if it so be that the children of men keep the commandments of God he doth
nourish them, and strengthen them, and provide means whereby they can
accomplish the thing which he has commanded them; 60
wherefore, he did provide means for us while we did sojourn in the
wilderness.
17:4.
61 And we did sojourn for the
space of many years, yea, even eight years in the wilderness.
17:5.
62 And we did come to the land
which we called Bountiful, because of its much fruit and also wild honey; 63 and all these things were prepared of the Lord
that we might not perish. 64 And we beheld
the sea, which we called Irreantum, which, being interpreted, is many waters.
1 Nephi; 5:18
17:6.
65 And it came to pass that we
did pitch our tents by the seashore; 66 and
notwithstanding we had suffered many afflictions and much difficulty, yea, even
so much that we cannot write them all, we were exceedingly rejoiced when we
came to the seashore; 67 and we called the
place Bountiful, because of its much fruit.
1 Nephi; 5:19
17:7.
68 And it came to pass that
after I, Nephi, had been in the land of Bountiful for the space of many days,
the voice of the Lord came unto me, saying: Arise, and get thee into the
mountain. 69 And it came to pass that I
arose and went up into the mountain, and cried unto the Lord.
1 Nephi; 5:20
17:8.
70 And it came to pass that the
Lord spake unto me, saying: Thou shalt construct a ship, after the manner which
I shall show thee, that I may carry thy people across these waters.
17:9.
71 And I said: Lord, whither
shall I go that I may find ore to molten, that I may make tools to construct
the ship after the manner which thou hast shown unto me?
17:10.
72 And it came to pass that the
Lord told me whither I should go to find ore, that I might make tools.
1 Nephi; 5:21
17:11.
73 And it came to pass that I,
Nephi, did make a bellows wherewith to blow the fire, of the skins of beasts; 74 and after I had made a bellows, that I might
have wherewith to blow the fire, I did smite two stones together that I might
make fire.
17:12.
75 For the Lord had not
hitherto suffered that we should make much fire, as we journeyed in the
wilderness; 76 for he said: I will make thy
food become sweet, that ye cook it not;
17:13.
77 And I will also be your
light in the wilderness; 78 and I will
prepare the way before you, if it so be that ye shall keep my commandments; 79 wherefore, inasmuch as ye shall keep my
commandments ye shall be led towards the promised land; and ye shall know that
it is by me that ye are led.
17:14.
80 Yea, and the Lord said also
that: After ye have arrived in the promised land, ye shall know that I, the
Lord, am God; 81 and that I, the Lord, did
deliver you from destruction; 82 yea, that I
did bring you out of the land of Jerusalem.
17:15.
83 Wherefore, I, Nephi, did
strive to keep the commandments of the Lord, and I did exhort my brethren to
faithfulness and diligence.
1 Nephi; 5:22
17:16.
84 And it came to pass that I
did make tools of the ore which I did molten out of the rock.
17:17.
85 And when my brethren saw
that I was about to build a ship, they began to murmur against me, saying: 86 Our brother is a fool, for he thinketh that he
can build a ship; 87 yea, and he also
thinketh that he can cross these great waters.
17:18.
88 And thus my brethren did
complain against me, and were desirous that they might not labor, for they did
not believe that I could build a ship; 89 neither
would they believe that I was instructed of the Lord.
1 Nephi; 5:23
17:19.
90 And now it came to pass that
I, Nephi, was exceedingly sorrowful because of the hardness of their hearts; 91 and now when they saw that I began to be
sorrowful they were glad in their hearts, insomuch that they did rejoice over
me, saying: 92 We knew that ye could not
construct a ship, for we knew that ye were lacking in judgment; wherefore, thou
canst not accomplish so great a work.
17:20.
93 And thou art like unto our
father, led away by the foolish imaginations of his heart; 94 yea, he hath led us out of the land of
Jerusalem, and we have wandered in the wilderness for these many years; 95 and our women have toiled, being big with
child; and they have borne children in the wilderness and suffered all things,
save it were death; 96 and it would have
been better that they had died before they came out of Jerusalem than to have
suffered these afflictions.
17:21.
97 Behold, these many years we
have suffered in the wilderness, which time we might have enjoyed our
possessions and the land of our inheritance; yea, and we might have been happy.
17:22.
98 And we know that the people
who were in the land of Jerusalem were a righteous people; 99 for they kept the statutes and judgments of the
Lord, and all his commandments, according to the law of Moses; wherefore, we
know that they are a righteous people; 100 and
our father hath judged them, and hath led us away because we would hearken unto
his words; 101 yea, and our brother is like
unto him. 102 And after this manner of
language did my brethren murmur and complain against us.
1 Nephi; 5:24
17:23.
103 And it came to pass that I,
Nephi, spake unto them, saying: Do ye believe that our fathers, who were the
children of Israel, would have been led away out of the hands of the Egyptians
if they had not hearkened unto the words of the Lord?
17:24.
104 Yea, do ye suppose that they
would have been led out of bondage, if the Lord had not commanded Moses that he
should lead them out of bondage?
17:25.
105 Now ye know that the
children of Israel were in bondage; and ye know that they were laden with
tasks, which were grievous to be borne; 106 wherefore,
ye know that it must needs be a good thing for them, that they should be
brought out of bondage.
17:26.
107 Now ye know that Moses was
commanded of the Lord to do that great work; 108 and
ye know that by his word the waters of the Red Sea were divided hither and
thither, and they passed through on dry ground.
17:27.
109 But ye know that the
Egyptians were drowned in the Red Sea, who were the armies of Pharaoh.
17:28.
110 And ye also know that they
were fed with manna in the wilderness.
17:29.
111 Yea, and ye also know that
Moses, by his word according to the power of God which was in him, smote the
rock, and there came forth water, that the children of Israel might quench
their thirst.
17:30.
112 And notwithstanding they
being led, the Lord their God, their Redeemer, going before them, leading them
by day and giving light unto them by night, and doing all things for them which
were expedient for man to receive, they hardened their hearts and blinded their
minds, and reviled against Moses and against the true and living God.
1 Nephi; 5:25
17:31.
113 And it came to pass that
according to his word he did destroy them; 114 and
according to his word he did lead them; 115 and
according to his word he did do all things for them; 116
and there was not any thing done save it were by his word.
17:32.
117 And after they had crossed
the river Jordan he did make them mighty unto the driving out of the children
of the land, yea, unto the scattering them to destruction.
17:33.
118 And now, do ye suppose that
the children of this land, who were in the land of promise, who were driven out
by our fathers, do ye suppose that they were righteous? Behold, I say unto you,
Nay.
17:34.
119 Do ye suppose that our
fathers would have been more choice than they if they had been righteous? 120 I say unto you, Nay.
17:35.
121 Behold, the Lord esteemeth
all flesh in one; 122 he that is righteous
is favored of God. 123 But behold, this
people had rejected every word of God, and they were ripe in iniquity; and the
fulness of the wrath of God was upon them; 124 and
the Lord did curse the land against them, and bless it unto our fathers; yea,
he did curse it against them unto their destruction, 125
and he did bless it unto our fathers unto their obtaining power over it.
17:36.
126 Behold, the Lord hath
created the earth that it should be inhabited; 127 and
he hath created his children that they should possess it.
17:37.
128 And he raiseth up a
righteous nation, and destroyeth the nations of the wicked.
17:38.
129 And he leadeth away the
righteous into precious lands, and the wicked he destroyeth, and curseth the
land unto them for their sakes.
17:39.
130 He ruleth high in the
heavens, for it is his throne, and this earth is his footstool.
17:40.
131 And he loveth those who will
have him to be their God. 132 Behold, he
loved our fathers, and he covenanted with them, yea, even Abraham, Isaac, and
Jacob; and he remembered the covenants which he had made; 133 wherefore, he did bring them out of the land
of Egypt.
17:41.
And he did straiten them in the wilderness
with his rod; for they hardened their hearts, even as ye have; and the Lord
straitened them because of their iniquity. 134 He
sent fiery flying serpents among them; and after they were bitten he prepared a
way that they might be healed; 135 and the
labor which they had to perform was to look; and because of the simpleness of
the way, or the easiness of it, there were many who perished.
17:42.
136 And they did harden their
hearts from time to time, and they did revile against Moses, and also against
God; 137 nevertheless, ye know that they
were led forth by his matchless power into the land of promise.
1 Nephi; 5:26
17:43.
138 And now, after all these
things, the time has come that they have become wicked, yea, nearly unto
ripeness; 139 and I know not but they are at
this day about to be destroyed; 140 for I
know that the day must surely come that they must be destroyed, save a few
only, who shall be led away into captivity.
17:44.
141 Wherefore, the Lord
commanded my father that he should depart into the wilderness; 142 and the Jews also sought to take away his
life; yea, and ye also have sought to take away his life; 143 wherefore, ye are murderers in your hearts and
ye are like unto them.
17:45.
144 Ye are swift to do iniquity
but slow to remember the Lord your God. 145 Ye
have seen an angel, and he spake unto you; yea, ye have heard his voice from
time to time; 146 and he hath spoken unto
you in a still small voice, but ye were past feeling, that ye could not feel
his words; 147 wherefore, he has spoken unto
you like unto the voice of thunder, which did cause the earth to shake as if it
were to divide asunder.
17:46.
148 And ye also know that by the
power of his almighty word he can cause the earth that it shall pass away; 149 yea, and ye know that by his word he can cause
the rough places to be made smooth, and smooth places shall be broken up. 150 O, then, why is it, that ye can be so hard in
your hearts?
17:47.
151 Behold, my soul is rent with
anguish because of you, and my heart is pained; I fear lest ye shall be cast
off forever. 152 Behold, I am full of the
Spirit of God, insomuch that my frame has no strength.
1 Nephi; 5:27
17:48.
153 And now it came to pass that
when I had spoken these words, they were angry with me, and were desirous to
throw me into the depths of the sea; 154 and
as they came forth to lay their hands upon me I spake unto them, saying: In the
name of the Almighty God, I command you that ye touch me not, for I am filled
with the power of God, even unto the consuming of my flesh; 155 and whoso shall lay his hands upon me shall
wither even as a dried reed; and he shall be as naught before the power of God,
for God shall smite him.
1 Nephi; 5:28
17:49.
156 And it came to pass that I,
Nephi, said unto them that they should murmur no more against their father;
neither should they withhold their labor from me, for God had commanded me that
I should build a ship.
1 Nephi; 5:29
17:50.
157 And I said unto them: If God
had commanded me to do all things I could do them. 158
If he should command me that I should say unto this water, be thou
earth, it should be earth; and if I should say it, it would be done.
17:51.
159 And now, if the Lord has
such great power, and has wrought so many miracles among the children of men,
how is it that he cannot instruct me, that I should build a ship?
1 Nephi; 5:30
17:52.
160 And it came to pass that I,
Nephi, said many things unto my brethren, insomuch that they were confounded
and could not contend against me; 161 neither
durst they lay their hands upon me nor touch me with their fingers, even for
the space of many days. 162 Now they durst
not do this lest they should wither before me, so powerful was the Spirit of
God; and thus it had wrought upon them.
1 Nephi; 5:31
17:53.
163 And it came to pass that the
Lord said unto me: Stretch forth thine hand again unto thy brethren, and they
shall not wither before thee, but I will shock them, saith the Lord, and this
will I do, that they may know that I am the Lord their God.
17:54.
164 And it came to pass that I
stretched forth my hand unto my brethren, and they did not wither before me;
but the Lord did shake them, even according to the word which he had spoken.
17:55.
165 And now, they said: We know
of a surety that the Lord is with thee, for we know that it is the power of the
Lord that has shaken us. 166 And they fell
down before me, and were about to worship me, but I would not suffer them,
saying: I am thy brother, yea, even thy younger brother; 167 wherefore, worship the Lord thy God, and honor
thy father and thy mother, that thy days may be long in the land which the Lord
thy God shall give thee.
1 Nephi; 5:32
1st Nephi, Chapter 18
18:1.
168 And it came to pass that
they did worship the Lord, and did go forth with me; and we did work timbers of
curious workmanship. 169 And the Lord did
show me from time to time after what manner I should work the timbers of the
ship.
18:2.
170 Now I, Nephi, did not work
the timbers after the manner which was learned by men, neither did I build the
ship after the manner of men; 171 but I did
build it after the manner which the Lord had shown unto me; wherefore, it was
not after the manner of men.
1 Nephi; 5:33
18:3.
172 And I, Nephi, did go into
the mount oft, and I did pray oft unto the Lord; wherefore the Lord showed unto
me great things.
1 Nephi; 5:34
18:4.
173 And it came to pass that
after I had finished the ship, according to the word of the Lord, my brethren
beheld that it was good, and that the workmanship thereof was exceedingly fine;
174 wherefore, they did humble themselves
again before the Lord.
1 Nephi; 5:35
18:5.
175 And it came to pass that the
voice of the Lord came unto my father, that we should arise and go down into
the ship.
18:6.
176 And it came to pass that on
the morrow, after we had prepared all things, much fruits and meat from the
wilderness, and honey in abundance, and provisions according to that which the
Lord had commanded us, 177 we did go down
into the ship, with all our loading and our seeds, and whatsoever thing we had
brought with us, every one according to his age; 178
wherefore, we did all go down into the ship, with our wives and our
children.
1 Nephi; 5:36
18:7.
179 And now, my father had begat
two sons in the wilderness; the elder was called Jacob and the younger Joseph.
18:8.
180 And it came to pass after we
had all gone down into the ship, and had taken with us our provisions and
things which had been commanded us, 181 we
did put forth into the sea and were driven forth before the wind towards the
promised land.
18:9.
182 And after we had been driven
forth before the wind for the space of many days, behold, my brethren and the
sons of Ishmael and also their wives began to make themselves merry, insomuch
that they began to dance, and to sing, and to speak with much rudeness, 183 yea, even that they did forget by what power
they had been brought thither; 184 yea, they
were lifted up unto exceeding rudeness.
18:10.
185 And I, Nephi, began to fear
exceedingly lest the Lord should be angry with us, and smite us because of our
iniquity, that we should be swallowed up in the depths of the sea; 186 wherefore, I, Nephi, began to speak to them
with much soberness; 187 but behold they
were angry with me, saying: We will not that our younger brother shall be a
ruler over us.
1 Nephi; 5:37
18:11.
188 And it came to pass that
Laman and Lemuel did take me and bind me with cords, and they did treat me with
much harshness; 189 nevertheless, the Lord
did suffer it that he might show forth his power, unto the fulfilling of his
word which he had spoken concerning the wicked.
1 Nephi; 5:38
18:12.
190 And it came to pass that
after they had bound me insomuch that I could not move, the compass, which had
been prepared of the Lord, did cease to work.
18:13.
191 Wherefore, they knew not
whither they should steer the ship, insomuch that there arose a great storm,
yea, a great and terrible tempest, 192 and
we were driven back upon the waters for the space of three days; 193 and they began to be frightened exceedingly
lest they should be drowned in the sea; 194 nevertheless
they did not loose me.
18:14.
195 And on the fourth day, which
we had been driven back, the tempest began to be exceedingly sore.
1 Nephi; 5:39
18:15.
196 And it came to pass that we
were about to be swallowed up in the depths of the sea. 197 And after we had been driven back upon the waters for the
space of four days, my brethren began to see that the judgments of God were
upon them, and that they must perish save that they should repent of their
iniquities; 198 wherefore, they came unto
me, and loosed the bands which were upon my wrist, and behold they had swollen
exceedingly; and also mine ankles were much swollen, and great was the soreness
thereof.
1 Nephi; 5:40
18:16.
199 Nevertheless, I did look
unto my God, and I did praise him all the day long; and I did not murmur
against the Lord because of mine afflictions.
1 Nephi; 5:41
18:17.
200 Now my father, Lehi, had
said many things unto them, and also unto the sons of Ishmael; but, behold,
they did breathe out much threatenings against anyone that should speak for me;
201 and my parents being stricken in years,
and having suffered much grief because of their children, they were brought
down, yea, even upon their sick-beds.
18:18.
202 Because of their grief and
much sorrow, and the iniquity of my brethren, they were brought near even to be
carried out of this time to meet their God; 203 yea,
their grey hairs were about to be brought down to lie low in the dust; 204 yea, even they were near to be cast with
sorrow into a watery grave.
18:19.
205 And Jacob and Joseph also,
being young, having need of much nourishment, were grieved because of the
afflictions of their mother; 206 and also my
wife with her tears and prayers, and also my children, did not soften the
hearts of my brethren that they would loose me.
18:20.
207 And there was nothing save
it were the power of God, which threatened them with destruction, could soften
their hearts; 208 wherefore, when they saw
that they were about to be swallowed up in the depths of the sea they repented
of the thing which they had done, insomuch that they loosed me.
1 Nephi; 5:42
18:21.
209 And it came to pass after
they had loosed me, behold, I took the compass, and it did work whither I
desired it. 210 And it came to pass that I
prayed unto the Lord; and after I had prayed the winds did cease, and the storm
did cease, and there was a great calm.
1 Nephi; 5:43
18:22.
211 And it came to pass that I,
Nephi, did guide the ship, that we sailed again towards the promised land.
18:23.
212 And it came to pass that
after we had sailed for the space of many days we did arrive at the promised
land; 213 and we went forth upon the land,
and did pitch our tents; and we did call it the promised land.
1 Nephi; 5:44
18:24.
214 And it came to pass that we
did begin to till the earth, and we began to plant seeds; yea, we did put all
our seeds into the earth, which we had brought from the land of Jerusalem. 215 And it came to pass that they did grow
exceedingly; wherefore, we were blessed in abundance.
1 Nephi; 5:45
18:25.
216 And it came to pass that we
did find upon the land of promise, as we journeyed in the wilderness, that
there were beasts in the forests of every kind, both the cow and the ox, and
the ass and the horse, and the goat and the wild goat, and all manner of wild
animals, which were for the use of men. 217 And
we did find all manner of ore, both of gold, and of silver, and of copper.
1 Nephi; 5:46
1st Nephi, Chapter 19
19:1.
218 And it came to pass that the
Lord commanded me, wherefore I did make plates of ore that I might engraven
upon them the record of my people. 219 And
upon the plates which I made I did engraven the record of my father, and also
our journeyings in the wilderness, and the prophecies of my father; and also
many of mine own prophecies have I engraven upon them.
19:2.
220 And I knew not at the time
when I made them that I should be commanded of the Lord to make these plates; 221 wherefore, the record of my father, and the
genealogy of his fathers, and the more part of all our proceedings in the
wilderness are engraven upon those first plates of which I have spoken; 222 wherefore, the things which transpired before
I made these plates are, of a truth, more particularly made mention upon the
first plates.
1 Nephi; 5:47
19:3.
223 And after I had made these
plates by way of commandment, I, Nephi, received a commandment that the
ministry and the prophecies, the more plain and precious parts of them, should
be written upon these plates; 224 and that
the things which were written should be kept for the instruction of my people,
who should possess the land, and also for other wise purposes, which purposes
are known unto the Lord.
19:4.
225 Wherefore, I, Nephi, did
make a record upon the other plates, which gives an account, or which gives a
greater account of the wars and contentions and destructions of my people. 226 And this have I done, and commanded my people
what they should do after I was gone; and that these plates should be handed
down from one generation to another, or from one prophet to another, until
further commandments of the Lord.
19:5.
227 And an account of my making
these plates shall be given hereafter; 228 and
then, behold, I proceed according to that which I have spoken; and this I do
that the more sacred things may be kept for the knowledge of my people.
19:6.
229 Nevertheless, I do not write
anything upon plates save it be that I think it be sacred. 230 And now, if I do err, even did they err of
old; 231 not that I would excuse myself
because of other men, but because of the weakness which is in me, according to
the flesh, I would excuse myself.
19:7.
232 For the things which some
men esteem to be of great worth, both to the body and soul, others set at
naught and trample under their feet. 233 Yea,
even the very God of Israel do men trample under their feet; 234 I say, trample under their feet but I would
speak in other words— 235 they set him at
naught, and hearken not to the voice of his counsels.
19:8.
236 And behold he cometh,
according to the words of the angel, in six hundred years from the time my
father left Jerusalem.
19:9.
237 And the world, because of
their iniquity, shall judge him to be a thing of naught; wherefore they scourge
him, and he suffereth it; and they smite him, and he suffereth it. 238 Yea, they spit upon him, and he suffereth it,
because of his loving kindness and his long-suffering towards the children of
men.
19:10.
239 And the God of our fathers,
who were led out of Egypt, out of bondage, and also were preserved in the
wilderness by him, 240 yea, the God of
Abraham, and of Isaac, and the God of Jacob, yieldeth himself, according to the
words of the angel, as a man, into the hands of wicked men, to be lifted up,
according to the words of Zenock, 241 and to
be crucified, according to the words of Neum, 242 and
to be buried in a sepulchre, according to the words of Zenos, which he spake
concerning the three days of darkness, 243 which
should be a sign given of his death unto those who should inhabit the isles of
the sea, 244 more especially given unto
those who are of the house of Israel.
1 Nephi; 5:48
19:11.
245 For thus spake the prophet:
The Lord God surely shall visit all the house of Israel at that day, 246 some with his voice, because of their
righteousness, unto their great joy and salvation, 247
and others with the thunderings and the lightnings of his power, by
tempest, by fire, and by smoke, and vapor of darkness, and by the opening of
the earth, and by mountains which shall be carried up.
19:12.
248 And all these things must
surely come, saith the prophet Zenos. 249 And
the rocks of the earth must rend; 250 and
because of the groanings of the earth, many of the kings of the isles of the
sea shall be wrought upon by the Spirit of God, to exclaim: The God of nature
suffers.
19:13.
251 And as for those who are at
Jerusalem, saith the prophet, they shall be scourged by all people, because
they crucify the God of Israel, and turn their hearts aside, rejecting signs
and wonders, and the power and glory of the God of Israel.
19:14.
252 And because they turn their
hearts aside, saith the prophet, and have despised the Holy One of Israel, they
shall wander in the flesh, and perish, and become a hiss and a byword, and be
hated among all nations.
19:15.
253 Nevertheless, when that day
cometh, saith the prophet, that they no more turn aside their hearts against
the Holy One of Israel, then will he remember the covenants which he made to
their fathers.
19:16.
254 Yea, then will he remember
the isles of the sea; 255 yea, and all the
people who are of the house of Israel, will I gather in, saith the Lord,
according to the words of the prophet Zenos, from the four quarters of the
earth.
19:17.
256 Yea, and all the earth shall
see the salvation of the Lord, saith the prophet; 257
every nation, kindred, tongue and people shall be blessed.
1 Nephi; 5:49
19:18.
258 And I, Nephi, have written
these things unto my people, that perhaps I might persuade them that they would
remember the Lord their Redeemer.
19:19.
259 Wherefore, I speak unto all
the house of Israel, if it so be that they should obtain these things.
19:20.
260 For behold, I have workings
in the spirit, which doth weary me even that all my joints are weak, for those
who are at Jerusalem; 261 for had not the
Lord been merciful, to show unto me concerning them, even as he had prophets of
old, I should have perished also.
19:21.
262 And he surely did show unto
the prophets of old all things concerning them; 263
and also he did show unto many concerning us; 264
wherefore, it must needs be that we know concerning them for they are
written upon the plates of brass.
1st Nephi, Chapter 6
1 Nephi; 6:1
19:22.
1 Now it came to pass that I,
Nephi, did teach my brethren these things; 2 and
it came to pass that I did read many things to them, which were engraven upon
the plates of brass, that they might know concerning the doings of the Lord in
other lands, among people of old.
19:23.
3 And I did read many things
unto them which were written in the books of Moses; 4
but that I might more fully persuade them to believe in the Lord their
Redeemer I did read unto them that which was written by the prophet Isaiah; 5 for I did liken all scriptures unto us, that it
might be for our profit and learning.
19:24.
6 Wherefore I spake unto them,
saying: Hear ye the words of the prophet, ye who are a remnant of the house of
Israel, a branch who have been broken off; hear ye the words of the prophet,
which were written unto all the house of Israel, and liken them unto
yourselves, that ye may have hope as well as your brethren from whom ye have
been broken off; 7 for after this manner has
the prophet written.
1st Nephi, Chapter 20
20:1.
8 Hearken and hear this, O
house of Jacob, who are called by the name of Israel, and are come forth out of
the waters of Judah, or out of the waters of baptism, who swear by the name of
the Lord, and make mention of the God of Israel, yet they swear not in truth
nor in righteousness.
20:2.
9 Nevertheless, they call
themselves of the holy city, but they do not stay themselves upon the God of
Israel, who is the Lord of Hosts; yea, the Lord of Hosts is his name.
20:3.
10 Behold, I have declared the
former things from the beginning; and they went forth out of my mouth, and I
showed them. I did show them suddenly.
20:4.
11 And I did it because I knew
that thou art obstinate, and thy neck is an iron sinew, and thy brow brass;
20:5.
12 And I have even from the
beginning declared to thee; before it came to pass I showed them thee; and I
showed them for fear lest thou shouldst say—mine idol hath done them, and my
graven image, and my molten image hath commanded them.
20:6.
13 Thou hast seen and heard all
this; and will ye not declare them? And that I have showed thee new things from
this time, even hidden things, and thou didst not know them.
20:7.
14 They are created now, and
not from the beginning, even before the day when thou heardest them not they
were declared unto thee, lest thou shouldst say—Behold I knew them.
20:8.
15 Yea, and thou heardest not;
yea, thou knewest not; yea, from that time thine ear was not opened; for I knew
that thou wouldst deal very treacherously, and wast called a transgressor from
the womb.
1 Nephi; 6:2
20:9.
16 Nevertheless, for my name’s
sake will I defer mine anger, and for my praise will I refrain from thee, that
I cut thee not off.
20:10.
17 For, behold, I have refined
thee, I have chosen thee in the furnace of affliction.
20:11.
18 For mine own sake, yea, for
mine own sake will I do this, for I will not suffer my name to be polluted, and
I will not give my glory unto another.
1 Nephi; 6:3
20:12.
19 Hearken unto me, O Jacob,
and Israel my called, for I am he; I am the first, and I am also the last.
20:13.
20 Mine hand hath also laid the
foundation of the earth, and my right hand hath spanned the heavens. I call
unto them and they stand up together.
20:14.
21 All ye, assemble yourselves,
and hear; who among them hath declared these things unto them? The Lord hath
loved him; yea, and he will fulfill his word which he hath declared by them;
and he will do his pleasure on Babylon, and his arm shall come upon the
Chaldeans.
20:15.
22 Also, saith the Lord; I the
Lord, yea, I have spoken; yea, I have called him to declare, I have brought
him, and he shall make his way prosperous.
1 Nephi; 6:4
20:16.
23 Come ye near unto me; I have
not spoken in secret; from the beginning, from the time that it was declared
have I spoken; and the Lord God, and his Spirit, hath sent me.
20:17.
24 And thus saith the Lord, thy
Redeemer, the Holy One of Israel; I have sent him, the Lord thy God who
teacheth thee to profit, who leadeth thee by the way thou shouldst go, hath
done it.
20:18.
25 O that thou hadst hearkened
to my commandments—then had thy peace been as a river, and thy righteousness as
the waves of the sea.
20:19.
26 Thy seed also had been as
the sand; the offspring of thy bowels like the gravel thereof; his name should
not have been cut off nor destroyed from before me.
1 Nephi; 6:5
20:20.
27 Go ye forth of Babylon, flee
ye from the Chaldeans, with a voice of singing declare ye, tell this, utter to
the end of the earth; say ye: The Lord hath redeemed his servant Jacob.
20:21.
28 And they thirsted not; he
led them through the deserts; he caused the waters to flow out of the rock for
them; he clave the rock also and the waters gushed out.
20:22.
29 And notwithstanding he hath
done all this, and greater also, there is no peace, saith the Lord, unto the
wicked.
1 Nephi; 6:6
1st Nephi, Chapter 21
21:1.
30 And again: Hearken, O ye
house of Israel, all ye that are broken off and are driven out because of the
wickedness of the pastors of my people; yea, all ye that are broken off, that
are scattered abroad, who are of my people, O house of Israel. 31 Listen, O isles, unto me, and hearken ye people
from far; the Lord hath called me from the womb; from the bowels of my mother
hath he made mention of my name.
21:2.
32 And he hath made my mouth
like a sharp sword; in the shadow of his hand hath he hid me, and made me a
polished shaft; in his quiver hath he hid me;
21:3.
33 And said unto me: Thou art
my servant, O Israel, in whom I will be glorified.
21:4.
34 Then I said, I have labored
in vain, I have spent my strength for naught and in vain; surely my judgment is
with the Lord, and my work with my God.
1 Nephi; 6:7
21:5.
35 And now, saith the Lord—that
formed me from the womb that I should be his servant, to bring Jacob again to
him—though Israel be not gathered, yet shall I be glorious in the eyes of the
Lord, and my God shall be my strength.
21:6.
36 And he said: It is a light
thing that thou shouldst be my servant to raise up the tribes of Jacob, and to
restore the preserved of Israel. I will also give thee for a light to the
Gentiles, that thou mayest be my salvation unto the ends of the earth.
21:7.
37 Thus saith the Lord, the
Redeemer of Israel, his Holy One, to him whom man despiseth, to him whom the
nation abhorreth, to servant of rulers: Kings shall see and arise, princes also
shall worship, because of the Lord that is faithful.
21:8.
38 Thus saith the Lord: In an
acceptable time have I heard thee, O isles of the sea, and in a day of
salvation have I helped thee; and I will preserve thee, and give thee my
servant for a covenant of the people, to establish the earth, to cause to
inherit the desolate heritages;
21:9.
39 That thou mayest say to the
prisoners: Go forth; to them that sit in darkness: Show yourselves. They shall
feed in the ways, and their pastures shall be in all high places.
21:10.
40 They shall not hunger nor
thirst, neither shall the heat nor the sun smite them; for he that hath mercy
on them shall lead them, even by the springs of water shall he guide them.
21:11.
41 And I will make all my
mountains a way, and my highways shall be exalted.
21:12.
42 And then, O house of Israel,
behold, these shall come from far; and lo, these from the north and from the
west; and these from the land of Sinim.
1 Nephi; 6:8
21:13.
43 Sing, O heavens; and be
joyful, O earth; for the feet of those who are in the east shall be
established; and break forth into singing, O mountains; for they shall be
smitten no more; for the Lord hath comforted his people, and will have mercy
upon his afflicted.
21:14.
44 But, behold, Zion hath said:
The Lord hath forsaken me, and my Lord hath forgotten me—but he will show that
he hath not.
21:15.
45 For can a woman forget her
sucking child, that she should not have compassion on the son of her womb? Yea,
they may forget, yet will I not forget thee, O house of Israel.
21:16.
46 Behold, I have graven thee
upon the palms of my hands; thy walls are continually before me.
21:17.
47 Thy children shall make
haste against thy destroyers; and they that made thee waste shall go forth of
thee.
1 Nephi; 6:9
21:18.
48 Lift up thine eyes round
about and behold; all these gather themselves together, and they shall come to
thee. And as I live, saith the Lord, thou shalt surely clothe thee with them
all, as with an ornament, and bind them on even as a bride.
21:19.
49 For thy waste and thy
desolate places, and the land of thy destruction, shall even now be too narrow
by reason of the inhabitants; and they that swallowed thee up shall be far
away.
21:20.
50 The children whom thou shalt
have, after thou hast lost the first, shall again in thine ears say: The place
is too strait for me; give place to me that I may dwell.
21:21.
51 Then shalt thou say in thine
heart: Who hath begotten me these, seeing I have lost my children, and am
desolate, a captive, and removing to and fro? And who hath brought up these?
Behold, I was left alone; these, where have they been?
21:22.
52 Thus saith the Lord God:
Behold, I will lift up mine hand to the Gentiles, and set up my standard to the
people; and they shall bring thy sons in their arms, and thy daughters shall be
carried upon their shoulders.
21:23.
53 And kings shall be thy
nursing fathers, and their queens thy nursing mothers; they shall bow down to
thee with their face towards the earth, and lick up the dust of thy feet; and
thou shalt know that I am the Lord; for they shall not be ashamed that wait for
me.
21:24.
54 For shall the prey be taken
from the mighty, or the lawful captives delivered?
21:25.
55 But thus saith the Lord,
even the captives of the mighty shall be taken away, and the prey of the
terrible shall be delivered; for I will contend with him that contendeth with
thee, and I will save thy children.
21:26.
56 And I will feed them that
oppress thee with their own flesh; they shall be drunken with their own blood
as with sweet wine; and all flesh shall know that I, the Lord, am thy Savior
and thy Redeemer, the Mighty One of Jacob.
1st Nephi, Chapter 7
1st Nephi, Chapter 22
1 Nephi; 7:1
22:1.
1 And now it came to pass that
after I, Nephi, had read these things which were engraven upon the plates of
brass, my brethren came unto me and said unto me: What meaneth these things
which ye have read? 2 Behold, are they to be
understood according to things which are spiritual, which shall come to pass
according to the spirit and not the flesh?
22:2.
3 And I, Nephi, said unto
them: Behold they were manifest unto the prophet by the voice of the Spirit; 4 for by the Spirit are all things made known unto
the prophets, which shall come upon the children of men according to the flesh.
22:3.
5 Wherefore, the things of
which I have read are things pertaining to things both temporal and spiritual; 6 for it appears that the house of Israel, sooner
or later, will be scattered upon all the face of the earth, and also among all
nations.
22:4.
7 And behold, there are many
who are already lost from the knowledge of those who are at Jerusalem. 8 Yea, the more part of all the tribes have been
led away; 9 and they are scattered to and
fro upon the isles of the sea; 10 and
whither they are none of us knoweth, save that we know that they have been led
away.
22:5.
11 And since they have been led
away, these things have been prophesied concerning them, and also concerning
all those who shall hereafter be scattered and be confounded, because of the
Holy One of Israel; for against him will they harden their hearts; 12 wherefore, they shall be scattered among all
nations and shall be hated of all men.
22:6.
13 Nevertheless, after they
shall be nursed by the Gentiles, and the Lord has lifted up his hand upon the
Gentiles and set them up for a standard, and their children have been carried
in their arms, and their daughters have been carried upon their shoulders,
behold these things of which are spoken are temporal; for thus are the
covenants of the Lord with our fathers; 14 and
it meaneth us in the days to come, and also all our brethren who are of the
house of Israel.
22:7.
15 And it meaneth that the time
cometh that after all the house of Israel have been scattered and confounded,
that the Lord God will raise up a mighty nation among the Gentiles, yea, even
upon the face of this land; 16 and by them
shall our seed be scattered.
1 Nephi; 7:2
22:8.
17 And after our seed is
scattered the Lord God will proceed to do a marvelous work among the Gentiles,
which shall be of great worth unto our seed; 18 wherefore,
it is likened unto their being nourished by the Gentiles and being carried in
their arms and upon their shoulders.
22:9.
19 And it shall also be of
worth unto the Gentiles; 20 and not only
unto the Gentiles but unto all the house of Israel, unto the making known of
the covenants of the Father of heaven unto Abraham, saying: In thy seed shall
all the kindreds of the earth be blessed.
22:10.
21 And I would, my brethren,
that ye should know that all the kindreds of the earth cannot be blessed unless
he shall make bare his arm in the eyes of the nations.
22:11.
22 Wherefore, the Lord God will
proceed to make bare his arm in the eyes of all the nations, in bringing about
his covenants and his gospel unto those who are of the house of Israel.
22:12.
23 Wherefore, he will bring
them again out of captivity, and they shall be gathered together to the lands
of their inheritance; 24 and they shall be
brought out of obscurity and out of darkness; 25 and
they shall know that the Lord is their Savior and their Redeemer, the Mighty
One of Israel.
22:13.
26 And the blood of that great
and abominable church, which is the whore of all the earth, shall turn upon
their own heads; 27 for they shall war among
themselves, and the sword of their own hands shall fall upon their own heads,
and they shall be drunken with their own blood.
22:14.
28 And every nation which shall
war against thee, O house of Israel, shall be turned one against another, 29 and they shall fall into the pit which they
digged to ensnare the people of the Lord.
1 Nephi; 7:3
a.
30 And all that fight against
Zion shall be destroyed, 31 and that great
whore, who hath perverted the right ways of the Lord, yea, that great and
abominable church, shall tumble to the dust and great shall be the fall of it.
22:15.
32 For behold, saith the
prophet, the time cometh speedily that Satan shall have no more power over the
hearts of the children of men; 33 for the
day soon cometh that all the proud and they who do wickedly shall be as
stubble; and the day cometh that they must be burned.
22:16.
34 For the time soon cometh
that the fulness of the wrath of God shall be poured out upon all the children
of men; 35 for he will not suffer that the
wicked shall destroy the righteous.
22:17.
36 Wherefore, he will preserve
the righteous by his power, even if it so be that the fulness of his wrath must
come, and the righteous be preserved, even unto the destruction of their
enemies by fire. 37 Wherefore, the righteous
need not fear; for thus saith the prophet, they shall be saved, even if it so
be as by fire.
22:18.
38 Behold, my brethren, I say
unto you, that these things must shortly come; yea, even blood, and fire, and
vapor of smoke must come; 39 and it must
needs be upon the face of this earth; 40 and
it cometh unto men according to the flesh if it so be that they will harden
their hearts against the Holy One of Israel.
22:19.
41 For behold, the righteous
shall not perish; 42 for the time surely
must come that all they who fight against Zion shall be cut off.
22:20.
43 And the Lord will surely
prepare a way for his people, unto the fulfilling of the words of Moses, which
he spake, saying: 44 A prophet shall the
Lord your God raise up unto you, like unto me; him shall ye hear in all things
whatsoever he shall say unto you. 45 And it
shall come to pass that all those who will not hear that prophet shall be cut
off from among the people.
1 Nephi; 7:4
22:21.
46 And now I, Nephi, declare
unto you, that this prophet of whom Moses spake was the Holy One of Israel; 47 wherefore, he shall execute judgment in
righteousness.
22:22.
48 And the righteous need not
fear, for they are those who shall not be confounded. 49
But it is the kingdom of the devil, which shall be built up among the
children of men, which kingdom is established among them which are in the
flesh—
22:23.
50 For the time speedily shall
come that all churches which are built up to get gain, and all those who are
built up to get power over the flesh, and those who are built up to become
popular in the eyes of the world, and those who seek the lusts of the flesh and
the things of the world, and to do all manner of iniquity; 51 yea, in fine, all those who belong to the
kingdom of the devil are they who need fear, and tremble, and quake; 52 they are those who must be brought low in the
dust; 53 they are those who must be consumed
as stubble; 54 and this is according to the
words of the prophet.
22:24.
55 And the time cometh speedily
that the righteous must be led up as calves of the stall, and the Holy One of
Israel must reign in dominion, and might, and power, and great glory.
22:25.
56 And he gathereth his
children from the four quarters of the earth; 57 and
he numbereth his sheep, and they know him; 58 and
there shall be one fold and one shepherd; 59 and
he shall feed his sheep, and in him they shall find pasture.
22:26.
60 And because of the
righteousness of his people, Satan has no power; 61
wherefore, he cannot be loosed for the space of many years; 62 for he hath no power over the hearts of the
people, for they dwell in righteousness, and the Holy One of Israel reigneth.
22:27.
63 And now behold, I, Nephi,
say unto you that all these things must come according to the flesh.
22:28.
64 But, behold, all nations,
kindreds, tongues, and people shall dwell safely in the Holy One of Israel if
it so be that they will repent.
1 Nephi; 7:5
22:29.
65 And now I, Nephi, make an
end; for I durst not speak further as yet concerning these things.
22:30.
66 Wherefore, my brethren, I
would that ye should consider that the things which have been written upon the
plates of brass are true; 67 and they
testify that a man must be obedient to the commandments of God.
22:31.
68 Wherefore, ye need not
suppose that I and my father are the only ones that have testified, and also
taught them. 69 Wherefore, if ye shall be
obedient to the commandments, and endure to the end, ye shall be saved at the
last day. 70 And thus it is. Amen.
THE
SECOND BOOK OF NEPHI
An
account of the death of Lehi. Nephi’s brethren rebel against him. The Lord
warns Nephi to depart into the wilderness. His journeyings in the wilderness,
and so forth.
2nd Nephi, Chapter 1
2 Nephi; 1:1
2nd Nephi, Chapter 1
1:1.
1 And now it came to pass that
after I, Nephi, had made an end of teaching my brethren, our father, Lehi, also
spake many things unto them, and rehearsed unto them, how great things the Lord
had done for them in bringing them out of the land of Jerusalem.
1:2.
2 And he spake unto them
concerning their rebellions upon the waters, and the mercies of God in sparing
their lives, that they were not swallowed up in the sea.
1:3.
3 And he also spake unto them
concerning the land of promise, which they had obtained—how merciful the Lord
had been in warning us that we should flee out of the land of Jerusalem.
1:4.
4 For, behold, said he, I have
seen a vision, in which I know that Jerusalem is destroyed; 5 and had we remained in Jerusalem we should also
have perished.
1:5.
6 But, said he,
notwithstanding our afflictions, we have obtained a land of promise, a land
which is choice above all other lands; 7 a
land which the Lord God hath covenanted with me should be a land for the
inheritance of my seed. 8 Yea, the Lord hath
covenanted this land unto me, and to my children forever, 9 and also all those who should be led out of
other countries by the hand of the Lord.
1:6.
10 Wherefore, I, Lehi, prophesy
according to the workings of the Spirit which is in me, that there shall none
come into this land save they shall be brought by the hand of the Lord.
1:7.
11 Wherefore, this land is
consecrated unto him whom he shall bring. 12 And
if it so be that they shall serve him according to the commandments which he
hath given, it shall be a land of liberty unto them; 13
wherefore, they shall never be brought down into captivity; if so, it
shall be because of iniquity; 14 for if
iniquity shall abound cursed shall be the land for their sakes, 15 but unto the righteous it shall be blessed
forever.
2 Nephi; 1:2
1:8.
16 And behold, it is wisdom
that this land should be kept as yet from the knowledge of other nations; 17 for behold, many nations would overrun the
land, that there would be no place for an inheritance.
1:9.
18 Wherefore, I, Lehi, have
obtained a promise, that inasmuch as those whom the Lord God shall bring out of
the land of Jerusalem shall keep his commandments, they shall prosper upon the
face of this land; 19 and they shall be kept
from all other nations, that they may possess this land unto themselves. 20 And if it so be that they shall keep his
commandments they shall be blessed upon the face of this land, 21 and there shall be none to molest them, nor to
take away the land of their inheritance; and they shall dwell safely forever.
1:10.
22 But behold, when the time
cometh that they shall dwindle in unbelief, after they have received so great
blessings from the hand of the Lord—having a knowledge of the creation of the
earth, and all men, knowing the great and marvelous works of the Lord from the
creation of the world; having power given them to do all things by faith;
having all the commandments from the beginning, and having been brought by his
infinite goodness into this precious land of promise— 23
behold, I say, if the day shall come that they will reject the Holy One
of Israel, the true Messiah, their Redeemer and their God, behold, the
judgments of him that is just shall rest upon them.
1:11.
24 Yea, he will bring other
nations unto them, and he will give unto them power, and he will take away from
them the lands of their possessions, and he will cause them to be scattered and
smitten.
1:12.
25 Yea, as one generation
passeth to another there shall be bloodsheds, and great visitations among them;
26 wherefore, my sons, I would that ye would
remember; yea, I would that ye would hearken unto my words.
2 Nephi; 1:3
1:13.
27 O that ye would awake; awake
from a deep sleep, yea, even from the sleep of hell, and shake off the awful
chains by which ye are bound, which are the chains which bind the children of
men, that they are carried away captive down to the eternal gulf of misery and
woe.
1:14.
28 Awake! and arise from the
dust, and hear the words of a trembling parent, whose limbs ye must soon lay
down in the cold and silent grave, from whence no traveler can return; a few
more days and I go the way of all the earth.
1:15.
29 But behold, the Lord hath
redeemed my soul from hell; I have beheld his glory, and I am encircled about
eternally in the arms of his love.
1:16.
30 And I desire that ye should
remember to observe the statutes and the judgments of the Lord; behold, this
hath been the anxiety of my soul from the beginning.
1:17.
31 My heart hath been weighed
down with sorrow from time to time, for I have feared, lest for the hardness of
your hearts the Lord your God should come out in the fulness of his wrath upon
you, that ye be cut off and destroyed forever;
1:18.
32 Or, that a cursing should
come upon you for the space of many generations; and ye are visited by sword,
and by famine, and are hated, and are led according to the will and captivity
of the devil.
2 Nephi; 1:4
1:19.
33 O my sons, that these things
might not come upon you, but that ye might be a choice and a favored people of
the Lord. 34 But behold, his will be done;
for his ways are righteousness forever.
1:20.
And he hath said that: Inasmuch as ye shall
keep my commandments ye shall prosper in the land; but inasmuch as ye will not
keep my commandments ye shall be cut off from my presence.
1:21.
35 And now that my soul might
have joy in you, and that my heart might leave this world with gladness because
of you, that I might not be brought down with grief and sorrow to the grave, 36 arise from the dust, my sons, and be men, and
be determined in one mind and in one heart, united in all things, that ye may
not come down into captivity;
1:22.
That ye may not be cursed with a sore
cursing; and also, 37 that ye may not incur
the displeasure of a just God upon you, unto the destruction, yea, the eternal
destruction of both soul and body.
1:23.
38 Awake, my sons; put on the
armor of righteousness. 39 Shake off the
chains with which ye are bound, and come forth out of obscurity, and arise from
the dust.
1:24.
40 Rebel no more against your
brother, whose views have been glorious, and who hath kept the commandments
from the time that we left Jerusalem; and who hath been an instrument in the
hands of God, in bringing us forth into the land of promise; 41 for were it not for him, we must have perished
with hunger in the wilderness; 42 nevertheless,
ye sought to take away his life; yea, and he hath suffered much sorrow because
of you.
1:25.
43 And I exceedingly fear and
tremble because of you, lest he shall suffer again; 44
for behold, ye have accused him that he sought power and authority over
you; 45 but I know that he hath not sought
for power nor authority over you, but he hath sought the glory of God, and your
own eternal welfare.
1:26.
46 And ye have murmured because
he hath been plain unto you. 47 Ye say that
he hath used sharpness; ye say that he hath been angry with you; 48 but behold, his sharpness was the sharpness of
the power of the word of God, which was in him; 49 and
that which ye call anger was the truth, according to that which is in God,
which he could not restrain, manifesting boldly concerning your iniquities.
1:27.
50 And it must needs be that
the power of God must be with him, even unto his commanding you that ye must
obey. 51 But behold, it was not he, but it
was the Spirit of the Lord which was in him, which opened his mouth to
utterance that he could not shut it.
2 Nephi; 1:5
1:28.
52 And now my son, Laman, and
also Lemuel and Sam, and also my sons who are the sons of Ishmael, behold, if
ye will hearken unto the voice of Nephi ye shall not perish. 53 And if ye will hearken unto him I leave unto
you a blessing, yea, even my first blessing.
1:29.
54 But if ye will not hearken
unto him I take away my first blessing, yea, even my blessing, and it shall
rest upon him.
1:30.
55 And now Zoram, I speak unto
you: Behold, thou art the servant of Laban; nevertheless, thou hast been
brought out of the land of Jerusalem, and I know that thou art a true friend
unto my son, Nephi, forever.
1:31.
56 Wherefore, because thou hast
been faithful thy seed shall be blessed with his seed, that they dwell in
prosperity long upon the face of this land; 57 and
nothing, save it shall be iniquity among them, shall harm or disturb their
prosperity upon the face of this land forever.
1:32.
58 Wherefore, if ye shall keep
the commandments of the Lord, the Lord hath consecrated this land for the
security of thy seed with the seed of my son.
2nd Nephi, Chapter 2
2:1.
59 And now, Jacob, I speak unto
you: Thou art my first-born in the days of my tribulation in the wilderness. 60 And behold, in thy childhood thou hast suffered
afflictions and much sorrow, because of the rudeness of thy brethren.
2:2.
61 Nevertheless, Jacob, my
first-born in the wilderness, thou knowest the greatness of God; and he shall
consecrate thine afflictions for thy gain.
2:3.
62 Wherefore, thy soul shall be
blessed, and thou shalt dwell safely with thy brother, Nephi; and thy days
shall be spent in the service of thy God. 63 Wherefore,
I know that thou art redeemed, because of the righteousness of thy Redeemer;
for thou hast beheld that in the fulness of time he cometh to bring salvation
unto men.
2:4.
64 And thou hast beheld in thy
youth his glory; wherefore, thou art blessed even as they unto whom he shall
minister in the flesh; 65 for the Spirit is
the same, yesterday, today, and forever. 66 And
the way is prepared from the fall of man, and salvation is free.
2:5.
67 And men are instructed
sufficiently that they know good from evil. 68 And
the law is given unto men. 69 And by the law
no flesh is justified; or, by the law men are cut off. 70
Yea, by the temporal law they were cut off; and also, by the spiritual
law they perish from that which is good, and become miserable forever.
2:6.
71 Wherefore, redemption cometh
in and through the Holy Messiah; for he is full of grace and truth.
2 Nephi; 1:6
2:7.
72 Behold, he offereth himself
a sacrifice for sin, to answer the ends of the law, unto all those who have a
broken heart and a contrite spirit; and unto none else can the ends of the law
be answered.
2:8.
73 Wherefore, how great the
importance to make these things known unto the inhabitants of the earth, that
they may know that there is no flesh that can dwell in the presence of God,
save it be through the merits, and mercy, and grace of the Holy Messiah, 74 who layeth down his life according to the
flesh, and taketh it again by the power of the Spirit, 75
that he may bring to pass the resurrection of the dead, being the first
that should rise.
2:9.
76 Wherefore, he is the
first-fruits unto God, inasmuch as he shall make intercession for all the
children of men; 77 and they that believe in
him shall be saved.
2:10.
78 And because of the
intercession for all, all men come unto God; 79 wherefore,
they stand in the presence of him to be judged of him according to the truth
and holiness which is in him. 80 Wherefore,
the ends of the law which the Holy One hath given, unto the inflicting of the
punishment which is affixed, which punishment that is affixed is in opposition
to that of the happiness which is affixed, to answer the ends of the atonement—
2:11.
81 For it must needs be, that
there is an opposition in all things. 82 If
not so, my first-born in the wilderness, righteousness could not be brought to
pass, neither wickedness, neither holiness nor misery, neither good nor bad. 83 Wherefore, all things must needs be a compound
in one; 84 wherefore, if it should be one
body it must needs remain as dead, having no life neither death, nor corruption
nor incorruption, happiness nor misery, neither sense nor insensibility.
2:12.
85 Wherefore, it must needs
have been created for a thing of naught; 86 wherefore
there would have been no purpose in the end of its creation. 87 Wherefore, this thing must needs destroy the
wisdom of God and his eternal purposes, and also the power, and the mercy, and
the justice of God.
2:13.
88 And if ye shall say there is
no law, ye shall also say there is no sin. 89 If
ye shall say there is no sin, ye shall also say there is no righteousness. 90 And if there be no righteousness there be no
happiness. 91 And if there be no
righteousness nor happiness there be no punishment nor misery. 92 And if these things are not there is no God. 93 And if there is no God we are not, neither the
earth; for there could have been no creation of things, neither to act nor to
be acted upon; wherefore, all things must have vanished away.
2 Nephi; 1:7
2:14.
94 And now, my sons, I speak
unto you these things for your profit and learning; 95
for there is a God, and he hath created all things, both the heavens and
the earth, and all things that in them are, 96 both
things to act and things to be acted upon.
2:15.
97 And to bring about his
eternal purposes in the end of man, after he had created our first parents, and
the beasts of the field and the fowls of the air, and in fine, all things which
are created, it must needs be that there was an opposition; 98 even the forbidden fruit in opposition to the
tree of life; the one being sweet and the other bitter.
2:16.
99 Wherefore, the Lord God gave
unto man that he should act for himself. 100 Wherefore,
man could not act for himself save it should be that he was enticed by the one
or the other.
2 Nephi; 1:8
2:17.
101 And I, Lehi, according to
the things which I have read, must needs suppose that an angel of God,
according to that which is written, had fallen from heaven; 102 wherefore, he became a devil, having sought
that which was evil before God.
2:18.
103 And because he had fallen
from heaven, and had become miserable forever, he sought also the misery of all
mankind. 104 Wherefore, he said unto Eve,
yea, even that old serpent, who is the devil, who is the father of all lies,
wherefore he said: Partake of the forbidden fruit, and ye shall not die, but ye
shall be as God, knowing good and evil.
2:19.
105 And after Adam and Eve had
partaken of the forbidden fruit they were driven out of the garden of Eden, to
till the earth.
2:20.
106 And they have brought forth
children; yea, even the family of all the earth.
2:21.
107 And the days of the children
of men were prolonged, according to the will of God, that they might repent
while in the flesh; 108 wherefore, their
state became a state of probation, and their time was lengthened, according to
the commandments which the Lord God gave unto the children of men. 109 For he gave commandment that all men must
repent; 110 for he showed unto all men that
they were lost, because of the transgression of their parents.
2:22.
111 And now, behold, if Adam had
not transgressed he would not have fallen, but he would have remained in the
garden of Eden. 112 And all things which
were created must have remained in the same state in which they were after they
were created; and they must have remained forever, and had no end.
2:23.
113 And they would have had no
children; wherefore they would have remained in a state of innocence, having no
joy, for they knew no misery; doing no good, for they knew no sin.
2:24.
114 But behold, all things have
been done in the wisdom of him who knoweth all things.
2:25.
115 Adam fell that men might be;
and men are, that they might have joy.
2:26.
116 And the Messiah cometh in
the fulness of time, that he may redeem the children of men from the fall. 117 And because that they are redeemed from the
fall they have become free forever, knowing good from evil; 118 to act for themselves and not to be acted
upon, save it be by the punishment of the law at the great and last day,
according to the commandments which God hath given.
2:27.
119 Wherefore, men are free
according to the flesh; and all things are given them which are expedient unto
man. 120 And they are free to choose liberty
and eternal life, through the great Mediator of all men, or to choose captivity
and death, according to the captivity and power of the devil; 121 for he seeketh that all men might be miserable
like unto himself.
2 Nephi; 1:9
2:28.
122 And now, my sons, I would
that ye should look to the great Mediator, and hearken unto his great
commandments; 123 and be faithful unto his
words, and choose eternal life, according to the will of his Holy Spirit;
2:29.
124 And not choose eternal
death, according to the will of the flesh and the evil which is therein, 125 which giveth the spirit of the devil power to
captivate, to bring you down to hell, that he may reign over you in his own
kingdom.
2 Nephi; 1:10
2:30.
126 I have spoken these few
words unto you all, my sons, in the last days of my probation; 127 and I have chosen the good part, according to
the words of the prophet. 128 And I have
none other object save it be the everlasting welfare of your souls. Amen.
2nd Nephi, Chapter 2
2 Nephi; 2:1
2nd Nephi, Chapter 3
3:1.
1 And now I speak unto you,
Joseph, my last-born. 2 Thou wast born in
the wilderness of mine afflictions; yea, in the days of my greatest sorrow did
thy mother bear thee.
3:2.
3 And may the Lord consecrate
also unto thee this land, which is a most precious land, for thine inheritance
and the inheritance of thy seed with thy brethren, for thy security forever, if
it so be that ye shall keep the commandments of the Holy One of Israel.
3:3.
4 And now, Joseph, my
last-born, whom I have brought out of the wilderness of mine afflictions, may
the Lord bless thee forever, for thy seed shall not utterly be destroyed.
3:4.
5 For behold, thou art the
fruit of my loins; and I am a descendant of Joseph who was carried captive into
Egypt. 6 And great were the covenants of the
Lord which he made unto Joseph.
3:5.
Wherefore, Joseph truly saw our day. 7 And he obtained a promise of the Lord, that out
of the fruit of his loins the Lord God would raise up a righteous branch unto
the house of Israel; 8 not the Messiah, but
a branch which was to be broken off, nevertheless, to be remembered in the
covenants of the Lord 9 that the Messiah
should be made manifest unto them in the latter days, in the spirit of power,
unto the bringing of them out of darkness unto light—yea, out of hidden
darkness and out of captivity unto freedom.
2 Nephi; 2:2
3:6.
10 For Joseph truly testified,
saying: A seer shall the Lord my God raise up, who shall be a choice seer unto
the fruit of my loins.
3:7.
11 Yea, Joseph truly said: Thus
saith the Lord unto me: A choice seer will I raise up out of the fruit of thy
loins; and he shall be esteemed highly among the fruit of thy loins. 12 And unto him will I give commandment that he
shall do a work for the fruit of thy loins, his brethren, which shall be of
great worth unto them, even to the bringing of them to the knowledge of the
covenants which I have made with thy fathers.
3:8.
13 And I will give unto him a
commandment that he shall do none other work, save the work which I shall
command him. 14 And I will make him great in
mine eyes; for he shall do my work.
3:9.
15 And he shall be great like
unto Moses, whom I have said I would raise up unto you, to deliver my people, O
house of Israel.
3:10.
16 And Moses will I raise up,
to deliver thy people out of the land of Egypt.
3:11.
17 But a seer will I raise up
out of the fruit of thy loins; and unto him will I give power to bring forth my
word unto the seed of thy loins— 18 and not
to the bringing forth my word only, saith the Lord, but to the convincing them
of my word, which shall have already gone forth among them.
3:12.
19 Wherefore, the fruit of thy
loins shall write; and the fruit of the loins of Judah shall write; 20 and that which shall be written by the fruit of
thy loins, and also that which shall be written by the fruit of the loins of
Judah, shall grow together, 21 unto the
confounding of false doctrines and laying down of contentions, and establishing
peace among the fruit of thy loins, 22 and
bringing them to the knowledge of their fathers in the latter days, 23 and also to the knowledge of my covenants,
saith the Lord.
3:13.
24 And out of weakness he shall
be made strong, in that day when my work shall commence among all my people,
unto the restoring thee, O house of Israel, saith the Lord.
2 Nephi; 2:3
3:14.
25 And thus prophesied Joseph,
saying: Behold, that seer will the Lord bless; 26 and
they that seek to destroy him shall be confounded; 27
for this promise, which I have obtained of the Lord, of the fruit of my
loins, shall be fulfilled. 28 Behold, I am
sure of the fulfilling of this promise;
3:15.
29 And his name shall be called
after me; and it shall be after the name of his father. 30 And he shall be like unto me; for the thing, which the Lord
shall bring forth by his hand, by the power of the Lord shall bring my people
unto salvation.
3:16.
31 Yea, thus prophesied Joseph:
I am sure of this thing, even as I am sure of the promise of Moses; for the
Lord hath said unto me, I will preserve thy seed forever.
3:17.
32 And the Lord hath said: I
will raise up a Moses; and I will give power unto him in a rod; 33 and I will give judgment unto him in writing. 34 Yet I will not loose his tongue, that he shall
speak much, for I will not make him mighty in speaking. 35 But I will write unto him my law, by the finger of mine own
hand; and I will make a spokesman for him.
3:18.
36 And the Lord said unto me
also: I will raise up unto the fruit of thy loins; and I will make for him a
spokesman. 37 And I, behold, I will give
unto him that he shall write the writing of the fruit of thy loins, unto the
fruit of thy loins; and the spokesman of thy loins shall declare it.
3:19.
38 And the words which he shall
write shall be the words which are expedient in my wisdom should go forth unto
the fruit of thy loins. 39 And it shall be
as if the fruit of thy loins had cried unto them from the dust; for I know
their faith.
3:20.
40 And they shall cry from the
dust; yea, even repentance unto their brethren, even after many generations
have gone by them. 41 And it shall come to
pass that their cry shall go, even according to the simpleness of their words.
3:21.
42 Because of their faith their
words shall proceed forth out of my mouth unto their brethren who are the fruit
of thy loins; 43 and the weakness of their
words will I make strong in their faith, unto the remembering of my covenant
which I made unto thy fathers.
2 Nephi; 2:4
3:22.
44 And now, behold, my son
Joseph, after this manner did my father of old prophesy.
3:23.
45 Wherefore, because of this
covenant thou art blessed; for thy seed shall not be destroyed, for they shall
hearken unto the words of the book.
3:24.
46 And there shall rise up one
mighty among them, who shall do much good, both in word and in deed, being an
instrument in the hands of God, with exceeding faith, 47
to work mighty wonders, and do that thing which is great in the sight of
God, unto the bringing to pass much restoration unto the house of Israel, and
unto the seed of thy brethren.
3:25.
48 And now, blessed art thou,
Joseph. 49 Behold, thou art little;
wherefore hearken unto the words of thy brother, Nephi, and it shall be done
unto thee even according to the words which I have spoken. 50 Remember the words of thy dying father. Amen.
2nd Nephi, Chapter 3
2 Nephi; 3:1
2nd Nephi, Chapter 4
4:1.
1 And now, I, Nephi, speak
concerning the prophecies of which my father hath spoken, concerning Joseph,
who was carried into Egypt.
4:2.
2 For behold, he truly
prophesied concerning all his seed. 3 And
the prophecies which he wrote, there are not many greater. 4 And he prophesied concerning us, and our future
generations; 5 and they are written upon the
plates of brass.
4:3.
6 Wherefore, after my father
had made an end of speaking concerning the prophecies of Joseph, he called the
children of Laman, his sons, and his daughters, and said unto them: 7 Behold, my sons, and my daughters, who are the
sons and the daughters of my first-born, I would that ye should give ear unto
my words.
4:4.
8 For the Lord God hath said
that: Inasmuch as ye shall keep my commandments ye shall prosper in the land; 9 and inasmuch as ye will not keep my commandments
ye shall be cut off from my presence.
4:5.
10 But behold, my sons and my
daughters, I cannot go down to my grave save I should leave a blessing upon
you; 11 for behold, I know that if ye are
brought up in the way ye should go ye will not depart from it.
4:6.
12 Wherefore, if ye are cursed,
behold, I leave my blessing upon you, that the cursing may be taken from you
and be answered upon the heads of your parents.
4:7.
13 Wherefore, because of my
blessing the Lord God will not suffer that ye shall perish; wherefore, he will
be merciful unto you and unto your seed forever.
2 Nephi; 3:2
4:8.
14 And it came to pass that
after my father had made an end of speaking to the sons and daughters of Laman,
he caused the sons and daughters of Lemuel to be brought before him.
4:9.
15 And he spake unto them,
saying: Behold, my sons and my daughters, who are the sons and the daughters of
my second son; 16 behold I leave unto you
the same blessing which I left unto the sons and daughters of Laman; wherefore,
thou shalt not utterly be destroyed; but in the end thy seed shall be blessed.
2 Nephi; 3:3
4:10.
17 And it came to pass that
when my father had made an end of speaking unto them, behold, he spake unto the
sons of Ishmael, yea, and even all his household.
4:11.
18 And after he had made an end
of speaking unto them, he spake unto Sam, saying: 19
Blessed art thou, and thy seed; for thou shall inherit the land like
unto thy brother Nephi. 20 And thy seed
shall be numbered with his seed; 21 and thou
shalt be even like unto thy brother, and thy seed like unto his seed; and thou
shalt be blessed in all thy days.
2 Nephi; 3:4
4:12.
22 And it came to pass after my
father, Lehi, had spoken unto all his household, according to the feelings of
his heart and the Spirit of the Lord which was in him, he waxed old. 23 And it came to pass that he died, and was
buried.
2 Nephi; 3:5
4:13.
24 And it came to pass that not
many days after his death, Laman and Lemuel and the sons of Ishmael were angry
with me because of the admonitions of the Lord.
4:14.
25 For I, Nephi, was
constrained to speak unto them, according to his word; 26
for I had spoken many things unto them, and also my father, before his
death; 27 many of which sayings are written
upon mine other plates; for a more history part are written upon mine other
plates.
4:15.
28 And upon these I write the
things of my soul, and many of the scriptures which are engraven upon the
plates of brass. 29 For my soul delighteth
in the scriptures, and my heart pondereth them, and writeth them for the
learning and the profit of my children.
4:16.
30 Behold, my soul delighteth
in the things of the Lord; and my heart pondereth continually upon the things
which I have seen and heard.
4:17.
31 Nevertheless,
notwithstanding the great goodness of the Lord, in showing me his great and
marvelous works, my heart exclaimeth: O wretched man that I am! 32 Yea, my heart sorroweth because of my flesh; my
soul grieveth because of mine iniquities.
4:18.
33 I am encompassed about,
because of the temptations and the sins which do so easily beset me.
4:19.
34 And when I desire to
rejoice, my heart groaneth because of my sins; nevertheless, I know in whom I
have trusted.
4:20.
35 My God hath been my support;
he hath led me through mine afflictions in the wilderness; and he hath
preserved me upon the waters of the great deep.
4:21.
36 He hath filled me with his
love, even unto the consuming of my flesh.
4:22.
37 He hath confounded mine
enemies, unto the causing of them to quake before me.
4:23.
38 Behold, he hath heard my cry
by day, and he hath given me knowledge by visions in the nighttime.
4:24.
39 And by day have I waxed bold
in mighty prayer before him; yea, my voice have I sent up on high; and angels
came down and ministered unto me.
4:25.
40 And upon the wings of his
Spirit hath my body been carried away upon exceedingly high mountains. 41 And mine eyes have beheld great things, yea,
even too great for man; therefore I was bidden that I should not write them.
4:26.
42 O then, if I have seen so
great things, if the Lord in his condescension unto the children of men hath
visited men in so much mercy, why should my heart weep and my soul linger in
the valley of sorrow, and my flesh waste away, and my strength slacken, because
of mine afflictions?
4:27.
43 And why should I yield to
sin, because of my flesh? 44 Yea, why should
I give way to temptations, that the evil one have place in my heart to destroy
my peace and afflict my soul? 45 Why am I
angry because of mine enemy?
2 Nephi; 3:6
4:28.
46 Awake, my soul! No longer
droop in sin. 47 Rejoice, O my heart, and
give place no more for the enemy of my soul.
4:29.
48 Do not anger again because
of mine enemies. 49 Do not slacken my
strength because of mine afflictions.
4:30.
50 Rejoice, O my heart, and cry
unto the Lord, and say: O Lord, I will praise thee forever; yea, my soul will
rejoice in thee, my God, and the rock of my salvation.
4:31.
51 O Lord, wilt thou redeem my
soul? 52 Wilt thou deliver me out of the
hands of mine enemies? 53 Wilt thou make me
that I may shake at the appearance of sin?
4:32.
54 May the gates of hell be
shut continually before me, because that my heart is broken and my spirit is
contrite! 55 O Lord, wilt thou not shut the
gates of thy righteousness before me, that I may walk in the path of the low
valley, that I may be strict in the plain road!
4:33.
56 O Lord, wilt thou encircle
me around in the robe of thy righteousness! 57 O
Lord, wilt thou make a way for mine escape before mine enemies! 58 Wilt thou make my path straight before me! 59 Wilt thou not place a stumbling block in my
way— 60 but that thou wouldst clear my way
before me, and hedge not up my way, but the ways of mine enemy.
4:34.
61 O Lord, I have trusted in
thee, and I will trust in thee forever. 62 I
will not put my trust in the arm of flesh; for I know that cursed is he that
putteth his trust in the arm of flesh. 63 Yea,
cursed is he that putteth his trust in man or maketh flesh his arm.
4:35.
64 Yea, I know that God will
give liberally to him that asketh. 65 Yea,
my God will give me, if I ask not amiss; therefore I will lift up my voice unto
thee; yea, I will cry unto thee, my God, the rock of my righteousness. 66 Behold, my voice shall forever ascend up unto
thee, my rock and mine everlasting God. Amen.
2nd Nephi, Chapter 4
2 Nephi; 4:1
2nd Nephi, Chapter 5
5:1.
1 Behold, it came to pass that
I, Nephi, did cry much unto the Lord my God, because of the anger of my
brethren.
5:2.
2 But behold, their anger did
increase against me, insomuch that they did seek to take away my life.
5:3.
3 Yea, they did murmur against
me, saying: Our younger brother thinks to rule over us; and we have had much
trial because of him; wherefore, now let us slay him, that we may not be
afflicted more because of his words. 4 For
behold, we will not have him to be our ruler; for it belongs unto us, who are
the elder brethren, to rule over this people.
5:4.
5 Now I do not write upon
these plates all the words which they murmured against me. 6 But it sufficeth me to say, that they did seek
to take away my life.
2 Nephi; 4:2
5:5.
7 And it came to pass that the
Lord did warn me, that I, Nephi, should depart from them and flee into the
wilderness, and all those who would go with me.
5:6.
8 Wherefore, it came to pass
that I, Nephi, did take my family, and also Zoram and his family, and Sam, mine
elder brother and his family, and Jacob and Joseph, my younger brethren, and
also my sisters, and all those who would go with me. 9
And all those who would go with me were those who believed in the
warnings and the revelations of God; wherefore, they did hearken unto my words.
5:7.
10 And we did take our tents
and whatsoever things were possible for us, and did journey in the wilderness
for the space of many days. 11 And after we
had journeyed for the space of many days we did pitch our tents.
5:8.
12 And my people would that we
should call the name of the place Nephi; wherefore, we did call it Nephi.
5:9.
13 And all those who were with
me did take upon them to call themselves the people of Nephi.
5:10.
14 And we did observe to keep
the judgments, and the statutes, and the commandments of the Lord in all things
according to the law of Moses.
5:11.
15 And the Lord was with us;
and we did prosper exceedingly; for we did sow seed, and we did reap again in
abundance. 16 And we began to raise flocks,
and herds, and animals of every kind.
5:12.
17 And I, Nephi, had also
brought the records which were engraven upon the plates of brass; and also the
ball, or compass, which was prepared for my father by the hand of the Lord,
according to that which is written.
2 Nephi; 4:3
5:13.
18 And it came to pass that we
began to prosper exceedingly, and to multiply in the land.
5:14.
19 And I, Nephi, did take the
sword of Laban, and after the manner of it did make many swords, lest by any
means the people who were now called Lamanites should come upon us and destroy
us; 20 for I knew their hatred towards me
and my children and those who were called my people.
5:15.
21 And I did teach my people to
build buildings, and to work in all manner of wood, and of iron, and of copper,
and of brass, and of steel, and of gold, and of silver, and of precious ores,
which were in great abundance.
5:16.
22 And I, Nephi, did build a
temple; and I did construct it after the manner of the temple of Solomon save
it were not built of so many precious things; 23 for
they were not to be found upon the land, 24 wherefore,
it could not be built like unto Solomon’s temple. 25
But the manner of the construction was like unto the temple of Solomon;
and the workmanship thereof was exceedingly fine.
2 Nephi; 4:4
5:17.
26 And it came to pass that I,
Nephi, did cause my people to be industrious, and to labor with their hands.
5:18.
27 And it came to pass that
they would that I should be their king. 28 But
I, Nephi, was desirous that they should have no king; nevertheless, I did for
them according to that which was in my power.
5:19.
29 And behold, the words of the
Lord had been fulfilled unto my brethren, which he spake concerning them, that
I should be their ruler and their teacher. 30 Wherefore,
I had been their ruler and their teacher, according to the commandments of the
Lord, until the time they sought to take away my life.
5:20.
31 Wherefore, the word of the
Lord was fulfilled which he spake unto me, saying that: Inasmuch as they will
not hearken unto thy words they shall be cut off from the presence of the Lord.
32 And behold, they were cut off from his
presence.
5:21.
33 And he had caused the
cursing to come upon them, yea, even a sore cursing, because of their iniquity.
34 For behold, they had hardened their
hearts against him, that they had become like unto a flint; 35 wherefore, as they were white, and exceedingly
fair and delightsome, that they might not be enticing unto my people the Lord
God did cause a skin of blackness to come upon them.
5:22.
36 And thus saith the Lord God:
I will cause that they shall be loathsome unto thy people, save they shall
repent of their iniquities.
5:23.
37 And cursed shall be the seed
of him that mixeth with their seed; for they shall be cursed even with the same
cursing. 38 And the Lord spake it, and it
was done.
5:24.
39 And because of their cursing
which was upon them they did become an idle people, full of mischief and
subtlety, and did seek in the wilderness for beasts of prey.
5:25.
40 And the Lord God said unto
me: They shall be a scourge unto thy seed, to stir them up in remembrance of
me; 41 and inasmuch as they will not
remember me, and hearken unto my words, they shall scourge them even unto
destruction.
2 Nephi; 4:5
5:26.
42 And it came to pass that I,
Nephi, did consecrate Jacob and Joseph, that they should be priests and
teachers over the land of my people.
5:27.
43 And it came to pass that we
lived after the manner of happiness.
5:28.
44 And thirty years had passed
away from the time we left Jerusalem.
5:29.
45 And I, Nephi, had kept the
records upon my plates, which I had made, of my people thus far.
2 Nephi; 4:6
5:30.
46 And it came to pass that the
Lord God said unto me: Make other plates; and thou shalt engraven many things
upon them which are good in my sight, for the profit of thy people.
5:31.
47 Wherefore, I, Nephi, to be
obedient to the commandments of the Lord, went and made these plates upon which
I have engraven these things.
5:32.
48 And I engraved that which is
pleasing unto God. 49 And if my people are
pleased with the things of God they will be pleased with mine engravings which
are upon these plates.
5:33.
50 And if my people desire to
know the more particular part of the history of my people they must search mine
other plates.
5:34.
51 And it sufficeth me to say
that forty years had passed away, and we had already had wars and contentions
with our brethren.
2nd Nephi, Chapter 5
2 Nephi; 5:1
2nd Nephi, Chapter 6
6:1.
1 The words of Jacob, the
brother of Nephi, which he spake unto the people of Nephi:
6:2.
2 Behold, my beloved brethren,
I, Jacob, having been called of God, and ordained after the manner of his holy
order, 3 and having been consecrated by my
brother Nephi, unto whom ye look as a king or a protector, and on whom ye
depend for safety, 4 behold ye know that I
have spoken unto you exceedingly many things.
6:3.
5 Nevertheless, I speak unto
you again; for I am desirous for the welfare of your souls. 6 Yea, mine anxiety is great for you; and ye
yourselves know that it ever has been. 7 For
I have exhorted you with all diligence; and I have taught you the words of my
father; 8 and I have spoken unto you
concerning all things which are written, from the creation of the world.
2 Nephi; 5:2
6:4.
9 And now, behold, I would
speak unto you concerning things which are, and which are to come; 10 wherefore, I will read you the words of Isaiah.
11 And they are the words which my brother
has desired that I should speak unto you. 12 And
I speak unto you for your sakes, that ye may learn and glorify the name of your
God.
6:5.
13 And now, the words which I
shall read are they which Isaiah spake concerning all the house of Israel; 14 wherefore, they may be likened unto you, for ye
are of the house of Israel. 15 And there are
many things which have been spoken by Isaiah which may be likened unto you,
because ye are of the house of Israel.
2 Nephi; 5:3
6:6.
16 And now these are the words:
17 Thus saith the Lord God: Behold, I will
lift up mine hand to the Gentiles, and set up my standard to the people; 18 and they shall bring thy sons in their arms,
and thy daughters shall be carried upon their shoulders.
6:7.
19 And kings shall be thy
nursing fathers, and their queens thy nursing mothers; 20
they shall bow down to thee with their faces towards the earth, and lick
up the dust of thy feet; 21 and thou shalt
know that I am the Lord; for they shall not be ashamed that wait for me.
2 Nephi; 5:4
6:8.
22 And now I, Jacob, would
speak somewhat concerning these words. For behold, the Lord has shown me that
those who were at Jerusalem, from whence we came, have been slain and carried
away captive.
6:9.
23 Nevertheless, the Lord has
shown unto me that they should return again. 24 And
he also has shown unto me that the Lord God, the Holy One of Israel, should
manifest himself unto them in the flesh; 25 and
after he should manifest himself they should scourge him and crucify him,
according to the words of the angel who spake it unto me.
6:10.
26 And after they have hardened
their hearts and stiffened their necks against the Holy One of Israel, behold
the judgments of the Holy One of Israel shall come upon them. 27 And the day cometh that they shall be smitten
and afflicted.
6:11.
28 Wherefore, after they are
driven to and fro, for thus saith the angel, many shall be afflicted in the
flesh, and shall not be suffered to perish, because of the prayers of the
faithful; they shall be scattered, and smitten, and hated; 29 nevertheless, the Lord will be merciful unto
them, that when they shall come to the knowledge of their Redeemer, they shall
be gathered together again to the lands of their inheritance.
2 Nephi; 5:5
6:12.
30 And blessed are the
Gentiles, they of whom the prophet has written; 31 for
behold, if it so be that they shall repent and fight not against Zion, and do
not unite themselves to that great and abominable church, they shall be saved; 32 for the Lord God will fulfil his covenants
which he has made unto his children; and for this cause the prophet has written
these things.
6:13.
33 Wherefore, they that fight
against Zion and the covenant people of the Lord shall lick up the dust of
their feet; 34 and the people of the Lord
shall not be ashamed. 35 For the people of
the Lord are they who wait for him; for they still wait for the coming of the
Messiah.
6:14.
36 And behold, according to the
words of the prophet, the Messiah will set himself again the second time to
recover them; 37 wherefore, he will manifest
himself unto them in power and great glory, unto the destruction of their
enemies, when that day cometh when they shall believe in him; 38 and none will he destroy that believe in him.
6:15.
39 And they that believe not in
him shall be destroyed, both by fire, and by tempest, and by earthquakes, and
by bloodsheds, and by pestilence, and by famine. 40
And they shall know that the Lord is God, the Holy One of Israel.
6:16.
41 For shall the prey be taken
from the mighty, or the lawful captive delivered?
6:17.
42 But thus saith the Lord:
Even the captives of the mighty shall be taken away, and the prey of the
terrible shall be delivered; for the Mighty God shall deliver his covenant
people. 43 For thus saith the Lord: I will
contend with them that contendeth with thee—
6:18.
And I will feed them that oppress thee,
with their own flesh; 44 and they shall be
drunken with their own blood as with sweet wine; 45
and all flesh shall know that I the Lord am thy Savior and thy Redeemer,
the Mighty One of Jacob.
2nd Nephi, Chapter 7
7:1.
46 Yea, for thus saith the
Lord: Have I put thee away, or have I cast thee off forever? 47 For thus saith the Lord: Where is the bill of
your mother’s divorcement? 48 To whom have I
put thee away, or to which of my creditors have I sold you? 49 Yea, to whom have I sold you? 50 Behold, for your iniquities have ye sold
yourselves, and for your transgressions is your mother put away.
7:2.
51 Wherefore, when I came,
there was no man; when I called, yea, there was none to answer.
2 Nephi; 5:6
a.
52 O house of Israel, is my hand
shortened at all that it cannot redeem, or have I no power to deliver? 53 Behold, at my rebuke I dry up the sea, I make
their rivers a wilderness and their fish to stink because the waters are dried
up, and they die because of thirst.
7:3.
54 I clothe the heavens with
blackness, and I make sackcloth their covering.
7:4.
55 The Lord God hath given me
the tongue of the learned, that I should know how to speak a word in season
unto thee, O house of Israel. 56 When ye are
weary he waketh morning by morning. 57 He
waketh mine ear to hear as the learned.
7:5.
58 The Lord God hath opened
mine ear, and I was not rebellious, neither turned away back.
7:6.
59 I gave my back to the
smiter, and my cheeks to them that plucked off the hair. 60 I hid not my face from shame and spitting.
7:7.
For the Lord God will help me, therefore
shall I not be confounded. 61 Therefore have
I set my face like a flint, and I know that I shall not be ashamed.
7:8.
And the Lord is near, and he justifieth me.
62 Who will contend with me? 63 Let us stand together. 64
Who is mine adversary? 65 Let him
come near me, and I will smite him with the strength of my mouth.
7:9.
For the Lord God will help me. 66 And all they who shall condemn me, behold, all
they shall wax old as a garment, and the moth shall eat them up.
2 Nephi; 5:7
7:10.
67 Who is among you that
feareth the Lord, that obeyeth the voice of his servant, that walketh in
darkness and hath no light?
7:11.
68 Behold all ye that kindle
fire, that compass yourselves about with sparks, walk in the light of your fire
and in the sparks which ye have kindled. 69 This
shall ye have of mine hand—ye shall lie down in sorrow.
2nd Nephi, Chapter 8
8:1.
70 Hearken unto me, ye that
follow after righteousness. Look unto the rock from whence ye are hewn, and to
the hole of the pit from whence ye are digged.
8:2.
71 Look unto Abraham, your
father, and unto Sarah, she that bare you; for I called him alone, and blessed
him.
8:3.
72 For the Lord shall comfort
Zion, he will comfort all her waste places; 73 and
he will make her wilderness like Eden, and her desert like the garden of the
Lord. 74 Joy and gladness shall be found
therein, thanksgiving and the voice of melody.
8:4.
75 Hearken unto me, my people;
and give ear unto me, O my nation; 76 for a
law shall proceed from me, and I will make my judgment to rest for a light for
the people.
8:5.
77 My righteousness is near; my
salvation is gone forth, and mine arm shall judge the people. 78 The isles shall wait upon me, and on mine arm
shall they trust.
8:6.
79 Lift up your eyes to the
heavens, and look upon the earth beneath; 80 for
the heavens shall vanish away like smoke, and the earth shall wax old like a
garment; and they that dwell therein shall die in like manner. 81 But my salvation shall be forever, and my
righteousness shall not be abolished.
2 Nephi; 5:8
8:7.
82 Hearken unto me, ye that know
righteousness, the people in whose heart I have written my law, 83 fear ye not the reproach of men, neither be ye
afraid of their revilings.
8:8.
84 For the moth shall eat them
up like a garment, and the worm shall eat them like wool. 85 But my righteousness shall be forever, and my
salvation from generation to generation.
2 Nephi; 5:9
8:9.
86 Awake, awake! Put on
strength, O arm of the Lord; awake as in the ancient days. 87 Art thou not he that hath cut Rahab, and
wounded the dragon?
8:10.
88 Art thou not he who hath
dried the sea, the waters of the great deep; 89 that
hath made the depths of the sea a way for the ransomed to pass over?
8:11.
90 Therefore, the redeemed of
the Lord shall return, and come with singing unto Zion; and everlasting joy and
holiness shall be upon their heads; 91 and
they shall obtain gladness and joy; sorrow and mourning shall flee away.
8:12.
92 I am he; yea, I am he that
comforteth you. 93 Behold, who art thou,
that thou shouldst be afraid of man, who shall die, and of the son of man, who
shall be made like unto grass?
8:13.
94 And forgettest the Lord thy
maker, that hath stretched forth the heavens, and laid the foundations of the
earth, 95 and hast feared continually every
day, because of the fury of the oppressor, as if he were ready to destroy? 96 And where is the fury of the oppressor?
8:14.
97 The captive exile hasteneth,
that he may be loosed, and that he should not die in the pit, nor that his
bread should fail.
8:15.
98 But I am the Lord thy God,
whose waves roared; the Lord of Hosts is my name.
8:16.
99 And I have put my words in
thy mouth, and have covered thee in the shadow of mine hand, that I may plant
the heavens and lay the foundations of the earth, and say unto Zion: Behold,
thou art my people.
8:17.
100 Awake, awake, stand up, O
Jerusalem, which hast drunk at the hand of the Lord the cup of his fury— 101 thou hast drunken the dregs of the cup of
trembling wrung out—
8:18.
102 And none to guide her among
all the sons she hath brought forth; 103 neither
that taketh her by the hand, of all the sons she hath brought up.
8:19.
104 These two sons are come unto
thee, who shall be sorry for thee—thy desolation and destruction, and the
famine and the sword— 105 and by whom shall
I comfort thee?
8:20.
106 Thy sons have fainted, save
these two; they lie at the head of all the streets; as a wild bull in a net,
they are full of the fury of the Lord, the rebuke of thy God.
2 Nephi; 5:10
8:21.
107 Therefore hear now this,
thou afflicted, and drunken, and not with wine:
8:22.
108 Thus saith thy Lord, the
Lord and thy God pleadeth the cause of his people; 109
behold, I have taken out of thine hand the cup of trembling, the dregs
of the cup of my fury; thou shalt no more drink it again.
8:23.
110 But I will put it into the
hand of them that afflict thee; who have said to thy soul: Bow down, that we
may go over— 111 and thou hast laid thy body
as the ground and as the street to them that went over.
2 Nephi; 5:11
8:24.
112 Awake, awake, put on thy
strength, O Zion; put on thy beautiful garments, O Jerusalem, the holy city; 113 for henceforth there shall no more come into
thee the uncircumcised and the unclean.
8:25.
114 Shake thyself from the dust;
arise, sit down, O Jerusalem; loose thyself from the bands of thy neck, O
captive daughter of Zion.
2nd Nephi, Chapter 6
2 Nephi; 6:1
2nd Nephi, Chapter 9
9:1.
1 And now, my beloved
brethren, I have read these things that ye might know concerning the covenants
of the Lord that he has covenanted with all the house of Israel—
9:2.
2 That he has spoken unto the
Jews, by the mouth of his holy prophets, even from the beginning down, from
generation to generation, until the time comes that they shall be restored to
the true church and fold of God; 3 when they
shall be gathered home to the lands of their inheritance, and shall be
established in all their lands of promise.
2 Nephi; 6:2
9:3.
4 Behold, my beloved brethren,
I speak unto you these things that ye may rejoice, and lift up your heads
forever, because of the blessings which the Lord God shall bestow upon your
children.
9:4.
5 For I know that ye have
searched much, many of you, to know of things to come; 6
wherefore I know that ye know that our flesh must waste away and die; 7 nevertheless, in our bodies we shall see God.
9:5.
8 Yea, I know that ye know
that in the body he shall show himself unto those at Jerusalem, from whence we
came; 9 for it is expedient that it should
be among them; 10 for it behooveth the great
Creator that he suffereth himself to become subject unto man in the flesh, and
die for all men, that all men might become subject unto him.
9:6.
11 For as death hath passed
upon all men, to fulfil the merciful plan of the great Creator, there must
needs be a power of resurrection, 12 and the
resurrection must needs come unto man by reason of the fall; 13 and the fall came by reason of transgression; 14 and because man became fallen they were cut off
from the presence of the Lord.
9:7.
15 Wherefore, it must needs be
an infinite atonement— 16 save it should be
an infinite atonement this corruption could not put on incorruption. 17 Wherefore, the first judgment which came upon
man must needs have remained to an endless duration. 18
And if so, this flesh must have laid down to rot and to crumble to its
mother earth, to rise no more.
2 Nephi; 6:3
9:8.
19 O the wisdom of God, his
mercy and grace! 20 For behold, if the flesh
should rise no more our spirits must become subject to that angel who fell from
before the presence of the Eternal God, and became the devil, to rise no more.
9:9.
21 And our spirits must have
become like unto him, and we become devils, angels to a devil, to be shut out
from the presence of our God, and to remain with the father of lies, in misery,
like unto himself; 22 yea, to that being who
beguiled our first parents, 23 who
transformeth himself nigh unto an angel of light, and stirreth up the children
of men unto secret combinations of murder and all manner of secret works of
darkness.
2 Nephi; 6:4
9:10.
24 O how great the goodness of
our God, who prepareth a way for our escape from the grasp of this awful
monster; 25 yea, that monster, death and
hell, which I call the death of the body, and also the death of the spirit.
9:11.
26 And because of the way of
deliverance of our God, the Holy One of Israel, this death, of which I have
spoken, which is the temporal, shall deliver up its dead; which death is the
grave.
9:12.
27 And this death of which I
have spoken, which is the spiritual death, shall deliver up its dead; which
spiritual death is hell; 28 wherefore, death
and hell must deliver up their dead, and hell must deliver up its captive
spirits, 29 and the grave must deliver up
its captive bodies, and the bodies and the spirits of men will be restored one
to the other; 30 and it is by the power of
the resurrection of the Holy One of Israel.
2 Nephi; 6:5
9:13.
31 O how great the plan of our
God! For on the other hand, the paradise of God must deliver up the spirits of
the righteous, and the grave deliver up the body of the righteous; 32 and the spirit and the body is restored to
itself again, and all men become incorruptible, and immortal, and they are
living souls, having a perfect knowledge like unto us in the flesh, 33 save it be that our knowledge shall be perfect.
9:14.
34 Wherefore, we shall have a
perfect knowledge of all our guilt, and our uncleanness, and our nakedness; 35 and the righteous shall have a perfect
knowledge of their enjoyment, and their righteousness, being clothed with
purity, yea, even with the robe of righteousness.
2 Nephi; 6:6
9:15.
36 And it shall come to pass
that when all men shall have passed from this first death unto life, insomuch
as they have become immortal, they must appear before the judgment-seat of the
Holy One of Israel; 37 and then cometh the
judgment, and then must they be judged according to the holy judgment of God.
9:16.
38 And assuredly, as the Lord
liveth, for the Lord God hath spoken it, and it is his eternal word, which
cannot pass away, that they who are righteous shall be righteous still, and
they who are filthy shall be filthy still; 39 wherefore,
they who are filthy are the devil and his angels; 40
and they shall go away into everlasting fire; prepared for them; and
their torment is as a lake of fire and brimstone, whose flame ascendeth up
forever and ever and has no end.
2 Nephi; 6:7
9:17.
41 O the greatness and the
justice of our God! For he executeth all his words, and they have gone forth
out of his mouth, and his law must be fulfilled.
9:18.
42 But, behold, the righteous,
the saints of the Holy One of Israel, they who have believed in the Holy One of
Israel, they who have endured the crosses of the world, and despised the shame
of it, they shall inherit the kingdom of God, which was prepared for them from
the foundation of the world, and their joy shall be full forever.
2 Nephi; 6:8
9:19.
43 O the greatness of the mercy
of our God, the Holy One of Israel! For he delivereth his saints from that
awful monster the devil, and death, and hell, and that lake of fire and
brimstone, which is endless torment.
2 Nephi; 6:9
9:20.
44 O how great the holiness of
our God! For he knoweth all things, and there is not anything save he knows it.
9:21.
45 And he cometh into the world
that he may save all men if they will hearken unto his voice; 46 for behold, he suffereth the pains of all men,
yea, the pains of every living creature, both men, women, and children, who
belong to the family of Adam.
9:22.
47 And he suffereth this that
the resurrection might pass upon all men, that all might stand before him at
the great and judgment day.
9:23.
48 And he commandeth all men
that they must repent, and be baptized in his name, having perfect faith in the
Holy One of Israel, or they cannot be saved in the kingdom of God.
9:24.
49 And if they will not repent
and believe in his name, and be baptized in his name, and endure to the end,
they must be damned; 50 for the Lord God,
the Holy One of Israel, has spoken it.
9:25.
51 Wherefore, he has given a
law; and where there is no law given there is no punishment; 52 and where there is no punishment there is no
condemnation; 53 and where there is no
condemnation the mercies of the Holy One of Israel have claim upon them,
because of the atonement; 54 for they are
delivered by the power of him.
9:26.
For the atonement satisfieth the demands of
his justice upon all those who have not the law given to them, that they are
delivered from that awful monster, death and hell, and the devil, and the lake
of fire and brimstone, which is endless torment; 55
and they are restored to that God who gave them breath, which is the
Holy One of Israel.
2 Nephi; 6:10
9:27.
56 But wo unto him that has the
law given, yea, that has all the commandments of God, like unto us, and that
transgresseth them, and that wasteth the days of his probation, for awful is
his state!
2 Nephi; 6:11
9:28.
57 O that cunning plan of the
evil one! 58 O the vainness, and the
frailties, and the foolishness of men! 59 When
they are learned they think they are wise, and they hearken not unto the
counsel of God, for they set it aside, supposing they know of themselves, 60 wherefore, their wisdom is foolishness and it
profiteth them not. And they shall perish.
2 Nephi; 6:12
9:29.
61 But to be learned is good if
they hearken unto the counsels of God.
9:30.
62 But wo unto the rich, who
are rich as to the things of the world. 63 For
because they are rich they despise the poor, and they persecute the meek, and
their hearts are upon their treasures; wherefore, their treasure is their God. 64 And behold, their treasure shall perish with
them also.
9:31.
65 And wo unto the deaf that
will not hear; for they shall perish.
9:32.
66 Wo unto the blind that will
not see; for they shall perish also.
9:33.
67 Wo unto the uncircumcised of
heart, for a knowledge of their iniquities shall smite them at the last day.
9:34.
68 Wo unto the liar, for he
shall be thrust down to hell.
9:35.
69 Wo unto the murderer who
deliberately killeth, for he shall die.
9:36.
70 Wo unto them who commit
whoredoms, for they shall be thrust down to hell.
9:37.
71 Yea, wo unto those that
worship idols, for the devil of all devils delighteth in them.
9:38.
72 And, in fine, wo unto all
those who die in their sins; for they shall return to God, and behold his face,
and remain in their sins.
2 Nephi; 6:13
9:39.
73 O, my beloved brethren,
remember the awfulness in transgressing against that Holy God, and also the
awfulness of yielding to the enticings of that cunning one. 74 Remember, to be carnally-minded is death, and
to be spiritually-minded is life eternal.
2 Nephi; 6:14
9:40.
75 O, my beloved brethren, give
ear to my words. 76 Remember the greatness
of the Holy One of Israel. 77 Do not say
that I have spoken hard things against you; for if ye do, ye will revile
against the truth; for I have spoken the words of your Maker. 78 I know that the words of truth are hard against
all uncleanness; but the righteous fear them not, for they love the truth and
are not shaken.
9:41.
79 O then, my beloved brethren,
come unto the Lord, the Holy One. 80 Remember
that his paths are righteous. 81 Behold, the
way for man is narrow, but it lieth in a straight course before him, and the
keeper of the gate is the Holy One of Israel; and he employeth no servant
there; 82 and there is none other way save
it be by the gate; for he cannot be deceived, for the Lord God is his name.
9:42.
83 And whoso knocketh, to him
will he open; and the wise, and the learned, and they that are rich, who are
puffed up because of their learning, and their wisdom, and their riches—yea,
they are they whom he despiseth; 84 and save
they shall cast these things away, and consider themselves fools before God,
and come down in the depths of humility, he will not open unto them.
9:43.
85 But the things of the wise
and the prudent shall be hid from them forever—yea, that happiness which is
prepared for the saints.
9:44.
86 O, my beloved brethren,
remember my words. Behold, I take off my garments, and I shake them before you;
87 I pray the God of my salvation that he
view me with his all-searching eye; 88 wherefore,
ye shall know at the last day, when all men shall be judged of their works,
that the God of Israel did witness that I shook your iniquities from my soul,
and that I stand with brightness before him, and am rid of your blood.
2 Nephi; 6:16
9:45.
89 O, my beloved brethren, turn
away from your sins; shake off the chains of him that would bind you fast; 90 come unto that God who is the rock of your
salvation.
9:46.
91 Prepare your souls for that
glorious day when justice shall be administered unto the righteous, even the
day of judgment, that ye may not shrink with awful fear; 92 that ye may not remember your awful guilt in
perfectness, and be constrained to exclaim: Holy, holy are thy judgments, O
Lord God Almighty— 93 but I know my guilt; I
transgressed thy law, and my transgressions are mine; and the devil hath
obtained me, that I am a prey to his awful misery.
9:47.
94 But behold, my brethren, is
it expedient that I should awake you to an awful reality of these things? 95 Would I harrow up your souls if your minds were
pure? 96 Would I be plain unto you according
to the plainness of the truth if ye were freed from sin?
9:48.
97 Behold, if ye were holy I
would speak unto you of holiness; but as ye are not holy, and ye look upon me
as a teacher, it must needs be expedient that I teach you the consequences of
sin.
9:49.
98 Behold, my soul abhorreth
sin, and my heart delighteth in righteousness; and I will praise the holy name
of my God.
9:50.
99 Come, my brethren, every one
that thirsteth, come ye to the waters; and he that hath no money, come buy and
eat; yea, come buy wine and milk without money and without price.
9:51.
100 Wherefore, do not spend
money for that which is of no worth, nor your labor for that which cannot
satisfy. 101 Hearken diligently unto me, and
remember the words which I have spoken; and come unto the Holy One of Israel, 102 and feast upon that which perisheth not,
neither can be corrupted, and let your soul delight in fatness.
9:52.
103 Behold, my beloved brethren,
remember the words of your God; pray unto him continually by day, and give
thanks unto his holy name by night. 104 Let
your hearts rejoice.
9:53.
And behold how great the covenants of the
Lord, and how great his condescensions unto the children of men; 105 and because of his greatness, and his grace
and mercy, he has promised unto us that our seed shall not utterly be
destroyed, according to the flesh, but that he would preserve them; and in
future generations they shall become a righteous branch unto the house of
Israel.
17
9:54.
106 And now, my brethren, I
would speak unto you more; but on the morrow I will declare unto you the
remainder of my words. Amen.
2nd Nephi, Chapter 7
2 Nephi; 7:1
2nd Nephi, Chapter 10
10:1.
1 And now I, Jacob, speak unto you again, my beloved brethren, concerning
this righteous branch of which I have spoken.
10:2.
2 For behold, the promises which we have obtained are promises unto us
according to the flesh; 3 wherefore, as it has been shown unto me that many of our children shall
perish in the flesh because of unbelief, nevertheless, God will be merciful
unto many; 4 and
our children shall be restored, that they may come to that which will give them
the true knowledge of their Redeemer.
10:3.
5 Wherefore, as I said unto you, it must needs be expedient that
Christ—for in the last night the angel spake unto me that this should be his
name—should come among the Jews, among those who are the more wicked part of
the world; 6 and
they shall crucify him—for thus it behooveth our God, 7 and there is none other nation on earth
that would crucify their God.
10:4.
8 For should the mighty miracles be wrought among other nations they
would repent, and know that he be their God.
10:5.
9 But because of priestcrafts and iniquities, they at Jerusalem will
stiffen their necks against him, that he be crucified.
10:6.
10 Wherefore, because of their iniquities, destructions, famines,
pestilences, and bloodshed shall come upon them; 11 and they who shall not be destroyed shall
be scattered among all nations.
2 Nephi; 7:2
10:7.
12 But behold, thus saith the Lord God: When the day cometh that they
shall believe in me, that I am Christ, then have I covenanted with their
fathers that they shall be restored in the flesh, upon the earth, unto the
lands of their inheritance.
10:8.
13 And it shall come to pass that they shall be gathered in from their
long dispersion, from the isles of the sea, and from the four parts of the
earth; 14 and the nations of the
Gentiles shall be great in the eyes of me, saith God, in carrying them forth to
the lands of their inheritance.
10:9.
15 Yea, the kings of the Gentiles shall be nursing fathers unto them, and
their queens shall become nursing mothers; 16 wherefore, the promises of the Lord are
great unto the Gentiles, for he hath spoken it, and who can dispute?
10:10. 17 But behold, this land,
said God, shall be a land of thine inheritance, and the Gentiles shall be
blessed upon the land.
10:11. 18 And this land shall be a
land of liberty unto the Gentiles, and there shall be no kings upon the land,
who shall raise up unto the Gentiles.
10:12. 19 And I will fortify this
land against all other nations.
10:13. 20 And he that fighteth
against Zion shall perish, saith God.
10:14. For he that raiseth up a king against me
shall perish, 21 for I,
the Lord, the king of heaven, will be their king, and I will be a light unto
them forever, that hear my words.
10:15. 22 Wherefore, for this cause,
that my covenants may be fulfilled which I have made unto the children of men,
that I will do unto them while they are in the flesh, I must needs destroy the
secret works of darkness, and of murders, and of abominations.
10:16. 23 Wherefore, he that
fighteth against Zion, both Jew and Gentile, both bond and free, both male and
female, shall perish; 24 for they are they who are the whore of all the earth; 25 for they who are not for me
are against me, saith our God.
10:17. 26 For I will fulfil my
promises which I have made unto the children of men, that I will do unto them
while they are in the flesh—
10:18. 27 Wherefore, my beloved
brethren, thus saith our God: I will afflict thy seed by the hand of the
Gentiles; 28 nevertheless,
I will soften the hearts of the Gentiles, that they shall be like unto a father
to them; 29 wherefore,
the Gentiles shall be blessed and numbered among the house of Israel.
10:19. 30 Wherefore, I will
consecrate this land unto thy seed, and them who shall be numbered among thy
seed, forever, for the land of their inheritance; 31 for it is a choice land, saith God unto
me, above all other lands, 32 wherefore I will have all men that dwell thereon that they shall worship
me, saith God.
2 Nephi; 7:3
10:20. 33 And now, my beloved
brethren, seeing that our merciful God has given us so great knowledge
concerning these things, let us remember him, and lay aside our sins, and not
hang down our heads, for we are not cast off; 34 nevertheless, we have been driven out of
the land of our inheritance; but we have been led to a better land, 35 for the Lord has made the
sea our path, and we are upon an isle of the sea.
10:21. 36 But great are the promises
of the Lord unto them who are upon the isles of the sea; 37 wherefore as it says isles, there must
needs be more than this, and they are inhabited also by our brethren.
10:22. 38 For behold, the Lord God
has led away from time to time from the house of Israel, according to his will
and pleasure. 39 And
now behold, the Lord remembereth all them who have been broken off, wherefore
he remembereth us also.
10:23. 40 Therefore, cheer up your
hearts, and remember that ye are free to act for yourselves—to choose the way
of everlasting death or the way of eternal life.
10:24. 41 Wherefore, my beloved
brethren, reconcile yourselves to the will of God, and not to the will of the
devil and the flesh; 42 and remember, after ye are reconciled unto God, that it is only in and
through the grace of God that ye are saved.
10:25. 43 Wherefore, may God raise
you from death by the power of the resurrection, and also from everlasting
death by the power of the atonement, 44 that ye may be received into the eternal kingdom of God, that ye may
praise him through grace divine. Amen.
2nd Nephi, Chapter 8
2 Nephi; 8:1
2nd Nephi, Chapter 11
11:1.
1 And now, Jacob spake many more things to my people at that time;
nevertheless only these things have I caused to be written, for the things
which I have written sufficeth me.
2 Nephi; 8:2
11:2.
2 And now I, Nephi, write more of the words of Isaiah, for my soul
delighteth in his words. 3 For I will liken his words unto my people, and I will send them forth
unto all my children, for he verily saw my Redeemer, even as I have seen him.
11:3.
4 And my brother, Jacob, also has seen him as I have seen him; wherefore,
I will send their words forth unto my children to prove unto them that my words
are true. 5 Wherefore,
by the words of three, God hath said, I will establish my word. 6 Nevertheless, God sendeth
more witnesses, and he proveth all his words.
11:4.
7 Behold, my soul delighteth in proving unto my people the truth of the
coming of Christ; 8 for,
for this end hath the law of Moses been given; 9 and all things which have been given of
God from the beginning of the world, unto man, are the typifying of him.
11:5.
10 And also my soul delighteth in the covenants of the Lord which he hath
made to our fathers; 11 yea, my soul delighteth in his grace, and in his justice, and power, and
mercy in the great and eternal plan of deliverance from death.
11:6.
12 And my soul delighteth in proving unto my people that save Christ
should come all men must perish.
11:7.
13 For if there be no Christ there be no God; and if there be no God we
are not, for there could have been no creation. 14 But there is a God, and he is Christ, and
he cometh in the fulness of his own time.
2 Nephi; 8:3
11:8.
15 And now I write some of the words of Isaiah, that whoso of my people
shall see these words may lift up their hearts and rejoice for all men. 16 Now these are the words,
and ye may liken them unto you and unto all men.
2 Nephi; 8:4
2nd Nephi, Chapter 12
12:1.
17 The word that Isaiah, the son of Amoz, saw concerning Judah and
Jerusalem:
12:2.
18 And it shall come to pass in the last days, when the mountain of the
Lord’s house shall be established in the top of the mountains, and shall be
exalted above the hills, and all nations shall flow unto it.
12:3.
19 And many people shall go and say, Come ye, and let us go up to the
mountain of the Lord, to the house of the God of Jacob; and he will teach us of
his ways, and we will walk in his paths; for out of Zion shall go forth the
law, and the word of the Lord from Jerusalem.
12:4.
20 And he shall judge among the nations, and shall rebuke many people: and
they shall beat their swords into plow-shares, and their spears into
pruning-hooks—nation shall not lift up sword against nation, neither shall they
learn war any more.
12:5.
21 O house of Jacob, come ye and let us walk in the light of the Lord;
yea, come, for ye have all gone astray, every one to his wicked ways.
2 Nephi; 8:5
12:6.
22 Therefore, O Lord, thou hast forsaken thy people, the house of Jacob,
because they be replenished from the east, and hearken unto soothsayers like
the Philistines, and they please themselves in the children of strangers.
12:7.
23 Their land also is full of silver and gold, neither is there any end of
their treasures; their land is also full of horses, neither is there any end of
their chariots.
12:8.
24 Their land is also full of idols; they worship the work of their own
hands, that which their own fingers have made.
12:9.
25 And the mean man boweth not down, and the great man humbleth himself
not, therefore, forgive him not.
2 Nephi; 8:6
12:10. 26 O ye wicked ones, enter
into the rock, and hide thee in the dust, for the fear of the Lord and the
glory of his majesty shall smite thee.
12:11. 27 And it shall come to pass
that the lofty looks of man shall be humbled, and the haughtiness of men shall
be bowed down, and the Lord alone shall be exalted in that day.
12:12. 28 For the day of the Lord of
Hosts soon cometh upon all nations, yea, upon every one; yea, upon the proud
and lofty, and upon every one who is lifted up, and he shall be brought low.
12:13. 29 Yea, and the day of the
Lord shall come upon all the cedars of Lebanon, for they are high and lifted
up; and upon all the oaks of Bashan;
12:14. 30 And upon all the high
mountains, and upon all the hills, and upon all the nations which are lifted
up, and upon every people;
12:15. 31 And upon every high tower,
and upon every fenced wall;
12:16. 32 And upon all the ships of
the sea, and upon all the ships of Tarshish, and upon all pleasant pictures.
12:17. 33 And the loftiness of man
shall be bowed down, and the haughtiness of men shall be made low; and the Lord
alone shall be exalted in that day.
12:18. 34 And the idols he shall
utterly abolish.
12:19. 35 And they shall go into the
holes of the rocks, and into the caves of the earth, for the fear of the Lord
shall come upon them and the glory of his majesty shall smite them, when he
ariseth to shake terribly the earth.
12:20. 36 In that day a man shall
cast his idols of silver, and his idols of gold, which he hath made for himself
to worship, to the moles and to the bats;
12:21. 37 To go into the clefts of
the rocks, and into the tops of the ragged rocks, for the fear of the Lord
shall come upon them and the majesty of his glory shall smite them, when he
ariseth to shake terribly the earth.
12:22. 38 Cease ye from man, whose
breath is in his nostrils; for wherein is he to be accounted of?
2 Nephi; 8:7
2nd Nephi, Chapter 13
13:1.
39 For behold, the Lord, the Lord of Hosts, doth take away from Jerusalem,
and from Judah, the stay and the staff, the whole staff of bread, and the whole
stay of water—
13:2.
40 The mighty man, and the man of war, the judge, and the prophet, and the
prudent, and the ancient;
13:3.
41 The captain of fifty, and the honorable man, and the counselor, and the
cunning artificer, and the eloquent orator.
13:4.
42 And I will give children unto them to be their princes, and babes shall
rule over them.
13:5.
43 And the people shall be oppressed, every one by another, and every one
by his neighbor; the child shall behave himself proudly against the ancient,
and the base against the honorable.
13:6.
44 When a man shall take hold of his brother of the house of his father,
and shall say: Thou hast clothing, be thou our ruler, and let not this ruin
come under thy hand—
13:7.
45 In that day shall he swear, saying: I will not be a healer; for in my
house there is neither bread nor clothing; make me not a ruler of the people.
13:8.
46 For Jerusalem is ruined, and Judah is fallen, because their tongues and
their doings have been against the Lord, to provoke the eyes of his glory.
2 Nephi; 8:8
13:9.
47 The show of their countenance doth witness against them, and doth
declare their sin to be even as Sodom, and they cannot hide it. Wo unto their
souls, for they have rewarded evil unto themselves!
13:10. 48 Say unto the righteous
that it is well with them; for they shall eat the fruit of their doings.
13:11. 49 Wo unto the wicked, for
they shall perish; for the reward of their hands shall be upon them!
2 Nephi; 8:9
13:12. 50 And my people, children
are their oppressors, and women rule over them. O my people, they who lead thee
cause thee to err and destroy the way of thy paths.
13:13. 51 The Lord standeth up to
plead, and standeth to judge the people.
13:14. 52 The Lord will enter into
judgment with the ancients of his people and the princes thereof; for ye have
eaten up the vineyard and the spoil of the poor in your houses.
13:15. 53 What mean ye? Ye beat my
people to pieces, and grind the faces of the poor, saith the Lord God of Hosts.
2 Nephi; 8:10
13:16. 54 Moreover, the Lord saith:
Because the daughters of Zion are haughty, and walk with stretched-forth necks
and wanton eyes, walking and mincing as they go, and making a tinkling with
their feet—
13:17. 55 Therefore the Lord will
smite with a scab the crown of the head of the daughters of Zion, and the Lord
will discover their secret parts.
13:18. 56 In that day the Lord will
take away the bravery of their tinkling ornaments, and cauls, and round tires
like the moon;
13:19. 57 The chains and the
bracelets, and the mufflers;
13:20. 58 The bonnets, and the
ornaments of the legs, and the headbands, and the tablets, and the ear-rings;
13:21. 59 The rings, and nose
jewels;
13:22. 60 The changeable suits of
apparel, and the mantles, and the wimples, and the crisping-pins;
13:23. 61 The glasses, and the fine
linen, and hoods, and the veils.
2 Nephi; 8:11
13:24. 62 And it shall come to pass,
instead of sweet smell there shall be stink; and instead of a girdle, a rent;
and instead of well set hair, baldness; and instead of a stomacher, a girding
of sackcloth; burning instead of beauty.
13:25. 63 Thy men shall fall by the
sword and thy mighty in the war.
13:26. 64 And her gates shall lament
and mourn; and she shall be desolate, and shall sit upon the ground.
2 Nephi; 8:12
2nd Nephi, Chapter 14
14:1.
65 And in that day, seven women shall take hold of one man, saying: We
will eat our own bread, and wear our own apparel; only let us be called by thy
name to take away our reproach.
14:2.
66 In that day shall the branch of the Lord be beautiful and glorious; the
fruit of the earth excellent and comely to them that are escaped of Israel.
2 Nephi; 8:13
14:3.
67 And it shall come to pass, they that are left in Zion and remain in
Jerusalem shall be called holy, every one that is written among the living in
Jerusalem—
14:4.
68 When the Lord shall have washed away the filth of the daughters of
Zion, and shall have purged the blood of Jerusalem from the midst thereof by
the spirit of judgment and by the spirit of burning.
14:5.
69 And the Lord will create upon every dwelling-place of mount Zion, and
upon her assemblies, a cloud and smoke by day and the shining of a flaming fire
by night; for upon all the glory of Zion shall be a defence.
14:6.
70 And there shall be a tabernacle for a shadow in the daytime from the
heat, and for a place of refuge, and a covert from storm and from rain.
2 Nephi; 8:14
2nd Nephi, Chapter 15
15:1.
71 And then will I sing to my well-beloved a song of my beloved, touching
his vineyard. My well-beloved hath a vineyard in a very fruitful hill.
15:2.
72 And he fenced it, and gathered out the stones thereof, and planted it
with the choicest vine, and built a tower in the midst of it, and also made a
wine-press therein; and he looked that it should bring forth grapes, and it
brought forth wild grapes.
15:3.
73 And now, O inhabitants of Jerusalem, and men of Judah, judge, I pray
you, betwixt me and my vineyard.
15:4.
74 What could have been done more to my vineyard that I have not done in
it? Wherefore, when I looked that it should bring forth grapes it brought forth
wild grapes.
15:5.
75 And now go to; I will tell you what I will do to my vineyard—I will
take away the hedge thereof, and it shall be eaten up; and I will break down
the wall thereof, and it shall be trodden down;
15:6.
76 And I will lay it waste; it shall not be pruned nor digged; but there
shall come up briers and thorns; I will also command the clouds that they rain
no rain upon it.
15:7.
77 For the vineyard of the Lord of Hosts is the house of Israel, and the
men of Judah his pleasant plant; and he looked for judgment, and behold,
oppression; for righteousness, but behold, a cry.
2 Nephi; 8:15
15:8.
78 Wo unto them that join house to house, till there can be no place, that
they may be placed alone in the midst of the earth!
15:9.
79 In mine ears, said the Lord of Hosts, of a truth many houses shall be
desolate, and great and fair cities without inhabitant.
15:10. 80 Yea, ten acres of vineyard
shall yield one bath, and the seed of a homer shall yield an ephah.
2 Nephi; 8:16
15:11. 81 Wo unto them that rise up
early in the morning, that they may follow strong drink, that continue until
night, and wine inflame them!
15:12. 82 And the harp, and the
viol, the tabret, and pipe, and wine are in their feasts; but they regard not
the work of the Lord, neither consider the operation of his hands.
2 Nephi; 8:17
15:13. 83 Therefore, my people are
gone into captivity, because they have no knowledge; and their honorable men
are famished, and their multitude dried up with thirst.
15:14. 84 Therefore, hell hath
enlarged herself, and opened her mouth without measure; and their glory, and
their multitude, and their pomp, and he that rejoiceth, shall descend into it.
15:15. 85 And the mean man shall be
brought down, and the mighty man shall be humbled, and the eyes of the lofty
shall be humbled.
15:16. 86 But the Lord of Hosts
shall be exalted in judgment, and God that is holy shall be sanctified in
righteousness.
15:17. 87 Then shall the lambs feed
after their manner, and the waste places of the fat ones shall strangers eat.
15:18. 88 Wo unto them that draw
iniquity with cords of vanity, and sin as it were with a cart rope;
15:19. 89 That say: Let him make
speed, hasten his work, that we may see it; and let the counsel of the Holy One
of Israel draw nigh and come, that we may know it.
2 Nephi; 8:18
15:20. 90 Wo unto them that call
evil good, and good evil, that put darkness for light, and light for darkness,
that put bitter for sweet, and sweet for bitter!
15:21. 91 Wo unto the wise in their
own eyes and prudent in their own sight!
15:22. 92 Wo unto the mighty to
drink wine, and men of strength to mingle strong drink;
15:23. 93 Who justify the wicked for
reward, and take away the righteousness of the righteous from him!
15:24. 94 Therefore, as the fire
devoureth the stubble, and the flame consumeth the chaff, their root shall be
rottenness, and their blossoms shall go up as dust; because they have cast away
the law of the Lord of Hosts, and despised the word of the Holy One of Israel.
15:25. 95 Therefore, is the anger of
the Lord kindled against his people, and he hath stretched forth his hand
against them, and hath smitten them; and the hills did tremble, and their
carcasses were torn in the midst of the streets. For all this his anger is not
turned away, but his hand is stretched out still.
2 Nephi; 8:19
15:26. 96 And he will lift up an
ensign to the nations from far, and will hiss unto them from the end of the
earth; and behold, they shall come with speed swiftly; none shall be weary nor
stumble among them.
15:27. 97 None shall slumber nor
sleep; neither shall the girdle of their loins be loosed, nor the latchet of
their shoes be broken;
15:28. 98 Whose arrows shall be
sharp, and all their bows bent, and their horses’ hoofs shall be counted like
flint, and their wheels like a whirlwind, their roaring like a lion.
15:29. 99 They shall roar like young
lions; yea, they shall roar, and lay hold of the prey, and shall carry away
safe, and none shall deliver.
15:30. 100 And in that day they shall
roar against them like the roaring of the sea; and if they look unto the land,
behold, darkness and sorrow, and the light is darkened in the heavens thereof.
2nd Nephi, Chapter 9
2 Nephi; 9:1
2nd Nephi, Chapter 16
16:1.
1 In the year that king Uzziah died, I saw also the Lord sitting upon a
throne, high and lifted up, and his train filled the temple.
16:2.
2 Above it stood the seraphim; each one had six wings; with twain he
covered his face, and with twain he covered his feet, and with twain he did
fly.
16:3.
3 And one cried unto another, and said: Holy, holy, holy, is the Lord of
Hosts; the whole earth is full of his glory.
16:4.
4 And the posts of the door moved at the voice of him that cried, and the
house was filled with smoke.
2 Nephi; 9:2
16:5.
5 Then said I: Wo is unto me! for I am undone; because I am a man of
unclean lips; and I dwell in the midst of a people of unclean lips; for mine
eyes have seen the King, the Lord of Hosts.
16:6.
6 Then flew one of the seraphim unto me, having a live coal in his hand,
which he had taken with the tongs from off the altar;
16:7.
7 And he laid it upon my mouth, and said: Lo, this has touched thy lips;
and thine iniquity is taken away, and thy sin purged.
16:8.
8 Also I heard the voice of the Lord, saying: Whom shall I send, and who
will go for us? Then I said: Here am I; send me.
2 Nephi; 9:3
16:9.
9 And he said: Go and tell this people—Hear ye indeed, but they
understood not; and see ye indeed, but they perceived not.
16:10. 10 Make the heart of this
people fat, and make their ears heavy, and shut their eyes—lest they see with
their eyes, and hear with their ears, and understand with their heart, and be
converted and be healed.
16:11. 11 Then said I: Lord, how
long? And he said: Until the cities be wasted without inhabitant, and the
houses without man, and the land be utterly desolate;
16:12. 12 And the Lord have removed
men far away, for there shall be a great forsaking in the midst of the land.
2 Nephi; 9:4
16:13. 13 But yet there shall be a
tenth, and they shall return, and shall be eaten, as a teil-tree, and as an oak
whose substance is in them when they cast their leaves; so the holy seed shall
be the substance thereof.
2 Nephi; 9:5
2nd Nephi, Chapter 17
17:1.
14 And it came to pass in the days of Ahaz the son of Jotham, the son of
Uzziah, king of Judah, that Rezin, king of Syria, and Pekah the son of
Remaliah, king of Israel, went up toward Jerusalem to war against it, but could
not prevail against it.
17:2.
15 And it was told the house of David, saying: Syria is confederate with
Ephraim. And his heart was moved, and the heart of his people, as the trees of
the wood are moved with the wind.
17:3.
16 Then said the Lord unto Isaiah: Go forth now to meet Ahaz, thou and
Shearjashub thy son, at the end of the conduit of the upper pool in the highway
of the fuller’s field;
17:4.
17 And say unto him: Take heed, and be quiet; fear not, neither be
faint-hearted for the two tails of these smoking firebrands, for the fierce
anger of Rezin with Syria, and of the son of Remaliah.
17:5.
18 Because Syria, Ephraim, and the son of Remaliah, have taken evil
counsel against thee, saying:
17:6.
19 Let us go up against Judah and vex it, and let us make a breach therein
for us, and set a king in the midst of it, yea, the son of Tabeal.
17:7.
20 Thus saith the Lord God: It shall not stand, neither shall it come to
pass.
17:8.
21 For the head of Syria is Damascus, and the head of Damascus, Rezin; and
within three score and five years shall Ephraim be broken that it be not a
people.
17:9.
22 And the head of Ephraim is Samaria, and the head of Samaria is
Remaliah’s son. If ye will not believe surely ye shall not be established.
2 Nephi; 9:6
17:10. 23 Moreover, the Lord spake
again unto Ahaz, saying:
17:11. 24 Ask thee a sign of the
Lord thy God; ask it either in the depths, or in the heights above.
17:12. 25 But Ahaz said: I will not
ask, neither will I tempt the Lord.
17:13. 26 And he said: Hear ye now,
O house of David; is it a small thing for you to weary men, but will ye weary
my God also?
17:14. 27 Therefore, the Lord
himself shall give you a sign—Behold, a virgin shall conceive, and shall bear a
son, and shall call his name Immanuel.
17:15. 28 Butter and honey shall he
eat, that he may know to refuse the evil and to choose the good.
17:16. 29 For before the child shall
know to refuse the evil and choose the good, the land that thou abhorrest shall
be forsaken of both her kings.
2 Nephi; 9:7
17:17. 30 The Lord shall bring upon
thee, and upon thy people, and upon thy father’s house, days that have not come
from the day that Ephraim departed from Judah, the king of Assyria.
17:18. 31 And it shall come to pass
in that day that the Lord shall hiss for the fly that is in the uttermost part
of Egypt, and for the bee that is in the land of Assyria.
17:19. 32 And they shall come, and
shall rest all of them in the desolate valleys, and in the holes of the rocks,
and upon all thorns, and upon all bushes.
17:20. 33 In the same day shall the
Lord shave with a razor that is hired, by them beyond the river, by the king of
Assyria, the head, and the hair of the feet; and it shall also consume the
beard.
17:21. 34 And it shall come to pass
in that day, a man shall nourish a young cow and two sheep;
17:22. 35 And it shall come to pass,
for the abundance of milk they shall give he shall eat butter; for butter and
honey shall every one eat that is left in the land.
17:23. 36 And it shall come to pass
in that day, every place shall be, where there were a thousand vines at a
thousand silverlings, which shall be for briers and thorns.
17:24. 37 With arrows and with bows
shall men come thither, because all the land shall become briers and thorns.
17:25. 38 And all hills that shall
be digged with the mattock, there shall not come thither the fear of briers and
thorns; but it shall be for the sending forth of oxen, and the treading of
lesser cattle.
2 Nephi; 9:8
2nd Nephi, Chapter 18
18:1.
39 Moreover, the word of the Lord said unto me: Take thee a great roll,
and write in it with a man’s pen, concerning Maher-shalal-hash-baz.
18:2.
40 And I took unto me faithful witnesses to record, Uriah the priest, and
Zechariah the son of Jeberechiah.
18:3.
41 And I went unto the prophetess; and she conceived and bare a son. Then
said the Lord to me: Call his name, Maher-shalal-hash-baz.
18:4.
42 For behold, the child shall not have knowledge to cry, My father, and
my mother, before the riches of Damascus and the spoil of Samaria shall be
taken away before the king of Assyria.
2 Nephi; 9:9
18:5.
43 The Lord spake also unto me again, saying:
18:6.
44 Forasmuch as this people refuseth the waters of Shiloah that go softly,
and rejoice in Rezin and Remaliah’s son;
18:7.
45 Now therefore, behold, the Lord bringeth up upon them the waters of the
river, strong and many, even the king of Assyria and all his glory; and he
shall come up over all his channels, and go over all his banks.
18:8.
46 And he shall pass through Judah; he shall overflow and go over, he
shall reach even to the neck; and the stretching out of his wings shall fill
the breadth of thy land, O Immanuel.
2 Nephi; 9:10
18:9.
47 Associate yourselves, O ye people, and ye shall be broken in pieces;
and give ear all ye of far countries; gird yourselves, and ye shall be broken
in pieces; gird yourselves, and ye shall be broken in pieces.
18:10. 48 Take counsel together, and
it shall come to naught; speak the word, and it shall not stand; for God is
with us.
2 Nephi; 9:11
18:11.
49 For the Lord spake thus to me with a strong hand, and instructed me that
I should not walk in the way of this people, saying:
18:12. 50 Say ye not, A confederacy,
to all to whom this people shall say, A confederacy; neither fear ye their
fear, nor be afraid.
18:13. 51 Sanctify the Lord of Hosts
himself, and let him be your fear, and let him be your dread.
18:14. 52 And he shall be for a
sanctuary; but for a stone of stumbling, and for a rock of offense to both the
houses of Israel, for a gin and a snare to the inhabitants of Jerusalem.
18:15. 53 And many among them shall
stumble and fall, and be broken, and be snared, and be taken.
18:16. 54 Bind up the testimony,
seal the law among my disciples.
18:17. 55 And I will wait upon the
Lord, that hideth his face from the house of Jacob, and I will look for him.
18:18. 56 Behold, I and the children
whom the Lord hath given me are for signs and for wonders in Israel from the
Lord of Hosts, which dwelleth in Mount Zion.
2 Nephi; 9:12
18:19.
57 And when they shall say unto you: Seek unto them that have familiar
spirits, and unto wizards that peep and mutter—should not a people seek unto
their God for the living to hear from the dead?
18:20. 58 To the law and to the
testimony; and if they speak not according to this word, it is because there is
no light in them.
18:21. 59 And they shall pass
through it hardly bestead and hungry; and it shall come to pass that when they
shall be hungry, they shall fret themselves, and curse their king and their
God, and look upward.
18:22. 60 And they shall look unto
the earth and behold trouble, and darkness, dimness of anguish, and shall be
driven to darkness.
2 Nephi; 9:13
2nd Nephi, Chapter 19
19:1.
61 Nevertheless, the dimness shall not be such as was in her vexation,
when at first he lightly afflicted the land of Zebulun, and the land of
Naphtali, and afterwards did more grievously afflict by the way of the Red Sea
beyond Jordan in Galilee of the nations.
19:2.
62 The people that walked in darkness have seen a great light; they that
dwell in the land of the shadow of death, upon them hath the light shined.
19:3.
63 Thou hast multiplied the nation, and increased the joy—they joy before
thee according to the joy in harvest, and as men rejoice when they divide the
spoil.
19:4.
64 For thou hast broken the yoke of his burden, and the staff of his
shoulder, the rod of his oppressor.
19:5.
65 For every battle of the warrior is with confused noise, and garments
rolled in blood; but this shall be with burning and fuel of fire.
19:6.
66 For unto us a child is born, unto us a son is given; and the government
shall be upon his shoulder; and his name shall be called, Wonderful, Counselor,
The Mighty God, The Everlasting Father, The Prince of Peace.
19:7.
67 Of the increase of government and peace there is no end, upon the
throne of David, and upon his kingdom to order it, and to establish it with
judgment and with justice from henceforth, even forever. The zeal of the Lord
of Hosts will perform this.
2 Nephi; 9:14
19:8.
68 The Lord sent his word unto Jacob and it hath lighted upon Israel.
19:9.
69 And all the people shall know, even Ephraim and the inhabitants of
Samaria, that say in the pride and stoutness of heart:
19:10. 70 The bricks are fallen
down, but we will build with hewn stones; the sycamores are cut down, but we
will change them into cedars.
19:11. 71 Therefore the Lord shall
set up the adversaries of Rezin against him, and join his enemies together;
19:12. 72 The Syrians before and the
Philistines behind; and they shall devour Israel with open mouth. For all this
his anger is not turned away, but his hand is stretched out still.
2 Nephi; 9:15
19:13. 73 For the people turneth not
unto him that smiteth them, neither do they seek the Lord of Hosts.
19:14. 74 Therefore will the Lord
cut off from Israel head and tail, branch and rush in one day.
19:15. 75 The ancient, he is the
head; and the prophet that teacheth lies, he is the tail.
19:16. 76 For the leaders of this
people cause them to err; and they that are led of them are destroyed.
19:17. 77 Therefore the Lord shall
have no joy in their young men, neither shall have mercy on their fatherless
and widows; for every one of them is a hypocrite and an evildoer, and every
mouth speaketh folly. For all this his anger is not turned away, but his hand
is stretched out still.
2 Nephi; 9:16
19:18. 78 For wickedness burneth as
the fire; it shall devour the briers and thorns, and shall kindle in the
thickets of the forests, and they shall mount up like the lifting up of smoke.
19:19. 79 Through the wrath of the
Lord of Hosts is the land darkened, and the people shall be as the fuel of the
fire; no man shall spare his brother.
19:20. 80 And he shall snatch on the
right hand and be hungry; and he shall eat on the left hand and they shall not
be satisfied; they shall eat every man the flesh of his own arm—
19:21. 81 Manasseh, Ephraim; and
Ephraim, Manasseh; they together shall be against Judah. For all this his anger
is not turned away, but his hand is stretched out still.
2 Nephi; 9:17
2nd Nephi, Chapter 20
20:1.
82 Wo unto them that decree unrighteous decrees, and that write
grievousness which they have prescribed;
20:2.
83 To turn away the needy from judgment, and to take away the right from
the poor of my people, that widows may be their prey, and that they may rob the
fatherless!
20:3.
84 And what will ye do in the day of visitation, and in the desolation
which shall come from far? to whom will ye flee for help? and where will ye
leave your glory?
20:4.
85 Without me they shall bow down under the prisoners, and they shall fall
under the slain. For all this his anger is not turned away, but his hand is
stretched out still.
2 Nephi; 9:18
20:5.
86 O Assyrian, the rod of mine anger, and the staff in their hand is their
indignation.
20:6.
87 I will send him against a hypocritical nation, and against the people
of my wrath will I give him a charge to take the spoil, and to take the prey,
and to tread them down like the mire of the streets.
20:7.
88 Howbeit he meaneth not so, neither doth his heart think so; but in his
heart it is to destroy and cut off nations not a few.
20:8.
89 For he saith: Are not my princes altogether kings?
20:9.
90 Is not Calno as Carchemish? Is not Hamath as Arpad? Is not Samaria as
Damascus?
20:10. 91 As my hand hath founded
the kingdoms of the idols, and whose graven images did excel them of Jerusalem
and of Samaria;
20:11. 92 Shall I not, as I have
done unto Samaria and her idols, so do to Jerusalem and to her idols?
20:12. 93 Wherefore it shall come to
pass that when the Lord hath performed his whole work upon Mount Zion and upon
Jerusalem, I will punish the fruit of the stout heart of the king of Assyria,
and the glory of his high looks.
20:13. 94 For he saith: By the
strength of my hand and by my wisdom I have done these things; for I am
prudent; and I have moved the borders of the people, and have robbed their
treasures, and I have put down the inhabitants like a valiant man;
20:14. 95 And my hand hath found as
a nest the riches of the people; and as one gathereth eggs that are left have I
gathered all the earth; and there was none that moved the wing, or opened the
mouth, or peeped.
20:15. 96 Shall the ax boast itself
against him that heweth therewith? Shall the saw magnify itself against him
that shaketh it? As if the rod should shake itself against them that lift it
up, or as if the staff should lift up itself as if it were no wood!
20:16. 97 Therefore shall the Lord,
the Lord of Hosts, send among his fat ones, leanness; and under his glory he
shall kindle a burning like the burning of a fire.
20:17. 98 And the light of Israel
shall be for a fire, and his Holy One for a flame, and shall burn and shall
devour his thorns and his briers in one day;
20:18. 99 And shall consume the
glory of his forest, and of his fruitful field, both soul and body; and they
shall be as when a standard-bearer fainteth.
20:19. 100 And the rest of the trees
of his forest shall be few, that a child may write them.
2 Nephi; 9:19
20:20.
101 And it shall come to pass in that day, that the remnant of Israel, and
such as are escaped of the house of Jacob, shall no more again stay upon him
that smote them, but shall stay upon the Lord, the Holy One of Israel, in
truth.
20:21. 102 The remnant shall return,
yea, even the remnant of Jacob, unto the mighty God.
20:22. 103 For though thy people
Israel be as the sand of the sea, yet a remnant of them shall return; the
consumption decreed shall overflow with righteousness.
20:23. 104 For the Lord God of Hosts
shall make a consumption, even determined in all the land.
2 Nephi; 9:20
20:24.
105 Therefore, thus saith the Lord God of Hosts: O my people that dwellest
in Zion, be not afraid of the Assyrian; he shall smite thee with a rod, and
shall lift up his staff against thee, after the manner of Egypt.
20:25. 106 For yet a very little
while, and the indignation shall cease, and mine anger in their destruction.
20:26. 107 And the Lord of Hosts
shall stir up a scourge for him according to the slaughter of Midian at the
rock of Oreb; and as his rod was upon the sea so shall he lift it up after the
manner of Egypt.
20:27. 108 And it shall come to pass
in that day that his burden shall be taken away from off thy shoulder, and his
yoke from off thy neck, and the yoke shall be destroyed because of the
anointing.
20:28. 109 He is
come to Aiath, he is passed to Migron; at Michmash he hath laid up his
carriages.
20:29. 110 They are gone over the
passage; they have taken up their lodging at Geba; Ramath is afraid; Gibeah of
Saul is fled.
20:30. 111 Lift up the voice, O
daughter of Gallim; cause it to be heard unto Laish, O poor Anathoth.
20:31. 112 Madmenah is removed; the
inhabitants of Gebim gather themselves to flee.
20:32. 113 As yet shall he remain at
Nob that day; he shall shake his hand against the mount of the daughter of
Zion, the hill of Jerusalem.
20:33. 114 Behold, the Lord, the Lord
of Hosts shall lop the bough with terror; and the high ones of stature shall be
hewn down; and the haughty shall be humbled.
20:34. 115 And he shall cut down the
thickets of the forests with iron, and Lebanon shall fall by a mighty one.
2 Nephi; 9:21
2nd Nephi, Chapter 21
21:1.
116 And there shall come forth a rod out of the stem of Jesse, and a branch
shall grow out of his roots.
21:2.
117 And the Spirit of the Lord shall rest upon him, the spirit of wisdom
and understanding, the spirit of counsel and might, the spirit of knowledge and
of the fear of the Lord;
21:3.
118 And shall make him of quick understanding in the fear of the Lord; and
he shall not judge after the sight of his eyes, neither reprove after the
hearing of his ears.
21:4.
119 But with righteousness shall he judge the poor, and reprove with equity
for the meek of the earth; and he shall smite the earth with the rod of his
mouth, and with the breath of his lips shall he slay the wicked.
21:5.
120 And righteousness shall be the girdle of his loins, and faithfulness
the girdle of his reins.
21:6.
121 The wolf also shall dwell with the lamb, and the leopard shall lie down
with the kid, and the calf and the young lion and fatling together; and a
little child shall lead them.
21:7.
122 And the cow and the bear shall feed; their young ones shall lie down
together; and the lion shall eat straw like the ox.
21:8.
123 And the suckling child shall play on the hole of the asp, and the
weaned child shall put his hand on the cockatrice’s den.
21:9.
124 They shall not hurt nor destroy in all my holy mountain, for the earth
shall be full of the knowledge of the Lord, as the waters cover the sea.
2 Nephi; 9:22
21:10. 125 And in that day there
shall be a root of Jesse, which shall stand for an ensign of the people; to it
shall the Gentiles seek; and his rest shall be glorious.
21:11. 126 And it shall come to pass
in that day that the Lord shall set his hand again the second time to recover
the remnant of his people which shall be left, from Assyria, and from Egypt,
and from Pathros, and from Cush, and from Elam, and from Shinar, and from
Hamath, and from the islands of the sea.
21:12. 127 And he
shall set up an ensign for the nations, and shall assemble the outcasts of
Israel, and gather together the dispersed of Judah from the four corners of the
earth.
21:13. 128 The envy of Ephraim also
shall depart, and the adversaries of Judah shall be cut off; Ephraim shall not
envy Judah, and Judah shall not vex Ephraim.
21:14. 129 But they shall fly upon
the shoulders of the Philistines towards the west; they shall spoil them of the
east together; they shall lay their hand upon Edom and Moab; and the children
of Ammon shall obey them.
21:15. 130 And the Lord shall utterly
destroy the tongue of the Egyptian sea; and with his mighty wind he shall shake
his hand over the river, and shall smite it in the seven streams, and make men
go over dry shod.
21:16. 131 And there shall be a
highway for the remnant of his people which shall be left, from Assyria, like
as it was to Israel in the day that he came up out of the land of Egypt.
2 Nephi; 9:23
2nd Nephi, Chapter 22
22:1.
132 And in that day thou shalt say: O Lord, I will praise thee; though thou
wast angry with me thine anger is turned away, and thou comfortedst me.
22:2.
133 Behold, God is my salvation; I will trust, and not be afraid; for the
Lord JEHOVAH is my strength and my song; he also has become my salvation.
22:3.
134 Therefore, with joy shall ye draw water out of the wells of salvation.
22:4.
135 And in that day shall ye say: Praise the Lord, call upon his name,
declare his doings among the people, make mention that his name is exalted.
22:5.
136 Sing unto the Lord; for he hath done excellent things; this is known in
all the earth.
22:6.
137 Cry out and shout, thou inhabitant of Zion; for great is the Holy One of
Israel in the midst of thee.
2nd Nephi, Chapter 10
2 Nephi; 10:1
2nd Nephi, Chapter 23
23:1.
1 The burden of Babylon, which Isaiah the son of Amoz did see.
23:2.
2 Lift ye up a banner upon the high mountain, exalt the voice unto them,
shake the hand, that they may go into the gates of the nobles.
23:3.
3 I have commanded my sanctified ones, I have also called my mighty ones,
for mine anger is not upon them that rejoice in my highness.
23:4.
4 The noise of the multitude in the mountains like as of a great people,
a tumultuous noise of the kingdoms of nations gathered together, the Lord of
Hosts mustereth the hosts of the battle.
23:5.
5 They come from a far country, from the end of heaven, yea, the Lord,
and the weapons of his indignation, to destroy the whole land.
2 Nephi; 10:2
23:6.
6 Howl ye, for the day of the Lord is at hand; it shall come as a
destruction from the Almighty.
23:7.
7 Therefore shall all hands be faint, every man’s heart shall melt;
23:8.
8 And they shall be afraid; pangs and sorrows shall take hold of them;
they shall be amazed one at another; their faces shall be as flames.
23:9.
9 Behold, the day of the Lord cometh, cruel both with wrath and fierce
anger, to lay the land desolate; and he shall destroy the sinners thereof out
of it.
23:10. 10 For the stars of heaven and
the constellations thereof shall not give their light; the sun shall be
darkened in his going forth, and the moon shall not cause her light to shine.
23:11. 11 And I will punish the
world for evil, and the wicked for their iniquity; I will cause the arrogancy
of the proud to cease, and will lay down the haughtiness of the terrible.
23:12. 12 I will make a man more
precious than fine gold; even a man than the golden wedge of Ophir.
23:13. 13 Therefore, I will shake
the heavens, and the earth shall remove out of her place, in the wrath of the
Lord of Hosts, and in the day of his fierce anger.
23:14. 14 And it shall be as the
chased roe, and as a sheep that no man taketh up; and they shall every man turn
to his own people, and flee every one into his own land.
23:15. 15 Every one that is proud
shall be thrust through; yea, and every one that is joined to the wicked shall
fall by the sword.
23:16. 16 Their children, also shall
be dashed to pieces before their eyes; their houses shall be spoiled and their
wives ravished.
23:17. 17 Behold, I will stir up the
Medes against them, which shall not regard silver and gold, nor shall they
delight in it.
23:18. 18 Their bows shall also dash
the young men to pieces, and they shall have no pity on the fruit of the womb;
their eyes shall not spare children.
2 Nephi; 10:3
23:19. 19 And Babylon, the glory of
kingdoms, the beauty of the Chaldees’ excellency, shall be as when God
overthrew Sodom and Gomorrah.
23:20. 20 It shall never be
inhabited, neither shall it be dwelt in from generation to generation: neither
shall the Arabian pitch tent there; neither shall the shepherds make their fold
there.
23:21. 21 But wild beasts of the
desert shall lie there; and their houses shall be full of doleful creatures;
and owls shall dwell there, and satyrs shall dance there.
23:22. 22 And the wild beasts of the
islands shall cry in their desolate houses, and dragons in their pleasant
palaces; and her time is near to come, and her day shall not be prolonged. For
I will destroy her speedily; yea, for I will be merciful unto my people, but
the wicked shall perish.
2 Nephi; 10:4
2nd Nephi, Chapter 24
24:1.
23 For the Lord will have mercy on Jacob, and will yet choose Israel, and
set them in their own land; and the strangers shall be joined with them, and
they shall cleave to the house of Jacob.
24:2.
24 And the people shall take them and bring them to their place; yea, from
far unto the ends of the earth; and they shall return to their lands of
promise. And the house of Israel shall possess them, and the land of the Lord
shall be for servants and handmaids; and they shall take them captives unto
whom they were captives; and they shall rule over their oppressors.
24:3.
25 And it shall come to pass in that day that the Lord shall give thee
rest, from thy sorrow, and from thy fear, and from the hard bondage wherein
thou wast made to serve.
2 Nephi; 10:5
24:4.
26 And it shall come to pass in that day, that thou shalt take up this
proverb against the king of Babylon, and say: How hath the oppressor ceased,
the golden city ceased!
24:5.
27 The Lord hath broken the staff of the wicked, the scepters of the
rulers.
24:6.
28 He who smote the people in wrath with a continual stroke, he that ruled
the nations in anger, is persecuted, and none hindereth.
24:7.
29 The whole earth is at rest, and is quiet; they break forth into
singing.
24:8.
30 Yea, the fir-trees rejoice at thee, and also the cedars of Lebanon,
saying: Since thou art laid down no feller is come up against us.
24:9.
31 Hell from beneath is moved for thee to meet thee at thy coming; it
stirreth up the dead for thee, even all the chief ones of the earth; it hath
raised up from their thrones all the kings of the nations.
24:10. 32 All they shall speak and
say unto thee: Art thou also become weak as we? Art thou become like unto us?
24:11. 33 Thy pomp is brought down
to the grave; the noise of thy viols is not heard; the worm is spread under
thee, and the worms cover thee.
24:12. 34 How art thou fallen from
heaven, O Lucifer, son of the morning! Art thou cut down to the ground, which
did weaken the nations!
24:13. 35 For thou hast said in thy
heart: I will ascend into heaven, I will exalt my throne above the stars of
God; I will sit also upon the mount of the congregation, in the sides of the
north;
24:14. 36 I will ascend above the
heights of the clouds; I will be like the Most High.
24:15. 37 Yet thou shalt be brought
down to hell, to the sides of the pit.
24:16. 38 They that see thee shall
narrowly look upon thee, and shall consider thee, and shall say: Is this the
man that made the earth to tremble, that did shake kingdoms?
24:17. 39 And made the world as a
wilderness, and destroyed the cities thereof, and opened not the house of his
prisoners?
24:18. 40 All the kings of the
nations, yea, all of them, lie in glory, every one of them in his own house.
24:19. 41 But thou art cast out of
thy grave like an abominable branch, and the remnant of those that are slain,
thrust through with a sword, that go down to the stones of the pit; as a
carcass trodden under feet.
24:20. 42 Thou shalt not be joined
with them in burial, because thou hast destroyed thy land and slain thy people;
the seed of evil-doers shall never be renowned.
24:21. 43 Prepare slaughter for his
children for the iniquities of their fathers, that they do not rise, nor
possess the land, nor fill the face of the world with cities.
24:22. 44 For I will rise up against
them, saith the Lord of Hosts, and cut off from Babylon the name, and remnant,
and son, and nephew, saith the Lord.
24:23. 45 I will also make it a
possession for the bittern, and pools of water; and I will sweep it with the
besom of destruction, saith the Lord of Hosts.
2 Nephi; 10:6
24:24. 46 The Lord of Hosts hath
sworn, saying: Surely as I have thought, so shall it come to pass; and as I
have purposed, so shall it stand—
24:25. 47 That I will bring the
Assyrian in my land, and upon my mountains tread him under foot; then shall his
yoke depart from off them, and his burden depart from off their shoulders.
24:26. 48 This is the purpose that
is purposed upon the whole earth; and this is the hand that is stretched out
upon all nations.
24:27. 49 For the Lord of Hosts hath
purposed, and who shall disannul? And his hand is stretched out, and who shall
turn it back?
24:28. 50 In the year that king Ahaz
died was this burden.
2 Nephi; 10:7
24:29. 51 Rejoice not thou, whole
Palestina, because the rod of him that smote thee is broken; for out of the
serpent’s root shall come forth a cockatrice, and his fruit shall be a fiery
flying serpent.
24:30. 52 And the first-born of the
poor shall feed, and the needy shall lie down in safety; and I will kill thy
root with famine, and he shall slay thy remnant.
24:31. 53 Howl, O gate; cry, O city;
thou, whole Palestina, art dissolved; for there shall come from the north a
smoke, and none shall be alone in his appointed times.
24:32. 54 What shall then answer the
messengers of the nations? That the Lord hath founded Zion, and the poor of his
people shall trust in it.
2nd Nephi, Chapter 11
2 Nephi; 11:1
2nd Nephi, Chapter 25
25:1.
1 Now I, Nephi, do speak somewhat concerning the words which I have
written, which have been spoken by the mouth of Isaiah. 2 For behold, Isaiah spake many things
which were hard for many of my people to understand; for they know not
concerning the manner of prophesying among the Jews.
25:2.
3 For I, Nephi, have not taught them many things concerning the manner of
the Jews; for their works were works of darkness, and their doings were doings
of abominations.
25:3.
4 Wherefore, I write unto my people, unto all those that shall receive
hereafter these things which I write, that they may know the judgments of God,
that they come upon all nations, according to the word which he hath spoken.
25:4.
5 Wherefore, hearken, O my people, which are of the house of Israel, and
give ear unto my words; for because the words of Isaiah are not plain unto you,
nevertheless they are plain unto all those that are filled with the spirit of
prophecy. 6 But I
give unto you a prophecy, according to the spirit which is in me; wherefore I
shall prophesy according to the plainness which hath been with me from the time
that I came out from Jerusalem with my father; 7 for behold, my soul delighteth in
plainness unto my people, that they may learn.
25:5.
8 Yea, and my soul delighteth in the words of Isaiah, for I came out from
Jerusalem, and mine eyes hath beheld the things of the Jews, and I know that
the Jews do understand the things of the prophets, and there is none other
people that understand the things which were spoken unto the Jews like unto
them, save it be that they are taught after the manner of the things of the
Jews.
25:6.
9 But behold, I, Nephi, have not taught my children after the manner of
the Jews; but behold, I, of myself, have dwelt at Jerusalem, wherefore I know
concerning the regions round about; 10 and I have made mention unto my children concerning the judgments of
God, which hath come to pass among the Jews, unto my children, according to all
that which Isaiah hath spoken, and I do not write them.
2 Nephi; 11:2
25:7.
11 But behold, I proceed with mine own prophecy, according to my
plainness; in the which I know that no man can err; 12 nevertheless, in the days that the
prophecies of Isaiah shall be fulfilled men shall know of a surety, at the
times when they shall come to pass.
25:8.
13 Wherefore, they are of worth unto the children of men, and he that
supposeth that they are not, unto them will I speak particularly, and confine
the words unto mine own people; 14 for I know that they shall be of great worth unto them in the last days;
for in that day shall they understand them; wherefore, for their good have I
written them.
25:9.
15 And as one generation hath been destroyed among the Jews because of
iniquity, even so have they been destroyed from generation to generation
according to their iniquities; 16 and never hath any of them been destroyed save it were foretold them by
the prophets of the Lord.
25:10. 17 Wherefore, it hath been
told them concerning the destruction which should come upon them, immediately
after my father left Jerusalem; 18 nevertheless, they hardened their hearts; and according to my prophecy
they have been destroyed, save it be those which are carried away captive into
Babylon.
25:11. 19 And now this I speak
because of the spirit which is in me. 20 And notwithstanding they have been carried away they shall return again,
and possess the land of Jerusalem; wherefore, they shall be restored again to
the land of their inheritance.
25:12. 21 But, behold, they shall
have wars, and rumors of wars; and when the day cometh that the Only Begotten
of the Father, yea, even the Father of heaven and of earth, shall manifest
himself unto them in the flesh, behold, they will reject him, because of their
iniquities, and the hardness of their hearts, and the stiffness of their necks.
25:13. 22 Behold, they will crucify
him; and after he is laid in a sepulchre for the space of three days he shall
rise from the dead, with healing in his wings; and all those who shall believe
on his name shall be saved in the kingdom of God. 23 Wherefore, my soul delighteth to prophesy
concerning him, for I have seen his day, and my heart doth magnify his holy
name.
2 Nephi; 11:3
25:14. 24 And behold it shall come
to pass that after the Messiah hath risen from the dead, and hath manifested
himself unto his people, unto as many as will believe on his name, behold,
Jerusalem shall be destroyed again; for wo unto them that fight against God and
the people of his church.
25:15. 25 Wherefore, the Jews shall
be scattered among all nations; yea, and also Babylon shall be destroyed;
wherefore, the Jews shall be scattered by other nations.
25:16. 26 And after they have been
scattered, and the Lord God hath scourged them by other nations for the space
of many generations, yea, even down from generation to generation until they
shall be persuaded to believe in Christ, the Son of God, and the atonement,
which is infinite for all mankind— 27 and when that day shall come that they shall believe in Christ, and
worship the Father in his name, with pure hearts and clean hands, and look not
forward any more for another Messiah, then, at that time, the day will come
that it must needs be expedient that they should believe these things.
25:17. 28 And the Lord will set his
hand again the second time to restore his people from their lost and fallen
state. 29 Wherefore, he will proceed
to do a marvelous work and a wonder among the children of men.
2 Nephi; 11:4
25:18. 30 Wherefore, he shall bring
forth his words unto them, which words shall judge them at the last day, 31 for they shall be given
them for the purpose of convincing them of the true Messiah, who was rejected
by them; 32 and
unto the convincing of them that they need not look forward any more for a
Messiah to come, 33 for
there should not any come, save it should be a false Messiah which should
deceive the people; 34 for there is save one Messiah spoken of by the prophets, and that
Messiah is he who should be rejected of the Jews.
25:19. 35 For according to the words
of the prophets, the Messiah cometh in six hundred years from the time that my
father left Jerusalem; 36 and according to the words of the prophets, and also the word of the
angel of God, his name shall be Jesus Christ, the Son of God.
2 Nephi; 11:5
25:20. 37 And now, my brethren, I
have spoken plainly that ye cannot err. 38 And as the Lord God liveth that brought Israel up out of the land of
Egypt, and gave unto Moses power that he should heal the nations after they had
been bitten by the poisonous serpents, if they would cast their eyes unto the
serpent which he did raise up before them, and also gave him power that he
should smite the rock and the water should come forth; 39 yea, behold I say unto you, that as these
things are true, and as the Lord God liveth, there is none other name given
under heaven save it be this Jesus Christ, of which I have spoken, whereby man
can be saved.
2 Nephi; 11:6
25:21. 40 Wherefore, for this cause
hath the Lord God promised unto me that these things which I write shall be
kept and preserved, and handed down unto my seed, from generation to
generation, that the promise may be fulfilled unto Joseph, that his seed should
never perish as long as the earth should stand.
25:22. 41 Wherefore, these things
shall go from generation to generation as long as the earth shall stand; and
they shall go according to the will and pleasure of God; 42 and the nations who shall possess them
shall be judged of them according to the words which are written.
25:23. 43 For we labor diligently to
write, to persuade our children, and also our brethren, to believe in Christ,
and to be reconciled to God; 44 for we know that it is by grace that we are saved, after all we can do.
2 Nephi; 11:7
25:24. 45 And, notwithstanding we
believe in Christ, we keep the law of Moses, and look forward with
steadfastness unto Christ, until the law shall be fulfilled.
25:25. For, for this end was the law given; 46 wherefore the law hath
become dead unto us, and we are made alive in Christ because of our faith; 47 yet we keep the law because
of the commandments.
25:26. 48 And we talk of Christ, we
rejoice in Christ, we preach of Christ, we prophesy of Christ, and we write
according to our prophecies, that our children may know to what source they may
look for a remission of their sins.
25:27. 49 Wherefore, we speak
concerning the law that our children may know the deadness of the law; 50 and they, by knowing the
deadness of the law, may look forward unto that life which is in Christ, and
know for what end the law was given. 51 And after the law is fulfilled in Christ, that they need not harden
their hearts against him when the law ought to be done away.
2 Nephi; 11:8
25:28. 52 And now behold, my people,
ye are a stiffnecked people; wherefore, I have spoken plainly unto you, that ye
cannot misunderstand. 53 And the words which I have spoken shall stand as a testimony against
you; for they are sufficient to teach any man the right way; 54 for the right way is to
believe in Christ and deny him not; for by denying him ye also deny the
prophets and the law.
2 Nephi; 11:9
25:29. 55 And now behold, I say unto
you that the right way is to believe in Christ, and deny him not; and Christ is
the Holy One of Israel; 56 wherefore ye must bow down before him, and worship him with all your
might, mind, and strength, and your whole soul; and if ye do this ye shall in
nowise be cast out.
25:30. 57 And, inasmuch as it shall
be expedient, ye must keep the performances and ordinances of God until the law
shall be fulfilled which was given unto Moses.
2 Nephi; 11:10
2nd Nephi, Chapter 26
26:1.
58 And after Christ shall have risen from the dead he shall show himself
unto you, my children, and my beloved brethren; 59 and the words which he shall speak unto
you shall be the law which ye shall do.
26:2.
60 For behold, I say unto you that I have beheld that many generations
shall pass away, and there shall be great wars and contentions among my people.
26:3.
61 And after the Messiah shall come there shall be signs given unto my
people of his birth, and also of his death and resurrection; 62 and great and terrible
shall that day be unto the wicked, for they shall perish; 63 and they perish because they cast out the
prophets, and the saints, and stone them, and slay them; 64 wherefore the cry of the blood of the
saints shall ascend up to God from the ground against them.
26:4.
65 Wherefore, all those who are proud, and that do wickedly, the day that
cometh shall burn them up, saith the Lord of Hosts, for they shall be as
stubble.
26:5.
66 And they that kill the prophets, and the saints, the depths of the
earth shall swallow them up, saith the Lord of Hosts; 67 and mountains shall cover them, and
whirlwinds shall carry them away, and buildings shall fall upon them and crush
them to pieces and grind them to powder.
26:6.
68 And they shall be visited with thunderings, and lightnings, and
earthquakes, and all manner of destructions, 69 for the fire of the anger of the Lord
shall be kindled against them, and they shall be as stubble, and the day that
cometh shall consume them, saith the Lord of Hosts.
2 Nephi; 11:11
26:7.
70 O the pain, and the anguish of my soul for the loss of the slain of my
people! 71 For I,
Nephi, have seen it, and it well nigh consumeth me before the presence of the
Lord; but I must cry unto my God: Thy ways are just.
26:8.
72 But behold, the righteous that hearken unto the words of the prophets,
and destroy them not, but look forward unto Christ with steadfastness for the
signs which are given, notwithstanding all persecution—behold, they are they
which shall not perish.
26:9.
73 But the Son of righteousness shall appear unto them; and he shall heal
them, and they shall have peace with him, until three generations shall have
passed away, and many of the fourth generation shall have passed away in
righteousness.
26:10. 74 And when these things have
passed away a speedy destruction cometh unto my people; for, notwithstanding
the pains of my soul, I have seen it; wherefore, I know that it shall come to
pass; 75 and they sell themselves
for naught; for, for the reward of their pride and their foolishness they shall
reap destruction; 76 for
because they yield unto the devil and choose works of darkness rather than
light, therefore they must go down to hell.
26:11. For the Spirit of the Lord will not
always strive with man. 77 And when the Spirit ceaseth to strive with man then cometh speedy
destruction, and this grieveth my soul.
2 Nephi; 11:12
26:12.
78 And as I spake concerning the convincing of the Jews, that Jesus is the
very Christ, it must needs be that the Gentiles be convinced also that Jesus is
the Christ, the Eternal God;
26:13. And that he manifesteth himself unto all
those who believe in him, by the power of the Holy Ghost; 79 yea, unto every nation, kindred, tongue,
and people, working mighty miracles, signs, and wonders, among the children of
men according to their faith.
2 Nephi; 11:13
26:14.
80 But behold, I prophesy unto you concerning the last days; concerning the
days when the Lord God shall bring these things forth unto the children of men.
26:15. 81 After my seed and the seed
of my brethren shall have dwindled in unbelief, and shall have been smitten by
the Gentiles; 82 yea,
after the Lord God shall have camped against them round about, and shall have
laid siege against them with a mount, and raised forts against them; 83 and after they shall have
been brought down low in the dust, even that they are not, yet the words of the
righteous shall be written, and the prayers of the faithful shall be heard, and
all those who have dwindled in unbelief shall not be forgotten.
26:16. 84 For those who shall be
destroyed shall speak unto them out of the ground, and their speech shall be
low out of the dust, and their voice shall be as one that hath a familiar
spirit; 85 for
the Lord God will give unto him power, that he may whisper concerning them,
even as it were out of the ground; and their speech shall whisper out of the
dust.
26:17. 86 For thus saith the Lord
God: They shall write the things which shall be done among them, and they shall
be written and sealed up in a book, and those who have dwindled in unbelief
shall not have them, for they seek to destroy the things of God.
26:18. 87 Wherefore, as those who
have been destroyed have been destroyed speedily; and the multitude of their
terrible ones shall be as chaff that passeth away— 88 yea, thus saith the Lord God: It shall be
at an instant, suddenly—
2 Nephi; 11:14
26:19.
89 And it shall come to pass, that those who have dwindled in unbelief
shall be smitten by the hand of the Gentiles.
26:20. 90 And the Gentiles are
lifted up in the pride of their eyes, and have stumbled, because of the
greatness of their stumbling block, that they have built up many churches; 91 nevertheless, they put down
the power and miracles of God, and preach up unto themselves their own wisdom
and their own learning, that they may get gain and grind upon the face of the
poor.
26:21. 92 And there are many
churches built up which cause envyings, and strifes, and malice.
26:22. 93 And there are also secret
combinations, even as in times of old, according to the combinations of the
devil, for he is the founder of all these things; yea, the founder of murder,
and works of darkness; 94 yea, and he leadeth them by the neck with a flaxen cord, until he
bindeth them with his strong cords forever.
2 Nephi; 11:15
26:23.
95 For behold, my beloved brethren, I say unto you that the Lord God
worketh not in darkness.
26:24. 96 He doeth not anything save
it be for the benefit of the world; for he loveth the world, even that he
layeth down his own life that he may draw all men unto him. 97 Wherefore, he commandeth
none that they shall not partake of his salvation.
26:25. 98 Behold, doth he cry unto
any, saying: Depart from me? 99 Behold, I say unto you, Nay; but he saith: Come unto me all ye ends of
the earth, buy milk and honey, without money and without price.
26:26. 100 Behold, hath he commanded
any that they should depart out of the synagogues, or out of the houses of
worship? 101 Behold,
I say unto you, Nay.
26:27. 102 Hath he commanded any that
they should not partake of his salvation? 103 Behold I say unto you, Nay; but he hath
given it free for all men; and he hath commanded his people that they should
persuade all men to repentance.
26:28. 104 Behold, hath the Lord
commanded any that they should not partake of his goodness? 105 Behold
I say unto you, Nay; but all men are privileged the one like unto the other,
and none are forbidden.
26:29. 106 He commandeth that there
shall be no priestcrafts; for, behold priestcrafts are that men preach and set
themselves up for a light unto the world, that they may get gain and praise of
the world; but they seek not the welfare of Zion.
26:30. 107 Behold, the Lord hath
forbidden this thing; wherefore, the Lord God hath given a commandment that all
men should have charity, which charity is love, 108 and except they should have charity they
were nothing. Wherefore, if they should have charity they would not suffer the
laborer in Zion to perish.
2 Nephi; 11:16
26:31.
109 But the laborer in Zion shall labor for Zion; for if they labor for
money they shall perish.
26:32. 110 And again, the Lord God
hath commanded that men should not murder; that they should not lie; that they
should not steal; that they should not take the name of the Lord their God in
vain; that they should not envy; that they should not have malice; that they
should not contend one with another; that they should not commit whoredoms; and
that they should do none of these things; 111 for whoso doeth them shall perish.
26:33. For none of these iniquities come of the
Lord; for he doeth that which is good among the children of men; 112 and he
doeth nothing save it be plain unto the children of men; 113 and he inviteth them all to come unto him
and partake of his goodness; 114 and he denieth none that come unto him, black and white, bond and free,
male and female; 115 and he
remembereth the heathen; and all are alike unto God, both Jew and Gentile.
2nd Nephi, Chapter 27
27:1.
116 But, behold, in the last days, or in the days of the Gentiles—yea,
behold all the nations of the Gentiles and also the Jews, both those who shall
come upon this land and those who shall be upon other lands, yea, even upon all
the lands of the earth, behold, they will be drunken with iniquity and all
manner of abominations—
27:2.
117 And when that day shall come they shall be visited of the Lord of
Hosts, with thunder and with earthquake, and with a great noise, and with
storm, and with tempest, and with the flame of devouring fire.
27:3.
118 And all the nations that fight against Zion, and that distress her,
shall be as a dream of a night vision; 119 yea, it shall be unto them, even as unto a hungry man which dreameth,
and behold he eateth but he awaketh and his soul is empty; 120 or
like unto a thirsty man which dreameth, and behold he drinketh but he awaketh
and behold he is faint, and his soul hath appetite; 121 yea, even so shall the multitude of all
the nations be that fight against Mount Zion.
27:4.
122 For behold, all ye that doeth iniquity, stay yourselves and wonder, for
ye shall cry out, and cry; yea, ye shall be drunken but not with wine, ye shall
stagger but not with strong drink.
27:5.
123 For behold, the Lord hath poured out upon you the spirit of deep sleep.
124 For behold, ye have closed
your eyes, and ye have rejected the prophets; and your rulers, and the seers
hath he covered because of your iniquity.
2 Nephi; 11:17
27:6.
125 And it shall come to pass that the Lord God shall bring forth unto you
the words of a book, and they shall be the words of them which have slumbered.
27:7.
126 And behold the book shall be sealed; and in the book shall be a
revelation from God, from the beginning of the world to the ending thereof.
27:8.
127 Wherefore, because of the things which are sealed up, the things which
are sealed shall not be delivered in the day of the wickedness and abominations
of the people. 128 Wherefore
the book shall be kept from them.
27:9.
129 But the book shall be delivered unto a man, and he shall deliver the
words of the book, which are the words of those who have slumbered in the dust,
and he shall deliver these words unto another;
27:10. But the words which are sealed he shall
not deliver, neither shall he deliver the book. 130 For the book shall be sealed by the power
of God, and the revelation which was sealed shall be kept in the book until the
own due time of the Lord, that they may come forth; for behold, they reveal all
things from the foundation of the world unto the end thereof.
27:11. 131 And
the day cometh that the words of the book which were sealed shall be read upon
the house tops; and they shall be read by the power of Christ; 132 and
all things shall be revealed unto the children of men which ever have been
among the children of men, and which ever will be even unto the end of the
earth.
27:12. 133 Wherefore, at that day
when the book shall be delivered unto the man of whom I have spoken, the book
shall be hid from the eyes of the world, that the eyes of none shall behold it
save it be that three witnesses shall behold it, by the power of God, besides
him to whom the book shall be delivered; and they shall testify to the truth of
the book and the things therein.
27:13. 134 And
there is none other which shall view it, save it be a few according to the will
of God, to bear testimony of his word unto the children of men; for the Lord
God hath said that the words of the faithful should speak as if it were from
the dead.
27:14. 135 Wherefore, the Lord God
will proceed to bring forth the words of the book; and in the mouth of as many
witnesses as seemeth him good will he establish his word; and wo be unto him
that rejecteth the word of God!
2 Nephi; 11:18
27:15. 136 But behold, it shall come
to pass that the Lord God shall say unto him to whom he shall deliver the book:
Take these words which are not sealed and deliver them to another, that he may
show them unto the learned, saying: Read this, I pray thee. 137 And
the learned shall say: Bring hither the book, and I will read them.
27:16. 138 And now, because of the
glory of the world and to get gain will they say this, and not for the glory of
God.
27:17. 139 And the man shall say: I
cannot bring the book, for it is sealed.
27:18. 140 Then shall the learned
say: I cannot read it.
27:19. 141 Wherefore it shall come to
pass, that the Lord God will deliver again the book and the words thereof to
him that is not learned; and the man that is not learned shall say: I am not
learned.
27:20. 142 Then shall the Lord God
say unto him: The learned shall not read them, for they have rejected them, and
I am able to do mine own work; wherefore thou shalt read the words which I
shall give unto thee.
27:21. 143 Touch not the things which
are sealed, for I will bring them forth in mine own due time; for I will show
unto the children of men that I am able to do mine own work.
27:22. 144 Wherefore, when thou hast
read the words which I have commanded thee, and obtained the witnesses which I
have promised unto thee, then shalt thou seal up the book again, and hide it up
unto me, that I may preserve the words which thou hast not read, until I shall
see fit in mine own wisdom to reveal all things unto the children of men.
27:23. 145 For behold, I am God; and
I am a God of miracles; and I will show unto the world that I am the same
yesterday, today, and forever; and I work not among the children of men save it
be according to their faith.
2 Nephi; 11:19
27:24. 146 And again it shall come to
pass that the Lord shall say unto him that shall read the words that shall be
delivered him:
27:25. Forasmuch as this people draw near unto
me with their mouth, and with their lips do honor me, but have removed their
hearts far from me, and their fear towards me is taught by the precepts of men—
27:26. Therefore, I will proceed to do a
marvelous work among this people, 147 yea, a marvelous work and a wonder, for the wisdom of their wise and
learned shall perish, and the understanding of their prudent shall be hid.
27:27. 148 And wo unto them that seek
deep to hide their counsel from the Lord! 149 And their works are in the dark; and they
say: Who seeth us, and who knoweth us? 150 And they also say: Surely, your turning of things upside down shall be
esteemed as the potter’s clay. 151 But behold, I will show unto them, saith the Lord of Hosts, that I know
all their works. 152 For
shall the work say of him that made it, he made me not? 153 Or shall the thing framed say of him that
framed it, he had no understanding?
27:28. 154 But behold, saith the Lord
of Hosts: I will show unto the children of men that it is yet a very little
while and Lebanon shall be turned into a fruitful field; and the fruitful field
shall be esteemed as a forest.
27:29. 155 And in that day shall the
deaf hear the words of the book, and the eyes of the blind shall see out of
obscurity and out of darkness.
27:30. 156 And the meek also shall
increase, and their joy shall be in the Lord, and the poor among men shall
rejoice in the Holy One of Israel.
27:31. 157 For assuredly as the Lord
liveth they shall see that the terrible one is brought to naught, and the
scorner is consumed, and all that watch for iniquity are cut off;
27:32. And they that make a man an offender for
a word, and lay a snare for him that reproveth in the gate, and turn aside the
just for a thing of naught.
27:33. 158 Therefore, thus saith the
Lord, who redeemed Abraham, concerning the house of Jacob: Jacob shall not now
be ashamed, neither shall his face now wax pale.
27:34. 159 But when he seeth his
children, the work of my hands, in the midst of him, they shall sanctify my
name, and sanctify the Holy One of Jacob, and shall fear the God of Israel.
27:35. 160 They also that erred in
spirit shall come to understanding, and they that murmured shall learn
doctrine.
2nd Nephi, Chapter 12
2 Nephi; 12:1
2nd Nephi, Chapter 28
28:1.
1 And now, behold, my brethren, I have spoken unto you, according as the
Spirit hath constrained me; wherefore, I know that they must surely come to
pass.
28:2.
2 And the things which shall be written out of the book shall be of great
worth unto the children of men, and especially unto our seed, which is a
remnant of the house of Israel.
28:3.
3 For it shall come to pass in that day that the churches which are built
up, and not unto the Lord, when the one shall say unto the other: Behold, I, I
am the Lord’s; and the others shall say: I, I am the Lord’s; 4 and thus shall every one
say that hath built up churches, and not unto the Lord—
28:4.
5 And they shall contend one with another; and their priests shall
contend one with another, and they shall teach with their learning, and deny
the Holy Ghost, which giveth utterance.
28:5.
6 And they deny the power of God, the Holy One of Israel; and they say
unto the people: Hearken unto us, and hear ye our precept; 7 for behold there is no God
today, for the Lord and the Redeemer hath done his work, and he hath given his
power unto men;
28:6.
8 Behold, hearken ye unto my precept; if they shall say there is a
miracle wrought by the hand of the Lord, believe it not; for this day he is not
a God of miracles; he hath done his work.
28:7.
9 Yea, and there shall be many which shall say: Eat, drink, and be merry,
for tomorrow we die; and it shall be well with us.
28:8.
10 And there shall also be many which shall say: Eat, drink, and be merry;
nevertheless, fear God—he will justify in committing a little sin; yea, lie a
little, take the advantage of one because of his words, dig a pit for thy
neighbor; there is no harm in this; 11 and do all these things, for tomorrow we die; and if it so be that we
are guilty, God will beat us with a few stripes, and at last we shall be saved
in the kingdom of God.
28:9.
12 Yea, and there shall be many which shall teach after this manner, false
and vain and foolish doctrines, and shall be puffed up in their hearts, and
shall seek deep to hide their counsels from the Lord; and their works shall be
in the dark.
28:10. And the blood of the saints shall cry
from the ground against them.
28:11. 13 Yea, they have all gone
out of the way; they have become corrupted.
28:12. 14 Because of pride, and
because of false teachers, and false doctrine, their churches have become
corrupted, and their churches are lifted up; because of pride they are puffed
up.
28:13. 15 They rob the poor because
of their fine sanctuaries; they rob the poor because of their fine clothing;
and they persecute the meek and the poor in heart, because in their pride they
are puffed up.
28:14. 16 They wear stiff necks and
high heads; yea, and because of pride, and wickedness, and abominations, and
whoredoms, they have all gone astray save it be a few, who are the humble
followers of Christ; 17 nevertheless, they are led, that in many instances they do err because
they are taught by the precepts of men.
2 Nephi; 12:2
28:15. 18 O the wise, and the
learned, and the rich, that are puffed up in the pride of their hearts, and all
those who preach false doctrines, and all those who commit whoredoms, and
pervert the right way of the Lord, wo, wo, wo be unto them, saith the Lord God Almighty,
for they shall be thrust down to hell!
2 Nephi; 12:3
28:16. 19 Wo unto them that turn
aside the just for a thing of naught and revile against that which is good, and
say that is of no worth! 20 For the day shall come that the Lord God will speedily visit the
inhabitants of the earth; and in that day that they are fully ripe in iniquity
they shall perish.
28:17. 21 But behold, if the
inhabitants of the earth shall repent of their wickedness and abominations they
shall not be destroyed, saith the Lord of Hosts.
28:18. 22 But behold, that great and
abominable church, the whore of all the earth, must tumble to the earth, and
great must be the fall thereof.
28:19. 23 For the kingdom of the
devil must shake, and they which belong to it must needs be stirred up unto
repentance, or the devil will grasp them with his everlasting chains, and they
be stirred up to anger, and perish;
28:20. 24 For behold, at that day
shall he rage in the hearts of the children of men, and stir them up to anger
against that which is good.
28:21. 25 And others will he pacify,
and lull them away into carnal security, that they will say: All is well in
Zion; yea, Zion prospereth, all is well— 26 and thus the devil cheateth their souls, and leadeth them away carefully
down to hell.
28:22. 27 And behold, others he
flattereth away, and telleth them there is no hell; and he saith unto them: I
am no devil, for there is none— 28 and thus he whispereth in their ears, until he grasps them with his
awful chains, from whence there is no deliverance.
28:23. 29 Yea, they are grasped with
death, and hell; and death, and hell, and the devil, and all that have been
seized therewith must stand before the throne of God, and be judged according
to their works, from whence they must go into the place prepared for them, even
a lake of fire and brimstone, which is endless torment.
28:24. 30 Therefore, wo be unto him
that is at ease in Zion!
28:25. 31 Wo be unto him that
crieth: All is well!
28:26. Yea, wo be unto him that hearkeneth unto
the precepts of men, and denieth the power of God, and the gift of the Holy
Ghost!
28:27. 32 Yea, wo be unto him that
saith: We have received, and we need no more!
28:28. 33 And in fine, wo unto all
those who tremble, and are angry because of the truth of God! 34 For behold, he that is
built upon the rock receiveth it with gladness; and he that is built upon a
sandy foundation trembleth lest he shall fall.
2 Nephi; 12:4
28:29. 35 Wo be unto him that shall
say: We have received the word of God, and we need no more of the word of God,
for we have enough!
28:30. 36 For behold, thus saith the
Lord God: I will give unto the children of men line upon line, precept upon
precept, here a little and there a little; 37 and blessed are those who hearken unto my
precepts, and lend an ear unto my counsel, for they shall learn wisdom; 38 for unto him that receiveth
I will give more; and from them that shall say, We have enough, from them shall
be taken away even that which they have.
28:31. 39 Cursed is he that putteth
his trust in man, or maketh flesh his arm, or shall hearken unto the precepts
of men, save their precepts shall be given by the power of the Holy Ghost.
2 Nephi; 12:5
28:32. 40 Wo be unto the Gentiles,
saith the Lord God of Hosts! For notwithstanding I shall lengthen out mine arm
unto them from day to day, they will deny me; 41 nevertheless, I will be merciful unto
them, saith the Lord God, if they will repent and come unto me; for mine arm is
lengthened out all the day long, saith the Lord God of Hosts.
2 Nephi; 12:6
2nd Nephi, Chapter 29
29:1.
42 But behold, there shall be many—at that day when I shall proceed to do
a marvelous work among them, that I may remember my covenants which I have made
unto the children of men, that I may set my hand again the second time to
recover my people, which are of the house of Israel;
29:2.
43 And also, that I may remember the promises which I have made unto thee,
Nephi, and also unto thy father, that I would remember your seed; and that the
words of your seed should proceed forth out of my mouth unto your seed; 44 and my words shall hiss
forth unto the ends of the earth, for a standard unto my people, which are of
the house of Israel;
29:3.
45 And because my words shall hiss forth—many of the Gentiles shall say: A
Bible! A Bible! We have got a Bible, and there cannot be any more Bible.
29:4.
46 But thus saith the Lord God: O fools, they shall have a Bible; and it
shall proceed forth from the Jews, mine ancient covenant people. 47 And what thank they the
Jews for the Bible which they receive from them? 48 Yea, what do the Gentiles mean? 49 Do they remember the
travails, and the labors, and the pains of the Jews, and their diligence unto
me, in bringing forth salvation unto the Gentiles?
2 Nephi; 12:7
29:5.
50 O ye Gentiles, have ye remembered the Jews, mine ancient covenant
people? 51 Nay;
but ye have cursed them, and have hated them, and have not sought to recover
them. 52 But behold, I will return
all these things upon your own heads; for I the Lord have not forgotten my
people.
29:6.
53 Thou fool, that shall say: A Bible, we have got a Bible, and we need no
more Bible. 54 Have
ye obtained a Bible save it were by the Jews?
29:7.
55 Know ye not that there are more nations than one? 56 Know ye not that I, the Lord your God,
have created all men, and that I remember those who are upon the isles of the
sea; and that I rule in the heavens above and in the earth beneath; 57 and I bring forth my word
unto the children of men, yea, even upon all the nations of the earth?
29:8.
58 Wherefore murmur ye, because that ye shall receive more of my word? 59 Know ye not that the
testimony of two nations is a witness unto you that I am God, that I remember
one nation like unto another? 60 Wherefore, I speak the same words unto one nation like unto another. 61 And when the two nations
shall run together the testimony of the two nations shall run together also.
29:9.
62 And I do this that I may prove unto many that I am the same yesterday,
today, and forever; and that I speak forth my words according to mine own
pleasure. 63 And
because that I have spoken one word ye need not suppose that I cannot speak
another; for my work is not yet finished; neither shall it be until the end of
man, neither from that time henceforth and forever.
2 Nephi; 12:8
29:10. 64 Wherefore, because that ye
have a Bible ye need not suppose that it contains all my words; neither need ye
suppose that I have not caused more to be written.
29:11. 65 For I command all men,
both in the east and in the west, and in the north, and in the south, and in
the islands of the sea, that they shall write the words which I speak unto
them; 66 for out of the books which
shall be written I will judge the world, every man according to their works,
according to that which is written.
29:12. 67 For behold, I shall speak
unto the Jews and they shall write it; 68 and I shall also speak unto the Nephites and they shall write it; 69 and I shall also speak unto
the other tribes of the house of Israel, which I have led away, and they shall
write it; 70 and I
shall also speak unto all nations of the earth and they shall write it.
2 Nephi; 12:9
29:13. 71 And it shall come to pass
that the Jews shall have the words of the Nephites, and the Nephites shall have
the words of the Jews; 72 and the Nephites and the Jews shall have the words of the lost tribes of
Israel; and the lost tribes of Israel shall have the words of the Nephites and
the Jews.
2 Nephi; 12:10
29:14. 73 And it shall come to pass
that my people, which are of the house of Israel, shall be gathered home unto
the lands of their possessions; and my word also shall be gathered in one. 74 And I will show unto them
that fight against my word and against my people, who are of the house of
Israel, that I am God, and that I covenanted with Abraham that I would remember
his seed forever.
2 Nephi; 12:11
2nd Nephi, Chapter 30
30:1.
75 And now behold, my beloved brethren, I would speak unto you; for I,
Nephi, would not suffer that ye should suppose that ye are more righteous than
the Gentiles shall be. 76 For behold, except ye shall keep the commandments of God ye shall all
likewise perish; and because of the words which have been spoken ye need not
suppose that the Gentiles are utterly destroyed.
30:2.
77 For behold, I say unto you that as many of the Gentiles as will repent
are the covenant people of the Lord; and as many of the Jews as will not repent
shall be cast off; 78 for the Lord covenanteth with none save it be with them that repent and
believe in his Son, who is the Holy One of Israel.
2 Nephi; 12:12
30:3.
79 And now, I would prophesy somewhat more concerning the Jews and the
Gentiles. 80 For
after the book of which I have spoken shall come forth, and be written unto the
Gentiles, and sealed up again unto the Lord, there shall be many which shall
believe the words which are written; and they shall carry them forth unto the
remnant of our seed.
30:4.
81 And then shall the remnant of our seed know concerning us, how that we
came out from Jerusalem, and that they are descendants of the Jews.
30:5.
82 And the gospel of Jesus Christ shall be declared among them; wherefore,
they shall be restored unto the knowledge of their fathers, and also to the
knowledge of Jesus Christ, which was had among their fathers.
30:6.
83 And then shall they rejoice; for they shall know that it is a blessing
unto them from the hand of God; 84 and their scales of darkness shall begin to fall from their eyes; and
many generations shall not pass away among them, save they shall be a pure and
delightsome people.
2 Nephi; 12:13
30:7.
85 And it shall come to pass that the Jews which are scattered also shall
begin to believe in Christ; and they shall begin to gather in upon the face of
the land; 86 and as
many as shall believe in Christ shall also become a delightsome people.
2 Nephi; 12:14
30:8.
87 And it shall come to pass that the Lord God shall commence his work
among all nations, kindreds, tongues, and people, to bring about the
restoration of his people upon the earth.
30:9.
88 And with righteousness shall the Lord God judge the poor, and reprove
with equity for the meek of the earth. 89 And he shall smite the earth with the rod of his mouth; and with the
breath of his lips shall he slay the wicked.
30:10. 90 For the time speedily
cometh that the Lord God shall cause a great division among the people, and the
wicked will he destroy; and he will spare his people, yea, even if it so be
that he must destroy the wicked by fire.
30:11. 91 And righteousness shall be
the girdle of his loins, and faithfulness the girdle of his reins.
30:12. 92 And then shall the wolf
dwell with the lamb; and the leopard shall lie down with the kid, and the calf,
and the young lion, and the fatling, together; and a little child shall lead
them.
30:13. 93 And the cow and the bear
shall feed; their young ones shall lie down together; and the lion shall eat
straw like the ox.
30:14. 94 And the sucking child
shall play on the hole of the asp, and the weaned child shall put his hand on
the cockatrice’s den.
30:15. 95 They shall not hurt nor
destroy in all my holy mountain; for the earth shall be full of the knowledge
of the Lord as the waters cover the sea.
30:16. 96 Wherefore, the things of
all nations shall be made known; yea, all things shall be made known unto the
children of men.
30:17. 97 There is nothing which is
secret save it shall be revealed; there is no work of darkness save it shall be
made manifest in the light; and there is nothing which is sealed upon the earth
save it shall be loosed.
30:18. 98 Wherefore, all things
which have been revealed unto the children of men shall at that day be
revealed; 99 and
Satan shall have power over the hearts of the children of men no more, for a
long time. 100 And
now, my beloved brethren, I make an end of my sayings.
2nd Nephi, Chapter 13
2 Nephi; 13:1
2nd Nephi, Chapter 31
31:1.
1 And now I, Nephi, make an end of my prophesying unto you, my beloved
brethren. 2 And I
cannot write but a few things, which I know must surely come to pass; neither
can I write but a few of the words of my brother Jacob.
31:2.
3 Wherefore, the things which I have written sufficeth me, save it be a
few words which I must speak concerning the doctrine of Christ; wherefore, I
shall speak unto you plainly, according to the plainness of my prophesying.
31:3.
4 For my soul delighteth in plainness; for after this manner doth the
Lord God work among the children of men. 5 For the Lord God giveth light unto the understanding; for he speaketh
unto men according to their language, unto their understanding.
31:4.
6 Wherefore, I would that ye should remember that I have spoken unto you
concerning that prophet which the Lord showed unto me, that should baptize the
Lamb of God, which should take away the sins of the world.
2 Nephi; 13:2
31:5.
7 And now, if the Lamb of God, he being holy, should have need to be
baptized by water, to fulfil all righteousness, O then, how much more need have
we, being unholy, to be baptized, yea, even by water!
31:6.
8 And now, I would ask of you, my beloved brethren, wherein the Lamb of
God did fulfil all righteousness in being baptized by water?
31:7.
Know
ye not that he was holy? 9 But notwithstanding he being holy, he showeth unto the children of men
that, according to the flesh he humbleth himself before the Father, and
witnesseth unto the Father that he would be obedient unto him in keeping his
commandments.
31:8.
10 Wherefore, after he was baptized with water the Holy Ghost descended
upon him in the form of a dove.
31:9.
11 And again, it showeth unto the children of men the straightness of the
path, and the narrowness of the gate, by which they should enter, he having set
the example before them.
31:10. 12 And he said unto the
children of men: Follow thou me. 13 Wherefore, my beloved brethren, can we follow Jesus save we shall be
willing to keep the commandments of the Father?
31:11. 14 And the Father said:
Repent ye, repent ye, and be baptized in the name of my Beloved Son.
31:12. 15 And also, the voice of the
Son came unto me, saying: He that is baptized in my name, to him will the
Father give the Holy Ghost, like unto me; wherefore, follow me, and do the
things which ye have seen me do.
31:13. 16 Wherefore, my beloved
brethren, I know that if ye shall follow the Son, with full purpose of heart,
acting no hypocrisy and no deception before God, but with real intent,
repenting of your sins, witnessing unto the Father that ye are willing to take
upon you the name of Christ, by baptism—yea, by following your Lord and your
Savior down into the water, according to his word, behold, then shall ye
receive the Holy Ghost; 17 yea, then cometh the baptism of fire and of the Holy Ghost; and then can
ye speak with the tongue of angels, and shout praises unto the Holy One of
Israel.
2 Nephi; 13:3
31:14. 18 But, behold, my beloved
brethren, thus came the voice of the Son unto me, saying: After ye have
repented of your sins, and witnessed unto the Father that ye are willing to
keep my commandments, by the baptism of water, and have received the baptism of
fire and of the Holy Ghost, and can speak with a new tongue, yea, even with the
tongue of angels, and after this should deny me, it would have been better for
you that ye had not known me.
2 Nephi; 13:4
31:15. 19 And I heard a voice from
the Father, saying: Yea, the words of my Beloved are true and faithful. 20 He that endureth to the
end, the same shall be saved.
31:16. 21 And now, my beloved
brethren, I know by this that unless a man shall endure to the end, in
following the example of the Son of the living God, he cannot be saved.
31:17. 22 Wherefore, do the things
which I have told you I have seen that your Lord and your Redeemer should do; 23 for, for this cause have
they been shown unto me, that ye might know the gate by which ye should enter. 24 For the gate by which ye
should enter is repentance and baptism by water; and then cometh a remission of
your sins by fire and by the Holy Ghost.
31:18. 25 And then are ye in this
strait and narrow path which leads to eternal life; yea, ye have entered in by
the gate; ye have done according to the commandments of the Father and the Son;
26 and ye have received the
Holy Ghost, which witnesses of the Father and the Son, unto the fulfilling of
the promise which he hath made, that if ye entered in by the way ye should
receive.
2 Nephi; 13:5
31:19. 27 And now, my beloved
brethren, after ye have gotten into this strait and narrow path, I would ask if
all is done? 28 Behold,
I say unto you, Nay; for ye have not come thus far save it were by the word of
Christ with unshaken faith in him, relying wholly upon the merits of him who is
mighty to save.
31:20. 29 Wherefore, ye must press
forward with a steadfastness in Christ, having a perfect brightness of hope,
and a love of God and of all men. 30 Wherefore, if ye shall press forward, feasting upon the word of Christ,
and endure to the end, behold, thus saith the Father: Ye shall have eternal
life.
2 Nephi; 13:6
31:21. 31 And now, behold, my
beloved brethren, this is the way; and there is none other way nor name given
under heaven whereby man can be saved in the kingdom of God. 32 And now, behold, this is
the doctrine of Christ, and the only and true doctrine of the Father, and of
the Son, and of the Holy Ghost, which is one God, without end. Amen.
2nd Nephi, Chapter 14
2 Nephi; 14:1
2nd Nephi, Chapter 32
32:1.
1 And now, behold, my beloved brethren, I suppose that ye ponder somewhat
in your hearts concerning that which ye should do after ye have entered in by
the way. 2 But,
behold, why do ye ponder these things in your hearts?
32:2.
Do ye
not remember that I said unto you that after ye had received the Holy Ghost ye
could speak with the tongue of angels? 3 And now, how could ye speak with the tongue of angels save it were by
the Holy Ghost?
32:3.
Angels
speak by the power of the Holy Ghost; wherefore, they speak the words of
Christ. 4 Wherefore,
I said unto you, feast upon the words of Christ; for behold, the words of
Christ will tell you all things what ye should do.
32:4.
5 Wherefore, now after I have spoken these words, if ye cannot understand
them it will be because ye ask not, neither do ye knock; wherefore, ye are not
brought into the light, but must perish in the dark.
32:5.
6 For behold, again I say unto you that if ye will enter in by the way,
and receive the Holy Ghost, it will show unto you all things what ye should do.
32:6.
7 Behold, this is the doctrine of Christ, and there will be no more
doctrine given until after he shall manifest himself unto you in the flesh. 8 And when he shall manifest
himself unto you in the flesh, the things which he shall say unto you shall ye
observe to do.
2 Nephi; 14:2
32:7.
9 And now I, Nephi, cannot say more; the Spirit stoppeth mine utterance,
and I am left to mourn because of the unbelief, and the wickedness, and the
ignorance, and the stiffneckedness of men; for they will not search knowledge,
nor understand great knowledge, when it is given unto them in plainness, even
as plain as word can be.
2 Nephi; 14:3
32:8.
10 And now, my beloved brethren, I perceive that ye ponder still in your
hearts; and it grieveth me that I must speak concerning this thing. 11 For if ye would hearken
unto the Spirit which teacheth a man to pray ye would know that ye must pray;
for the evil spirit teacheth not a man to pray, but teacheth him that he must
not pray.
32:9.
12 But behold, I say unto you that ye must pray always, and not faint;
that ye must not perform any thing unto the Lord save in the first place ye
shall pray unto the Father in the name of Christ, that he will consecrate thy
performance unto thee, that thy performance may be for the welfare of thy soul.
2nd Nephi, Chapter 15
2 Nephi; 15:1
2nd Nephi, Chapter 33
33:1.
1 And now I, Nephi, cannot write all the things which were taught among
my people; neither am I mighty in writing, like unto speaking; for when a man
speaketh by the power of the Holy Ghost the power of the Holy Ghost carrieth it
unto the hearts of the children of men.
33:2.
2 But behold, there are many that harden their hearts against the Holy
Spirit, that it hath no place in them; wherefore, they cast many things away
which are written and esteem them as things of naught.
33:3.
3 But I, Nephi, have written what I have written, and I esteem it as of
great worth, and especially unto my people. 4 For I pray continually for them by day,
and mine eyes water my pillow by night, because of them; and I cry unto my God
in faith, and I know that he will hear my cry.
33:4.
And I
know that the Lord God will consecrate my prayers for the gain of my people. 5 And the words which I have
written in weakness will be made strong unto them; for it persuadeth them to do
good; it maketh known unto them of their fathers; and it speaketh of Jesus, and
persuadeth them to believe in him, and to endure to the end, which is life
eternal.
33:5.
6 And it speaketh harshly against sin, according to the plainness of the
truth; wherefore, no man will be angry at the words which I have written save
he shall be of the spirit of the devil.
33:6.
7 I glory in plainness; I glory in truth; I glory in my Jesus, for he
hath redeemed my soul from hell.
33:7.
8 I have charity for my people, and great faith in Christ that I shall
meet many souls spotless at his judgment-seat.
33:8.
9 I have charity for the Jew—I say Jew, because I mean them from whence I
came.
33:9.
I also
have charity for the Gentiles. 10 But behold, for none of these can I hope except they shall be reconciled
unto Christ, and enter into the narrow gate, and walk in the strait path which
leads to life, and continue in the path until the end of the day of probation.
2 Nephi; 15:2
33:10.
11 And now, my beloved brethren, and also Jew, and all ye ends of the
earth, hearken unto these words and believe in Christ; and if ye believe not in
these words believe in Christ. 12 And if ye shall believe in Christ ye will believe in these words, for
they are the words of Christ, and he hath given them unto me; and they teach
all men that they should do good.
33:11. 13 And if they are not the
words of Christ, judge ye—for Christ will show unto you, with power and great
glory, that they are his words, at the last day; 14 and you and I shall stand face to face
before his bar; and ye shall know that I have been commanded of him to write
these things, notwithstanding my weakness.
33:12. 15 And I pray the Father in
the name of Christ that many of us, if not all, may be saved in his kingdom at
that great and last day.
2 Nephi; 15:3
33:13.
16 And now, my beloved brethren, all those who are of the house of Israel,
and all ye ends of the earth, I speak unto you as the voice of one crying from
the dust: Farewell until that great day shall come.
33:14. 17 And you that will not
partake of the goodness of God, and respect the words of the Jews, and also my
words, and the words which shall proceed forth out of the mouth of the Lamb of
God, behold, I bid you an everlasting farewell, for these words shall condemn
you at the last day.
33:15. 18 For what I seal on earth,
shall be brought against you at the judgment bar; for thus hath the Lord
commanded me, and I must obey. Amen.
THE
BOOK OF JACOB
THE BROTHER OF NEPHI
The words of his preaching
unto his brethren. He confoundeth a man who seeketh to overthrow the doctrine
of Christ. A few words concerning the history of the people of Nephi.
Jacob, Chapter 1
Jacob; 1:1
Jacob, Chapter 1
1:1.
1 For behold, it came to pass
that fifty and five years had passed away from the time that Lehi left
Jerusalem; wherefore, Nephi gave me, Jacob, a commandment concerning the small
plates, upon which these things are engraven.
1:2.
2 And he gave me, Jacob, a
commandment that I should write upon these plates a few of the things which I
consider to be most precious; that I should not touch, save it were lightly,
concerning the history of this people which are called the people of Nephi.
1:3.
3 For he said that the history
of his people should be engraven upon his other plates, and that I should
preserve these plates and hand them down unto my seed, from generation to
generation.
1:4.
4 And if there were preaching
which was sacred, or revelation which was great, or prophesying, that I should
engraven the heads of them upon these plates, and touch upon them as much as it
were possible, for Christ’s sake, and for the sake of our people.
1:5.
5 For because of faith and
great anxiety, it truly had been made manifest unto us concerning our people,
what things should happen unto them.
1:6.
6 And we also had many
revelations, and the spirit of much prophecy; wherefore, we knew of Christ and
his kingdom, which should come.
1:7.
7 Wherefore we labored
diligently among our people, that we might persuade them to come unto Christ,
and partake of the goodness of God, that they might enter into his rest, lest
by any means he should swear in his wrath they should not enter in, as in the
provocation in the days of temptation while the children of Israel were in the
wilderness.
1:8.
8 Wherefore, we would to God
that we could persuade all men not to rebel against God, to provoke him to
anger, but that all men would believe in Christ, and view his death, and suffer
his cross and bear the shame of the world; wherefore, I, Jacob, take it upon me
to fulfil the commandment of my brother Nephi.
Jacob; 1:2
1:9.
9 Now Nephi began to be old,
and he saw that he must soon die; wherefore, he anointed a man to be a king and
a ruler over his people now, according to the reigns of the kings.
1:10.
10 The people having loved
Nephi exceedingly, he having been a great protector for them, having wielded
the sword of Laban in their defence, and having labored in all his days for
their welfare—
1:11.
Wherefore, the people were desirous to
retain in remembrance his name. 11 And whoso
should reign in his stead were called by the people, second Nephi, third Nephi,
and so forth, according to the reigns of the kings; and thus they were called
by the people, let them be of whatever name they would.
Jacob; 1:3
1:12.
12 And it came to pass that
Nephi died.
1:13.
13 Now the people which were
not Lamanites were Nephites; nevertheless, they were called Nephites,
Jacobites, Josephites, Zoramites, Lamanites, Lemuelites, and Ishmaelites.
1:14.
14 But I, Jacob, shall not
hereafter distinguish them by these names, but I shall call them Lamanites that
seek to destroy the people of Nephi, and those who are friendly to Nephi I
shall call Nephites, or the people of Nephi, according to the reigns of the
kings.
Jacob; 1:4
1:15.
15 And now it came to pass that
the people of Nephi, under the reign of the second king, began to grow hard in
their hearts, and indulge themselves somewhat in wicked practices, such as like
unto David of old desiring many wives and concubines, and also Solomon, his
son.
1:16.
16 Yea, and they also began to
search much gold and silver, and began to be lifted up somewhat in pride.
1:17.
17 Wherefore I, Jacob, gave
unto them these words as I taught them in the temple, having first obtained
mine errand from the Lord.
1:18.
18 For I, Jacob, and my brother
Joseph had been consecrated priests and teachers of this people, by the hand of
Nephi.
1:19.
19 And we did magnify our
office unto the Lord, taking upon us the responsibility, answering the sins of
the people upon our own heads if we did not teach them the word of God with all
diligence; 20 wherefore, by laboring with
our might their blood might not come upon our garments; otherwise their blood
would come upon our garments, and we would not be found spotless at the last
day.
Jacob, Chapter 2
Jacob; 2:1
Jacob, Chapter 2
2:1.
1 The words which Jacob, the
brother of Nephi, spake unto the people of Nephi, after the death of Nephi:
2:2.
2 Now, my beloved brethren, I,
Jacob, according to the responsibility which I am under to God, to magnify mine
office with soberness, and that I might rid my garments of your sins, I come up
into the temple this day that I might declare unto you the word of God.
2:3.
3 And ye yourselves know that
I have hitherto been diligent in the office of my calling; but I this day am
weighed down with much more desire and anxiety for the welfare of your souls
than I have hitherto been.
2:4.
4 For behold, as yet, ye have
been obedient unto the word of the Lord, which I have given unto you.
2:5.
5 But behold, hearken ye unto
me, and know that by the help of the all-powerful Creator of heaven and earth I
can tell you concerning your thoughts, how that ye are beginning to labor in
sin, which sin appeareth very abominable unto me, yea, and abominable unto God.
2:6.
6 Yea, it grieveth my soul and
causeth me to shrink with shame before the presence of my Maker, that I must
testify unto you concerning the wickedness of your hearts.
2:7.
7 And also it grieveth me that
I must use so much boldness of speech concerning you, before your wives and
your children, many of whose feelings are exceedingly tender and chaste and
delicate before God, which thing is pleasing unto God;
2:8.
8 And it supposeth me that
they have come up hither to hear the pleasing word of God, yea, the word which
healeth the wounded soul.
Jacob; 2:2
2:9.
9 Wherefore, it burdeneth my
soul that I should be constrained, because of the strict commandment which I
have received from God, to admonish you according to your crimes, to enlarge
the wounds of those who are already wounded, instead of consoling and healing
their wounds; 10 and those who have not been
wounded, instead of feasting upon the pleasing word of God have daggers placed
to pierce their souls and wound their delicate minds.
2:10.
11 But, notwithstanding the
greatness of the task, I must do according to the strict commands of God, and
tell you concerning your wickedness and abominations, in the presence of the
pure in heart, and the broken heart, and under the glance of the piercing eye
of the Almighty God.
Jacob; 2:3
2:11.
12 Wherefore, I must tell you
the truth according to the plainness of the word of God. 13 For behold, as I inquired of the Lord, thus
came the word unto me, saying: Jacob, get thou up into the temple on the
morrow, and declare the word which I shall give thee unto this people.
Jacob; 2:4
2:12.
14 And now behold, my brethren,
this is the word which I declare unto you, that many of you have begun to
search for gold, and for silver, and for all manner of precious ores, in the
which this land, which is a land of promise unto you and to your seed, doth
abound most plentifully.
2:13.
15 And the hand of providence
hath smiled upon you most pleasingly, that you have obtained many riches; 16 and because some of you have obtained more
abundantly than that of your brethren ye are lifted up in the pride of your
hearts, and wear stiff necks and high heads because of the costliness of your
apparel, and persecute your brethren because ye suppose that ye are better than
they.
Jacob; 2:5
2:14.
17 And now, my brethren, do ye
suppose that God justifieth you in this thing? Behold, I say unto you, Nay. 18 But he condemneth you, and if ye persist in
these things his judgments must speedily come unto you.
2:15.
19 O that he would show you
that he can pierce you, and with one glance of his eye he can smite you to the
dust!
2:16.
20 O that he would rid you from
this iniquity and abomination. 21 And, O
that ye would listen unto the word of his commands, and let not this pride of
your hearts destroy your souls!
2:17.
22 Think of your brethren like
unto yourselves, and be familiar with all and free with your substance, that
they may be rich like unto you.
2:18.
23 But before ye seek for
riches, seek ye for the kingdom of God.
2:19.
24 And after ye have obtained a
hope in Christ ye shall obtain riches, if ye seek them; and ye will seek them
for the intent to do good—to clothe the naked, and to feed the hungry, and to
liberate the captive, and administer relief to the sick and the afflicted.
Jacob; 2:6
2:20.
25 And now, my brethren, I have
spoken unto you concerning pride; and those of you which have afflicted your
neighbor, and persecuted him because ye were proud in your hearts, of the
things which God hath given you, what say ye of it?
2:21.
26 Do ye not suppose that such
things are abominable unto him who created all flesh? 27
And the one being is as precious in his sight as the other. 28 And all flesh is of the dust; and for the
selfsame end hath he created them, that they should keep his commandments and
glorify him forever.
2:22.
29 And now I make an end of
speaking unto you concerning this pride. 30 And
were it not that I must speak unto you concerning a grosser crime, my heart
would rejoice exceedingly because of you.
2:23.
31 But the word of God burdens
me because of your grosser crimes. 32 For
behold, thus saith the Lord: This people begin to wax in iniquity; they
understand not the scriptures, for they seek to excuse themselves in committing
whoredoms, because of the things which were written concerning David, and
Solomon his son.
2:24.
33 Behold, David and Solomon
truly had many wives and concubines, which thing was abominable before me,
saith the Lord.
2:25.
34 Wherefore, thus saith the
Lord, I have led this people forth out of the land of Jerusalem, by the power
of mine arm, that I might raise up unto me a righteous branch from the fruit of
the loins of Joseph.
2:26.
35 Wherefore, I the Lord God
will not suffer that this people shall do like unto them of old.
2:27.
36 Wherefore, my brethren, hear
me, and hearken to the word of the Lord: For there shall not any man among you
have save it be one wife; and concubines he shall have none;
2:28.
For I, the Lord God, delight in the
chastity of women. 37 And whoredoms are an
abomination before me; thus saith the Lord of Hosts.
2:29.
38 Wherefore, this people shall
keep my commandments, saith the Lord of Hosts, or cursed be the land for their
sakes.
2:30.
39 For if I will, saith the
Lord of Hosts, raise up seed unto me, I will command my people; otherwise they
shall hearken unto these things.
2:31.
40 For behold, I, the Lord, have
seen the sorrow, and heard the mourning of the daughters of my people in the
land of Jerusalem, yea, and in all the lands of my people, because of the
wickedness and abominations of their husbands.
2:32.
41 And I will not suffer, saith
the Lord of Hosts, that the cries of the fair daughters of this people, which I
have led out of the land of Jerusalem, shall come up unto me against the men of
my people, saith the Lord of Hosts.
2:33.
42 For they shall not lead away
captive the daughters of my people because of their tenderness, save I shall
visit them with a sore curse, even unto destruction; 43
for they shall not commit whoredoms, like unto them of old, saith the
Lord of Hosts.
Jacob; 2:7
2:34.
44 And now behold, my brethren,
ye know that these commandments were given to our father, Lehi; wherefore, ye
have known them before; and ye have come unto great condemnation; for ye have
done these things which ye ought not to have done.
2:35.
45 Behold, ye have done greater
iniquities than the Lamanites, our brethren. 46 Ye
have broken the hearts of your tender wives, and lost the confidence of your
children, because of your bad examples before them; and the sobbings of their
hearts ascend up to God against you. 47 And
because of the strictness of the word of God, which cometh down against you,
many hearts died, pierced with deep wounds.
Jacob; 2:8
Jacob, Chapter 3
3:1.
48 But behold, I, Jacob, would
speak unto you that are pure in heart. 49 Look
unto God with firmness of mind, and pray unto him with exceeding faith, and he
will console you in your afflictions, and he will plead your cause, and send
down justice upon those who seek your destruction.
Jacob; 2:9
3:2.
50 O all ye that are pure in
heart, lift up your heads and receive the pleasing word of God, and feast upon
his love; for ye may, if your minds are firm, forever.
3:3.
51 But, wo, wo, unto you that
are not pure in heart, that are filthy this day before God; for except ye
repent the land is cursed for your sakes; 52 and
the Lamanites, which are not filthy like unto you, nevertheless they are cursed
with a sore cursing, shall scourge you even unto destruction.
3:4.
53 And the time speedily
cometh, that except ye repent they shall possess the land of your inheritance,
and the Lord God will lead away the righteous out from among you.
3:5.
54 Behold, the Lamanites your
brethren, whom ye hate because of their filthiness and the cursing which hath
come upon their skins, are more righteous than you; 55
for they have not forgotten the commandment of the Lord, which was given
unto our father—that they should have save it were one wife, and concubines
they should have none, and there should not be whoredoms committed among them.
3:6.
56 And now, this commandment
they observe to keep; wherefore, because of this observance, in keeping this
commandment, the Lord God will not destroy them, but will be merciful unto
them; and one day they shall become a blessed people.
3:7.
57 Behold, their husbands love
their wives, and their wives love their husbands; and their husbands and their
wives love their children; 58 and their
unbelief and their hatred towards you is because of the iniquity of their
fathers; wherefore, how much better are you than they, in the sight of your
great Creator?
Jacob; 2:10
3:8.
59 O my brethren, I fear that
unless ye shall repent of your sins that their skins will be whiter than yours,
when ye shall be brought with them before the throne of God.
3:9.
60 Wherefore, a commandment I
give unto you, which is the word of God, that ye revile no more against them
because of the darkness of their skins; neither shall ye revile against them
because of their filthiness; 61 but ye shall
remember your own filthiness, and remember that their filthiness came because
of their fathers.
3:10.
62 Wherefore, ye shall remember
your children, how that ye have grieved their hearts because of the example
that ye have set before them; 63 and also,
remember that ye may, because of your filthiness, bring your children unto
destruction, and their sins be heaped upon your heads at the last day.
Jacob; 2:11
3:11.
64 O my brethren, hearken unto
my words; arouse the faculties of your souls; shake yourselves that ye may
awake from the slumber of death; 65 and
loose yourselves from the pains of hell that ye may not become angels to the
devil, to be cast into that lake of fire and brimstone which is the second
death.
3:12.
66 And now I, Jacob, spake many
more things unto the people of Nephi, warning them against fornication and
lasciviousness, and every kind of sin, telling them the awful consequences of
them.
3:13.
67 And a hundredth part of the
proceedings of this people, which now began to be numerous, cannot be written
upon these plates; 68 but many of their
proceedings are written upon the larger plates, and their wars, and their
contentions, and the reigns of their kings.
3:14.
69 These plates are called the
plates of Jacob, and they were made by the hand of Nephi. 70 And I make an end of speaking these words.
Jacob, Chapter 3
Jacob; 3:1
Jacob, Chapter 4
4:1.
1 Now behold, it came to pass
that I, Jacob, having ministered much unto my people in word, (and I cannot
write but a little of my words, because of the difficulty of engraving our
words upon plates) and we know that the things which we write upon plates must
remain;
4:2.
2 But whatsoever things we
write upon anything save it be upon plates must perish and vanish away; but we
can write a few words upon plates, which will give our children, and also our
beloved brethren, a small degree of knowledge concerning us, or concerning
their fathers—
4:3.
3 Now in this thing we do
rejoice; and we labor diligently to engraven these words upon plates, hoping
that our beloved brethren and our children will receive them with thankful
hearts, and look upon them that they may learn with joy and not with sorrow, neither
with contempt, concerning their first parents.
4:4.
4 For, for this intent have we
written these things, that they may know that we knew of Christ, and we had a
hope of his glory many hundred years before his coming; and not only we
ourselves had a hope of his glory, but also all the holy prophets which were
before us.
Jacob; 3:2
4:5.
5 Behold, they believed in
Christ and worshiped the Father in his name, and also we worship the Father in
his name. 6 And for this intent we keep the
law of Moses, it pointing our souls to him; and for this cause it is sanctified
unto us for righteousness, even as it was accounted unto Abraham in the
wilderness to be obedient unto the commands of God in offering up his son
Isaac, which is a similitude of God and his Only Begotten Son.
4:6.
7 Wherefore, we search the
prophets, and we have many revelations and the spirit of prophecy; and having
all these witnesses we obtain a hope, and our faith becometh unshaken, insomuch
that we truly can command in the name of Jesus and the very trees obey us, or
the mountains, or the waves of the sea.
4:7.
8 Nevertheless, the Lord God
showeth us our weakness that we may know that it is by his grace, and his great
condescensions unto the children of men, that we have power to do these things.
Jacob; 3:3
4:8.
9 Behold, great and marvelous
are the works of the Lord. 10 How
unsearchable are the depths of the mysteries of him; and it is impossible that
man should find out all his ways. 11 And no
man knoweth of his ways save it be revealed unto him; wherefore, brethren,
despise not the revelations of God.
4:9.
12 For behold, by the power of
his word man came upon the face of the earth, which earth was created by the
power of his word. 13 Wherefore, if God
being able to speak and the world was, and to speak and man was created, O
then, why not able to command the earth, or the workmanship of his hands upon
the face of it, according to his will and pleasure?
4:10.
14 Wherefore, brethren, seek
not to counsel the Lord, but to take counsel from his hand. 15 For behold, ye yourselves know that he
counseleth in wisdom, and in justice, and in great mercy, over all his works.
4:11.
16 Wherefore, beloved brethren,
be reconciled unto him through the atonement of Christ, his Only Begotten Son, 17 and ye may obtain a resurrection, according to
the power of the resurrection which is in Christ, and be presented as the
first-fruits of Christ unto God, having faith, and obtained a good hope of
glory in him before he manifesteth himself in the flesh.
Jacob; 3:4
4:12.
18 And now, beloved, marvel not
that I tell you these things; for why not speak of the atonement of Christ, and
attain to a perfect knowledge of him, as to attain to the knowledge of a
resurrection and the world to come?
4:13.
19 Behold, my brethren, he that
prophesieth, let him prophesy to the understanding of men; for the Spirit
speaketh the truth and lieth not. 20 Wherefore,
it speaketh of things as they really are, and of things as they really will be;
wherefore, these things are manifested unto us plainly, for the salvation of
our souls. 21 But behold, we are not
witnesses alone in these things; for God also spake them unto prophets of old.
Jacob; 3:5
4:14.
22 But behold, the Jews were a
stiffnecked people; and they despised the words of plainness, and killed the
prophets, and sought for things that they could not understand. 23 Wherefore, because of their blindness, which
blindness came by looking beyond the mark, they must needs fall; 24 for God hath taken away his plainness from
them, and delivered unto them many things which they cannot understand, because
they desired it. 25 And because they desired
it God hath done it, that they may stumble.
Jacob; 3:6
4:15.
26 And now I, Jacob, am led on
by the Spirit unto prophesying; for I perceive by the workings of the Spirit
which is in me, that by the stumbling of the Jews they will reject the stone
upon which they might build and have safe foundation.
4:16.
27 But behold, according to the
scriptures, this stone shall become the great, and the last, and the only sure
foundation, upon which the Jews can build.
4:17.
28 And now, my beloved, how is
it possible that these, after having rejected the sure foundation, can ever
build upon it, that it may become the head of their corner?
4:18.
29 Behold, my beloved brethren,
I will unfold this mystery unto you; if I do not, by any means, get shaken from
my firmness in the Spirit, and stumble because of my over anxiety for you.
Jacob; 3:7
Jacob, Chapter 5
5:1.
30 Behold, my brethren, do ye
not remember to have read the words of the prophet Zenos, which he spake unto
the house of Israel, saying:
5:2.
Hearken, O ye house of Israel, and hear the
words of me, a prophet of the Lord.
5:3.
31 For behold, thus saith the
Lord, I will liken thee, O house of Israel, like unto a tame olive-tree, which
a man took and nourished in his vineyard; and it grew, and waxed old, and began
to decay.
5:4.
32 And it came to pass that the
master of the vineyard went forth, and he saw that his olive-tree began to
decay; and he said: I will prune it, and dig about it, and nourish it, that
perhaps it may shoot forth young and tender branches, and it perish not.
5:5.
33 And it came to pass that he
pruned it, and digged about it, and nourished it according to his word.
5:6.
34 And it came to pass that
after many days it began to put forth somewhat a little, young and tender
branches; but behold, the main top thereof began to perish.
5:7.
35 And it came to pass that the
master of the vineyard saw it, and he said unto his servant: It grieveth me
that I should lose this tree; 36 wherefore,
go and pluck the branches from a wild olive-tree, and bring them hither unto
me; and we will pluck off those main branches which are beginning to wither
away, and we will cast them into the fire that they may be burned.
5:8.
37 And behold, saith the Lord
of the vineyard, I take away many of these young and tender branches, and I
will graft them whithersoever I will; 38 and
it mattereth not that if it so be that the root of this tree will perish, I may
preserve the fruit thereof unto myself; 39 wherefore,
I will take these young and tender branches, and I will graft them
whithersoever I will.
5:9.
40 Take thou the branches of
the wild olive-tree, and graft them in, in the stead thereof; 41 and these which I have plucked off I will cast
into the fire and burn them, that they may not cumber the ground of my
vineyard.
Jacob; 3:8
5:10.
42 And it came to pass that the
servant of the Lord of the vineyard did according to the word of the Lord of
the vineyard, and grafted in the branches of the wild olive-tree.
5:11.
43 And the Lord of the vineyard
caused that it should be digged about, and pruned, and nourished, saying unto
his servant: It grieveth me that I should lose this tree; 44 wherefore, that perhaps I might preserve the
roots thereof that they perish not, that I might preserve them unto myself, I
have done this thing.
5:12.
45 Wherefore, go thy way; watch
the tree, and nourish it, according to my words.
5:13.
46 And these will I place in
the nethermost part of my vineyard, whithersoever I will, it mattereth not unto
thee; 47 and I do it that I may preserve
unto myself the natural branches of the tree; and also, that I may lay up fruit
thereof against the season, unto myself; for it grieveth me that I should lose
this tree and the fruit thereof.
Jacob; 3:9
5:14.
48 And it came to pass that the
Lord of the vineyard went his way, and hid the natural branches of the tame
olive-tree in the nethermost parts of the vineyard, some in one and some in
another, according to his will and pleasure.
5:15.
49 And it came to pass that a
long time passed away, and the Lord of the vineyard said unto his servant:
Come, let us go down into the vineyard, that we may labor in the vineyard.
Jacob; 3:10
5:16.
50 And it came to pass that the
Lord of the vineyard, and also the servant, went down into the vineyard to
labor. 51 And it came to pass that the
servant said unto his master: Behold, look here; behold the tree.
5:17.
52 And it came to pass that the
Lord of the vineyard looked and beheld the tree in the which the wild olive
branches had been grafted; and it had sprung forth and begun to bear fruit. 53 And he beheld that it was good; and the fruit
thereof was like unto the natural fruit.
5:18.
54 And he said unto the
servant: Behold, the branches of the wild tree have taken hold of the moisture
of the root thereof, that the root thereof hath brought forth much strength; 55 and because of the much strength of the root
thereof the wild branches have brought forth tame fruit. 56 Now, if we had not grafted in these branches,
the tree thereof would have perished. 57 And
now, behold, I shall lay up much fruit, which the tree thereof hath brought
forth; and the fruit thereof I shall lay up against the season, unto mine own
self.
Jacob; 3:11
5:19.
58 And it came to pass that the
Lord of the vineyard said unto the servant: Come, let us go to the nethermost
part of the vineyard, and behold if the natural branches of the tree have not
brought forth much fruit also, that I may lay up of the fruit thereof against
the season, unto mine own self.
5:20.
59 And it came to pass that
they went forth whither the master had hid the natural branches of the tree,
and he said unto the servant: Behold these; 60 and
he beheld the first that it had brought forth much fruit; and he beheld also
that it was good. 61 And he said unto the
servant: Take of the fruit thereof, and lay it up against the season, that I
may preserve it unto mine own self; 62 for
behold, said he, this long time have I nourished it, and it hath brought forth
much fruit.
Jacob; 3:12
5:21.
63 And it came to pass that the
servant said unto his master: How comest thou hither to plant this tree, or
this branch of the tree? For behold, it was the poorest spot in all the land of
thy vineyard.
5:22.
64 And the Lord of the vineyard
said unto him: Counsel me not; I knew that it was a poor spot of ground;
wherefore, I said unto thee, I have nourished it this long time, and thou
beholdest that it hath brought forth much fruit.
Jacob; 3:13
5:23.
65 And it came to pass that the
Lord of the vineyard said unto his servant: Look hither; behold I have planted
another branch of the tree also; and thou knowest that this spot of ground was
poorer than the first. 66 But, behold the
tree. I have nourished it this long time, and it hath brought forth much fruit;
therefore, gather it, and lay it up against the season, that I may preserve it
unto mine own self.
Jacob; 3:14
5:24.
67 And it came to pass that the
Lord of the vineyard said again unto his servant: Look hither, and behold
another branch also, which I have planted; behold that I have nourished it
also, and it hath brought forth fruit.
5:25.
68 And he said unto the
servant: Look hither and behold the last. Behold, this have I planted in a good
spot of ground; and I have nourished it this long time, and only a part of the
tree hath brought forth tame fruit, and the other part of the tree hath brought
forth wild fruit; behold, I have nourished this tree like unto the others.
Jacob; 3:15
5:26.
69 And it came to pass that the
Lord of the vineyard said unto the servant: Pluck off the branches that have
not brought forth good fruit, and cast them into the fire.
5:27.
70 But behold, the servant said
unto him: Let us prune it, and dig about it, and nourish it a little longer,
that perhaps it may bring forth good fruit unto thee, that thou canst lay it up
against the season.
5:28.
71 And it came to pass that the
Lord of the vineyard and the servant of the Lord of the vineyard did nourish
all the fruit of the vineyard.
Jacob; 3:16
5:29.
72 And it came to pass that a
long time had passed away, and the Lord of the vineyard said unto his servant:
Come, let us go down into the vineyard, that we may labor again in the
vineyard. 73 For behold, the time draweth
near, and the end soon cometh; wherefore, I must lay up fruit against the
season, unto mine own self.
Jacob; 3:17
5:30.
74 And it came to pass that the
Lord of the vineyard and the servant went down into the vineyard; and they came
to the tree whose natural branches had been broken off, and the wild branches
had been grafted in; and behold all sorts of fruit did cumber the tree.
Jacob; 3:18
5:31.
75 And it came to pass that the
Lord of the vineyard did taste of the fruit, every sort according to its
number. 76 And the Lord of the vineyard
said: Behold, this long time have we nourished this tree, and I have laid up
unto myself against the season much fruit.
5:32.
77 But behold, this time it
hath brought forth much fruit, and there is none of it which is good. 78 And behold, there are all kinds of bad fruit;
and it profiteth me nothing, notwithstanding all our labor; and now it grieveth
me that I should lose this tree.
5:33.
79 And the Lord of the vineyard
said unto the servant: What shall we do unto the tree, that I may preserve
again good fruit thereof unto mine own self?
5:34.
80 And the servant said unto
his master: Behold, because thou didst graft in the branches of the wild
olive-tree they have nourished the roots, that they are alive and they have not
perished; wherefore thou beholdest that they are yet good.
Jacob; 3:19
5:35.
81 And it came to pass that the
Lord of the vineyard said unto his servant: The tree profiteth me nothing, and
the roots thereof profit me nothing so long as it shall bring forth evil fruit.
5:36.
82 Nevertheless, I know that
the roots are good, and for mine own purpose I have preserved them; and because
of their much strength they have hitherto brought forth, from the wild
branches, good fruit.
5:37.
83 But behold, the wild
branches have grown and have overrun the roots thereof; and because that the
wild branches have overcome the roots thereof it hath brought forth much evil
fruit; 84 and because that it hath brought
forth so much evil fruit thou beholdest that it beginneth to perish; and it
will soon become ripened, that it may be cast into the fire, except we should
do something for it to preserve it.
Jacob; 3:20
5:38.
85 And it came to pass that the
Lord of the vineyard said unto his servant: Let us go down into the nethermost
parts of the vineyard, and behold if the natural branches have also brought
forth evil fruit.
5:39.
86 And it came to pass that
they went down into the nethermost parts of the vineyard. 87 And it came to pass that they beheld that the
fruit of the natural branches had become corrupt also; yea, the first and the
second and also the last; and they had all become corrupt.
5:40.
88 And the wild fruit of the
last had overcome that part of the tree which brought forth good fruit, even
that the branch had withered away and died.
Jacob; 3:21
5:41.
89 And it came to pass that the
Lord of the vineyard wept, and said unto the servant: What could I have done
more for my vineyard?
5:42.
90 Behold, I knew that all the
fruit of the vineyard, save it were these, had become corrupted. 91 And now these which have once brought forth
good fruit have also become corrupted; 92 and
now all the trees of my vineyard are good for nothing save it be to be hewn
down and cast into the fire.
5:43.
93 And behold this last, whose
branch hath withered away, I did plant in a good spot of ground; yea, even that
which was choice unto me above all other parts of the land of my vineyard.
5:44.
94 And thou beheldest that I
also cut down that which cumbered this spot of ground, that I might plant this
tree in the stead thereof.
5:45.
95 And thou beheldest that a
part thereof brought forth good fruit, and a part thereof brought forth wild
fruit; 96 and because I plucked not the
branches thereof and cast them into the fire, behold, they have overcome the
good branch that it hath withered away.
5:46.
97 And now, behold,
notwithstanding all the care which we have taken of my vineyard, the trees
thereof have become corrupted, that they bring forth no good fruit; 98 and these I had hoped to preserve, to have laid
up fruit thereof against the season, unto mine own self. 99 But, behold, they have become like unto the
wild olive-tree, and they are of no worth but to be hewn down and cast into the
fire; and it grieveth me that I should lose them.
5:47.
100 But what could I have done
more in my vineyard? 101 Have I slackened
mine hand, that I have not nourished it, 102 Nay,
I have nourished it, and I have digged about it, and I have pruned it, and I
have dunged it; and I have stretched forth mine hand almost all the day long,
and the end draweth nigh. 103 And it
grieveth me that I should hew down all the trees of my vineyard, and cast them
into the fire that they should be burned. 104 Who
is it that has corrupted my vineyard?
Jacob; 3:22
5:48.
105 And it came to pass that the
servant said unto his master: Is it not the loftiness of thy vineyard— 106 have not the branches thereof overcome the
roots which are good? 107 And because the
branches have overcome the roots thereof, behold they grew faster than the
strength of the roots, taking strength unto themselves. 108 Behold, I say, is not this the cause that the trees of thy
vineyard have become corrupted?
Jacob; 3:23
5:49.
109 And it came to pass that the
Lord of the vineyard said unto the servant: Let us go to and hew down the trees
of the vineyard and cast them into the fire, that they shall not cumber the
ground of my vineyard, for I have done all. What could I have done more for my
vineyard?
5:50.
110 But, behold, the servant
said unto the Lord of the vineyard: Spare it a little longer.
5:51.
111 And the Lord said: Yea, I
will spare it a little longer, for it grieveth me that I should lose the trees
of my vineyard.
5:52.
112 Wherefore, let us take of
the branches of these which I have planted in the nethermost parts of my
vineyard, and let us graft them into the tree from whence they came; 113 and let us pluck from the tree those branches
whose fruit is most bitter, and graft in the natural branches of the tree in
the stead thereof.
5:53.
114 And this will I do that the
tree may not perish, that, perhaps, I may preserve unto myself the roots
thereof for mine own purpose.
5:54.
115 And, behold, the roots of
the natural branches of the tree which I planted whithersoever I would are yet
alive; 116 wherefore, that I may preserve
them also for mine own purpose, I will take of the branches of this tree, and I
will graft them in unto them. 117 Yea, I
will graft in unto them the branches of their mother tree, that I may preserve
the roots also unto mine own self, that when they shall be sufficiently strong
perhaps they may bring forth good fruit unto me, and I may yet have glory in
the fruit of my vineyard.
Jacob; 3:24
5:55.
118 And it came to pass that
they took from the natural tree which had become wild, and grafted in unto the
natural trees, which also had become wild.
5:56.
119 And they also took of the
natural trees which had become wild, and grafted into their mother tree.
5:57.
120 And the Lord of the vineyard
said unto the servant: Pluck not the wild branches from the trees, save it be
those which are most bitter; and in them ye shall graft according to that which
I have said.
5:58.
121 And we will nourish again
the trees of the vineyard, and we will trim up the branches thereof; and we
will pluck from the trees those branches which are ripened, that must perish,
and cast them into the fire.
5:59.
122 And this I do that, perhaps,
the roots thereof may take strength because of their goodness; and because of
the change of the branches, that the good may overcome the evil.
5:60.
123 And because that I have
preserved the natural branches and the roots thereof, and that I have grafted
in the natural branches again into their mother tree, and have preserved the
roots of their mother tree, that, perhaps, the trees of my vineyard may bring
forth again good fruit; 124 and that I may
have joy again in the fruit of my vineyard, and, perhaps, that I may rejoice
exceedingly that I have preserved the roots and the branches of the first
fruit—
Jacob; 3:25
5:61.
125 Wherefore, go to, and call
servants, that we may labor diligently with our might in the vineyard, that we
may prepare the way, that I may bring forth again the natural fruit, which
natural fruit is good and the most precious above all other fruit.
5:62.
126 Wherefore, let us go to and
labor with our might this last time, for behold the end draweth nigh, and this
is for the last time that I shall prune my vineyard.
5:63.
127 Graft in the branches; begin
at the last that they may be first, and that the first may be last, and dig
about the trees, both old and young, the first and the last; and the last and
the first, that all may be nourished once again for the last time.
5:64.
128 Wherefore, dig about them,
and prune them, and dung them once more, for the last time, for the end draweth
nigh. 129 And if it be so that these last
grafts shall grow, and bring forth the natural fruit, then shall ye prepare the
way for them, that they may grow.
5:65.
130 And as they begin to grow ye
shall clear away the branches which bring forth bitter fruit, according to the
strength of the good and the size thereof; 131 and
ye shall not clear away the bad thereof all at once, lest the roots thereof
should be too strong for the graft, and the graft thereof shall perish, and I
lose the trees of my vineyard.
5:66.
132 For it grieveth me that I
should lose the trees of my vineyard; wherefore ye shall clear away the bad
according as the good shall grow, that the root and the top may be equal in
strength, until the good shall overcome the bad, and the bad be hewn down and
cast into the fire, that they cumber not the ground of my vineyard; and thus
will I sweep away the bad out of my vineyard.
5:67.
133 And the branches of the
natural tree will I graft in again into the natural tree;
5:68.
And the branches of the natural tree will I
graft into the natural branches of the tree; 134 and
thus will I bring them together again, that they shall bring forth the natural
fruit, and they shall be one.
5:69.
135 And the bad shall be cast
away, yea, even out of all the land of my vineyard; for behold, only this once
will I prune my vineyard.
Jacob; 3:26
5:70.
136 And it came to pass that the
Lord of the vineyard sent his servant; and the servant went and did as the Lord
had commanded him, and brought other servants; and they were few.
5:71.
137 And the Lord of the vineyard
said unto them: Go to, and labor in the vineyard, with your might. 138 For behold, this is the last time that I shall
nourish my vineyard; for the end is nigh at hand, and the season speedily
cometh; 139 and if ye labor with your might
with me ye shall have joy in the fruit which I shall lay up unto myself against
the time which will soon come.
Jacob; 3:27
5:72.
140 And it came to pass that the
servants did go and labor with their mights; and the Lord of the vineyard
labored also with them; and they did obey the commandments of the Lord of the
vineyard in all things.
5:73.
141 And there began to be the
natural fruit again in the vineyard; and the natural branches began to grow and
thrive exceedingly; 142 and the wild
branches began to be plucked off and to be cast away; and they did keep the
root and the top thereof equal, according to the strength thereof.
5:74.
143 And thus they labored, with
all diligence, according to the commandments of the Lord of the vineyard, even
until the bad had been cast away out of the vineyard, and the Lord had
preserved unto himself that the trees had become again the natural fruit; 144 and they became like unto one body; and the
fruits were equal; and the Lord of the vineyard had preserved unto himself the
natural fruit, which was most precious unto him from the beginning.
Jacob; 3:28
5:75.
145 And it came to pass that
when the Lord of the vineyard saw that his fruit was good, and that his
vineyard was no more corrupt, he called up his servants, and said unto them:
Behold, for this last time have we nourished my vineyard; and thou beholdest that
I have done according to my will; 146 and I
have preserved the natural fruit, that it is good, even like as it was in the
beginning. And blessed art thou; 147 for
because ye have been diligent in laboring with me in my vineyard, and have kept
my commandments, and have brought unto me again the natural fruit, that my
vineyard is no more corrupted, and the bad is cast away, behold ye shall have
joy with me because of the fruit of my vineyard.
5:76.
148 For behold, for a long time
will I lay up of the fruit of my vineyard unto mine own self against the
season, which speedily cometh; 149 and for
the last time have I nourished my vineyard, and pruned it, and dug about it,
and dunged it; 150 wherefore I will lay up
unto mine own self of the fruit, for a long time, according to that which I
have spoken.
5:77.
151 And when the time cometh
that evil fruit shall again come into my vineyard, then will I cause the good
and the bad to be gathered; 152 and the good
will I preserve unto myself, and the bad will I cast away into its own place. 153 And then cometh the season and the end; and my
vineyard will I cause to be burned with fire.
Jacob, Chapter 4
Jacob; 4:1
Jacob, Chapter 6
6:1.
1 And now, behold, my
brethren, as I said unto you that I would prophesy, behold, this is my
prophecy— 2 that the things which this
prophet Zenos spake, concerning the house of Israel, in the which he likened
them unto a tame olive-tree, must surely come to pass.
6:2.
3 And the day that he shall
set his hand again the second time to recover his people, is the day, yea, even
the last time, that the servants of the Lord shall go forth in his power, to
nourish and prune his vineyard; and after that the end soon cometh.
6:3.
4 And how blessed are they who
have labored diligently in his vineyard; and how cursed are they who shall be
cast out into their own place! 5 And the
world shall be burned with fire.
6:4.
6 And how merciful is our God
unto us, for he remembereth the house of Israel, both roots and branches; and
he stretches forth his hands unto them all the day long; 7 and they are a stiffnecked and a gainsaying
people; but as many as will not harden their hearts shall be saved in the
kingdom of God.
6:5.
8 Wherefore, my beloved
brethren, I beseech of you in words of soberness that ye would repent, and come
with full purpose of heart, and cleave unto God as he cleaveth unto you. 9 And while his arm of mercy is extended towards
you in the light of the day, harden not your hearts.
6:6.
10 Yea, today, if ye will hear
his voice, harden not your hearts; for why will ye die?
6:7.
11 For behold, after ye have
been nourished by the good word of God all the day long, will ye bring forth
evil fruit, that ye must be hewn down and cast into the fire?
6:8.
12 Behold, will ye reject these
words? 13 Will ye reject the words of the
prophets; and will ye reject all the words which have been spoken concerning
Christ, after so many have spoken concerning him; and deny the good word of
Christ, and the power of God, and the gift of the Holy Ghost, and quench the
Holy Spirit, and make a mock of the great plan of redemption, which hath been
laid for you?
6:9.
14 Know ye not that if ye will
do these things, that the power of the redemption and the resurrection, which
is in Christ, will bring you to stand with shame and awful guilt before the bar
of God?
6:10.
15 And according to the power
of justice, for justice cannot be denied, ye must go away into that lake of
fire and brimstone, whose flames are unquenchable, and whose smoke ascendeth up
forever and ever, which lake of fire and brimstone is endless torment.
6:11.
16 O then, my beloved brethren,
repent ye, and enter in at the strait gate, and continue in the way which is
narrow, until ye shall obtain eternal life.
6:12.
17 O be wise; what can I say
more?
6:13.
18 Finally, I bid you farewell,
until I shall meet you before the pleasing bar of God, which bar striketh the
wicked with awful dread and fear. Amen.
Jacob, Chapter 5
Jacob; 5:1
Jacob, Chapter 7
7:1.
1 And now it came to pass
after some years had passed away, there came a man among the people of Nephi,
whose name was Sherem.
7:2.
2 And it came to pass that he
began to preach among the people, and to declare unto them that there should be
no Christ. 3 And he preached many things
which were flattering unto the people; and this he did that he might overthrow
the doctrine of Christ.
7:3.
4 And he labored diligently
that he might lead away the hearts of the people, insomuch that he did lead
away many hearts; 5 and he knowing that I,
Jacob, had faith in Christ who should come, he sought much opportunity that he
might come unto me.
7:4.
6 And he was learned, that he
had a perfect knowledge of the language of the people; wherefore, he could use
much flattery, and much power of speech, according to the power of the devil.
7:5.
7 And he had hope to shake me
from the faith, notwithstanding the many revelations and the many things which
I had seen concerning these things; for I truly had seen angels, and they had
ministered unto me. 8 And also, I had heard
the voice of the Lord speaking unto me in very word, from time to time;
wherefore, I could not be shaken.
Jacob; 5:2
7:6.
9 And it came to pass that he
came unto me, and on this wise did he speak unto me, saying: Brother Jacob, I
have sought much opportunity that I might speak unto you; for I have heard and
also know that thou goest about much, preaching that which ye call the gospel,
or the doctrine of Christ.
7:7.
10 And ye have led away much of
this people that they pervert the right way of God, and keep not the law of
Moses which is the right way; and convert the law of Moses into the worship of
a being which ye say shall come many hundred years hence. 11 And now behold, I, Sherem, declare unto you
that this is blasphemy; for no man knoweth of such things; for he cannot tell
of things to come. 12 And after this manner
did Sherem contend against me.
7:8.
13 But behold, the Lord God
poured in his Spirit into my soul, insomuch that I did confound him in all his
words.
7:9.
14 And I said unto him: Deniest
thou the Christ who shall come? 15 And he
said: If there should be a Christ, I would not deny him; but I know that there
is no Christ, neither has been, nor ever will be.
7:10.
16 And I said unto him:
Believest thou the scriptures? 17 And he
said, Yea.
7:11.
18 And I said unto him: Then ye
do not understand them; for they truly testify of Christ. 19 Behold, I say unto you that none of the
prophets have written, nor prophesied, save they have spoken concerning this
Christ.
7:12.
20 And this is not all—it has
been made manifest unto me, for I have heard and seen; and it also has been
made manifest unto me by the power of the Holy Ghost; 21
wherefore, I know if there should be no atonement made all mankind must
be lost.
Jacob; 5:3
7:13.
22 And it came to pass that he
said unto me: Show me a sign by this power of the Holy Ghost, in the which ye
know so much.
7:14.
23 And I said unto him: What am
I that I should tempt God to show unto thee a sign in the thing which thou
knowest to be true? 24 Yet thou wilt deny
it, because thou art of the devil. 25 Nevertheless,
not my will be done; but if God shall smite thee, let that be a sign unto thee
that he has power, both in heaven and in earth; and also, that Christ shall
come. 26 And thy will, O Lord, be done, and
not mine.
Jacob; 5:4
7:15.
27 And it came to pass that
when I, Jacob, had spoken these words, the power of the Lord came upon him,
insomuch that he fell to the earth. 28 And
it came to pass that he was nourished for the space of many days.
7:16.
29 And it came to pass that he
said unto the people: Gather together on the morrow, for I shall die;
wherefore, I desire to speak unto the people before I shall die.
Jacob; 5:5
7:17.
30 And it came to pass that on
the morrow the multitude were gathered together; and he spake plainly unto them
and denied the things which he had taught them, and confessed the Christ, and
the power of the Holy Ghost, and the ministering of angels.
7:18.
31 And he spake plainly unto
them, that he had been deceived by the power of the devil. 32 And he spake of hell, and of eternity, and of
eternal punishment.
7:19.
33 And he said: I fear lest I
have committed the unpardonable sin, for I have lied unto God; for I denied the
Christ, and said that I believed the scriptures; and they truly testify of him.
34 And because I have thus lied unto God I
greatly fear lest my case shall be awful; but I confess unto God.
Jacob; 5:6
7:20.
35 And it came to pass that
when he had said these words he could say no more, and he gave up the ghost.
7:21.
36 And when the multitude had
witnessed that he spake these things as he was about to give up the ghost, they
were astonished exceedingly; insomuch that the power of God came down upon
them, and they were overcome that they fell to the earth.
7:22.
37 Now, this thing was pleasing
unto me, Jacob, for I had requested it of my Father who was in heaven; for he
had heard my cry and answered my prayer.
Jacob; 5:7
7:23.
38 And it came to pass that
peace and the love of God was restored again among the people; and they
searched the scriptures, and hearkened no more to the words of this wicked man.
7:24.
39 And it came to pass that
many means were devised to reclaim and restore the Lamanites to the knowledge
of the truth; but it all was vain, for they delighted in wars and bloodshed,
and they had an eternal hatred against us, their brethren. 40 And they sought by the power of their arms to
destroy us continually.
7:25.
41 Wherefore, the people of
Nephi did fortify against them with their arms, and with all their might,
trusting in the God and rock of their salvation; wherefore, they became as yet,
conquerors of their enemies.
Jacob; 5:8
7:26.
42 And it came to pass that I,
Jacob, began to be old; and the record of this people being kept on the other
plates of Nephi, wherefore, I conclude this record, declaring that I have
written according to the best of my knowledge, by saying 43 that the time passed away with us, and also our
lives passed away like as it were unto us a dream, we being a lonesome and a
solemn people, wanderers, cast out from Jerusalem, 44
born in tribulation, in a wilderness, and hated of our brethren, which
caused wars and contentions; wherefore, we did mourn out our days.
Jacob; 5:9
7:27.
45 And I, Jacob, saw that I
must soon go down to my grave; wherefore, I said unto my son Enos: Take these
plates. 46 And I told him the things which
my brother Nephi had commanded me, and he promised obedience unto the commands.
47 And I make an end of my writing upon
these plates, which writing has been small; 48 and
to the reader I bid farewell, hoping that many of my brethren may read my
words. Brethren, adieu.
THE
BOOK OF ENOS
Enos, Chapter 1
Enos; 1:1
Enos, Chapter 1
1:1.
1 Behold, it came to pass that
I, Enos, knowing my father that he was a just man—for he taught me in his
language, and also in the nurture and admonition of the Lord— 2 and blessed be the name of my God for it—
1:2.
3 And I will tell you of the
wrestle which I had before God, before I received a remission of my sins.
1:3.
4 Behold, I went to hunt
beasts in the forests; and the words which I had often heard my father speak
concerning eternal life, and the joy of the saints, sunk deep into my heart.
1:4.
5 And my soul hungered; and I
kneeled down before my Maker, and I cried unto him in mighty prayer and
supplication for mine own soul; 6 and all
the day long did I cry unto him; yea, and when the night came I did still raise
my voice high that it reached the heavens.
1:5.
7 And there came a voice unto
me, saying: Enos, thy sins are forgiven thee, and thou shalt be blessed.
1:6.
8 And I, Enos, knew that God
could not lie; wherefore, my guilt was swept away.
1:7.
9 And I said: Lord, how is it
done?
1:8.
10 And he said unto me: Because
of thy faith in Christ, whom thou hast never before heard nor seen. 11 And many years pass away before he shall
manifest himself in the flesh; wherefore, go to, thy faith hath made thee
whole.
Enos; 1:2
1:9.
12 Now, it came to pass that
when I had heard these words I began to feel a desire for the welfare of my
brethren, the Nephites; wherefore, I did pour out my whole soul unto God for
them.
1:10.
13 And while I was thus
struggling in the spirit, behold, the voice of the Lord came into my mind
again, saying: 14 I will visit thy brethren
according to their diligence in keeping my commandments. 15 I have given unto them this land, and it is a
holy land; and I curse it not save it be for the cause of iniquity; 16 wherefore, I will visit thy brethren according
as I have said; and their transgressions will I bring down with sorrow upon
their own heads.
1:11.
17 And after I, Enos, had heard
these words, my faith began to be unshaken in the Lord; and I prayed unto him
with many long strugglings for my brethren, the Lamanites.
Enos; 1:3
1:12.
18 And it came to pass that
after I had prayed and labored with all diligence, the Lord said unto me: I
will grant unto thee according to thy desires, because of thy faith.
1:13.
19 And now behold, this was the
desire which I desired of him—that if it should so be, that my people, the
Nephites, should fall into transgression, and by any means be destroyed, and
the Lamanites should not be destroyed, that the Lord God would preserve a
record of my people, the Nephites; 20 even
if it so be by the power of his holy arm, that it might be brought forth at
some future day unto the Lamanites, that, perhaps, they might be brought unto
salvation—
1:14.
21 For at the present our
strugglings were vain in restoring them to the true faith. 22 And they swore in their wrath that, if it were
possible, they would destroy our records and us, and also all the traditions of
our fathers.
Enos; 1:4
1:15.
23 Wherefore, I knowing that the
Lord God was able to preserve our records, I cried unto him continually, 24 for he had said unto me: Whatsoever thing ye
shall ask in faith, believing that ye shall receive in the name of Christ, ye
shall receive it.
1:16.
25 And I had faith, and I did
cry unto God that he would preserve the records; 26
and he covenanted with me that he would bring them forth unto the
Lamanites in his own due time.
1:17.
27 And I, Enos, knew it would
be according to the covenant which he had made; wherefore my soul did rest.
1:18.
28 And the Lord said unto me:
Thy fathers have also required of me this thing; and it shall be done unto them
according to their faith; for their faith was like unto thine.
Enos; 1:5
1:19.
29 And now it came to pass that
I, Enos, went about among the people of Nephi, prophesying of things to come,
and testifying of the things which I had heard and seen.
1:20.
30 And I bear record that the
people of Nephi did seek diligently to restore the Lamanites unto the true
faith in God. 31 But our labors were vain;
their hatred was fixed, and they were led by their evil nature that they became
wild, and ferocious, and a bloodthirsty people, full of idolatry and
filthiness; 32 feeding upon beasts of prey;
dwelling in tents, and wandering about in the wilderness with a short skin
girdle about their loins and their heads shaven; and their skill was in the
bow, and in the cimeter, and the ax. 33 And
many of them did eat nothing save it was raw meat; and they were continually
seeking to destroy us.
Enos; 1:6
1:21.
34 And it came to pass that the
people of Nephi did till the land, and raise all manner of grain, and of fruit,
and flocks of herds, and flocks of all manner of cattle of every kind, and
goats, and wild goats, and also many horses.
1:22.
35 And there were exceedingly
many prophets among us. 36 And the people
were a stiffnecked people, hard to understand.
1:23.
37 And there was nothing save
it was exceeding harshness, preaching and prophesying of wars, and contentions,
and destructions, and continually reminding them of death, and the duration of
eternity, and the judgments and the power of God, 38
and all these things—stirring them up continually to keep them in the
fear of the Lord. 39 I say there was nothing
short of these things, and exceedingly great plainness of speech, would keep
them from going down speedily to destruction. 40 And
after this manner do I write concerning them.
1:24.
41 And I saw wars between the
Nephites and Lamanites in the course of my days.
Enos; 1:7
1:25.
42 And it came to pass that I
began to be old, and an hundred and seventy and nine years had passed away from
the time that our father Lehi left Jerusalem.
1:26.
43 And I saw that I must soon go
down to my grave, having been wrought upon by the power of God that I must
preach and prophesy unto this people, and declare the word according to the
truth which is in Christ. 44 And I have
declared it in all my days, and have rejoiced in it above that of the world.
1:27.
45 And I soon go to the place
of my rest, which is with my Redeemer; for I know that in him I shall rest. 46 And I rejoice in the day when my mortal shall
put on immortality, and shall stand before him; then shall I see his face with
pleasure, and he will say unto me: Come unto me, ye blessed, there is a place
prepared for you in the mansions of my Father. Amen.
THE
BOOK OF JAROM
Jarom, Chapter 1
Jarom; 1:1
Jarom, Chapter 1
1:1.
1 Now behold, I, Jarom, write
a few words according to the commandment of my father, Enos, that our genealogy
may be kept.
1:2.
2 And as these plates are
small, and as these things are written for the intent of the benefit of our
brethren the Lamanites, wherefore, it must needs be that I write a little; but
I shall not write the things of my prophesying, nor of my revelations. 3 For what could I write more than my fathers have
written? 4 For have not they revealed the
plan of salvation? 5 I say unto you, Yea;
and this sufficeth me.
Jarom; 1:2
1:3.
6 Behold, it is expedient that
much should be done among this people, because of the hardness of their hearts,
and the deafness of their ears, and the blindness of their minds, and the
stiffness of their necks; 7 nevertheless,
God is exceedingly merciful unto them, and has not as yet swept them off from
the face of the land.
1:4.
8 And there are many among us
who have many revelations, for they are not all stiffnecked. 9 And as many as are not stiffnecked and have
faith, have communion with the Holy Spirit, which maketh manifest unto the
children of men, according to their faith.
Jarom; 1:3
1:5.
10 And now, behold, two hundred
years had passed away, and the people of Nephi had waxed strong in the land. 11 They observed to keep the law of Moses and the
sabbath day holy unto the Lord. 12 And they
profaned not; neither did they blaspheme. 13 And
the laws of the land were exceedingly strict.
1:6.
14 And they were scattered upon
much of the face of the land, and the Lamanites also. 15
And they were exceedingly more numerous than were they of the Nephites;
and they loved murder and would drink the blood of beasts.
Jarom; 1:4
1:7.
16 And it came to pass that
they came many times against us, the Nephites, to battle. 17 But our kings and our leaders were mighty men
in the faith of the Lord; and they taught the people the ways of the Lord; 18 wherefore, we withstood the Lamanites and swept
them away out of our lands, and began to fortify our cities, or whatsoever
place of our inheritance.
1:8.
19 And we multiplied
exceedingly, and spread upon the face of the land, and became exceedingly rich
in gold, and in silver, and in precious things, and in fine workmanship of
wood, in buildings, and in machinery, and also in iron and copper, and brass
and steel, making all manner of tools of every kind to till the ground, and
weapons of war— 20 yea, the sharp pointed
arrow, and the quiver, and the dart, and the javelin, and all preparations for
war.
1:9.
21 And thus being prepared to
meet the Lamanites, they did not prosper against us. 22
But the word of the Lord was verified, which he spake unto our fathers,
saying that: Inasmuch as ye will keep my commandments ye shall prosper in the
land.
Jarom; 1:5
1:10.
23 And it came to pass that the
prophets of the Lord did threaten the people of Nephi, according to the word of
God, that if they did not keep the commandments, but should fall into
transgression, they should be destroyed from off the face of the land.
1:11.
24 Wherefore, the prophets, and
the priests, and the teachers, did labor diligently, exhorting with all
long-suffering the people to diligence; teaching the law of Moses, and the
intent for which it was given; 25 persuading
them to look forward unto the Messiah, and believe in him to come as though he
already was. 26 And after this manner did
they teach them.
1:12.
27 And it came to pass that by
so doing they kept them from being destroyed upon the face of the land; 28 for they did prick their hearts with the word,
continually stirring them up unto repentance.
Jarom; 1:6
1:13.
29 And it came to pass that two
hundred and thirty and eight years had passed away—after the manner of wars,
and contentions, and dissensions, for the space of much of the time.
1:14.
30 And I, Jarom, do not write
more, for the plates are small. 31 But
behold, my brethren, ye can go to the other plates of Nephi; for behold, upon
them the records of our wars are engraven, according to the writings of the
kings, or those which they caused to be written.
1:15.
32 And I deliver these plates
into the hands of my son Omni, that they may be kept according to the
commandments of my fathers.
THE
BOOK OF OMNI
Omni, Chapter 1
Omni; 1:1
Omni, Chapter 1
1:1.
1 Behold, it came to pass that
I, Omni, being commanded by my father, Jarom, that I should write somewhat upon
these plates, to preserve our genealogy—
1:2.
2 Wherefore, in my days, I
would that ye should know that I fought much with the sword to preserve my
people, the Nephites, from falling into the hands of their enemies, the
Lamanites. 3 But behold, I of myself am a
wicked man, and I have not kept the statutes and the commandments of the Lord
as I ought to have done.
Omni; 1:2
1:3.
4 And it came to pass that two
hundred and seventy and six years had passed away, and we had many seasons of
peace; and we had many seasons of serious war and bloodshed. 5 Yea, and in fine, two hundred and eighty and two
years had passed away, and I had kept these plates according to the
commandments of my fathers; and I conferred them upon my son Amaron. And I make
an end.
Omni; 1:3
1:4.
6 And now I, Amaron, write the
things whatsoever I write, which are few, in the book of my father.
1:5.
7 Behold, it came to pass that
three hundred and twenty years had passed away, and the more wicked part of the
Nephites were destroyed.
1:6.
8 For the Lord would not
suffer, after he had led them out of the land of Jerusalem and kept and
preserved them from falling into the hands of their enemies, yea, he would not
suffer that the words should not be verified, which he spake unto our fathers, saying
that: Inasmuch as ye will not keep my commandments ye shall not prosper in the
land.
1:7.
9 Wherefore, the Lord did
visit them in great judgment; nevertheless, he did spare the righteous that
they should not perish, but did deliver them out of the hands of their enemies.
1:8.
10 And it came to pass that I
did deliver the plates unto my brother Chemish.
Omni; 1:4
1:9.
11 Now I, Chemish, write what
few things I write, in the same book with my brother; for behold, I saw the
last which he wrote, that he wrote it with his own hand; and he wrote it in the
day that he delivered them unto me. 12 And
after this manner we keep the records, for it is according to the commandments
of our fathers. And I make an end.
Omni; 1:5
1:10.
13 Behold, I, Abinadom, am the
son of Chemish. 14 Behold, it came to pass
that I saw much war and contention between my people, the Nephites, and the
Lamanites; 15 and I, with my own sword, have
taken the lives of many of the Lamanites in the defence of my brethren.
1:11.
16 And behold, the record of
this people is engraven upon plates which is had by the kings, according to the
generations; 17 and I know of no revelation
save that which has been written, neither prophecy; wherefore, that which is
sufficient is written. And I make an end.
Omni; 1:6
1:12.
18 Behold, I am Amaleki, the
son of Abinadom. 19 Behold, I will speak
unto you somewhat concerning Mosiah, who was made king over the land of
Zarahemla; 20 for behold, he being warned of
the Lord that he should flee out of the land of Nephi, and as many as would
hearken unto the voice of the Lord should also depart out of the land with him,
into the wilderness—
1:13.
21 And it came to pass that he
did according as the Lord had commanded him. 22 And
they departed out of the land into the wilderness, as many as would hearken
unto the voice of the Lord; and they were led by many preachings and
prophesyings. 23 And they were admonished
continually by the word of God; and they were led by the power of his arm,
through the wilderness, until they came down into the land which is called the
land of Zarahemla.
1:14.
24 And they discovered a
people, who were called the people of Zarahemla. 25
Now, there was great rejoicing among the people of Zarahemla; and also
Zarahemla did rejoice exceedingly, because the Lord had sent the people of
Mosiah with the plates of brass which contained the record of the Jews.
Omni; 1:7
1:15.
26 Behold, it came to pass that
Mosiah discovered that the people of Zarahemla came out from Jerusalem at the
time that Zedekiah, king of Judah, was carried away captive into Babylon.
1:16.
27 And they journeyed in the
wilderness, and were brought by the hand of the Lord across the great waters,
into the land where Mosiah discovered them; and they had dwelt there from that
time forth.
1:17.
28 And at the time that Mosiah
discovered them, they had become exceedingly numerous. 29
Nevertheless, they had had many wars and serious contentions, and had
fallen by the sword from time to time; 30 and
their language had become corrupted; and they had brought no records with them;
31 and they denied the being of their
Creator; and Mosiah, nor the people of Mosiah, could understand them.
Omni; 1:8
1:18.
32 But it came to pass that
Mosiah caused that they should be taught in his language. 33 And it came to pass that after they were taught
in the language of Mosiah, Zarahemla gave a genealogy of his fathers, according
to his memory; and they are written, but not in these plates.
Omni; 1:9
1:19.
34 And it came to pass that the
people of Zarahemla, and of Mosiah, did unite together; and Mosiah was
appointed to be their king.
1:20.
35 And it came to pass in the
days of Mosiah, there was a large stone brought unto him with engravings on it;
and he did interpret the engravings by the gift and power of God.
Omni; 1:10
1:21.
36 And they gave an account of
one Coriantumr, and the slain of his people. 37 And
Coriantumr was discovered by the people of Zarahemla; and he dwelt with them
for the space of nine moons.
1:22.
38 It also spake a few words
concerning his fathers. 39 And his first
parents came out from the tower, at the time the Lord confounded the language
of the people; and the severity of the Lord fell upon them according to his
judgments, which are just; and their bones lay scattered in the land northward.
Omni; 1:11
1:23.
40 Behold, I, Amaleki, was born
in the days of Mosiah; and I have lived to see his death; and Benjamin, his
son, reigneth in his stead.
1:24.
41 And behold, I have seen, in
the days of king Benjamin, a serious war and much bloodshed between the
Nephites and the Lamanites. 42 But behold,
the Nephites did obtain much advantage over them; yea, insomuch that king
Benjamin did drive them out of the land of Zarahemla.
Omni; 1:12
1:25.
43 And it came to pass that I
began to be old; and, having no seed, and knowing king Benjamin to be a just
man before the Lord, wherefore, I shall deliver up these plates unto him,
exhorting all men to come unto God, the Holy One of Israel, 44 and believe in prophesying, and in revelations,
and in the ministering of angels, and in the gift of speaking with tongues, and
in the gift of interpreting languages, and in all things which are good; 45 for there is nothing which is good save it
comes from the Lord; and that which is evil cometh from the devil.
Omni; 1:13
1:26.
46 And now, my beloved brethren,
I would that ye should come unto Christ, who is the Holy One of Israel, and
partake of his salvation, and the power of his redemption. 47 Yea, come unto him, and offer your whole souls
as an offering unto him, and continue in fasting and praying, and endure to the
end; and as the Lord liveth ye will be saved.
Omni; 1:14
1:27.
48 And now I would speak
somewhat concerning a certain number who went up into the wilderness to return
to the land of Nephi; 49 for there was a
large number who were desirous to possess the land of their inheritance.
1:28.
50 Wherefore, they went up into
the wilderness. And their leader being a strong and mighty man, and a
stiffnecked man, wherefore he caused a contention among them; and they were all
slain, save fifty, in the wilderness, and they returned again to the land of
Zarahemla.
Omni; 1:15
1:29.
51 And it came to pass that
they also took others to a considerable number, and took their journey again
into the wilderness.
1:30.
52 And I, Amaleki, had a
brother, who also went with them; and I have not since known concerning them. 53 And I am about to lie down in my grave; and
these plates are full. 54 And I make an end
of my speaking.
THE
WORDS OF MORMON
Words of Mormon, Chapter 1
Words of Mormon;
1:1
Words of Mormon, Chapter 1
1:1.
1 And now I, Mormon, being
about to deliver up the record which I have been making into the hands of my
son Moroni, behold I have witnessed almost all the destruction of my people,
the Nephites.
1:2.
2 And it is many hundred years
after the coming of Christ that I deliver these records into the hands of my
son; and it supposeth me that he will witness the entire destruction of my
people. 3 But may God grant that he may
survive them, that he may write somewhat concerning them, and somewhat
concerning Christ, that perhaps some day it may profit them.
Words of Mormon;
1:2
1:3.
4 And now, I speak somewhat
concerning that which I have written; for after I had made an abridgment from
the plates of Nephi, down to the reign of this king Benjamin, of whom Amaleki
spake, 5 I searched among the records which
had been delivered into my hands, and I found these plates, which contained
this small account of the prophets, from Jacob down to the reign of this king
Benjamin, and also many of the words of Nephi.
1:4.
6 And the things which are
upon these plates pleasing me, because of the prophecies of the coming of
Christ; and my fathers knowing that many of them have been fulfilled; 7 yea, and I also know that as many things as have
been prophesied concerning us down to this day have been fulfilled, and as many
as go beyond this day must surely come to pass—
1:5.
8 Wherefore, I chose these
things, to finish my record upon them, which remainder of my record I shall
take from the plates of Nephi; and I cannot write the hundredth part of the
things of my people.
Words of Mormon;
1:3
1:6.
9 But behold, I shall take
these plates, which contain these prophesyings and revelations, and put them
with the remainder of my record, for they are choice unto me; and I know they
will be choice unto my brethren.
1:7.
10 And I do this for a wise
purpose; for thus it whispereth me, according to the workings of the Spirit of
the Lord which is in me. 11 And now, I do
not know all things; but the Lord knoweth all things which are to come;
wherefore, he worketh in me to do according to his will.
1:8.
12 And my prayer to God is
concerning my brethren, that they may once again come to the knowledge of God,
yea, the redemption of Christ; that they may once again be a delightsome
people.
Words of Mormon;
1:4
1:9.
13 And now I, Mormon, proceed
to finish out my record, which I take from the plates of Nephi; and I make it
according to the knowledge and the understanding which God has given me.
1:10.
14 Wherefore, it came to pass
that after Amaleki had delivered up these plates into the hands of king
Benjamin, he took them and put them with the other plates, which contained
records which had been handed down by the kings, from generation to generation until
the days of king Benjamin.
1:11.
15 And they were handed down
from king Benjamin, from generation to generation until they have fallen into
my hands. 16 And I, Mormon, pray to God that
they may be preserved from this time henceforth. 17
And I know that they will be preserved; for there are great things
written upon them, out of which my people and their brethren shall be judged at
the great and last day, according to the word of God which is written.
Words of Mormon;
1:5
1:12.
18 And now, concerning this
king Benjamin—he had somewhat of contentions among his own people.
1:13.
19 And it came to pass also
that the armies of the Lamanites came down out of the land of Nephi, to battle
against his people. 20 But behold, king
Benjamin gathered together his armies, and he did stand against them; and he
did fight with the strength of his own arm, with the sword of Laban.
1:14.
21 And in the strength of the
Lord they did contend against their enemies, until they had slain many
thousands of the Lamanites. 22 And it came
to pass that they did contend against the Lamanites until they had driven them
out of all the lands of their inheritance.
Words of Mormon;
1:6
1:15.
23 And it came to pass that
after there had been false Christs, and their mouths had been shut, and they
punished according to their crimes;
1:16.
24 And after there had been
false prophets, and false preachers and teachers among the people, and all
these having been punished according to their crimes; 25
and after there having been much contention and many dissensions away
unto the Lamanites, behold, it came to pass that king Benjamin, with the
assistance of the holy prophets who were among his people—
1:17.
For behold, king Benjamin was a holy man,
and he did reign over his people in righteousness; 26
and there were many holy men in the land, and they did speak the word of
God with power and with authority; and they did use much sharpness because of
the stiffneckedness of the people—
1:18.
27 Wherefore, with the help of
these, king Benjamin, by laboring with all the might of his body and the
faculty of his whole soul, and also the prophets, did once more establish peace
in the land.
THE
BOOK OF MOSIAH
Mosiah, Chapter 1
Mosiah; 1:1
Mosiah, Chapter 1
1:1.
1 And now there was no more
contention in all the land of Zarahemla, among all the people who belonged to
king Benjamin, so that king Benjamin had continual peace all the remainder of
his days.
1:2.
2 And it came to pass that he
had three sons; and he called their names Mosiah, and Helorum, and Helaman. 3 And he caused that they should be taught in all
the language of his fathers, that thereby they might become men of
understanding; and that they might know concerning the prophecies which had
been spoken by the mouths of their fathers, which were delivered them by the
hand of the Lord.
1:3.
4 And he also taught them
concerning the records which were engraven on the plates of brass, saying: My
sons, I would that ye should remember that were it not for these plates, which
contain these records and these commandments, we must have suffered in ignorance,
even at this present time, not knowing the mysteries of God.
1:4.
5 For it were not possible
that our father, Lehi, could have remembered all these things, to have taught
them to his children, except it were for the help of these plates; 6 for he having been taught in the language of the
Egyptians therefore he could read these engravings, and teach them to his
children, that thereby they could teach them to their children, and so
fulfilling the commandments of God, even down to this present time.
1:5.
7 I say unto you, my sons,
were it not for these things, which have been kept and preserved by the hand of
God, that we might read and understand of his mysteries, and have his
commandments always before our eyes, that even our fathers would have dwindled
in unbelief, 8 and we should have been like
unto our brethren, the Lamanites, who know nothing concerning these things, or
even do not believe them when they are taught them, because of the traditions
of their fathers, which are not correct.
1:6.
9 O my sons, I would that ye
should remember that these sayings are true, and also that these records are
true. 10 And behold, also the plates of
Nephi, which contain the records and the sayings of our fathers from the time
they left Jerusalem until now, and they are true; and we can know of their
surety because we have them before our eyes.
1:7.
11 And now, my sons, I would
that ye should remember to search them diligently, that ye may profit thereby; 12 and I would that ye should keep the
commandments of God, that ye may prosper in the land according to the promises
which the Lord made unto our fathers.
1:8.
13 And many more things did
king Benjamin teach his sons, which are not written in this book.
Mosiah; 1:2
1:9.
14 And it came to pass that
after king Benjamin had made an end of teaching his sons, that he waxed old,
and he saw that he must very soon go the way of all the earth; therefore, he
thought it expedient that he should confer the kingdom upon one of his sons.
1:10.
15 Therefore, he had Mosiah
brought before him; and these are the words which he spake unto him, saying: My
son, I would that ye should make a proclamation throughout all this land among
all this people, or the people of Zarahemla, and the people of Mosiah who dwell
in the land, that thereby they may be gathered together; 16 for on the morrow I shall proclaim unto this my
people out of mine own mouth that thou art a king and a ruler over this people,
whom the Lord our God hath given us.
1:11.
17 And moreover, I shall give
this people a name, that thereby they may be distinguished above all the people
which the Lord God hath brought out of the land of Jerusalem; and this I do
because they have been a diligent people in keeping the commandments of the
Lord.
1:12.
18 And I give unto them a name
that never shall be blotted out, except it be through transgression.
1:13.
19 Yea, and moreover I say unto
you, that if this highly favored people of the Lord should fall into
transgression, and become a wicked and an adulterous people, that the Lord will
deliver them up, that thereby they become weak like unto their brethren; 20 and he will no more preserve them by his
matchless and marvelous power, as he has hitherto preserved our fathers.
1:14.
21 For I say unto you, that if
he had not extended his arm in the preservation of our fathers they must have
fallen into the hands of the Lamanites, and become victims to their hatred.
Mosiah; 1:3
1:15.
22 And it came to pass that
after king Benjamin had made an end of these sayings to his son, that he gave
him charge concerning all the affairs of the kingdom.
1:16.
23 And moreover, he also gave
him charge concerning the records which were engraven on the plates of brass;
and also the plates of Nephi; 24 and also,
the sword of Laban, and the ball or director, which led our fathers through the
wilderness, which was prepared by the hand of the Lord that thereby they might
be led, every one according to the heed and diligence which they gave unto him.
1:17.
25 Therefore, as they were
unfaithful they did not prosper nor progress in their journey, but were driven
back, and incurred the displeasure of God upon them; 26
and therefore they were smitten with famine and sore afflictions, to
stir them up in remembrance of their duty.
Mosiah; 1:4
1:18.
27 And now, it came to pass
that Mosiah went and did as his father had commanded him, and proclaimed unto
all the people who were in the land of Zarahemla that thereby they might gather
themselves together, to go up to the temple to hear the words which his father
should speak unto them.
Mosiah; 1:5
Mosiah, Chapter 2
2:1.
28 And it came to pass that
after Mosiah had done as his father had commanded him, and had made a
proclamation throughout all the land, that the people gathered themselves
together throughout all the land, that they might go up to the temple to hear
the words which king Benjamin should speak unto them.
2:2.
29 And there were a great
number, even so many that they did not number them; for they had multiplied
exceedingly and waxed great in the land.
2:3.
30 And they also took of the
firstlings of their flocks, that they might offer sacrifice and burnt offerings
according to the law of Moses;
2:4.
31 And also that they might
give thanks to the Lord their God, who had brought them out of the land of
Jerusalem, and who had delivered them out of the hands of their enemies, and
had appointed just men to be their teachers, and also a just man to be their
king, 32 who had established peace in the
land of Zarahemla, and who had taught them to keep the commandments of God,
that they might rejoice and be filled with love towards God and all men.
Mosiah; 1:6
2:5.
33 And it came to pass that
when they came up to the temple, they pitched their tents round about, every
man according to his family, consisting of his wife, and his sons, and his
daughters, and their sons, and their daughters, from the eldest down to the youngest,
every family being separate one from another.
2:6.
34 And they pitched their tents
round about the temple, every man having his tent with the door thereof towards
the temple, that thereby they might remain in their tents and hear the words
which king Benjamin should speak unto them;
2:7.
35 For the multitude being so
great that king Benjamin could not teach them all within the walls of the
temple, therefore he caused a tower to be erected, that thereby his people
might hear the words which he should speak unto them.
Mosiah; 1:7
2:8.
36 And it came to pass that he
began to speak to his people from the tower; and they could not all hear his
words because of the greatness of the multitude; 37
therefore he caused that the words which he spake should be written and
sent forth among those that were not under the sound of his voice, that they
might also receive his words.
2:9.
38 And these are the words
which he spake and caused to be written, saying: My brethren, all ye that have
assembled yourselves together, you that can hear my words which I shall speak
unto you this day; 39 for I have not
commanded you to come up hither to trifle with the words which I shall speak,
but that you should hearken unto me, and open your ears that ye may hear, and
your hearts that ye may understand, and your minds that the mysteries of God
may be unfolded to your view.
2:10.
40 I have not commanded you to
come up hither that ye should fear me, or that ye should think that I of myself
am more than a mortal man.
2:11.
41 But I am like as yourselves,
subject to all manner of infirmities in body and mind; 42
yet I have been chosen by this people, and consecrated by my father, and
was suffered by the hand of the Lord that I should be a ruler and a king over
this people; and have been kept and preserved by his matchless power, to serve
you with all the might, mind and strength which the Lord hath granted unto me.
2:12.
43 I say unto you that as I
have been suffered to spend my days in your service, even up to this time, and
have not sought gold nor silver nor any manner of riches of you;
2:13.
44 Neither have I suffered that
ye should be confined in dungeons, nor that ye should make slaves one of
another, nor that ye should murder, or plunder, or steal, or commit adultery; 45 nor even have I suffered that ye should commit
any manner of wickedness, and have taught you that ye should keep the
commandments of the Lord, in all things which he hath commanded you—
2:14.
46 And even I, myself, have
labored with mine own hands that I might serve you, and that ye should not be
laden with taxes, and that there should nothing come upon you which was
grievous to be borne—and of all these things which I have spoken, ye yourselves
are witnesses this day.
2:15.
47 Yet, my brethren, I have not
done these things that I might boast, neither do I tell these things that
thereby I might accuse you; but I tell you these things that ye may know that I
can answer a clear conscience before God this day.
2:16.
48 Behold, I say unto you that
because I said unto you that I had spent my days in your service, I do not
desire to boast, for I have only been in the service of God.
Mosiah; 1:8
2:17.
49 And behold, I tell you these
things that ye may learn wisdom; that ye may learn that when ye are in the
service of your fellow beings ye are only in the service of your God.
2:18.
50 Behold, ye have called me
your king; and if I, whom ye call your king, do labor to serve you, then ought
not ye to labor to serve one another?
2:19.
51 And behold also, if I, whom
ye call your king, who has spent his days in your service, and yet has been in
the service of God, do merit any thanks from you, O how you ought to thank your
heavenly King!
2:20.
52 I say unto you, my brethren,
that if you should render all the thanks and praise which your whole soul has
power to possess, to that God who has created you, and has kept and preserved
you, and has caused that ye should rejoice, and has granted that ye should live
in peace one with another—
2:21.
53 I say unto you that if ye
should serve him who has created you from the beginning, and is preserving you
from day to day, by lending you breath, that ye may live and move and do
according to your own will, and even supporting you from one moment to another—
54 I say, if ye should serve him with all
your whole souls yet ye would be unprofitable servants.
2:22.
55 And behold, all that he
requires of you is to keep his commandments; and he has promised you that if ye
would keep his commandments ye should prosper in the land; 56 and he never doth vary from that which he hath
said; therefore, if ye do keep his commandments he doth bless you and prosper
you.
Mosiah; 1:9
2:23.
57 And now, in the first place,
he hath created you, and granted unto you your lives, for which ye are indebted
unto him.
2:24.
58 And secondly, he doth
require that ye should do as he hath commanded you; for which if ye do, he doth
immediately bless you; and therefore he hath paid you. 59
And ye are still indebted unto him, and are, and will be, forever and
ever; therefore, of what have ye to boast?
2:25.
60 And now I ask, can ye say
aught of yourselves? I answer you, Nay. 61 Ye
cannot say that ye are even as much as the dust of the earth; yet ye were
created of the dust of the earth; but behold, it belongeth to him who created
you.
2:26.
62 And I, even I, whom ye call
your king, am no better than ye yourselves are; for I am also of the dust. 63 And ye behold that I am old, and am about to
yield up this mortal frame to its mother earth.
2:27.
64 Therefore, as I said unto
you that I had served you, walking with a clear conscience before God, even so
I at this time have caused that ye should assemble yourselves together, that I
might be found blameless, and that your blood should not come upon me, when I
shall stand to be judged of God of the things whereof he hath commanded me
concerning you.
2:28.
65 I say unto you that I have
caused that ye should assemble yourselves together that I might rid my garments
of your blood, at this period of time when I am about to go down to my grave, 66 that I might go down in peace, and my immortal
spirit may join the choirs above in singing the praises of a just God.
2:29.
67 And moreover, I say unto you
that I have caused that ye should assemble yourselves together, that I might
declare unto you that I can no longer be your teacher, nor your king;
2:30.
68 For even at this time, my
whole frame doth tremble exceedingly while attempting to speak unto you; 69 but the Lord God doth support me, and hath
suffered me that I should speak unto you, and hath commanded me that I should
declare unto you this day, that my son Mosiah is a king and a ruler over you.
Mosiah; 1:10
2:31.
70 And now, my brethren, I
would that ye should do as ye have hitherto done. 71
As ye have kept my commandments, and also the commandments of my father,
and have prospered, and have been kept from falling into the hands of your
enemies, 72 even so if ye shall keep the
commandments of my son, or the commandments of God which shall be delivered
unto you by him, ye shall prosper in the land, and your enemies shall have no
power over you.
2:32.
73 But, O my people, beware
lest there shall arise contentions among you, and ye list to obey the evil
spirit, which was spoken of by my father Mosiah.
2:33.
74 For behold, there is a wo
pronounced upon him who listeth to obey that spirit; for if he listeth to obey
him, and remaineth and dieth in his sins, the same drinketh damnation to his
own soul; 75 for he receiveth for his wages
an everlasting punishment, having transgressed the law of God contrary to his
own knowledge.
2:34.
76 I say unto you, that there
are not any among you, except it be your little children that have not been
taught concerning these things, but what knoweth that ye are eternally indebted
to your heavenly Father, 77 to render to him
all that you have and are; and also have been taught concerning the records
which contain the prophecies which have been spoken by the holy prophets, even
down to the time our father, Lehi, left Jerusalem;
2:35.
And also, all that has been spoken by our
fathers until now. 78 And behold, also, they
spake that which was commanded them of the Lord; therefore, they are just and
true.
Mosiah; 1:11
2:36.
79 And now, I say unto you, my
brethren, that after ye have known and have been taught all these things, if ye
should transgress and go contrary to that which has been spoken, that ye do
withdraw yourselves from the Spirit of the Lord, that it may have no place in
you to guide you in wisdom’s paths that ye may be blessed, prospered, and
preserved—
2:37.
80 I say unto you, that the man
that doeth this, the same cometh out in open rebellion against God; 81 therefore he listeth to obey the evil spirit,
and becometh an enemy to all righteousness; 82 therefore,
the Lord has no place in him, for he dwelleth not in unholy temples.
2:38.
83 Therefore if that man
repenteth not, and remaineth and dieth an enemy to God, the demands of divine
justice do awaken his immortal soul to a lively sense of his own guilt, 84 which doth cause him to shrink from the
presence of the Lord, and doth fill his breast with guilt, and pain, and
anguish, which is like an unquenchable fire, whose flame ascendeth up forever
and ever.
2:39.
85 And now I say unto you, that
mercy hath no claim on that man; therefore his final doom is to endure a
never-ending torment.
Mosiah; 1:12
2:40.
86 O, all ye old men, and also
ye young men, and you little children who can understand my words, for I have
spoken plainly unto you that ye might understand, 87
I pray that ye should awake to a remembrance of the awful situation of
those that have fallen into transgression.
2:41.
88 And moreover, I would desire
that ye should consider on the blessed and happy state of those that keep the
commandments of God. 89 For behold, they are
blessed in all things, both temporal and spiritual; 90
and if they hold out faithful to the end they are received into heaven,
that thereby they may dwell with God in a state of never-ending happiness. 91 O remember, remember that these things are
true; for the Lord God hath spoken it.
Mosiah; 1:13
Mosiah, Chapter 3
3:1.
92 And again my brethren, I
would call your attention, for I have somewhat more to speak unto you; 93 for behold, I have things to tell you
concerning that which is to come.
3:2.
And the things which I shall tell you are
made known unto me by an angel from God. 94 And
he said unto me: Awake; and I awoke, and behold he stood before me.
3:3.
95 And he said unto me: Awake, and hear the words
which I shall tell thee; for behold, I am come to declare unto you the glad
tidings of great joy.
3:4.
96 For the Lord hath heard thy prayers, and hath
judged of thy righteousness, and hath sent me to declare unto thee that thou
mayest rejoice; and that thou mayest declare unto thy people, that they may
also be filled with joy.
3:5.
97 For behold, the time cometh, and is not far
distant, that with power, the Lord Omnipotent who reigneth, who was, and is
from all eternity to all eternity, shall come down from heaven among the
children of men, and shall dwell in a tabernacle of clay, 98 and
shall go forth amongst men, working mighty miracles, such as healing the sick,
raising the dead, causing the lame to walk, the blind to receive their sight,
and the deaf to hear, and curing all manner of diseases.
3:6.
99 And he shall cast out devils, or the evil
spirits which dwell in the hearts of the children of men.
3:7.
100 And lo, he shall suffer temptations, and pain
of body, hunger, thirst, and fatigue, even more than man can suffer, except it
be unto death; 101
for behold, blood cometh from every pore, so great shall be his anguish
for the wickedness and the abominations of his people.
Mosiah; 1:14
3:8.
102 And he shall be called Jesus Christ, the Son
of God, the Father of heaven and earth, the Creator of all things from the
beginning; and his mother shall be called Mary.
3:9.
103 And lo, he cometh unto his own, that salvation
might come unto the children of men even through faith on his name; 104 and
even after all this they shall consider him a man, and say that he hath a
devil, and shall scourge him, and shall crucify him.
3:10.
105 And he shall rise the third day from the dead;
and behold, he standeth to judge the world;
106 and behold, all these things are
done that a righteous judgment might come upon the children of men.
3:11.
107 For behold, and also his
blood atoneth for the sins of those who have fallen by the transgression of
Adam, who have died not knowing the will of God concerning them, or who have
ignorantly sinned.
3:12.
108 But wo, wo unto him who
knoweth that he rebelleth against God! For salvation cometh to none such except
it be through repentance and faith on the Lord Jesus Christ.
3:13.
109 And the Lord God hath sent
his holy prophets among all the children of men, to declare these things to
every kindred, nation, and tongue, that thereby whosoever should believe that
Christ should come, the same might receive remission of their sins, and rejoice
with exceedingly great joy, even as though he had already come among them.
3:14.
110 Yet the Lord God saw that
his people were a stiffnecked people, and he appointed unto them a law, even
the law of Moses.
3:15.
111 And many signs, and wonders,
and types, and shadows showed he unto them, concerning his coming; 112 and also holy prophets spake unto them
concerning his coming; 113 and yet they
hardened their hearts, and understood not that the law of Moses availeth
nothing except it were through the atonement of his blood.
3:16.
114 And even if it were possible
that little children could sin they could not be saved; but I say unto you they
are blessed; 115 for behold, as in Adam, or
by nature, they fall, even so the blood of Christ atoneth for their sins.
Mosiah; 1:15
3:17.
116 And moreover, I say unto
you, that there shall be no other name given nor any other way nor means
whereby salvation can come unto the children of men, only in and through the
name of Christ, the Lord Omnipotent.
3:18.
117 For behold he judgeth, and
his judgment is just; and the infant perisheth not that dieth in his infancy; 118 but men drink damnation to their own souls
except they humble themselves and become as little children, and believe that
salvation was, and is, and is to come, in and through the atoning blood of
Christ, the Lord Omnipotent.
3:19.
119 For the natural man is an
enemy to God, and has been from the fall of Adam, and will be, forever and
ever, 120 unless he yields to the enticings
of the Holy Spirit, and putteth off the natural man and becometh a saint
through the atonement of Christ the Lord, and becometh as a child, submissive,
meek, humble, patient, full of love, willing to submit to all things which the
Lord seeth fit to inflict upon him, even as a child doth submit to his father.
3:20.
121 And moreover, I say unto you,
that the time shall come when the knowledge of the Savior shall spread
throughout every nation, kindred, tongue, and people.
3:21.
122 And behold, when that time
cometh, none shall be found blameless before God, except it be little children,
only through repentance and faith on the name of the Lord God Omnipotent.
3:22.
123 And even at this time, when
thou shalt have taught thy people the things which the Lord thy God hath
commanded thee, even then are they found no more blameless in the sight of God,
only according to the words which I have spoken unto thee.
Mosiah; 1:16
3:23.
124 And now I have spoken the
words which the Lord God hath commanded me.
3:24.
125 And thus saith the Lord:
They shall stand as a bright testimony against this people, at the judgment
day; 126 whereof they shall be judged, every
man according to his works, whether they be good, or whether they be evil.
3:25.
127 And if they be evil they are
consigned to an awful view of their own guilt and abominations, which doth
cause them to shrink from the presence of the Lord into a state of misery and
endless torment, from whence they can no more return; therefore they have drunk
damnation to their own souls.
3:26.
128 Therefore, they have drunk
out of the cup of the wrath of God, which justice could no more deny unto them
than it could deny that Adam should fall because of his partaking of the
forbidden fruit; therefore, mercy could have claim on them no more forever.
3:27.
129 And their torment is as a
lake of fire and brimstone, whose flames are unquenchable, and whose smoke
ascendeth up forever and ever. 130 Thus hath
the Lord commanded me. Amen.
Mosiah, Chapter 2
Mosiah; 2:1
Mosiah, Chapter 4
4:1. 1 And now,
it came to pass that when king Benjamin had made an end of speaking the words
which had been delivered unto him by the angel of the Lord, that he cast his
eyes round about on the multitude, and behold they had fallen to the earth, for
the fear of the Lord had come upon them.
4:2.
2 And they had viewed
themselves in their own carnal state, even less than the dust of the earth. 3 And they all cried aloud with one voice, saying:
O have mercy, and apply the atoning blood of Christ that we may receive
forgiveness of our sins, and our hearts may be purified; 4 for we believe in Jesus Christ, the Son of God,
who created heaven and earth, and all things; who shall come down among the
children of men.
Mosiah; 2:2
4:3. 5 And it came to pass that after they had spoken these words the
Spirit of the Lord came upon them, and they were filled with joy, 6 having received a remission of their sins, and
having peace of conscience, because of the exceeding faith which they had in
Jesus Christ who should come, according to the words which king Benjamin had
spoken unto them.
4:4.
7 And king Benjamin again
opened his mouth and began to speak unto them, saying: My friends and my
brethren, my kindred and my people, I would again call your attention, that ye
may hear and understand the remainder of my words which I shall speak unto you.
4:5.
8 For behold, if the knowledge
of the goodness of God at this time has awakened you to a sense of your
nothingness, and your worthless and fallen state—
4:6.
9 I say unto you, if ye have
come to a knowledge of the goodness of God, and his matchless power, and his
wisdom, and his patience, and his long-suffering towards the children of men; 10 and also, the atonement which has been prepared
from the foundation of the world, that thereby salvation might come to him that
should put his trust in the Lord, and should be diligent in keeping his
commandments, and continue in the faith even unto the end of his life, I mean
the life of the mortal body—
4:7.
11 I say, that this is the man
who receiveth salvation, through the atonement which was prepared from the
foundation of the world for all mankind, which ever were since the fall of
Adam, or who are, or who ever shall be, even unto the end of the world.
4:8.
And this is the means whereby salvation
cometh. 12 And there is none other salvation
save this which hath been spoken of; neither are there any conditions whereby
man can be saved except the conditions which I have told you.
4:9.
13 Believe in God; believe that
he is, and that he created all things, both in heaven and in earth; 14 believe that he has all wisdom, and all power,
both in heaven and in earth; 15 believe that
man doth not comprehend all the things which the Lord can comprehend.
Mosiah; 2:3
4:10. 16 And again, believe that ye must repent of your sins and forsake
them, and humble yourselves before God; and ask in sincerity of heart that he
would forgive you; 17 and now, if you
believe all these things see that ye do them.
4:11.
18 And again I say unto you as
I have said before, that as ye have come to the knowledge of the glory of God, 19 or if ye have known of his goodness and have
tasted of his love, and have received a remission of your sins, which causeth
such exceedingly great joy in your souls, 20 even
so I would that ye should remember, and always retain in remembrance, the
greatness of God, and your own nothingness, and his goodness and long-suffering
towards you, unworthy creatures, 21 and
humble yourselves even in the depths of humility, calling on the name of the
Lord daily, and standing steadfastly in the faith of that which is to come,
which was spoken by the mouth of the angel.
4:12.
22 And behold, I say unto you
that if ye do this ye shall always rejoice, and be filled with the love of God,
and always retain a remission of your sins; 23 and
ye shall grow in the knowledge of the glory of him that created you, or in the
knowledge of that which is just and true.
4:13.
24 And ye will not have a mind
to injure one another, but to live peaceably, and to render to every man
according to that which is his due.
4:14.
25 And ye will not suffer your
children that they go hungry, or naked; 26 neither
will ye suffer that they transgress the laws of God, and fight and quarrel one
with another, and serve the devil, who is the master of sin, or who is the evil
spirit which hath been spoken of by our fathers, he being an enemy to all
righteousness.
4:15.
27 But ye will teach them to
walk in the ways of truth and soberness; ye will teach them to love one
another, and to serve one another.
4:16.
28 And also, ye yourselves will
succor those that stand in need of your succor; ye will administer of your
substance unto him that standeth in need; 29 and
ye will not suffer that the beggar putteth up his petition to you in vain, and
turn him out to perish.
4:17.
30 Perhaps thou shalt say: The
man has brought upon himself his misery; therefore I will stay my hand, and
will not give unto him of my food, nor impart unto him of my substance that he
may not suffer, for his punishments are just—
4:18.
31 But I say unto you, O man,
whosoever doeth this the same hath great cause to repent; and except he
repenteth of that which he hath done he perisheth forever, and hath no interest
in the kingdom of God.
Mosiah; 2:4
4:19. 32 For behold, are we not all beggars? Do we not all depend upon
the same Being, even God, for all the substance which we have, for both food
and raiment, and for gold, and for silver, and for all the riches which we have
of every kind?
4:20.
33 And behold, even at this
time, ye have been calling on his name, and begging for a remission of your
sins. 34 And has he suffered that ye have
begged in vain? 35 Nay; he has poured out
his Spirit upon you, and has caused that your hearts should be filled with joy,
and has caused that your mouths should be stopped that ye could not find
utterance, so exceedingly great was your joy.
4:21.
36 And now, if God, who has
created you, on whom you are dependent for your lives and for all that ye have
and are, doth grant unto you whatsoever ye ask that is right, in faith,
believing that ye shall receive, O then, how ye ought to impart of the substance
that ye have one to another.
4:22.
37 And if ye judge the man who
putteth up his petition to you for your substance that he perish not, and
condemn him, how much more just will be your condemnation for withholding your
substance, which doth not belong to you but to God, to whom also your life
belongeth; 38 and yet ye put up no petition,
nor repent of the thing which thou hast done.
4:23.
39 I say unto you, wo be unto
that man, for his substance shall perish with him; and now, I say these things
unto those who are rich as pertaining to the things of this world.
4:24.
40 And again, I say unto the
poor, ye who have not and yet have sufficient, that ye remain from day to day;
I mean all you who deny the beggar, because ye have not; I would that ye say in
your hearts that: I give not because I have not, but if I had I would give.
4:25.
41 And now, if ye say this in
your hearts ye remain guiltless, otherwise ye are condemned; and your
condemnation is just for ye covet that which ye have not received.
Mosiah; 2:5
4:26. 42 And now, for the sake of these things which I have spoken unto
you—that is, for the sake of retaining a remission of your sins from day to
day, that ye may walk guiltless before God— 43 I
would that ye should impart of your substance to the poor, every man according
to that which he hath, such as feeding the hungry, clothing the naked, visiting
the sick and administering to their relief, both spiritually and temporally,
according to their wants.
4:27.
44 And see that all these
things are done in wisdom and order; for it is not requisite that a man should
run faster than he has strength. 45 And
again, it is expedient that he should be diligent, that thereby he might win
the prize; therefore, all things must be done in order.
4:28.
46 And I would that ye should
remember, that whosoever among you borroweth of his neighbor should return the
thing that he borroweth, according as he doth agree, 47
or else thou shalt commit sin; and perhaps thou shalt cause thy neighbor
to commit sin also.
4:29.
48 And finally, I cannot tell
you all the things whereby ye may commit sin; for there are divers ways and
means, even so many that I cannot number them.
4:30.
49 But this much I can tell
you, that if ye do not watch yourselves, and your thoughts, and your words, and
your deeds, and observe the commandments of God, and continue in the faith of
what ye have heard concerning the coming of our Lord, even unto the end of your
lives, ye must perish. 50 And now, O man,
remember, and perish not.
Mosiah, Chapter 3
Mosiah; 3:1
Mosiah, Chapter 5
5:1.
1 And now, it came to pass
that when king Benjamin had thus spoken to his people, he sent among them,
desiring to know of his people if they believed the words which he had spoken
unto them.
5:2.
2 And they all cried with one
voice, saying: Yea, we believe all the words which thou hast spoken unto us; 3 and also, we know of their surety and truth,
because of the Spirit of the Lord Omnipotent, which has wrought a mighty change
in us, or in our hearts, that we have no more disposition to do evil, but to do
good continually.
5:3.
4 And we, ourselves, also,
through the infinite goodness of God, and the manifestations of his Spirit,
have great views of that which is to come; and were it expedient, we could
prophesy of all things.
5:4.
5 And it is the faith which we
have had on the things which our king has spoken unto us that has brought us to
this great knowledge, whereby we do rejoice with such exceedingly great joy.
5:5.
6 And we are willing to enter
into a covenant with our God to do his will, and to be obedient to his
commandments in all things that he shall command us, all the remainder of our
days, that we may not bring upon ourselves a never-ending torment, as has been
spoken by the angel, that we may not drink out of the cup of the wrath of God.
Mosiah; 3:2
5:6.
7 And now, these are the words
which king Benjamin desired of them; and therefore he said unto them: Ye have
spoken the words that I desired; and the covenant which ye have made is a
righteous covenant.
5:7.
8 And now, because of the
covenant which ye have made ye shall be called the children of Christ, his
sons, and his daughters; 9 for behold, this
day he hath spiritually begotten you; for ye say that your hearts are changed
through faith on his name; therefore, ye are born of him and have become his
sons and his daughters.
5:8.
10 And under this head ye are
made free, and there is no other head whereby ye can be made free. 11 There is no other name given whereby salvation
cometh; therefore, I would that ye should take upon you the name of Christ, all
you that have entered into the covenant with God that ye should be obedient
unto the end of your lives.
5:9.
12 And it shall come to pass
that whosoever doeth this shall be found at the right hand of God, for he shall
know the name by which he is called; for he shall be called by the name of
Christ.
Mosiah; 3:3
5:10.
13 And now it shall come to
pass, that whosoever shall not take upon him the name of Christ must be called
by some other name; therefore, he findeth himself on the left hand of God.
5:11.
14 And I would that ye should
remember also, that this is the name that I said I should give unto you that
never should be blotted out, except it be through transgression; 15 therefore, take heed that ye do not transgress,
that the name be not blotted out of your hearts.
5:12.
16 I say unto you, I would that
ye should remember to retain the name written always in your hearts, that ye
are not found on the left hand of God, but that ye hear and know the voice by
which ye shall be called, and also, the name by which he shall call you.
5:13.
17 For how knoweth a man the
master whom he has not served, and who is a stranger unto him, and is far from
the thoughts and intents of his heart?
5:14.
18 And again, doth a man take
an ass which belongeth to his neighbor, and keep him? 19
I say unto you, Nay; he will not even suffer that he shall feed among
his flocks, but will drive him away, and cast him out. 20
I say unto you, that even so shall it be among you if ye know not the
name by which ye are called.
5:15.
21 Therefore, I would that ye
should be steadfast and immovable, always abounding in good works, that Christ,
the Lord God Omnipotent, may seal you his, that you may be brought to heaven,
that ye may have everlasting salvation and eternal life, through the wisdom,
and power, and justice, and mercy of him who created all things, in heaven and
in earth, who is God above all. Amen.
Mosiah, Chapter 4
Mosiah; 4:1
Mosiah, Chapter 6
6:1.
1 And now, king Benjamin
thought it was expedient, after having finished speaking to the people, that he
should take the names of all those who had entered into a covenant with God to
keep his commandments.
6:2.
2 And it came to pass that
there was not one soul, except it were little children, but who had entered
into the covenant and had taken upon them the name of Christ.
6:3.
3 And again, it came to pass
that when king Benjamin had made an end of all these things, and had
consecrated his son Mosiah to be a ruler and a king over his people, and had
given him all the charges concerning the kingdom, 4
and also had appointed priests to teach the people, that thereby they
might hear and know the commandments of God, and to stir them up in remembrance
of the oath which they had made, he dismissed the multitude, and they returned,
every one, according to their families, to their own houses.
Mosiah; 4:2
6:4.
5 And Mosiah began to reign in
his father’s stead. 6 And he began to reign
in the thirtieth year of his age, making in the whole, about four hundred and
seventy-six years from the time that Lehi left Jerusalem.
6:5.
7 And king Benjamin lived
three years and he died.
6:6.
8 And it came to pass that
king Mosiah did walk in the ways of the Lord, and did observe his judgments and
his statutes, and did keep his commandments in all things whatsoever he
commanded him.
Mosiah; 4:3
6:7.
9 And king Mosiah did cause
his people that they should till the earth. 10 And
he also, himself, did till the earth, that thereby he might not become
burdensome to his people, that he might do according to that which his father
had done in all things. 11 And there was no
contention among all his people for the space of three years.
Mosiah, Chapter 5
Mosiah; 5:1
Mosiah, Chapter 7
7:1.
1 And now, it came to pass
that after king Mosiah had had continual peace for the space of three years, he
was desirous to know concerning the people who went up to dwell in the land of
Lehi-Nephi, or in the city of Lehi-Nephi; 2 for
his people had heard nothing from them from the time they left the land of
Zarahemla; therefore, they wearied him with their teasings.
Mosiah; 5:2
7:2.
3 And it came to pass that
king Mosiah granted that sixteen of their strong men might go up to the land of
Lehi-Nephi to inquire concerning their brethren.
7:3.
4 And it came to pass that on
the morrow they started to go up, having with them one Ammon, he being a strong
and mighty man, and a descendant of Zarahemla; and he was also their leader.
7:4.
5 And now, they knew not the
course they should travel in the wilderness to go up to the land of Lehi-Nephi;
therefore they wandered many days in the wilderness, even forty days did they
wander.
7:5.
6 And when they had wandered
forty days they came to a hill, which is north of the land of Shilom, and there
they pitched their tents.
7:6.
7 And Ammon took three of his
brethren, and their names were Amaleki, Helem, and Hem, and they went down into
the land of Nephi.
7:7.
8 And behold, they met the
king of the people who were in the land of Nephi, and in the land of Shilom; 9 and they were surrounded by the king’s guard,
and were taken, and were bound, and were committed to prison.
7:8.
10 And it came to pass when
they had been in prison two days they were again brought before the king, and
their bands were loosed; 11 and they stood
before the king, and were permitted, or rather commanded, that they should
answer the questions which he should ask them.
7:9.
12 And he said unto them:
Behold, I am Limhi, the son of Noah, who was the son of Zeniff, who came up out
of the land of Zarahemla to inherit this land, which was the land of their
fathers, who was made a king by the voice of the people.
7:10.
13 And now, I desire to know
the cause whereby ye were so bold as to come near the walls of the city, when
I, myself, was with my guards without the gate?
7:11.
14 And now, for this cause have
I suffered that ye should be preserved, that I might inquire of you, or else I
should have caused that my guards should have put you to death. Ye are
permitted to speak.
Mosiah; 5:3
7:12.
15 And now, when Ammon saw that
he was permitted to speak, he went forth and bowed himself before the king; and
rising again he said: O king, I am very thankful before God this day that I am
yet alive, and am permitted to speak; 16 and
I will endeavor to speak with boldness;
7:13.
For I am assured that if ye had known me ye
would not have suffered that I should have worn these bands. 17 For I am Ammon, and am a descendant of
Zarahemla, and have come up out of the land of Zarahemla to inquire concerning
our brethren, whom Zeniff brought up out of that land.
Mosiah; 5:4
7:14.
18 And now, it came to pass
that after Limhi had heard the words of Ammon, he was exceedingly glad, and
said: Now, I know of a surety that my brethren who were in the land of
Zarahemla are yet alive. 19 And now, I will
rejoice; and on the morrow I will cause that my people shall rejoice also.
7:15.
20 For behold, we are in bondage
to the Lamanites, and are taxed with a tax which is grievous to be borne. 21 And now, behold, our brethren will deliver us
out of our bondage, or out of the hands of the Lamanites, and we will be their
slaves; 22 for it is better that we be
slaves to the Nephites than to pay tribute to the king of the Lamanites.
Mosiah; 5:5
7:16.
23 And now, king Limhi
commanded his guards that they should no more bind Ammon nor his brethren, but
caused that they should go to the hill which was north of Shilom, and bring
their brethren into the city, that thereby they might eat, and drink, and rest
themselves from the labors of their journey; 24 for
they had suffered many things; they had suffered hunger, thirst, and fatigue.
Mosiah; 5:6
7:17.
25 And now, it came to pass on
the morrow that king Limhi sent a proclamation among all his people, that
thereby they might gather themselves together to the temple to hear the words
which he should speak unto them.
7:18.
26 And it came to pass that
when they had gathered themselves together that he spake unto them in this
wise, saying: 27 O ye, my people, lift up
your heads and be comforted; for behold, the time is at hand, or is not far
distant, when we shall no longer be in subjection to our enemies,
notwithstanding our many strugglings, which have been in vain; yet I trust
there remaineth an effectual struggle to be made.
7:19.
28 Therefore, lift up your
heads, and rejoice, and put your trust in God, in that God who was the God of
Abraham, and Isaac, and Jacob; 29 and also,
that God who brought the children of Israel out of the land of Egypt, and
caused that they should walk through the Red Sea on dry ground, and fed them
with manna that they might not perish in the wilderness; and many more things
did he do for them.
7:20.
30 And again, that same God has
brought our fathers out of the land of Jerusalem, and has kept and preserved
his people even until now; 31 and behold, it
is because of our iniquities and abominations that he has brought us into
bondage.
7:21.
32 And ye all are witnesses
this day, that Zeniff, who was made king over this people, he being
over-zealous to inherit the land of his fathers, 33
therefore being deceived by the cunning and craftiness of king Laman,
who having entered into a treaty with king Zeniff, and having yielded up into
his hands the possessions of a part of the land, or even the city of
Lehi-Nephi, and the city of Shilom; and the land round about—
7:22.
34 And all this he did, for the
sole purpose of bringing this people into subjection or into bondage. 35 And behold, we at this time do pay tribute to
the king of the Lamanites, to the amount of one half of our corn, and our
barley, and even all our grain of every kind, and one half of the increase of
our flocks and our herds; 36 and even one
half of all we have or possess the king of the Lamanites doth exact of us, or
our lives.
7:23.
37 And now, is not this grievous
to be borne? 38 And is not this, our
affliction, great? 39 Now behold, how great
reason we have to mourn.
Mosiah; 5:7
7:24.
40 Yea, I say unto you, great
are the reasons which we have to mourn; for behold how many of our brethren
have been slain, and their blood has been spilt in vain, and all because of
iniquity.
7:25.
41 For if this people had not
fallen into transgression the Lord would not have suffered that this great evil
should come upon them. 42 But behold, they
would not hearken unto his words; but there arose contentions among them, even
so much that they did shed blood among themselves.
7:26.
43 And a prophet of the Lord
have they slain; yea, a chosen man of God, who told them of their wickedness
and abominations, and prophesied of many things which are to come, yea, even
the coming of Christ.
7:27.
44 And because he said unto
them that Christ was the God, the Father of all things, and said that he should
take upon him the image of man, and it should be the image after which man was
created in the beginning; 45 or in other
words, he said that man was created after the image of God, and that God should
come down among the children of men, and take upon him flesh and blood, and go
forth upon the face of the earth—
7:28.
46 And now, because he said
this, they did put him to death; and many more things did they do which brought
down the wrath of God upon them. 47 Therefore,
who wondereth that they are in bondage, and that they are smitten with sore
afflictions?
7:29.
48 For behold, the Lord hath
said: I will not succor my people in the day of their transgression; but I will
hedge up their ways that they prosper not; and their doings shall be as a
stumbling block before them.
7:30.
49 And again, he saith: If my
people shall sow filthiness they shall reap the chaff thereof in the whirlwind;
and the effect thereof is poison.
7:31.
50 And again he saith: If my
people shall sow filthiness they shall reap the east wind, which bringeth
immediate destruction.
7:32.
51 And now, behold, the promise
of the Lord is fulfilled, and ye are smitten and afflicted.
7:33.
52 But if ye will turn to the
Lord with full purpose of heart, and put your trust in him, and serve him with
all diligence of mind, if ye do this, he will, according to his own will and
pleasure, deliver you out of bondage.
Mosiah; 5:8
Mosiah, Chapter 8
8:1.
53 And it came to pass that
after king Limhi had made an end of speaking to his people, for he spake many
things unto them and only a few of them have I written in this book, he told
his people all the things concerning their brethren who were in the land of
Zarahemla.
8:2.
54 And he caused that Ammon
should stand up before the multitude, and rehearse unto them all that had
happened unto their brethren from the time that Zeniff went up out of the land
even until the time that he himself came up out of the land.
8:3.
55 And he also rehearsed unto
them the last words which king Benjamin had taught them, and explained them to
the people of king Limhi, so that they might understand all the words which he
spake.
8:4.
56 And it came to pass that
after he had done all this, that king Limhi dismissed the multitude, and caused
that they should return every one unto his own house.
Mosiah; 5:9
8:5.
57 And it came to pass that he
caused that the plates which contained the record of his people from the time
that they left the land of Zarahemla, should be brought before Ammon, that he
might read them.
8:6.
58 Now, as soon as Ammon had
read the record, the king inquired of him to know if he could interpret
languages, 59 and Ammon told him that he
could not.
8:7.
60 And the king said unto him:
Being grieved for the afflictions of my people, I caused that forty and three
of my people should take a journey into the wilderness, that thereby they might
find the land of Zarahemla, that we might appeal unto our brethren to deliver
us out of bondage.
8:8.
61 And they were lost in the
wilderness for the space of many days, yet they were diligent, and found not
the land of Zarahemla but returned to this land, having traveled in a land
among many waters, 62 having discovered a
land which was covered with bones of men, and of beasts, and was also covered
with ruins of buildings of every kind, 63 having
discovered a land which had been peopled with a people who were as numerous as
the hosts of Israel.
8:9.
64 And for a testimony that the
things that they had said are true they have brought twenty-four plates which
are filled with engravings, and they are of pure gold.
8:10.
65 And behold, also, they have
brought breastplates, which are large, and they are of brass and of copper, and
are perfectly sound.
8:11.
66 And again, they have brought
swords, the hilts thereof have perished, and the blades thereof were cankered
with rust; 67 and there is no one in the
land that is able to interpret the language or the engravings that are on the
plates. 68 Therefore I said unto thee: Canst
thou translate?
8:12.
69 And I say unto thee again:
Knowest thou of any one that can translate? For I am desirous that these
records should be translated into our language; 70 for,
perhaps, they will give us a knowledge of a remnant of the people who have been
destroyed, from whence these records came; 71 or,
perhaps, they will give us a knowledge of this very people who have been
destroyed; and I am desirous to know the cause of their destruction.
Mosiah; 5:10
8:13.
72 Now Ammon said unto him: I
can assuredly tell thee, O king, of a man that can translate the records; for
he has wherewith that he can look, and translate all records that are of
ancient date; and it is a gift from God. 73 And
the things are called interpreters, and no man can look in them except he be
commanded, lest he should look for that he ought not and he should perish. 74 And whosoever is commanded to look in them, the
same is called seer.
8:14.
75 And behold, the king of the
people who are in the land of Zarahemla is the man that is commanded to do
these things, and who has this high gift from God.
8:15.
76 And the king said that a
seer is greater than a prophet.
8:16.
77 And Ammon said that a seer
is a revelator and a prophet also; and a gift which is greater can no man have,
except he should possess the power of God, which no man can; yet a man may have
great power given him from God.
8:17.
78 But a seer can know of
things which are past, and also of things which are to come, 79 and by them shall all things be revealed, or,
rather, shall secret things be made manifest, and hidden things shall come to
light, and things which are not known shall be made known by them, 80 and also things shall be made known by them
which otherwise could not be known.
8:18.
81 Thus God has provided a
means that man, through faith, might work mighty miracles; therefore he
becometh a great benefit to his fellow beings.
Mosiah; 5:11
8:19.
82 And now, when Ammon had made
an end of speaking these words the king rejoiced exceedingly, and gave thanks
to God, saying: 83 Doubtless a great mystery
is contained within these plates, and these interpreters were doubtless
prepared for the purpose of unfolding all such mysteries to the children of
men.
8:20.
84 O how marvelous are the
works of the Lord, and how long doth he suffer with his people; 85 yea, and how blind and impenetrable are the
understandings of the children of men; for they will not seek wisdom, neither
do they desire that she should rule over them!
8:21.
86 Yea, they are as a wild
flock which fleeth from the shepherd, and scattereth, and are driven, and are
devoured by the beasts of the forest.
Mosiah, Chapter 6
THE RECORD OF ZENIFF- An account of his people, from the time
they left the land of Zarahemla until the time that they were delivered out of
the hands of the Lamanites.
Mosiah; 6:1
Mosiah, Chapter 9
9:1.
1 I, Zeniff, having been
taught in all the language of the Nephites, and having had a knowledge of the
land of Nephi, or of the land of our fathers’ first inheritance, and having
been sent as a spy among the Lamanites that I might spy out their forces, that
our army might come upon them and destroy them— 2 but
when I saw that which was good among them I was desirous that they should not
be destroyed.
9:2.
Therefore, I contended with my brethren in
the wilderness for I would that our ruler should make a treaty with them; 3 but he being an austere and a bloodthirsty man
commanded that I should be slain; but I was rescued by the shedding of much
blood; 4 for father fought against father,
and brother against brother, until the greater number of our army was destroyed
in the wilderness; 5 and we returned, those
of us that were spared, to the land of Zarahemla, to relate that tale to their
wives and their children.
9:3.
6 And yet, I being
over-zealous to inherit the land of our fathers, collected as many as were
desirous to go up to possess the land, and started again on our journey into
the wilderness to go up to the land; but we were smitten with famine and sore
afflictions; for we were slow to remember the Lord our God.
9:4.
7 Nevertheless, after many
days’ wandering in the wilderness we pitched our tents in the place where our
brethren were slain, which was near to the land of our fathers.
Mosiah; 6:2
9:5.
8 And it came to pass that I
went again with four of my men into the city, in unto the king, that I might
know of the disposition of the king, and that I might know if I might go in
with my people and possess the land in peace.
9:6.
9 And I went in unto the king,
and he covenanted with me that I might possess the land of Lehi-Nephi, and the
land of Shilom.
9:7.
10 And he also commanded that
his people should depart out of the land, and I and my people went into the
land that we might possess it.
9:8.
11 And we began to build
buildings, and to repair the walls of the city, yea, even the walls of the city
of Lehi-Nephi, and the city of Shilom.
9:9.
12 And we began to till the
ground, yea, even with all manner of seeds, with seeds of corn, and of wheat,
and of barley, and with neas, and with sheum, and with seeds of all manner of
fruits; and we did begin to multiply and prosper in the land.
9:10.
13 Now it was the cunning and
the craftiness of king Laman, to bring my people into bondage, that he yielded
up the land that we might possess it.
Mosiah; 6:3
9:11.
14 Therefore it came to pass,
that after we had dwelt in the land for the space of twelve years that king
Laman began to grow uneasy, lest by any means my people should wax strong in
the land, and that they could not overpower them and bring them into bondage.
9:12.
15 Now they were a lazy and an
idolatrous people; therefore they were desirous to bring us into bondage, that
they might glut themselves with the labors of our hands; yea, that they might
feast themselves upon the flocks of our fields.
Mosiah; 6:4
9:13.
16 Therefore it came to pass
that king Laman began to stir up his people that they should contend with my
people; therefore there began to be wars and contentions in the land.
9:14.
17 For, in the thirteenth year
of my reign in the land of Nephi, away on the south of the land of Shilom, when
my people were watering and feeding their flocks, and tilling their lands, a
numerous host of Lamanites came upon them and began to slay them, and to take
off their flocks, and the corn of their fields.
9:15.
18 Yea, and it came to pass
that they fled, all that were not overtaken, even into the city of Nephi, and
did call upon me for protection.
Mosiah; 6:5
9:16.
19 And it came to pass that I
did arm them with bows, and with arrows, with swords, and with cimeters, and
with clubs, and with slings, and with all manner of weapons which we could
invent, and I and my people did go forth against the Lamanites to battle.
9:17.
20 Yea, in the strength of the
Lord did we go forth to battle against the Lamanites; 21
for I and my people did cry mightily to the Lord that he would deliver
us out of the hands of our enemies, for we were awakened to a remembrance of
the deliverance of our fathers.
9:18.
22 And God did hear our cries
and did answer our prayers; and we did go forth in his might; 23 yea, we did go forth against the Lamanites, and
in one day and a night we did slay three thousand and forty-three; we did slay
them even until we had driven them out of our land.
9:19.
24 And I, myself, with mine own
hands, did help to bury their dead. 25 And
behold, to our great sorrow and lamentation, two hundred and seventy-nine of
our brethren were slain.
Mosiah; 6:6
Mosiah, Chapter 10
10:1.
26 And it came to pass that we
again began to establish the kingdom and we again began to possess the land in
peace. 27 And I caused that there should be
weapons of war made of every kind, that thereby I might have weapons for my
people against the time the Lamanites should come up again to war against my
people.
10:2.
28 And I set guards round about
the land, that the Lamanites might not come upon us again unawares and destroy
us; 29 and thus I did guard my people and my
flocks, and keep them from falling into the hands of our enemies.
Mosiah; 6:7
10:3.
30 And it came to pass that we
did inherit the land of our fathers for many years, yea, for the space of
twenty and two years.
10:4.
31 And I did cause that the men
should till the ground, and raise all manner of grain and all manner of fruit
of every kind.
10:5.
32 And I did cause that the
women should spin, and toil, and work, and work all manner of fine linen, yea,
and cloth of every kind, that we might clothe our nakedness; 33 and thus we did prosper in the land—thus we did
have continual peace in the land for the space of twenty and two years.
Mosiah; 6:8
10:6.
34 And it came to pass that
king Laman died, and his son began to reign in his stead. 35 And he began to stir his people up in rebellion
against my people; therefore they began to prepare for war, and to come up to
battle against my people.
10:7.
36 But I had sent my spies out
round about the land of Shemlon, that I might discover their preparations, that
I might guard against them, that they might not come upon my people and destroy
them.
Mosiah; 6:9
10:8.
37 And it came to pass that
they came up upon the north of the land of Shilom, with their numerous hosts,
men armed with bows, and with arrows, and with swords, and with cimeters, and
with stones, and with slings; 38 and they
had their heads shaved that they were naked; and they were girded with a
leathern girdle about their loins.
Mosiah; 6:10
10:9.
39 And it came to pass that I
caused that the women and children of my people should be hid in the
wilderness; 40 and I also caused that all my
old men that could bear arms, and also all my young men that were able to bear
arms, should gather themselves together to go to battle against the Lamanites;
and I did place them in their ranks, every man according to his age.
Mosiah; 6:11
10:10.
41 And it came to pass that we
did go up to battle against the Lamanites; 42 and
I, even I, in my old age, did go up to battle against the Lamanites. 43 And it came to pass that we did go up in the
strength of the Lord to battle.
Mosiah; 6:12
10:11.
44 Now, the Lamanites knew
nothing concerning the Lord, nor the strength of the Lord, therefore they
depended upon their own strength. 45 Yet
they were a strong people, as to the strength of men.
10:12.
They were a wild, and ferocious, and a
blood-thirsty people, believing in the tradition of their fathers, which is
this— 46 Believing that they were driven out
of the land of Jerusalem because of the iniquities of their fathers, and that
they were wronged in the wilderness by their brethren, and they were also
wronged while crossing the sea;
10:13.
47 And again, that they were
wronged while in the land of their first inheritance, after they had crossed
the sea, 48 and all this because that Nephi
was more faithful in keeping the commandments of the Lord—therefore he was
favored of the Lord, for the Lord heard his prayers and answered them, and he
took the lead of their journey in the wilderness.
10:14.
49 And his brethren were wroth
with him because they understood not the dealings of the Lord; 50 they were also wroth with him upon the waters
because they hardened their hearts against the Lord.
10:15.
51 And again, they were wroth
with him when they had arrived in the promised land, because they said that he
had taken the ruling of the people out of their hands; and they sought to kill
him.
10:16.
52 And again, they were wroth
with him because he departed into the wilderness as the Lord had commanded him,
and took the records which were engraven on the plates of brass, for they said
that he robbed them.
10:17.
53 And thus they have taught
their children that they should hate them, and that they should murder them,
and that they should rob and plunder them, and do all they could to destroy
them; therefore they have an eternal hatred towards the children of Nephi.
10:18.
54 For this very cause has king
Laman, by his cunning, and lying craftiness, and his fair promises, deceived
me, that I have brought this my people up into this land, that they may destroy
them; yea, and we have suffered these many years in the land.
Mosiah; 6:13
10:19.
55 And now I, Zeniff, after
having told all these things unto my people concerning the Lamanites, I did
stimulate them to go to battle with their might, putting their trust in the
Lord; therefore, we did contend with them, face to face.
10:20.
56 And it came to pass that we
did drive them again out of our land; and we slew them with a great slaughter,
even so many that we did not number them.
Mosiah; 6:14
10:21.
57 And it came to pass that we
returned again to our own land, and my people again began to tend their flocks,
and to till their ground.
10:22.
58 And now I, being old, did
confer the kingdom upon one of my sons; therefore, I say no more. And may the
Lord bless my people. Amen.
Mosiah, Chapter 7
Mosiah; 7:1
Mosiah, Chapter 11
11:1.
1 And now it came to pass that
Zeniff conferred the kingdom upon Noah, one of his sons; therefore Noah began
to reign in his stead; and he did not walk in the ways of his father.
11:2.
2 For behold, he did not keep
the commandments of God, but he did walk after the desires of his own heart. 3 And he had many wives and concubines. 4 And he did cause his people to commit sin, and
do that which was abominable in the sight of the Lord. 5
Yea, and they did commit whoredoms and all manner of wickedness.
11:3.
6 And he laid a tax of one
fifth part of all they possessed, a fifth part of their gold and of their
silver, and a fifth part of their ziff, and of their copper, and of their brass
and their iron; and a fifth part of their fatlings; and also a fifth part of
all their grain.
11:4.
7 And all this did he take to
support himself, and his wives and his concubines; and also his priests, and
their wives and their concubines; thus he had changed the affairs of the
kingdom.
11:5.
8 For he put down all the
priests that had been consecrated by his father, and consecrated new ones in
their stead, such as were lifted up in the pride of their hearts.
11:6.
9 Yea, and thus they were
supported in their laziness, and in their idolatry, and in their whoredoms, by
the taxes which king Noah had put upon his people; thus did the people labor
exceedingly to support iniquity.
11:7.
10 Yea, and they also became
idolatrous, because they were deceived by the vain and flattering words of the
king and priests; for they did speak flattering things unto them.
Mosiah; 7:2
11:8.
11 And it came to pass that
king Noah built many elegant and spacious buildings; and he ornamented them
with fine work of wood, and of all manner of precious things, of gold, and of
silver, and of iron, and of brass, and of ziff, and of copper;
11:9.
12 And he also built him a
spacious palace, and a throne in the midst thereof, all of which was of fine
wood and was ornamented with gold and silver and with precious things.
11:10.
13 And he also caused that his
workmen should work all manner of fine work within the walls of the temple, of
fine wood, and of copper, and of brass.
11:11.
14 And the seats which were set
apart for the high priests, which were above all the other seats, he did
ornament with pure gold; 15 and he caused a
breastwork to be built before them, that they might rest their bodies and their
arms upon while they should speak lying and vain words to his people.
Mosiah; 7:3
11:12.
16 And it came to pass that he
built a tower near the temple; yea, a very high tower, even so high that he
could stand upon the top thereof and overlook the land of Shilom, and also the
land of Shemlon, which was possessed by the Lamanites; and he could even look
over all the land round about.
Mosiah; 7:4
11:13.
17 And it came to pass that he
caused many buildings to be built in the land Shilom; 18
and he caused a great tower to be built on the hill north of the land
Shilom, which had been a resort for the children of Nephi at the time they fled
out of the land; 19 and thus he did do with
the riches which he obtained by the taxation of his people.
Mosiah; 7:5
11:14.
20 And it came to pass that he
placed his heart upon his riches, and he spent his time in riotous living with
his wives and his concubines; and so did also his priests spend their time with
harlots.
11:15.
21 And it came to pass that he
planted vineyards round about in the land; and he built wine-presses, and made
wine in abundance; and therefore he became a wine-bibber, and also his people.
Mosiah; 7:6
11:16.
22 And it came to pass that the
Lamanites began to come in upon his people, upon small numbers, and to slay
them in their fields, and while they were tending their flocks.
11:17.
23 And king Noah sent guards
round about the land to keep them off; but he did not send a sufficient number,
and the Lamanites came upon them and killed them, and drove many of their
flocks out of the land; 24 thus the
Lamanites began to destroy them, and to exercise their hatred upon them.
Mosiah; 7:7
11:18.
25 And it came to pass that
king Noah sent his armies against them, and they were driven back, or they
drove them back for a time; therefore, they returned rejoicing in their spoil.
11:19.
26 And now, because of this
great victory they were lifted up in the pride of their hearts; they did boast
in their own strength, saying that their fifty could stand against thousands of
the Lamanites; 27 and thus they did boast,
and did delight in blood, and the shedding of the blood of their brethren, and
this because of the wickedness of their king and priests.
Mosiah; 7:8
11:20.
28 And it came to pass that
there was a man among them whose name was Abinadi; and he went forth among
them, and began to prophesy, saying: 29 Behold,
thus saith the Lord, and thus hath he commanded me, saying, 30 Go forth, and say unto this people, thus saith
the Lord— 31 Wo be unto this people, for I
have seen their abominations, and their wickedness, and their whoredoms; and
except they repent I will visit them in mine anger.
11:21.
32 And except they repent and
turn to the Lord their God, behold, I will deliver them into the hands of their
enemies; 33 yea, and they shall be brought
into bondage; and they shall be afflicted by the hand of their enemies.
11:22.
34 And it shall come to pass
that they shall know that I am the Lord their God, and am a jealous God,
visiting the iniquities of my people.
11:23.
35 And it shall come to pass
that except this people repent and turn unto the Lord their God, they shall be
brought into bondage; and none shall deliver them, except it be the Lord the
Almighty God.
11:24.
36 Yea, and it shall come to
pass that when they shall cry unto me I will be slow to hear their cries; yea,
and I will suffer them that they be smitten by their enemies.
11:25.
37 And except they repent in
sackcloth and ashes, and cry mightily to the Lord their God, I will not hear
their prayers, neither will I deliver them out of their afflictions; 38 and thus saith the Lord, and thus hath he
commanded me.
Mosiah; 7:9
11:26.
39 Now it came to pass that
when Abinadi had spoken these words unto them they were wroth with him, and
sought to take away his life; but the Lord delivered him out of their hands.
11:27.
40 Now when king Noah had heard
of the words which Abinadi had spoken unto the people, he was also wroth; 41 and he said: Who is Abinadi, that I and my
people should be judged of him, or who is the Lord, that shall bring upon my
people such great affliction?
11:28.
42 I command you to bring
Abinadi hither, that I may slay him, for he has said these things that he might
stir up my people to anger one with another, and to raise contentions among my
people; therefore I will slay him.
11:29.
43 Now the eyes of the people
were blinded; therefore they hardened their hearts against the words of
Abinadi, and they sought from that time forward to take him. 44 And king Noah hardened his heart against the
word of the Lord, and he did not repent of his evil doings.
Mosiah; 7:10
Mosiah, Chapter 12
12:1.
45 And it came to pass that
after the space of two years that Abinadi came among them in disguise, that
they knew him not, and began to prophesy among them, saying: 46 Thus has the Lord commanded me, saying—Abinadi,
go and prophesy unto this my people, for they have hardened their hearts
against my words; they have repented not of their evil doings; 47 therefore, I will visit them in my anger, yea,
in my fierce anger will I visit them in their iniquities and abominations.
12:2.
Yea, wo be unto this generation! 48 And the Lord said unto me: Stretch forth thy
hand and prophesy saying: Thus saith the Lord, it shall come to pass that this
generation, because of their iniquities, shall be brought into bondage, and
shall be smitten on the cheek; 49 yea, and
shall be driven by men, and shall be slain; and the vultures of the air, and
the dogs, yea, and the wild beasts, shall devour their flesh.
Mosiah; 7:11
12:3.
50 And it shall come to pass
that the life of king Noah shall be valued even as a garment in a hot furnace;
for he shall know that I am the Lord.
12:4.
51 And it shall come to pass
that I will smite this my people with sore afflictions, yea, with famine and
with pestilence; and I will cause that they shall howl all the day long.
12:5.
52 Yea, and I will cause that
they shall have burdens lashed upon their backs; and they shall be driven
before like a dumb ass.
Mosiah; 7:12
12:6.
53 And it shall come to pass
that I will send forth hail among them, and it shall smite them; and they shall
also be smitten with the east wind; and insects shall pester their land also,
and devour their grain.
12:7.
54 And they shall be smitten
with a great pestilence—and all this will I do because of their iniquities and
abominations.
Mosiah; 7:13
12:8.
55 And it shall come to pass
that except they repent I will utterly destroy them from off the face of the
earth; 56 yet they shall leave a record
behind them, and I will preserve them for other nations which shall possess the
land; 57 yea, even this will I do that I may
discover the abominations of this people to other nations. 58 And many things did Abinadi prophesy against
this people.
Mosiah; 7:14
12:9.
59 And it came to pass that
they were angry with him; and they took him and carried him bound before the
king, and said unto the king: 60 Behold, we
have brought a man before thee who has prophesied evil concerning thy people,
and saith that God will destroy them.
12:10.
61 And he also prophesieth evil
concerning thy life, and saith that thy life shall be as a garment in a furnace
of fire.
12:11.
62 And again, he saith that
thou shalt be as a stalk, even as a dry stalk of the field, which is run over
by the beasts and trodden under foot.
12:12.
63 And again, he saith thou
shalt be as the blossoms of a thistle, which, when it is fully ripe, if the
wind bloweth, it is driven forth upon the face of the land. And he pretendeth
the Lord hath spoken it. 64 And he saith all
this shall come upon thee except thou repent, and this because of thine
iniquities.
Mosiah; 7:15
12:13.
65 And now, O king, what great
evil hast thou done, or what great sins have thy people committed, that we
should be condemned of God or judged of this man?
12:14.
66 And now, O king, behold, we
are guiltless, and thou, O king, hast not sinned; therefore, this man has lied
concerning you, and he has prophesied in vain.
12:15.
67 And behold, we are strong,
we shall not come into bondage, or be taken captive by our enemies; yea, and
thou hast prospered in the land, and thou shalt also prosper.
12:16.
68 Behold, here is the man, we
deliver him into thy hands; thou mayest do with him as seemeth thee good.
Mosiah; 7:16
12:17.
69 And it came to pass that
king Noah caused that Abinadi should be cast into prison; 70 and he commanded that the priests should gather
themselves together that he might hold a council with them what he should do
with him.
12:18.
71 And it came to pass that
they said unto the king: Bring him hither that we may question him; 72 and the king commanded that he should be
brought before them.
12:19.
73 And they began to question
him, that they might cross him, that thereby they might have wherewith to
accuse him; 74 but he answered them boldly,
and withstood all their questions, yea, to their astonishment; 75 for he did withstand them in all their
questions, and did confound them in all their words.
Mosiah; 7:17
12:20.
76 And it came to pass that one
of them said unto him: What meaneth the words which are written, and which have
been taught by our fathers, saying:
12:21.
77 How beautiful upon the
mountains are the feet of him that bringeth good tidings; that publisheth
peace; that bringeth good tidings of good; that publisheth salvation; that
saith unto Zion, Thy God reigneth;
12:22.
78 Thy watchmen shall lift up
the voice; with the voice together shall they sing; for they shall see eye to
eye when the Lord shall bring again Zion;
12:23.
79 Break forth into joy; sing
together ye waste places of Jerusalem; for the Lord hath comforted his people,
he hath redeemed Jerusalem;
12:24.
80 The Lord hath made bare his
holy arm in the eyes of all the nations, and all the ends of the earth shall
see the salvation of our God?
12:25.
81 And now Abinadi said unto
them: Are you priests, and pretend to teach this people, and to understand the
spirit of prophesying, and yet desire to know of me what these things mean?
12:26.
82 I say unto you, wo be unto
you for perverting the ways of the Lord! For if ye understand these things ye
have not taught them; therefore, ye have perverted the ways of the Lord.
12:27.
83 Ye have not applied your
hearts to understanding; therefore, ye have not been wise. Therefore, what
teach ye this people?
12:28.
84 And they said: We teach the
law of Moses.
12:29.
85 And again he said unto them:
If ye teach the law of Moses why do ye not keep it? 86
Why do ye set your hearts upon riches? 87 Why
do ye commit whoredoms and spend your strength with harlots, yea, and cause
this people to commit sin, that the Lord has cause to send me to prophesy
against this people, yea, even a great evil against this people?
12:30.
88 Know ye not that I speak the
truth? 89 Yea, ye know that I speak the
truth; and you ought to tremble before God.
Mosiah; 7:18
12:31.
90 And it shall come to pass
that ye shall be smitten for your iniquities, for ye have said that ye teach
the law of Moses. 91 And what know ye
concerning the law of Moses? 92 Doth
salvation come by the law of Moses? What say ye?
12:32.
93 And they answered and said
that salvation did come by the law of Moses.
12:33.
94 But now Abinadi said unto
them: I know if ye keep the commandments of God ye shall be saved; 95 yea, if ye keep the commandments which the Lord
delivered unto Moses in the mount of Sinai, saying:
12:34.
I am the Lord thy God, who hath brought
thee out of the land of Egypt, out of the house of bondage.
12:35.
96 Thou shalt have no other God
before me.
12:36.
97 Thou shalt not make unto
thee any graven image, or any likeness of any thing in heaven above, or things
which are in the earth beneath.
12:37.
98 Now Abinadi said unto them,
Have ye done all this? I say unto you, Nay, ye have not. 99 And have ye taught this people that they should
do all these things? I say unto you, Nay, ye have not.
Mosiah; 7:19
Mosiah, Chapter 13
13:1.
100 And now when the king had
heard these words, he said unto his priests: Away with this fellow, and slay
him; for what have we to do with him, for he is mad.
13:2.
101 And they stood forth and
attempted to lay their hands on him; but he withstood them, and said unto them:
13:3.
Touch me not, for God shall smite you if ye
lay your hands upon me, for I have not delivered the message which the Lord
sent me to deliver; 102 neither have I told
you that which ye requested that I should tell; therefore, God will not suffer
that I shall be destroyed at this time.
13:4.
103 But I must fulfil the
commandments wherewith God has commanded me; and because I have told you the
truth ye are angry with me. 104 And again,
because I have spoken the word of God ye have judged me that I am mad.
Mosiah; 7:20
13:5.
105 Now it came to pass after
Abinadi had spoken these words that the people of king Noah durst not lay their
hands on him, 106 for the Spirit of the Lord
was upon him; and his face shone with exceeding luster, even as Moses’ did
while in the mount of Sinai, while speaking with the Lord.
13:6.
107 And he spake with power and
authority from God; and he continued his words, saying:
13:7.
Ye see that ye have not power to slay me,
therefore I finish my message. 108 Yea, and
I perceive that it cuts you to your hearts because I tell you the truth
concerning your iniquities.
13:8.
Yea, and my words fill you with wonder and
amazement, and with anger.
13:9.
109 But I finish my message; and
then it matters not whither I go, if it so be that I am saved.
13:10.
110 But this much I tell you,
what you do with me, after this, shall be as a type and a shadow of things
which are to come.
13:11.
111 And now I read unto you the
remainder of the commandments of God, for I perceive that they are not written
in your hearts; 112 I perceive that ye have
studied and taught iniquity the most part of your lives.
Mosiah; 7:21
13:12.
113 And now, ye remember that I
said unto you: Thou shall not make unto thee any graven image, or any likeness
of things which are in heaven above, or which are in the earth beneath, or
which are in the water under the earth.
13:13.
114 And again: Thou shalt not
bow down thyself unto them, nor serve them; for I the Lord thy God am a jealous
God, visiting the iniquities of the fathers upon the children, unto the third
and fourth generations of them that hate me;
13:14.
And showing mercy unto thousands of them
that love me and keep my commandments.
13:15.
115 Thou shalt not take the name
of the Lord thy God in vain; for the Lord will not hold him guiltless that
taketh his name in vain.
13:16.
116 Remember the sabbath day, to
keep it holy.
13:17.
117 Six days shalt thou labor,
and do all thy work;
13:18.
But the seventh day, the sabbath of the
Lord thy God, thou shalt not do any work, thou, nor thy son, nor thy daughter,
thy man-servant, nor thy maid-servant, nor thy cattle, nor thy stranger that is
within thy gates;
13:19.
118 For in six days the Lord
made heaven and earth, and the sea, and all that in them is; wherefore the Lord
blessed the sabbath day, and hallowed it.
13:20.
119 Honor thy father and thy
mother, that thy days may be long upon the land which the Lord thy God giveth
thee.
13:21.
120 Thou shalt not kill.
13:22.
121 Thou shalt not commit
adultery. 122 Thou shalt not steal.
13:23.
123 Thou shalt not bear false
witness against thy neighbor.
13:24.
124 Thou shalt not covet thy
neighbor’s house, thou shalt not covet thy neighbor’s wife, nor his
man-servant, nor his maid-servant, nor his ox, nor his ass, nor anything that
is thy neighbor’s.
Mosiah, Chapter 8
Mosiah; 8:1
13:25.
1 And it came to pass that
after Abinadi had made an end of these sayings that he said unto them: Have ye
taught this people that they should observe to do all these things for to keep
these commandments?
13:26.
2 I say unto you, Nay; for if
ye had, the Lord would not have caused me to come forth and to prophesy evil
concerning this people.
13:27.
3 And now ye have said that
salvation cometh by the law of Moses. 4 I
say unto you that it is expedient that ye should keep the law of Moses as yet;
but I say unto you, that the time shall come when it shall no more be expedient
to keep the law of Moses.
13:28.
5 And moreover, I say unto
you, that salvation doth not come by the law alone; and were it not for the
atonement, which God himself shall make for the sins and iniquities of his
people, that they must unavoidably perish, notwithstanding the law of Moses.
13:29.
6 And now I say unto you that
it was expedient that there should be a law given to the children of Israel,
yea, even a very strict law; for they were a stiffnecked people, quick to do
iniquity, and slow to remember the Lord their God;
13:30.
7 Therefore there was a law
given them, yea, a law of performances and of ordinances, a law which they were
to observe strictly from day to day, to keep them in remembrance of God and
their duty towards him.
Mosiah; 8:2
13:31.
8 But behold, I say unto you,
that all these things were types of things to come.
13:32.
9 And now, did they understand
the law? 10 I say unto you, Nay, they did
not all understand the law; and this because of the hardness of their hearts;
for they understood not that there could not any man be saved except it were
through the redemption of God.
13:33.
11 For behold, did not Moses
prophesy unto them concerning the coming of the Messiah, and that God should
redeem his people? Yea, and even all the prophets who have prophesied ever
since the world began— 12 have they not
spoken more or less concerning these things?
13:34.
13 Have they not said that God
himself should come down among the children of men, and take upon him the form
of man, and go forth in mighty power upon the face of the earth?
13:35.
14 Yea, and have they not said
also that he should bring to pass the resurrection of the dead, and that he,
himself, should be oppressed and afflicted?
Mosiah, Chapter 14
14:1.
15 Yea, even doth not Isaiah
say: 16 Who hath believed our report, and to
whom is the arm of the Lord revealed?
14:2.
17 For he shall grow up before
him as a tender plant, and as a root out of dry ground; he hath no form nor
comeliness; and when we shall see him there is no beauty that we should desire
him.
14:3.
18 He is despised and rejected
of men; a man of sorrows, and acquainted with grief; and we hid as it were our
faces from him; he was despised, and we esteemed him not.
Mosiah; 8:3
14:4.
19 Surely he has borne our
griefs, and carried our sorrows; yet we did esteem him stricken, smitten of
God, and afflicted.
14:5.
20 But he was wounded for our
transgressions, he was bruised for our iniquities; the chastisement of our
peace was upon him; and with his stripes we are healed.
14:6.
21 All we, like sheep, have
gone astray; we have turned every one to his own way; and the Lord hath laid on
him the iniquities of us all.
14:7.
22 He was oppressed, and he was
afflicted, yet he opened not his mouth; he is brought as a lamb to the
slaughter, and as a sheep before her shearers is dumb so he opened not his
mouth.
14:8.
23 He was taken from prison and
from judgment; and who shall declare his generation? For he was cut off out of
the land of the living; for the transgressions of my people was he stricken.
14:9.
24 And he made his grave with
the wicked, and with the rich in his death; because he had done no evil,
neither was any deceit in his mouth.
Mosiah; 8:4
14:10.
25 Yet it pleased the Lord to
bruise him; he hath put him to grief; when thou shalt make his soul an offering
for sin he shall see his seed, he shall prolong his days, and the pleasure of
the Lord shall prosper in his hand.
14:11.
26 He shall see the travail of
his soul, and shall be satisfied; by his knowledge shall my righteous servant
justify many; for he shall bear their iniquities.
14:12.
27 Therefore will I divide him
a portion with the great, and he shall divide the spoil with the strong;
because he hath poured out his soul unto death; and he was numbered with the
transgressors; and he bore the sins of many, and made intercession for the transgressors.
Mosiah; 8:5
Mosiah, Chapter 15
15:1.
28 And now Abinadi said unto
them: I would that ye should understand that God himself shall come down among
the children of men, and shall redeem his people.
15:2.
29 And because he dwelleth in
flesh he shall be called the Son of God, 30 and
having subjected the flesh to the will of the Father, being the Father and the
Son—
15:3.
The Father, because he was conceived by the
power of God; and the Son, because of the flesh; thus becoming the Father and
Son—
15:4.
31 And they are one God, yea,
the very Eternal Father of heaven and of earth.
15:5.
32 And thus the flesh becoming
subject to the Spirit, or the Son to the Father, being one God, suffereth
temptation, and yieldeth not to the temptation, but suffereth himself to be
mocked, and scourged, and cast out, and disowned by his people.
15:6.
33 And after all this, after
working many mighty miracles among the children of men, he shall be led, yea,
even as Isaiah said, as a sheep before the shearer is dumb, so he opened not
his mouth.
15:7.
34 Yea, even so he shall be
led, crucified, and slain, the flesh becoming subject even unto death, the will
of the Son being swallowed up in the will of the Father.
15:8.
35 And thus God breaketh the
bands of death, having gained the victory over death; giving the Son power to
make intercession for the children of men—
15:9.
36 Having ascended into heaven,
having the bowels of mercy; being filled with compassion towards the children
of men; 37 standing betwixt them and
justice; having broken the bands of death, taken upon himself their iniquity
and their transgressions, having redeemed them, and satisfied the demands of
justice.
15:10.
38 And now I say unto you, who
shall declare his generation? 39 Behold, I
say unto you, that when his soul has been made an offering for sin he shall see
his seed. 40 And now what say ye? And who
shall be his seed?
15:11.
41 Behold I say unto you, that
whosoever has heard the words of the prophets, yea, all the holy prophets who
have prophesied concerning the coming of the Lord— 42
I say unto you, that all those who have hearkened unto their words, and
believed that the Lord would redeem his people, and have looked forward to that
day for a remission of their sins, 43 I say
unto you, that these are his seed, or they are heirs of the kingdom of God.
15:12.
44 For these are they whose sins
he has borne; these are they for whom he has died, to redeem them from their
transgressions. 45 And now, are they not his
seed?
15:13.
46 Yea, and are not the
prophets, every one that has opened his mouth to prophesy, that has not fallen
into transgression, I mean all the holy prophets ever since the world began? 47 I say unto you that they are his seed.
15:14.
And these are they who have published
peace, who have brought good tidings of good, who have published salvation; and
said unto Zion: Thy God reigneth!
15:15.
48 And O how beautiful upon the
mountains were their feet!
15:16.
49 And again, how beautiful
upon the mountains are the feet of those that are still publishing peace!
15:17.
50 And again, how beautiful
upon the mountains are the feet of those who shall hereafter publish peace,
yea, from this time henceforth and forever!
Mosiah; 8:6
15:18.
51 And behold, I say unto you,
this is not all. For O how beautiful upon the mountains are the feet of him
that bringeth good tidings, that is the founder of peace, 52 yea, even the Lord, who has redeemed his
people; yea, him who has granted salvation unto his people;
15:19.
53 For were it not for the
redemption which he hath made for his people, which was prepared from the
foundation of the world, I say unto you, were it not for this, all mankind must
have perished.
15:20.
54 But behold, the bands of
death shall be broken, and the Son reigneth, and hath power over the dead;
therefore, he bringeth to pass the resurrection of the dead.
15:21.
55 And there cometh a
resurrection, even a first resurrection; yea, even a resurrection of those that
have been, and who are, and who shall be, even until the resurrection of
Christ—for so shall he be called.
15:22.
56 And now, the resurrection of
all the prophets, and all those that have believed in their words, or all those
that have kept the commandments of God, shall come forth in the first
resurrection; therefore, they are the first resurrection.
15:23.
57 They are raised to dwell
with God who has redeemed them; thus they have eternal life through Christ, who
has broken the bands of death.
15:24.
58 And these are those who have
part in the first resurrection; and these are they that have died before Christ
came, in their ignorance, not having salvation declared unto them. 59 And thus the Lord bringeth about the
restoration of these; and they have a part in the first resurrection, or have
eternal life, being redeemed by the Lord.
15:25.
60 And little children also have
eternal life.
15:26.
61 But behold, and fear, and
tremble before God, for ye ought to tremble; for the Lord redeemeth none such
that rebel against him and die in their sins; 62 yea,
even all those that have perished in their sins ever since the world began,
that have wilfully rebelled against God, that have known the commandments of
God, and would not keep them; these are they that have no part in the first
resurrection.
15:27.
63 Therefore ought ye not to
tremble? 64 For salvation cometh to none
such; for the Lord hath redeemed none such; 65 yea,
neither can the Lord redeem such; for he cannot deny himself; for he cannot
deny justice when it has its claim.
Mosiah; 8:7
15:28.
66 And now I say unto you that
the time shall come that the salvation of the Lord shall be declared to every
nation, kindred, tongue, and people.
15:29.
67 Yea, Lord, thy watchmen
shall lift up their voice; with the voice together shall they sing; for they
shall see eye to eye, when the Lord shall bring again Zion.
15:30.
68 Break forth into joy, sing
together, ye waste places of Jerusalem; for the Lord hath comforted his people,
he hath redeemed Jerusalem.
15:31.
69 The Lord hath made bare his
holy arm in the eyes of all the nations; and all the ends of the earth shall
see the salvation of our God.
Mosiah; 8:8
Mosiah, Chapter 16
16:1.
70 And now, it came to pass
that after Abinadi had spoken these words he stretched forth his hand and said:
The time shall come when all shall see the salvation of the Lord; 71 when every nation, kindred, tongue, and people
shall see eye to eye and shall confess before God that his judgments are just.
16:2.
72 And then shall the wicked be
cast out, and they shall have cause to howl, and weep, and wail, and gnash
their teeth; 73 and this because they would
not hearken unto the voice of the Lord; therefore the Lord redeemeth them not.
16:3.
For they are carnal and devilish, and the
devil has power over them; 74 yea, even that
old serpent that did beguile our first parents, which was the cause of their
fall; 75 which was the cause of all mankind
becoming carnal, sensual, devilish, knowing evil from good, subjecting
themselves to the devil.
16:4.
76 Thus all mankind were lost;
and behold, they would have been endlessly lost were it not that God redeemed
his people from their lost and fallen state.
16:5.
77 But remember that he that
persists in his own carnal nature, and goes on in the ways of sin and rebellion
against God, remaineth in his fallen state and the devil hath all power over
him. 78 Therefore, he is as though there was
no redemption made, being an enemy to God; and also is the devil an enemy to
God.
16:6.
79 And now if Christ had not
come into the world, speaking of things to come as though they had already
come, there could have been no redemption.
Mosiah; 8:9
16:7.
80 And if Christ had not risen
from the dead, or have broken the bands of death that the grave should have no
victory, and that death should have no sting, there could have been no
resurrection.
16:8.
81 But there is a resurrection,
therefore the grave hath no victory, and the sting of death is swallowed up in
Christ.
16:9.
82 He is the light and the life
of the world; yea, a light that is endless, that can never be darkened; yea,
and also a life which is endless, that there can be no more death.
16:10.
83 Even this mortal shall put
on immortality, and this corruption shall put on incorruption, and shall be
brought to stand before the bar of God, to be judged of him according to their
works whether they be good or whether they be evil—
16:11.
84 If they be good, to the
resurrection of endless life and happiness; and if they be evil, to the
resurrection of endless damnation, 85 being
delivered up to the devil, who hath subjected them, which is damnation—
16:12.
86 Having gone according to
their own carnal wills and desires; having never called upon the Lord while the
arms of mercy were extended towards them; 87 for
the arms of mercy were extended towards them, and they would not; they being
warned of their iniquities and yet they would not depart from them; 88 and they were commanded to repent and yet they
would not repent.
16:13.
89 And now, ought ye not to
tremble and repent of your sins, and remember that only in and through Christ
ye can be saved?
16:14.
90 Therefore, if ye teach the
law of Moses, also teach that it is a shadow of those things which are to come—
16:15.
91 Teach them that redemption
cometh through Christ the Lord, who is the very Eternal Father. Amen.
Mosiah, Chapter 9
Mosiah; 9:1
Mosiah, Chapter 17
17:1.
1 And now it came to pass that
when Abinadi had finished these sayings, that the king commanded that the
priests should take him and cause that he should be put to death.
17:2.
2 But there was one among them
whose name was Alma, he also being a descendant of Nephi. 3 And he was a young man, and he believed the
words which Abinadi had spoken, for he knew concerning the iniquity which
Abinadi has testified against them; 4 therefore
he began to plead with the king that he would not be angry with Abinadi, but
suffer that he might depart in peace.
17:3.
5 But the king was more wroth,
and caused that Alma should be cast out from among them, and sent his servants
after him that they might slay him.
17:4.
6 But he fled from before them
and hid himself that they found him not. 7 And
he being concealed for many days did write all the words which Abinadi had
spoken.
Mosiah; 9:2
17:5.
8 And it came to pass that the
king caused that his guards should surround Abinadi and take him; and they
bound him and cast him into prison.
17:6.
9 And after three days, having
counseled with his priests, he caused that he should again be brought before
him.
17:7.
10 And he said unto him:
Abinadi, we have found an accusation against thee, and thou art worthy of
death.
17:8.
11 For thou hast said that God
himself should come down among the children of men; 12
and now, for this cause thou shalt be put to death unless thou wilt
recall all the words which thou hast spoken evil concerning me and my people.
Mosiah; 9:3
17:9.
13 Now Abinadi said unto him: I
say unto you, I will not recall the words which I have spoken unto you
concerning this people, for they are true; 14 and
that ye may know of their surety I have suffered myself that I have fallen into
your hands.
17:10.
15 Yea, and I will suffer even
until death, and I will not recall my words, and they shall stand as a
testimony against you. 16 And if ye slay me
ye will shed innocent blood, and this shall also stand as a testimony against
you at the last day.
Mosiah; 9:4
17:11.
17 And now king Noah was about
to release him, for he feared his word; for he feared that the judgments of God
would come upon him.
17:12.
18 But the priests lifted up
their voices against him, and began to accuse him, saying: He has reviled the
king. 19 Therefore the king was stirred up
in anger against him, and he delivered him up that he might be slain.
Mosiah; 9:5
17:13.
20 And it came to pass that
they took him and bound him, and scourged his skin with faggots, yea, even unto
death.
17:14.
21 And now when the flames
began to scorch him, he cried unto them, saying:
17:15.
Behold, even as ye have done unto me, so
shall it come to pass that thy seed shall cause that many shall suffer the
pains that I do suffer, even the pains of death by fire; and this because they
believe in the salvation of the Lord their God.
17:16.
22 And it will come to pass
that ye shall be afflicted with all manner of diseases because of your
iniquities.
17:17.
23 Yea, and ye shall be smitten
on every hand, and shall be driven and scattered to and fro, even as a wild
flock is driven by wild and ferocious beasts.
17:18.
24 And in that day ye shall be
hunted, and ye shall be taken by the hand of your enemies, and then ye shall
suffer, as I suffer, the pains of death by fire.
17:19.
25 Thus God executeth vengeance
upon those that destroy his people. 26 O
God, receive my soul.
17:20.
27 And now, when Abinadi had
said these words, he fell, having suffered death by fire; yea, having been put
to death because he would not deny the commandments of God, having sealed the
truth of his words by his death.
Mosiah; 9:6
Mosiah, Chapter 18
18:1.
28 And now, it came to pass
that Alma, who had fled from the servants of king Noah, repented of his sins
and iniquities, and went about privately among the people, and began to teach
the words of Abinadi—
18:2.
29 Yea, concerning that which
was to come, and also concerning the resurrection of the dead, and the
redemption of the people, which was to be brought to pass through the power,
and sufferings, and death of Christ, and his resurrection and ascension into heaven.
18:3.
30 And as many as would hear
his word he did teach. 31 And he taught them
privately, that it might not come to the knowledge of the king. And many did
believe his words.
18:4.
32 And it came to pass that as
many as did believe him did go forth to a place which was called Mormon, having
received its name from the king, being in the borders of the land having been
infested, by times or at seasons, by wild beasts.
18:5.
33 Now, there was in Mormon a
fountain of pure water, and Alma resorted thither, there being near the water a
thicket of small trees, where he did hide himself in the daytime from the
searches of the king.
18:6.
34 And it came to pass that as
many as believed him went thither to hear his words.
18:7.
35 And it came to pass after
many days there were a goodly number gathered together at the place of Mormon,
to hear the words of Alma. 36 Yea, all were
gathered together that believed on his word, to hear him. 37 And he did teach them, and did preach unto them
repentance, and redemption, and faith on the Lord.
Mosiah; 9:7
18:8.
38 And it came to pass that he
said unto them: Behold, here are the waters of Mormon (for thus were they
called) 39 and now, as ye are desirous to
come into the fold of God, and to be called his people, and are willing to bear
one another’s burdens, that they may be light;
18:9.
40 Yea, and are willing to
mourn with those that mourn; yea, and comfort those that stand in need of
comfort, and to stand as witnesses of God at all times and in all things, and
in all places that ye may be in, even until death, that ye may be redeemed of
God, and be numbered with those of the first resurrection, that ye may have
eternal life—
18:10.
41 Now I say unto you, if this
be the desire of your hearts, what have you against being baptized in the name
of the Lord, as a witness before him that ye have entered into a covenant with
him, that ye will serve him and keep his commandments, that he may pour out his
Spirit more abundantly upon you?
18:11.
42 And now when the people had
heard these words, they clapped their hands for joy, and exclaimed: This is the
desire of our hearts.
Mosiah; 9:8
18:12.
43 And now it came to pass that
Alma took Helam, he being one of the first, and went and stood forth in the
water, and cried, saying: O Lord, pour out thy Spirit upon thy servant, that he
may do this work with holiness of heart.
18:13.
44 And when he had said these
words, the Spirit of the Lord was upon him, and he said: Helam, I baptize thee,
having authority from the Almighty God, as a testimony that ye have entered
into a covenant to serve him until you are dead as to the mortal body; and may
the Spirit of the Lord be poured out upon you; and may he grant unto you
eternal life, through the redemption of Christ, whom he has prepared from the
foundation of the world.
18:14.
45 And after Alma had said
these words, both Alma and Helam were buried in the water; and they arose and
came forth out of the water rejoicing, being filled with the Spirit.
18:15.
46 And again, Alma took
another, and went forth a second time into the water, and baptized him
according to the first, only he did not bury himself again in the water.
18:16.
47 And after this manner he did
baptize every one that went forth to the place of Mormon; and they were in
number about two hundred and four souls; 48 yea,
and they were baptized in the waters of Mormon, and were filled with the grace
of God.
18:17.
49 And they were called the
church of God, or the church of Christ, from that time forward. 50 And it came to pass that whosoever was baptized
by the power and authority of God was added to his church.
Mosiah; 9:9
18:18.
51 And it came to pass that
Alma, having authority from God, ordained priests; even one priest to every
fifty of their number did he ordain to preach unto them, and to teach them
concerning the things pertaining to the kingdom of God.
18:19.
52 And he commanded them that
they should teach nothing save it were the things which he had taught, and
which had been spoken by the mouth of the holy prophets.
18:20.
53 Yea, even he commanded them
that they should preach nothing save it were repentance and faith on the Lord,
who had redeemed his people.
18:21.
54 And he commanded them that
there should be no contention one with another, but that they should look
forward with one eye, having one faith and one baptism, having their hearts
knit together in unity and in love one towards another.
18:22.
55 And thus he commanded them
to preach. And thus they became the children of God.
18:23.
56 And he commanded them that
they should observe the sabbath day, and keep it holy, and also every day they
should give thanks to the Lord their God.
18:24.
57 And he also commanded them
that the priests whom he had ordained should labor with their own hands for
their support.
18:25.
58 And there was one day in
every week that was set apart that they should gather themselves together to
teach the people, and to worship the Lord their God, and also, as often as it
was in their power, to assemble themselves together.
18:26.
59 And the priests were not to
depend upon the people for their support; but for their labor they were to
receive the grace of God, that they might wax strong in the Spirit, having the
knowledge of God, that they might teach with power and authority from God.
18:27.
60 And again Alma commanded
that the people of the church should impart of their substance, every one
according to that which he had; 61 if he
have more abundantly he should impart more abundantly; and of him that had but
little, but little should be required; and to him that had not should be given.
18:28.
62 And thus they should impart
of their substance of their own free will and good desires towards God, and to
those priests that stood in need, yea, and to every needy, naked soul.
18:29.
63 And this he said unto them,
having been commanded of God; 64 and they
did walk uprightly before God, imparting to one another both temporally and
spiritually according to their needs and their wants.
Mosiah; 9:10
18:30.
65 And now it came to pass that
all this was done in Mormon, yea, by the waters of Mormon, in the forest that
was near the waters of Mormon; 66 yea, the
place of Mormon, the waters of Mormon, the forest of Mormon, how beautiful are
they to the eyes of them who there came to the knowledge of their Redeemer; 67 yea, and how blessed are they, for they shall
sing to his praise forever.
18:31.
68 And these things were done
in the borders of the land, that they might not come to the knowledge of the
king.
18:32.
69 But behold, it came to pass
that the king, having discovered a movement among the people, sent his servants
to watch them. 70 Therefore on the day that
they were assembling themselves together to hear the word of the Lord they were
discovered unto the king.
18:33.
71 And now the king said that
Alma was stirring up the people to rebellion against him; therefore he sent his
army to destroy them.
18:34.
72 And it came to pass that
Alma and the people of the Lord were apprised of the coming of the king’s army;
therefore they took their tents and their families and departed into the
wilderness.
18:35.
73 And they were in number
about four hundred and fifty souls.
Mosiah; 9:11
Mosiah, Chapter 19
19:1.
74 And it came to pass that the
army of the king returned, having searched in vain for the people of the Lord.
19:2.
75 And now behold, the forces
of the king were small, having been reduced, and there began to be a division
among the remainder of the people.
19:3.
76 And the lesser part began to
breathe out threatenings against the king, and there began to be a great
contention among them.
19:4.
77 And now there was a man
among them whose name was Gideon, and he being a strong man and an enemy to the
king, therefore he drew his sword, and swore in his wrath that he would slay
the king.
19:5.
78 And it came to pass that he
fought with the king; and when the king saw that he was about to overpower him,
he fled and ran and got upon the tower which was near the temple.
19:6.
79 And Gideon pursued after him
and was about to get upon the tower to slay the king, and the king cast his
eyes round about towards the land of Shemlon, and behold, the army of the
Lamanites were within the borders of the land.
19:7.
80 And now the king cried out
in the anguish of his soul, saying: Gideon, spare me, for the Lamanites are
upon us, and they will destroy us; yea, they will destroy my people.
19:8.
81 And now the king was not so
much concerned about his people as he was about his own life; nevertheless,
Gideon did spare his life.
19:9.
82 And the king commanded the
people that they should flee before the Lamanites, and he himself did go before
them, and they did flee into the wilderness, with their women and their
children.
19:10.
83 And it came to pass that the
Lamanites did pursue them, and did overtake them, and began to slay them.
Mosiah; 9:12
19:11.
84 Now it came to pass that the
king commanded them that all the men should leave their wives and their
children, and flee before the Lamanites.
19:12.
85 Now there were many that
would not leave them, but had rather stay and perish with them. 86 And the rest left their wives and their
children and fled.
19:13.
87 And it came to pass that
those who tarried with their wives and their children caused that their fair
daughters should stand forth and plead with the Lamanites that they would not
slay them.
19:14.
88 And it came to pass that the
Lamanites had compassion on them, for they were charmed with the beauty of
their women.
19:15.
89 Therefore the Lamanites did
spare their lives, and took them captives and carried them back to the land of
Nephi, and granted unto them that they might possess the land, under the
conditions that they would deliver up king Noah into the hands of the Lamanites,
and deliver up their property, 90 even one
half of all they possessed, one half of their gold, and their silver, and all
their precious things, and thus they should pay tribute to the king of the
Lamanites from year to year.
19:16.
91 And now there was one of the
sons of the king among those that were taken captive, whose name was Limhi.
19:17.
92 And now Limhi was desirous
that his father should not be destroyed; nevertheless, Limhi was not ignorant
of the iniquities of his father, he himself being a just man.
Mosiah; 9:13
19:18.
93 And it came to pass that
Gideon sent men into the wilderness secretly, to search for the king and those
that were with him. 94 And it came to pass
that they met the people in the wilderness, all save the king and his priests.
19:19.
95 Now they had sworn in their
hearts that they would return to the land of Nephi, and if their wives and
their children were slain, and also those that had tarried with them, that they
would seek revenge, and also perish with them.
19:20.
96 And the king commanded them
that they should not return; and they were angry with the king, and caused that
he should suffer, even unto death by fire.
19:21.
97 And they were about to take
the priests also and put them to death, and they fled before them.
Mosiah; 9:14
19:22.
98 And it came to pass that
they were about to return to the land of Nephi, and they met the men of Gideon.
99 And the men of Gideon told them of all
that had happened to their wives and their children; and that the Lamanites had
granted unto them that they might possess the land by paying a tribute to the
Lamanites of one half of all they possessed.
19:23.
100 And the people told the men
of Gideon that they had slain the king, and his priests had fled from them
farther into the wilderness.
19:24.
101 And it came to pass that
after they had ended the ceremony, that they returned to the land of Nephi,
rejoicing, because their wives and their children were not slain; and they told
Gideon what they had done to the king.
Mosiah; 9:15
19:25.
102 And it came to pass that the
king of the Lamanites made an oath unto them, that his people should not slay
them.
19:26.
103 And also Limhi, being the son
of the king, having the kingdom conferred upon him by the people, made oath
unto the king of the Lamanites that his people should pay tribute unto him,
even one half of all they possessed.
Mosiah; 9:16
19:27.
104 And it came to pass that
Limhi began to establish the kingdom and to establish peace among his people.
19:28.
105 And the king of the
Lamanites set guards round about the land, that he might keep the people of
Limhi in the land, that they might not depart into the wilderness; 106 and he did support his guards out of the
tribute which he did receive from the Nephites.
19:29.
107 And now king Limhi did have
continual peace in his kingdom for the space of two years, that the Lamanites
did not molest them nor seek to destroy them.
Mosiah; 9:17
Mosiah, Chapter 20
20:1.
108 Now there was a place in
Shemlon where the daughters of the Lamanites did gather themselves together to
sing, and to dance, and to make themselves merry.
20:2.
109 And it came to pass that
there was one day a small number of them gathered together to sing and to
dance.
20:3.
110 And now the priests of king
Noah, being ashamed to return to the city of Nephi, yea, and also fearing that
the people would slay them, therefore they durst not return to their wives and
their children.
20:4.
111 And having tarried in the
wilderness, and having discovered the daughters of the Lamanites, they laid and
watched them;
20:5.
And when there were but few of them
gathered together to dance, they came forth out of their secret places and took
them and carried them into the wilderness; 112 yea,
twenty and four of the daughters of the Lamanites they carried into the
wilderness.
Mosiah; 9:18
20:6.
113 And it came to pass that
when the Lamanites found that their daughters had been missing, they were angry
with the people of Limhi, for they thought it was the people of Limhi.
20:7.
114 Therefore they sent their
armies forth; yea, even the king himself went before his people; and they went
up to the land of Nephi to destroy the people of Limhi.
20:8.
115 And now Limhi had discovered
them from the tower, even all their preparations for war did he discover;
therefore he gathered his people together, and laid wait for them in the fields
and in the forests.
20:9.
116 And it came to pass that
when the Lamanites had come up, that the people of Limhi began to fall upon
them from their waiting places, and began to slay them.
Mosiah; 9:19
20:10.
117 And it came to pass that the
battle became exceedingly sore, for they fought like lions for their prey.
20:11.
118 And it came to pass that the
people of Limhi began to drive the Lamanites before them; yet they were not
half so numerous as the Lamanites. 119 But
they fought for their lives, and for their wives, and for their children;
therefore they exerted themselves and like dragons did they fight.
Mosiah; 9:20
20:12.
120 And it came to pass that
they found the king of the Lamanites among the number of their dead; yet he was
not dead, having been wounded and left upon the ground, so speedy was the
flight of his people.
20:13.
121 And they took him and bound
up his wounds, and brought him before Limhi, and said: Behold, here is the king
of the Lamanites; he having received a wound has fallen among their dead, and
they have left him; and behold, we have brought him before you; and now let us
slay him.
20:14.
122 But Limhi said unto them: Ye
shall not slay him, but bring him hither that I may see him. And they brought
him. 123 And Limhi said unto him: What cause
have ye to come up to war against my people? 124 Behold,
my people have not broken the oath that I made unto you; therefore, why should
ye break the oath which ye made unto my people?
Mosiah; 9:21
20:15.
125 And now the king said: I
have broken the oath because thy people did carry away the daughters of my
people; therefore, in my anger I did cause my people to come up to war against
thy people.
20:16.
126 And now Limhi had heard
nothing concerning this matter; therefore he said: I will search among my
people and whosoever has done this thing shall perish. 127
Therefore he caused a search to be made among his people.
20:17.
128 Now when Gideon had heard
these things, he being the king’s captain, he went forth and said unto the
king: I pray thee forbear, and do not search this people, and lay not this
thing to their charge.
20:18.
129 For do ye not remember the
priests of thy father, whom this people sought to destroy? 130 And are they not in the wilderness? And are
not they the ones who have stolen the daughters of the Lamanites?
20:19.
131 And now, behold, and tell
the king of these things, that he may tell his people that they may be pacified
towards us; for behold they are already preparing to come against us; and
behold also there are but few of us.
20:20.
132 And behold, they come with
their numerous hosts; and except the king doth pacify them towards us we must
perish.
20:21.
133 For are not the words of
Abinadi fulfilled, which he prophesied against us—and all this because we would
not hearken unto the words of the Lord, and turn from our iniquities?
20:22.
134 And now let us pacify the
king, and we fulfil the oath which we have made unto him; for it is better that
we should be in bondage than that we should lose our lives; therefore, let us
put a stop to the shedding of so much blood.
20:23.
135 And now Limhi told the king
all the things concerning his father, and the priests that had fled into the
wilderness, and attributed the carrying away of their daughters to them.
Mosiah; 9:22
20:24.
136 And it came to pass that the
king was pacified towards his people; and he said unto them: Let us go forth to
meet my people, without arms; and I swear unto you with an oath that my people
shall not slay thy people.
20:25.
137 And it came to pass that
they followed the king, and went forth without arms to meet the Lamanites. 138 And it came to pass that they did meet the
Lamanites; and the king of the Lamanites did bow himself down before them, and
did plead in behalf of the people of Limhi.
20:26.
139 And when the Lamanites saw
the people of Limhi, that they were without arms, they had compassion on them
and were pacified towards them, and returned with their king in peace to their
own land.
Mosiah; 9:23
Mosiah, Chapter 21
21:1.
140 And it came to pass that
Limhi and his people returned to the city of Nephi, and began to dwell in the
land again in peace.
21:2.
141 And it came to pass that
after many days the Lamanites began again to be stirred up in anger against the
Nephites, and they began to come into the borders of the land round about.
21:3.
142 Now they durst not slay
them, because of the oath which their king had made unto Limhi; but they would
smite them on their cheeks, and exercise authority over them; and began to put
heavy burdens upon their backs, and drive them as they would a dumb ass—
21:4.
Yea, all this was done that the word of the
Lord might be fulfilled.
21:5.
143 And now the afflictions of
the Nephites were great, and there was no way that they could deliver
themselves out of their hands, for the Lamanites had surrounded them on every
side.
Mosiah; 9:24
21:6.
144 And it came to pass that the
people began to murmur with the king because of their afflictions; and they
began to be desirous to go against them to battle. 145
And they did afflict the king sorely with their complaints; therefore he
granted unto them that they should do according to their desires.
21:7.
146 And they gathered themselves
together again, and put on their armor, and went forth against the Lamanites to
drive them out of their land.
21:8.
147 And it came to pass that the
Lamanites did beat them, and drove them back, and slew many of them.
21:9.
148 And now there was a great
mourning and lamentation among the people of Limhi, the widow mourning for her
husband, the son and the daughter mourning for their father, and the brothers
for their brethren.
21:10.
149 Now there were a great many
widows in the land, and they did cry mightily from day to day, for a great fear
of the Lamanites had come upon them.
21:11.
150 And it came to pass that
their continual cries did stir up the remainder of the people of Limhi to anger
against the Lamanites; 151 and they went
again to battle, but they were driven back again, suffering much loss.
21:12.
152 Yea, they went again even
the third time, and suffered in the like manner; and those that were not slain
returned again to the city of Nephi.
21:13.
153 And they did humble
themselves even to the dust, subjecting themselves to the yoke of bondage,
submitting themselves to be smitten, and to be driven to and fro, and burdened,
according to the desires of their enemies.
21:14.
154 And they did humble
themselves even in the depths of humility; and they did cry mightily to God;
yea, even all the day long did they cry unto their God that he would deliver
them out of their afflictions.
21:15.
155 And now the Lord was slow to
hear their cry because of their iniquities; 156 nevertheless
the Lord did hear their cries, and began to soften the hearts of the Lamanites
that they began to ease their burdens; yet the Lord did not see fit to deliver
them out of bondage.
Mosiah; 9:25
21:16.
157 And it came to pass that
they began to prosper by degrees in the land, and began to raise grain more
abundantly, and flocks, and herds, that they did not suffer with hunger.
21:17.
158 Now there was a great number
of women, more than there was of men; therefore king Limhi commanded that every
man should impart to the support of the widows and their children, that they
might not perish with hunger; and this they did because of the greatness of
their number that had been slain.
21:18.
159 Now the people of Limhi kept
together in a body as much as it was possible, and secured their grain and
their flocks;
21:19.
160 And the king himself did not
trust his person without the walls of the city, unless he took his guards with
him, fearing that he might by some means fall into the hands of the Lamanites.
21:20.
161 And he caused that his
people should watch the land round about, that by some means they might take
those priests that fled into the wilderness, who had stolen the daughters of
the Lamanites, and that had caused such a great destruction to come upon them.
21:21.
162 For they were desirous to
take them that they might punish them; for they had come into the land of Nephi
by night, and carried off their grain and many of their precious things;
therefore they laid wait for them.
Mosiah; 9:26
21:22.
163 And it came to pass that
there was no more disturbance between the Lamanites and the people of Limhi,
even until the time that Ammon and his brethren came into the land.
21:23.
164 And the king having been
without the gates of the city with his guard, discovered Ammon and his
brethren; and supposing them to be priests of Noah therefore he caused that
they should be taken, and bound, and cast into prison. 165
And had they been the priests of Noah he would have caused that they
should be put to death.
21:24.
But when he found that they were not, but
that they were his brethren, and had come from the land of Zarahemla, he was
filled with exceedingly great joy.
21:25.
166 Now king Limhi had sent,
previous to the coming of Ammon, a small number of men to search for the land
of Zarahemla; but they could not find it, and they were lost in the wilderness.
21:26.
167 Nevertheless, they did find
a land which had been peopled; yea, a land which was covered with dry bones;
yea, a land which had been peopled and which had been destroyed; 168 and they, having supposed it to be the land of
Zarahemla, returned to the land of Nephi, having arrived in the borders of the
land not many days before the coming of Ammon.
21:27.
169 And they brought a record
with them, even a record of the people whose bones they had found; and it was
engraven on plates of ore.
21:28.
170 And now Limhi was again
filled with joy in learning from the mouth of Ammon that king Mosiah had a gift
from God, whereby he could interpret such engravings; yea, and Ammon also did
rejoice.
21:29.
171 Yet Ammon and his brethren
were filled with sorrow because so many of their brethren had been slain;
21:30.
And also that king Noah and his priests had
caused the people to commit so many sins and iniquities against God; 172 and they also did mourn for the death of
Abinadi; and also for the departure of Alma and the people that went with him,
who had formed a church of God through the strength and power of God, and faith
on the words which had been spoken by Abinadi.
21:31.
173 Yea, they did mourn for
their departure, for they knew not whither they had fled. 174 Now they would have gladly joined with them,
for they themselves had entered into a covenant with God to serve him and keep
his commandments.
21:32.
175 And now since the coming of
Ammon, king Limhi had also entered into a covenant with God, and also many of
his people, to serve him and keep his commandments.
Mosiah; 9:27
21:33.
176 And it came to pass that
king Limhi and many of his people were desirous to be baptized; but there was
none in the land that had authority from God. 177 And
Ammon declined doing this thing, considering himself an unworthy servant.
21:34.
Therefore they did not at that time form
themselves into a church, waiting upon the Spirit of the Lord. 178 Now they were desirous to become even as Alma
and his brethren, who had fled into the wilderness.
21:35.
179 They were desirous to be
baptized as a witness and a testimony that they were willing to serve God with
all their hearts; 180 nevertheless they did
prolong the time; and an account of their baptism shall be given hereafter.
21:36.
181 And now all the study of
Ammon and his people, and king Limhi and his people, was to deliver themselves
out of the hands of the Lamanites and from bondage.
Mosiah, Chapter 10
Mosiah; 10:1
Mosiah, Chapter 22
22:1.
1 And now it came to pass that
Ammon and king Limhi began to consult with the people how they should deliver
themselves out of bondage; 2 and even they
did cause that all the people should gather themselves together; and this they
did that they might have the voice of the people concerning the matter.
22:2.
3 And it came to pass that they
could find no way to deliver themselves out of bondage, except it were to take
their women and children, and their flocks, and their herds, and their tents,
and depart into the wilderness; 4 for the
Lamanites being so numerous, it was impossible for the people of Limhi to
contend with them, thinking to deliver themselves out of bondage by the sword.
Mosiah; 10:2
22:3.
5 Now it came to pass that
Gideon went forth and stood before the king, and said unto him: Now O king,
thou hast hitherto hearkened unto my words many times when we have been
contending with our brethren, the Lamanites.
22:4.
6 And now O king, if thou hast
not found me to be an unprofitable servant, or if thou hast hitherto listened
to my words in any degree, and they have been of service to thee, even so I
desire that thou wouldst listen to my words at this time, and I will be thy
servant and deliver this people out of bondage.
22:5.
7 And the king granted unto
him that he might speak. 8 And Gideon said
unto him:
22:6.
Behold the back pass, through the back
wall, on the back side of the city. 9 The
Lamanites, or the guards of the Lamanites, by night are drunken; therefore let
us send a proclamation among all this people that they gather together their
flocks and herds, that they may drive them into the wilderness by night.
22:7.
10 And I will go according to
thy command and pay the last tribute of wine to the Lamanites, and they will be
drunken; and we will pass through the secret pass on the left of their camp
when they are drunken and asleep.
22:8.
11 Thus we will depart with our
women and our children, our flocks, and our herds into the wilderness; and we
will travel around the land of Shilom.
22:9.
12 And it came to pass that the
king hearkened unto the words of Gideon.
22:10.
13 And king Limhi caused that
his people should gather their flocks together; and he sent the tribute of wine
to the Lamanites; and he also sent more wine, as a present unto them; and they
did drink freely of the wine which king Limhi did send unto them.
Mosiah; 10:3
22:11.
14 And it came to pass that the
people of king Limhi did depart by night into the wilderness with their flocks
and their herds, and they went round about the land of Shilom in the
wilderness, and bent their course towards the land of Zarahemla, being led by
Ammon and his brethren.
22:12.
15 And they had taken all their
gold, and silver, and their precious things, which they could carry, and also
their provisions with them, into the wilderness; and they pursued their
journey.
22:13.
16 And after being many days in
the wilderness they arrived in the land of Zarahemla, and joined Mosiah’s
people, and became his subjects.
22:14.
17 And it came to pass that
Mosiah received them with joy; and he also received their records, and also the
records which had been found by the people of Limhi.
22:15.
18 And now it came to pass when
the Lamanites had found that the people of Limhi had departed out of the land
by night, that they sent an army into the wilderness to pursue them;
22:16.
19 And after they had pursued
them two days, they could no longer follow their tracks; therefore they were
lost in the wilderness.
Mosiah, Chapter 11
An account of Alma and the people of the Lord, who were driven
into the wilderness by the people of King Noah.
Mosiah; 11:1
Mosiah, Chapter 23
23:1.
1 Now Alma, having been warned
of the Lord that the armies of king Noah would come upon them, and having made
it known to his people, therefore they gathered together their flocks, and took
of their grain, and departed into the wilderness before the armies of king
Noah.
23:2.
2 And the Lord did strengthen
them, that the people of king Noah could not overtake them to destroy them.
23:3.
3 And they fled eight days’
journey into the wilderness.
23:4.
4 And they came to a land,
yea, even a very beautiful and pleasant land, a land of pure water.
23:5.
5 And they pitched their
tents, and began to till the ground, and began to build buildings; yea, they
were industrious, and did labor exceedingly.
23:6.
6 And the people were desirous
that Alma should be their king, for he was beloved by his people.
23:7.
7 But he said unto them:
Behold, it is not expedient that we should have a king; for thus saith the
Lord: Ye shall not esteem one flesh above another, or one man shall not think
himself above another; therefore I say unto you it is not expedient that ye should
have a king.
23:8.
8 Nevertheless, if it were
possible that ye could always have just men to be your kings it would be well
for you to have a king.
23:9.
9 But remember the iniquity of
king Noah and his priests; and I myself was caught in a snare, and did many
things which were abominable in the sight of the Lord, which caused me sore
repentance;
23:10.
10 Nevertheless, after much
tribulation, the Lord did hear my cries, and did answer my prayers, and has
made me an instrument in his hands in bringing so many of you to a knowledge of
his truth.
23:11.
11 Nevertheless, in this I do
not glory, for I am unworthy to glory of myself.
23:12.
12 And now I say unto you, ye
have been oppressed by king Noah, and have been in bondage to him and his
priests, and have been brought into iniquity by them; therefore ye were bound
with the bands of iniquity.
Mosiah; 11:2
23:13.
13 And now as ye have been
delivered by the power of God out of these bonds; 14
yea, even out of the hands of king Noah and his people, and also from
the bonds of iniquity, even so I desire that ye should stand fast in this
liberty wherewith ye have been made free, and that ye trust no man to be a king
over you.
23:14.
15 And also trust no one to be
your teacher nor your minister, except he be a man of God, walking in his ways
and keeping his commandments.
23:15.
16 Thus did Alma teach his
people, that every man should love his neighbor as himself, that there should
be no contention among them.
23:16.
17 And now, Alma was their high
priest, he being the founder of their church.
23:17.
18 And it came to pass that
none received authority to preach or to teach except it were by him from God. 19 Therefore he consecrated all their priests and
all their teachers; and none were consecrated except they were just men.
23:18.
20 Therefore they did watch over
their people, and did nourish them with things pertaining to righteousness.
23:19.
21 And it came to pass that
they began to prosper exceedingly in the land; and they called the land Helam.
23:20.
22 And it came to pass that
they did multiply and prosper exceedingly in the land of Helam; and they built
a city, which they called the city of Helam.
23:21.
23 Nevertheless the Lord seeth
fit to chasten his people; yea, he trieth their patience and their faith.
23:22.
24 Nevertheless—whosoever
putteth his trust in him the same shall be lifted up at the last day. 25 Yea, and thus it was with this people.
23:23.
26 For behold, I will show unto
you that they were brought into bondage, and none could deliver them but the
Lord their God, yea, even the God of Abraham and Isaac and of Jacob.
23:24.
27 And it came to pass that he
did deliver them, and he did show forth his mighty power unto them, and great
were their rejoicings.
Mosiah; 11:3
23:25.
28 For behold, it came to pass
that while they were in the land of Helam, yea, in the city of Helam, while
tilling the land round about, behold an army of the Lamanites was in the
borders of the land.
23:26.
29 Now it came to pass that the
brethren of Alma fled from their fields, and gathered themselves together in
the city of Helam; and they were much frightened because of the appearance of
the Lamanites.
23:27.
30 But Alma went forth and
stood among them, and exhorted them that they should not be frightened, but
that they should remember the Lord their God and he would deliver them.
23:28.
31 Therefore they hushed their
fears, and began to cry unto the Lord that he would soften the hearts of the
Lamanites, that they would spare them, and their wives, and their children.
23:29.
32 And it came to pass the the
Lord did soften the hearts of the Lamanites. 33 And
Alma and his brethren went forth and delivered themselves up into their hands;
and the Lamanites took possession of the land of Helam.
23:30.
34 Now the armies of the
Lamanites, which had followed after the people of king Limhi, had been lost in
the wilderness for many days.
23:31.
35 And behold, they had found
those priests of king Noah, in a place which they called Amulon; and they had
begun to possess the land of Amulon and had begun to till the ground.
23:32.
36 Now the name of the leader
of those priests was Amulon.
23:33.
37 And it came to pass that
Amulon did plead with the Lamanites; and he also sent forth their wives, who
were the daughters of the Lamanites, to plead with their brethren, that they
should not destroy their husbands.
23:34.
38 And the Lamanites had
compassion on Amulon and his brethren, and did not destroy them, because of
their wives.
23:35.
39 And Amulon and his brethren
did join the Lamanites, and they were traveling in the wilderness in search of
the land of Nephi when they discovered the land of Helam, which was possessed
by Alma and his brethren.
23:36.
40 And it came to pass that the
Lamanites promised unto Alma and his brethren, that if they would show them the
way which led to the land of Nephi that they would grant unto them their lives
and their liberty.
23:37.
41 But after Alma had shown
them the way that led to the land of Nephi the Lamanites would not keep their
promise; but they set guards round about the land of Helam, over Alma and his
brethren.
23:38.
42 And the remainder of them
went to the land of Nephi; and a part of them returned to the land of Helam,
and also brought with them the wives and the children of the guards who had
been left in the land.
23:39.
43 And the king of the
Lamanites had granted unto Amulon that he should be a king and a ruler over his
people, who were in the land of Helam; nevertheless he should have no power to
do anything contrary to the will of the king of the Lamanites.
Mosiah; 11:4
Mosiah, Chapter 24
24:1.
44 And it came to pass that
Amulon did gain favor in the eyes of the king of the Lamanites; therefore, the
king of the Lamanites granted unto him and his brethren that they should be
appointed teachers over his people, 45 yea,
even over the people who were in the land of Shemlon, and in the land of
Shilom, and in the land of Amulon.
24:2.
46 For the Lamanites had taken
possession of all these lands; therefore, the king of the Lamanites had
appointed kings over all these lands.
24:3.
47 And now the name of the king
of the Lamanites was Laman, being called after the name of his father; and
therefore he was called king Laman. 48 And
he was king over a numerous people.
24:4.
And he appointed teachers of the brethren
of Amulon in every land which was possessed by his people; 49 and thus the language of Nephi began to be
taught among all the people of the Lamanites.
24:5.
50 And they were a people
friendly one with another; nevertheless they knew not God; neither did the
brethren of Amulon teach them anything concerning the Lord their God, neither
the law of Moses; 51 nor did they teach them
the words of Abinadi;
24:6.
But they taught them that they should keep
their record, and that they might write one to another.
24:7.
52 And thus the Lamanites began
to increase in riches, and began to trade one with another and wax great, and
began to be a cunning and a wise people, as to the wisdom of the world, 53 yea, a very cunning people, delighting in all
manner of wickedness and plunder, except it were among their own brethren.
Mosiah; 11:5
24:8.
54 And now it came to pass that
Amulon began to exercise authority over Alma and his brethren, and began to
persecute him, and cause that his children should persecute their children.
24:9.
55 For Amulon knew Alma, that
he had been one of the king’s priests, and that it was he that believed the
words of Abinadi and was driven out before the king, and therefore he was wroth
with him; for he was subject to king Laman, 56 yet
he exercised authority over them, and put tasks upon them, and put task-masters
over them.
24:10.
57 And it came to pass that so
great were their afflictions that they began to cry mightily to God.
24:11.
58 And Amulon commanded them
that they should stop their cries; and he put guards over them to watch them,
that whosoever should be found calling upon God should be put to death.
24:12.
59 And Alma and his people did
not raise their voices to the Lord their God, but did pour out their hearts to
him; and he did know the thoughts of their hearts.
Mosiah; 11:6
24:13.
60 And it came to pass that the
voice of the Lord came to them in their afflictions, saying: Lift up your heads
and be of good comfort, for I know of the covenant which ye have made unto me;
and I will covenant with my people and deliver them out of bondage.
24:14.
61 And I will also ease the
burdens which are put upon your shoulders, that even you cannot feel them upon
your backs, even while you are in bondage; 62 and
this will I do that ye may stand as witnesses for me hereafter, and that ye may
know of a surety that I, the Lord God, do visit my people in their afflictions.
24:15.
63 And now it came to pass that
the burdens which were laid upon Alma and his brethren were made light; 64 yea, the Lord did strengthen them that they
could bear up their burdens with ease, and they did submit cheerfully and with
patience to all the will of the Lord.
24:16.
65 And it came to pass that so
great was their faith and their patience that the voice of the Lord came unto
them again, saying: Be of good comfort, for on the morrow I will deliver you
out of bondage.
24:17.
66 And he said unto Alma: Thou
shalt go before this people, and I will go with thee and deliver this people
out of bondage.
Mosiah; 11:7
24:18.
67 Now it came to pass that
Alma and his people in the night-time gathered their flocks together, and also
of their grain; yea, even all the night-time were they gathering the flocks
together.
24:19.
68 And in the morning the Lord
caused a deep sleep to come upon the Lamanites, yea, and all their task-masters
were in a profound sleep.
24:20.
69 And Alma and his people
departed into the wilderness; and when they had traveled all day they pitched
their tents in a valley, and they called the valley Alma, because he led their
way in the wilderness.
24:21.
70 Yea, and in the valley of
Alma they poured out their thanks to God because he had been merciful unto
them, and eased their burdens, and had delivered them out of bondage; 71 for they were in bondage, and none could
deliver them except it were the Lord their God.
24:22.
72 And they gave thanks to God,
yea, all their men and all their women and all their children that could speak
lifted their voices in the praises of their God.
Mosiah; 11:8
24:23.
73 And now the Lord said unto
Alma: Haste thee and get thou and this people out of this land, for the
Lamanites have awakened and do pursue thee; 74 therefore
get thee out of this land, and I will stop the Lamanites in this valley that
they come no further in pursuit of this people.
24:24.
75 And it came to pass that
they departed out of the valley, and took their journey into the wilderness.
24:25.
76 And after they had been in
the wilderness twelve days they arrived in the land of Zarahemla; and king
Mosiah did also receive them with joy.
Mosiah, Chapter 25
25:1.
77 And now king Mosiah caused
that all the people should be gathered together.
25:2.
78 Now there were not so many
of the children of Nephi, or so many of those who were descendants of Nephi, as
there were of the people of Zarahemla, who was a descendant of Mulek, and those
who came with him into the wilderness.
25:3.
79 And there were not so many
of the people of Nephi and of the people of Zarahemla as there were of the
Lamanites; yea, they were not half so numerous.
25:4.
80 And now all the people of
Nephi were assembled together, and also all the people of Zarahemla, and they
were gathered together in two bodies.
Mosiah; 11:9
25:5.
81 And it came to pass that
Mosiah did read, and caused to be read, the records of Zeniff to his people;
yea, he read the records of the people of Zeniff, from the time they left the
land of Zarahemla until they returned again.
25:6.
82 And he also read the account
of Alma and his brethren, and all their afflictions, from the time they left
the land of Zarahemla until the time they returned again.
25:7.
83 And now, when Mosiah had
made an end of reading the records, his people who tarried in the land were
struck with wonder and amazement.
25:8.
84 For they knew not what to
think; for when they beheld those that had been delivered out of bondage they
were filled with exceedingly great joy.
25:9.
85 And again, when they thought
of their brethren who had been slain by the Lamanites they were filled with
sorrow, and even shed many tears of sorrow.
25:10.
86 And again, when they thought
of the immediate goodness of God, and his power in delivering Alma and his
brethren out of the hands of the Lamanites and of bondage, they did raise their
voices and give thanks to God.
25:11.
87 And again, when they thought
upon the Lamanites, who were their brethren, of their sinful and polluted
state, they were filled with pain and anguish for the welfare of their souls.
Mosiah; 11:10
25:12.
88 And it came to pass that
those who were the children of Amulon and his brethren, who had taken to wife
the daughters of the Lamanites, were displeased with the conduct of their
fathers, 89 and they would no longer be
called by the names of their fathers, therefore they took upon themselves the
name of Nephi, that they might be called the children of Nephi and be numbered
among those who were called Nephites.
25:13.
90 And now all the people of
Zarahemla were numbered with the Nephites, and this because the kingdom had
been conferred upon none but those who were descendants of Nephi.
Mosiah; 11:11
25:14.
91 And now it came to pass that
when Mosiah had made an end of speaking and reading to the people, he desired
that Alma should also speak to the people.
25:15.
92 And Alma did speak unto
them, when they were assembled together in large bodies, and he went from one
body to another, preaching unto the people repentance and faith on the Lord.
25:16.
93 And he did exhort the people
of Limhi and his brethren, all those that had been delivered out of bondage,
that they should remember that it was the Lord that did deliver them.
25:17.
94 And it came to pass that
after Alma had taught the people many things, and had made an end of speaking
to them, that king Limhi was desirous that he might be baptized; and all his
people were desirous that they might be baptized also.
25:18.
95 Therefore, Alma did go forth
into the water and did baptize them; yea, he did baptize them after the manner
he did his brethren in the waters of Mormon; 96 yea,
and as many as he did baptize did belong to the church of God; and this because
of their belief on the words of Alma.
Mosiah; 11:12
25:19.
97 And it came to pass that
king Mosiah granted unto Alma that he might establish churches throughout all
the land of Zarahemla; and gave him power to ordain priests and teachers over
every church.
25:20.
98 Now this was done because
there were so many people that they could not all be governed by one teacher;
neither could they all hear the word of God in one assembly;
25:21.
Therefore they did assemble themselves
together in different bodies, being called churches; 99
every church having their priests and their teachers, and every priest
preaching the word according as it was delivered to him by the mouth of Alma.
25:22.
100 And thus, notwithstanding
there being many churches they were all one church, yea, even the church of
God; 101 for there was nothing preached in
all the churches except it were repentance and faith in God.
25:23.
102 And now there were seven
churches in the land of Zarahemla. 103 And
it came to pass that whosoever were desirous to take upon them the name of
Christ, or of God, they did join the churches of God;
25:24.
And they were called the people of God. 104 And the Lord did pour out his Spirit upon
them, and they were blessed, and prospered in the land.
Mosiah; 11:13
Mosiah, Chapter 26
26:1.
105 Now it came to pass that
there were many of the rising generation that could not understand the words of
king Benjamin, being little children at the time he spake unto his people; and
they did not believe the tradition of their fathers.
26:2.
106 They did not believe what
had been said concerning the resurrection of the dead, neither did they believe
concerning the coming of Christ.
26:3.
107 And now because of their
unbelief they could not understand the word of God; and their hearts were
hardened.
26:4.
108 And they would not be
baptized; neither would they join the church. 109 And
they were a separate people as to their faith, and remained so ever after, even
in their carnal and sinful state; for they would not call upon the Lord their
God.
26:5.
110 And now in the reign of
Mosiah they were not half so numerous as the people of God; but because of the
dissensions among the brethren they became more numerous.
26:6.
111 For it came to pass that
they did deceive many with their flattering words, who were in the church, and
did cause them to commit many sins; 112 therefore
it became expedient that those who committed sin, that were in the church,
should be admonished by the church.
Mosiah; 11:14
26:7.
113 And it came to pass that
they were brought before the priests, and delivered up unto the priests by the
teachers; and the priests brought them before Alma, who was the high priest.
26:8.
114 Now king Mosiah had given
Alma the authority over the church.
26:9.
115 And it came to pass that
Alma did not know concerning them; but there were many witnesses against them;
yea, the people stood and testified of their iniquity in abundance.
26:10.
116 Now there had not any such
thing happened before in the church; therefore Alma was troubled in his spirit,
and he caused that they should be brought before the king.
26:11.
117 And he said unto the king:
Behold, here are many whom we have brought before thee, who are accused of
their brethren; yea, and they have been taken in divers iniquities. 118 And they do not repent of their iniquities;
therefore we have brought them before thee, that thou mayest judge them
according to their crimes.
26:12.
119 But king Mosiah said unto
Alma: Behold, I judge them not; therefore I deliver them into thy hands to be
judged.
26:13.
120 And now the spirit of Alma
was again troubled; and he went and inquired of the Lord what he should do
concerning this matter, for he feared that he should do wrong in the sight of
God.
Mosiah; 11:15
26:14.
121 And it came to pass that
after he had poured out his whole soul to God, the voice of the Lord came to
him, saying:
26:15.
Blessed art thou, Alma, and blessed are
they who were baptized in the waters of Mormon. 122
Thou art blessed because of thy exceeding faith in the words alone of my
servant Abinadi.
26:16.
123 And blessed are they because
of their exceeding faith in the words alone which thou hast spoken unto them.
26:17.
124 And blessed art thou because
thou hast established a church among this people; and they shall be
established, and they shall be my people.
26:18.
125 Yea, blessed is this people
who are willing to bear my name; for in my name shall they be called; and they
are mine.
26:19.
126 And because thou hast
inquired of me concerning the transgressor, thou art blessed.
26:20.
127 Thou art my servant; and I
covenant with thee that thou shalt have eternal life; and thou shalt serve me
and go forth in my name, and shalt gather together my sheep.
26:21.
128 And he that will hear my
voice shall be my sheep; and him shall ye receive into the church, and him will
I also receive.
26:22.
129 For behold, this is my church; whosoever is
baptized shall be baptized unto repentance. 130 And
whomsoever ye receive shall believe in my name; and him will I freely forgive.
26:23.
131 For it is I that taketh upon
me the sins of the world; for it is I that hath created them; and it is I that
granteth unto him that believeth unto the end a place at my right hand.
26:24.
132 For behold, in my name are
they called; and if they know me they shall come forth, and shall have a place
eternally at my right hand.
Mosiah; 11:16
26:25.
133 And it shall come to pass
that when the second trump shall sound then shall they that never knew me come
forth and shall stand before me.
26:26.
134 And then shall they know
that I am the Lord their God, that I am their Redeemer; but they would not be
redeemed.
26:27.
135 And then I will confess unto
them that I never knew them; and they shall depart into everlasting fire
prepared for the devil and his angels.
26:28.
136 Therefore I say unto you,
that he that will not hear my voice, the same shall ye not receive into my
church, for him I will not receive at the last day.
26:29.
137 Therefore I say unto you,
Go; and whosoever transgresseth against me, him shall ye judge according to the
sins which he has committed; 138 and if he
confess his sins before thee and me, and repenteth in the sincerity of his
heart, him shall ye forgive, and I will forgive him also.
26:30.
139 Yea, and as often as my
people repent will I forgive them their trespasses against me.
26:31.
140 And ye shall also forgive
one another your trespasses; for verily I say unto you, he that forgiveth not
his neighbor’s trespasses when he says that he repents, the same hath brought
himself under condemnation.
26:32.
141 Now I say unto you, Go; and
whosoever will not repent of his sins the same shall not be numbered among my
people; and this shall be observed from this time forward.
Mosiah; 11:17
26:33.
142 And it came to pass when Alma
had heard these words he wrote them down that he might have them, and that he
might judge the people of that church according to the commandments of God.
26:34.
143 And it came to pass that
Alma went and judged those that had been taken in iniquity, according to the
word of the Lord.
26:35.
144 And whosoever repented of
their sins and did confess them, them he did number among the people of the
church;
26:36.
145 And those that would not
confess their sins and repent of their iniquity, the same were not numbered
among the people of the church, and their names were blotted out.
26:37.
146 And it came to pass that
Alma did regulate all the affairs of the church; 147
and they began again to have peace and to prosper exceedingly in the
affairs of the church, walking circumspectly before God, receiving many, and
baptizing many.
26:38.
148 And now all these things did
Alma and his fellow laborers do who were over the church, walking in all
diligence, teaching the word of God in all things, suffering all manner of
afflictions, being persecuted by all those who did not belong to the church of
God.
26:39.
149 And they did admonish their
brethren; and they were also admonished, every one by the word of God,
according to his sins, or to the sins which he had committed, being commanded
of God to pray without ceasing, and to give thanks in all things.
Mosiah, Chapter 27
27:1.
150 And now it came to pass that
the persecutions which were inflicted on the church by the unbelievers became
so great that the church began to murmur, and complain to their leaders
concerning the matter; and they did complain to Alma. 151
And Alma laid the case before their king, Mosiah. And Mosiah consulted
with his priests.
Mosiah; 11:18
27:2.
152 And it came to pass that
king Mosiah sent a proclamation throughout the land round about that there
should not any unbeliever persecute any of those who belonged to the church of
God.
27:3.
153 And there was a strict
command throughout all the churches that there should be no persecutions among
them, that there should be an equality among all men;
27:4.
That they should let no pride nor
haughtiness disturb their peace; 154 that
every man should esteem his neighbor as himself, laboring with their own hands
for their support.
27:5.
155 Yea, and all their priests
and teachers should labor with their own hands for their support, in all cases
save it were in sickness, or in much want; and doing these things, they did
abound in the grace of God.
27:6.
156 And there began to be much
peace again in the land; and the people began to be very numerous, and began to
scatter abroad upon the face of the earth, 157 yea,
on the north and on the south, on the east and on the west, building large
cities and villages in all quarters of the land.
27:7.
158 And the Lord did visit them
and prosper them, and they became a large and wealthy people.
Mosiah; 11:19
27:8.
159 Now the sons of Mosiah were
numbered among the unbelievers; and also one of the sons of Alma was numbered
among them, he being called Alma, after his father; nevertheless, he became a
very wicked and an idolatrous man. 160 And
he was a man of many words, and did speak much flattery to the people;
therefore he led many of the people to do after the manner of his iniquities.
27:9.
161 And he became a great
hinderment to the prosperity of the church of God; stealing away the hearts of
the people; causing much dissension among the people; giving a chance for the
enemy of God to exercise his power over them.
Mosiah; 11:20
27:10. 162 And now it came to pass that while he was going about to
destroy the church of God, for he did go about secretly with the sons of Mosiah
seeking to destroy the church, and to lead astray the people of the Lord,
contrary to the commandments of God, or even the king—
27:11.
163 And as I said unto you, as
they were going about rebelling against God, behold, the angel of the Lord
appeared unto them; and he descended as it were in a cloud; and he spake as it
were with a voice of thunder, which caused the earth to shake upon which they
stood;
27:12.
164 And so great was their
astonishment, that they fell to the earth, and understood not the words which
he spake unto them.
27:13.
165 Nevertheless he cried again,
saying: Alma, arise and stand forth, for why persecutest thou the church of
God? 166 For the Lord hath said: This is my
church, and I will establish it; and nothing shall overthrow it, save it is the
transgression of my people.
27:14.
167 And again, the angel said:
Behold, the Lord hath heard the prayers of his people, and also the prayers of
his servant, Alma, who is thy father; 168 for
he has prayed with much faith concerning thee that thou mightest be brought to
the knowledge of the truth; 169 therefore,
for this purpose have I come to convince thee of the power and authority of
God, that the prayers of his servants might be answered according to their
faith.
27:15.
170 And now behold, can ye
dispute the power of God? 171 For behold,
doth not my voice shake the earth? 172 And
can ye not also behold me before you? 173 And
I am sent from God.
27:16.
174 Now I say unto thee: Go, and
remember the captivity of thy fathers in the land of Helam, and in the land of
Nephi; and remember how great things he has done for them; for they were in
bondage, and he has delivered them. 175 And
now I say unto thee, Alma, go thy way, and seek to destroy the church no more,
that their prayers may be answered, and this even if thou wilt of thyself be
cast off.
Mosiah; 11:21
27:17. 176 And now it came to pass that these were the last words which
the angel spake unto Alma, and he departed.
27:18.
177 And now Alma and those that
were with him fell again to the earth, for great was their astonishment; for
with their own eyes they had beheld an angel of the Lord; and his voice was as
thunder, which shook the earth; 178 and they
knew that there was nothing save the power of God that could shake the earth
and cause it to tremble as though it would part asunder.
27:19.
179 And now the astonishment of
Alma was so great that he became dumb, that he could not open his mouth; yea,
and he became weak, even that he could not move his hands; 180 therefore he was taken by those that were with
him, and carried helpless, even until he was laid before his father.
27:20.
181 And they rehearsed unto his
father all that had happened unto them; and his father rejoiced, for he knew
that it was the power of God.
27:21.
182 And he caused that a
multitude should be gathered together that they might witness what the Lord had
done for his son, and also for those that were with him.
27:22.
183 And he caused that the
priests should assemble themselves together; and they began to fast, and to
pray to the Lord their God that he would open the mouth of Alma, that he might
speak, 184 and also that his limbs might
receive their strength—that the eyes of the people might be opened to see and
know of the goodness and glory of God.
Mosiah; 11:22
27:23. 185 And it came to pass after they had fasted and prayed for the
space of two days and two nights, the limbs of Alma received their strength,
and he stood up and began to speak unto them, bidding them to be of good
comfort:
27:24.
186 For, said he, I have
repented of my sins, and have been redeemed of the Lord; behold I am born of
the Spirit.
27:25.
187 And the Lord said unto me:
Marvel not that all mankind, yea, men and women, all nations, kindreds, tongues
and people, must be born again; 188 yea,
born of God, changed from their carnal and fallen state, to a state of
righteousness, being redeemed of God, becoming his sons and daughters;
27:26.
And thus they become new creatures; and
unless they do this, they can in nowise inherit the kingdom of God.
27:27.
189 I say unto you, unless this
be the case, they must be cast off; and this I know, because I was like to be
cast off.
27:28.
190 Nevertheless, after wading
through much tribulations, repenting nigh unto death, the Lord in mercy hath
seen fit to snatch me out of an everlasting burning, and I am born of God.
27:29.
191 My soul hath been redeemed
from the gall of bitterness and bonds of iniquity. 192
I was in the darkest abyss; but now I behold the marvelous light of God.
193 My soul was racked with eternal torment;
but I am snatched, and my soul is pained no more.
27:30.
194 I rejected my Redeemer, and
denied that which had been spoken of by our fathers; 195
but now that they may foresee that he will come, and that he remembereth
every creature of his creating, 196 he will
make himself manifest unto all.
27:31.
Yea, every knee shall bow, and every tongue
confess before him. 197 Yea, even at the
last day, when all men shall stand to be judged of him, then shall they confess
that he is God; 198 then shall they confess,
who live without God in the world, that the judgment of an everlasting
punishment is just upon them; 199 and they
shall quake, and tremble, and shrink beneath the glance of his all-searching
eye.
Mosiah; 11:23
27:32. 200 And now it came to pass that Alma began from this time forward
to teach the people, and those who were with Alma at the time the angel
appeared unto them, 201 traveling round
about through all the land, publishing to all the people the things which they
had heard and seen, and preaching the word of God in much tribulation, being
greatly persecuted by those who were unbelievers, being smitten by many of
them.
27:33.
202 But notwithstanding all
this, they did impart much consolation to the church, confirming their faith,
and exhorting them with long-suffering and much travail to keep the
commandments of God.
27:34.
203 And four of them were the
sons of Mosiah; and their names were Ammon, and Aaron, and Omner, and Himni;
these were the names of the sons of Mosiah.
27:35.
204 And they traveled throughout
all the lands of Zarahemla, and among all the people who were under the reign
of king Mosiah, zealously striving to repair all the injuries which they had
done to the church, 205 confessing all their
sins, and publishing all the things which they had seen, and explaining the
prophecies and the scriptures to all who desired to hear them.
27:36.
206 And thus they were
instruments in the hands of God in bringing many to the knowledge of the truth,
yea, to the knowledge of their Redeemer.
27:37.
207 And how blessed are they!
For they did publish peace; they did publish good tidings of good; and they did
declare unto the people that the Lord reigneth.
Mosiah, Chapter 12
Mosiah; 12:1
Mosiah, Chapter 28
28:1.
1 Now it came to pass that
after the sons of Mosiah had done all these things, they took a small number
with them and returned to their father, the king, and desired of him that he
would grant unto them that they might, with these whom they had selected, go up
to the land of Nephi 2 that they might
preach the things which they had heard, and that they might impart the word of
God to their brethren, the Lamanites—
28:2.
That perhaps they might bring them to the
knowledge of the Lord their God, and convince them of the iniquity of their
fathers; 3 and that perhaps they might cure
them of their hatred towards the Nephites, that they might also be brought to
rejoice in the Lord their God, 4 that they
might become friendly to one another, and that there should be no more
contentions in all the land which the Lord their God had given them.
28:3.
5 Now they were desirous that
salvation should be declared to every creature, for they could not bear that
any human soul should perish; 6 yea, even
the very thoughts that any soul should endure endless torment did cause them to
quake and tremble.
28:4.
7 And thus did the Spirit of
the Lord work upon them, for they were the very vilest of sinners. 8 And the Lord saw fit in his infinite mercy to
spare them; nevertheless they suffered much anguish of soul because of their
iniquities, suffering much and fearing that they should be cast off forever.
Mosiah; 12:2
28:5.
9 And it came to pass that
they did plead with their father many days that they might go up to the land of
Nephi.
28:6.
10 And king Mosiah went and
inquired of the Lord if he should let his sons go up among the Lamanites to
preach the word.
28:7.
11 And the Lord said unto
Mosiah: Let them go up, for many shall believe on their words, and they shall
have eternal life; and I will deliver thy sons out of the hands of the
Lamanites.
Mosiah; 12:3
28:8.
12 And it came to pass that
Mosiah granted that they might go and do according to their request.
28:9.
13 And they took their journey
into the wilderness to go up to preach the word among the Lamanites; and I
shall give an account of their proceedings hereafter.
28:10.
14 Now king Mosiah had no one
to confer the kingdom upon, for there was not any of his sons who would accept
of the kingdom.
28:11.
15 Therefore he took the
records which were engraven on the plates of brass, and also the plates of
Nephi, and all the things which he had kept and preserved according to the
commandments of God, 16 after having
translated and caused to be written the records which were on the plates of
gold which had been found by the people of Limhi, which were delivered to him
by the hand of Limhi;
28:12.
17 And this he did because of
the great anxiety of his people; for they were desirous beyond measure to know
concerning those people who had been destroyed.
28:13.
18 And now he translated them
by the means of those two stones which were fastened into the two rims of a
bow.
28:14.
19 Now these things were
prepared from the beginning, and were handed down from generation to
generation, for the purpose of interpreting languages;
28:15.
20 And they have been kept and
preserved by the hand of the Lord, that he should discover to every creature
who should possess the land the iniquities and abominations of his people;
28:16.
21 And whosoever has these
things is called seer, after the manner of old times.
Mosiah; 12:4
28:17.
22 Now after Mosiah had
finished translating these records, behold, it gave an account of the people
who were destroyed, from the time that they were destroyed back to the building
of the great tower, at the time the Lord confounded the language of the people 23 and they were scattered abroad upon the face of
all the earth, yea, and even from that time back until the creation of Adam.
28:18.
24 Now this account did cause
the people of Mosiah to mourn exceedingly, yea, they were filled with sorrow; 25 nevertheless it gave them much knowledge, in
the which they did rejoice.
28:19.
26 And this account shall be
written hereafter; for behold, it is expedient that all people should know the
things which are written in this account.
Mosiah, Chapter 13
Mosiah; 13:1
28:20.
1 And now, as I said unto you,
that after king Mosiah had done these things, he took the plates of brass, and
all the things which he had kept, and conferred them upon Alma, who was the son
of Alma; 2 yea, all the records, and also
the interpreters, and conferred them upon him, and commanded him that he should
keep and preserve them, and also keep a record of the people, handing them down
from one generation to another, even as they had been handed down from the time
that Lehi left Jerusalem.
Mosiah, Chapter 29
29:1.
3 Now when Mosiah had done
this he sent out throughout all the land, among all the people, desiring to
know their will concerning who should be their king.
29:2.
4 And it came to pass that the
voice of the people came, saying: We are desirous that Aaron thy son should be
our king and our ruler.
29:3.
5 Now Aaron had gone up to the
land of Nephi, therefore the king could not confer the kingdom upon him;
neither would Aaron take upon him the kingdom; 6 neither
were any of the sons of Mosiah willing to take upon them the kingdom.
29:4.
Therefore king Mosiah sent again among the
people; yea, even a written word sent he among the people. 7 And these were the words that were written,
saying:
29:5.
Behold, O ye my people, or my brethren, for
I esteem you as such, I desire that ye should consider the cause which ye are
called to consider—for ye are desirous to have a king.
29:6.
8 Now I declare unto you that
he to whom the kingdom doth rightly belong has declined, and will not take upon
him the kingdom.
Mosiah; 13:2
29:7.
9 And now if there should be
another appointed in his stead, behold I fear there would rise contentions
among you. 10 And who knoweth but what my
son, to whom the kingdom doth belong, should turn to be angry and draw away a
part of this people after him, which would cause wars and contentions among
you, which would be the cause of shedding much blood and perverting the way of
the Lord, yea, and destroy the souls of many people.
29:8.
11 Now I say unto you let us be
wise and consider these things, for we have no right to destroy my son, neither
should we have any right to destroy another if he should be appointed in his
stead.
29:9.
12 And if my son should turn
again to his pride and vain things he would recall the things which he had
said, and claim his right to the kingdom, which would cause him and also this
people to commit much sin.
29:10.
13 And now let us be wise and
look forward to these things, and do that which will make for the peace of this
people.
29:11.
14 Therefore I will be your
king the remainder of my days; 15 nevertheless,
let us appoint judges, to judge this people according to our law; and we will
newly arrange the affairs of this people, for we will appoint wise men to be
judges, that will judge this people according to the commandments of God.
29:12.
16 Now it is better that a man
should be judged of God than of man, for the judgments of God are always just,
but the judgments of man are not always just.
29:13.
17 Therefore, if it were
possible that you could have just men to be your kings, who would establish the
laws of God, and judge this people according to his commandments, yea, if ye
could have men for your kings who would do even as my father Benjamin did for
this people—I say unto you, if this could always be the case then it would be
expedient that ye should always have kings to rule over you.
29:14.
18 And even I myself have
labored with all the power and faculties which I have possessed, to teach you
the commandments of God, and to establish peace throughout the land, 19 that there should be no wars nor contentions,
no stealing, nor plundering, nor murdering, nor any manner of iniquity;
29:15.
20 And whosoever has committed
iniquity, him have I punished according to the crime which he has committed,
according to the law which has been given to us by our fathers.
Mosiah; 13:3
29:16.
21 Now I say unto you, that
because all men are not just it is not expedient that ye should have a king or
kings to rule over you.
29:17.
22 For behold, how much
iniquity doth one wicked king cause to be committed, yea, and what great
destruction!
29:18.
23 Yea, remember king Noah, his
wickedness and his abominations, and also the wickedness and abominations of
his people. 24 Behold what great destruction
did come upon them; and also because of their iniquities they were brought into
bondage.
29:19.
25 And were it not for the
interposition of their all-wise Creator, and this because of their sincere
repentance, they must unavoidably remain in bondage until now.
29:20.
26 But behold, he did deliver
them because they did humble themselves before him; and because they cried
mightily unto him he did deliver them out of bondage; 27
and thus doth the Lord work with his power in all cases among the
children of men, extending the arm of mercy towards them that put their trust
in him.
29:21.
28 And behold, now I say unto
you, ye cannot dethrone an iniquitous king save it be through much contention,
and the shedding of much blood.
29:22.
29 For behold, he has his
friends in iniquity, and he keepeth his guards about him; and he teareth up the
laws of those who have reigned in righteousness before him; and he trampleth
under his feet the commandments of God;
29:23.
30 And he enacteth laws, and
sendeth them forth among his people, yea, laws after the manner of his own
wickedness; and whosoever doth not obey his laws he causeth to be destroyed; 31 and whosoever doth rebel against him he will
send his armies against them to war, and if he can he will destroy them; 32 and thus an unrighteous king doth pervert the
ways of all righteousness.
29:24.
33 And now behold I say unto
you, it is not expedient that such abominations should come upon you.
29:25.
34 Therefore, choose you by the
voice of this people, judges, that ye may be judged according to the laws which
have been given you by our fathers, which are correct, and which were given
them by the hand of the Lord.
Mosiah; 13:4
29:26.
35 Now it is not common that
the voice of the people desireth anything contrary to that which is right; but
it is common for the lesser part of the people to desire that which is not
right; 36 therefore this shall ye observe
and make it your law—to do your business by the voice of the people.
29:27.
37 And if the time comes that
the voice of the people doth choose iniquity, then is the time that the
judgments of God will come upon you; 38 yea,
then is the time he will visit you with great destruction even as he has
hitherto visited this land.
29:28.
39 And now if ye have judges,
and they do not judge you according to the law which has been given, ye can
cause that they may be judged of a higher judge.
29:29.
40 If your higher judges do not
judge righteous judgments, ye shall cause that a small number of your lower
judges should be gathered together, and they shall judge your higher judges,
according to the voice of the people.
29:30.
41 And I command you to do
these things in the fear of the Lord; 42 and
I command you to do these things, and that ye have no king; that if these
people commit sins and iniquities they shall be answered upon their own heads.
29:31.
43 For behold I say unto you,
the sins of many people have been caused by the iniquities of their kings;
therefore their iniquities are answered upon the heads of their kings.
29:32.
44 And now I desire that this
inequality should be no more in this land, especially among this my people; 45 but I desire that this land be a land of
liberty, and every man may enjoy his rights and privileges alike, so long as
the Lord sees fit that we may live and inherit the land, 46 yea, even as long as any of our posterity
remains upon the face of the land.
29:33.
47 And many more things did
king Mosiah write unto them, unfolding unto them all the trials and troubles of
a righteous king, 48 yea, all the travails
of soul for their people, and also all the murmurings of the people to their
king; and he explained it all unto them.
29:34.
49 And he told them that these
things ought not to be; but that the burden should come upon all the people,
that every man might bear his part.
29:35.
50 And he also unfolded unto
them all the disadvantages they labored under, by having an unrighteous king to
rule over them;
29:36.
51 Yea, all his iniquities and
abominations, and all the wars, and contentions, and bloodshed, and the
stealing, and the plundering, and the committing of whoredoms, and all manner
of iniquities which cannot be enumerated— 52 telling
them that these things ought not to be, that they were expressly repugnant to
the commandments of God.
Mosiah; 13:5
29:37.
53 And now it came to pass,
after king Mosiah had sent these things forth among the people they were
convinced of the truth of his words.
29:38.
54 Therefore they relinquished
their desires for a king, and became exceedingly anxious that every man should
have an equal chance throughout all the land; 55 yea,
and every man expressed a willingness to answer for his own sins.
29:39.
56 Therefore, it came to pass
that they assembled themselves together in bodies throughout the land, to cast
in their voices concerning who should be their judges, to judge them according
to the law which had been given them; 57 and
they were exceedingly rejoiced because of the liberty which had been granted
unto them.
29:40.
58 And they did wax strong in
love towards Mosiah; yea, they did esteem him more than any other man; 59 for they did not look upon him as a tyrant who
was seeking for gain, yea, for that lucre which doth corrupt the soul; 60 for he had not exacted riches of them, neither
had he delighted in the shedding of blood; but he had established peace in the
land, and he had granted unto his people that they should be delivered from all
manner of bondage; 61 therefore they did
esteem him, yea, exceedingly, beyond measure.
29:41.
62 And it came to pass that
they did appoint judges to rule over them, or to judge them according to the
law; and this they did throughout all the land.
Mosiah; 13:6
29:42.
63 And it came to pass that
Alma was appointed to be the first chief judge, he being also the high priest,
his father having conferred the office upon him, and having given him the
charge concerning all the affairs of the church.
29:43.
64 And now it came to pass that
Alma did walk in the ways of the Lord, and he did keep his commandments, and he
did judge righteous judgments; and there was continual peace through the land.
29:44.
65 And thus commenced the reign
of the judges throughout all the land of Zarahemla, among all the people who
were called the Nephites; and Alma was the first and chief judge.
29:45.
66 And now it came to pass that
his father died, being eighty and two years old, having lived to fulfil the
commandments of God.
Mosiah; 13:7
29:46.
67 And it came to pass that
Mosiah died also, in the thirty and third year of his reign, being sixty and
three years old; making in the whole, five hundred and nine years from the time
Lehi left Jerusalem.
29:47.
68 And thus ended the reign of
the kings over the people of Nephi; and thus ended the days of Alma, who was
the founder of their church.
THE
BOOK OF ALMA
THE SON OF ALMA
The
account of Alma, who was the son of Alma the first, and chief judge over the
people of Nephi, and also the high priest over the Church. An account of the
reign of the judges, and the wars and contentions among the people. And also an
account of a war between the Nephites and the Lamanites, according to the
record of Alma, the first and chief judge.
Alma, Chapter 1
Alma; 1:1
Alma, Chapter 1
1:1.
1 Now it came to pass that in
the first year of the reign of the judges over the people of Nephi, from this
time forward, king Mosiah having gone the way of all the earth, having warred a
good warfare, walking uprightly before God, leaving none to reign in his stead;
2 nevertheless he had established laws, and
they were acknowledged by the people; therefore they were obliged to abide by
the laws which he had made.
Alma; 1:2
1:2.
3 And it came to pass that in
the first year of the reign of Alma in the judgment-seat, there was a man
brought before him to be judged, a man who was large, and was noted for his
much strength.
1:3.
4 And he had gone about among
the people, preaching to them that which he termed to be the word of God,
bearing down against the church; 5 declaring
unto the people that every priest and teacher ought to become popular; and they
ought not to labor with their hands, but that they ought to be supported by the
people.
1:4.
6 And he also testified unto
the people that all mankind should be saved at the last day, and that they need
not fear nor tremble, but that they might lift up their heads and rejoice; 7 for the Lord had created all men, and had also
redeemed all men; and, in the end, all men should have eternal life.
1:5.
8 And it came to pass that he
did teach these things so much that many did believe on his words, even so many
that they began to support him and give him money.
1:6.
9 And he began to be lifted up
in the pride of his heart, and to wear very costly apparel, yea, and even began
to establish a church after the manner of his preaching.
Alma; 1:3
1:7.
10 And it came to pass as he
was going, to preach to those who believed on his word, he met a man who
belonged to the church of God, yea, even one of their teachers; 11 and he began to contend with him sharply, that
he might lead away the people of the church; but the man withstood him,
admonishing him with the words of God.
1:8.
12 Now the name of the man was
Gideon; and it was he who was an instrument in the hands of God in delivering
the people of Limhi out of bondage.
1:9.
13 Now, because Gideon
withstood him with the words of God he was wroth with Gideon, and drew his
sword and began to smite him. 14 Now Gideon
being stricken with many years, therefore he was not able to withstand his
blows, therefore he was slain by the sword.
1:10.
15 And the man who slew him was
taken by the people of the church, and was brought before Alma, to be judged
according to the crimes which he had committed.
1:11.
16 And it came to pass that he
stood before Alma and pleaded for himself with much boldness.
1:12.
17 But Alma said unto him:
Behold, this is the first time that priestcraft has been introduced among this
people. 18 And behold, thou art not only
guilty of priestcraft, but hast endeavored to enforce it by the sword; and were
priestcraft to be enforced among this people it would prove their entire
destruction.
1:13.
19 And thou hast shed the blood
of a righteous man, yea, a man who has done much good among this people; and
were we to spare thee his blood would come upon us for vengeance.
1:14.
20 Therefore thou art condemned
to die, according to the law which has been given us by Mosiah, our last king; 21 and it has been acknowledged by this people;
therefore this people must abide by the law.
Alma; 1:4
1:15.
22 And it came to pass that
they took him; and his name was Nehor; and they carried him upon the top of the
hill Manti, 23 and there he was caused, or
rather did acknowledge, between the heavens and the earth, that what he had
taught to the people was contrary to the word of God; and there he suffered an
ignominious death.
1:16.
24 Nevertheless, this did not
put an end to the spreading of priestcraft through the land; for there were
many who loved the vain things of the world, and they went forth preaching
false doctrines; and this they did for the sake of riches and honor.
1:17.
25 Nevertheless, they durst not
lie, if it were known, for fear of the law, for liars were punished; therefore
they pretended to preach according to their belief; 26
and now the law could have no power on any man for his belief.
1:18.
27 And they durst not steal, for
fear of the law, for such were punished; neither durst they rob, nor murder,
for he that murdered was punished unto death.
Alma; 1:5
1:19.
28 But it came to pass that
whosoever did not belong to the church of God began to persecute those that did
belong to the church of God, and had taken upon them the name of Christ.
1:20.
29 Yea, they did persecute them,
and afflict them with all manner of words, and this because of their humility; 30 because they were not proud in their own eyes,
and because they did impart the word of God, one with another, without money
and without price.
1:21.
31 Now there was a strict law
among the people of the church that there should not any man, belonging to the
church, arise and persecute those that did not belong to the church, and that
there should be no persecution among themselves.
1:22.
32 Nevertheless, there were
many among them who began to be proud, and began to contend warmly with their
adversaries, even unto blows; yea, they would smite one another with their
fists.
1:23.
33 Now this was in the second
year of the reign of Alma, and it was a cause of much affliction to the church;
yea, it was the cause of much trial with the church.
1:24.
34 For the hearts of many were
hardened, and their names were blotted out, that they were remembered no more
among the people of God. 35 And also many
withdrew themselves from among them.
1:25.
36 Now this was a great trial
to those that did stand fast in the faith; nevertheless, they were steadfast
and immovable in keeping the commandments of God, and they bore with patience
the persecution which was heaped upon them.
Alma; 1:6
1:26.
37 And when the priests left
their labor to impart the word of God unto the people, the people also left
their labors to hear the word of God. 38 And
when the priest had imparted unto them the word of God they all returned again
diligently unto their labors; 39 and the
priest, not esteeming himself above his hearers, for the preacher was no better
than the hearer, neither was the teacher any better than the learner; and thus
they were all equal, and they did all labor, every man according to his
strength.
1:27.
40 And they did impart of their
substance, every man according to that which he had, to the poor, and the
needy, and the sick, and the afflicted; 41 and
they did not wear costly apparel, yet they were neat and comely.
1:28.
42 And thus they did establish
the affairs of the church; and thus they began to have continual peace again,
notwithstanding all their persecutions.
1:29.
43 And now, because of the
steadiness of the church they began to be exceedingly rich, having abundance of
all things whatsoever they stood in need— 44 an
abundance of flocks and herds, and fatlings of every kind, and also abundance
of grain, and of gold, and of silver, and of precious things, and abundance of
silk and fine-twined linen, and all manner of good homely cloth.
1:30.
45 And thus, in their
prosperous circumstances, they did not send away any who were naked, or that
were hungry, or that were athirst, or that were sick, or that had not been
nourished; 46 and they did not set their
hearts upon riches; therefore they were liberal to all, both old and young,
both bond and free, both male and female, whether out of the church or in the
church, having no respect to persons as to those who stood in need.
1:31.
47 And thus they did prosper
and become far more wealthy than those who did not belong to their church.
1:32.
48 For those who did not belong
to their church did indulge themselves in sorceries, and in idolatry or
idleness, and in babblings, and in envyings and strife; 49 wearing costly apparel; being lifted up in the pride of
their own eyes; persecuting, lying, thieving, robbing, committing whoredoms,
and murdering, and all manner of wickedness; 50 nevertheless,
the law was put in force upon all those who did transgress it, inasmuch as it
was possible.
Alma; 1:7
1:33.
51 And it came to pass that by
thus exercising the law upon them, every man suffering according to that which
he had done, they became more still, and durst not commit any wickedness if it
were known; 52 therefore, there was much
peace among the people of Nephi until the fifth year of the reign of the
judges.
Alma, Chapter 2
2:1.
53 And it came to pass in the
commencement of the fifth year of their reign there began to be a contention
among the people; for a certain man, being called Amlici, he being a very
cunning man, yea, a wise man as to the wisdom of the world, he being after the
order of the man that slew Gideon by the sword, who was executed according to
the law—
2:2.
54 Now this Amlici had, by his
cunning, drawn away much people after him; even so much that they began to be
very powerful; and they began to endeavor to establish Amlici to be king over
the people.
2:3.
55 Now this was alarming to the
people of the church, and also to all those who had not been drawn away after
the persuasions of Amlici; 56 for they knew
that according to their law that such things must be established by the voice
of the people.
2:4.
57 Therefore, if it were
possible that Amlici should gain the voice of the people, he, being a wicked
man, would deprive them of their rights and privileges of the church; for it
was his intent to destroy the church of God.
Alma; 1:8
2:5.
58 And it came to pass that the
people assembled themselves together throughout all the land, every man
according to his mind, whether it were for or against Amlici, in separate
bodies, having much dispute and wonderful contentions one with another.
2:6.
59 And thus they did assemble
themselves together to cast in their voices concerning the matter; and they
were laid before the judges.
2:7.
60 And it came to pass that the
voice of the people came against Amlici, that he was not made king over the
people.
2:8.
61 Now this did cause much joy
in the hearts of those who were against him; but Amlici did stir up those who
were in his favor to anger against those who were not in his favor.
Alma; 1:9
2:9.
62 And it came to pass that
they gathered themselves together, and did consecrate Amlici to be their king.
2:10.
63 Now when Amlici was made
king over them he commanded them that they should take up arms against their
brethren; and this he did that he might subject them to him.
2:11.
64 Now the people of Amlici
were distinguished by the name of Amlici, being called Amlicites; and the
remainder were called Nephites, or the people of God.
2:12.
65 Therefore the people of the
Nephites were aware of the intent of the Amlicites, and therefore they did
prepare to meet them; 66 yea, they did arm
themselves with swords, and with cimeters, and with bows, and with arrows, and
with stones, and with slings, and with all manner of weapons of war, of every
kind.
2:13.
67 And thus they were prepared
to meet the Amlicites at the time of their coming. 68
And there were appointed captains, and higher captains, and chief
captains, according to their numbers.
Alma; 1:10
2:14.
69 And it came to pass that
Amlici did arm his men with all manner of weapons of war of every kind; and he
also appointed rulers and leaders over his people, to lead them to war against
their brethren.
2:15.
70 And it came to pass that the
Amlicites came upon the hill Amnihu, which was east of the river Sidon, which
ran by the land of Zarahemla, and there they began to make war with the
Nephites.
2:16.
71 Now Alma, being the chief
judge and the governor of the people of Nephi, therefore he went up with his
people, yea, with his captains, and chief captains, yea, at the head of his
armies, against the Amlicites to battle.
2:17.
And they began to slay the Amlicites upon
the hill east of Sidon. 72 And the Amlicites
did contend with the Nephites with great strength, insomuch that many of the
Nephites did fall before the Amlicites.
2:18.
73 Nevertheless the Lord did
strengthen the hand of the Nephites, that they slew the Amlicites with great
slaughter, that they began to flee before them.
2:19.
74 And it came to pass that the
Nephites did pursue the Amlicites all that day, and did slay them with much
slaughter, insomuch that there were slain of the Amlicites twelve thousand five
hundred thirty and two souls; 75 and there
were slain of the Nephites six thousand five hundred sixty and two souls.
Alma; 1:11
2:20.
76 And it came to pass that
when Alma could pursue the Amlicites no longer he caused that his people should
pitch their tents in the valley of Gideon, the valley being called after that
Gideon who was slain by the hand of Nehor with the sword; and in this valley
the Nephites did pitch their tents for the night.
2:21.
77 And Alma sent spies to
follow the remnant of the Amlicites, that he might know of their plans and
their plots, whereby he might guard himself against them, that he might
preserve his people from being destroyed.
2:22.
78 Now those whom he had sent
out to watch the camp of the Amlicites were called Zeram, and Amnor, and Manti,
and Limher; these were they who went out with their men to watch the camp of
the Amlicites.
Alma; 1:12
2:23.
79 And it came to pass that on
the morrow they returned into the camp of the Nephites in great haste, being
greatly astonished, and struck with much fear, saying:
2:24.
80 Behold, we followed the camp
of the Amlicites, and to our great astonishment, in the land of Minon, above
the land of Zarahemla, in the course of the land of Nephi, we saw a numerous
host of the Lamanites; 81 and behold, the
Amlicites have joined them;
2:25.
And they are upon our brethren in that
land; and they are fleeing before them with their flocks, and their wives, and
their children, towards our city; 82 and
except we make haste they obtain possession of our city, and our fathers, and
our wives, and our children be slain.
Alma; 1:13
2:26.
83 And it came to pass that the
people of Nephi took their tents, and departed out of the valley of Gideon
towards their city, which was the city of Zarahemla.
2:27.
84 And behold, as they were
crossing the river Sidon, the Lamanites and the Amlicites, being as numerous
almost, as it were, as the sands of the sea, came upon them to destroy them.
2:28.
85 Nevertheless, the Nephites
being strengthened by the hand of the Lord, having prayed mightily to him that
he would deliver them out of the hands of their enemies, 86 therefore the Lord did hear their cries, and
did strengthen them, and the Lamanites and the Amlicites did fall before them.
2:29.
87 And it came to pass that
Alma fought with Amlici with the sword, face to face; and they did contend
mightily, one with another.
Alma; 1:14
2:30.
88 And it came to pass that
Alma, being a man of God, being exercised with much faith, cried, saying: O
Lord, have mercy and spare my life, that I may be an instrument in thy hands to
save and preserve this people.
2:31.
89 Now when Alma had said these
words he contended again with Amlici; and he was strengthened, insomuch that he
slew Amlici with the sword.
2:32.
90 And he also contended with
the king of the Lamanites; but the king of the Lamanites fled back from before
Alma and sent his guards to contend with Alma.
2:33.
91 But Alma, with his guards,
contended with the guards of the king of the Lamanites until he slew and drove
them back.
2:34.
92 And thus he cleared the
ground, or rather the bank, which was on the west of the river Sidon, throwing
the bodies of the Lamanites who had been slain into the waters of Sidon, that
thereby his people might have room to cross and contend with the Lamanites and
the Amlicites on the west side of the river Sidon.
Alma; 1:15
2:35.
93 And it came to pass that
when they had all crossed the river Sidon that the Lamanites and the Amlicites
began to flee before them, notwithstanding they were so numerous that they
could not be numbered.
2:36.
94 And they fled before the
Nephites towards the wilderness which was west and north, away beyond the
borders of the land; 95 and the Nephites did
pursue them with their might, and did slay them.
2:37.
Yea, they were met on every hand, and slain
and driven, until they were scattered on the west, and on the north, until they
had reached the wilderness, which was called Hermounts; 96 and it was that part of the wilderness which was infested by
wild and ravenous beasts.
2:38.
97 And it came to pass that
many died in the wilderness of their wounds, and were devoured by those beasts
and also the vultures of the air; and their bones have been found, and have
been heaped up on the earth.
Alma; 1:16
Alma, Chapter 3
3:1.
98 And it came to pass that the
Nephites who were not slain by the weapons of war, after having buried those
who had been slain—now the number of the slain were not numbered, because of
the greatness of their number—after they had finished burying their dead they
all returned to their lands, and to their houses, and their wives, and their
children.
3:2.
99 Now many women and children
had been slain with the sword, and also many of their flocks and their herds; 100 and also many of their fields of grain were
destroyed, for they were trodden down by the hosts of men.
3:3.
101 And now as many of the
Lamanites and the Amlicites who had been slain upon the bank of the river Sidon
were cast into the waters of Sidon; and behold their bones are in the depths of
the sea, and they are many.
3:4.
102 And the Amlicites were
distinguished from the Nephites, for they had marked themselves with red in
their foreheads after the manner of the Lamanites; nevertheless they had not
shorn their heads like unto the Lamanites.
3:5.
103 Now the heads of the
Lamanites were shorn; and they were naked, save it were skin which was girded
about their loins, and also their armor, which was girded about them, and their
bows, and their arrows, and their stones, and their slings, and so forth.
3:6.
104 And the skins of the
Lamanites were dark, according to the mark which was set upon their fathers,
which was a curse upon them because of their transgression and their rebellion
against their brethren, who consisted of Nephi, Jacob, and Joseph, and Sam, who
were just and holy men.
3:7.
105 And their brethren sought to
destroy them, therefore they were cursed; and the Lord God set a mark upon
them, yea, upon Laman and Lemuel, and also the sons of Ishmael, and
Ishmaelitish women.
3:8.
106 And this was done that their
seed might be distinguished from the seed of their brethren, that thereby the
Lord God might preserve his people, that they might not mix and believe in
incorrect traditions which would prove their destruction.
Alma; 1:17
3:9.
107 And it came to pass that
whosoever did mingle his seed with that of the Lamanites did bring the same
curse upon his seed.
3:10.
108 Therefore, whosoever
suffered himself to be led away by the Lamanites was called under that head,
and there was a mark set upon him.
3:11.
109 And it came to pass that
whosoever would not believe in the tradition of the Lamanites, but believed
those records which were brought out of the land of Jerusalem, and also in the
tradition of their fathers, which were correct, who believed in the commandments
of God and kept them, were called the Nephites, or the people of Nephi, from
that time forth—
3:12.
110 And it is they who have kept
the records which are true of their people, and also of the people of the
Lamanites.
3:13.
111 Now we will return again to
the Amlicites, for they also had a mark set upon them; yea, they set the mark
upon themselves, yea, even a mark of red upon their foreheads.
3:14.
112 Thus the word of God is
fulfilled, for these are the words which he said to Nephi: 113 Behold, the Lamanites have I cursed, and I
will set a mark on them that they and their seed may be separated from thee and
thy seed, from this time henceforth and forever, except they repent of their
wickedness and turn to me that I may have mercy upon them.
3:15.
114 And again: I will set a mark
upon him that mingleth his seed with thy brethren, that they may be cursed
also.
3:16.
115 And again: I will set a mark
upon him that fighteth against thee and thy seed.
3:17.
116 And again, I say he that
departeth from thee shall no more be called thy seed; and I will bless thee,
and whomsoever shall be called thy seed, henceforth and forever; and these were
the promises of the Lord unto Nephi and to his seed.
3:18.
117 Now the Amlicites knew not
that they were fulfilling the words of God when they began to mark themselves
in their foreheads; 118 nevertheless they
had come out in open rebellion against God; therefore it was expedient that the
curse should fall upon them.
3:19.
119 Now I would that ye should
see that they brought upon themselves the curse; 120
and even so doth every man that is cursed bring upon himself his own
condemnation.
Alma; 1:18
3:20.
121 Now it came to pass that not
many days after the battle which was fought in the land of Zarahemla, by the
Lamanites and the Amlicites, that there was another army of the Lamanites came
in upon the people of Nephi, in the same place where the first army met the
Amlicites.
3:21.
122 And it came to pass that
there was an army sent to drive them out of their land.
3:22.
123 Now Alma himself being
afflicted with a wound did not go up to battle at this time against the
Lamanites;
3:23.
But he sent up a numerous army against
them; 124 and they went up and slew many of
the Lamanites, and drove the remainder of them out of the borders of their
land.
3:24.
125 And then they returned again
and began to establish peace in the land, being troubled no more for a time
with their enemies.
3:25.
126 Now all these things were
done, yea, all these wars and contentions were commenced and ended in the fifth
year of the reign of the judges.
3:26.
127 And in one year were
thousands and tens of thousands of souls sent to the eternal world, 128 that they might reap their rewards according
to their works, whether they were good or whether they were bad, to reap
eternal happiness or eternal misery, according to the spirit which they listed
to obey, whether it be a good spirit or a bad one.
3:27.
129 For every man receiveth wages
of him whom he listeth to obey, and this according to the words of the spirit
of prophecy; therefore let it be according to the truth. 130 And thus endeth the fifth year of the reign of
the judges.
Alma, Chapter 2
Alma; 2:1
Alma, Chapter 4
4:1.
1 Now it came to pass in the
sixth year of the reign of the judges over the people of Nephi, there were no
contentions nor wars in the land of Zarahemla;
4:2.
2 But the people were
afflicted, yea, greatly afflicted for the loss of their brethren, and also for
the loss of their flocks and herds, and also for the loss of their fields of
grain, which were trodden under foot and destroyed by the Lamanites.
4:3.
3 And so great were their
afflictions that every soul had cause to mourn; and they believed that it was
the judgments of God sent upon them because of their wickedness and their
abominations; therefore they were awakened to a remembrance of their duty.
4:4.
4 And they began to establish
the church more fully; yea, and many were baptized in the waters of Sidon and
were joined to the church of God; 5 yea,
they were baptized by the hand of Alma, who had been consecrated the high
priest over the people of the church, by the hand of his father Alma.
Alma; 2:2
4:5.
6 And it came to pass in the
seventh year of the reign of the judges there were about three thousand five
hundred souls that united themselves to the church of God and were baptized. 7 And thus endeth the seventh year of the reign of
the judges over the people of Nephi; and there was continual peace in all that
time.
Alma; 2:3
4:6.
8 And it came to pass in the
eighth year of the reign of the judges, that the people of the church began to
wax proud, because of their exceeding riches, and their fine silks, and their
fine-twined linen, 9 and because of their
many flocks and herds, and their gold and their silver, and all manner of
precious things, which they had obtained by their industry; 10 and in all these things were they lifted up in
the pride of their eyes, for they began to wear very costly apparel.
4:7.
11 Now this was the cause of
much affliction to Alma, yea, and to many of the people whom Alma had
consecrated to be teachers, and priests, and elders over the church; 12 yea, many of them were sorely grieved for the
wickedness which they saw had begun to be among their people.
4:8.
13 For they saw and beheld with
great sorrow that the people of the church began to be lifted up in the pride
of their eyes, and to set their hearts upon riches and upon the vain things of
the world, 14 that they began to be
scornful, one towards another, and they began to persecute those that did not
believe according to their own will and pleasure.
4:9.
15 And thus, in this eighth
year of the reign of the judges, there began to be great contentions among the
people of the church; 16 yea, there were
envyings, and strife, and malice, and persecutions, and pride, even to exceed
the pride of those who did not belong to the church of God.
4:10.
17 And thus ended the eighth
year of the reign of the judges; and the wickedness of the church was a great
stumbling-block to those who did not belong to the church; and thus the church
began to fail in its progress.
Alma; 2:4
4:11.
18 And it came to pass in the
commencement of the ninth year, Alma saw the wickedness of the church, and he
saw also that the example of the church began to lead those who were
unbelievers on from one piece of iniquity to another, thus bringing on the destruction
of the people.
4:12.
19 Yea, he saw great inequality
among the people, some lifting themselves up with their pride, despising
others, turning their backs upon the needy and the naked and those who were
hungry, and those who were athirst, and those who were sick and afflicted.
4:13.
20 Now this was a great cause
for lamentations among the people, while others were abasing themselves,
succoring those who stood in need of their succor, such as imparting their
substance to the poor and the needy, feeding the hungry, and suffering all manner
of afflictions, for Christ’s sake, who should come according to the spirit of
prophecy;
4:14.
Looking forward to that day, thus retaining
a remission of their sins; 21 being filled
with great joy because of the resurrection of the dead, according to the will
and power and deliverance of Jesus Christ from the bands of death.
Alma; 2:5
4:15.
22 And now it came to pass that
Alma, having seen the afflictions of the humble followers of God, and the
persecutions which were heaped upon them by the remainder of his people, and
seeing all their inequality, began to be very sorrowful; nevertheless the
Spirit of the Lord did not fail him.
4:16.
23 And he selected a wise man
who was among the elders of the church, and gave him power according to the
voice of the people, that he might have power to enact laws according to the
laws which had been given, and to put them in force according to the wickedness
and the crimes of the people.
4:17.
24 Now this man’s name was
Nephihah, and he was appointed chief judge; and he sat in the judgment-seat to
judge and to govern the people.
4:18.
25 Now Alma did not grant unto
him the office of being high priest over the church, but he retained the office
of high priest unto himself; but he delivered the judgment-seat unto Nephihah.
4:19.
26 And this he did that he
himself might go forth among his people, or among the people of Nephi, that he
might preach the word of God unto them, to stir them up in remembrance of their
duty, 27 and that he might pull down, by the
word of God, all the pride and craftiness and all the contentions which were
among his people, seeing no way that he might reclaim them save it were in
bearing down in pure testimony against them.
4:20.
28 And thus in the commencement
of the ninth year of the reign of the judges over the people of Nephi, Alma
delivered up the judgment-seat to Nephihah, and confined himself wholly to the
high priesthood of the holy order of God, to the testimony of the word,
according to the spirit of revelation and prophecy.
Alma, Chapter 3
The words which Alma, the high priest, according to the holy
order of God, delivered to the people in their cities and villages throughout
the land.
Alma; 3:1
Alma, Chapter 5
5:1.
1 Now it came to pass that
Alma began to deliver the word of God unto the people, first in the land of
Zarahemla, and from thence throughout all the land.
5:2.
2 And these are the words
which he spake to the people in the church which was established in the city of
Zarahemla, according to his own record, saying:
5:3.
3 I, Alma, having been
consecrated by my father, Alma, to be a high priest over the church of God, he
having power and authority from God to do these things, behold, I say unto you
that he began to establish a church in the land which was in the borders of
Nephi; 4 yea, the land which was called the
land of Mormon; yea, and he did baptize his brethren in the waters of Mormon.
5:4.
5 And behold, I say unto you,
they were delivered out of the hands of the people of king Noah, by the mercy
and power of God.
5:5.
6 And behold, after that, they
were brought into bondage by the hands of the Lamanites in the wilderness; yea,
I say unto you, they were in captivity, and again the Lord did deliver them out
of bondage by the power of his word; 7 and
we were brought into this land, and here we began to establish the church of
God throughout this land also.
Alma; 3:2
5:6.
8 And now behold, I say unto
you, my brethren, you that belong to this church, have you sufficiently
retained in remembrance the captivity of your fathers? 9
Yea, and have you sufficiently retained in remembrance his mercy and
long-suffering towards them? 10 And
moreover, have ye sufficiently retained in remembrance that he has delivered
their souls from hell?
5:7.
11 Behold, he changed their
hearts; yea, he awakened them out of a deep sleep, and they awoke unto God. 12 Behold, they were in the midst of darkness;
nevertheless, their souls were illuminated by the light of the everlasting
word; 13 yea, they were encircled about by
the bands of death, and the chains of hell, and an everlasting destruction did
await them.
5:8.
14 And now I ask of you, my
brethren, were they destroyed? 15 Behold, I
say unto you, Nay, they were not.
5:9.
16 And again I ask, were the
bands of death broken, and the chains of hell which encircled them about, were
they loosed? 17 I say unto you, Yea, they
were loosed, and their souls did expand, and they did sing redeeming love. 18 And I say unto you that they are saved.
5:10.
19 And now I ask of you on what
conditions are they saved? Yea, what grounds had they to hope for salvation? 20 What is the cause of their being loosed from
the bands of death, yea, and also the chains of hell?
5:11.
21 Behold, I can tell you—did
not my father Alma believe in the words which were delivered by the mouth of
Abinadi? And was he not a holy prophet? 22 Did
he not speak the words of God, and my father Alma believe them?
5:12.
23 And according to his faith
there was a mighty change wrought in his heart. 24 Behold
I say unto you that this is all true.
5:13.
25 And behold, he preached the
word unto your fathers, and a mighty change was also wrought in their hearts,
and they humbled themselves and put their trust in the true and living God. 26 And behold, they were faithful until the end;
therefore they were saved.
Alma; 3:3
5:14.
27 And now behold, I ask of
you, my brethren of the church, have ye spiritually been born of God? 28 Have ye received his image in your
countenances? 29 Have ye experienced this
mighty change in your hearts?
5:15.
30 Do ye exercise faith in the
redemption of him who created you? 31 Do you
look forward with an eye of faith, and view this mortal body raised in
immortality, and this corruption raised in incorruption, to stand before God to
be judged according to the deeds which have been done in the mortal body?
5:16.
32 I say unto you, can you
imagine to yourselves that ye hear the voice of the Lord, saying unto you, in
that day: Come unto me ye blessed, for behold, your works have been the works
of righteousness upon the face of the earth?
5:17.
33 Or do ye imagine to
yourselves that ye can lie unto the Lord in that day, and say—Lord, our works
have been righteous works upon the face of the earth—and that he will save you?
5:18.
34 Or otherwise, can ye imagine
yourselves brought before the tribunal of God with your souls filled with guilt
and remorse, having a remembrance of all your guilt, 35
yea, a perfect remembrance of all your wickedness, yea, a remembrance
that ye have set at defiance the commandments of God?
5:19.
36 I say unto you, can ye look
up to God at that day with a pure heart and clean hands? 37 I say unto you, can you look up, having the
image of God engraven upon your countenances?
5:20.
38 I say unto you, can ye think
of being saved when you have yielded yourselves to become subjects to the
devil?
5:21.
39 I say unto you, ye will know
at that day that ye cannot be saved; for there can no man be saved except his
garments are washed white; 40 yea, his
garments must be purified until they are cleansed from all stain, through the
blood of him of whom it has been spoken by our fathers, who should come to
redeem his people from their sins.
Alma; 3:4
5:22.
41 And now I ask of you, my
brethren, how will any of you feel, if ye shall stand before the bar of God,
having your garments stained with blood and all manner of filthiness? 42 Behold, what will these things testify against
you?
5:23.
43 Behold will they not testify
that ye are murderers, yea, and also that ye are guilty of all manner of
wickedness?
5:24.
44 Behold, my brethren, do ye
suppose that such an one can have a place to sit down in the kingdom of God,
with Abraham, with Isaac, and with Jacob, and also all the holy prophets, whose
garments are cleansed and are spotless, pure and white?
5:25.
45 I say unto you, Nay; except
ye make our Creator a liar from the beginning, or suppose that he is a liar
from the beginning, ye cannot suppose that such can have place in the kingdom
of heaven; but they shall be cast out for they are the children of the kingdom
of the devil.
5:26.
46 And now behold, I say unto
you, my brethren, if ye have experienced a change of heart, and if ye have felt
to sing the song of redeeming love, I would ask, can ye feel so now?
5:27.
47 Have ye walked, keeping
yourselves blameless before God? 48 Could ye
say, if ye were called to die at this time, within yourselves, that ye have
been sufficiently humble? 49 That your
garments have been cleansed and made white through the blood of Christ, who
will come to redeem his people from their sins?
5:28.
50 Behold, are ye stripped of
pride? I say unto you, if ye are not ye are not prepared to meet God. 51 Behold ye must prepare quickly; for the kingdom
of heaven is soon at hand, and such an one hath not eternal life.
5:29.
52 Behold, I say, is there one
among you who is not stripped of envy? 53 I
say unto you that such an one is not prepared; and I would that he should
prepare quickly, for the hour is close at hand, and he knoweth not when the
time shall come; for such an one is not found guiltless.
Alma; 3:5
5:30.
54 And again I say unto you, is
there one among you that doth make a mock of his brother, or that heapeth upon
him persecutions?
5:31.
55 Wo unto such an one, for he
is not prepared, and the time is at hand that he must repent or he cannot be
saved!
5:32.
56 Yea, even wo unto all ye
workers of iniquity; repent, repent, for the Lord God hath spoken it!
5:33.
57 Behold, he sendeth an
invitation unto all men, for the arms of mercy are extended towards them, and
he saith: Repent, and I will receive you.
5:34.
58 Yea, he saith: Come unto me
and ye shall partake of the fruit of the tree of life; yea, ye shall eat and
drink of the bread and the waters of life freely;
5:35.
59 Yea, come unto me and bring
forth works of righteousness, and ye shall not be hewn down and cast into the
fire—
5:36.
60 For behold, the time is at
hand that whosoever bringeth forth not good fruit, or whosoever doeth not the
works of righteousness, the same have cause to wail and mourn.
5:37.
61 O ye workers of iniquity; ye
that are puffed up in the vain things of the world, ye that have professed to
have known the ways of righteousness nevertheless have gone astray, as sheep
having no shepherd, notwithstanding a shepherd hath called after you and is
still calling after you, but ye will not hearken unto his voice!
5:38.
62 Behold, I say unto you, that
the good shepherd doth call you; yea, and in his own name he doth call you,
which is the name of Christ; 63 and if ye
will not hearken unto the voice of the good shepherd, to the name by which ye
are called, behold, ye are not the sheep of the good shepherd.
Alma; 3:6
5:39.
64 And now if ye are not the
sheep of the good shepherd, of what fold are ye? 65
Behold, I say unto you, that the devil is your shepherd, and ye are of
his fold; and now, who can deny this? 66 Behold,
I say unto you, whosoever denieth this is a liar and a child of the devil.
5:40.
67 For I say unto you that
whatsoever is good cometh from God, and whatsoever is evil cometh from the
devil.
5:41.
68 Therefore, if a man bringeth
forth good works he hearkeneth unto the voice of the good shepherd, and he doth
follow him; 69 but whosoever bringeth forth
evil works, the same becometh a child of the devil, for he hearkeneth unto his
voice, and doth follow him.
5:42.
70 And whosoever doeth this
must receive his wages of him; therefore, for his wages he receiveth death, as
to things pertaining unto righteousness, being dead unto all good works.
5:43.
71 And now, my brethren, I
would that ye should hear me, for I speak in the energy of my soul; 72 for behold, I have spoken unto you plainly that
ye cannot err, or have spoken according to the commandments of God.
5:44.
73 For I am called to speak
after this manner, according to the holy order of God, which is in Christ
Jesus; 74 yea, I am commanded to stand and
testify unto this people the things which have been spoken by our fathers
concerning the things which are to come.
5:45.
75 And this is not all. Do ye
not suppose that I know of these things myself? 76 Behold,
I testify unto you that I do know that these things whereof I have spoken are
true. 77 And how do ye suppose that I know
of their surety?
5:46.
78 Behold, I say unto you they
are made known unto me by the Holy Spirit of God. 79
Behold, I have fasted and prayed many days that I might know these
things of myself. 80 And now I do know of
myself that they are true; for the Lord God hath made them manifest unto me by
his Holy Spirit; and this is the spirit of revelation which is in me.
5:47.
81 And moreover, I say unto you
that it has thus been revealed unto me, that the words which have been spoken
by our fathers are true, 82 even so
according to the spirit of prophecy which is in me, which is also by the
manifestation of the Spirit of God.
5:48.
I say unto you, that I know of myself that
whatsoever I shall say unto you, concerning that which is to come, is true; 83 and I say unto you, that I know that Jesus
Christ shall come, yea, the Son, the Only Begotten of the Father, full of
grace, and mercy, and truth. 84 And behold,
it is he that cometh to take away the sins of the world, yea, the sins of every
man who steadfastly believeth on his name.
Alma; 3:7
5:49.
85 And now I say unto you that
this is the order after which I am called, yea, to preach unto my beloved
brethren, yea, and every one that dwelleth in the land; 86 yea, to preach unto all, both old and young, both bond and
free; yea, I say unto you the aged, and also the middle aged, and the rising
generation; yea, to cry unto them that they must repent and be born again.
5:50.
87 Yea, thus saith the Spirit:
Repent, all ye ends of the earth, for the kingdom of heaven is soon at hand;
yea, the Son of God cometh in his glory, in his might, majesty, power, and
dominion. 88 Yea, my beloved brethren, I say
unto you, that the Spirit saith: Behold the glory of the King of all the earth;
and also the King of heaven shall very soon shine forth among all the children
of men.
5:51.
89 And also the Spirit saith
unto me, yea, crieth unto me with a mighty voice, saying: Go forth and say unto
this people—Repent, for except ye repent ye can in nowise inherit the kingdom
of heaven.
5:52.
90 And again I say unto you,
the Spirit saith: Behold, the ax is laid at the root of the tree; therefore
every tree that bringeth not forth good fruit shall be hewn down and cast into
the fire, yea, a fire which cannot be consumed, even an unquenchable fire. 91 Behold, and remember, the Holy One hath spoken
it.
5:53.
92 And now my beloved brethren,
I say unto you, can ye withstand these sayings; yea, can ye lay aside these
things, and trample the Holy One under your feet; 93
yea, can ye be puffed up in the pride of your hearts; yea, will ye still
persist in the wearing of costly apparel and setting your hearts upon the vain
things of the world, upon your riches?
5:54.
94 Yea, will ye persist in
supposing that ye are better one than another; 95 yea,
will ye persist in the persecution of your brethren, who humble themselves and
do walk after the holy order of God, wherewith they have been brought into this
church, having been sanctified by the Holy Spirit, and they do bring forth
works which are meet for repentance—
5:55.
96 Yea, and will you persist in
turning your backs upon the poor, and the needy, and in withholding your
substance from them?
5:56.
97 And finally, all ye that will
persist in your wickedness, I say unto you that these are they who shall be
hewn down and cast into the fire except they speedily repent.
Alma; 3:8
5:57.
98 And now I say unto you, all
you that are desirous to follow the voice of the good shepherd, come ye out
from the wicked, and be ye separate, and touch not their unclean things; 99 and behold, their names shall be blotted out,
that the names of the wicked shall not be numbered among the names of the
righteous, that the word of God may be fulfilled, which saith: The names of the
wicked shall not be mingled with the names of my people;
5:58.
100 For the names of the
righteous shall be written in the book of life, and unto them will I grant an
inheritance at my right hand. 101 And now,
my brethren, what have ye to say against this? 102 I
say unto you, if ye speak against it, it matters not, for the word of God must
be fulfilled.
5:59.
103 For what shepherd is there among you having
many sheep doth not watch over them, that the wolves enter not and devour his
flock? 104 And behold, if a wolf enter his
flock doth he not drive him out? Yea, and at the last, if he can, he will
destroy him.
5:60.
105 And now I say unto you that
the good shepherd doth call after you; and if you will hearken unto his voice
he will bring you into his fold, and ye are his sheep; 106
and he commandeth you that ye suffer no ravenous wolf to enter among
you, that ye may not be destroyed.
Alma; 3:9
5:61.
107 And now I, Alma, do command
you in the language of him who hath commanded me, that ye observe to do the
words which I have spoken unto you.
5:62.
108 I speak by way of command
unto you that belong to the church; and unto those who do not belong to the
church I speak by way of invitation, saying: Come and be baptized unto
repentance, that ye also may be partakers of the fruit of the tree of life.
Alma, Chapter 4
Alma; 4:1
Alma, Chapter 6
6:1.
1 And now it came to pass that
after Alma had made an end of speaking unto the people of the church, which was
established in the city of Zarahemla, he ordained priests and elders, by laying
on his hands according to the order of God, to preside and watch over the
church.
6:2.
2 And it came to pass that
whosoever did not belong to the church who repented of their sins were baptized
unto repentance, and were received into the church.
6:3.
3 And it also came to pass
that whosoever did belong to the church that did not repent of their wickedness
and humble themselves before God— 4 I mean
those who were lifted up in the pride of their hearts—the same were rejected,
and their names were blotted out, that their names were not numbered among
those of the righteous.
6:4.
And thus they began to establish the order
of the church in the city of Zarahemla.
6:5.
5 Now I would that ye should
understand that the word of God was liberal unto all, that none were deprived
of the privilege of assembling themselves together to hear the word of God.
6:6.
6 Nevertheless the children of
God were commanded that they should gather themselves together oft, and join in
fasting and mighty prayer in behalf of the welfare of the souls of those who
knew not God.
Alma; 4:2
6:7.
7 And now it came to pass that
when Alma had made these regulations he departed from them, yea, from the
church which was in the city of Zarahemla, 8 and
went over upon the east of the river Sidon, into the valley of Gideon, there
having been a city built, which was called the city of Gideon, which was in the
valley that was called Gideon, being called after the man who was slain by the
hand of Nehor with the sword.
6:8.
9 And Alma went and began to
declare the word of God unto the church which was established in the valley of
Gideon, according to the revelation of the truth of the word which had been
spoken by his fathers, 10 and according to
the spirit of prophecy which was in him, according to the testimony of Jesus
Christ, the Son of God, who should come to redeem his people from their sins,
and the holy order by which he was called. And thus it is written. Amen.
Alma, Chapter 5
The words of Alma which he delivered to the people in Gideon,
according to his own record.
Alma; 5:1
Alma, Chapter 7
7:1.
1 Behold my beloved brethren,
seeing that I have been permitted to come unto you, therefore I attempt to
address you in my language; 2 yea, by my own
mouth, seeing that it is the first time that I have spoken unto you by the
words of my mouth, I having been wholly confined to the judgment-seat, having
had much business that I could not come unto you.
7:2.
3 And even I could not have
come now at this time were it not that the judgment-seat hath been given to
another, to reign in my stead; and the Lord in much mercy hath granted that I
should come unto you.
7:3.
4 And behold, I have come
having great hopes and much desire that I should find that ye had humbled
yourselves before God, and that ye had continued in the supplicating of his
grace, that I should find that ye were blameless before him, 5 that I should find that ye were not in the awful
dilemma that our brethren were in at Zarahemla.
7:4.
6 But blessed be the name of
God, that he hath given me to know, yea, hath given unto me the exceedingly
great joy of knowing that they are established again in the way of his
righteousness.
7:5.
7 And I trust, according to
the Spirit of God which is in me, that I shall also have joy over you; 8 nevertheless I do not desire that my joy over
you should come by the cause of so much afflictions and sorrow which I have had
for the brethren at Zarahemla, 9 for behold,
my joy cometh over them after wading through much affliction and sorrow.
Alma; 5:2
7:6.
10 But behold, I trust that ye
are not in a state of so much unbelief as were your brethren; 11 I trust that ye are not lifted up in the pride
of your hearts; yea, I trust that ye have not set your hearts upon riches and
the vain things of the world; 12 yea, I
trust that you do not worship idols, but that ye do worship the true and living
God, and that ye look forward for the remission of your sins, with an
everlasting faith, which is to come.
7:7.
13 For behold, I say unto you
there be many things to come; and behold, there is one thing which is of more
importance than they all— 14 for behold, the
time is not far distant that the Redeemer liveth and cometh among his people.
7:8.
15 Behold, I do not say that he
will come among us at the time of his dwelling in his mortal tabernacle; for
behold, the Spirit hath not said unto me that this should be the case. 16 Now as to this thing I do not know; but this
much I do know, that the Lord God hath power to do all things which are
according to his word.
7:9.
17 But behold, the Spirit hath
said this much unto me, saying: Cry unto this people, saying—Repent ye, and
prepare the way of the Lord, and walk in his paths, which are straight; 18 for behold, the kingdom of heaven is at hand,
and the Son of God cometh upon the face of the earth.
7:10.
19 And behold, he shall be born
of Mary, at Jerusalem which is the land of our forefathers, she being a virgin,
a precious and chosen vessel, who shall be overshadowed and conceive by the
power of the Holy Ghost, and bring forth a son, yea, even the Son of God.
7:11.
20 And he shall go forth,
suffering pains and afflictions and temptations of every kind; 21 and this that the word might be fulfilled which
saith he will take upon him the pains and the sicknesses of his people.
7:12.
And he will take upon him death, that he
may loose the bands of death which bind his people; 22
and he will take upon him their infirmities, that his bowels may be
filled with mercy, according to the flesh, that he may know according to the
flesh how to succor his people according to their infirmities.
7:13.
23 Now the Spirit knoweth all
things; nevertheless the Son of God suffereth according to the flesh that he
might take upon him the sins of his people, that he might blot out their
transgressions according to the power of his deliverance; and now behold, this
is the testimony which is in me.
Alma; 5:3
7:14.
24 Now I say unto you that ye must repent, and be
born again; for the Spirit saith if ye are not born again ye cannot inherit the
kingdom of heaven; 25 therefore come and be
baptized unto repentance, that ye may be washed from your sins, that ye may
have faith on the Lamb of God, who taketh away the sins of the world, who is
mighty to save and to cleanse from all unrighteousness.
7:15.
26 Yea, I say unto you come and
fear not, and lay aside every sin, which easily doth beset you, which doth bind
you down to destruction, 27 yea, come and go
forth, and show unto your God that ye are willing to repent of your sins and
enter into a covenant with him to keep his commandments, and witness it unto
him this day by going into the waters of baptism.
7:16.
28 And whosoever doeth this,
and keepeth the commandments of God from thenceforth, the same will remember
that I say unto him, yea, he will remember that I have said unto him, he shall
have eternal life, according to the testimony of the Holy Spirit, which
testifieth in me.
7:17.
29 And now my beloved brethren,
do you believe these things? 30 Behold, I
say unto you, yea, I know that ye believe them; and the way that I know that ye
believe them is by the manifestation of the Spirit which is in me. 31 And now because your faith is strong concerning
that, yea, concerning the things which I have spoken, great is my joy.
7:18.
32 For as I said unto you from
the beginning, that I had much desire that ye were not in the state of dilemma
like your brethren, even so I have found that my desires have been gratified.
7:19.
33 For I perceive that ye are
in the paths of righteousness; I perceive that ye are in the path which leads
to the kingdom of God; 34 yea, I perceive
that ye are making his paths straight.
7:20.
I perceive that it has been made known unto
you, by the testimony of his word, that he cannot walk in crooked paths; 35 neither doth he vary from that which he hath
said; neither hath he a shadow of turning from the right to the left, or from
that which is right to that which is wrong; therefore, his course is one
eternal round.
7:21.
36 And he doth not dwell in
unholy temples; neither can filthiness or anything which is unclean be received
into the kingdom of God; 37 therefore I say
unto you the time shall come, yea, and it shall be at the last day, that he who
is filthy shall remain in his filthiness.
Alma; 5:4
7:22.
38 And now my beloved brethren,
I have said these things unto you that I might awaken you to a sense of your
duty to God, that ye may walk blameless before him, that ye may walk after the
holy order of God, after which ye have been received.
7:23.
39 And now I would that ye
should be humble, and be submissive and gentle; easy to be entreated; full of
patience and long-suffering; being temperate in all things; being diligent in
keeping the commandments of God at all times; 40 asking
for whatsoever things ye stand in need, both spiritual and temporal; always
returning thanks unto God for whatsoever things ye do receive.
7:24.
41 And see that ye have faith,
hope, and charity, and then ye will always abound in good works.
7:25.
42 And may the Lord bless you,
and keep your garments spotless, that ye may at last be brought to sit down
with Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob, and the holy prophets who have been ever since
the world began, having your garments spotless even as their garments are
spotless, in the kingdom of heaven to go no more out.
Alma; 5:5
7:26.
43 And now my beloved brethren,
I have spoken these words unto you according to the Spirit which testifieth in
me; and my soul doth exceedingly rejoice, because of the exceeding diligence
and heed which ye have given unto my word.
7:27.
44 And now, may the peace of
God rest upon you, and upon your houses and lands, and upon your flocks and
herds, and all that you possess, your women and your children, according to
your faith and good works, from this time forth and forever. And thus I have
spoken. Amen.
Alma, Chapter 6
Alma; 6:1
Alma, Chapter 8
8:1.
1 And now it came to pass that
Alma returned from the land of Gideon, after having taught the people of Gideon
many things which cannot be written, having established the order of the
church, according as he had before done in the land of Zarahemla, 2 yea, he returned to his own house at Zarahemla
to rest himself from the labors which he had performed.
8:2.
3 And thus ended the ninth
year of the reign of the judges over the people of Nephi.
Alma; 6:2
8:3.
4 And it came to pass in the
commencement of the tenth year of the reign of the judges over the people of
Nephi, that Alma departed from thence and took his journey over into the land
of Melek, on the west of the river Sidon, on the west by the borders of the
wilderness.
8:4.
5 And he began to teach the
people in the land of Melek according to the holy order of God, by which he had
been called; and he began to teach the people throughout all the land of Melek.
Alma; 6:3
8:5.
6 And it came to pass that the
people came to him throughout all the borders of the land which was by the
wilderness side. 7 And they were baptized
throughout all the land;
8:6.
So that when he had finished his work at
Melek he departed thence, and traveled three days’ journey on the north of the
land of Melek; and he came to a city which was called Ammonihah.
8:7.
8 Now it was the custom of the
people of Nephi to call their lands, and their cities, and their villages, yea,
even all their small villages, after the name of him who first possessed them;
and thus it was with the land of Ammonihah.
Alma; 6:4
8:8.
9 And it came to pass that
when Alma had come to the city of Ammonihah he began to preach the word of God
unto them.
8:9.
10 Now Satan had gotten great
hold upon the hearts of the people of the city of Ammonihah; therefore they
would not hearken unto the words of Alma.
8:10.
11 Nevertheless Alma labored
much in the spirit, wrestling with God in mighty prayer, that he would pour out
his Spirit upon the people who were in the city; that he would also grant that
he might baptize them unto repentance.
8:11.
12 Nevertheless, they hardened
their hearts, saying unto him: Behold, we know that thou art Alma; and we know
that thou art high priest over the church which thou hast established in many
parts of the land, according to your tradition; 13 and
we are not of thy church, and we do not believe in such foolish traditions.
8:12.
14 And now we know that because
we are not of thy church we know that thou hast no power over us; 15 and thou hast delivered up the judgment-seat
unto Nephihah; therefore thou art not the chief judge over us.
8:13.
16 Now when the people had said
this, and withstood all his words, and reviled him, and spit upon him, and
caused that he should be cast out of their city, he departed thence and took
his journey towards the city which was called Aaron.
Alma; 6:5
8:14.
17 And it came to pass that
while he was journeying thither, being weighed down with sorrow, wading through
much tribulation and anguish of soul, because of the wickedness of the people
who were in the city of Ammonihah, 18 it
came to pass while Alma was thus weighed down with sorrow, behold an angel of
the Lord appeared unto him, saying:
8:15.
Blessed art thou, Alma; therefore, lift up
thy head and rejoice, for thou hast great cause to rejoice; 19 for thou hast been faithful in keeping the
commandments of God from the time which thou receivedst thy first message from
him. 20 Behold, I am he that delivered it
unto you.
8:16.
And behold, I am sent to command thee that
thou return to the city of Ammonihah, and preach again unto the people of the
city; yea, preach unto them. 21 Yea, say
unto them, except they repent the Lord God will destroy them.
8:17.
22 For behold, they do study at
this time that they may destroy the liberty of thy people, (for thus saith the
Lord) which is contrary to the statutes, and judgments, and commandments which
he has given unto his people.
Alma; 6:6
8:18.
23 Now it came to pass that
after Alma had received his message from the angel of the Lord he returned
speedily to the land of Ammonihah. 24 And he
entered the city by another way, yea, by the way which is on the south of the
city of Ammonihah.
8:19.
25 And as he entered the city
he was an hungered, and he said to a man: Will ye give to an humble servant of
God something to eat?
8:20.
26 And the man said unto him: I
am a Nephite, and I know that thou art a holy prophet of God, for thou art the
man whom an angel said in a vision: Thou shalt receive. 27 Therefore, go with me into my house and I will impart unto
thee of my food; and I know that thou wilt be a blessing unto me and my house.
8:21.
28 And it came to pass that the
man received him into his house; and the man was called Amulek; and he brought
forth bread and meat and set before Alma.
Alma; 6:7
8:22.
29 And it came to pass that
Alma ate bread and was filled; and he blessed Amulek and his house, and he gave
thanks unto God.
8:23.
30 And after he had eaten and
was filled he said unto Amulek: I am Alma, and am the high priest over the
church of God throughout the land.
8:24.
31 And behold, I have been
called to preach the word of God among all this people, according to the spirit
of revelation and prophecy; 32 and I was in
this land and they would not receive me, but they cast me out and I was about
to set my back towards this land forever.
8:25.
33 But behold, I have been
commanded that I should turn again and prophesy unto this people, yea, and to
testify against them concerning their iniquities.
8:26.
34 And now, Amulek, because thou
hast fed me and taken me in, thou art blessed; for I was an hungered, for I had
fasted many days.
8:27.
35 And Alma tarried many days
with Amulek before he began to preach unto the people.
Alma; 6:8
8:28.
36 And it came to pass that the
people did wax more gross in their iniquities.
8:29.
37 And the word came to Alma,
saying: Go; and also say unto my servant Amulek, go forth and prophesy unto
this people, saying—Repent ye, for thus saith the Lord, except ye repent I will
visit this people in mine anger; yea, and I will not turn my fierce anger away.
8:30.
38 And Alma went forth, and
also Amulek, among the people, to declare the words of God unto them; and they
were filled with the Holy Ghost.
8:31.
39 And they had power given
unto them, insomuch that they could not be confined in dungeons; neither was it
possible that any man could slay them; 40 nevertheless
they did not exercise their power until they were bound in bands and cast into
prison. 41 Now, this was done that the Lord
might show forth his power in them.
Alma; 6:9
8:32.
42 And it came to pass that
they went forth and began to preach and to prophesy unto the people, according
to the spirit and power which the Lord had given them.
Alma, Chapter 7
The words of Alma and also the words of Amulek, which were
declared unto the people who were in the land of Ammonihah. And also they are
cast into prison and delivered by the miraculous power of God which was in
them, according to the record of Alma.
Alma; 7:1
Alma, Chapter 9
9:1.
1 And again, I, Alma, having
been commanded of God that I should take Amulek and go forth and preach again
unto this people, or the people who were in the city of Ammonihah, it came to
pass as I began to preach unto them, they began to contend with me, saying:
9:2.
Who art thou? 2
Suppose ye that we shall believe the testimony of one man, although he
should preach unto us that the earth should pass away?
9:3.
3 Now they understood not the
words which they spake; for they knew not that the earth should pass away.
9:4.
4 And they said also: We will
not believe thy words if thou shouldst prophesy that this great city should be
destroyed in one day.
9:5.
5 Now they knew not that God
could do such marvelous works, for they were a hard-hearted and a stiffnecked
people.
9:6.
6 And they said: Who is God,
that sendeth no more authority than one man among this people, to declare unto
them the truth of such great and marvelous things?
9:7.
7 And they stood forth to lay
their hands on me; but behold, they did not. 8 And
I stood with boldness to declare unto them, yea, I did boldly testify unto
them, saying:
9:8.
Behold, O ye wicked and perverse
generation, how have ye forgotten the tradition of your fathers; yea, how soon
ye have forgotten the commandments of God.
9:9.
9 Do ye not remember that our
father, Lehi, was brought out of Jerusalem by the hand of God? 10 Do ye not remember that they were all led by
him through the wilderness?
9:10.
11 And have ye forgotten so
soon how many times he delivered our fathers out of the hands of their enemies,
and preserved them from being destroyed, even by the hands of their own
brethren?
9:11.
12 Yea, and if it had not been
for his matchless power, and his mercy, and his long-suffering towards us, we
should unavoidably have been cut off from the face of the earth long before
this period of time, and perhaps been consigned to a state of endless misery
and woe.
9:12.
13 Behold, now I say unto you
that he commandeth you to repent; and except ye repent, ye can in nowise
inherit the kingdom of God. 14 But behold,
this is not all—he has commanded you to repent, or he will utterly destroy you
from off the face of the earth; yea, he will visit you in his anger, and in his
fierce anger he will not turn away.
9:13.
15 Behold, do ye not remember
the words which he spake unto Lehi, saying that: Inasmuch as ye shall keep my
commandments, ye shall prosper in the land? 16 And
again it is said that: Inasmuch as ye will not keep my commandments ye shall be
cut off from the presence of the Lord.
Alma; 7:2
9:14.
17 Now I would that ye should
remember, that inasmuch as the Lamanites have not kept the commandments of God,
they have been cut off from the presence of the Lord. 18
Now we see that the word of the Lord has been verified in this thing,
and the Lamanites have been cut off from his presence, from the beginning of
their transgressions in the land.
9:15.
19 Nevertheless I say unto you,
that it shall be more tolerable for them in the day of judgment than for you,
if ye remain in your sins, 20 yea, and even
more tolerable for them in this life than for you, except ye repent.
9:16.
For there are many promises which are
extended to the Lamanites; 21 for it is
because of the traditions of their fathers that caused them to remain in their
state of ignorance; therefore the Lord will be merciful unto them and prolong
their existence in the land.
9:17.
22 And at some period of time
they will be brought to believe in his word, and to know of the incorrectness
of the traditions of their fathers; 23 and
many of them will be saved, for the Lord will be merciful unto all who call on
his name.
9:18.
24 But behold, I say unto you
that if ye persist in your wickedness that your days shall not be prolonged in
the land, for the Lamanites shall be sent upon you; 25
and if ye repent not they shall come in a time when you know not, and ye
shall be visited with utter destruction; 26 and
it shall be according to the fierce anger of the Lord.
9:19.
For he will not suffer you that ye shall
live in your iniquities, to destroy his people. 27 I
say unto you, Nay; he would rather suffer that the Lamanites might destroy all
his people who are called the people of Nephi, if it were possible that they
could fall into sins and transgressions, after having had so much light and so
much knowledge given unto them of the Lord their God;
9:20.
28 Yea, after having been such
a highly favored people of the Lord; yea, after having been favored above every
other nation, kindred, tongue, or people; 29 after
having had all things made known unto them, according to their desires, and
their faith, and prayers, of that which has been, and which is, and which is to
come;
9:21.
30 Having been visited by the
Spirit of God; having conversed with angels, and having been spoken unto by the
voice of the Lord; 31 and having the spirit
of prophecy, and the spirit of revelation, and also many gifts, the gift of
speaking with tongues, and the gift of preaching, and the gift of the Holy
Ghost, and the gift of translation;
9:22.
32 Yea, and after having been
delivered of God out of the land of Jerusalem, by the hand of the Lord; 33 having been saved from famine, and from
sickness, and all manner of diseases of every kind; 34
and they having waxed strong in battle, that they might not be
destroyed; having been brought out of bondage time after time, and having been
kept and preserved until now; and they have been prospered until they are rich
in all manner of things—
Alma; 7:3
9:23.
35 And now behold I say unto
you, that if this people, who have received so many blessings from the hand of
the Lord, should transgress contrary to the light and knowledge which they do
have, 36 I say unto you that if this be the
case, that if they should fall into transgression, it would be far more
tolerable for the Lamanites than for them.
9:24.
37 For behold, the promises of
the Lord are extended to the Lamanites, but they are not unto you if ye
transgress; 38 for has not the Lord
expressly promised and firmly decreed, that if ye will rebel against him that
ye shall utterly be destroyed from off the face of the earth?
9:25.
39 And now for this cause, that
ye may not be destroyed, the Lord has sent his angel to visit many of his
people, declaring unto them that they must go forth and cry mightily unto this
people, saying: Repent ye, for the kingdom of heaven is nigh at hand;
9:26.
40 And not many days hence the
Son of God shall come in his glory; and his glory shall be the glory of the
Only Begotten of the Father, full of grace, equity, and truth, full of
patience, mercy, and long-suffering, quick to hear the cries of his people and
to answer their prayers.
9:27.
41 And behold, he cometh to
redeem those who will be baptized unto repentance, through faith on his name.
9:28.
42 Therefore, prepare ye the
way of the Lord, for the time is at hand that all men shall reap a reward of
their works, according to that which they have been— 43
if they have been righteous they shall reap the salvation of their
souls, according to the power and deliverance of Jesus Christ; 44 and if they have been evil they shall reap the
damnation of their souls, according to the power and captivation of the devil.
9:29.
45 Now behold, this is the
voice of the angel, crying unto the people.
9:30.
46 And now, my beloved
brethren, for ye are my brethren, and ye ought to be beloved, and ye ought to
bring forth works which are meet for repentance, seeing that your hearts have
been grossly hardened against the word of God, and seeing that ye are a lost and
a fallen people.
Alma; 7:4
9:31.
47 Now it came to pass that
when I, Alma, had spoken these words, behold, the people were wroth with me
because I said unto them that they were a hard-hearted and a stiffnecked
people.
9:32.
48 And also because I said unto
them that they were a lost and a fallen people they were angry with me, and
sought to lay their hands upon me, that they might cast me into prison.
9:33.
49 But it came to pass that the
Lord did not suffer them that they should take me at that time and cast me into
prison.
Alma; 7:5
9:34.
50 And it came to pass that
Amulek went and stood forth, and began to preach unto them also. 51 And now the words of Amulek are not all
written, nevertheless a part of his words are written in this book.
Alma, Chapter 8
Alma; 8:1
Alma, Chapter 10
10:1.
1 Now these are the words
which Amulek preached unto the people who were in the land of Ammonihah,
saying:
10:2.
I am Amulek; I am the son of Giddonah, who
was the son of Ishmael, who was a descendant of Aminadi; 2 and it was the same Aminadi who interpreted the
writing which was upon the wall of the temple, which was written by the finger
of God.
10:3.
3 And Aminadi was a descendant
of Nephi, who was the son of Lehi, who came out of the land of Jerusalem, who
was a descendant of Manasseh, who was the son of Joseph who was sold into Egypt
by the hands of his brethren.
10:4.
4 And behold, I am also a man
of no small reputation among all those who know me; 5
yea, and behold, I have many kindreds and friends, and I have also
acquired much riches by the hand of my industry.
10:5.
6 Nevertheless, after all
this, I never have known much of the ways of the Lord, and his mysteries and
marvelous power. 7 I said I never had known
much of these things; but behold, I mistake, for I have seen much of his
mysteries and his marvelous power; yea, even in the preservation of the lives
of this people.
10:6.
8 Nevertheless, I did harden
my heart, for I was called many times and I would not hear; therefore I knew
concerning these things, yet I would not know; 9 therefore
I went on rebelling against God, in the wickedness of my heart, even until the
fourth day of this seventh month, which is in the tenth year of the reign of
the judges.
10:7.
10 As I was journeying to see a
very near kindred, behold an angel of the Lord appeared unto me and said:
Amulek, return to thine own house, for thou shalt feed a prophet of the Lord;
yea, a holy man, who is a chosen man of God; 11 for
he has fasted many days because of the sins of this people, and he is an
hungered, and thou shalt receive him into thy house and feed him, and he shall
bless thee and thy house; and the blessing of the Lord shall rest upon thee and
thy house.
Alma; 8:2
10:8.
12 And it came to pass that I
obeyed the voice of the angel, and returned towards my house. 13 And as I was going thither I found the man whom
the angel said unto me: Thou shalt receive into thy house—and behold it was
this same man who has been speaking unto you concerning the things of God.
10:9.
14 And the angel said unto me
he is a holy man; wherefore I know he is a holy man because it was said by an
angel of God.
10:10.
15 And again, I know that the
things whereof he hath testified are true; for behold I say unto you, that as
the Lord liveth, even so has he sent his angel to make these things manifest
unto me; and this he has done while this Alma hath dwelt at my house.
10:11.
16 For behold, he hath blessed
mine house, he hath blessed me, and my women, and my children, and my father
and my kinsfolk; 17 yea, even all my kindred
hath he blessed, and the blessing of the Lord hath rested upon us according to
the words which he spake.
Alma; 8:3
10:12.
18 And now, when Amulek had
spoken these words the people began to be astonished, seeing there was more
than one witness who testified of the things whereof they were accused, and
also of the things which were to come, according to the spirit of prophecy which
was in them.
10:13.
19 Nevertheless, there were
some among them who thought to question them, that by their cunning devices
they might catch them in their words, that they might find witness against
them, that they might deliver them to their judges 20
that they might be judged according to the law, and that they might be
slain or cast into prison, according to the crime which they could make appear
or witness against them.
10:14.
21 Now it was those men who
sought to destroy them, who were lawyers, who were hired or appointed by the
people to administer the law at their times of trials, or at the trials of the
crimes of the people before the judges.
10:15.
22 Now these lawyers were
learned in all the arts and cunning of the people; and this was to enable them
that they might be skilful in their profession.
10:16.
23 And it came to pass that they
began to question Amulek, that thereby they might make him cross his words, or
contradict the words which he should speak.
Alma; 8:4
10:17.
24 Now they knew not that
Amulek could know of their designs. 25 But
it came to pass as they began to question him, he perceived their thoughts, and
he said unto them: O ye wicked and perverse generation, ye lawyers and
hypocrites, for ye are laying the foundation of the devil; 26 for ye are laying traps and snares to catch the
holy ones of God.
10:18.
Ye are laying plans to pervert the ways of
the righteous, and to bring down the wrath of God upon your heads, even to the
utter destruction of this people.
10:19.
27 Yea, well did Mosiah say,
who was our last king, when he was about to deliver up the kingdom, having no
one to confer it upon, causing that this people should be governed by their own
voices— 28 yea, well did he say that if the
time should come that the voice of this people should choose iniquity, that is,
if the time should come that this people should fall into transgression, they
would be ripe for destruction.
10:20.
29 And now I say unto you that
well doth the Lord judge of your iniquities; well doth he cry unto this people,
by the voice of his angels: Repent ye, repent, for the kingdom of heaven is at
hand.
10:21.
30 Yea, well doth he cry, by
the voice of his angels that: I will come down among my people, with equity and
justice in my hands.
10:22.
31 Yea, and I say unto you that
if it were not for the prayers of the righteous, who are now in the land, that
ye would even now be visited with utter destruction; 32
yet it would not be by flood, as were the people in the days of Noah,
but it would be by famine, and by pestilence, and the sword.
10:23.
33 But it is by the prayers of
the righteous that ye are spared; now therefore, if ye will cast out the
righteous from among you then will not the Lord stay his hand; but in his
fierce anger he will come out against you; 34 then
ye shall be smitten by famine, and by pestilence, and by the sword; and the
time is soon at hand except ye repent.
Alma; 8:5
10:24.
35 And now it came to pass that
the people were more angry with Amulek, and they cried out, saying: This man
doth revile against our laws which are just, and our wise lawyers whom we have
selected.
10:25.
36 But Amulek stretched forth
his hand, and cried the mightier unto them, saying: O ye wicked and perverse
generation, why hath Satan got such great hold upon your hearts? 37 Why will ye yield yourselves unto him that he
may have power over you, to blind your eyes, that ye will not understand the
words which are spoken, according to their truth?
10:26.
38 For behold, have I testified
against your law? 39 Ye do not understand;
ye say that I have spoken against your law; but I have not, but I have spoken
in favor of your law, to your condemnation.
10:27.
40 And now behold, I say unto
you, that the foundation of the destruction of this people is beginning to be
laid by the unrighteousness of your lawyers and your judges.
Alma; 8:6
10:28.
41 And now it came to pass that
when Amulek had spoken these words the people cried out against him, saying:
Now we know that this man is a child of the devil, for he hath lied unto us;
for he hath spoken against our law. 42 And
now he says that he has not spoken against it.
10:29.
43 And again, he has reviled
against our lawyers, and our judges.
10:30.
44 And it came to pass that the
lawyers put it into their hearts that they should remember these things against
him.
10:31.
45 And there was one among them
whose name was Zeezrom. 46 Now he was the
foremost to accuse Amulek and Alma, he being one of the most expert among them,
having much business to do among the people.
10:32.
47 Now the object of these
lawyers was to get gain; and they got gain according to their employ.
Alma; 8:7
Alma, Chapter 11
11:1.
48 Now it was in the law of
Mosiah that every man who was a judge of the law, or those who were appointed
to be judges, should receive wages according to the time which they labored to
judge those who were brought before them to be judged.
Alma; 8:8
11:2.
49 Now if a man owed another,
and he would not pay that which he did owe, he was complained of to the judge; 50 and the judge executed authority, and sent
forth officers that the man should be brought before him; 51 and he judged the man according to the law and
the evidences which were brought against him, and thus the man was compelled to
pay that which he owed, or be stripped, or be cast out from among the people as
a thief and a robber.
11:3.
52 And the judge received for
his wages according to his time—a senine of gold for a day, or a senum of
silver, which is equal to a senine of gold; and this is according to the law
which was given.
11:4.
53 Now these are the names of
the different pieces of their gold, and of their silver, according to their
value. 54 And the names are given by the
Nephites, for they did not reckon after the manner of the Jews who were at
Jerusalem; neither did they measure after the manner of the Jews; 55 but they altered their reckoning and their
measure, according to the minds and the circumstances of the people, in every
generation, until the reign of the judges, they having been established by king
Mosiah.
11:5.
56 Now the reckoning is thus—a
senine of gold, a seon of gold, a shum of gold, and a limnah of gold.
11:6.
57 A senum of silver, an amnor
of silver, an ezrom of silver, and an onti of silver.
11:7.
58 A senum of silver was equal
to a senine of gold, and either for a measure of barley, and also for a measure
of every kind of grain.
11:8.
59 Now the amount of a seon of
gold was twice the value of a senine.
11:9.
And a shum of gold was twice the value of a
seon.
11:10.
And a limnah of gold was the value of them
all.
11:11.
60 And an amnor of silver was
as great as two senums.
11:12.
And an ezrom of silver was as great as four
senums.
11:13.
And an onti was as great as them all.
11:14.
61 Now this is the value of the
lesser numbers of their reckoning—
11:15.
A shiblon is half of a senum; therefore, a
shiblon for half a measure of barley.
11:16.
And a shiblum is a half of a shiblon.
11:17. And a leah is the half of a shiblum.
11:19. 62 Now an antion of gold is equal to three shiblons.
11:18. 63 Now this is their number, according to their reckoning.
Alma; 8:9
11:20.
64 Now, it was for the sole
purpose to get gain, because they received their wages according to their
employ, 65 therefore, they did stir up the
people to riotings, and all manner of disturbances and wickedness, that they
might have more employ, 66 that they might
get money according to the suits which were brought before them; therefore they
did stir up the people against Alma and Amulek.
11:21.
67 And this Zeezrom began to
question Amulek, saying: Will ye answer me a few questions which I shall ask
you? 68 Now Zeezrom was a man who was expert
in the devices of the devil, that he might destroy that which was good;
therefore, he said unto Amulek: Will ye answer the questions which I shall put
unto you?
11:22.
69 And Amulek said unto him:
Yea, if it be according to the Spirit of the Lord, which is in me; for I shall
say nothing which is contrary to the Spirit of the Lord. 70 And Zeezrom said unto him: Behold, here are six
onties of silver, and all these will I give thee if thou wilt deny the
existence of a Supreme Being.
11:23.
71 Now Amulek said: O thou
child of hell, why tempt ye me? 72 Knowest
thou that the righteous yieldeth to no such temptations?
11:24.
73 Believest thou that there is
no God? 74 I say unto you, Nay, thou knowest
that there is a God, but thou lovest that lucre more than him.
11:25.
75 And now thou hast lied
before God unto me. 76 Thou saidst unto
me—Behold these six onties, which are of great worth, I will give unto
thee—when thou hadst it in thy heart to retain them from me; 77 and it was only thy desire that I should deny
the true and living God, that thou mightest have cause to destroy me. 78 And now behold, for this great evil thou shalt
have thy reward.
11:26.
79 And Zeezrom said unto him:
Thou sayest there is a true and living God?
11:27.
80 And Amulek said: Yea, there
is a true and living God.
11:28.
81 Now Zeezrom said: Is there
more than one God?
11:29.
82 And he answered, No.
11:30.
83 Now Zeezrom said unto him
again: How knowest thou these things?
11:31.
84 And he said: An angel hath
made them known unto me.
11:32.
85 And Zeezrom said again: Who
is he that shall come? Is it the Son of God?
11:33.
86 And he said unto him, Yea.
11:34.
87 And Zeezrom said again:
Shall he save his people in their sins? 88 And
Amulek answered and said unto him: I say unto you he shall not, for it is
impossible for him to deny his word.
Alma; 8:10
11:35.
89 Now Zeezrom said unto the
people: See that ye remember these things; for he said there is but one God;
yet he saith that the Son of God shall come, but he shall not save his
people—as though he had authority to command God.
11:36.
90 Now Amulek saith again unto
him: Behold thou hast lied, for thou sayest that I spake as though I had
authority to command God because I said he shall not save his people in their
sins.
11:37.
91 And I say unto you again
that he cannot save them in their sins; for I cannot deny his word, and he hath
said that no unclean thing can inherit the kingdom of heaven; 92 therefore, how can ye be saved, except ye
inherit the kingdom of heaven? Therefore, ye cannot be saved in your sins.
11:38.
93 Now Zeezrom saith again unto
him: Is the Son of God the very Eternal Father?
11:39.
94 And Amulek said unto him:
Yea, he is the very Eternal Father of heaven and of earth, and all things which
in them are; 95 he is the beginning and the
end, the first and the last;
11:40.
96 And he shall come into the
world to redeem his people; and he shall take upon him the transgressions of
those who believe on his name; and these are they that shall have eternal life,
and salvation cometh to none else.
11:41.
97 Therefore the wicked remain
as though there had been no redemption made, except it be the loosing of the
bands of death; 98 for behold, the day
cometh that all shall rise from the dead and stand before God, and be judged
according to their works.
11:42.
99 Now, there is a death which
is called a temporal death; and the death of Christ shall loose the bands of
this temporal death, that all shall be raised from this temporal death.
11:43.
100 The spirit and the body
shall be reunited again in its perfect form; both limb and joint shall be
restored to its proper frame, even as we now are at this time; 101 and we shall be brought to stand before God,
knowing even as we know now, and have a bright recollection of all our guilt.
11:44.
102 Now, this restoration shall
come to all, both old and young, both bond and free, both male and female, both
the wicked and the righteous; 103 and even
there shall not so much as a hair of their heads be lost; but every thing shall
be restored to its perfect frame, as it is now, or in the body, 104 and shall be brought and be arraigned before
the bar of Christ the Son, and God the Father, and the Holy Spirit, which is
one Eternal God, to be judged according to their works, whether they be good or
whether they be evil.
Alma; 8:11
11:45.
105 Now, behold, I have spoken
unto you concerning the death of the mortal body, and also concerning the
resurrection of the mortal body. 106 I say
unto you that this mortal body is raised to an immortal body, that is from
death, even from the first death unto life, that they can die no more; their
spirits uniting with their bodies, never to be divided; 107 thus the whole becoming spiritual and immortal, that they
can no more see corruption.
Alma; 8:12
11:46.
108 Now, when Amulek had
finished these words the people began again to be astonished, and also Zeezrom
began to tremble. 109 And thus ended the
words of Amulek, or this is all that I have written.
Alma, Chapter 9
Alma; 9:1
Alma, Chapter 12
12:1.
1 Now Alma, seeing that the
words of Amulek had silenced Zeezrom, for he beheld that Amulek had caught him
in his lying and deceiving to destroy him, and seeing that he began to tremble
under a consciousness of his guilt, he opened his mouth and began to speak unto
him, and to establish the words of Amulek, and to explain things beyond, or to
unfold the scriptures beyond that which Amulek had done.
12:2.
2 Now the words that Alma
spake unto Zeezrom were heard by the people round about; for the multitude was
great, and he spake on this wise:
12:3.
3 Now Zeezrom, seeing that
thou hast been taken in thy lying and craftiness, for thou hast not lied unto
men only but thou hast lied unto God; 4 for
behold, he knows all thy thoughts, and thou seest that thy thoughts are made
known unto us by his Spirit;
12:4.
5 And thou seest that we know
that thy plan was a very subtle plan, as to the subtlety of the devil, for to
lie and to deceive this people that thou mightest set them against us, to
revile us and to cast us out—
12:5.
6 Now this was a plan of thine
adversary, and he hath exercised his power in thee. 7
Now I would that ye should remember that what I say unto thee I say unto
all.
12:6.
8 And behold I say unto you
all that this was a snare of the adversary, which he has laid to catch this
people, 9 that he might bring you into
subjection unto him, that he might encircle you about with his chains, that he
might chain you down to everlasting destruction, according to the power of his
captivity.
Alma; 9:2
12:7.
10 Now when Alma had spoken
these words, Zeezrom began to tremble more exceedingly, for he was convinced
more and more of the power of God; 11 and he
was also convinced that Alma and Amulek had a knowledge of him, for he was
convinced that they knew the thoughts and intents of his heart; 12 for power was given unto them that they might
know of these things according to the spirit of prophecy.
12:8.
13 And Zeezrom began to inquire
of them diligently, that he might know more concerning the kingdom of God. 14 And he said unto Alma: What does this mean
which Amulek hath spoken concerning the resurrection of the dead, that all
shall rise from the dead, both the just and the unjust, and are brought to
stand before God to be judged according to their works?
12:9.
15 And now Alma began to
expound these things unto him, saying: It is given unto many to know the
mysteries of God; 16 nevertheless they are
laid under a strict command that they shall not impart only according to the
portion of his word which he doth grant unto the children of men, according to
the heed and diligence which they give unto him.
12:10.
17 And therefore, he that will
harden his heart, the same receiveth the lesser portion of the word; 18 and he that will not harden his heart, to him
is given the greater portion of the word, until it is given unto him to know
the mysteries of God until he know them in full.
12:11.
19 And they that will harden
their hearts, to them is given the lesser portion of the word until they know
nothing concerning his mysteries; 20 and
then they are taken captive by the devil, and led by his will down to
destruction. 21 Now this is what is meant by
the chains of hell.
12:12.
And Amulek hath spoken plainly concerning
death, and being raised from this mortality to a state of immortality, and
being brought before the bar of God, to be judged according to our works.
12:13.
22 Then if our hearts have been
hardened, yea, if we have hardened our hearts against the word, insomuch that
it has not been found in us, then will our state be awful, for then we shall be
condemned.
12:14.
23 For our words will condemn
us, yea, all our works will condemn us; we shall not be found spotless; 24 and our thoughts will also condemn us; and in
this awful state we shall not dare to look up to our God; 25 and we would fain be glad if we could command
the rocks and the mountains to fall upon us to hide us from his presence.
12:15.
26 But this cannot be; we must
come forth and stand before him in his glory, and in his power, and in his
might, majesty, and dominion, and acknowledge to our everlasting shame that all
his judgments are just; 27 that he is just
in all his works, and that he is merciful unto the children of men, and that he
has all power to save every man that believeth on his name and bringeth forth
fruit meet for repentance.
Alma; 9:3
12:16.
28 And now behold, I say unto
you then cometh a death, even a second death, which is a spiritual death; 29 then is a time that whosoever dieth in his
sins, as to a temporal death, shall also die a spiritual death; yea, he shall
die as to things pertaining unto righteousness.
12:17.
30 Then is the time when their
torments shall be as a lake of fire and brimstone, whose flame ascendeth up
forever and ever; 31 and then is the time
that they shall be chained down to an everlasting destruction, according to the
power and captivity of Satan, he having subjected them according to his will.
12:18.
32 Then, I say unto you, they
shall be as though there had been no redemption made; for they cannot be
redeemed according to God’s justice; and they cannot die, seeing there is no
more corruption.
Alma; 9:4
12:19.
33 Now it came to pass that
when Alma had made an end of speaking these words, the people began to be more
astonished;
12:20.
34 But there was one Antionah,
who was a chief ruler among them, came forth and said unto him: What is this
that thou hast said, that man should rise from the dead and be changed from
this mortal to an immortal state that the soul can never die?
12:21.
35 What does the scripture
mean, which saith that God placed cherubim and a flaming sword on the east of
the garden of Eden, lest our first parents should enter and partake of the
fruit of the tree of life, and live forever? 36 And
thus we see that there was no possible chance that they should live forever.
12:22.
37 Now Alma said unto him: This
is the thing which I was about to explain, 38 now
we see that Adam did fall by the partaking of the forbidden fruit, according to
the word of God; and thus we see, that by his fall, all mankind became a lost
and fallen people.
12:23.
39 And now behold, I say unto
you that if it had been possible for Adam to have partaken of the fruit of the
tree of life at that time, there would have been no death, and the word would
have been void, making God a liar, for he said: If thou eat thou shalt surely
die.
12:24.
40 And we see that death comes
upon mankind, yea, the death which has been spoken of by Amulek, which is the
temporal death; nevertheless there was a space granted unto man in which he
might repent; 41 therefore this life became
a probationary state; a time to prepare to meet God; a time to prepare for that
endless state which has been spoken of by us, which is after the resurrection
of the dead.
Alma; 9:5
12:25.
42 Now, if it had not been for
the plan of redemption, which was laid from the foundation of the world, there
could have been no resurrection of the dead; 43 but
there was a plan of redemption laid, which shall bring to pass the resurrection
of the dead, of which has been spoken.
12:26.
44 And now behold, if it were
possible that our first parents could have gone forth and partaken of the tree
of life they would have been forever miserable, having no preparatory state; 45 and thus the plan of redemption would have been
frustrated, and the word of God would have been void, taking none effect.
12:27.
46 But behold, it was not so;
but it was appointed unto men that they must die; and after death, they must
come to judgment, even that same judgment of which we have spoken, which is the
end.
12:28.
47 And after God had appointed
that these things should come unto man, behold, then he saw that it was
expedient that man should know concerning the things whereof he had appointed
unto them;
12:29.
48 Therefore he sent angels to
converse with them, who caused men to behold of his glory.
12:30.
49 And they began from that
time forth to call on his name; therefore God conversed with men, and made
known unto them the plan of redemption, which had been prepared from the
foundation of the world; 50 and this he made
known unto them according to their faith and repentance and their holy works.
12:31.
51 Wherefore, he gave
commandments unto men, they having first transgressed the first commandments as
to things which were temporal, and becoming as Gods, knowing good from evil,
placing themselves in a state to act, or being placed in a state to act according
to their wills and pleasures, whether to do evil or to do good—
12:32.
52 Therefore God gave unto them
commandments, after having made known unto them the plan of redemption, that
they should not do evil, the penalty thereof being a second death, which was an
everlasting death as to things pertaining unto righteousness; 53 for on such the plan of redemption could have
no power, for the works of justice could not be destroyed, according to the
supreme goodness of God.
12:33.
54 But God did call on men, in
the name of his Son, (this being the plan of redemption which was laid) saying:
If ye will repent and harden not your hearts, then will I have mercy upon you,
through mine Only Begotten Son;
12:34.
55 Therefore, whosoever
repenteth, and hardeneth not his heart, he shall have claim on mercy through
mine Only Begotten Son, unto a remission of his sins; and these shall enter
into my rest.
12:35.
56 And whosoever will harden his
heart and will do iniquity, behold, I swear in my wrath that he shall not enter
into my rest.
12:36.
57 And now, my brethren, behold
I say unto you, that if ye will harden your hearts ye shall not enter into the
rest of the Lord; 58 therefore your iniquity
provoketh him that he sendeth down his wrath upon you as in the first
provocation, 59 yea, according to his word
in the last provocation as well as the first, to the everlasting destruction of
your souls; therefore, according to his word, unto the last death, as well as
the first.
Alma; 9:6
12:37.
60 And now, my brethren, seeing
we know these things, and they are true, let us repent, and harden not our
hearts, that we provoke not the Lord our God to pull down his wrath upon us in
these his second commandments which he has given unto us; 61 but let us enter into the rest of God, which is
prepared according to his word.
Alma, Chapter 13
13:1.
62 And again, my brethren, I
would cite your minds forward to the time when the Lord God gave these
commandments unto his children; 63 and I
would that ye should remember that the Lord God ordained priests, after his
holy order, which was after the order of his Son, to teach these things unto
the people.
13:2.
64 And those priests were
ordained after the order of his Son, in a manner that thereby the people might
know in what manner to look forward to his Son for redemption.
13:3.
65 And this is the manner after
which they were ordained—being called and prepared from the foundation of the
world according to the foreknowledge of God, on account of their exceeding
faith and good works; in the first place being left to choose good or evil; 66 therefore they having chosen good, and
exercising exceedingly great faith, are called with a holy calling, yea, with
that holy calling which was prepared with, and according to, a preparatory
redemption for such.
13:4.
67 And thus they have been
called to this holy calling on account of their faith, while others would
reject the Spirit of God on account of the hardness of their hearts and
blindness of their minds, while, if it had not been for this they might have
had as great privilege as their brethren.
13:5.
68 Or in fine, in the first
place they were on the same standing with their brethren; thus this holy
calling being prepared from the foundation of the world for such as would not
harden their hearts, being in and through the atonement of the Only Begotten Son,
who was prepared—
13:6.
69 And thus being called by
this holy calling, and ordained unto the high priesthood of the holy order of
God, to teach his commandments unto the children of men, that they also might
enter into his rest—
13:7.
70 This high priesthood being
after the order of his Son, which order was from the foundation of the world; 71 or in other words, being without beginning of
days or end of years, being prepared from eternity to all eternity, according
to his foreknowledge of all things—
13:8.
72 Now they were ordained after
this manner—being called with a holy calling, and ordained with a holy
ordinance, and taking upon them the high priesthood of the holy order, which
calling, and ordinance, and high priesthood, is without beginning or end—
13:9.
73 Thus they become high
priests forever, after the order of the Son, the Only Begotten of the Father,
who is without beginning of days or end of years, who is full of grace, equity,
and truth. And thus it is. Amen.
Alma, Chapter 10
Alma; 10:1
13:10.
1 Now, as I said concerning
the holy order, or this high priesthood, there were many who were ordained and
became high priests of God; 2 and it was on
account of their exceeding faith and repentance, and their righteousness before
God, they choosing to repent and work righteousness rather than to perish;
13:11.
3 Therefore they were called
after this holy order, and were sanctified, and their garments were washed
white through the blood of the Lamb.
13:12.
4 Now they, after being
sanctified by the Holy Ghost, having their garments made white, being pure and
spotless before God, could not look upon sin save it were with abhorrence; 5 and there were many, exceedingly great many, who
were made pure and entered into the rest of the Lord their God.
13:13.
6 And now, my brethren, I
would that ye should humble yourselves before God, and bring forth fruit meet
for repentance, that ye may also enter into that rest.
13:14.
7 Yea, humble yourselves even
as the people in the days of Melchizedek, who was also a high priest after this
same order which I have spoken, who also took upon him the high priesthood
forever.
13:15.
8 And it was this same
Melchizedek to whom Abraham paid tithes; yea, even our father Abraham paid
tithes of one-tenth part of all he possessed.
13:16.
9 Now these ordinances were
given after this manner, that thereby the people might look forward on the Son
of God, it being a type of his order, or it being his order, 10 and this that they might look forward to him
for a remission of their sins, that they might enter into the rest of the Lord.
Alma; 10:2
13:17.
11 Now this Melchizedek was a
king over the land of Salem; and his people had waxed strong in iniquity and
abomination; yea, they had all gone astray; they were full of all manner of
wickedness;
13:18.
12 But Melchizedek having
exercised mighty faith, and received the office of the high priesthood
according to the holy order of God, did preach repentance unto his people. 13 And behold, they did repent; and Melchizedek
did establish peace in the land in his days; 14 therefore
he was called the prince of peace, for he was the king of Salem; and he did
reign under his father.
13:19.
15 Now, there were many before
him, and also there were many afterwards, but none were greater; therefore, of
him they have more particularly made mention.
13:20.
16 Now I need not rehearse the
matter; what I have said may suffice. 17 Behold,
the scriptures are before you; if ye will wrest them it shall be to your own
destruction.
Alma; 10:3
13:21.
18 And now it came to pass that
when Alma had said these words unto them, he stretched forth his hand unto them
and cried with a mighty voice, saying: Now is the time to repent, for the day
of salvation draweth nigh;
13:22.
19 Yea, and the voice of the
Lord, by the mouth of angels, doth declare it unto all nations; yea, doth
declare it, that they may have glad tidings of great joy; 20 yea, and he doth sound these glad tidings among
all his people, yea, even to them that are scattered abroad upon the face of
the earth; wherefore they have come unto us.
13:23.
21 And they are made known unto
us in plain terms, that we may understand, that we cannot err; and this because
of our being wanderers in a strange land; 22 therefore,
we are thus highly favored, for we have these glad tidings declared unto us in
all parts of our vineyard.
13:24.
23 For behold, angels are
declaring it unto many at this time in our land; and this is for the purpose of
preparing the hearts of the children of men to receive his word at the time of
his coming in his glory.
13:25.
24 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. 25 Would
to God that it might be in my day; but let it be sooner or later, in it I will
rejoice.
13:26.
26 And it shall be made known
unto just and holy men, by the mouth of angels, at the time of his coming, that
the words of our fathers may be fulfilled, according to that which they have
spoken concerning him, which was according to the spirit of prophecy which was
in them.
Alma; 10:4
13:27.
27 And now, my brethren, I wish
from the inmost part of my heart, yea, with great anxiety even unto pain, that
ye would hearken unto my words, and cast off your sins, and not procrastinate
the day of your repentance;
13:28.
28 But that ye would humble
yourselves before the Lord, and call on his holy name, and watch and pray
continually, that ye may not be tempted above that which ye can bear, and thus
be led by the Holy Spirit, becoming humble, meek, submissive, patient, full of
love and all long-suffering;
13:29.
Having faith on the Lord; 29 having a hope that ye shall receive eternal
life; having the love of God always in your hearts, that ye may be lifted up at
the last day and enter into his rest.
13:30.
30 And may the Lord grant unto
you repentance, that ye may not bring down his wrath upon you, that ye may not
be bound down by the chains of hell, that ye may not suffer the second death.
13:31.
31 And Alma spake many more
words unto the people, which are not written in this book.
Alma; 10:5
Alma, Chapter 14
14:1.
32 And it came to pass after he
had made an end of speaking unto the people many of them did believe on his
words, and began to repent, and to search the scriptures.
14:2.
33 But the more part of them
were desirous that they might destroy Alma and Amulek; for they were angry with
Alma, because of the plainness of his words unto Zeezrom; 34 and they also said that Amulek had lied unto
them, and had reviled against their law and also against their lawyers and
judges.
14:3.
35 And they were also angry
with Alma and Amulek; and because they had testified so plainly against their
wickedness, they sought to put them away privily.
14:4.
36 But it came to pass that
they did not; but they took them and bound them with strong cords, and took
them before the chief judge of the land.
14:5.
37 And the people went forth
and witnessed against them—testifying that they had reviled against the law,
and their lawyers and judges of the land, and also of all the people that were
in the land; 38 and also testified that
there was but one God, and that he should send his Son among the people, but he
should not save them; and many such things did the people testify against Alma
and Amulek. 39 Now this was done before the
chief judge of the land.
14:6.
40 And it came to pass that
Zeezrom was astonished at the words which had been spoken; and he also knew
concerning the blindness of the minds, which he had caused among the people by
his lying words; 41 and his soul began to be
harrowed up under a consciousness of his own guilt; yea, he began to be
encircled about by the pains of hell.
Alma; 10:6
14:7.
42 And it came to pass that he began to cry unto
the people, saying: Behold, I am guilty, and these men are spotless before God.
43 And he began to plead for them from that
time forth; but they reviled him, saying: Art thou also possessed with the
devil? 44 And they spit upon him, and cast
him out from among them, and also all those who believed in the words which had
been spoken by Alma and Amulek; and they cast them out, and sent men to cast
stones at them.
14:8.
45 And they brought their wives
and children together, and whosoever believed or had been taught to believe in
the word of God they caused that they should be cast into the fire, 46 and they also brought forth their records which
contained the holy scriptures, and cast them into the fire also, that they
might be burned and destroyed by fire.
Alma; 10:7
14:9.
47 And it came to pass that
they took Alma and Amulek, and carried them forth to the place of martyrdom,
that they might witness the destruction of those who were consumed by fire.
14:10.
48 And when Amulek saw the
pains of the women and children who were consuming in the fire, he also was
pained; and he said unto Alma: How can we witness this awful scene? 49 Therefore let us stretch forth our hands, and
exercise the power of God which is in us, and save them from the flames.
14:11.
50 But Alma said unto him: The
Spirit constraineth me that I must not stretch forth mine hand; for behold the
Lord receiveth them up unto himself, in glory; 51 and
he doth suffer that they may do this thing, or that the people may do this
thing unto them, according to the hardness of their hearts, that the judgments
which he shall exercise upon them in his wrath may be just; 52 and the blood of the innocent shall stand as a
witness against them, yea, and cry mightily against them at the last day.
14:12.
53 Now Amulek said unto Alma:
Behold, perhaps they will burn us also.
14:13.
54 And Alma said: Be it
according to the will of the Lord. But, behold, our work is not finished;
therefore they burn us not.
Alma; 10:8
14:14.
55 Now it came to pass that when
the bodies of those who had been cast into the fire were consumed, and also the
records which were cast in with them, the chief judge of the land came and
stood before Alma and Amulek, as they were bound; 56
and he smote them with his hand upon their cheeks, and said unto them:
After what ye have seen, will ye preach again unto this people, that they shall
be cast into a lake of fire and brimstone?
14:15.
57 Behold, ye see that ye had
not power to save those who had been cast into the fire; neither has God saved
them because they were of thy faith. 58 And
the judge smote them again upon their cheeks, and asked: What say ye for
yourselves?
14:16.
59 Now this judge was after the
order and faith of Nehor, who slew Gideon.
14:17.
60 And it came to pass that
Alma and Amulek answered him nothing; and he smote them again, and delivered
them to the officers to be cast into prison.
14:18.
61 And when they had been cast
into prison three days, there came many lawyers, and judges, and priests, and
teachers, who were of the profession of Nehor; 62 and
they came in unto the prison to see them, and they questioned them about many
words; but they answered them nothing.
14:19.
63 And it came to pass that the
judge stood before them, and said: Why do ye not answer the words of this
people? 64 Know ye not that I have power to
deliver you up unto the flames? 65 And he
commanded them to speak; but they answered nothing.
Alma; 10:9
14:20.
66 And it came to pass that they
departed and went their ways, but came again on the morrow; and the judge also
smote them again on their cheeks. 67 And
many came forth also, and smote them, saying: Will ye stand again and judge
this people, and condemn our law? 68 If ye
have such great power why do ye not deliver yourselves?
14:21.
69 And many such things did
they say unto them, gnashing their teeth upon them, and spitting upon them, and
saying: How shall we look when we are damned?
14:22.
70 And many such things, yea,
all manner of such things did they say unto them; and thus they did mock them
for many days. 71 And they did withhold food
from them that they might hunger, and water that they might thirst; 72 and they also did take from them their clothes
that they were naked; and thus they were bound with strong cords, and confined
in prison.
Alma; 10:10
14:23.
73 And it came to pass after
they had thus suffered for many days, (and it was on the twelfth day, in the
tenth month, in the tenth year of the reign of the judges over the people of
Nephi) that the chief judge over the land of Ammonihah and many of their teachers
and their lawyers went in unto the prison where Alma and Amulek were bound with
cords.
14:24.
74 And the chief judge stood
before them, and smote them again, and said unto them: If ye have the power of
God deliver yourselves from these bands, and then we will believe that the Lord
will destroy this people according to your words.
14:25.
75 And it came to pass that
they all went forth and smote them, saying the same words, even until the last;
76 and when the last had spoken unto them
the power of God was upon Alma and Amulek, and they rose and stood upon their
feet.
14:26.
And Alma cried, saying: How long shall we
suffer these great afflictions, O Lord? 77 O
Lord, give us strength according to our faith which is in Christ, even unto
deliverance. And they broke the cords with which they were bound; and when the
people saw this, they began to flee, for the fear of destruction had come upon
them.
Alma; 10:11
14:27.
78 And it came to pass that so
great was their fear that they fell to the earth, and did not obtain the outer
door of the prison; 79 and the earth shook
mightily, and the walls of the prison were rent in twain, so that they fell to
the earth; 80 and the chief judge, and the
lawyers, and priests, and teachers, who smote upon Alma and Amulek, were slain
by the fall thereof.
14:28.
81 And Alma and Amulek came
forth out of the prison, and they were not hurt; for the Lord had granted unto
them power, according to their faith which was in Christ. 82 And they straightway came forth out of the
prison; and they were loosed from their bands; 83 and
the prison had fallen to the earth, and every soul within the walls thereof,
save it were Alma and Amulek, was slain; and they straightway came forth into
the city.
14:29.
84 Now the people having heard
a great noise came running together by multitudes to know the cause of it; 85 and when they saw Alma and Amulek coming forth
out of the prison, and the walls thereof had fallen to the earth, they were
struck with great fear, and fled from the presence of Alma and Amulek even as a
goat fleeth with her young from two lions; and thus they did flee from the
presence of Alma and Amulek.
Alma; 10:12
Alma, Chapter 15
15:1.
86 And it came to pass that
Alma and Amulek were commanded to depart out of that city; and they departed,
and came out even into the land of Sidom; 87 and
behold, there they found all the people who had departed out of the land of
Ammonihah, who had been cast out and stoned, because they believed in the words
of Alma.
15:2.
88 And they related unto them
all that had happened unto their wives and children, and also concerning
themselves, and of their power of deliverance.
15:3.
89 And also Zeezrom lay sick at
Sidom, with a burning fever, which was caused by the great tribulations of his
mind on account of his wickedness, for he supposed that Alma and Amulek were no
more; and he supposed that they had been slain because of his iniquity. 90 And this great sin, and his many other sins,
did harrow up his mind until it did become exceedingly sore, having no
deliverance; therefore he began to be scorched with a burning heat.
15:4.
91 Now, when he heard that Alma
and Amulek were in the land of Sidom, his heart began to take courage; and he
sent a message immediately unto them, desiring them to come unto him.
Alma; 10:13
15:5.
92 And it came to pass that
they went immediately, obeying the message which he had sent unto them; and
they went in unto the house unto Zeezrom; 93 and
they found him upon his bed, sick, being very low with a burning fever; and his
mind also was exceedingly sore because of his iniquities; 94 and when he saw them he stretched forth his
hand, and besought them that they would heal him.
Alma; 10:14
15:6.
95 And it came to pass that
Alma said unto him, taking him by the hand: Believest thou in the power of
Christ unto salvation?
15:7.
96 And he answered and said:
Yea, I believe all the words that thou hast taught.
15:8.
97 And Alma said: If thou
believest in the redemption of Christ thou canst be healed.
15:9.
98 And he said: Yea, I believe
according to thy words.
15:10.
99 And then Alma cried unto the
Lord, saying: O Lord our God, have mercy on this man, and heal him according to
his faith which is in Christ.
15:11.
100 And when Alma had said these
words, Zeezrom leaped upon his feet, and began to walk; 101 and this was done to the great astonishment of all the
people; and the knowledge of this went forth throughout all the land of Sidom.
15:12.
102 And Alma baptized Zeezrom
unto the Lord; and he began from that time forth to preach unto the people.
15:13.
103 And Alma established a
church in the land of Sidom, and consecrated priests and teachers in the land,
to baptize unto the Lord whosoever were desirous to be baptized.
Alma; 10:15
15:14.
104 And it came to pass that
they were many; for they did flock in from all the region round about Sidom,
and were baptized.
15:15.
105 But as to the people that
were in the land of Ammonihah, they yet remained a hard-hearted and a
stiffnecked people; 106 and they repented
not of their sins, ascribing all the power of Alma and Amulek to the devil; for
they were of the profession of Nehor, and did not believe in the repentance of
their sins.
Alma; 10:16
15:16.
107 And it came to pass that
Alma and Amulek, Amulek having forsaken all his gold, and silver, and his
precious things, which were in the land of Ammonihah, for the word of God, he
being rejected by those who were once his friends and also by his father and
his kindred;
15:17.
108 Therefore, after Alma having
established the church at Sidom, seeing a great check, yea, seeing that the
people were checked as to the pride of their hearts, and began to humble
themselves before God, 109 and began to
assemble themselves together at their sanctuaries to worship God before the
altar, watching and praying continually, that they might be delivered from
Satan, and from death, and from destruction—
15:18.
110 Now as I said, Alma having
seen all these things, therefore he took Amulek and came over to the land of
Zarahemla, and took him to his own house, and did administer unto him in his
tribulations, and strengthened him in the Lord.
15:19.
111 And thus ended the tenth
year of the reign of the judges over the people of Nephi.
Alma, Chapter 11
Alma; 11:1
Alma, Chapter 16
16:1.
1 And it came to pass in the
eleventh year of the reign of the judges over the people of Nephi, on the fifth
day of the second month, there having been much peace in the land of Zarahemla,
there having been no wars nor contentions for a certain number of years, even
until the fifth day of the second month in the eleventh year, there was a cry
of war heard throughout the land.
16:2.
2 For behold, the armies of
the Lamanites had come in upon the wilderness side, into the borders of the
land, even into the city of Ammonihah, and began to slay the people and destroy
the city.
Alma; 11:2
16:3.
3 And now it came to pass,
before the Nephites could raise a sufficient army to drive them out of the
land, they had destroyed the people who were in the city of Ammonihah, and also
some around the borders of Noah, and taken others captive into the wilderness.
Alma; 11:3
16:4.
4 Now it came to pass that the
Nephites were desirous to obtain those who had been carried away captive into
the wilderness.
16:5.
5 Therefore, he that had been
appointed chief captain over the armies of the Nephites, (and his name was
Zoram, and he had two sons, Lehi and Aha)— 6 now
Zoram and his two sons, knowing that Alma was high priest over the church, and
having heard that he had the spirit of prophecy, 7 therefore
they went unto him and desired of him to know whither the Lord would that they
should go into the wilderness in search of their brethren, who had been taken
captive by the Lamanites.
Alma; 11:4
16:6.
8 And it came to pass that
Alma inquired of the Lord concerning the matter. 9 And
Alma returned and said unto them: Behold, the Lamanites will cross the river
Sidon in the south wilderness, away up beyond the borders of the land of Manti.
10 And behold there shall ye meet them, on
the east of the river Sidon, and there the Lord will deliver unto thee thy
brethren who have been taken captive by the Lamanites.
Alma; 11:5
16:7.
11 And it came to pass that
Zoram and his sons crossed over the river Sidon, with their armies, and marched
away beyond the borders of Manti into the south wilderness, which was on the
east side of the river Sidon.
16:8.
12 And they came upon the
armies of the Lamanites, and the Lamanites were scattered and driven into the
wilderness; and they took their brethren who had been taken captive by the
Lamanites, and there was not one soul of them had been lost that were taken captive.
13 And they were brought by their brethren
to possess their own lands.
16:9.
14 And thus ended the eleventh
year of the judges, the Lamanites having been driven out of the land, and the
people of Ammonihah were destroyed; 15 yea,
every living soul of the Ammonihahites was destroyed, and also their great
city, which they said God could not destroy, because of its greatness.
16:10.
16 But behold, in one day it
was left desolate; and the carcasses were mangled by dogs and wild beasts of
the wilderness.
16:11.
17 Nevertheless, after many
days their dead bodies were heaped up upon the face of the earth, and they were
covered with a shallow covering. 18 And now
so great was the scent thereof that the people did not go in to possess the
land of Ammonihah for many years. 19 And it
was called Desolation of Nehors; for they were of the profession of Nehor, who
were slain; and their lands remained desolate.
16:12.
20 And the Lamanites did not
come again to war against the Nephites until the fourteenth year of the reign
of the judges over the people of Nephi. 21 And
thus for three years did the people of Nephi have continual peace in all the
land.
Alma; 11:6
16:13.
22 And Alma and Amulek went
forth preaching repentance to the people in their temples, and in their
sanctuaries, and also in their synagogues, which were built after the manner of
the Jews.
16:14.
23 And as many as would hear
their words, unto them they did impart the word of God, without any respect of
persons, continually.
16:15.
24 And thus did Alma and Amulek
go forth, and also many more who had been chosen for the work, to preach the
word throughout all the land. 25 And the
establishment of the church became general throughout the land, in all the
region round about, among all the people of the Nephites.
Alma; 11:7
16:16.
26 And there was no inequality
among them; the Lord did pour out his Spirit on all the face of the land to
prepare the minds of the children of men, or to prepare their hearts to receive
the word which should be taught among them at the time of his coming—
16:17.
27 That they might not be
hardened against the word, that they might not be unbelieving, and go on to
destruction, 28 but that they might receive
the word with joy, and as a branch be grafted into the true vine, that they
might enter into the rest of the Lord their God.
Alma; 11:8
16:18.
29 Now those priests who did go
forth among the people did preach against all lyings, and deceivings, and
envyings, and strifes, and malice, and revilings, and stealing, robbing,
plundering, murdering, committing adultery, and all manner of lasciviousness,
crying that these things ought not so to be—
16:19.
30 Holding forth things which
must shortly come; yea, holding forth the coming of the Son of God, his
sufferings and death, and also the resurrection of the dead.
16:20.
31 And many of the people did
inquire concerning the place where the Son of God should come; and they were
taught that he would appear unto them after his resurrection; and this the
people did hear with great joy and gladness.
16:21.
32 And now after the church had
been established throughout all the land—having got the victory over the devil,
and the word of God being preached in its purity in all the land, and the Lord
pouring out his blessings upon the people— 33 thus
ended the fourteenth year of the reign of the judges over the people of Nephi.
Alma, Chapter 12
An account of the sons of Mosiah, who rejected their rights to
the kingdom for the word of God and went up to the land of Nephi to preach to
the Lamanites. Their sufferings and deliverance, according to the record of
Alma.
Alma; 12:1
Alma, Chapter 17
17:1.
1 And now it came to pass that
as Alma was journeying from the land of Gideon southward, away to the land of
Manti, behold, to his astonishment, he met with the sons of Mosiah journeying
towards the land of Zarahemla.
17:2.
2 Now these sons of Mosiah
were with Alma at the time the angel first appeared unto him; therefore Alma
did rejoice exceedingly to see his brethren; 3 and
what added more to his joy, they were still his brethren in the Lord; yea, and
they had waxed strong in the knowledge of the truth; 4
for they were men of a sound understanding and they had searched the
scriptures diligently, that they might know the word of God.
17:3.
5 But this is not all; they had
given themselves to much prayer, and fasting; therefore they had the spirit of
prophecy, and the spirit of revelation, and when they taught, they taught with
power and authority of God.
17:4.
6 And they had been teaching
the word of God for the space of fourteen years among the Lamanites, having had
much success in bringing many to the knowledge of the truth; 7 yea, by the power of their words many were
brought before the altar of God, to call on his name and confess their sins
before him.
17:5.
8 Now these are the
circumstances which attended them in their journeyings, for they had many
afflictions; 9 they did suffer much, both in
body and in mind, such as hunger, thirst and fatigue, and also much labor in
the spirit.
17:6.
10 Now these were their
journeyings: Having taken leave of their father, Mosiah, in the first year of
the judges; having refused the kingdom which their father was desirous to
confer upon them, and also this was the minds of the people;
17:7.
11 Nevertheless they departed
out of the land of Zarahemla, and took their swords, and their spears, and
their bows, and their arrows, and their slings; 12 and
this they did that they might provide food for themselves while in the
wilderness.
17:8.
13 And thus they departed into
the wilderness with their numbers which they had selected, to go up to the land
of Nephi, to preach the word of God unto the Lamanites.
Alma; 12:2
17:9.
14 And it came to pass that
they journeyed many days in the wilderness, and they fasted much and prayed
much that the Lord would grant unto them a portion of his Spirit to go with
them, and abide with them, 15 that they
might be an instrument in the hands of God to bring, if it were possible, their
brethren, the Lamanites, to the knowledge of the truth, 16 to the knowledge of the baseness of the traditions of their
fathers, which were not correct.
Alma; 12:3
17:10. 17 And it came to pass that the Lord did visit them with his
Spirit, and said unto them: Be comforted. And they were comforted.
17:11.
18 And the Lord said unto them
also: Go forth among the Lamanites, thy brethren, and establish my word; 19 yet ye shall be patient in long-suffering and
afflictions, that ye may show forth good examples unto them in me, and I will
make an instrument of thee in my hands unto the salvation of many souls.
Alma; 12:4
17:12. 20 And it came to pass that the hearts of the sons of Mosiah, and
also those who were with them, took courage to go forth unto the Lamanites to
declare unto them the word of God.
17:13.
21 And it came to pass when
they had arrived in the borders of the land of the Lamanites, that they
separated themselves and departed one from another, trusting in the Lord that
they should meet again at the close of their harvest; for they supposed that great
was the work which they had undertaken.
17:14.
22 And assuredly it was great,
for they had undertaken to preach the word of God to a wild and a hardened and
a ferocious people; a people who delighted in murdering the Nephites, and
robbing and plundering them; 23 and their
hearts were set upon riches, or upon gold and silver, and precious stones; 24 yet they sought to obtain these things by
murdering and plundering, that they might not labor for them with their own
hands.
17:15.
25 Thus they were a very
indolent people, many of whom did worship idols, and the curse of God had
fallen upon them because of the traditions of their fathers; notwithstanding
the promises of the Lord were extended unto them on the conditions of
repentance.
17:16.
26 Therefore, this was the
cause for which the sons of Mosiah had undertaken the work, that perhaps they
might bring them unto repentance; that perhaps they might bring them to know of
the plan of redemption.
17:17.
27 Therefore they separated
themselves one from another, and went forth among them, every man alone,
according to the word and power of God which was given unto him.
Alma; 12:5
17:18. 28 Now Ammon being the chief among them, or rather he did
administer unto them, and he departed from them, after having blessed them
according to their several stations, having imparted the word of God unto them,
or administered unto them before his departure; and thus they took their
several journeys throughout the land.
17:19.
29 And Ammon went to the land
of Ishmael, the land being called after the sons of Ishmael, who also became
Lamanites.
17:20.
30 And as Ammon entered the
land of Ishmael, the Lamanites took him and bound him, as was their custom to
bind all the Nephites who fell into their hands, and carry them before the
king; 31 and thus it was left to the
pleasure of the king to slay them, or to retain them in captivity, or to cast
them into prison, or to cast them out of his land, according to his will and
pleasure.
17:21.
32 And thus Ammon was carried
before the king who was over the land of Ishmael; and his name was Lamoni; and
he was a descendant of Ishmael.
17:22.
33 And the king inquired of
Ammon if it were his desire to dwell in the land among the Lamanites, or among
his people.
17:23.
34 And Ammon said unto him:
Yea, I desire to dwell among this people for a time; yea, and perhaps until the
day I die.
Alma; 12:6
17:24. 35 And it came to pass that king Lamoni was much pleased with
Ammon, and caused that his bands should be loosed; and he would that Ammon
should take one of his daughters to wife.
17:25.
36 But Ammon said unto him:
Nay, but I will be thy servant. Therefore Ammon became a servant to king
Lamoni. 37 And it came to pass that he was
set among other servants to watch the flocks of Lamoni, according to the custom
of the Lamanites.
17:26.
38 And after he had been in the
service of the king three days, as he was with the Lamanitish servants going
forth with their flocks to the place of water, which was called the water of
Sebus, and all the Lamanites drive their flocks hither, that they may have
water—
17:27.
39 Therefore, as Ammon and the
servants of the king were driving forth their flocks to this place of water,
behold, a certain number of the Lamanites, who had been with their flocks to
water, stood and scattered the flocks of Ammon and the servants of the king,
and they scattered them insomuch that they fled many ways.
Alma; 12:7
17:28. 40 Now the servants of the king began to murmur, saying: Now the
king will slay us, as he has our brethren because their flocks were scattered
by the wickedness of these men. 41 And they
began to weep exceedingly, saying: Behold, our flocks are scattered already.
17:29.
42 Now they wept because of the
fear of being slain. 43 Now when Ammon saw
this his heart was swollen within him with joy; for, said he, I will show forth
my power unto these my fellow-servants, or the power which is in me, in
restoring these flocks unto the king, that I may win the hearts of these my
fellow-servants, that I may lead them to believe in my words.
17:30.
44 And now, these were the
thoughts of Ammon, when he saw the afflictions of those whom he termed to be
his brethren.
Alma; 12:8
17:31. 45 And it came to pass that he flattered them by his words,
saying: My brethren, be of good cheer and let us go in search of the flocks,
and we will gather them together and bring them back unto the place of water; 46 and thus we will preserve the flocks unto the
king and he will not slay us.
17:32.
47 And it came to pass that
they went in search of the flocks, and they did follow Ammon, and they rushed
forth with much swiftness and did head the flocks of the king, and did gather
them together again to the place of water.
17:33.
48 And those men again stood to
scatter their flocks; but Ammon said unto his brethren: Encircle the flocks
round about that they flee not; and I go and contend with these men who do
scatter our flocks.
17:34.
49 Therefore, they did as Ammon
commanded them, and he went forth and stood to contend with those who stood by
the waters of Sebus; 50 and they were in
number not a few.
17:35.
Therefore they did not fear Ammon, for they
supposed that one of their men could slay him according to their pleasure, for
they knew not that the Lord had promised Mosiah that he would deliver his sons
out of their hands; neither did they know anything concerning the Lord; 51 therefore they delighted in the destruction of
their brethren; and for this cause they stood to scatter the flocks of the
king.
Alma; 12:9
17:36. 52 But Ammon stood forth and began to cast stones at them with his
sling; yea, with mighty power he did sling stones amongst them; 53 and thus he slew a certain number of them
insomuch that they began to be astonished at his power; 54 nevertheless they were angry because of the slain of their
brethren, and they were determined that he should fall; 55 therefore, seeing that they could not hit him with their
stones, they came forth with clubs to slay him.
17:37.
56 But behold, every man that
lifted his club to smite Ammon, he smote off their arms with his sword; 57 for he did withstand their blows by smiting
their arms with the edge of his sword, insomuch that they began to be
astonished, and began to flee before him; 58 yea,
and they were not few in number; and he caused them to flee by the strength of
his arm.
17:38.
59 Now six of them had fallen
by the sling, but he slew none save it were their leader with his sword; and he
smote off as many of their arms as were lifted against him, and they were not a
few.
17:39.
60 And when he had driven them
afar off, he returned and they watered their flocks and returned them to the
pasture of the king, and then went in unto the king, bearing the arms which had
been smitten off by the sword of Ammon, of those who sought to slay him; 61 and they were carried in unto the king for a
testimony of the things which they had done.
Alma; 12:10
Alma, Chapter 18
18:1.
62 And it came to pass that
king Lamoni caused that his servants should stand forth and testify to all the
things which they had seen concerning the matter.
18:2.
63 And when they had all
testified to the things which they had seen, and he had learned of the
faithfulness of Ammon in preserving his flocks, and also of his great power in
contending against those who sought to slay him, he was astonished exceedingly,
and said: Surely, this is more than a man. 64 Behold,
is not this the Great Spirit who doth send such great punishments upon this
people, because of their murders?
18:3.
65 And they answered the king,
and said: Whether he be the Great Spirit or a man, we know not; but this much
we do know, that he cannot be slain by the enemies of the king; 66 neither can they scatter the king’s flocks when
he is with us, because of his expertness and great strength; therefore, we know
that he is a friend to the king. 67 And now,
O king, we do not believe that a man has such great power, for we know he
cannot be slain.
18:4.
68 And now, when the king heard
these words, he said unto them: Now I know that it is the Great Spirit; and he
has come down at this time to preserve your lives, that I might not slay you as
I did your brethren. 69 Now this is the
Great Spirit of whom our fathers have spoken.
18:5.
70 Now this was the tradition of
Lamoni, which he had received from his father, that there was a Great Spirit. 71 Notwithstanding they believed in a Great Spirit
they supposed that whatsoever they did was right; 72
nevertheless, Lamoni began to fear exceedingly, with fear lest he had
done wrong in slaying his servants;
18:6.
73 For he had slain many of
them because their brethren had scattered their flocks at the place of water;
and thus, because they had had their flocks scattered they were slain.
18:7.
74 Now it was the practice of
these Lamanites to stand by the waters of Sebus to scatter the flocks of the
people, that thereby they might drive away many that were scattered unto their
own land, it being a practice of plunder among them.
Alma; 12:11
18:8.
75 And it came to pass that
king Lamoni inquired of his servants, saying: Where is this man that has such
great power?
18:9.
76 And they said unto him:
Behold, he is feeding thy horses. 77 Now the
king had commanded his servants, previous to the time of the watering of their
flocks, that they should prepare his horses and chariots, and conduct him forth
to the land of Nephi; 78 for there had been
a great feast appointed at the land of Nephi, by the father of Lamoni, who was
king over all the land.
18:10.
79 Now when king Lamoni heard
that Ammon was preparing his horses and his chariots he was more astonished,
because of the faithfulness of Ammon, saying: 80 Surely
there has not been any servant among all my servants that has been so faithful
as this man; for even he doth remember all my commandments to execute them.
18:11.
81 Now I surely know that this
is the Great Spirit, and I would desire him that he come in unto me, but I
durst not.
Alma; 12:12
18:12.
82 And it came to pass that
when Ammon had made ready the horses and the chariots for the king and his
servants, he went in unto the king, and he saw that the countenance of the king
was changed; therefore he was about to return out of his presence.
18:13.
83 And one of the king’s
servants said unto him, Rabbanah, which is, being interpreted, powerful or
great king, considering their kings to be powerful; 84
and thus he said unto him: Rabbanah, the king desireth thee to stay.
18:14.
85 Therefore Ammon turned
himself unto the king, and said unto him: What wilt thou that I should do for
thee, O king? 86 And the king answered him
not for the space of an hour, according to their time, for he knew not what he
should say unto him.
18:15.
87 And it came to pass that
Ammon said unto him again: What desirest thou of me? But the king answered him
not.
Alma; 12:13
18:16.
88 And it came to pass that
Ammon, being filled with the Spirit of God, therefore he perceived the thoughts
of the king. 89 And he said unto him: Is it
because thou hast heard that I defended thy servants and thy flocks, and slew
seven of their brethren with the sling and with the sword, and smote off the
arms of others, in order to defend thy flocks and thy servants; behold, is it
this that causeth thy marvelings?
18:17.
90 I say unto you, what is it,
that thy marvelings are so great? 91 Behold,
I am a man, and am thy servant; therefore, whatsoever thou desirest which is
right, that will I do.
18:18.
92 Now when the king had heard
these words, he marveled again, for he beheld that Ammon could discern his
thoughts; 93 but notwithstanding this, king
Lamoni did open his mouth, and said unto him: Who art thou? Art thou that Great
Spirit, who knows all things?
18:19.
94 Ammon answered and said unto
him: I am not.
18:20.
95 And the king said: How
knowest thou the thoughts of my heart? 96 Thou
mayest speak boldly, and tell me concerning these things; and also tell me by
what power ye slew and smote off the arms of my brethren that scattered my
flocks—
18:21.
97 And now, if thou wilt tell
me concerning these things, whatsoever thou desirest I will give unto thee; 98 and if it were needed, I would guard thee with
my armies; but I know that thou art more powerful than all they; nevertheless,
whatsoever thou desirest of me I will grant it unto thee.
18:22.
99 Now Ammon being wise, yet
harmless, he said unto Lamoni: Wilt thou hearken unto my words, if I tell thee
by what power I do these things? And this is the thing that I desire of thee.
18:23.
100 And the king answered him,
and said: Yea, I will believe all thy words. And thus he was caught with guile.
18:24.
101 And Ammon began to speak
unto him with boldness, and said unto him: Believest thou that there is a God?
18:25.
102 And he answered, and said
unto him: I do not know what that meaneth.
Alma; 12:14
18:26.
103 And then Ammon said:
Believest thou that there is a Great Spirit?
18:27.
104 And he said, Yea.
18:28.
105 And Ammon said: This is God. 106 And Ammon said unto him again: Believest thou
that this Great Spirit, who is God, created all things which are in heaven and
in the earth?
18:29.
107 And he said: Yea, I believe
that he created all things which are in the earth; but I do not know the
heavens.
18:30.
108 And Ammon said unto him: The
heavens is a place where God dwells and all his holy angels.
18:31.
109 And king Lamoni said: Is it
above the earth?
18:32.
110 And Ammon said: Yea, and he
looketh down upon all the children of men; and he knows all the thoughts and
intents of the heart; for by his hand were they all created from the beginning.
18:33.
111 And king Lamoni said: I
believe all these things which thou hast spoken. Art thou sent from God?
18:34.
112 Ammon said unto him: I am a
man; and man in the beginning was created after the image of God, and I am
called by his Holy Spirit to teach these things unto this people, that they may
be brought to a knowledge of that which is just and true;
18:35.
113 And a portion of that Spirit
dwelleth in me, which giveth me knowledge, and also power according to my faith
and desires which are in God.
18:36.
114 Now when Ammon had said
these words, he began at the creation of the world, and also the creation of
Adam, and told him all the things concerning the fall of man, 115 and rehearsed and laid before him the records
and the holy scriptures of the people, which had been spoken by the prophets,
even down to the time that their father, Lehi, left Jerusalem.
18:37.
116 And he also rehearsed unto
them (for it was unto the king and to his servants) all the journeyings of
their fathers in the wilderness, and all their sufferings with hunger and
thirst, and their travail, and so forth.
18:38.
117 And he also rehearsed unto
them concerning the rebellions of Laman and Lemuel, and the sons of Ishmael,
yea, all their rebellions did he relate unto them; 118
and he expounded unto them all the records and scriptures from the time
that Lehi left Jerusalem down to the present time.
18:39.
119 But this is not all; for he
expounded unto them the plan of redemption, which was prepared from the
foundation of the world; 120 and he also
made known unto them concerning the coming of Christ, and all the works of the
Lord did he make known unto them.
Alma; 12:15
18:40.
121 And it came to pass that
after he had said all these things, and expounded them to the king, that the
king believed all his words.
18:41.
122 And he began to cry unto the
Lord, saying: O Lord, have mercy; according to thy abundant mercy which thou
hast had upon the people of Nephi, have upon me, and my people.
18:42.
123 And now, when he had said
this, he fell unto the earth, as if he were dead.
18:43.
124 And it came to pass that his
servants took him and carried him in unto his wife, and laid him upon a bed;
and he lay as if he were dead for the space of two days and two nights; 125 and his wife, and his sons, and his daughters
mourned over him, after the manner of the Lamanites, greatly lamenting his
loss.
Alma; 12:16
Alma, Chapter 19
19:1.
126 And it came to pass that
after two days and two nights they were about to take his body and lay it in a
sepulchre, which they had made for the purpose of burying their dead.
19:2.
127 Now the queen having heard
of the fame of Ammon, therefore she sent and desired that he should come in
unto her.
19:3.
128 And it came to pass that
Ammon did as he was commanded, and went in unto the queen, and desired to know
what she would that he should do.
19:4.
129 And she said unto him: The
servants of my husband have made it known unto me that thou art a prophet of a
holy God, and that thou hast power to do many mighty works in his name;
19:5.
130 Therefore, if this is the
case, I would that ye should go in and see my husband, for he has been laid
upon his bed for the space of two days and two nights; 131
and some say that he is not dead, but others say that he is dead and
that he stinketh, and that he ought to be placed in the sepulchre; but as for
myself, to me he doth not stink.
19:6.
132 Now, this was what Ammon
desired, for he knew that king Lamoni was under the power of God; 133 he knew that the dark veil of unbelief was
being cast away from his mind, and the light which did light up his mind, which
was the light of the glory of God, which was a marvelous light of his goodness—134 yea, this light had infused such joy into his
soul, the cloud of darkness having been dispelled, and that the light of
everlasting life was lit up in his soul, 135 yea,
he knew that this had overcome his natural frame, and he was carried away in
God—
19:7.
Therefore, what the queen desired of him
was his only desire. 136 Therefore, he went
in to see the king according as the queen had desired him; and he saw the king,
and he knew that he was not dead.
19:8.
137 And he said unto the queen:
He is not dead, but he sleepeth in God, and on the morrow he shall rise again;
therefore bury him not.
19:9.
138 And Ammon said unto her:
Believest thou this? 139 And she said unto
him: I have had no witness save thy word, and the word of our servants;
nevertheless I believe that it shall be according as thou hast said.
19:10.
140 And Ammon said unto her:
Blessed art thou because of thy exceeding faith; I say unto thee, woman, there
has not been such great faith among all the people of the Nephites.
Alma; 12:17
19:11.
141 And it came to pass that she
watched over the bed of her husband, from that time even until that time on the
morrow which Ammon had appointed that he should rise.
19:12.
142 And it came to pass that he
arose, according to the words of Ammon; and as he arose, he stretched forth his
hand unto the woman, and said: Blessed be the name of God, and blessed art
thou.
19:13.
143 For as sure as thou livest,
behold, I have seen my Redeemer; and he shall come forth, and be born of a
woman, and he shall redeem all mankind who believe on his name. 144 Now, when he had said these words, his heart
was swollen within him, and he sunk again with joy; and the queen also sunk
down, being overpowered by the Spirit.
19:14.
145 Now Ammon seeing the Spirit
of the Lord poured out according to his prayers upon the Lamanites, his
brethren, who had been the cause of so much mourning among the Nephites, or
among all the people of God because of their iniquities and their traditions, 146 he fell upon his knees, and began to pour out
his soul in prayer and thanksgiving to God for what he had done for his
brethren; 147 and he was also overpowered
with joy; and thus they all three had sunk to the earth.
19:15.
148 Now, when the servants of
the king had seen that they had fallen, they also began to cry unto God, for
the fear of the Lord had come upon them also, 149 for
it was they who had stood before the king and testified unto him concerning the
great power of Ammon.
Alma; 12:18
19:16.
150 And it came to pass that
they did call on the name of the Lord, in their might, even until they had all
fallen to the earth, save it were one of the Lamanitish women, whose name was
Abish, she having been converted unto the Lord for many years, on account of a
remarkable vision of her father—
19:17.
Thus, having been converted to the Lord,
and never having made it known, 151 therefore,
when she saw that all the servants of Lamoni had fallen to the earth, and also
her mistress, the queen, and the king, and Ammon lay prostrate upon the earth,
she knew that it was the power of God; 152 and
supposing that this opportunity, by making known unto the people what had
happened among them, that by beholding this scene it would cause them to
believe in the power of God, 153 therefore
she ran forth from house to house, making it known unto the people.
19:18.
And they began to assemble themselves
together unto the house of the king. 154 And
there came a multitude, and to their astonishment they beheld the king, and the
queen, and their servants prostrate upon the earth, and they all lay there as
though they were dead; 155 and they also saw
Ammon, and behold, he was a Nephite.
19:19.
156 And now the people began to
murmur among themselves; some saying that it was a great evil that had come
upon them, or upon the king and his house, because he had suffered that the
Nephite should remain in the land.
19:20.
157 But others rebuked them,
saying: The king hath brought this evil upon his house, because he slew his
servants who had had their flocks scattered at the waters of Sebus.
19:21.
158 And they were also rebuked
by those men who had stood at the waters of Sebus and scattered the flocks
which belonged to the king, 159 for they
were angry with Ammon because of the number which he had slain of their
brethren at the waters of Sebus, while defending the flocks of the king.
19:22.
160 Now, one of them, whose
brother had been slain with the sword of Ammon, being exceedingly angry with
Ammon, drew his sword and went forth that he might let it fall upon Ammon, to
slay him; and as he lifted the sword to smite him, behold, he fell dead.
19:23.
161 Now we see that Ammon could
not be slain, for the Lord had said unto Mosiah, his father: I will spare him,
and it shall be unto him according to thy faith—therefore, Mosiah trusted him
unto the Lord.
Alma; 12:19
19:24.
162 And it came to pass that
when the multitude beheld that the man had fallen dead, who lifted the sword to
slay Ammon, fear came upon them all, and they durst not put forth their hands
to touch him or any of those who had fallen; 163 and
they began to marvel again among themselves what could be the cause of this
great power, or what all these things could mean.
Alma; 12:20
19:25.
164 And it came to pass that
there were many among them who said that Ammon was the Great Spirit, and others
said he was sent by the Great Spirit;
19:26.
165 But others rebuked them all,
saying that he was a monster, who had been sent from the Nephites to torment
them.
19:27.
166 And there were some who said
that Ammon was sent by the Great Spirit to afflict them because of their
iniquities; and that it was the Great Spirit that had always attended the
Nephites, who had ever delivered them out of their hands; 167 and they said that it was this Great Spirit
who had destroyed so many of their brethren, the Lamanites.
19:28.
168 And thus the contention
began to be exceedingly sharp among them. And while they were thus contending,
the woman servant who had caused the multitude to be gathered together came,
and when she saw the contention which was among the multitude she was exceedingly
sorrowful, even unto tears.
Alma; 12:21
19:29.
169 And it came to pass that she
went and took the queen by the hand, that perhaps she might raise her from the
ground; and as soon as she touched her hand she arose and stood upon her feet,
and cried with a loud voice, saying: 170 O
blessed Jesus, who has saved me from an awful hell! O blessed God, have mercy
on this people!
19:30.
171 And when she had said this,
she clasped her hands, being filled with joy, speaking many words which were
not understood; 172 and when she had done
this, she took the king, Lamoni, by the hand, and behold he arose and stood
upon his feet.
19:31.
173 And he, immediately, seeing
the contention among his people, went forth and began to rebuke them, and to
teach them the words which he had heard from the mouth of Ammon; and as many as
heard his words believed, and were converted unto the Lord.
19:32.
174 But there were many among
them who would not hear his words; therefore they went their way.
Alma; 12:22
19:33.
175 And it came to pass that
when Ammon arose he also administered unto them, and also did all the servants
of Lamoni; 176 and they did all declare unto
the people the selfsame thing—that their hearts had been changed; that they had
no more desire to do evil.
19:34.
177 And behold, many did declare
unto the people that they had seen angels and had conversed with them; and thus
they had told them things of God, and of his righteousness.
19:35.
178 And it came to pass that
there were many that did believe in their words; and as many as did believe
were baptized; and they became a righteous people, and they did establish a
church among them.
19:36.
179 And thus the work of the
Lord did commence among the Lamanites; thus the Lord did begin to pour out his
Spirit upon them; 180 and we see that his
arm is extended to all people who will repent and believe on his name.
Alma; 12:23
Alma, Chapter 20
20:1.
181 And it came to pass that
when they had established a church in that land, that king Lamoni desired that
Ammon should go with him to the land of Nephi, that he might show him unto his
father.
20:2.
182 And the voice of the Lord
came to Ammon saying: Thou shalt not go up to the land of Nephi, for behold,
the king will seek thy life; but thou shalt go to the land of Middoni; for
behold, thy brother Aaron, and also Muloki and Ammah are in prison.
Alma; 12:24
20:3.
183 Now it came to pass that
when Ammon had heard this, he said unto Lamoni: Behold, my brother and brethren
are in prison at Middoni, and I go that I may deliver them.
20:4.
184 Now Lamoni said unto Ammon:
I know, in the strength of the Lord thou canst do all things. But behold, I
will go with thee to the land of Middoni; for the king of the land of Middoni,
whose name is Antiomno, is a friend unto me; 185 therefore
I go to the land of Middoni, that I may flatter the king of the land, and he
will cast thy brethren out of prison. 186 Now
Lamoni said unto him: Who told thee that thy brethren were in prison?
20:5.
187 And Ammon said unto him: No
one hath told me, save it be God; and he said unto me—Go and deliver thy
brethren, for they are in prison in the land of Middoni.
20:6.
188 Now when Lamoni had heard
this he caused that his servants should make ready his horses and his chariots.
20:7.
189 And he said unto Ammon:
Come, I will go with thee down to the land of Middoni, and there I will plead
with the king that he will cast thy brethren out of prison.
Alma; 12:25
20:8.
190 And it came to pass that as
Ammon and Lamoni were journeying thither, they met the father of Lamoni, who
was king over all the land.
20:9.
191 And behold, the father of
Lamoni said unto him: Why did ye not come to the feast on that great day when I
made a feast unto my sons, and unto my people?
20:10.
192 And he also said: Whither
art thou going with this Nephite, who is one of the children of a liar?
20:11.
193 And it came to pass that
Lamoni rehearsed unto him whither he was going, for he feared to offend him.
20:12.
194 And he also told him all the
cause of his tarrying in his own kingdom, that he did not go unto his father to
the feast which he had prepared.
20:13.
195 And now when Lamoni had
rehearsed unto him all these things, behold, to his astonishment, his father
was angry with him, and said: Lamoni, thou art going to deliver these Nephites,
who are sons of a liar. 196 Behold, he
robbed our fathers; and now his children are also come amongst us that they
may, by their cunning and their lyings, deceive us, that they again may rob us
of our property.
20:14.
197 Now the father of Lamoni
commanded him that he should slay Ammon with the sword. 198 And he also commanded him that he should not go to the land
of Middoni, but that he should return with him to the land of Ishmael.
20:15.
199 But Lamoni said unto him: I
will not slay Ammon, neither will I return to the land of Ishmael, but I go to
the land of Middoni that I may release the brethren of Ammon, for I know that
they are just men and holy prophets of the true God.
20:16.
200 Now when his father had
heard these words, he was angry with him, and he drew his sword that he might
smite him to the earth.
20:17.
201 But Ammon stood forth and
said unto him: Behold, thou shalt not slay thy son; nevertheless, it were
better that he should fall than thee, 202 for
behold, he has repented of his sins; but if thou shouldst fall at this time, in
thine anger, thy soul could not be saved.
20:18.
203 And again, it is expedient
that thou shouldst forbear; for if thou shouldst slay thy son, he being an
innocent man, his blood would cry from the ground to the Lord his God, for
vengeance to come upon thee; and perhaps thou wouldst lose thy soul.
20:19.
204 Now when Ammon had said
these words unto him, he answered him, saying: I know that if I should slay my
son, that I should shed innocent blood; for it is thou that hast sought to
destroy him.
20:20.
And he stretched forth his hand to slay
Ammon. 205 But Ammon withstood his blows,
and also smote his arm that he could not use it.
20:21.
206 Now when the king saw that
Ammon could slay him, he began to plead with Ammon that he would spare his
life.
20:22.
207 But Ammon raised his sword,
and said unto him: Behold, I will smite thee except thou wilt grant unto me
that my brethren may be cast out of prison.
20:23.
208 Now the king, fearing he
should lose his life, said: If thou wilt spare me I will grant unto thee
whatsoever thou wilt ask, even to half of the kingdom.
Alma; 12:26
20:24. 209 Now when Ammon saw that he had wrought upon the old king
according to his desire, he said unto him: If thou wilt grant that my brethren
may be cast out of prison, and also that Lamoni may retain his kingdom, and
that ye be not displeased with him, but grant that he may do according to his
own desires in whatsoever thing he thinketh, then will I spare thee; otherwise
I will smite thee to the earth.
20:25.
210 Now when Ammon had said
these words, the king began to rejoice because of his life.
20:26.
211 And when he saw that Ammon
had no desire to destroy him, and when he also saw the great love he had for
his son Lamoni, he was astonished exceedingly, and said: 212 Because this is all that thou hast desired,
that I would release thy brethren, and suffer that my son Lamoni should retain
his kingdom, behold, I will grant unto you that my son may retain his kingdom
from this time and forever; and I will govern him no more—
20:27.
213 And I will also grant unto
thee that thy brethren may be cast out of prison, and thou and thy brethren may
come unto me, in my kingdom; for I shall greatly desire to see thee. 214 For the king was greatly astonished at the
words which he had spoken, and also at the words which had been spoken by his
son Lamoni, therefore he was desirous to learn them.
Alma; 12:27
20:28. 215 And it came to pass that Ammon and Lamoni proceeded on their
journey towards the land of Middoni. 216 And
Lamoni found favor in the eyes of the king of the land; therefore the brethren
of Ammon were brought forth out of prison.
20:29.
217 And when Ammon did meet them
he was exceedingly sorrowful, for behold they were naked, and their skins were
worn exceedingly because of being bound with strong cords. 218 And they also had suffered hunger, thirst, and
all kinds of afflictions; nevertheless they were patient in all their
sufferings.
20:30.
219 And, as it happened, it was
their lot to have fallen into the hands of a more hardened and a more
stiffnecked people; 220 therefore they would
not hearken unto their words, and they had cast them out, and had smitten them,
and had driven them from house to house, and from place to place, even until
they had arrived in the land of Middoni; 221 and
there they were taken and cast into prison, and bound with strong cords, and
kept in prison for many days, and were delivered by Lamoni and Ammon.
Alma, Chapter 13
An account of the preaching of Aaron, and Muloki, and their
brethren to the Lamanites.
Alma; 13:1
Alma, Chapter 21
21:1.
1 Now when Ammon and his
brethren separated themselves in the borders of the land of the Lamanites,
behold Aaron took his journey towards the land which was called by the
Lamanites, Jerusalem, calling it after the land of their fathers’ nativity; and
it was away joining the borders of Mormon.
21:2.
2 Now the Lamanites and the
Amalekites and the people of Amulon had built a great city, which was called
Jerusalem.
21:3.
3 Now the Lamanites of
themselves were sufficiently hardened, but the Amalekites and the Amulonites
were still harder; therefore they did cause the Lamanites that they should
harden their hearts, that they should wax strong in wickedness and their
abominations.
Alma; 13:2
21:4.
4 And it came to pass that
Aaron came to the city of Jerusalem, and first began to preach to the
Amalekites. 5 And he began to preach to them
in their synagogues, for they had built synagogues after the order of the
Nehors; for many of the Amalekites and the Amulonites were after the order of
the Nehors.
21:5.
6 Therefore, as Aaron entered
into one of their synagogues to preach unto the people, and as he was speaking
unto them, behold there arose an Amalekite and began to contend with him,
saying: 7 What is that thou hast testified?
Hast thou seen an angel? Why do not angels appear unto us? Behold are not this
people as good as thy people?
21:6.
Thou also sayest, except we repent we shall
perish. 8 How knowest thou the thought and
intent of our hearts? How knowest thou that we have cause to repent? How
knowest thou that we are not a righteous people? 9 Behold,
we have built sanctuaries, and we do assemble ourselves together to worship
God. We do believe that God will save all men.
21:7.
10 Now Aaron said unto him:
Believest thou that the Son of God shall come to redeem mankind from their
sins?
21:8.
11 And the man said unto him:
We do not believe that thou knowest any such thing. We do not believe in these
foolish traditions. 12 We do not believe
that thou knowest of things to come, neither do we believe that thy fathers and
also that our fathers did know concerning the things which they spake, of that
which is to come.
Alma; 13:3
21:9.
13 Now Aaron began to open the
scriptures unto them concerning the coming of Christ, and also concerning the
resurrection of the dead, and that there could be no redemption for mankind
save it were through the death and sufferings of Christ, and the atonement of
his blood.
21:10.
14 And it came to pass as he
began to expound these things unto them they were angry with him, and began to
mock him; and they would not hear the words which he spake.
21:11.
15 Therefore, when he saw that
they would not hear his words, he departed out of their synagogue, and came
over to a village which was called Ani-Anti, and there he found Muloki
preaching the word unto them; and also Ammah and his brethren. And they contended
with many about the word.
21:12.
16 And it came to pass that
they saw that the people would harden their hearts, therefore they departed and
came over into the land of Middoni. 17 And
they did preach the word unto many, and few believed on the words which they
taught.
21:13.
18 Nevertheless, Aaron and a
certain number of his brethren were taken and cast into prison, and the
remainder of them fled out of the land of Middoni unto the regions round about.
21:14.
19 And those who were cast into
prison suffered many things, and they were delivered by the hand of Lamoni and
Ammon, and they were fed and clothed.
21:15.
20 And they went forth again to
declare the word, and thus they were delivered for the first time out of
prison; and thus they had suffered.
21:16.
21 And they went forth
whithersoever they were led by the Spirit of the Lord, preaching the word of
God in every synagogue of the Amalekites, or in every assembly of the Lamanites
where they could be admitted.
Alma; 13:4
21:17.
22 And it came to pass that the
Lord began to bless them, insomuch that they brought many to the knowledge of
the truth; yea, they did convince many of their sins, and of the traditions of
their fathers, which were not correct.
Alma; 13:5
21:18.
23 And it came to pass that
Ammon and Lamoni returned from the land of Middoni to the land of Ishmael,
which was the land of their inheritance.
21:19.
24 And king Lamoni would not
suffer that Ammon should serve him, or be his servant.
21:20.
But he caused that there should be
synagogues built in the land of Ishmael; and he caused that his people, or the
people who were under his reign, should assemble themselves together.
21:21.
25 And he did rejoice over
them, and he did teach them many things. 26 And
he did also declare unto them that they were a people who were under him, and
that they were a free people, that they were free from the oppressions of the
king, his father; for that his father had granted unto him that he might reign
over the people who were in the land of Ishmael, and in all the land round
about.
21:22.
27 And he also declared unto
them that they might have the liberty of worshiping the Lord their God
according to their desires, in whatsoever place they were in, if it were in the
land which was under the reign of king Lamoni.
21:23.
28 And Ammon did preach unto
the people of king Lamoni; and it came to pass that he did teach them all
things concerning things pertaining to righteousness. 29
And he did exhort them daily, with all diligence; and they gave heed
unto his word, and they were zealous for keeping the commandments of God.
Alma, Chapter 22
22:1.
30 Now, as Ammon was thus
teaching the people of Lamoni continually, we will return to the account of
Aaron and his brethren; 31 for after he
departed from the land of Middoni he was led by the Spirit to the land of
Nephi, even to the house of the king which was over all the land save it were
the land of Ishmael; and he was the father of Lamoni.
Alma; 13:6
22:2.
32 And it came to pass that he
went in unto him into the king’s palace, with his brethren, and bowed himself
before the king, and said unto him: Behold, O king, we are the brethren of
Ammon, whom thou hast delivered out of prison.
22:3.
And now, O king, if thou wilt spare our
lives, we will be thy servants. 33 And the
king said unto them: Arise, for I will grant unto you your lives, and I will
not suffer that ye shall be my servants; but I will insist that ye shall
administer unto me; 34 for I have been
somewhat troubled in mind because of the generosity and the greatness of the
words of thy brother Ammon; and I desire to know the cause why he has not come
up out of Middoni with thee.
22:4.
35 And Aaron said unto the
king: Behold, the Spirit of the Lord has called him another way; he has gone to
the land of Ishmael, to teach the people of Lamoni.
22:5.
36 Now the king said unto them:
What is this that ye have said concerning the Spirit of the Lord? Behold, this
is the thing which doth trouble me.
22:6.
37 And also, what is this that
Ammon said—If ye will repent ye shall be saved, and if ye will not repent, ye
shall be cast off at the last day?
22:7.
38 And Aaron answered him and
said unto him: Believest thou that there is a God? 39
And the king said: I know that the Amalekites say that there is a God,
and I have granted unto them that they should build sanctuaries, that they may
assemble themselves together to worship him. And if now thou sayest there is a
God, behold I will believe.
Alma; 13:7
22:8.
40 And now when Aaron heard
this, his heart began to rejoice, and he said: Behold, assuredly as thou
livest, O king, there is a God.
22:9.
41 And the king said: Is God
that Great Spirit that brought our fathers out of the land of Jerusalem?
22:10.
42 And Aaron said unto him:
Yea, he is that Great Spirit, and he created all things both in heaven and in
earth. Believest thou this?
22:11.
43 And he said: Yea, I believe
that the Great Spirit created all things, and I desire that ye should tell me
concerning all these things, and I will believe thy words.
Alma; 13:8
22:12. 44 And it came to pass that when Aaron saw that the king would
believe his words, he began from the creation of Adam, reading the scriptures
unto the king—how God created man after his own image, and that God gave him
commandments, and that because of transgression, man had fallen.
22:13.
45 And Aaron did expound unto
him the scriptures from the creation of Adam, laying the fall of man before
him, and their carnal state and also the plan of redemption, which was prepared
from the foundation of the world, through Christ, for all whosoever would
believe on his name.
22:14.
46 And since man had fallen he
could not merit anything of himself; but the sufferings and death of Christ
atone for their sins, through faith and repentance, and so forth; 47 and that he breaketh the bands of death, that
the grave shall have no victory, and that the sting of death should be
swallowed up in the hopes of glory; and Aaron did expound all these things unto
the king.
22:15.
48 And it came to pass that
after Aaron had expounded these things unto him, the king said: What shall I do
that I may have this eternal life of which thou hast spoken? 49 Yea, what shall I do that I may be born of God,
having this wicked spirit rooted out of my breast, and receive his Spirit, that
I may be filled with joy, that I may not be cast off at the last day? 50 Behold, said he, I will give up all that I
possess, yea, I will forsake my kingdom, that I may receive this great joy.
22:16.
51 But Aaron said unto him: If
thou desirest this thing, if thou wilt bow down before God, yea, if thou wilt
repent of all thy sins, and will bow down before God, and call on his name in
faith, believing that ye shall receive, then shalt thou receive the hope which
thou desirest.
Alma; 13:9
22:17. 52 And it came to pass that when Aaron had said these words, the
king did bow down before the Lord, upon his knees; yea, even he did prostrate
himself upon the earth, and cried mightily, saying:
22:18.
O God, Aaron hath told me that there is a
God; 53 and if there is a God, and if thou
art God, wilt thou make thyself known unto me, and I will give away all my sins
to know thee, and that I may be raised from the dead, and be saved at the last
day. 54 And now when the king had said these
words, he was struck as if he were dead.
Alma; 13:10
22:19. 55 And it came to pass that his servants ran and told the queen
all that had happened unto the king. 56 And
she came in unto the king; and when she saw him lay as if he were dead, and
also Aaron and his brethren standing as though they had been the cause of his
fall, she was angry with them, and commanded that her servants, or the servants
of the king, should take them and slay them.
22:20.
57 Now the servants had seen
the cause of the king’s fall, therefore they durst not lay their hands on Aaron
and his brethren; 58 and they pled with the
queen saying: Why commandest thou that we should slay these men, when behold
one of them is mightier than us all? Therefore we shall fall before them.
22:21.
59 Now when the queen saw the
fear of the servants she also began to fear exceedingly, lest there should some
evil come upon her. 60 And she commanded her
servants that they should go and call the people, that they might slay Aaron
and his brethren.
22:22.
61 Now when Aaron saw the
determination of the queen, he, also knowing the hardness of the hearts of the
people, feared lest that a multitude should assemble themselves together, and
there should be a great contention and a disturbance among them; 62 therefore he put forth his hand and raised the
king from the earth, and said unto him: Stand. And he stood upon his feet,
receiving his strength.
22:23.
63 Now this was done in the
presence of the queen and many of the servants. And when they saw it they
greatly marveled, and began to fear. 64 And
the king stood forth, and began to minister unto them. And he did minister unto
them, insomuch that his whole household were converted unto the Lord.
22:24.
65 Now there was a multitude
gathered together because of the commandment of the queen, and there began to
be great murmurings among them because of Aaron and his brethren.
22:25.
66 But the king stood forth
among them and administered unto them. And they were pacified towards Aaron and
those who were with him.
Alma; 13:11
22:26. 67 And it came to pass that when the king saw that the people were
pacified, he caused that Aaron and his brethren should stand forth in the midst
of the multitude, and that they should preach the word unto them.
22:27.
68 And it came to pass that the
king sent a proclamation throughout all the land, amongst all his people who
were in all his land, who were in all the regions round about, which was
bordering even to the sea, on the east and on the west, and which was divided
from the land of Zarahemla by a narrow strip of wilderness, 69 which ran from the sea east even to the sea
west, and round about on the borders of the seashore, and the borders of the
wilderness which was on the north by the land of Zarahemla, through the borders
of Manti, by the head of the river Sidon, running from the east towards the
west—and thus were the Lamanites and the Nephites divided.
22:28.
70 Now, the more idle part of
the Lamanites lived in the wilderness, and dwelt in tents; and they were spread
through the wilderness on the west, in the land of Nephi; 71 yea, and also on the west of the land of
Zarahemla, in the borders by the seashore, and on the west in the land of
Nephi, in the place of their fathers’ first inheritance, and thus bordering
along by the seashore.
22:29.
72 And also there were many
Lamanites on the east by the seashore, whither the Nephites had driven them.
And thus the Nephites were nearly surrounded by the Lamanites; 73 nevertheless the Nephites had taken possession
of all the northern parts of the land bordering on the wilderness, at the head
of the river Sidon, from the east to the west, round about on the wilderness
side; on the north, even until they came to the land which they called
Bountiful.
22:30.
74 And it bordered upon the
land which they called Desolation, it being so far northward that it came into
the land which had been peopled and been destroyed, of whose bones we have
spoken, which was discovered by the people of Zarahemla, it being the place of
their first landing.
22:31.
And they came from there up into the south
wilderness. 75 Thus the land on the
northward was called Desolation, and the land on the southward was called
Bountiful, it being the wilderness which is filled with all manner of wild
animals of every kind, a part of which had come from the land northward for
food.
22:32.
76 And now, it was only the
distance of a day and a half’s journey for a Nephite, on the line Bountiful and
the land Desolation, from the east to the west sea; 77
and thus the land of Nephi and the land of Zarahemla were nearly
surrounded by water, there being a small neck of land between the land
northward and the land southward.
Alma; 13:12
22:33. 78 And it came to pass that the Nephites had inhabited the land
Bountiful, even from the east unto the west sea, 79
and thus the Nephites in their wisdom, with their guards and their
armies, had hemmed in the Lamanites on the south, that thereby they should have
no more possession on the north, that they might not overrun the land
northward.
22:34.
80 Therefore the Lamanites
could have no more possessions only in the land of Nephi, and the wilderness
round about. 81 Now this was wisdom in the
Nephites—as the Lamanites were an enemy to them, they would not suffer their
afflictions on every hand, and also that they might have a country whither they
might flee, according to their desires.
22:35.
82 And now I, after having said
this, return again to the account of Ammon and Aaron, Omner and Himni, and
their brethren.
Alma, Chapter 14
Alma; 14:1
Alma, Chapter 23
23:1.
1 Behold, now it came to pass
that the king of the Lamanites sent a proclamation among all his people, that
they should not lay their hands on Ammon, or Aaron, or Omner, or Himni, nor
either of their brethren who should go forth preaching the word of God, in
whatsoever place they should be, in any part of their land.
23:2.
2 Yea, he sent a decree among
them, that they should not lay their hands on them to bind them, or to cast
them into prison; neither should they spit upon them, nor smite them, nor cast
them out of their synagogues, nor scourge them; 3 neither
should they cast stones at them, but that they should have free access to their
houses, and also their temples, and their sanctuaries.
23:3.
4 And thus they might go forth
and preach the word according to their desires, for the king had been converted
unto the Lord, and all his household; 5 therefore
he sent his proclamation throughout the land unto his people, that the word of
God might have no obstruction, but that it might go forth throughout all the
land, that his people might be convinced concerning the wicked traditions of
their fathers, 6 and that they might be
convinced that they were all brethren, and that they ought not to murder, nor to
plunder, nor to steal, nor to commit adultery, nor to commit any manner of
wickedness.
Alma; 14:2
23:4.
7 And now it came to pass that
when the king had sent forth this proclamation, that Aaron and his brethren
went forth from city to city, and from one house of worship to another, 8 establishing churches, and consecrating priests
and teachers throughout the land among the Lamanites, to preach and to teach
the word of God among them; and thus they began to have great success.
23:5.
9 And thousands were brought
to the knowledge of the Lord, yea, thousands were brought to believe in the
traditions of the Nephites; and they were taught the records and prophecies
which were handed down even to the present time.
23:6.
10 And as sure as the Lord
liveth, so sure as many as believed, or as many as were brought to the
knowledge of the truth, through the preaching of Ammon and his brethren,
according to the spirit of revelation and of prophecy, and the power of God
working miracles in them— 11 yea, I say unto
you, as the Lord liveth, as many of the Lamanites as believed in their
preaching, and were converted unto the Lord, never did fall away.
23:7.
For they became a righteous people; 12 they did lay down the weapons of their
rebellion, that they did not fight against God any more, neither against any of
their brethren.
23:8.
13 Now, these are they who were
converted unto the Lord:
23:9.
The people of the Lamanites who were in the
land of Ishmael;
23:10.
And also of the people of the Lamanites who
were in the land of Middoni;
23:11.
And also of the people of the Lamanites who
were in the city of Nephi;
23:12.
And also of the people of the Lamanites who
were in the land of Shilom, and who were in the land of Shemlon, and in the
city of Lemuel, and in the city of Shimnilom.
23:13.
14 And these are the names of
the cities of the Lamanites which were converted unto the Lord; and these are
they that laid down the weapons of their rebellion, yea, all their weapons of
war; and they were all Lamanites.
23:14.
15 And the Amalekites were not
converted, save only one; neither were any of the Amulonites; but they did
harden their hearts, and also the hearts of the Lamanites in that part of the
land wheresoever they dwelt, yea, and all their villages and all their cities.
23:15.
16 Therefore, we have named all
the cities of the Lamanites in which they did repent and come to the knowledge
of the truth, and were converted.
Alma; 14:3
23:16.
17 And now it came to pass that
the king and those who were converted were desirous that they might have a
name, that thereby they might be distinguished from their brethren; 18 therefore the king consulted with Aaron and
many of their priests, concerning the name that they should take upon them,
that they might be distinguished.
23:17.
19 And it came to pass that
they called their names Anti-Nephi-Lehies; and they were called by this name
and were no more called Lamanites.
23:18.
20 And they began to be a very
industrious people; yea, and they were friendly with the Nephites; therefore,
they did open a correspondence with them, and the curse of God did no more
follow them.
Alma; 14:4
Alma, Chapter 24
24:1.
21 And it came to pass that the
Amalekites and the Amulonites and the Lamanites who were in the land of Amulon,
and also in the land of Helam, and who were in the land of Jerusalem, and in
fine, in all the land round about, who had not been converted and had not taken
upon them the name of Anti-Nephi-Lehi, were stirred up by the Amalekites and by
the Amulonites to anger against their brethren.
24:2.
22 And their hatred became
exceedingly sore against them, even insomuch that they began to rebel against
their king, insomuch that they would not that he should be their king;
therefore, they took up arms against the people of Anti-Nephi-Lehi.
Alma; 14:5
24:3.
23 Now the king conferred the
kingdom upon his son, and he called his name Anti-Nephi-Lehi.
24:4.
24 And the king died in that
selfsame year that the Lamanites began to make preparations for war against the
people of God.
24:5.
25 Now when Ammon and his
brethren and all those who had come up with him saw the preparations of the
Lamanites to destroy their brethren, they came forth to the land of Midian, and
there Ammon met all his brethren; 26 and
from thence they came to the land of Ishmael that they might hold a council
with Lamoni and also with his brother Anti-Nephi-Lehi, what they should do to
defend themselves against the Lamanites.
24:6.
27 Now there was not one soul
among all the people who had been converted unto the Lord that would take up
arms against their brethren; 28 nay, they
would not even make any preparations for war; yea, and also their king
commanded them that they should not.
24:7.
29 Now, these are the words
which he said unto the people concerning the matter: I thank my God, my beloved
people, that our great God has in goodness sent these our brethren, the
Nephites, unto us to preach unto us, and to convince us of the traditions of
our wicked fathers.
24:8.
30 And behold, I thank my great
God that he has given us a portion of his Spirit to soften our hearts, that we
have opened a correspondence with these brethren, the Nephites.
24:9.
31 And behold, I also thank my
God, that by opening this correspondence we have been convinced of our sins,
and of the many murders which we have committed.
24:10.
32 And I also thank my God,
yea, my great God, that he hath granted unto us that we might repent of these
things, and also that he hath forgiven us of those our many sins and murders
which we have committed, and taken away the guilt from our hearts, through the
merits of his Son.
24:11.
33 And now behold, my brethren,
since it has been all that we could do, (as we were the most lost of all
mankind) to repent of all our sins and the many murders which we have
committed, and to get God to take them away from our hearts, for it was all we
could do to repent sufficiently before God that he would take away our stain—
Alma; 14:6
24:12.
34 Now, my best beloved
brethren, since God hath taken away our stains, and our swords have become
bright, then let us stain our swords no more with the blood of our brethren.
24:13.
35 Behold, I say unto you, Nay,
let us retain our swords that they be not stained with the blood of our
brethren; 36 for perhaps, if we should stain
our swords again they can no more be washed bright through the blood of the Son
of our great God, which shall be shed for the atonement of our sins.
24:14.
37 And the great God has had
mercy on us, and made these things known unto us that we might not perish; 38 yea, and he has made these things known unto us
beforehand, because he loveth our souls as well as he loveth our children;
therefore, in his mercy he doth visit us by his angels, that the plan of
salvation might be made known unto us as well as unto future generations.
24:15.
Oh, how merciful is our God! 39 And now behold, since it has been as much as we
could do to get our stains taken away from us, and our swords are made bright, 40 let us hide them away that they may be kept
bright, as a testimony to our God at the last day, or at the day that we shall
be brought to stand before him to be judged, that we have not stained our
swords in the blood of our brethren since he imparted his word unto us and has
made us clean thereby.
24:16.
41 And now, my brethren, if our
brethren seek to destroy us, behold, we will hide away our swords, yea, even we
will bury them deep in the earth, that they may be kept bright, as a testimony
that we have never used them, at the last day; and if our brethren destroy us,
behold, we shall go to our God and shall be saved.
Alma; 14:7
24:17.
42 And now it came to pass that
when the king had made an end of these sayings, and all the people were
assembled together, they took their swords, and all the weapons which were used
for the shedding of man’s blood, and they did bury them up deep in the earth.
24:18.
43 And this they did, it being
in their view a testimony to God, and also to men, that they never would use
weapons again for the shedding of man’s blood; 44 and
this they did, vouching and covenanting with God, that rather than shed the
blood of their brethren they would give up their own lives; 45 and rather than take away from a brother they
would give unto him; and rather than spend their days in idleness they would
labor abundantly with their hands.
24:19.
46 And thus we see that, when
these Lamanites were brought to believe and to know the truth, they were firm,
and would suffer even unto death rather than commit sin; 47 and thus we see that they buried their weapons
of peace, or they buried the weapons of war, for peace.
Alma; 14:8
24:20.
48 And it came to pass that
their brethren, the Lamanites, made preparations for war, and came up to the
land of Nephi for the purpose of destroying the king, and to place another in
his stead, and also of destroying the people of Anti-Nephi-Lehi out of the
land.
24:21.
49 Now when the people saw that
they were coming against them they went out to meet them, and prostrated
themselves before them to the earth, and began to call on the name of the Lord;
50 and thus they were in this attitude when
the Lamanites began to fall upon them, and began to slay them with the sword.
24:22.
And thus without meeting any resistance,
they did slay a thousand and five of them; and we know that they are blessed,
for they have gone to dwell with their God.
24:23.
51 Now when the Lamanites saw
that their brethren would not flee from the sword, neither would they turn
aside to the right hand or to the left, but that they would lie down and
perish, and praised God even in the very act of perishing under the sword—
24:24.
Now when the Lamanites saw this they did
forbear from slaying them; 52 and there were
many whose hearts had swollen in them for those of their brethren who had
fallen under the sword, for they repented of the things which they had done.
Alma; 14:9
24:25.
53 And it came to pass that
they threw down their weapons of war, and they would not take them again, for
they were stung for the murders which they had committed; and they came down
even as their brethren, relying upon the mercies of those whose arms were
lifted to slay them.
Alma; 14:10
24:26.
54 And it came to pass that the
people of God were joined that day by more than the number who had been slain;
and those who had been slain were righteous people, therefore we have no reason
to doubt but what they were saved.
24:27.
55 And there was not a wicked
man slain among them; but there were more than a thousand brought to the
knowledge of the truth; thus we see that the Lord worketh in many ways to the
salvation of his people.
24:28.
56 Now the greatest number of
those of the Lamanites who slew so many of their brethren were Amalekites and
Amulonites, the greatest number of whom were after the order of the Nehors.
24:29.
57 Now, among those who joined
the people of the Lord, there were none who were Amalekites or Amulonites, or
who were of the order of Nehor, but they were actual descendants of Laman and
Lemuel.
24:30.
58 And thus we can plainly
discern, that after a people have been once enlightened by the Spirit of God,
and have had great knowledge of things pertaining to righteousness, and then
have fallen away into sin and transgression, they become more hardened, and
thus their state becomes worse than though they had never known these things.
Alma; 14:11
Alma, Chapter 25
25:1.
59 And behold, now it came to
pass that those Lamanites were more angry because they had slain their
brethren; therefore they swore vengeance upon the Nephites; 60 and they did no more attempt to slay the people
of Anti-Nephi-Lehi at that time.
25:2.
But they took their armies and went over
into the borders of the land of Zarahemla, and fell upon the people who were in
the land of Ammonihah, and destroyed them.
25:3.
61 And after that, they had
many battles with the Nephites, in the which they were driven and slain.
25:4.
62 And among the Lamanites who
were slain were almost all the seed of Amulon and his brethren, who were the
priests of Noah, and they were slain by the hands of the Nephites;
25:5.
63 And the remainder, having
fled into the east wilderness, and having usurped the power and authority over
the Lamanites, caused that many of the Lamanites should perish by fire because
of their belief—
25:6.
64 For many of them, after
having suffered much loss and so many afflictions, began to be stirred up in
remembrance of the words which Aaron and his brethren had preached to them in
their land; 65 therefore they began to
disbelieve the traditions of their fathers, and to believe in the Lord, and
that he gave great power unto the Nephites; and thus there were many of them
converted in the wilderness.
Alma; 14:12
25:7.
66 And it came to pass that
those rulers who were the remnant of the children of Amulon caused that they
should be put to death, yea, all those that believed in these things.
25:8.
67 Now this martyrdom caused
that many of their brethren should be stirred up to anger; and there began to
be contention in the wilderness; and the Lamanites began to hunt the seed of
Amulon and his brethren and began to slay them; and they fled into the east
wilderness.
25:9.
68 And behold they are hunted
at this day by the Lamanites. Thus the words of Abinadi were brought to pass,
which he said concerning the seed of the priests who caused that he should
suffer death by fire.
25:10.
69 For he said unto them: What
ye shall do unto me shall be a type of things to come.
25:11.
70 And now Abinadi was the
first that suffered death by fire because of his belief in God; now this is
what he meant, that many should suffer death by fire, according as he had
suffered.
25:12.
71 And he said unto the priests
of Noah that their seed should cause many to be put to death, in the like
manner as he was, and that they should be scattered abroad and slain, even as a
sheep having no shepherd is driven and slain by wild beasts; 72 and now behold, these words were verified, for
they were driven by the Lamanites, and they were hunted, and they were smitten.
Alma; 14:13
25:13.
73 And it came to pass that
when the Lamanites saw that they could not overpower the Nephites they returned
again to their own land; and many of them came over to dwell in the land of
Ishmael and the land of Nephi, and did join themselves to the people of God,
who were the people of Anti-Nephi-Lehi.
25:14.
74 And they did also bury their
weapons of war, according as their brethren had, and they began to be a
righteous people; and they did walk in the ways of the Lord, and did observe to
keep his commandments and his statutes.
25:15.
Yea, and they did keep the law of Moses;
for it was expedient that they should keep the law of Moses as yet, for it was
not all fulfilled. 75 But notwithstanding
the law of Moses, they did look forward to the coming of Christ, considering
that the law of Moses was a type of his coming, and believing that they must
keep those outward performances until the time that he should be revealed unto
them.
25:16.
76 Now they did not suppose
that salvation came by the law of Moses; but the law of Moses did serve to
strengthen their faith in Christ; 77 and
thus they did retain a hope through faith, unto eternal salvation, relying upon
the spirit of prophecy, which spake of those things to come.
25:17.
78 And now behold, Ammon, and
Aaron, and Omner, and Himni, and their brethren did rejoice exceedingly, for
the success which they had had among the Lamanites, seeing that the Lord had
granted unto them according to their prayers, and that he had also verified his
word unto them in every particular.
Alma; 14:14
Alma, Chapter 26
26:1.
79 And now, these are the words
of Ammon to his brethren, which say thus: My brothers and my brethren, behold I
say unto you, how great reason have we to rejoice; for could we have supposed
when we started from the land of Zarahemla that God would have granted unto us
such great blessings?
26:2.
80 And now, I ask, what great
blessings has he bestowed upon us? Can ye tell?
26:3.
81 Behold, I answer for you;
for our brethren, the Lamanites, were in darkness, yea, even in the darkest
abyss, but behold, how many of them are brought to behold the marvelous light
of God! 82 And this is the blessing which
hath been bestowed upon us, that we have been made instruments in the hands of
God to bring about this great work.
26:4.
83 Behold, thousands of them do
rejoice, and have been brought into the fold of God.
26:5.
84 Behold, the field was ripe,
and blessed are ye, for ye did thrust in the sickle, and did reap with your
might, yea, all the day long did ye labor; 85 and
behold the number of your sheaves! And they shall be gathered into the garners,
that they are not wasted.
26:6.
Yea, they shall not be beaten down by the
storm at the last day; 86 yea, neither shall
they be harrowed up by the whirlwinds; but when the storm cometh they shall be
gathered together in their place, that the storm cannot penetrate to them; yea,
neither shall they be driven with fierce winds whithersoever the enemy listeth
to carry them.
26:7.
87 But behold, they are in the
hands of the Lord of the harvest, and they are his; and he will raise them up
at the last day.
26:8.
88 Blessed be the name of our
God; let us sing to his praise, yea, let us give thanks to his holy name, for
he doth work righteousness forever.
26:9.
89 For if we had not come up
out of the land of Zarahemla, these our dearly beloved brethren, who have so
dearly beloved us, would still have been racked with hatred against us, yea,
and they would also have been strangers to God.
Alma; 14:15
26:10.
90 And it came to pass that
when Ammon had said these words, his brother Aaron rebuked him, saying: Ammon,
I fear that thy joy doth carry thee away unto boasting.
26:11.
91 But Ammon said unto him: I
do not boast in my own strength, nor in my own wisdom; but behold, my joy is
full, yea, my heart is brim with joy, and I will rejoice in my God.
26:12.
92 Yea, I know that I am
nothing; as to my strength I am weak; therefore I will not boast of myself, but
I will boast of my God, for in his strength I can do all things; yea, behold,
many mighty miracles we have wrought in this land, for which we will praise his
name forever.
26:13.
93 Behold, how many thousands
of our brethren has he loosed from the pains of hell; and they are brought to
sing redeeming love, and this because of the power of his word which is in us,
therefore have we not great reason to rejoice?
26:14.
94 Yea, we have reason to
praise him forever, for he is the Most High God, and has loosed our brethren
from the chains of hell.
26:15.
95 Yea, they were encircled
about with everlasting darkness and destruction; but behold, he has brought
them into his everlasting light, yea, into everlasting salvation; and they are
encircled about with the matchless bounty of his love; 96
yea, and we have been instruments in his hands of doing this great and
marvelous work.
26:16.
Therefore, let us glory, yea, we will glory
in the Lord; yea, we will rejoice, for our joy is full; yea, we will praise our
God forever. 97 Behold, who can glory too
much in the Lord? Yea, who can say too much of his great power, and of his
mercy, and of his long-suffering towards the children of men? Behold, I say
unto you, I cannot say the smallest part which I feel.
26:17.
98 Who could have supposed that
our God would have been so merciful as to have snatched us from our awful,
sinful, and polluted state?
26:18.
99 Behold, we went forth even
in wrath, with mighty threatenings to destroy his church.
26:19.
Oh then, why did he not consign us to an
awful destruction, yea, why did he not let the sword of his justice fall upon
us, and doom us to eternal despair?
26:20.
100 Oh, my soul, almost as it
were, fleeth at the thought. 101 Behold, he
did not exercise his justice upon us, but in his great mercy hath brought us
over that everlasting gulf of death and misery, even to the salvation of our
souls.
Alma; 14:16
26:21.
102 And now behold, my brethren,
what natural man is there that knoweth these things? I say unto you, there is
none that knoweth these things, save it be the penitent.
26:22.
103 Yea, he that repenteth and
exerciseth faith, and bringeth forth good works, and prayeth continually
without ceasing—unto such it is given to know the mysteries of God; yea, unto
such it shall be given to reveal things which never have been revealed; 104 yea, and it shall be given unto such to bring
thousands of souls to repentance, even as it has been given unto us to bring
these our brethren to repentance.
26:23.
105 Now do ye remember, my
brethren, that we said unto our brethren in the land of Zarahemla, we go up to
the land of Nephi, to preach unto our brethren, the Lamanites, and they laughed
us to scorn?
26:24.
106 For they said unto us: Do ye
suppose that ye can bring the Lamanites to the knowledge of the truth? 107 Do ye suppose that ye can convince the
Lamanites of the incorrectness of the traditions of their fathers, as
stiffnecked a people as they are; whose hearts delight in the shedding of
blood; whose days have been spent in the grossest iniquity; whose ways have
been the ways of a transgressor from the beginning? 108
Now my brethren, ye remember that this was their language.
Alma; 14:17
26:25.
109 And moreover they did say:
Let us take up arms against them, that we destroy them and their iniquity out
of the land, lest they overrun us and destroy us.
26:26.
110 But behold, my beloved
brethren, we came into the wilderness not with the intent to destroy our
brethren, but with the intent that perhaps we might save some few of their
souls.
26:27.
111 Now when our hearts were
depressed, and we were about to turn back, behold, the Lord comforted us, and
said: Go amongst thy brethren, the Lamanites, and bear with patience thine
afflictions, and I will give unto you success.
26:28.
112 And now behold, we have come,
and been forth amongst them; and we have been patient in our sufferings, and we
have suffered every privation; yea, we have traveled from house to house,
relying upon the mercies of the world—not upon the mercies of the world alone
but upon the mercies of God.
26:29.
113 And we have entered into
their houses and taught them, and we have taught them in their streets; yea,
and we have taught them upon their hills; and we have also entered into their
temples and their synagogues and taught them; 114 and
we have been cast out, and mocked, and spit upon, and smote upon our cheeks;
and we have been stoned, and taken and bound with strong cords, and cast into
prison; and through the power and wisdom of God we have been delivered again.
26:30.
115 And we have suffered all
manner of afflictions, and all this, that perhaps we might be the means of
saving some soul; and we supposed that our joy would be full if perhaps we
could be the means of saving some.
Alma; 14:18
26:31.
116 Now behold, we can look
forth and see the fruits of our labors; and are they few? 117 I say unto you, Nay, they are many; yea, and
we can witness of their sincerity, because of their love towards their brethren
and also towards us.
26:32.
118 For behold, they had rather
sacrifice their lives than even to take the life of their enemy; and they have
buried their weapons of war deep in the earth, because of their love towards
their brethren.
26:33.
119 And now behold I say unto
you, has there been so great love in all the land? 120
Behold, I say unto you, Nay, there has not, even among the Nephites.
26:34.
121 For behold, they would take
up arms against their brethren; they would not suffer themselves to be slain. 122 But behold how many of these have laid down
their lives; and we know that they have gone to their God, because of their
love and of their hatred to sin.
26:35.
123 Now have we not reason to
rejoice? Yea, I say unto you, there never were men that had so great reason to
rejoice as we, since the world began; 124 yea,
and my joy is carried away, even unto boasting in my God; for he has all power,
all wisdom, and all understanding; he comprehendeth all things, and he is a
merciful Being, even unto salvation, to those who will repent and believe on
his name.
26:36.
125 Now if this is boasting,
even so will I boast; for this is my life and my light, my joy and my
salvation, and my redemption from everlasting wo. 126
Yea, blessed is the name of my God, who has been mindful of this people,
who are a branch of the tree of Israel, and has been lost from its body in a
strange land; yea, I say, blessed be the name of my God, who has been mindful
of us, wanderers in a strange land.
26:37.
127 Now my brethren, we see that
God is mindful of every people, whatsoever land they may be in; yea, he
numbereth his people, and his bowels of mercy are over all the earth. 128 Now this is my joy, and my great thanksgiving;
yea, and I will give thanks unto my God forever. Amen.
Alma, Chapter 15
Alma; 15:1
Alma, Chapter 27
27:1.
1 Now it came to pass that
when those Lamanites who had gone to war against the Nephites had found, after
their many struggles to destroy them, that it was in vain to seek their
destruction, they returned again to the land of Nephi.
27:2.
2 And it came to pass that the
Amalekites, because of their loss, were exceedingly angry. 3 And when they saw that they could not seek
revenge from the Nephites, they began to stir up the people in anger against
their brethren, the people of Anti-Nephi-Lehi; therefore they began again to
destroy them.
27:3.
4 Now this people again
refused to take their arms, and they suffered themselves to be slain according
to the desires of their enemies.
27:4.
5 Now when Ammon and his
brethren saw this work of destruction among those whom they so dearly beloved,
and among those who had so dearly beloved them—for they were treated as though
they were angels sent from God to save them from everlasting destruction— 6 therefore, when Ammon and his brethren saw this
great work of destruction, they were moved with compassion, and they said unto
the king:
27:5.
Let us gather together this people of the
Lord, and let us go down to the land of Zarahemla to our brethren the Nephites,
and flee out of the hands of our enemies, that we be not destroyed.
27:6.
7 But the king said unto them:
Behold, the Nephites will destroy us, because of the many murders and sins we
have committed against them.
27:7.
8 And Ammon said: I will go and
inquire of the Lord, and if he say unto us, go down unto our brethren, will ye
go?
27:8.
9 And the king said unto him:
Yea, if the Lord saith unto us go, we will go down unto our brethren, and we
will be their slaves until we repair unto them the many murders and sins which
we have committed against them.
27:9.
10 But Ammon said unto him: It
is against the law of our brethren, which was established by my father, that
there should be any slaves among them; therefore let us go down and rely upon
the mercies of our brethren.
27:10.
11 But the king said unto him:
Inquire of the Lord, and if he saith unto us go, we will go; otherwise we will
perish in the land.
Alma; 15:2
27:11. 12 And it came to pass that Ammon went and inquired of the Lord,
and the Lord said unto him:
27:12.
Get this people out of this land, that they
perish not; for Satan has great hold on the hearts of the Amalekites, who do
stir up the Lamanites to anger against their brethren to slay them; therefore
get thee out of this land; and blessed are this people in this generation, for
I will preserve them.
Alma; 15:3
27:13. 13 And now it came to pass that Ammon went and told the king all
the words which the Lord had said unto him.
27:14.
14 And they gathered together
all their people, yea, all the people of the Lord, and did gather together all
their flocks and herds, and departed out of the land, and came into the
wilderness which divided the land of Nephi from the land of Zarahemla, and came
over near the borders of the land.
Alma; 15:4
27:15.
15 And it came to pass that
Ammon said unto them: Behold, I and my brethren will go forth into the land of
Zarahemla, and ye shall remain here until we return; and we will try the hearts
of our brethren, whether they will that ye shall come into their land.
Alma; 15:5
27:16. 16 And it came to pass that as Ammon was going forth into the
land, that he and his brethren met Alma, over in the place of which has been
spoken; and behold, this was a joyful meeting.
27:17.
17 Now the joy of Ammon was so
great even that he was full; yea, he was swallowed up in the joy of his God,
even to the exhausting of his strength; and he fell again to the earth.
27:18.
18 Now was not this exceeding
joy? Behold, this is joy which none receiveth save it be the truly penitent and
humble seeker of happiness.
27:19.
19 Now the joy of Alma in
meeting his brethren was truly great, and also the joy of Aaron, of Omner, and
Himni; but behold their joy was not that to exceed their strength.
Alma; 15:6
27:20.
20 And now it came to pass that
Alma conducted his brethren back to the land of Zarahemla; even to his own
house. 21 And they went and told the chief
judge all the things that had happened unto them in the land of Nephi, among
their brethren, the Lamanites.
Alma; 15:7
27:21. 22 And it came to pass that the chief judge sent a proclamation
throughout all the land, desiring the voice of the people concerning the
admitting their brethren, who were the people of Anti-Nephi-Lehi.
27:22.
23 And it came to pass that the
voice of the people came, saying: Behold, we will give up the land of Jershon,
which is on the east by the sea, which joins the land Bountiful, which is on
the south of the land Bountiful; and this land Jershon is the land which we
will give unto our brethren for an inheritance.
27:23.
24 And behold, we will set our
armies between the land Jershon and the land Nephi, that we may protect our
brethren in the land Jershon; 25 and this we
do for our brethren, on account of their fear to take up arms against their
brethren lest they should commit sin; and this their great fear came because of
their sore repentance which they had, on account of their many murders and
their awful wickedness.
27:24.
26 And now behold, this will we
do unto our brethren, that they may inherit the land Jershon; and we will guard
them from their enemies with our armies, on condition that they will give us a
portion of their substance to assist us that we may maintain our armies.
Alma; 15:8
27:25. 27 Now, it came to pass that when Ammon had heard this, he
returned to the people of Anti-Nephi-Lehi, and also Alma with him, into the
wilderness, where they had pitched their tents, and made known unto them all
these things. 28 And Alma also related unto
them his conversion, with Ammon and Aaron, and his brethren.
27:26.
And it came to pass that it did cause great
joy among them. 29 And they went down into
the land of Jershon, and took possession of the land of Jershon; and they were
called by the Nephites the people of Ammon; 30 therefore
they were distinguished by that name ever after.
27:27.
And they were among the people of Nephi,
and also numbered among the people who were of the church of God. 31 And they were also distinguished for their zeal
towards God, and also towards men; for they were perfectly honest and upright
in all things; and they were firm in the faith of Christ, even unto the end.
27:28.
32 And they did look upon
shedding the blood of their brethren with the greatest abhorrence; and they
never could be prevailed upon to take up arms against their brethren; 33 and they never did look upon death with any
degree of terror, for their hope and views of Christ and the resurrection;
therefore, death was swallowed up to them by the victory of Christ over it.
27:29.
34 Therefore, they would suffer
death in the most aggravating and distressing manner which could be inflicted
by their brethren, before they would take the sword or cimeter to smite them.
27:30.
35 And thus they were a zealous
and beloved people, a highly favored people of the Lord.
Alma; 15:9
Alma, Chapter 28
28:1.
36 And now it came to pass that
after the people of Ammon were established in the land of Jershon, and a church
also established in the land of Jershon, and the armies of the Nephites were
set round about the land of Jershon, yea, in all the borders round about the
land of Zarahemla; behold the armies of the Lamanites had followed their
brethren into the wilderness.
28:2.
37 And thus there was a
tremendous battle; yea, even such an one as never had been known among all the
people in the land from the time Lehi left Jerusalem; yea, and tens of
thousands of the Lamanites were slain and scattered abroad.
28:3.
38 Yea, and also there was a
tremendous slaughter among the people of Nephi; nevertheless, the Lamanites
were driven and scattered, and the people of Nephi returned again to their
land.
28:4.
39 And now this was a time that
there was a great mourning and lamentation heard throughout all the land, among
all the people of Nephi—
28:5.
40 Yea, the cry of widows
mourning for their husbands, and also of fathers mourning for their sons, and
the daughter for the brother, yea, the brother for the father; 41 and thus the cry of mourning was heard among
all of them, mourning for their kindred who had been slain.
28:6.
42 And now surely this was a
sorrowful day; yea, a time of solemnity, and a time of much fasting and prayer.
28:7.
And thus endeth the fifteenth year of the
reign of the judges over the people of Nephi;
28:8.
43 And this is the account of
Ammon and his brethren, their journeyings in the land of Nephi, their
sufferings in the land, their sorrows, and their afflictions, and their
incomprehensible joy, and the reception and safety of the brethren in the land
of Jershon. 44 And now may the Lord, the
Redeemer of all men, bless their souls forever.
Alma; 15:10
28:9.
45 And this is the account of
the wars and contentions among the Nephites, and also the wars between the
Nephites and the Lamanites; and the fifteenth year of the reign of the judges
is ended.
28:10.
46 And from the first year to
the fifteenth has brought to pass the destruction of many thousand lives; yea,
it has brought to pass an awful scene of bloodshed.
28:11.
47 And the bodies of many
thousands are laid low in the earth, while the bodies of many thousands are
moldering in heaps upon the face of the earth; 48 yea,
and many thousands are mourning for the loss of their kindred, because they
have reason to fear, according to the promises of the Lord, that they are
consigned to a state of endless wo.
28:12.
49 While many thousands of
others truly mourn for the loss of their kindred, yet they rejoice and exult in
the hope, and even know, according to the promises of the Lord, that they are
raised to dwell at the right hand of God, in a state of never-ending happiness.
28:13.
50 And thus we see how great
the inequality of man is because of sin and transgression, and the power of the
devil, which comes by the cunning plans which he hath devised to ensnare the
hearts of men.
28:14.
51 And thus we see the great
call of diligence of men to labor in the vineyards of the Lord; and thus we see
the great reason of sorrow, and also of rejoicing—sorrow because of death and
destruction among men, and joy because of the light of Christ unto life.
Alma; 15:11
Alma, Chapter 29
29:1.
52 O that I were an angel, and
could have the wish of mine heart, that I might go forth and speak with the
trump of God, with a voice to shake the earth, and cry repentance unto every
people!
29:2.
53 Yea, I would declare unto
every soul, as with the voice of thunder, repentance and the plan of
redemption, that they should repent and come unto our God, that there might not
be more sorrow upon all the face of the earth.
29:3.
54 But behold, I am a man, and
do sin in my wish; for I ought to be content with the things which the Lord
hath allotted unto me.
29:4.
55 I ought not to harrow up in
my desires, the firm decree of a just God, for I know that he granteth unto men
according to their desire, whether it be unto death or unto life; yea, I know
that he allotteth unto men, yea, decreeth unto them decrees which are
unalterable, according to their wills, whether they be unto salvation or unto
destruction.
29:5.
56 Yea, and I know that good
and evil have come before all men; he that knoweth not good from evil is
blameless; but he that knoweth good and evil, to him it is given according to
his desires, whether he desireth good or evil, life or death, joy or remorse of
conscience.
Alma; 15:12
29:6.
57 Now, seeing that I know
these things, why should I desire more than to perform the work to which I have
been called?
29:7.
58 Why should I desire that I
were an angel, that I could speak unto all the ends of the earth?
29:8.
59 For behold, the Lord doth
grant unto all nations, of their own nation and tongue, to teach his word, yea,
in wisdom, all that he seeth fit that they should have; therefore we see that
the Lord doth counsel in wisdom, according to that which is just and true.
29:9.
60 I know that which the Lord
hath commanded me, and I glory in it. I do not glory of myself, but I glory in
that which the Lord hath commanded me; 61 yea,
and this is my glory, that perhaps I may be an instrument in the hands of God
to bring some soul to repentance; and this is my joy.
29:10.
62 And behold, when I see many
of my brethren truly penitent, and coming to the Lord their God, then is my
soul filled with joy; then do I remember what the Lord has done for me, yea,
even that he hath heard my prayer; yea, then do I remember his merciful arm
which he extended towards me.
29:11.
63 Yea, and I also remember the
captivity of my fathers; for I surely do know that the Lord did deliver them
out of bondage, and by this did establish his church; yea, the Lord God, the
God of Abraham, the God of Isaac, and the God of Jacob, did deliver them out of
bondage.
29:12.
64 Yea, I have always
remembered the captivity of my fathers; and that same God who delivered them
out of the hands of the Egyptians did deliver them out of bondage.
29:13.
Yea, and that same God did establish his
church among them; 65 yea, and that same God
hath called me by a holy calling, to preach the word unto this people, and hath
given me much success, in the which my joy is full.
29:14.
But I do not joy in my own success alone,
but my joy is more full because of the success of my brethren, who have been up
to the land of Nephi.
29:15.
66 Behold, they have labored
exceedingly, and have brought forth much fruit; and how great shall be their
reward!
29:16.
67 Now, when I think of the
success of these my brethren my soul is carried away, even to the separation of
it from the body, as it were, so great is my joy.
Alma; 15:13
29:17.
68 And now may God grant unto
these, my brethren, that they may sit down in the kingdom of God; yea, and also
all those who are the fruit of their labors that they may go no more out, but
that they may praise him forever. 69 And may
God grant that it may be done according to my words, even as I have spoken.
Amen.
Alma, Chapter 16
Alma; 16:1
Alma, Chapter 30
30:1.
1 Behold, now it came to pass
that after the people of Ammon were established in the land of Jershon, yea,
and also after the Lamanites were driven out of the land, and their dead were
buried by the people of the land—
30:2.
2 Now their dead were not
numbered because of the greatness of their numbers; neither were the dead of
the Nephites numbered— 3 but it came to pass
after they had buried their dead, and also after the days of fasting, and
mourning, and prayer, (and it was in the sixteenth year of the reign of the
judges over the people of Nephi) there began to be continual peace throughout
all the land.
30:3.
Yea, and the people did observe to keep the
commandments of the Lord; 4 and they were
strict in observing the ordinances of God, according to the law of Moses; for
they were taught to keep the law of Moses until it should be fulfilled.
30:4.
5 And thus the people did have
no disturbance in all the sixteenth year of the reign of the judges over the
people of Nephi.
Alma; 16:2
30:5.
6 And it came to pass that in
the commencement of the seventeenth year of the reign of the judges, there was
continual peace.
30:6.
7 But it came to pass in the
latter end of the seventeenth year, there came a man into the land of
Zarahemla, and he was Anti-Christ, for he began to preach unto the people
against the prophecies which had been spoken by the prophets, concerning the
coming of Christ.
30:7.
8 Now there was no law against
a man’s belief; for it was strictly contrary to the commands of God that there
should be a law which should bring men on to unequal grounds.
30:8.
9 For thus saith the
scripture: Choose ye this day, whom ye will serve.
30:9.
10 Now if a man desired to
serve God, it was his privilege; or rather, if he believed in God it was his
privilege to serve him; but if he did not believe in him there was no law to
punish him.
30:10.
11 But if he murdered he was
punished unto death; and if he robbed he was also punished; and if he stole he
was also punished; and if he committed adultery he was also punished; yea, for
all this wickedness they were punished.
30:11.
For there was a law that men should be
judged according to their crimes. 12 Nevertheless,
there was no law against a man’s belief; therefore, a man was punished only for
the crimes which he had done; therefore all men were on equal grounds.
30:12.
13 And this Anti-Christ, whose
name was Korihor, (and the law could have no hold upon him) began to preach
unto the people that there should be no Christ. 14 And
after this manner did he preach, saying:
30:13.
O ye that are bound down under a foolish
and a vain hope, why do ye yoke yourselves with such foolish things? Why do ye
look for a Christ? For no man can know of anything which is to come.
30:14.
15 Behold, these things which
ye call prophecies, which ye say are handed down by holy prophets, behold, they
are foolish traditions of your fathers.
30:15.
How do ye know of their surety? 16 Behold, ye cannot know of things which ye do
not see; therefore ye cannot know that there shall be a Christ.
30:16.
17 Ye look forward and say that
ye see a remission of your sins. But behold, it is the effect of a frenzied
mind; and this derangement of your minds comes because of the traditions of
your fathers, which lead you away into a belief of things which are not so.
30:17.
18 And many more such things
did he say unto them, telling them that there could be no atonement made for
the sins of men, but every man fared in this life according to the management
of the creature; therefore every man prospered according to his genius, and
that every man conquered according to his strength; and whatsoever a man did
was no crime.
30:18.
19 And thus he did preach unto
them, leading away the hearts of many, causing them to lift up their heads in
their wickedness, yea, leading away many women, and also men, to commit
whoredoms—telling them that when a man was dead, that was the end thereof.
Alma; 16:3
30:19.
20 Now this man went over to the
land of Jershon also, to preach these things among the people of Ammon, who
were once the people of the Lamanites.
30:20.
21 But behold they were more
wise than many of the Nephites; for they took him, and bound him, and carried
him before Ammon, who was a high priest over that people.
Alma; 16:4
30:21.
22 And it came to pass that he
caused that he should be carried out of the land. 23
And he came over into the land of Gideon, and began to preach unto them
also; and here he did not have much success, for he was taken and bound and
carried before the high priest, and also the chief judge over the land.
Alma; 16:5
30:22.
24 And it came to pass that the
high priest said unto him: Why do ye go about perverting the ways of the Lord? 25 Why do ye teach this people that there shall be
no Christ, to interrupt their rejoicings? 26 Why
do ye speak against all the prophecies of the holy prophets?
30:23.
27 Now the high priest’s name
was Giddonah. 28 And Korihor said unto him:
Because I do not teach the foolish traditions of your fathers, and because I do
not teach this people to bind themselves down under the foolish ordinances and
performances which are laid down by ancient priests, to usurp power and
authority over them, to keep them in ignorance, that they may not lift up their
heads, but be brought down according to thy words.
30:24.
29 Ye say that this people is a
free people. Behold, I say they are in bondage. 30 Ye
say that those ancient prophecies are true. Behold, I say that ye do not know
that they are true.
30:25.
31 Ye say that this people is a
guilty and a fallen people, because of the transgression of a parent. Behold, I
say that a child is not guilty because of its parents.
30:26.
32 And ye also say that Christ
shall come. But behold, I say that ye do not know that there shall be a Christ.
33 And ye say also that he shall be slain
for the sins of the world—
30:27.
And thus ye lead away this people after the
foolish traditions of your fathers, and according to your own desires; 34 and ye keep them down, even as it were in
bondage, that ye may glut yourselves with the labors of their hands, that they
durst not look up with boldness, and that they durst not enjoy their rights and
privileges.
30:28.
35 Yea, they durst not make use
of that which is their own lest they should offend their priests, who do yoke
them according to their desires, and have brought them to believe, by their
traditions and their dreams and their whims and their visions and their
pretended mysteries, that they should, if they did not do according to their
words, offend some unknown being, who they say is God—a being who never has
been seen or known, who never was nor ever will be.
30:29.
36 Now when the high priest and
the chief judge saw the hardness of his heart, yea, when they saw that he would
revile even against God, they would not make any reply to his words; 37 but they caused that he should be bound; and
they delivered him up into the hands of the officers, and sent him to the land
of Zarahemla, that he might be brought before Alma, and the chief judge who was
governor over all the land.
Alma; 16:6
30:30.
38 And it came to pass that when
he was brought before Alma and the chief judge, he did go on in the same manner
as he did in the land of Gideon; yea, he went on to blaspheme.
30:31.
39 And he did rise up in great
swelling words before Alma, and did revile against the priests and teachers,
accusing them of leading away the people after the silly traditions of their
fathers, for the sake of glutting on the labors of the people.
30:32.
40 Now Alma said unto him: Thou
knowest that we do not glut ourselves upon the labors of this people; for
behold I have labored even from the commencement of the reign of the judges
until now, with mine own hands for my support, notwithstanding my many travels
round about the land to declare the word of God unto my people.
30:33.
41 And notwithstanding the many
labors which I have performed in the church, I have never received so much as
even one senine for my labor; neither has any of my brethren, save it were in
the judgment-seat; and then we have received only according to law for our
time.
30:34.
42 And now, if we do not
receive anything for our labors in the church, what doth it profit us to labor
in the church save it were to declare the truth, that we may have rejoicings in
the joy of our brethren?
30:35.
43 Then why sayest thou that we
preach unto this people to get gain, when thou, of thyself, knowest that we
receive no gain? 44 And now, believest thou
that we deceive this people, that causes such joy in their hearts?
30:36.
45 And Korihor answered him,
Yea.
30:37.
46 And then Alma said unto him:
Believest thou that there is a God?
30:38.
And he answered, Nay.
30:39.
47 Now Alma said unto him: Will
ye deny again that there is a God, and also deny the Christ? For behold, I say
unto you, I know there is a God, and also that Christ shall come.
30:40.
48 And now what evidence have
ye that there is no God, or that Christ cometh not? I say unto you that ye have
none, save it be your word only.
30:41.
49 But, behold, I have all
things as a testimony that these things are true; and ye also have all things
as a testimony unto you that they are true; and will ye deny them? 50 Believest thou that these things are true?
30:42.
51 Behold, I know that thou
believest, but thou art possessed with a lying spirit, and ye have put off the
Spirit of God that it may have no place in you; but the devil has power over
you, and he doth carry you about, working devices that he may destroy the
children of God.
Alma; 16:7
30:43.
52 And now Korihor said unto
Alma: If thou wilt show me a sign, that I may be convinced that there is a God,
yea, show unto me that he hath power, and then will I be convinced of the truth
of thy words.
30:44.
53 But Alma said unto him: Thou
hast had signs enough; will ye tempt your God? Will ye say, Show unto me a
sign, when ye have the testimony of all these thy brethren, and also all the
holy prophets? 54 The scriptures are laid
before thee, yea, and all things denote there is a God; yea, even the earth,
and all things that are upon the face of it, yea, and its motion, 55 yea, and also all the planets which move in
their regular form do witness that there is a Supreme Creator.
30:45.
And yet do ye go about, leading away the
hearts of this people, testifying unto them there is no God? And yet will ye
deny against all these witnesses? 56 And he
said: Yea, I will deny, except ye shall show me a sign.
Alma; 16:8
30:46.
57 And now it came to pass that
Alma said unto him: Behold, I am grieved because of the hardness of your heart,
yea, that ye will still resist the spirit of the truth, that thy soul may be
destroyed.
30:47.
58 But behold, it is better
that thy soul should be lost than that thou shouldst be the means of bringing
many souls down to destruction, by thy lying and by thy flattering words; 59 therefore if thou shalt deny again, behold God
shall smite thee, that thou shalt become dumb, that thou shalt never open thy
mouth any more, that thou shalt not deceive this people any more.
30:48.
60 Now Korihor said unto him: I
do not deny the existence of a God, but I do not believe that there is a God;
and I say also, that ye do not know that there is a God; and except ye show me
a sign, I will not believe.
30:49.
61 Now Alma said unto him: This
will I give unto thee for a sign, that thou shalt be struck dumb, according to
my words; and I say, that in the name of God, ye shall be struck dumb, that ye
shall no more have utterance.
30:50.
62 Now when Alma had said these
words, Korihor was struck dumb, that he could not have utterance, according to
the words of Alma.
30:51.
63 And now when the chief judge
saw this, he put forth his hand and wrote unto Korihor, saying: Art thou
convinced of the power of God? 64 In whom
did ye desire that Alma should show forth his sign? Would ye that he should
afflict others, to show unto thee a sign? 65 Behold,
he has showed unto you a sign; and now will ye dispute more?
30:52.
66 And Korihor put forth his
hand and wrote, saying: I know that I am dumb, for I cannot speak; and I know
that nothing save it were the power of God could bring this upon me; yea, and I
always knew that there was a God.
30:53.
67 But behold, the devil hath
deceived me; for he appeared unto me in the form of an angel, and said unto me:
Go and reclaim this people, for they have all gone astray after an unknown God.
68 And he said unto me: There is no God;
yea, and he taught me that which I should say. And I have taught his words; and
I taught them because they were pleasing unto the carnal mind; 69 and I taught them, even until I had much
success, insomuch that I verily believed that they were true; and for this
cause I withstood the truth, even until I have brought this great curse upon
me.
30:54.
70 Now when he had said this,
he besought that Alma should pray unto God, that the curse might be taken from
him.
30:55.
71 But Alma said unto him: If
this curse should be taken from thee thou wouldst again lead away the hearts of
this people; therefore, it shall be unto thee even as the Lord will.
Alma; 16:9
30:56.
72 And it came to pass that the
curse was not taken off of Korihor; but he was cast out, and went about from
house to house begging for his food.
30:57.
73 Now the knowledge of what
had happened unto Korihor was immediately published throughout all the land;
yea, the proclamation was sent forth by the chief judge to all the people in
the land, declaring unto those who had believed in the words of Korihor that
they must speedily repent, lest the same judgments would come unto them.
Alma; 16:10
30:58.
74 And it came to pass that
they were all convinced of the wickedness of Korihor; therefore they were all
converted again unto the Lord; and this put an end to the iniquity after the
manner of Korihor. 75 And Korihor did go
about from house to house, begging food for his support.
Alma; 16:11
30:59.
76 And it came to pass that as
he went forth among the people, yea, among a people who had separated
themselves from the Nephites and called themselves Zoramites, being led by a
man whose name was Zoram—and as he went forth amongst them, behold, he was run
upon and trodden down, even until he was dead.
30:60.
77 And thus we see the end of
him who perverteth the ways of the Lord; and thus we see that the devil will
not support his children at the last day, but doth speedily drag them down to
hell.
Alma; 16:12
Alma, Chapter 31
31:1.
78 Now it came to pass that
after the end of Korihor, Alma having received tidings that the Zoramites were
perverting the ways of the Lord, and that Zoram, who was their leader, was
leading the hearts of the people to bow down to dumb idols, his heart again
began to sicken because of the iniquity of the people.
31:2.
79 For it was the cause of
great sorrow to Alma to know of iniquity among his people; therefore his heart
was exceedingly sorrowful because of the separation of the Zoramites from the
Nephites.
31:3.
80 Now the Zoramites had
gathered themselves together in a land which they called Antionum, which was
east of the land of Zarahemla, which lay nearly bordering upon the seashore,
which was south of the land of Jershon, which also bordered upon the wilderness
south, which wilderness was full of the Lamanites.
31:4.
81 Now the Nephites greatly
feared that the Zoramites would enter into a correspondence with the Lamanites,
and that it would be the means of great loss on the part of the Nephites.
31:5.
82 And now, as the preaching of
the word had a great tendency to lead the people to do that which was just—yea,
it had had more powerful effect upon the minds of the people than the sword, or
anything else, which had happened unto them—therefore Alma thought it was
expedient that they should try the virtue of the word of God.
31:6.
83 Therefore he took Ammon, and
Aaron, and Omner; and Himni he did leave in the church in Zarahemla; but the
former three he took with him, and also Amulek and Zeezrom, who were at Melek;
and he also took two of his sons.
31:7.
84 Now the eldest of his sons
he took not with him, and his name was Helaman; but the names of those whom he
took with him were Shiblon and Corianton; and these are the names of those who
went with him among the Zoramites, to preach unto them the word.
Alma; 16:13
31:8.
85 Now the Zoramites were
dissenters from the Nephites; therefore they had had the word of God preached
unto them.
31:9.
86 But they had fallen into
great errors, for they would not observe to keep the commandments of God, and
his statutes, according to the law of Moses.
31:10.
87 Neither would they observe
the performances of the church, to continue in prayer and supplication to God
daily, that they might not enter into temptation.
31:11.
Yea, in fine, they did pervert the ways of
the Lord in very many instances; therefore, for this cause, Alma and his
brethren went into the land to preach the word unto them.
Alma; 16:14
31:12.
88 Now, when they had come into
the land, behold, to their astonishment they found that the Zoramites had built
synagogues, and that they did gather themselves together on one day of the
week, which day they did call the day of the Lord; 89
and they did worship after a manner which Alma and his brethren had
never beheld;
31:13.
For they had a place built up in the center
of their synagogue, a place for standing, which was high above the head, and
the top thereof would only admit one person.
31:14.
90 Therefore, whosoever desired
to worship must go forth and stand upon the top thereof, and stretch forth his
hands towards heaven, and cry with a loud voice, saying:
31:15.
Holy, holy God; we believe that thou art
God, and we believe that thou art holy, and that thou wast a spirit, and that
thou art a spirit, and that thou wilt be a spirit forever.
31:16.
91 Holy God, we believe that
thou hast separated us from our brethren; and we do not believe in the
tradition of our brethren, which was handed down to them by the childishness of
their fathers; but we believe that thou hast elected us to be thy holy children;
92 and also thou hast made it known unto us
that there shall be no Christ.
31:17.
But thou art the same yesterday, today, and
forever; and thou hast elected us that we shall be saved, whilst all around us
are elected to be cast by thy wrath down to hell; for the which holiness, O
God, we thank thee; 93 and we also thank
thee that thou hast elected us, that we may not be led away after the foolish
traditions of our brethren, which doth bind them down to a belief of Christ,
which doth lead their hearts to wander far from thee, our God.
31:18.
94 And again we thank thee, O
God, that we are a chosen and a holy people. Amen.
Alma; 16:15
31:19.
95 Now it came to pass that
after Alma and his brethren and his sons had heard these prayers, they were
astonished beyond all measure.
31:20.
96 For behold, every man did go
forth and offer up these same prayers.
31:21.
97 Now the place was called by
them Rameumptom, which, being interpreted, is the holy stand.
31:22.
98 Now, from this stand they
did offer up, every man, the selfsame prayer unto God, thanking their God that
they were chosen of him, and that he did not lead them away after the tradition
of their brethren, and that their hearts were not stolen away to believe in
things to come, which they knew nothing about.
Alma; 16:16
31:23.
99 Now, after the people had
all offered up thanks after this manner, they returned to their homes, never
speaking of their God again until they had assembled themselves together again
to the holy stand, to offer up thanks after their manner.
31:24.
100 Now when Alma saw this his
heart was grieved; for he saw that they were a wicked and a perverse people;
yea, he saw that their hearts were set upon gold, and upon silver, and upon all
manner of fine goods.
31:25.
101 Yea, and he also saw that
their hearts were lifted up unto great boasting, in their pride.
31:26.
102 And he lifted up his voice
to heaven, and cried, saying: O, how long, O Lord, wilt thou suffer that thy
servants shall dwell here below in the flesh, to behold such gross wickedness
among the children of men?
31:27.
103 Behold, O God, they cry unto
thee, and yet their hearts are swallowed up in their pride. 104 Behold, O God, they cry unto thee with their
mouths, while they are puffed up, even to greatness, with the vain things of
the world.
31:28.
105 Behold, O my God, their
costly apparel, and their ringlets, and their bracelets, and their ornaments of
gold, and all their precious things which they are ornamented with; 106 and behold, their hearts are set upon them,
and yet they cry unto thee and say—We thank thee, O God, for we are a chosen
people unto thee, while others shall perish.
31:29.
107 Yea, and they say that thou
hast made it known unto them that there shall be no Christ.
31:30.
108 O Lord God, how long wilt
thou suffer that such wickedness and infidelity shall be among this people? 109 O Lord, wilt thou give me strength, that I may
bear with mine infirmities. For I am infirm, and such wickedness among this
people doth pain my soul.
31:31.
110 O Lord, my heart is
exceedingly sorrowful; wilt thou comfort my soul in Christ. 111 O Lord, wilt thou grant unto me that I may
have strength, that I may suffer with patience these afflictions which shall
come upon me, because of the iniquity of this people.
31:32.
112 O Lord, wilt thou comfort my
soul, and give unto me success, and also my fellow laborers who are with
me—yea, Ammon, and Aaron, and Omner, and also Amulek and Zeezrom and also my
two sons—yea, even all these wilt thou comfort, O Lord. Yea, wilt thou comfort
their souls in Christ.
31:33.
113 Wilt thou grant unto them
that they may have strength, that they may bear their afflictions which shall
come upon them because of the iniquities of this people.
31:34.
114 O Lord, wilt thou grant unto
us that we may have success in bringing them again unto thee in Christ.
31:35.
115 Behold, O Lord, their souls
are precious, and many of them are our brethren; therefore, give unto us, O
Lord, power and wisdom that we may bring these, our brethren, again unto thee.
Alma; 16:17
31:36.
116 Now it came to pass that when
Alma had said these words, that he clapped his hands upon all them who were
with him. 117 And behold, as he clapped his
hands upon them, they were filled with the Holy Spirit.
31:37.
118 And after that they did
separate themselves one from another, taking no thought for themselves what
they should eat, or what they should drink, or what they should put on.
31:38.
119 And the Lord provided for
them that they should hunger not, neither should they thirst; yea, and he also
gave them strength, that they should suffer no manner of afflictions, save it
were swallowed up in the joy of Christ. 120 Now
this was according to the prayer of Alma; and this because he prayed in faith.
Alma; 16:18
Alma, Chapter 32
32:1.
121 And it came to pass that they
did go forth, and began to preach the word of God unto the people, entering
into their synagogues, and into their houses; yea, and even they did preach the
word in their streets.
32:2.
122 And it came to pass that
after much labor among them, they began to have success among the poor class of
people; for behold, they were cast out of the synagogues because of the
coarseness of their apparel—
32:3.
123 Therefore they were not
permitted to enter into their synagogues to worship God, being esteemed as
filthiness; therefore they were poor; yea, they were esteemed by their brethren
as dross; therefore they were poor as to things of the world; and also they
were poor in heart.
Alma; 16:19
32:4.
124 Now, as Alma was teaching
and speaking unto the people upon the hill Onidah, there came a great multitude
unto him, who were those of whom we have been speaking, of whom were poor in
heart, because of their poverty as to the things of the world.
32:5.
125 And they came unto Alma; and
the one who was the foremost among them said unto him: Behold, what shall these
my brethren do, for they are despised of all men because of their poverty, yea,
and more especially by our priests; 126 for
they have cast us out of our synagogues which we have labored abundantly to
build with our own hands; and they have cast us out because of our exceeding
poverty; and we have no place to worship our God; and behold, what shall we do?
32:6.
127 And now when Alma heard
this, he turned him about, his face immediately towards him, and he beheld with
great joy; for he beheld that their afflictions had truly humbled them and that
they were in a preparation to hear the word.
32:7.
128 Therefore he did say no more
to the other multitude; but he stretched forth his hand, and cried unto those
whom he beheld, who were truly penitent, and said unto them:
32:8.
I behold that ye are lowly in heart; and if
so, blessed are ye.
32:9.
129 Behold thy brother hath
said, What shall we do?—for we are cast out of our synagogues, that we cannot
worship our God.
32:10.
130 Behold I say unto you, do ye
suppose that ye cannot worship God save it be in your synagogues only?
32:11.
131 Moreover, I would ask, do ye
suppose that ye must not worship God only once in a week?
32:12.
132 I say unto you, it is well
that ye are cast out of your synagogues, that ye may be humble, and that ye may
learn wisdom; for it is necessary that ye should learn wisdom; 133 for it is because that ye are cast out, that
ye are despised of your brethren because of your exceeding poverty, that ye are
brought to a lowliness of heart; for ye are necessarily brought to be humble.
32:13.
134 And now, because ye are
compelled to be humble blessed are ye; for a man sometimes, if he is compelled
to be humble, seeketh repentance; 135 and
now surely, whosoever repenteth shall find mercy; and he that findeth mercy and
endureth to the end the same shall be saved.
Alma; 16:20
32:14. 136 And now, as I said unto you, that because ye were compelled to
be humble ye were blessed, do ye not suppose that they are more blessed who
truly humble themselves because of the word?
32:15.
137 Yea, he that truly humbleth
himself, and repenteth of his sins, and endureth to the end, the same shall be
blessed—yea, much more blessed than they who are compelled to be humble because
of their exceeding poverty.
32:16.
Therefore, blessed are they who humble
themselves without being compelled to be humble; 138
or rather, in other words, blessed is he that believeth in the word of
God, and is baptized without stubbornness of heart, yea, without being brought
to know the word, or even compelled to know, before they will believe.
32:17.
139 Yea, there are many who do
say: If thou wilt show unto us a sign from heaven, then we shall know of a
surety; then we shall believe.
32:18.
140 Now I ask, is this faith?
Behold, I say unto you, Nay; for if a man knoweth a thing he hath no cause to
believe, for he knoweth it.
32:19.
141 And now, how much more
cursed is he that knoweth the will of God and doeth it not, than he that only
believeth, or only hath cause to believe, and falleth into transgression?
32:20.
Now of this thing ye must judge. 142 Behold, I say unto you, that it is on the one
hand even as it is on the other; and it shall be unto every man according to
his work.
Alma; 16:21
32:21. 143 And now as I said concerning faith—faith is not to have a
perfect knowledge of things; therefore if ye have faith ye hope for things
which are not seen, which are true.
32:22.
144 And now, behold, I say unto
you, and I would that ye should remember, that God is merciful unto all who
believe on his name; therefore he desireth, in the first place, that ye should
believe, yea, even on his word.
32:23.
145 And now, he imparteth his
word by angels unto men, yea, not only men but women also. 146 Now this is not all; little children do have
words given unto them many times which confound the wise and the learned.
Alma; 16:22
32:24. 147 And now, my beloved brethren, as ye have desired to know of me
what ye shall do because ye are afflicted and cast out—now I do not desire that
ye should suppose that I mean to judge you only according to that which is
true—
32:25.
148 For I do not mean that ye
all of you have been compelled to humble yourselves; for I verily believe that
there are some among you who would humble themselves, let them be in whatsoever
circumstances they might.
32:26.
149 Now, as I said concerning
faith—that it was not a perfect knowledge—even so it is with my words. 150 Ye cannot know of their surety at first, unto
perfection, any more than faith is a perfect knowledge.
32:27.
151 But behold, if ye will awake
and arouse your faculties, even to an experiment upon my words, and exercise a
particle of faith, yea, even if ye can no more than desire to believe, let this
desire work in you, even until ye believe in a manner that ye can give place
for a portion of my words.
32:28.
152 Now, we will compare the
word unto a seed.
Alma; 16:23
a.
153 Now, if ye give place, that a
seed may be planted in your heart, behold, if it be a true seed, or a good
seed, if ye do not cast it out by your unbelief, that ye will resist the Spirit
of the Lord, behold, it will begin to swell within your breasts; 154 and when you feel these swelling motions, ye
will begin to say within yourselves—It must needs be that this is a good seed,
or that the word is good, for it beginneth to enlarge my soul; yea, it
beginneth to enlighten my understanding, yea, it beginneth to be delicious to
me.
32:29.
155 Now behold, would not this
increase your faith? I say unto you, Yea; nevertheless it hath not grown up to
a perfect knowledge.
32:30.
156 But behold, as the seed
swelleth, and sprouteth, and beginneth to grow, then you must needs say that
the seed is good; for behold it swelleth, and sprouteth, and beginneth to grow.
157 And now behold, will not this strengthen
your faith? Yea, it will strengthen your faith: for ye will say I know that
this is a good seed; for behold it sprouteth and beginneth to grow.
32:31.
158 And now, behold, are ye sure
that this is a good seed? I say unto you, Yea; for every seed bringeth forth
unto its own likeness.
32:32.
Therefore, if a seed groweth it is good,
but if it groweth not, behold it is not good, therefore it is cast away.
32:33.
159 And now, behold, because ye
have tried the experiment, and planted the seed, and it swelleth and sprouteth,
and beginneth to grow, ye must needs know that the seed is good.
32:34.
160 And now, behold, is your
knowledge perfect? Yea, your knowledge is perfect in that thing, and your faith
is dormant; 161 and this because ye know,
for ye know that the word hath swelled your souls, and ye also know that it
hath sprouted up, that your understanding doth begin to be enlightened, and
your mind doth begin to expand.
32:35.
162 O then, is not this real? I
say unto you, Yea, because it is light; and whatsoever is light, is good,
because it is discernible, therefore ye must know that it is good; and now
behold, 163 after ye have tasted this light
is your knowledge perfect?
32:36.
Behold I say unto you, Nay; neither must ye
lay aside your faith, for ye have only exercised your faith to plant the seed
that ye might try the experiment to know if the seed was good.
32:37.
164 And behold, as the tree
beginneth to grow, ye will say: Let us nourish it with great care, that it may
get root, that it may grow up, and bring forth fruit unto us. 165 And now behold, if ye nourish it with much
care it will get root, and grow up, and bring forth fruit.
Alma; 16:24
32:38. 166 But if ye neglect the tree, and take no
thought for its nourishment, behold it will not get any root; and when the heat
of the sun cometh and scorcheth it, because it hath no root it withers away,
and ye pluck it up and cast it out.
32:39.
167 Now, this is not because the
seed was not good, neither is it because the fruit thereof would not be
desirable; 168 but it is because your ground
is barren, and ye will not nourish the tree, therefore ye cannot have the fruit
thereof.
32:40.
169 And thus, if ye will not
nourish the word, looking forward with an eye of faith to the fruit thereof, ye
can never pluck of the fruit of the tree of life.
32:41.
170 But if ye will nourish the
word, yea, nourish the tree as it beginneth to grow, by your faith with great
diligence, and with patience, looking forward to the fruit thereof, it shall
take root; and behold it shall be a tree springing up unto everlasting life.
32:42.
171 And because of your
diligence and your faith and your patience with the word in nourishing it, that
it may take root in you, behold, by and by ye shall pluck the fruit thereof,
which is most precious, which is sweet above all that is sweet, and which is
white above all that is white, yea, and pure above all that is pure; 172 and ye shall feast upon this fruit even until
ye are filled, that ye hunger not, neither shall ye thirst.
32:43.
173 Then, my brethren, ye shall
reap the rewards of your faith, and your diligence, and patience, and
long-suffering, waiting for the tree to bring forth fruit unto you.
Alma; 16:25
Alma, Chapter 33
33:1.
174 Now after Alma had spoken
these words, they sent forth unto him desiring to know whether they should
believe in one God, that they might obtain this fruit of which he had spoken,
or how they should plant the seed, or the word of which he had spoken, which he
said must be planted in their hearts; or in what manner they should begin to
exercise their faith.
33:2.
175 And Alma said unto them:
Behold, ye have said that ye could not worship your God because ye are cast out
of your synagogues. 176 But behold, I say
unto you, if ye suppose that ye cannot worship God, ye do greatly err, and ye
ought to search the scriptures; if ye suppose that they have taught you this,
ye do not understand them.
33:3.
177 Do ye remember to have read
what Zenos, the prophet of old, has said concerning prayer or worship?
33:4.
178 For he said: Thou art
merciful, O God, for thou hast heard my prayer, even when I was in the
wilderness; yea, thou wast merciful when I prayed concerning those who were
mine enemies, and thou didst turn them to me.
33:5.
179 Yea, O God, and thou wast
merciful unto me when I did cry unto thee in my field; when I did cry unto thee
in my prayer, and thou didst hear me.
33:6.
180 And again, O God, when I did
turn to my house thou didst hear me in my prayer.
33:7.
181 And when I did turn unto my
closet, O Lord, and prayed unto thee, thou didst hear me.
33:8.
Yea, thou art merciful unto thy children
when they cry unto thee, to be heard of thee and not of men, and thou wilt hear
them.
33:9.
182 Yea, O God, thou hast been
merciful unto me, and heard my cries in the midst of thy congregations.
33:10.
Yea, and thou hast also heard me when I
have been cast out and have been despised by mine enemies; 183 yea, thou didst hear my cries, and wast angry
with mine enemies, and thou didst visit them in thine anger with speedy
destruction.
33:11.
And thou didst hear me because of mine
afflictions and my sincerity; 184 and it is
because of thy Son that thou hast been thus merciful unto me, therefore I will
cry unto thee in all mine afflictions, for in thee is my joy; for thou hast
turned thy judgments away from me, because of thy Son.
Alma; 16:26
33:12.
185 And now Alma said unto them:
Do ye believe those scriptures which have been written by them of old?
33:13.
186 Behold, if ye do, ye must
believe what Zenos said; for, behold he said: Thou hast turned away thy
judgments because of thy Son.
33:14.
187 Now behold, my brethren, I
would ask if ye have read the scriptures? If ye have, how can ye disbelieve on
the Son of God?
33:15.
188 For it is not written that
Zenos alone spake of these things, but Zenock also spake of these things—
33:16.
For behold, he said: Thou art angry, O
Lord, with this people, because they will not understand thy mercies which thou
hast bestowed upon them because of thy Son.
33:17.
189 And now, my brethren, ye see
that a second prophet of old has testified of the Son of God, and because the
people would not understand his words they stoned him to death.
33:18.
190 But behold, this is not all;
these are not the only ones who have spoken concerning the Son of God.
33:19.
191 Behold, he was spoken of by
Moses; yea, and behold a type was raised up in the wilderness, that whosoever
would look upon it might live. And many did look and live.
33:20.
192 But few understood the
meaning of those things, and this because of the hardness of their hearts. 193 But there were many who were so hardened that
they would not look, therefore they perished. 194 Now
the reason they would not look is because they did not believe that it would
heal them.
33:21.
195 O my brethren, if ye could
be healed by merely casting about your eyes that ye might be healed, would ye
not behold quickly, or would ye rather harden your hearts in unbelief, and be
slothful, that ye would not cast about your eyes, that ye might perish?
33:22.
196 If so, wo shall come upon
you; but if not so, then cast about your eyes and begin to believe in the Son
of God, that he will come to redeem his people, and that he shall suffer and
die to atone for their sins; 197 and that he
shall rise again from the dead, which shall bring to pass the resurrection,
that all men shall stand before him, to be judged at the last and judgment day,
according to their works.
33:23.
198 And now, my brethren, I
desire that ye shall plant this word in your hearts, and as it beginneth to
swell even so nourish it by your faith. 199 And
behold, it will become a tree, springing up in you unto everlasting life. 200 And then may God grant unto you that your
burdens may be light, through the joy of his Son. And even all this can ye do
if ye will. Amen.
Alma; 16:27
Alma, Chapter 34
34:1.
201 And now it came to pass that
after Alma had spoken these words unto them he sat down upon the ground, and
Amulek arose and began to teach them, saying:
34:2.
My brethren, I think that it is impossible
that ye should be ignorant of the things which have been spoken concerning the
coming of Christ, who is taught by us to be the Son of God; 202 yea, I know that these things were taught unto
you bountifully before your dissension from among us.
34:3.
And as ye have desired of my beloved
brother that he should make known unto you what ye should do, because of your
afflictions; and he hath spoken somewhat unto you to prepare your minds; yea,
and he hath exhorted you unto faith and to patience—
34:4.
203 Yea, even that ye would have
so much faith as even to plant the word in your hearts, that ye may try the
experiment of its goodness.
34:5.
And we have beheld that the great question
which is in your minds is whether the word be in the Son of God, or whether
there shall be no Christ.
34:6.
204 And ye also beheld that my
brother has proved unto you, in many instances, that the word is in Christ unto
salvation.
34:7.
205 My brother has called upon
the words of Zenos, that redemption cometh through the Son of God, and also
upon the words of Zenock; and also he has appealed unto Moses, to prove that
these things are true.
34:8.
206 And now, behold, I will
testify unto you of myself that these things are true. 207
Behold, I say unto you, that I do know that Christ shall come among the
children of men, to take upon him the transgressions of his people, and that he
shall atone for the sins of the world; for the Lord God hath spoken it.
34:9.
208 For it is expedient that an
atonement should be made; for according to the great plan of the Eternal God
there must be an atonement made, or else all mankind must unavoidably perish; 209 yea, all are hardened; yea, all are fallen and
are lost, and must perish except it be through the atonement which it is
expedient should be made.
34:10.
210 For it is expedient that
there should be a great and last sacrifice; yea, not a sacrifice of man,
neither of beast, neither of any manner of fowl; for it shall not be a human
sacrifice; but it must be an infinite and eternal sacrifice.
Alma; 16:28
34:11.
211 Now there is not any man
that can sacrifice his own blood which will atone for the sins of another. 212 Now, if a man murdereth, behold will our law,
which is just, take the life of his brother? I say unto you, Nay.
34:12.
213 But the law requireth the
life of him who hath murdered; therefore there can be nothing which is short of
an infinite atonement which will suffice for the sins of the world.
34:13.
Therefore, it is expedient that there
should be a great and last sacrifice; 214 and
then shall there be, or it is expedient there should be, a stop to the shedding
of blood; then shall the law of Moses be fulfilled; yea, it shall be all
fulfilled, every jot and tittle, and none shall have passed away.
34:14.
215 And behold, this is the
whole meaning of the law, every whit pointing to that great and last sacrifice;
and that great and last sacrifice will be the Son of God, yea, infinite and
eternal.
34:15.
And thus he shall bring salvation to all
those who shall believe on his name; 216 this
being the intent of this last sacrifice, to bring about the bowels of mercy,
which overpowereth justice, and bringeth about means unto men that they may
have faith unto repentance.
34:16.
217 And thus mercy can satisfy
the demands of justice, and encircles them in the arms of safety, while he that
exercises no faith unto repentance is exposed to the whole law of the demands
of justice; therefore only unto him that has faith unto repentance is brought
about the great and eternal plan of redemption.
34:17.
218 Therefore may God grant unto
you, my brethren, that ye may begin to exercise your faith unto repentance,
that ye begin to call upon his holy name, that he would have mercy upon you;
34:18.
Yea, cry unto him for mercy; for he is
mighty to save.
34:19.
219 Yea, humble yourselves, and
continue in prayer unto him.
34:20.
Cry unto him when ye are in your fields,
yea, over all your flocks.
34:21.
Cry unto him in your houses, yea, over all
your household, both morning, mid-day, and evening.
34:22.
Yea, cry unto him against the power of your
enemies.
34:23.
Yea, cry unto him against the devil, who is
an enemy to all righteousness.
34:24.
220 Cry unto him over the crops
of your fields, that ye may prosper in them.
34:25.
Cry over the flocks of your fields, that
they may increase.
34:26.
221 But this is not all; ye must
pour out your souls in your closets, and your secret places, and in your
wilderness.
34:27.
222 Yea, and when you do not cry
unto the Lord, let your hearts be full, drawn out in prayer unto him
continually for your welfare, and also for the welfare of those who are around
you.
Alma; 16:29
34:28.
223 And now behold, my beloved
brethren, I say unto you, do not suppose that this is all; for after ye have
done all these things, if ye turn away the needy, and the naked, and visit not
the sick and afflicted, and impart of your substance, if ye have, to those who
stand in need— 224 I say unto you, if ye do
not any of these things, behold, your prayer is vain, and availeth you nothing,
and ye are as hypocrites who do deny the faith.
34:29.
225 Therefore, if ye do not
remember to be charitable, ye are as dross, which the refiners do cast out, (it
being of no worth) and is trodden under foot of men.
Alma; 16:30
34:30.
226 And now, my brethren, I would
that, after ye have received so many witnesses, seeing that the holy scriptures
testify of these things, ye come forth and bring fruit unto repentance.
34:31.
227 Yea, I would that ye would
come forth and harden not your hearts any longer; for behold, now is the time
and the day of your salvation; and therefore, if ye will repent and harden not
your hearts, immediately shall the great plan of redemption be brought about
unto you.
34:32.
228 For behold, this life is the
time for men to prepare to meet God; yea, behold the day of this life is the
day for men to perform their labors.
34:33.
229 And now, as I said unto you
before, as ye have had so many witnesses, therefore, I beseech of you that ye
do not procrastinate the day of your repentance until the end; 230 for after this day of life, which is given us
to prepare for eternity, behold, if we do not improve our time while in this
life, then cometh the night of darkness wherein there can be no labor
performed.
34:34.
231 Ye cannot say, when ye are
brought to that awful crisis, that I will repent, that I will return to my God.
232 Nay, ye cannot say this; for that same
spirit which doth possess your bodies at the time that ye go out of this life,
that same spirit will have power to possess your body in that eternal world.
34:35.
233 For behold, if ye have
procrastinated the day of your repentance even until death, behold, ye have
become subjected to the spirit of the devil, and he doth seal you his; 234 therefore, the Spirit of the Lord hath
withdrawn from you, and hath no place in you, and the devil hath all power over
you; and this is the final state of the wicked.
34:36.
235 And this I know, because the
Lord hath said he dwelleth not in unholy temples, but in the hearts of the
righteous doth he dwell; 236 yea, and he has
also said that the righteous shall sit down in his kingdom, to go no more out;
but their garments should be made white through the blood of the Lamb.
Alma; 16:31
34:37.
237 And now, my beloved
brethren, I desire that ye should remember these things, and that ye should
work out your salvation with fear before God, and that ye should no more deny
the coming of Christ;
34:38.
That ye contend no more against the Holy
Ghost, but that ye receive it, and take upon you the name of Christ; that ye
humble yourselves even to the dust, and worship God, in whatsoever place ye may
be in, in spirit and in truth; 238 and that
ye live in thanksgiving daily, for the many mercies and blessings which he doth
bestow upon you.
34:39.
Yea, and I also exhort you, my brethren,
that ye be watchful unto prayer continually, that ye may not be led away by the
temptations of the devil, that he may not overpower you, that ye may not become
his subjects at the last day; for behold, he rewardeth you no good thing.
34:40.
239 And now my beloved brethren,
I would exhort you to have patience, and that ye bear with all manner of
afflictions; that ye do not revile against those who do cast you out because of
your exceeding poverty, lest ye become sinners like unto them;
34:41.
But that ye have patience, and bear with
those afflictions, with a firm hope that ye shall one day rest from all your
afflictions.
Alma; 16:32
Alma, Chapter 35
35:1.
240 Now it came to pass that
after Amulek had made an end of these words, they withdrew themselves from the
multitude and came over into the land of Jershon.
35:2.
241 Yea, and the rest of the
brethren, after they had preached the word unto the Zoramites, also came over
into the land of Jershon.
35:3.
242 And it came to pass that
after the more popular part of the Zoramites had consulted together concerning
the words which had been preached unto them, they were angry because of the
word, for it did destroy their craft; therefore they would not hearken unto the
words.
35:4.
243 And they sent and gathered
together throughout all the land all the people, and consulted with them
concerning the words which had been spoken.
35:5.
244 Now their rulers and their
priests and their teachers did not let the people know concerning their
desires; therefore they found out privily the minds of all the people.
35:6.
245 And it came to pass that
after they had found out the minds of all the people, those who were in favor
of the words which had been spoken by Alma and his brethren were cast out of
the land; and they were many; and they came over also into the land of Jershon.
Alma; 16:33
35:7.
246 And it came to pass that
Alma and his brethren did minister unto them.
35:8.
247 Now the people of the
Zoramites were angry with the people of Ammon who were in Jershon, and the
chief ruler of the Zoramites, being a very wicked man, sent over unto the
people of Ammon desiring them that they should cast out of their land all those
who came over from them into their land.
35:9.
248 And he breathed out many
threatenings against them. 249 And now the
people of Ammon did not fear their words; therefore they did not cast them out,
but they did receive all the poor of the Zoramites that came over unto them; 250 and they did nourish them, and did clothe
them, and did give unto them lands for their inheritance; and they did
administer unto them according to their wants.
35:10.
251 Now this did stir up the
Zoramites to anger against the people of Ammon, and they began to mix with the
Lamanites and to stir them up also to anger against them.
35:11.
252 And thus the Zoramites and
the Lamanites began to make preparations for war against the people of Ammon,
and also against the Nephites.
35:12.
253 And thus ended the
seventeenth year of the reign of the judges over the people of Nephi.
Alma; 16:34
35:13.
254 And the people of Ammon
departed out of the land of Jershon, and came over into the land of Melek, and
gave place in the land of Jershon for the armies of the Nephites, that they
might contend with the armies of the Lamanites and the armies of the Zoramites;
255 and thus commenced a war betwixt the
Lamanites and the Nephites, in the eighteenth year of the reign of the judges;
and an account shall be given of their wars hereafter.
35:14.
256 And Alma, and Ammon, and
their brethren, and also the two sons of Alma returned to the land of
Zarahemla, after having been instruments in the hands of God of bringing many
of the Zoramites to repentance; and as many as were brought to repentance were
driven out of their land; 257 but they have
lands for their inheritance in the land of Jershon, and they have taken up arms
to defend themselves, and their wives, and children, and their lands.
35:15.
258 Now Alma, being grieved for
the iniquity of his people, yea for the wars, and the bloodsheds, and the
contentions which were among them; and having been to declare the word, or sent
to declare the word, among all the people in every city; 259 and seeing that the hearts of the people began
to wax hard, and that they began to be offended because of the strictness of
the word, his heart was exceedingly sorrowful.
35:16.
260 Therefore, he caused that
his sons should be gathered together, that he might give unto them every one
his charge, separately, concerning the things pertaining unto righteousness. 261 And we have an account of his commandments,
which he gave unto them according to his own record.
Alma, Chapter 17
The commandments of Alma to his son Helaman.
Alma; 17:1
Alma, Chapter 36
36:1.
1 My son, give ear to my
words; for I swear unto you, that inasmuch as ye shall keep the commandments of
God ye shall prosper in the land.
36:2.
2 I would that ye should do as
I have done, in remembering the captivity of our fathers; for they were in
bondage, and none could deliver them except it was the God of Abraham, and the
God of Isaac, and the God of Jacob; and he surely did deliver them in their
afflictions.
36:3.
3 And now, O my son Helaman,
behold, thou art in thy youth, and therefore, I beseech of thee that thou wilt
hear my words and learn of me; for I do know that whosoever shall put their
trust in God shall be supported in their trials, and their troubles, and their
afflictions, and shall be lifted up at the last day.
36:4.
4 And I would not that ye
think that I know of myself—not of the temporal but of the spiritual, not of
the carnal mind but of God.
36:5.
5 Now, behold, I say unto you,
if I had not been born of God I should not have known these things; but God
has, by the mouth of his holy angel, made these things known unto me, not of
any worthiness of myself.
36:6.
For I went about with the sons of Mosiah,
seeking to destroy the church of God; but behold, God sent his holy angel to
stop us by the way.
36:7.
6 And behold, he spake unto
us, as it were the voice of thunder, and the whole earth did tremble beneath
our feet; and we all fell to the earth, for the fear of the Lord came upon us.
36:8.
7 But behold, the voice said
unto me: Arise. And I arose and stood up, and beheld the angel.
36:9.
And he said unto me: If thou wilt of
thyself be destroyed, seek no more to destroy the church of God.
Alma; 17:2
36:10. 8 And it came to pass that I fell to the earth; and it was for
the space of three days and three nights that I could not open my mouth,
neither had I the use of my limbs.
36:11.
9 And the angel spake more
things unto me, which were heard by my brethren, but I did not hear them; for
when I heard the words—If thou wilt be destroyed of thyself, seek no more to
destroy the church of God—I was struck with such great fear and amazement lest
perhaps I should be destroyed, that I fell to the earth and I did hear no more.
36:12.
10 But I was racked with
eternal torment, for my soul was harrowed up to the greatest degree and racked
with all my sins.
36:13.
Yea, I did remember all my sins and
iniquities, for which I was tormented with the pains of hell; 11 yea, I saw that I had rebelled against my God,
and that I had not kept his holy commandments.
36:14.
Yea, and I had murdered many of his
children, or rather led them away unto destruction; 12
yea, and in fine so great had been my iniquities, that the very thought
of coming into the presence of my God did rack my soul with inexpressible
horror.
36:15.
13 Oh, thought I, that I could
be banished and become extinct both soul and body, that I might not be brought
to stand in the presence of my God, to be judged of my deeds.
36:16.
14 And now, for three days and
for three nights was I racked, even with the pains of a damned soul.
Alma; 17:3
36:17. 15 And it came to pass that as I was thus racked with torment,
while I was harrowed up by the memory of my many sins, behold, I remembered
also to have heard my father prophesy unto the people concerning the coming of
one Jesus Christ, a Son of God, to atone for the sins of the world.
36:18.
16 Now, as my mind caught hold
upon this thought, I cried within my heart: O Jesus, thou Son of God, have
mercy on me, who am in the gall of bitterness, and am encircled about by the
everlasting chains of death.
36:19.
17 And now, behold, when I
thought this, I could remember my pains no more; yea, I was harrowed up by the
memory of my sins no more.
36:20.
18 And oh, what joy, and what
marvelous light I did behold; yea, my soul was filled with joy as exceeding as
was my pain!
36:21.
Yea, I say unto you, my son, that there
could be nothing so exquisite and so bitter as were my pains. 19 Yea, and again I say unto you, my son, that on
the other hand, there can be nothing so exquisite and sweet as was my joy.
36:22.
20 Yea, methought I saw, even
as our father Lehi saw, God sitting upon his throne, surrounded with numberless
concourses of angels, in the attitude of singing and praising their God; yea,
and my soul did long to be there.
36:23.
21 But behold, my limbs did
receive their strength again, and I stood upon my feet, and did manifest unto
the people that I had been born of God.
36:24.
22 Yea, and from that time even
until now, I have labored without ceasing, that I might bring souls unto
repentance; that I might bring them to taste of the exceeding joy of which I
did taste; that they might also be born of God, and be filled with the Holy
Ghost.
36:25.
23 Yea, and now behold, O my
son, the Lord doth give me exceedingly great joy in the fruit of my labors;
36:26.
For because of the word which he has
imparted unto me, behold, many have been born of God, and have tasted as I have
tasted, and have seen eye to eye as I have seen; 24
therefore they do know of these things of which I have spoken, as I do
know; and the knowledge which I have is of God.
Alma; 17:4
36:27. 25 And I have been supported under trials and troubles of every
kind, yea, and in all manner of afflictions; yea, God has delivered me from
prison, and from bonds, and from death; yea, and I do put my trust in him, and
he will still deliver me.
36:28.
26 And I know that he will
raise me up at the last day, to dwell with him in glory; yea, and I will praise
him forever, for he has brought our fathers out of Egypt, and he has swallowed
up the Egyptians in the Red Sea; and he led them by his power into the promised
land; 27 yea, and he has delivered them out
of bondage and captivity from time to time.
36:29.
Yea, and he has also brought our fathers
out of the land of Jerusalem; and he has also, by his everlasting power,
delivered them out of bondage and captivity, from time to time even down to the
present day; 28 and I have always retained
in remembrance their captivity; yea, and ye also ought to retain in
remembrance, as I have done, their captivity.
36:30.
29 But behold, my son, this is
not all; for ye ought to know as I do know, that inasmuch as ye shall keep the
commandments of God ye shall prosper in the land; 30
and ye ought to know also, that inasmuch as ye will not keep the
commandments of God ye shall be cut off from his presence. Now this is
according to his word.
Alma; 17:5
Alma, Chapter 37
37:1.
31 And now, my son Helaman, I
command you that ye take the records which have been entrusted with me;
37:2.
And I also command you that ye keep a
record of this people, according as I have done, upon the plates of Nephi, and
keep all these things sacred which I have kept, even as I have kept them; for
it is for a wise purpose that they are kept.
37:3.
32 And these plates of brass,
which contain these engravings, which have the records of the holy scriptures
upon them, which have the genealogy of our forefathers, even from the
beginning—
37:4.
33 Behold, it has been
prophesied by our fathers, that they should be kept and handed down from one
generation to another, and be kept and preserved by the hand of the Lord until
they should go forth unto every nation, kindred, tongue, and people, that they
shall know of the mysteries contained thereon.
37:5.
34 And now behold, if they are
kept they must retain their brightness; yea, and they will retain their
brightness; yea, and also shall all the plates which do contain that which is
holy writ.
37:6.
35 Now ye may suppose that this
is foolishness in me; but behold I say unto you, that by small and simple
things are great things brought to pass; and small means in many instances doth
confound the wise.
37:7.
36 And the Lord God doth work
by means to bring about his great and eternal purposes; and by very small means
the Lord doth confound the wise and bringeth about the salvation of many souls.
Alma; 17:6
37:8.
37 And now, it has hitherto
been wisdom in God that these things should be preserved; for behold, they have
enlarged the memory of this people, yea, and convinced many of the error of
their ways, and brought them to the knowledge of their God unto the salvation
of their souls.
37:9.
38 Yea, I say unto you, were it
not for these things that these records do contain, which are on these plates,
Ammon and his brethren could not have convinced so many thousands of the
Lamanites of the incorrect tradition of their fathers; 39
yea, these records and their words brought them unto repentance; that
is, they brought them to the knowledge of the Lord their God, and to rejoice in
Jesus Christ their Redeemer.
37:10.
40 And who knoweth but what they
will be the means of bringing many thousands of them, yea, and also many
thousands of our stiffnecked brethren, the Nephites, who are now hardening
their hearts in sin and iniquities, to the knowledge of their Redeemer?
37:11.
41 Now these mysteries are not
yet fully made known unto me; therefore I shall forbear.
37:12.
42 And it may suffice if I only
say they are preserved for a wise purpose, which purpose is known unto God; for
he doth counsel in wisdom over all his works, and his paths are straight, and
his course is one eternal round.
37:13.
43 O remember, remember, my son
Helaman, how strict are the commandments of God. 44
And he said: If ye will keep my commandments ye shall prosper in the
land—but if ye keep not his commandments ye shall be cut off from his presence.
37:14.
45 And now remember, my son,
that God has entrusted you with these things, which are sacred, which he has
kept sacred, and also which he will keep and preserve for a wise purpose in
him, that he may show forth his power unto future generations.
Alma; 17:7
37:15.
46 And now behold, I tell you
by the spirit of prophecy, that if ye transgress the commandments of God,
behold, these things which are sacred shall be taken away from you by the power
of God, and ye shall be delivered up unto Satan, that he may sift you as chaff
before the wind.
37:16.
47 But if ye keep the
commandments of God, and do with these things which are sacred according to
that which the Lord doth command you, (for you must appeal unto the Lord for
all things whatsoever ye must do with them) behold, no power of earth or hell
can take them from you, for God is powerful to the fulfilling of all his words.
37:17.
48 For he will fulfil all his
promises which he shall make unto you, for he has fulfilled his promises which
he has made unto our fathers.
37:18.
49 For he promised unto them
that he would preserve these things for a wise purpose in him, that he might
show forth his power unto future generations.
Alma; 17:8
37:19.
50 And now behold, one purpose
hath he fulfilled, even to the restoration of many thousands of the Lamanites
to the knowledge of the truth; and he hath shown forth his power in them, and
he will also still show forth his power in them unto future generations;
therefore they shall be preserved.
37:20.
51 Therefore I command you, my
son Helaman, that ye be diligent in fulfilling all my words, and that ye be
diligent in keeping the commandments of God as they are written.
Alma; 17:9
37:21.
52 And now, I will speak unto
you concerning those twenty-four plates, that ye keep them, that the mysteries
and the works of darkness, and their secret works, or the secret works of those
people who have been destroyed, may be made manifest unto this people; 53 yea, all their murders, and robbings, and their
plunderings, and all their wickedness and abominations, may be made manifest
unto this people; yea, and that ye preserve these interpreters.
37:22.
54 For behold, the Lord saw
that his people began to work in darkness, yea, work secret murders and
abominations; therefore the Lord said, if they did not repent they should be
destroyed from off the face of the earth.
37:23.
55 And the Lord said: I will
prepare unto my servant Gazelem, a stone, which shall shine forth in darkness
unto light, that I may discover unto my people who serve me, that I may
discover unto them the works of their brethren, yea, their secret works, their
works of darkness, and their wickedness and abominations.
37:24.
56 And now, my son, these
interpreters were prepared that the word of God might be fulfilled, which he
spake, saying:
37:25.
I will bring forth out of darkness unto
light all their secret works and their abominations; 57
and except they repent I will destroy them from off the face of the
earth; and I will bring to light all their secrets and abominations, unto every
nation that shall hereafter possess the land.
37:26.
58 And now, my son, we see that
they did not repent; therefore they have been destroyed, and thus far the word
of God has been fulfilled; yea, their secret abominations have been brought out
of darkness and made known unto us.
Alma; 17:10
37:27.
59 And now, my son, I command
you that ye retain all their oaths, and their covenants, and their agreements
in their secret abominations; yea, and all their signs and their wonders ye
shall keep from this people, that they know them not, lest peradventure they
should fall into darkness also and be destroyed.
37:28.
60 For behold, there is a curse
upon all this land, that destruction shall come upon all those workers of
darkness, according to the power of God, when they are fully ripe; therefore I
desire that this people might not be destroyed.
37:29.
61 Therefore ye shall keep
these secret plans of their oaths and their covenants from this people, and
only their wickedness and their murders and their abominations shall ye make
known unto them; 62 and ye shall teach them
to abhor such wickedness and abominations and murders; and ye shall also teach
them that these people were destroyed on account of their wickedness and
abominations and their murders.
37:30.
63 For behold, they murdered
all the prophets of the Lord who came among them to declare unto them
concerning their iniquities; and the blood of those whom they murdered did cry
unto the Lord their God for vengeance upon those who were their murderers; 64 and thus the judgments of God did come upon
these workers of darkness and secret combinations.
37:31.
Yea, and cursed be the land forever and
ever unto those workers of darkness and secret combinations, even unto
destruction, except they repent before they are fully ripe.
Alma; 17:11
37:32.
65 And now, my son, remember
the words which I have spoken unto you; trust not those secret plans unto this
people, but teach them an everlasting hatred against sin and iniquity.
37:33.
66 Preach unto them repentance,
and faith on the Lord Jesus Christ; teach them to humble themselves and to be
meek and lowly in heart; teach them to withstand every temptation of the devil,
with their faith on the Lord Jesus Christ.
37:34.
67 Teach them to never be weary
of good works, but to be meek and lowly in heart; for such shall find rest to
their souls.
37:35.
68 O, remember, my son, and
learn wisdom in thy youth; yea, learn in thy youth to keep the commandments of
God.
37:36.
Yea, and cry unto God for all thy support; 69 yea, let all thy doings be unto the Lord, and
whithersoever thou goest let it be in the Lord; yea, let all thy thoughts be
directed unto the Lord; yea, let the affections of thy heart be placed upon the
Lord forever.
37:37.
Counsel with the Lord in all thy doings,
and he will direct thee for good; 70 yea,
when thou liest down at night lie down unto the Lord, that he may watch over
you in your sleep; and when thou risest in the morning let thy heart be full of
thanks unto God; and if ye do these things, ye shall be lifted up at the last
day.
Alma; 17:12
37:38.
71 And now, my son, I have
somewhat to say concerning the thing which our fathers call a ball, or
director—or our fathers called it Liahona, which is, being interpreted, a
compass; and the Lord prepared it.
37:39.
72 And behold, there cannot any
man work after the manner of so curious a workmanship. 73
And behold, it was prepared to show unto our fathers the course which
they should travel in the wilderness.
37:40.
And it did work for them according to their
faith in God; 74 therefore, if they had
faith to believe that God could cause that those spindles should point the way
they should go, behold, it was done; therefore they had this miracle, and also
many other miracles wrought by the power of God, day by day.
37:41.
75 Nevertheless, because those
miracles were worked by small means it did show unto them marvelous works. 76 They were slothful, and forgot to exercise
their faith and diligence and then those marvelous works ceased, and they did
not progress in their journey;
37:42.
77 Therefore, they tarried in
the wilderness, or did not travel a direct course, and were afflicted with
hunger and thirst, because of their transgressions.
Alma; 17:13
37:43.
78 And now, my son, I would
that ye should understand that these things are not without a shadow; for as
our fathers were slothful to give heed to this compass (now these things were
temporal) they did not prosper; even so it is with things which are spiritual.
37:44.
79 For behold, it is as easy to
give heed to the word of Christ, which will point to you a straight course to
eternal bliss, as it was for our fathers to give heed to this compass, which
would point unto them a straight course to the promised land.
37:45.
80 And now I say, is there not
a type in this thing? For just as surely as this director did bring our
fathers, by following its course, to the promised land, shall the words of
Christ, if we follow their course, carry us beyond this vale of sorrow into a far
better land of promise.
Alma; 17:14
37:46.
81 O my son, do not let us be
slothful because of the easiness of the way; for so was it with our fathers;
for so was it prepared for them, that if they would look they might live; even
so it is with us. 82 The way is prepared,
and if we will look we may live forever.
37:47.
83 And now, my son, see that ye
take care of these sacred things, yea, see that ye look to God and live. 84 Go unto this people and declare the word, and
be sober. My son, farewell.
Alma, Chapter 18
The commandments of Alma to his son Shiblon.
Alma; 18:1
Alma, Chapter 38
38:1.
1 My son, give ear to my
words, for I say unto you, even as I said unto Helaman, that inasmuch as ye
shall keep the commandments of God ye shall prosper in the land; and inasmuch
as ye will not keep the commandments of God ye shall be cut off from his presence.
38:2.
2 And now, my son, I trust
that I shall have great joy in you, because of your steadiness and your
faithfulness unto God; for as you have commenced in your youth to look to the
Lord your God, even so I hope that you will continue in keeping his commandments;
for blessed is he that endureth to the end.
38:3.
3 I say unto you, my son, that
I have had great joy in thee already, because of thy faithfulness and thy
diligence, and thy patience and thy long-suffering among the people of the
Zoramites.
38:4.
4 For I know that thou wast in
bonds; yea, and I also know that thou wast stoned for the word’s sake; and thou
didst bear all these things with patience because the Lord was with thee; and
now thou knowest that the Lord did deliver thee.
Alma; 18:2
38:5.
5 And now my son, Shiblon, I
would that ye should remember, that as much as ye shall put your trust in God
even so much ye shall be delivered out of your trials, and your troubles, and
your afflictions, and ye shall be lifted up at the last day.
38:6.
6 Now, my son, I would not
that ye should think that I know these things of myself, but it is the Spirit
of God which is in me which maketh these things known unto me; for if I had not
been born of God I should not have known these things.
38:7.
7 But behold, the Lord in his
great mercy sent his angel to declare unto me that I must stop the work of
destruction among his people; 8 yea, and I
have seen an angel face to face, and he spake with me, and his voice was as
thunder, and it shook the whole earth.
Alma; 18:3
38:8.
9 And it came to pass that I
was three days and three nights in the most bitter pain and anguish of soul;
and never, until I did cry out unto the Lord Jesus Christ for mercy, did I
receive a remission of my sins. 10 But
behold, I did cry unto him and I did find peace to my soul.
38:9.
11 And now, my son, I have told
you this that ye may learn wisdom, that ye may learn of me that there is no
other way or means whereby man can be saved, only in and through Christ. 12 Behold, he is the life and the light of the
world. Behold, he is the word of truth and righteousness.
38:10.
13 And now, as ye have begun to
teach the word even so I would that ye should continue to teach; and I would
that ye would be diligent and temperate in all things.
38:11.
14 See that ye are not lifted
up unto pride; yea, see that ye do not boast in your own wisdom, nor of your
much strength.
38:12.
Use boldness, but not overbearance; 15 and also see that ye bridle all your passions,
that ye may be filled with love; see that ye refrain from idleness.
38:13.
Do not pray as the Zoramites do, for ye
have seen that they pray to be heard of men, and to be praised for their
wisdom.
38:14.
16 Do not say: O God, I thank
thee that we are better than our brethren; but rather say: O Lord, forgive my
unworthiness, and remember my brethren in mercy—yea, acknowledge your
unworthiness before God at all times.
38:15.
17 And may the Lord bless your
soul, and receive you at the last day into his kingdom, to sit down in peace. 18 Now go, my son, and teach the word unto this
people. Be sober. My son, farewell.
Alma, Chapter 19
The commandments of Alma to his son Corianton.
Alma; 19:1
Alma, Chapter 39
39:1.
1 And now, my son, I have
somewhat more to say unto thee than what I said unto thy brother; for behold,
have ye not observed the steadiness of thy brother, his faithfulness, and his
diligence in keeping the commandments of God? 2 Behold,
has he not set a good example for thee?
39:2.
3 For thou didst not give so
much heed unto my words as did thy brother, among the people of the Zoramites. 4 Now this is what I have against thee; thou didst
go on unto boasting in thy strength and thy wisdom.
39:3.
5 And this is not all, my son.
Thou didst do that which was grievous unto me; for thou didst forsake the
ministry, and did go over into the land of Siron, among the borders of the
Lamanites, after the harlot Isabel.
39:4.
Yea, she did steal away the hearts of many;
but this was no excuse for thee, my son. 6 Thou
shouldst have tended to the ministry wherewith thou wast entrusted.
39:5.
7 Know ye not, my son, that
these things are an abomination in the sight of the Lord; yea, most abominable
above all sins save it be the shedding of innocent blood or denying the Holy
Ghost?
39:6.
8 For behold, if ye deny the
Holy Ghost when it once has had place in you, and ye know that ye deny it,
behold, this is a sin which is unpardonable; 9 yea,
and whosoever murdereth against the light and knowledge of God, it is not easy
for him to obtain forgiveness; yea, I say unto you, my son, that it is not easy
for him to obtain a forgiveness.
39:7.
10 And now, my son, I would to
God that ye had not been guilty of so great a crime. 11
I would not dwell upon your crimes, to harrow up your soul, if it were
not for your good.
39:8.
12 But behold, ye cannot hide
your crimes from God; and except ye repent they will stand as a testimony
against you at the last day.
Alma; 19:2
39:9.
13 Now my son, I would that ye
should repent and forsake your sins, and go no more after the lusts of your
eyes, but cross yourself in all these things; for except ye do this ye can in
nowise inherit the kingdom of God. 14 Oh,
remember, and take it upon you, and cross yourself in these things.
39:10.
15 And I command you to take it
upon you to counsel with your elder brothers in your undertakings; for behold,
thou art in thy youth, and ye stand in need to be nourished by your brothers. 16 And give heed to their counsel.
39:11.
Suffer not yourself to be led away by any
vain or foolish thing; suffer not the devil to lead away your heart again after
those wicked harlots. 17 Behold, O my son,
how great iniquity ye brought upon the Zoramites; for when they saw your
conduct they would not believe in my words.
39:12.
18 And now the Spirit of the
Lord doth say unto me: Command thy children to do good, lest they lead away the
hearts of many people to destruction; 19 therefore
I command you, my son, in the fear of God, that ye refrain from your
iniquities;
39:13.
That ye turn to the Lord with all your
mind, might, and strength; that ye lead away the hearts of no more to do
wickedly; 20 but rather return unto them,
and acknowledge your faults and that wrong which ye have done.
39:14.
Seek not after riches nor the vain things
of this world; for behold, you cannot carry them with you.
Alma; 19:3
39:15.
21 And now, my son, I would say
somewhat unto you concerning the coming of Christ. 22
Behold, I say unto you, that it is he that surely shall come to take
away the sins of the world; yea, he cometh to declare glad tidings of salvation
unto his people.
39:16.
23 And now, my son, this was
the ministry unto which ye were called, to declare these glad tidings unto this
people to prepare their minds; or rather that salvation might come unto them,
that they may prepare the minds of their children to hear the word at the time
of his coming.
Alma; 19:4
39:17.
24 And now I will ease your
mind somewhat on this subject. Behold, you marvel why these things should be
known so long beforehand. 25 Behold, I say
unto you, is not a soul at this time as precious unto God as a soul will be at
the time of his coming?
39:18.
26 Is it not as necessary that
the plan of redemption should be made known unto this people as well as unto
their children?
39:19.
27 Is it not as easy at this
time for the Lord to send his angel to declare these glad tidings unto us as
unto our children, or as after the time of his coming?
Alma, Chapter 40
40:1.
28 Now my son, here is somewhat
more I would say unto thee; for I perceive that thy mind is worried concerning
the resurrection of the dead.
40:2.
29 Behold, I say unto you, that
there is no resurrection—or, I would say, in other words, that this mortal does
not put on immortality, this corruption does not put on incorruption—until
after the coming of Christ.
40:3.
30 Behold, he bringeth to pass
the resurrection of the dead. But behold, my son, the resurrection is not yet. 31 Now, I unfold unto you a mystery; nevertheless,
there are many mysteries which are kept, that no one knoweth them save God
himself. 32 But I show unto you one thing
which I have inquired diligently of God that I might know—that is concerning
the resurrection.
40:4.
33 Behold, there is a time
appointed that all shall come forth from the dead. 34
Now when this time cometh no one knows; but God knoweth the time which
is appointed.
40:5.
35 Now, whether there shall be
one time, or a second time, or a third time, that men shall come forth from the
dead, it mattereth not; for God knoweth all these things; and it sufficeth me
to know that this is the case—that there is a time appointed that all shall
rise from the dead.
40:6.
36 Now there must needs be a
space betwixt the time of death and the time of the resurrection.
Alma; 19:5
40:7.
37 And now I would inquire what
becometh of the souls of men from this time of death to the time appointed for
the resurrection?
40:8.
38 Now whether there is more
than one time appointed for men to rise it mattereth not; for all do not die at
once, and this mattereth not; all is as one day with God, and time only is
measured unto men.
40:9.
39 Therefore, there is a time
appointed unto men that they shall rise from the dead; and there is a space
between the time of death and the resurrection. 40 And
now, concerning this space of time, what becometh of the souls of men is the
thing which I have inquired diligently of the Lord to know; and this is the
thing of which I do know.
40:10.
41 And when the time cometh
when all shall rise, then shall they know that God knoweth all the times which
are appointed unto man.
40:11.
42 Now, concerning the state of
the soul between death and the resurrection— 43 Behold,
it has been made known unto me by an angel, that the spirits of all men, as
soon as they are departed from this mortal body, yea, the spirits of all men,
whether they be good or evil, are taken home to that God who gave them life.
40:12.
44 And then shall it come to
pass, that the spirits of those who are righteous are received into a state of
happiness, which is called paradise, a state of rest, a state of peace, where
they shall rest from all their troubles and from all care, and sorrow.
Alma; 19:6
40:13.
45 And then shall it come to
pass, that the spirits of the wicked, yea, who are evil—for behold, they have
no part nor portion of the Spirit of the Lord; for behold, they chose evil
works rather than good; therefore the spirit of the devil did enter into them,
and take possession of their house— 46 and
these shall be cast out into outer darkness; there shall be weeping, and
wailing, and gnashing of teeth, and this because of their own iniquity, being
led captive by the will of the devil.
40:14.
47 Now this is the state of the
souls of the wicked, yea, in darkness, and a state of awful, fearful looking
for the fiery indignation of the wrath of God upon them; thus they remain in
this state, as well as the righteous in paradise, until the time of their
resurrection.
40:15.
48 Now, there are some that
have understood that this state of happiness and this state of misery of the
soul, before the resurrection, was a first resurrection. 49 Yea, I admit it may be termed a resurrection,
the raising of the spirit or the soul and their consignation to happiness or
misery, according to the words which have been spoken.
40:16.
50 And behold, again it hath
been spoken, that there is a first resurrection, a resurrection of all those
who have been, or who are, or who shall be, down to the resurrection of Christ
from the dead.
Alma; 19:7
40:17.
51 Now, we do not suppose that
this first resurrection, which is spoken of in this manner, can be the
resurrection of the souls and their consignation to happiness or misery. Ye
cannot suppose that this is what it meaneth.
40:18.
52 Behold, I say unto you, Nay;
but it meaneth the reuniting of the soul with the body, of those from the days
of Adam down to the resurrection of Christ.
40:19.
53 Now, whether the souls and
the bodies of those of whom has been spoken shall all be reunited at once, the
wicked as well as the righteous, I do not say; 54 let
it suffice; that I say that they all come forth; or in other words, their
resurrection cometh to pass before the resurrection of those who die after the
resurrection of Christ.
40:20.
55 Now, my son, I do not say
that their resurrection cometh at the resurrection of Christ; but behold, I
give it as my opinion, that the souls and the bodies are reunited, of the
righteous, at the resurrection of Christ, and his ascension into heaven.
40:21.
56 But whether it be at his
resurrection or after, I do not say; but this much I say, that there is a space
between death and the resurrection of the body, and a state of the soul in
happiness or in misery until the time which is appointed of God that the dead
shall come forth, and be reunited, both soul and body, and be brought to stand
before God, and be judged according to their works.
40:22.
57 Yea, this bringeth about the
restoration of those things of which has been spoken by the mouths of the
prophets.
40:23.
58 The soul shall be restored
to the body, and the body to the soul; yea, and every limb and joint shall be
restored to its body; yea, even a hair of the head shall not be lost; but all
things shall be restored to their proper and perfect frame.
40:24.
59 And now, my son, this is the
restoration of which has been spoken by the mouths of the prophets—
40:25.
And then shall the righteous shine forth in
the kingdom of God.
40:26.
60 But behold, an awful death
cometh upon the wicked; for they die as to things pertaining to things of
righteousness; for they are unclean, and no unclean thing can inherit the
kingdom of God; 61 but they are cast out,
and consigned to partake of the fruits of their labors or their works, which
have been evil; and they drink the dregs of a bitter cup.
Alma; 19:8
Alma, Chapter 41
41:1.
62 And now, my son, I have
somewhat to say concerning the restoration of which has been spoken; for
behold, some have wrested the scriptures, and have gone far astray because of
this thing. 63 And I perceive that thy mind
has been worried also concerning this thing. But behold, I will explain it unto
thee.
41:2.
64 I say unto thee, my son,
that the plan of restoration is requisite with the justice of God; for it is
requisite that all things should be restored to their proper order. 65 Behold, it is requisite and just, according to
the power and resurrection of Christ, that the soul of man should be restored
to its body, and that every part of the body should be restored to itself.
41:3.
66 And it is requisite with the
justice of God that men should be judged according to their works; and if their
works were good in this life, and the desires of their hearts were good, that
they should also, at the last day, be restored unto that which is good.
41:4.
67 And if their works are evil
they shall be restored unto them for evil. Therefore, all things shall be
restored to their proper order, every thing to its natural frame—mortality
raised to immortality, corruption to incorruption—raised to endless happiness
to inherit the kingdom of God, or to endless misery to inherit the kingdom of
the devil, 68 the one on one hand, the other
on the other—
41:5.
The one raised to happiness according to
his desires of happiness, or good according to his desires of good; and the
other to evil according to his desires of evil; for as he has desired to do
evil all the day long even so shall he have his reward of evil when the night
cometh.
41:6.
69 And so it is on the other
hand. If he hath repented of his sins, and desired righteousness until the end
of his days, even so he shall be rewarded unto righteousness.
41:7.
70 These are they that are
redeemed of the Lord; yea, these are they that are taken out, that are
delivered from that endless night of darkness; and thus they stand or fall; for
behold, they are their own judges, whether to do good or do evil.
41:8.
71 Now, the decrees of God are
unalterable; therefore, the way is prepared that whosoever will may walk
therein and be saved.
41:9.
72 And now behold, my son, do
not risk one more offense against your God upon those points of doctrine, which
ye have hitherto risked to commit sin.
41:10.
73 Do not suppose, because it
has been spoken concerning restoration, that ye shall be restored from sin to
happiness. 74 Behold, I say unto you,
wickedness never was happiness.
Alma; 19:9
41:11.
75 And now, my son, all men
that are in a state of nature, or I would say, in a carnal state, are in the
gall of bitterness and in the bonds of iniquity; they are without God in the
world, and they have gone contrary to the nature of God; therefore, they are in
a state contrary to the nature of happiness.
41:12.
76 And now behold, is the
meaning of the word restoration to take a thing of a natural state and place it
in an unnatural state, or to place it in a state opposite to its nature?
41:13.
77 O, my son, this is not the
case; but the meaning of the word restoration is to bring back again evil for
evil, or carnal for carnal, or devilish for devilish—good for that which is
good; righteous for that which is righteous; just for that which is just;
merciful for that which is merciful.
41:14.
78 Therefore, my son, see that
you are merciful unto your brethren; deal justly, judge righteously, and do
good continually; and if ye do all these things then shall ye receive your
reward; 79 yea, ye shall have mercy restored
unto you again; ye shall have justice restored unto you again; ye shall have a
righteous judgment restored unto you again; 80 and
ye shall have good rewarded unto you again.
41:15.
For that which ye do send out shall return
unto you again, and be restored; therefore, the word restoration more fully
condemneth the sinner, and justifieth him not at all.
Alma; 19:10
Alma, Chapter 42
42:1.
81 And now, my son, I perceive
there is somewhat more which doth worry your mind, which ye cannot
understand—which is concerning the justice of God in the punishment of the
sinner; for ye do try to suppose that it is injustice that the sinner should be
consigned to a state of misery.
42:2.
82 Now behold, my son, I will
explain this thing unto thee. For behold, after the Lord God sent our first
parents forth from the garden of Eden, to till the ground, from whence they
were taken—yea, he drew out the man, and he placed at the east end of the garden
of Eden, cherubim, and a flaming sword which turned every way, to keep the tree
of life—
42:3.
83 Now, we see that the man had
become as God, knowing good and evil; and lest he should put forth his hand,
and take also of the tree of life, and eat and live forever, the Lord God
placed cherubim and the flaming sword, that he should not partake of the fruit—
42:4.
84 And thus we see, that there
was a time granted unto man to repent, yea, a probationary time, a time to
repent and serve God.
42:5.
85 For behold, if Adam had put
forth his hand immediately, and partaken of the tree of life, he would have
lived forever, according to the word of God, having no space for repentance; 86 yea, and also the word of God would have been
void, and the great plan of salvation would have been frustrated.
42:6.
87 But behold, it was appointed
unto man to die—therefore, as they were cut off from the tree of life they
should be cut off from the face of the earth—and man became lost forever, yea,
they became fallen man.
Alma; 19:11
42:7.
88 And now, ye see by this that
our first parents were cut off both temporally and spiritually from the
presence of the Lord; and thus we see they became subjects to follow after
their own will.
42:8.
89 Now behold, it was not
expedient that man should be reclaimed from this temporal death, for that would
destroy the great plan of happiness.
42:9.
90 Therefore, as the soul could
never die, and the fall had brought upon all mankind a spiritual death as well
as a temporal, that is, they were cut off from the presence of the Lord, it was
expedient that mankind should be reclaimed from this spiritual death.
42:10.
91 Therefore, as they had
become carnal, sensual, and devilish, by nature, this probationary state became
a state for them to prepare; it became a preparatory state.
42:11.
92 And now remember, my son, if
it were not for the plan of redemption, (laying it aside) as soon as they were
dead their souls were miserable, being cut off from the presence of the Lord.
42:12.
93 And now, there was no means
to reclaim men from this fallen state, which man had brought upon himself
because of his own disobedience;
42:13.
94 Therefore, according to
justice, the plan of redemption could not be brought about, only on conditions
of repentance of men in this probationary state, yea, this preparatory state;
for except it were for these conditions, mercy could not take effect except it
should destroy the work of justice. 95 Now
the work of justice could not be destroyed; if so, God would cease to be God.
Alma; 19:12
42:14.
96 And thus we see that all
mankind were fallen, and they were in the grasp of justice; yea, the justice of
God, which consigned them forever to be cut off from his presence.
42:15.
97 And now, the plan of mercy
could not be brought about except an atonement should be made; therefore God
himself atoneth for the sins of the world, to bring about the plan of mercy, to
appease the demands of justice, that God might be a perfect, just God, and a
merciful God also.
42:16.
98 Now, repentance could not
come unto men except there were a punishment, which also was eternal as the
life of the soul should be, affixed opposite to the plan of happiness, which
was as eternal also as the life of the soul.
42:17.
99 Now, how could a man repent
except he should sin? How could he sin if there was no law? How could there be
a law save there was a punishment?
42:18.
100 Now, there was a punishment
affixed, and a just law given, which brought remorse of conscience unto man.
42:19.
101 Now, if there was no law
given—if a man murdered he should die—would he be afraid he would die if he
should murder?
42:20.
102 And also, if there was no
law given against sin men would not be afraid to sin.
42:21.
103 And if there was no law
given, if men sinned what could justice do, or mercy either, for they would
have no claim upon the creature?
42:22.
104 But there is a law given,
and a punishment affixed, and a repentance granted; which repentance mercy
claimeth; otherwise, justice claimeth the creature and executeth the law, and
the law inflicteth the punishment; if not so, the works of justice would be
destroyed, and God would cease to be God.
42:23.
105 But God ceaseth not to be
God, and mercy claimeth the penitent, and mercy cometh because of the
atonement; and the atonement bringeth to pass the resurrection of the dead; and
the resurrection of the dead bringeth back men into the presence of God; 106 and thus they are restored into his presence,
to be judged according to their works, according to the law and justice.
42:24.
For behold, justice exerciseth all his
demands, and also mercy claimeth all which is her own; and thus, none but the
truly penitent are saved.
Alma; 19:13
42:25.
107 What, do ye suppose that
mercy can rob justice? I say unto you, Nay; not one whit. If so, God would
cease to be God.
42:26.
108 And thus God bringeth about
his great and eternal purposes, which were prepared from the foundation of the
world. 109 And thus cometh about the
salvation and the redemption of men, and also their destruction and misery.
42:27.
Therefore, O my son, whosoever will come
may come and partake of the waters of life freely; 110
and whosoever will not come the same is not compelled to come; but in
the last day it shall be restored unto him according to his deeds.
42:28.
111 If he has desired to do
evil, and has not repented in his days, behold, evil shall be done unto him,
according to the restoration of God.
42:29.
112 And now, my son, I desire
that ye should let these things trouble you no more, and only let your sins
trouble you, with that trouble which shall bring you down unto repentance.
42:30.
113 O my son, I desire that ye
should deny the justice of God no more. 114 Do
not endeavor to excuse yourself in the least point because of your sins, by
denying the justice of God; but do you let the justice of God, and his mercy,
and his long-suffering have full sway in your heart; and let it bring you down
to the dust in humility.
42:31.
115 And now, O my son, ye are
called of God to preach the word unto this people. 116
And now, my son, go thy way, declare the word with truth and soberness,
that thou mayest bring souls unto repentance, that the great plan of mercy may
have claim upon them. And may God grant unto you even according to my words.
Amen.
Alma, Chapter 20
Alma; 20:1
Alma, Chapter 43
43:1.
1 And now it came to pass that
the sons of Alma did go forth among the people, to declare the word unto them.
And Alma, also, himself, could not rest, and he also went forth.
43:2.
2 Now we shall say no more
concerning their preaching, except that they preached the word, and the truth,
according to the spirit of prophecy and revelation; and they preached after the
holy order of God by which they were called.
Alma; 20:2
43:3.
3 And now I return to an
account of the wars between the Nephites and the Lamanites, in the eighteenth
year of the reign of the judges.
43:4.
4 For behold, it came to pass
that the Zoramites became Lamanites; therefore, in the commencement of the
eighteenth year the people of the Nephites saw that the Lamanites were coming
upon them; therefore they made preparations for war; yea, they gathered together
their armies in the land of Jershon.
43:5.
5 And it came to pass that the
Lamanites came with their thousands; and they came into the land of Antionum,
which is the land of the Zoramites; and a man by the name of Zerahemnah was
their leader.
43:6.
6 And now, as the Amalekites
were of a more wicked and murderous disposition than the Lamanites were, in and
of themselves, therefore, Zerahemnah appointed chief captains over the
Lamanites, and they were all Amalekites and Zoramites.
43:7.
7 Now this he did that he
might preserve their hatred towards the Nephites, that he might bring them into
subjection to the accomplishment of his designs.
43:8.
8 For behold, his designs were
to stir up the Lamanites to anger against the Nephites; this he did that he
might usurp great power over them, and also that he might gain power over the
Nephites by bringing them into bondage.
43:9.
9 And now the design of the
Nephites was to support their lands, and their houses, and their wives, and
their children, that they might preserve them from the hands of their enemies;
and also that they might preserve their rights and their privileges, 10 yea, and also their liberty, that they might
worship God according to their desires.
43:10.
For they knew that if they should fall into
the hands of the Lamanites, that whosoever should worship God in spirit and in
truth, the true and the living God, the Lamanites would destroy.
43:11.
11 Yea, and they also knew the
extreme hatred of the Lamanites towards their brethren, who were the people of
Anti-Nephi-Lehi, who were called the people of Ammon— 12
and they would not take up arms, yea, they had entered into a covenant
and they would not break it—therefore, if they should fall into the hands of
the Lamanites they would be destroyed.
43:12.
13 And the Nephites would not
suffer that they should be destroyed; therefore they gave them lands for their
inheritance.
43:13.
14 And the people of Ammon did
give unto the Nephites a large portion of their substance to support their
armies; 15 and thus the Nephites were
compelled, alone, to withstand against the Lamanites, who were a compound of
Laman and Lemuel, and the sons of Ishmael, and all those who had dissented from
the Nephites, who were Amalekites and Zoramites, and the descendants of the
priests of Noah.
43:14.
16 Now those descendants were
as numerous, nearly, as were the Nephites; and thus the Nephites were obliged
to contend with their brethren, even unto bloodshed.
Alma; 20:3
43:15.
17 And it came to pass as the
armies of the Lamanites had gathered together in the land of Antionum, behold,
the armies of the Nephites were prepared to meet them in the land of Jershon.
43:16.
18 Now, the leader of the
Nephites, or the man who had been appointed to be the chief captain over the
Nephites—now the chief captain took the command of all the armies of the
Nephites—and his name was Moroni;
43:17.
19 And Moroni took all the
command, and the government of their wars. And he was only twenty and five
years old when he was appointed chief captain over the armies of the Nephites.
Alma; 20:4
43:18.
20 And it came to pass that he
met the Lamanites in the borders of Jershon, and his people were armed with
swords, and with cimeters, and all manner of weapons of war.
43:19.
21 And when the armies of the
Lamanites saw that the people of Nephi, or that Moroni, had prepared his people
with breastplates and with arm-shields, yea, and also shields to defend their
heads, and also they were dressed with thick clothing—
43:20.
22 Now the army of Zerahemnah
was not prepared with any such thing; 23 they
had only their swords and their cimeters, their bows and their arrows, their
stones and their slings; and they were naked, save it were a skin which was
girded about their loins; yea, all were naked, save it were the Zoramites and
the Amalekites;
43:21.
24 But they were not armed with
breastplates, nor shields—therefore, they were exceedingly afraid of the armies
of the Nephites because of their armor, notwithstanding their number being so
much greater than the Nephites.
Alma; 20:5
43:22.
25 Behold, now it came to pass
that they durst not come against the Nephites in the borders of Jershon;
therefore they departed out of the land of Antionum into the wilderness, and
took their journey round about in the wilderness, away by the head of the river
Sidon, that they might come into the land of Manti and take possession of the
land; for they did not suppose that the armies of Moroni would know whither
they had gone.
43:23.
26 But it came to pass, as soon
as they had departed into the wilderness Moroni sent spies into the wilderness
to watch their camp; and Moroni, also, knowing of the prophecies of Alma, sent
certain men unto him, desiring him that he should inquire of the Lord whither
the armies of the Nephites should go to defend themselves against the
Lamanites.
43:24.
27 And it came to pass that the
word of the Lord came unto Alma, and Alma informed the messengers of Moroni,
that the armies of the Lamanites were marching round about in the wilderness,
that they might come over into the land of Manti, that they might commence an
attack upon the weaker part of the people. 28 And
those messengers went and delivered the message unto Moroni.
Alma; 20:6
43:25.
29 Now Moroni, leaving a part of
his army in the land of Jershon, lest by any means a part of the Lamanites
should come into that land and take possession of the city, took the remaining
part of his army and marched over into the land of Manti.
43:26.
30 And he caused that all the
people in that quarter of the land should gather themselves together to battle
against the Lamanites, to defend their lands and their country, their rights
and their liberties; therefore they were prepared against the time of the
coming of the Lamanites.
43:27.
31 And it came to pass that
Moroni caused that his army should be secreted in the valley which was near the
bank of the river Sidon, which was on the west of the river Sidon in the
wilderness.
43:28.
32 And Moroni placed spies
round about, that he might know when the camp of the Lamanites should come.
Alma; 20:7
43:29.
33 And now, as Moroni knew the
intention of the Lamanites, that it was their intention to destroy their
brethren, or to subject them and bring them into bondage that they might
establish a kingdom unto themselves over all the land;
43:30.
34 And he also knowing that it
was the only desire of the Nephites to preserve their lands, and their liberty,
and their church, therefore he thought it no sin that he should defend them by
stratagem; therefore, he found by his spies which course the Lamanites were to
take.
43:31.
35 Therefore, he divided his
army and brought a part over into the valley, and concealed them on the east,
and on the south of the hill Riplah;
43:32.
And the remainder he concealed in the west
valley, on the west of the river Sidon, and so down into the borders of the
land Manti.
43:33.
36 And thus having placed his
army according to his desire, he was prepared to meet them.
Alma; 20:8
43:34.
37 And it came to pass that the
Lamanites came up on the north of the hill, where a part of the army of Moroni
was concealed.
43:35.
38 And as the Lamanites had
passed the hill Riplah, and came into the valley, and began to cross the river
Sidon, the army which was concealed on the south of the hill, which was led by
a man whose name was Lehi, and he led his army forth and encircled the
Lamanites about on the east in their rear.
Alma; 20:9
43:36.
39 And it came to pass that the
Lamanites, when they saw the Nephites coming upon them in their rear, turned
them about and began to contend with the army of Lehi.
43:37.
And the work of death commenced on both
sides, 40 but it was more dreadful on the
part of the Lamanites, for their nakedness was exposed to the heavy blows of
the Nephites with their swords and their cimeters, which brought death almost
at every stroke.
43:38.
While on the other hand, there was now and
then a man fell among the Nephites, by their swords and the loss of blood, 41 they being shielded from the more vital parts
of the body, or the more vital parts of the body being shielded from the
strokes of the Lamanites, by their breastplates, and their arm-shields, and
their head-plates; and thus the Nephites did carry on the work of death among
the Lamanites.
43:39.
42 And it came to pass that the
Lamanites became frightened, because of the great destruction among them, even
until they began to flee towards the river Sidon.
43:40.
43 And they were pursued by
Lehi and his men; and they were driven by Lehi into the waters of Sidon, and
they crossed the waters of Sidon. 44 And
Lehi retained his armies upon the bank of the river Sidon that they should not
cross.
Alma; 20:10
43:41.
45 And it came to pass that
Moroni and his army met the Lamanites in the valley, on the other side of the
river Sidon, and began to fall upon them and to slay them.
43:42.
46 And the Lamanites did flee
again before them, towards the land of Manti; and they were met again by the
armies of Moroni.
43:43.
47 Now in this case the
Lamanites did fight exceedingly; yea, never had the Lamanites been known to
fight with such exceedingly great strength and courage, no, not even from the
beginning.
43:44.
48 And they were inspired by
the Zoramites and the Amalekites, who were their chief captains and leaders,
and by Zerahemnah, who was their chief captain, or their chief leader and
commander; 49 yea, they did fight like
dragons, and many of the Nephites were slain by their hands, yea, for they did
smite in two many of their head-plates, and they did pierce many of their
breastplates, and they did smite off many of their arms; and thus the Lamanites
did smite in their fierce anger.
43:45.
50 Nevertheless, the Nephites
were inspired by a better cause, for they were not fighting for monarchy nor
power but they were fighting for their homes and their liberties, their wives
and their children, and their all, yea, for their rites of worship and their
church.
43:46.
51 And they were doing that
which they felt was the duty which they owed to their God; for the Lord had
said unto them, and also unto their fathers, that: Inasmuch as ye are not
guilty of the first offense, neither the second, ye shall not suffer yourselves
to be slain by the hands of your enemies.
43:47.
52 And again, the Lord has said
that: Ye shall defend your families even unto bloodshed. Therefore for this
cause were the Nephites contending with the Lamanites, to defend themselves,
and their families, and their lands, their country, and their rights, and their
religion.
Alma; 20:11
43:48.
53 And it came to pass that
when the men of Moroni saw the fierceness and the anger of the Lamanites, they
were about to shrink and flee from them. 54 And
Moroni, perceiving their intent, sent forth and inspired their hearts with
these thoughts—yea, the thoughts of their lands, their liberty, yea, their
freedom from bondage.
43:49.
55 And it came to pass that
they turned upon the Lamanites, and they cried with one voice unto the Lord
their God, for their liberty and their freedom from bondage.
43:50.
56 And they began to stand
against the Lamanites with power; and in that selfsame hour that they cried
unto the Lord for their freedom, the Lamanites began to flee before them; and
they fled even to the waters of Sidon.
43:51.
57 Now, the Lamanites were more
numerous, yea, by more than double the number of the Nephites; nevertheless,
they were driven insomuch that they were gathered together in one body in the
valley, upon the bank by the river Sidon.
43:52.
58 Therefore the armies of
Moroni encircled them about, yea, even on both sides of the river, for behold,
on the east were the men of Lehi.
43:53.
59 Therefore when Zerahemnah saw
the men of Lehi on the east of the river Sidon, and the armies of Moroni on the
west of the river Sidon, that they were encircled about by the Nephites, they
were struck with terror.
43:54.
60 Now Moroni, when he saw
their terror, commanded his men that they should stop shedding their blood.
Alma; 20:12
Alma, Chapter 44
44:1.
61 And it came to pass that
they did stop and withdrew a pace from them. 62 And
Moroni said unto Zerahemnah: Behold, Zerahemnah, that we do not desire to be
men of blood. 63 Ye know that ye are in our
hands, yet we do not desire to slay you.
44:2.
64 Behold, we have not come out
to battle against you that we might shed your blood for power; neither do we
desire to bring any one to the yoke of bondage. 65 But
this is the very cause for which ye have come against us; yea, and ye are angry
with us because of our religion.
44:3.
66 But now, ye behold that the
Lord is with us; and ye behold that he has delivered you into our hands. 67 And now I would that ye should understand that
this is done unto us because of our religion and our faith in Christ. And now
ye see that ye cannot destroy this our faith.
44:4.
68 Now ye see that this is the
true faith of God; yea, ye see that God will support, and keep, and preserve
us, so long as we are faithful unto him, and unto our faith, and our religion; 69 and never will the Lord suffer that we shall be
destroyed except we should fall into transgression and deny our faith.
44:5.
70 And now, Zerahemnah, I
command you, in the name of that all-powerful God, who has strengthened our
arms that we have gained power over you, by our faith, by our religion, and by
our rites of worship, and by our church, and by the sacred support which we owe
to our wives and our children, by that liberty which binds us to our lands and
our country; yea, and also by the maintenance of the sacred word of God, to
which we owe all our happiness; 71 and by
all that is most dear unto us—
44:6.
Yea, and this is not all; I command you by
all the desires which ye have for life, that ye deliver up your weapons of war
unto us, and we will seek not your blood, but we will spare your lives, if ye
will go your way and come not again to war against us.
44:7.
72 And now, if ye do not this,
behold, ye are in our hands, and I will command my men that they shall fall
upon you, and inflict the wounds of death in your bodies, that ye may become
extinct; 73 and then we will see who shall
have power over this people; yea, we will see who shall be brought into
bondage.
Alma; 20:13
44:8.
74 And now it came to pass that
when Zerahemnah had heard these sayings he came forth and delivered up his
sword and his cimeter, and his bow into the hands of Moroni, and said unto him:
75 Behold, here are our weapons of war; we
will deliver them up unto you, but we will not suffer ourselves to take an oath
unto you, which we know that we shall break, and also our children; but take
our weapons of war, and suffer that we may depart into the wilderness;
otherwise we will retain our swords, and we will perish or conquer.
44:9.
76 Behold, we are not of your
faith; we do not believe that it is God that has delivered us into your hands;
but we believe that it is your cunning that has preserved you from our swords. 77 Behold, it is your breastplates and your
shields that have preserved you.
44:10.
78 And now when Zerahemnah had
made an end of speaking these words, Moroni returned the sword and the weapons
of war, which he had received, unto Zerahemnah, saying: Behold, we will end the
conflict.
44:11.
79 Now I cannot recall the
words which I have spoken, therefore as the Lord liveth, ye shall not depart
except ye depart with an oath that ye will not return again against us to war. 80 Now as ye are in our hands we will spill your
blood upon the ground, or ye shall submit to the conditions which I have
proposed.
44:12.
81 And now when Moroni had said
these words, Zerahemnah retained his sword, and he was angry with Moroni, and
he rushed forward that he might slay Moroni; 82 but
as he raised his sword, behold, one of Moroni’s soldiers smote it even to the
earth, and it broke by the hilt; and he also smote Zerahemnah that he took off
his scalp and it fell to the earth. 83 And
Zerahemnah withdrew from before them into the midst of his soldiers.
Alma; 20:14
44:13. 84 And it came to pass that the soldier who stood by, who smote
off the scalp of Zerahemnah, took up the scalp from off the ground by the hair,
and laid it upon the point of his sword, and stretched it forth unto them,
saying unto them with a loud voice:
44:14.
85 Even as this scalp has
fallen to the earth, which is the scalp of your chief, so shall ye fall to the
earth except ye will deliver up your weapons of war and depart with a covenant
of peace.
Alma; 20:15
44:15.
86 Now there were many, when
they heard these words and saw the scalp which was upon the sword, that were
struck with fear; and many came forth and threw down their weapons of war at
the feet of Moroni, and entered into a covenant of peace. 87 And as many as entered into a covenant they
suffered to depart into the wilderness.
Alma; 20:16
44:16. 88 Now it came to pass that Zerahemnah was exceedingly wroth, and
he did stir up the remainder of his soldiers to anger, to contend more
powerfully against the Nephites.
44:17.
89 And now Moroni was angry,
because of the stubbornness of the Lamanites; therefore he commanded his people
that they should fall upon them and slay them. 90 And
it came to pass that they began to slay them; yea, and the Lamanites did
contend with their swords and their might.
44:18.
91 But behold, their naked
skins and their bare heads were exposed to the sharp swords of the Nephites;
yea, behold they were pierced and smitten, 92 yea,
and did fall exceedingly fast before the swords of the Nephites; and they began
to be swept down, even as the soldier of Moroni had prophesied.
44:19.
93 Now Zerahemnah, when he saw
that they were all about to be destroyed, cried mightily unto Moroni, promising
that he would covenant and also his people with them, if they would spare the
remainder of their lives, that they never would come to war again against them.
44:20.
94 And it came to pass that
Moroni caused that the work of death should cease again among the people. 95 And he took the weapons of war from the
Lamanites; and after they had entered into a covenant with him of peace they
were suffered to depart into the wilderness.
44:21.
96 Now the number of their dead
was not numbered because of the greatness of the number; yea, the number of
their dead was exceedingly great, both on the Nephites and on the Lamanites.
44:22.
97 And it came to pass that
they did cast their dead into the waters of Sidon, and they have gone forth and
are buried in the depths of the sea.
44:23.
98 And the armies of the
Nephites, or of Moroni, returned and came to their houses and their lands.
44:24.
99 And thus ended the
eighteenth year of the reign of the judges over the people of Nephi. 100 And thus ended the record of Alma, which was
written upon the plates of Nephi.
Alma, Chapter 21
The account of the people of Nephi, and their wars and
dissensions, in the days of Helaman, according to the record of Helaman, which
he kept in his days.
Alma; 21:1
Alma, Chapter 45
45:1.
1 Behold, now it came to pass
that the people of Nephi were exceedingly rejoiced, because the Lord had again
delivered them out of the hands of their enemies; 2
therefore they gave thanks unto the Lord their God; yea, and they did
fast much and pray much, and they did worship God with exceedingly great joy.
Alma; 21:2
45:2.
3 And it came to pass in the
nineteenth year of the reign of the judges over the people of Nephi, that Alma
came unto his son Helaman and said unto him: Believest thou the words which I
spake unto thee concerning those records which have been kept?
45:3.
4 And Helaman said unto him:
Yea, I believe.
45:4.
5 And Alma said again:
Believest thou in Jesus Christ, who shall come?
45:5.
And he said: Yea, I believe all the words
which thou hast spoken.
45:6.
6 And Alma said unto him
again: Will ye keep my commandments?
45:7.
And he said: Yea, I will keep thy
commandments with all my heart.
45:8.
7 Then Alma said unto him:
Blessed art thou; and the Lord shall prosper thee in this land.
45:9.
8 But behold, I have somewhat
to prophesy unto thee; but what I prophesy unto thee ye shall not make known;
yea, what I prophesy unto thee shall not be made known, even until the prophecy
is fulfilled; therefore write the words which I shall say.
45:10.
9 And these are the words:
Behold, I perceive that this very people, the Nephites, according to the spirit
of revelation which is in me, in four hundred years from the time that Jesus
Christ shall manifest himself unto them, shall dwindle in unbelief.
45:11.
10 Yea, and then shall they see
wars and pestilences, yea, famines and bloodshed, even until the people of
Nephi shall become extinct—
45:12.
11 Yea, and this because they
shall dwindle in unbelief and fall into the works of darkness, and
lasciviousness, and all manner of iniquities; 12 yea,
I say unto you, that because they shall sin against so great light and
knowledge, yea, I say unto you, that from that day, even the fourth generation
shall not all pass away before this great iniquity shall come.
45:13.
13 And when that great day
cometh, behold, the time very soon cometh that those who are now, or the seed
of those who are now numbered among the people of Nephi, shall no more be
numbered among the people of Nephi.
45:14.
14 But whosoever remaineth, and
is not destroyed in that great and dreadful day, shall be numbered among the
Lamanites, and shall become like unto them, all, save it be a few who shall be
called the disciples of the Lord; 15 and
them shall the Lamanites pursue even until they shall become extinct. And now,
because of iniquity, this prophecy shall be fulfilled.
Alma; 21:3
45:15.
16 And now it came to pass that
after Alma had said these things to Helaman, he blessed him, and also his other
sons; and he also blessed the earth for the righteous’ sake.
45:16.
17 And he said: Thus saith the
Lord God—Cursed shall be the land, yea, this land, unto every nation, kindred,
tongue, and people, unto destruction, which do wickedly, when they are fully
ripe; 18 and as I have said so shall it be;
for this is the cursing and the blessing of God upon the land, for the Lord
cannot look upon sin with the least degree of allowance.
45:17.
19 And now, when Alma had said
these words he blessed the church, yea, all those who should stand fast in the
faith from that time henceforth.
45:18.
20 And when Alma had done this
he departed out of the land of Zarahemla, as if to go into the land of Melek.
And it came to pass that he was never heard of more; as to his death or burial
we know not of.
45:19.
21 Behold, this we know, that
he was a righteous man; and the saying went abroad in the church that he was
taken up by the Spirit, or buried by the hand of the Lord, even as Moses. 22 But behold, the scriptures saith the Lord took
Moses unto himself; and we suppose that he has also received Alma in the
spirit, unto himself; therefore, for this cause we know nothing concerning his
death and burial.
Alma; 21:4
45:20.
23 And now it came to pass in
the commencement of the nineteenth year of the reign of the judges over the
people of Nephi, that Helaman went forth among the people to declare the word
unto them.
45:21.
24 For behold, because of their
wars with the Lamanites and the many little dissensions and disturbances which
had been among the people, it became expedient that the word of God should be
declared among them, yea, and that a regulation should be made throughout the
church.
45:22.
25 Therefore, Helaman and his
brethren went forth to establish the church again in all the land, yea, in
every city throughout all the land which was possessed by the people of Nephi. 26 And it came to pass that they did appoint
priests and teachers throughout all the land, over all the churches.
Alma; 21:5
45:23.
27 And now it came to pass that
after Helaman and his brethren had appointed priests and teachers over the
churches that there arose a dissension among them, and they would not give heed
to the words of Helaman and his brethren;
45:24.
28 But they grew proud, being
lifted up in their hearts, because of their exceedingly great riches; therefore
they grew rich in their own eyes, and would not give heed to their words, to
walk uprightly before God.
Alma; 21:6
Alma, Chapter 46
46:1.
29 And it came to pass that as
many as would not hearken to the words of Helaman and his brethren were
gathered together against their brethren.
46:2.
30 And now behold, they were
exceedingly wroth, insomuch that they were determined to slay them.
46:3.
31 Now the leader of those who
were wroth against their brethren was a large and a strong man; and his name
was Amalickiah.
46:4.
32 And Amalickiah was desirous
to be a king; and those people who were wroth were also desirous that he should
be their king; and they were the greater part of them the lower judges of the
land, and they were seeking for power.
46:5.
33 And they had been led by the
flatteries of Amalickiah, that if they would support him and establish him to
be their king that he would make them rulers over the people.
46:6.
34 Thus they were led away by
Amalickiah to dissensions, notwithstanding the preaching of Helaman and his
brethren, yea, notwithstanding their exceedingly great care over the church,
for they were high priests over the church.
46:7.
35 And there were many in the
church who believed in the flattering words of Amalickiah, therefore they
dissented even from the church; 36 and thus
were the affairs of the people of Nephi exceedingly precarious and dangerous,
notwithstanding their great victory which they had had over the Lamanites, and
their great rejoicings which they had had because of their deliverance by the
hand of the Lord.
46:8.
37 Thus we see how quick the
children of men do forget the Lord their God, yea, how quick to do iniquity,
and to be led away by the evil one.
46:9.
Yea, and we also see the great wickedness
one very wicked man can cause to take place among the children of men.
46:10.
38 Yea, we see that Amalickiah,
because he was a man of cunning device and a man of many flattering words, that
he led away the hearts of many people to do wickedly; 39
yea, and to seek to destroy the church of God, and to destroy the
foundation of liberty which God had granted unto them, or which blessing God
had sent upon the face of the land for the righteous’ sake.
Alma; 21:7
46:11. 40 And now it came to pass that when Moroni, who was the chief
commander of the armies of the Nephites, had heard of these dissensions, he was
angry with Amalickiah.
46:12.
41 And it came to pass that he
rent his coat; and he took a piece thereof, and wrote upon it—In memory of our
God, our religion, and freedom, and our peace, our wives, and our children—and
he fastened it upon the end of a pole.
46:13.
42 And he fastened on his
head-plate, and his breastplate, and his shields, and girded on his armor about
his loins; and he took the pole, which had on the end thereof his rent coat,
(and he called it the title of liberty) 43 and
he bowed himself to the earth, and he prayed mightily unto his God for the
blessings of liberty to rest upon his brethren, so long as there should a band
of Christians remain to possess the land—
46:14.
44 For thus were all the true
believers of Christ, who belonged to the church of God, called by those who did
not belong to the church.
46:15.
And those who did belong to the church were
faithful; 45 yea, all those who were true
believers in Christ took upon them, gladly, the name of Christ, or Christians
as they were called, because of their belief in Christ who should come.
46:16.
And therefore, at this time, Moroni prayed
that the cause of the Christians, and the freedom of the land might be favored.
Alma; 21:8
46:17. 46 And it came to pass that when he had poured out his soul to
God, he named all the land which was south of the land Desolation, yea, and in
fine, all the land, both on the north and on the south—A chosen land, and the
land of liberty.
46:18.
47 And he said: Surely God
shall not suffer that we, who are despised because we take upon us the name of
Christ, shall be trodden down and destroyed, until we bring it upon us by our
own transgressions.
46:19.
48 And when Moroni had said
these words, he went forth among the people, waving the rent part of his
garment in the air, that all might see the writing which he had written upon
the rent part, and crying with a loud voice, saying:
46:20.
49 Behold, whosoever will
maintain this title upon the land, let them come forth in the strength of the
Lord, and enter into a covenant that they will maintain their rights, and their
religion, that the Lord God may bless them.
Alma; 21:9
46:21. 50 And it came to pass that when Moroni had proclaimed these
words, behold, the people came running together with their armor girded about
their loins, rending their garments in token, or as a covenant, that they would
not forsake the Lord their God; 51 or, in
other words, if they should transgress the commandments of God, or fall into
transgression, and be ashamed to take upon them the name of Christ, the Lord
should rend them even as they had rent their garments.
46:22.
52 Now this was the covenant
which they made, and they cast their garments at the feet of Moroni, saying: We
covenant with our God, that we shall be destroyed, even as our brethren in the
land northward, if we shall fall into transgression; 53
yea, he may cast us at the feet of our enemies, even as we have cast our
garments at thy feet to be trodden under foot, if we shall fall into
transgression.
46:23.
54 Moroni said unto them:
Behold, we are a remnant of the seed of Jacob; yea, we are a remnant of the
seed of Joseph, whose coat was rent by his brethren into many pieces; 55 yea, and now behold, let us remember to keep
the commandments of God, or our garments shall be rent by our brethren, and we
be cast into prison, or be sold, or be slain.
46:24.
Yea, let us preserve our liberty as a
remnant of Joseph; 56 yea, let us remember
the words of Jacob, before his death, for behold, he saw that a part of the
remnant of the coat of Joseph was preserved and had not decayed. 57 And he said—Even as this remnant of garment of
my son hath been preserved, so shall a remnant of the seed of my son be
preserved by the hand of God, and be taken unto himself, while the remainder of
the seed of Joseph shall perish, even as the remnant of his garment.
46:25.
58 Now behold, this giveth my
soul sorrow; nevertheless, my soul hath joy in my son, because of that part of
his seed which shall be taken unto God.
46:26.
59 Now behold, this was the
language of Jacob.
46:27.
60 And now who knoweth but what
the remnant of the seed of Joseph, which shall perish as his garment, are those
who have dissented from us? Yea, and even it shall be ourselves if we do not
stand fast in the faith of Christ.
Alma; 21:10
46:28.
61 And now it came to pass that
when Moroni had said these words he went forth, and also sent forth in all the
parts of the land where there were dissensions, and gathered together all the
people who were desirous to maintain their liberty, to stand against Amalickiah
and those who had dissented, who were called Amalickiahites.
Alma; 21:11
46:29.
62 And it came to pass that
when Amalickiah saw that the people of Moroni were more numerous than the
Amalickiahites—and he also saw that his people were doubtful concerning the
justice of the cause in which they had undertaken—therefore, fearing that he should
not gain the point, he took those of his people who would and departed into the
land of Nephi.
Alma; 21:12
46:30. 63 Now Moroni thought it was not expedient that the Lamanites
should have any more strength; therefore he thought to cut off the people of
Amalickiah, or to take them and bring them back, and put Amalickiah to death; 64 yea, for he knew that he would stir up the
Lamanites to anger against them, and cause them to come to battle against them;
and this he knew that Amalickiah would do that he might obtain his purposes.
46:31.
65 Therefore Moroni thought it
was expedient that he should take his armies, who had gathered themselves
together, and armed themselves, and entered into a covenant to keep the peace— 66 and it came to pass that he took his army and
marched out with his tents into the wilderness, to cut off the course of
Amalickiah in the wilderness.
Alma; 21:13
46:32. 67 And it came to pass that he did according to his desires, and
marched forth into the wilderness, and headed the armies of Amalickiah.
46:33.
68 And it came to pass that
Amalickiah fled with a small number of his men, and the remainder were
delivered up into the hands of Moroni and were taken back into the land of
Zarahemla.
46:34.
69 Now, Moroni being a man who
was appointed by the chief judges and the voice of the people, therefore he had
power according to his will with the armies of the Nephites, to establish and
to exercise authority over them.
Alma; 21:14
46:35.
70 And it came to pass that
whomsoever of the Amalickiahites that would not enter into a covenant to
support the cause of freedom, that they might maintain a free government, he
caused to be put to death; and there were but few who denied the covenant of freedom.
Alma; 21:15
46:36. 71 And it came to pass also, that he caused the title of liberty
to be hoisted upon every tower which was in all the land, which was possessed
by the Nephites; and thus Moroni planted the standard of liberty among the
Nephites.
46:37.
72 And they began to have peace
again in the land; and thus they did maintain peace in the land until nearly
the end of the nineteenth year of the reign of the judges.
46:38.
73 And Helaman and the high
priests did also maintain order in the church; yea, even for the space of four
years did they have much peace and rejoicing in the church.
Alma; 21:16
46:39. 74 And it came to pass that there were many who died, firmly
believing that their souls were redeemed by the Lord Jesus Christ; thus they
went out of the world rejoicing.
46:40.
75 And there were some who died
with fevers, which at some seasons of the year were very frequent in the land— 76 but not so much so with fevers, because of the
excellent qualities of the many plants and roots which God had prepared to
remove the cause of diseases, to which men were subject by the nature of the
climate—
46:41.
77 But there were many who died
with old age; and those who died in the faith of Christ are happy in him, as we
must needs suppose.
Alma, Chapter 47
47:1.
78 Now we will return in our
record to Amalickiah and those who had fled with him into the wilderness; for,
behold, he had taken those who went with him, and went up in the land of Nephi
among the Lamanites, and did stir up the Lamanites to anger against the people
of Nephi, insomuch that the king of the Lamanites sent a proclamation
throughout all his land, among all his people, that they should gather
themselves together again to go to battle against the Nephites.
Alma; 21:17
47:2.
79 And it came to pass that
when the proclamation had gone forth among them they were exceedingly afraid;
yea, they feared to displease the king, and they also feared to go to battle
against the Nephites lest they should lose their lives. 80 And it came to pass that they would not, or the more part of
them would not, obey the commandments of the king.
Alma; 21:18
47:3.
81 And now it came to pass that
the king was wroth because of their disobedience; therefore he gave Amalickiah
the command of that part of his army which was obedient unto his commands, and
commanded him that he should go forth and compel them to arms.
47:4.
82 Now behold, this was the
desire of Amalickiah; for he being a very subtle man to do evil therefore he
laid the plan in his heart to dethrone the king of the Lamanites.
47:5.
83 And now he had got the
command of those parts of the Lamanites who were in favor of the king; and he
sought to gain favor of those who were not obedient; 84
therefore he went forward to the place which was called Onidah, for
thither had all the Lamanites fled; for they discovered the army coming, and,
supposing that they were coming to destroy them, therefore they fled to Onidah,
to the place of arms.
47:6.
85 And they had appointed a man
to be a king and a leader over them, being fixed in their minds with a
determined resolution that they would not be subjected to go against the
Nephites.
Alma; 21:19
47:7.
86 And it came to pass that
they had gathered themselves together upon the top of the mount which was
called Antipas, in preparation to battle.
47:8.
87 Now it was not Amalickiah’s
intention to give them battle according to the commandments of the king; but
behold, it was his intention to gain favor with the armies of the Lamanites,
that he might place himself at their head and dethrone the king and take
possession of the kingdom.
47:9.
88 And behold, it came to pass
that he caused his army to pitch their tents in the valley which was near the
mount Antipas.
47:10.
89 And it came to pass that
when it was night he sent a secret embassy into the mount Antipas, desiring
that the leader of those who were upon the mount, whose name was Lehonti, that
he should come down to the foot of the mount, for he desired to speak with him.
Alma; 21:20
47:11. 90 And it came to pass that when Lehonti received the message he
durst not go down to the foot of the mount. 91 And
it came to pass that Amalickiah sent again the second time, desiring him to
come down. And it came to pass that Lehonti would not; and he sent again the
third time.
47:12.
92 And it came to pass that
when Amalickiah found that he could not get Lehonti to come down off from the
mount, he went up into the mount, nearly to Lehonti’s camp; and he sent again
the fourth time his message unto Lehonti, desiring that he would come down, and
that he would bring his guards with him.
Alma; 21:21
47:13.
93 And it came to pass that
when Lehonti had come down with his guards to Amalickiah, that Amalickiah
desired him to come down with his army in the night-time, and surround those
men in their camps over whom the king had given him command, and that he would
deliver them up into Lehonti’s hands, if he would make him (Amalickiah) a
second leader over the whole army.
Alma; 21:22
47:14. 94 And it came to pass that Lehonti came down with his men and
surrounded the men of Amalickiah, so that before they awoke at the dawn of day
they were surrounded by the armies of Lehonti.
47:15.
95 And it came to pass that
when they saw that they were surrounded, they plead with Amalickiah that he
would suffer them to fall in with their brethren, that they might not be
destroyed. 96 Now this was the very thing
which Amalickiah desired.
Alma; 21:23
47:16. And
it came to pass that he delivered his men, contrary to the commands of the
king. 97 Now this was the thing that
Amalickiah desired, that he might accomplish his designs in dethroning the
king.
47:17.
98 Now it was the custom among
the Lamanites, if their chief leader was killed, to appoint the second leader
to be their chief leader.
Alma; 21:24
47:18. 99 And it came to pass that Amalickiah caused that one of his
servants should administer poison by degrees to Lehonti, that he died.
47:19.
100 Now, when Lehonti was dead,
the Lamanites appointed Amalickiah to be their leader and their chief
commander.
47:20.
101 And it came to pass that
Amalickiah marched with his armies (for he had gained his desires) to the land
of Nephi, to the city of Nephi, which was the chief city.
47:21.
102 And the king came out to
meet him with his guards, for he supposed that Amalickiah had fulfilled his
commands, and that Amalickiah had gathered together so great an army to go
against the Nephites to battle.
47:22.
103 But behold, as the king came
out to meet him Amalickiah caused that his servants should go forth to meet the
king. 104 And they went and bowed themselves
before the king, as if to reverence him because of his greatness.
47:23.
105 And it came to pass that the
king put forth his hand to raise them, as was the custom with the Lamanites, as
a token of peace, which custom they had taken from the Nephites.
47:24.
106 And it came to pass that
when he had raised the first from the ground, behold he stabbed the king to the
heart; and he fell to the earth.
47:25.
107 Now the servants of the king
fled; and the servants of Amalickiah raised a cry, saying:
47:26.
Behold, the servants of the king have
stabbed him to the heart, and he has fallen and they have fled; behold, come
and see.
Alma; 21:25
47:27.
108 And it came to pass that
Amalickiah commanded that his armies should march forth and see what had
happened to the king; 109 and when they had
come to the spot, and found the king lying in his gore, Amalickiah pretended to
be wroth, and said: Whosoever loved the king, let him go forth, and pursue his
servants that they may be slain.
Alma; 21:26
47:28. 110 And it came to pass that all they who loved the king, when they
heard these words, came forth and pursued after the servants of the king.
47:29.
111 Now when the servants of the
king saw an army pursuing after them, they were frightened again, and fled into
the wilderness, and came over into the land of Zarahemla and joined the people
of Ammon.
47:30.
112 And the army which pursued
after them returned, having pursued after them in vain; and thus Amalickiah, by
his fraud, gained the hearts of the people.
Alma; 21:27
47:31. 113 And it came to pass on the morrow he entered the city Nephi
with his armies, and took possession of the city.
47:32.
114 And now it came to pass that
the queen, when she had heard that the king was slain—for Amalickiah had sent
an embassy to the queen informing her that the king had been slain by his
servants, that he had pursued them with his army, but it was in vain, and they
had made their escape—
47:33.
115 Therefore, when the queen
had received this message she sent unto Amalickiah, desiring him that he would
spare the people of the city; and she also desired him that he should come in
unto her; and she also desired him that he should bring witnesses with him to
testify concerning the death of the king.
Alma; 21:28
47:34.
116 And it came to pass that
Amalickiah took the same servant that slew the king, and all them who were with
him, and went in unto the queen, unto the place where she sat; 117 and they all testified unto her that the king
was slain by his own servants; and they said also: They have fled; does not
this testify against them? 118 And thus they
satisfied the queen concerning the death of the king.
Alma; 21:29
47:35. 119 And it came to pass that Amalickiah sought the favor of the
queen, and took her unto him to wife; and thus by his fraud, and by the
assistance of his cunning servants, he obtained the kingdom; 120 yea, he was acknowledged king throughout all
the land, among all the people of the Lamanites, who were composed of the
Lamanites and the Lemuelites and the Ishmaelites, and all the dissenters of the
Nephites, from the reign of Nephi down to the present time.
47:36.
121 Now these dissenters, having
the same instruction and the same information of the Nephites, yea, having been
instructed in the same knowledge of the Lord, nevertheless, it is strange to
relate, not long after their dissensions they became more hardened and
impenitent, and more wild, wicked and ferocious than the Lamanites— 122 drinking in with the traditions of the
Lamanites; giving way to indolence, and all manner of lasciviousness; yea,
entirely forgetting the Lord their God.
Alma; 21:30
Alma, Chapter 48
48:1.
123 And now it came to pass
that, as soon as Amalickiah had obtained the kingdom he began to inspire the
hearts of the Lamanites against the people of Nephi; yea, he did appoint men to
speak unto the Lamanites from their towers, against the Nephites.
48:2.
124 And thus he did inspire
their hearts against the Nephites, insomuch that in the latter end of the
nineteenth year of the reign of the judges, he having accomplished his designs
thus far, yea, having been made king over the Lamanites, he sought also to reign
over all the land, 125 yea, and all the
people who were in the land, the Nephites as well as the Lamanites.
48:3.
Therefore he had accomplished his design,
for he had hardened the hearts of the Lamanites and blinded their minds, and
stirred them up to anger, insomuch that he had gathered together a numerous
host to go to battle against the Nephites.
48:4.
For he was determined, because of the
greatness of the number of his people, to overpower the Nephites and to bring
them into bondage.
48:5.
126 And thus he did appoint
chief captains of the Zoramites, they being the most acquainted with the
strength of the Nephites, and their places of resort, and the weakest parts of
their cities; therefore he appointed them to be chief captains over his armies.
Alma; 21:31
48:6.
127 And it came to pass that
they took their camp, and moved forth toward the land of Zarahemla in the
wilderness.
48:7.
128 Now it came to pass that
while Amalickiah had thus been obtaining power by fraud and deceit, Moroni, on
the other hand, had been preparing the minds of the people to be faithful unto
the Lord their God.
48:8.
129 Yea, he had been
strengthening the armies of the Nephites, and erecting small forts, or places
of resort; throwing up banks of earth round about to enclose his armies, and
also building walls of stone to encircle them about, round about their cities
and the borders of their lands; yea, all round about the land.
48:9.
130 And in their weakest
fortifications he did place the greater number of men; and thus he did fortify
and strengthen the land which was possessed by the Nephites.
48:10.
131 And thus he was preparing to
support their liberty, their lands, their wives, and their children, and their
peace, and that they might live unto the Lord their God, and that they might
maintain that which was called by their enemies the cause of Christians.
48:11.
132 And Moroni was a strong and
a mighty man; he was a man of a perfect understanding; yea, a man that did not
delight in bloodshed; a man whose soul did joy in the liberty and the freedom
of his country, and his brethren from bondage and slavery;
48:12.
133 Yea, a man whose heart did
swell with thanksgiving to his God, for the many privileges and blessings which
he bestowed upon his people; a man who did labor exceedingly for the welfare
and safety of his people.
48:13.
134 Yea, and he was a man who
was firm in the faith of Christ, and he had sworn with an oath to defend his
people, his rights, and his country, and his religion, even to the loss of his
blood.
Alma; 21:32
48:14.
135 Now the Nephites were taught
to defend themselves against their enemies, even to the shedding of blood if it
were necessary; 136 yea, and they were also
taught never to give an offense, yea, and never to raise the sword except it
were against an enemy, except it were to preserve their lives.
48:15.
137 And this was their faith,
that by so doing God would prosper them in the land, or in other words, if they
were faithful in keeping the commandments of God that he would prosper them in
the land; yea, warn them to flee, or to prepare for war, according to their
danger;
48:16.
138 And also, that God would
make it known unto them whither they should go to defend themselves against
their enemies, and by so doing, the Lord would deliver them; and this was the
faith of Moroni, 139 and his heart did glory
in it; not in the shedding of blood but in doing good, in preserving his
people, yea, in keeping the commandments of God, yea, and resisting iniquity.
48:17.
140 Yea, verily, verily I say
unto you, if all men had been, and were, and ever would be, like unto Moroni,
behold, the very powers of hell would have been shaken forever; yea, the devil
would never have power over the hearts of the children of men.
48:18.
141 Behold, he was a man like
unto Ammon, the son of Mosiah, yea, and even the other sons of Mosiah, yea, and
also Alma and his sons, for they were all men of God.
48:19.
142 Now behold, Helaman and his
brethren were no less serviceable unto the people than was Moroni; for they did
preach the word of God, and they did baptize unto repentance all men whosoever
would hearken unto their words.
Alma; 21:33
48:20.
143 And thus they went forth,
and the people did humble themselves because of their words, insomuch that they
were highly favored of the Lord, and thus they were free from wars and
contentions among themselves, yea, even for the space of four years.
48:21.
144 But, as I have said, in the
latter end of the nineteenth year, yea, notwithstanding their peace amongst
themselves, they were compelled reluctantly to contend with their brethren, the
Lamanites.
48:22.
145 Yea, and in fine, their wars
never did cease for the space of many years with the Lamanites, notwithstanding
their much reluctance.
48:23.
146 Now, they were sorry to take
up arms against the Lamanites, because they did not delight in the shedding of
blood; yea, and this was not all—they were sorry to be the means of sending so
many of their brethren out of this world into an eternal world, unprepared to
meet their God.
48:24.
147 Nevertheless, they could not
suffer to lay down their lives, that their wives and their children should be
massacred by the barbarous cruelty of those who were once their brethren, yea,
and had dissented from their church, and had left them and had gone to destroy
them by joining the Lamanites.
48:25.
148 Yea, they could not bear
that their brethren should rejoice over the blood of the Nephites, so long as
there were any who should keep the commandments of God, for the promise of the
Lord was, if they should keep his commandments they should prosper in the land.
Alma; 21:34
Alma, Chapter 49
49:1.
149 And now it came to pass in
the eleventh month of the nineteenth year, on the tenth day of the month, the
armies of the Lamanites were seen approaching towards the land of Ammonihah.
49:2.
150 And behold, the city had
been rebuilt, and Moroni had stationed an army by the borders of the city, and
they had cast up dirt around about to shield them from the arrows and the
stones of the Lamanites; for behold, they fought with stones and with arrows.
49:3.
151 Behold, I said that the city
of Ammonihah had been rebuilt. I say unto you, yea, that it was in part
rebuilt; and because the Lamanites had destroyed it once because of the
iniquity of the people, they supposed that it would again become an easy prey
for them.
49:4.
152 But behold, how great was
their disappointment; for behold, the Nephites had dug up a ridge of earth
round about them, which was so high that the Lamanites could not cast their
stones and their arrows at them that they might take effect, neither could they
come upon them save it was by their place of entrance.
49:5.
153 Now at this time the chief
captains of the Lamanites were astonished exceedingly, because of the wisdom of
the Nephites in preparing their places of security.
49:6.
154 Now the leaders of the
Lamanites had supposed, because of the greatness of their numbers, yea, they
supposed that they should be privileged to come upon them as they had hitherto
done; 155 yea, and they had also prepared
themselves with shields, and with breastplates; and they had also prepared
themselves with garments of skins, yea, very thick garments to cover their
nakedness.
49:7.
156 And being thus prepared they
supposed that they should easily overpower and subject their brethren to the
yoke of bondage, or slay and massacre them according to their pleasure.
49:8.
157 But behold, to their
uttermost astonishment, they were prepared for them, in a manner which never
had been known among the children of Lehi. 158 Now
they were prepared for the Lamanites, to battle after the manner of the
instructions of Moroni.
Alma; 21:35
49:9.
159 And it came to pass that the
Lamanites, or the Amalickiahites, were exceedingly astonished at their manner
of preparation for war.
49:10.
160 Now, if king Amalickiah had
come down out of the land of Nephi, at the head of his army, perhaps he would
have caused the Lamanites to have attacked the Nephites at the city of
Ammonihah; for behold, he did care not for the blood of his people.
49:11.
161 But behold, Amalickiah did
not come down himself to battle. 162 And
behold, his chief captains durst not attack the Nephites at the city of
Ammonihah, for Moroni had altered the management of affairs among the Nephites,
insomuch that the Lamanites were disappointed in their places of retreat and
they could not come upon them.
49:12.
163 Therefore they retreated
into the wilderness, and took their camp and marched towards the land of Noah,
supposing that to be the next best place for them to come against the Nephites.
49:13.
164 For they knew not that
Moroni had fortified, or had built forts of security, for every city in all the
land round about; 165 therefore, they
marched forward to the land of Noah with a firm determination; yea, their chief
captains came forward and took an oath that they would destroy the people of
that city.
49:14.
166 But behold, to their
astonishment, the city of Noah, which had hitherto been a weak place, had now,
by the means of Moroni, become strong, yea, even to exceed the strength of the
city Ammonihah.
49:15.
167 And now, behold, this was
wisdom in Moroni; for he had supposed that they would be frightened at the city
Ammonihah; and as the city of Noah had hitherto been the weakest part of the
land, therefore they would march thither to battle; and thus it was according
to his desires.
49:16.
168 And behold, Moroni had
appointed Lehi to be chief captain over the men of that city; and it was that
same Lehi who fought with the Lamanites in the valley on the east of the river
Sidon.
Alma; 21:36
49:17.
169 And now behold it came to
pass, that when the Lamanites had found that Lehi commanded the city they were
again disappointed, for they feared Lehi exceedingly; nevertheless their chief
captains had sworn with an oath to attack the city; therefore, they brought up
their armies.
49:18.
170 Now behold, the Lamanites
could not get into their forts of security by any other way save by the
entrance, because of the highness of the bank which had been thrown up, and the
depth of the ditch which had been dug round about, save it were by the entrance.
49:19.
171 And thus were the Nephites
prepared to destroy all such as should attempt to climb up to enter the fort by
any other way, by casting over stones and arrows at them.
49:20.
172 Thus they were prepared,
yea, a body of their strongest men, with their swords and their slings, to
smite down all who should attempt to come into their place of security by the
place of entrance; and thus were they prepared to defend themselves against the
Lamanites.
Alma; 21:37
49:21.
173 And it came to pass that the
captains of the Lamanites brought up their armies before the place of entrance,
and began to contend with the Nephites, to get into their place of security; 174 but behold, they were driven back from time to
time, insomuch that they were slain with an immense slaughter.
49:22.
175 Now when they found that
they could not obtain power over the Nephites by the pass, they began to dig
down their banks of earth that they might obtain a pass to their armies, that
they might have an equal chance to fight; 176 but
behold, in these attempts they were swept off by the stones and arrows which
were thrown at them; and instead of filling up their ditches by pulling down
the banks of earth, they were filled up in a measure with their dead and
wounded bodies.
49:23.
177 Thus the Nephites had all
power over their enemies; and thus the Lamanites did attempt to destroy the
Nephites until their chief captains were all slain; 178
yea, and more than a thousand of the Lamanites were slain; while, on the
other hand, there was not a single soul of the Nephites which was slain.
49:24.
179 There were about fifty who
were wounded, who had been exposed to the arrows of the Lamanites through the
pass, but they were shielded by their shields, and their breastplates, and
their head-plates, insomuch that their wounds were upon their legs, many of
which were very severe.
Alma; 21:38
49:25.
180 And it came to pass, that
when the Lamanites saw that their chief captains were all slain they fled into
the wilderness. 181 And it came to pass that
they returned to the land of Nephi, to inform their king, Amalickiah, who was a
Nephite by birth, concerning their great loss.
49:26.
182 And it came to pass that he
was exceedingly angry with his people, because he had not obtained his desire
over the Nephites; he had not subjected them to the yoke of bondage.
49:27.
183 Yea, he was exceedingly
wroth, and he did curse God, and also Moroni, swearing with an oath that he
would drink his blood; and this because Moroni had kept the commandments of God
in preparing for the safety of his people.
49:28.
184 And it came to pass, that on
the other hand, the people of Nephi did thank the Lord their God, because of
his matchless power in delivering them from the hands of their enemies.
49:29.
185 And thus ended the
nineteenth year of the reign of the judges over the people of Nephi.
49:30.
Yea, and there was continual peace among
them, and exceedingly great prosperity in the church because of their heed and
diligence which they gave unto the word of God, which was declared unto them by
Helaman, and Shiblon, and Corianton, and Ammon and his brethren, 186 yea, and by all those who had been ordained by
the holy order of God, being baptized unto repentance, and sent forth to preach
among the people.
Alma, Chapter 22
Alma; 22:1
Alma, Chapter 50
50:1.
1 And now it came to pass that
Moroni did not stop making preparations for war, or to defend his people
against the Lamanites; for he caused that his armies should commence in the
commencement of the twentieth year of the reign of the judges, that they should
commence in digging up heaps of earth round about all the cities, throughout
all the land which was possessed by the Nephites.
50:2.
2 And upon the top of these
ridges of earth he caused that there should be timbers, yea, works of timbers
built up to the height of a man, round about the cities.
50:3.
3 And he caused that upon
those works of timbers there should be a frame of pickets built upon the
timbers round about; and they were strong and high.
50:4.
And he caused towers to be erected that
overlooked those works of pickets, 4 and he
caused places of security to be built upon those towers, that the stones and
the arrows of the Lamanites could not hurt them.
50:5.
5 And they were prepared that
they could cast stones from the top thereof, according to their pleasure and
their strength, and slay him who should attempt to approach near the walls of
the city.
50:6.
6 Thus Moroni did prepare
strongholds against the coming of their enemies, round about every city in all
the land.
Alma; 22:2
50:7.
7 And it came to pass that
Moroni caused that his armies should go forth into the east wilderness; yea,
and they went forth and drove all the Lamanites who were in the east wilderness
into their own lands, which were south of the land of Zarahemla.
50:8.
8 And the land of Nephi did
run in a straight course from the east sea to the west.
50:9.
9 And it came to pass that
when Moroni had driven all the Lamanites out of the east wilderness, which was
north of the lands of their own possessions, he caused that the inhabitants who
were in the land of Zarahemla and in the land round about should go forth into
the east wilderness, even to the borders by the seashore, and possess the land.
50:10.
10 And he also placed armies on
the south, in the borders of their possessions, and caused them to erect
fortifications that they might secure their armies and their people from the
hands of their enemies.
50:11.
11 And thus he cut off all the
strongholds of the Lamanites in the east wilderness, yea, and also on the west,
fortifying the line between the Nephites and the Lamanites, between the land of
Zarahemla and the land of Nephi, from the west sea, running by the head of the
river Sidon— 12 the Nephites possessing all
the land northward, yea, even all the land which was northward of the land
Bountiful, according to their pleasure.
50:12.
13 Thus Moroni, with his
armies, which did increase daily because of the assurance of protection which
his works did bring forth unto them, did seek to cut off the strength and the
power of the Lamanites from off the lands of their possessions, that they should
have no power upon the lands of their possession.
Alma; 22:3
50:13.
14 And it came to pass that the
Nephites began the foundation of a city, and they called the name of the city
Moroni; and it was by the east sea; and it was on the south by the line of the
possessions of the Lamanites.
50:14.
15 And they also began a
foundation for a city between the city of Moroni and the city of Aaron, joining
the borders of Aaron and Moroni; and they called the name of the city, or the
land, Nephihah.
50:15.
16 And they also began in that
same year to build many cities on the north, one in a particular manner which
they called Lehi, which was in the north by the borders of the seashore.
50:16.
And thus ended the twentieth year.
50:17.
17 And in these prosperous
circumstances were the people of Nephi in the commencement of the twenty and
first year of the reign of the judges over the people of Nephi.
50:18.
18 And they did prosper
exceedingly, and they became exceedingly rich; yea, and they did multiply and
wax strong in the land.
50:19.
19 And thus we see how merciful
and just are all the dealings of the Lord, to the fulfilling of all his words
unto the children of men; 20 yea, we can
behold that his words are verified, even at this time, which he spake unto
Lehi, saying:
50:20.
Blessed art thou and thy children; and they
shall be blessed, inasmuch as they shall keep my commandments they shall
prosper in the land. 21 But remember,
inasmuch as they will not keep my commandments they shall be cut off from the
presence of the Lord.
50:21.
22 And we see that these
promises have been verified to the people of Nephi; for it has been their
quarrelings and their contentions, yea, their murderings, and their
plunderings, their idolatry, their whoredoms, and their abominations, which
were among themselves, which brought upon them their wars and their
destructions.
50:22.
23 And those who were faithful
in keeping the commandments of the Lord were delivered at all times, whilst
thousands of their wicked brethren have been consigned to bondage, or to perish
by the sword, or to dwindle in unbelief, and mingle with the Lamanites.
50:23.
24 But behold there never was a
happier time among the people of Nephi, since the days of Nephi, than in the
days of Moroni, yea, even at this time, in the twenty and first year of the
reign of the judges.
50:24.
25 And it came to pass that the
twenty and second year of the reign of the judges also ended in peace; yea, and
also the twenty and third year.
Alma; 22:4
50:25.
26 And it came to pass that in
the commencement of the twenty and fourth year of the reign of the judges,
there would also have been peace among the people of Nephi had it not been for
a contention which took place among them concerning the land of Lehi, and the
land of Morianton, which joined upon the borders of Lehi; both of which were on
the borders by the seashore.
50:26.
27 For behold, the people who
possessed the land of Morianton did claim a part of the land of Lehi; therefore
there began to be a warm contention between them, insomuch that the people of
Morianton took up arms against their brethren, and they were determined by the
sword to slay them.
50:27.
28 But behold, the people who
possessed the land of Lehi fled to the camp of Moroni, and appealed unto him
for assistance; for behold they were not in the wrong.
Alma; 22:5
50:28.
29 And it came to pass that
when the people of Morianton, who were led by a man whose name was Morianton,
found that the people of Lehi had fled to the camp of Moroni, they were
exceedingly fearful lest the army of Moroni should come upon them and destroy them.
50:29.
30 Therefore, Morianton put it
into their hearts that they should flee to the land which was northward, which
was covered with large bodies of water, and take possession of the land which
was northward.
50:30.
31 And behold, they would have
carried this plan into effect, (which would have been a cause to have been
lamented) but behold, Morianton being a man of much passion, therefore he was
angry with one of his maid servants, and he fell upon her and beat her much.
50:31.
32 And it came to pass that she
fled, and came over to the camp of Moroni, and told Moroni all things
concerning the matter, and also concerning their intentions to flee into the
land northward.
50:32.
33 Now behold, the people who
were in the land Bountiful, or rather Moroni, feared that they would hearken to
the words of Morianton and unite with his people, and thus he would obtain
possession of those parts of the land, which would lay a foundation for serious
consequences among the people of Nephi, yea, which consequences would lead to
the overthrow of their liberty.
50:33.
34 Therefore Moroni sent an
army, with their camp, to head the people of Morianton, to stop their flight
into the land northward.
50:34.
35 And it came to pass that
they did not head them until they had come to the borders of the land
Desolation; and there they did head them, by the narrow pass which led by the
sea into the land northward, yea, by the sea, on the west and on the east.
Alma; 22:6
50:35.
36 And it came to pass that the
army which was sent by Moroni, which was led by a man whose name was Teancum,
did meet the people of Morianton; 37 and so
stubborn were the people of Morianton, (being inspired by his wickedness and
his flattering words) that a battle commenced between them, in the which
Teancum did slay Morianton and defeat his army, and took them prisoners, and
returned to the camp of Moroni. 38 And thus
ended the twenty and fourth year of the reign of the judges over the people of
Nephi.
50:36.
39 And thus were the people of
Morianton brought back. And upon their covenanting to keep the peace they were
restored to the land of Morianton, and a union took place between them and the
people of Lehi; and they were also restored to their lands.
Alma; 22:7
50:37.
40 And it came to pass that in
the same year that the people of Nephi had peace restored unto them, that
Nephihah, the second chief judge, died, having filled the judgment-seat with
perfect uprightness before God.
50:38.
41 Nevertheless, he had refused
Alma to take possession of those records and those things which were esteemed
by Alma and his fathers to be most sacred; therefore Alma had conferred them
upon his son, Helaman.
Alma; 22:8
50:39.
42 Behold, it came to pass that
the son of Nephihah was appointed to fill the judgment-seat, in the stead of
his father; yea, he was appointed chief judge and governor over the people,
with an oath and sacred ordinance to judge righteously, and to keep the peace
and the freedom of the people, and to grant unto them their sacred privileges
to worship the Lord their God, 43 yea, to
support and maintain the cause of God all his days, and to bring the wicked to
justice according to their crime.
50:40.
44 Now behold, his name was
Pahoran. And Pahoran did fill the seat of his father, and did commence his
reign in the end of the twenty and fourth year, over the people of Nephi.
Alma, Chapter 23
Alma; 23:1
Alma, Chapter 51
51:1.
1 And now it came to pass in
the commencement of the twenty and fifth year of the reign of the judges over
the people of Nephi, they having established peace between the people of Lehi
and the people of Morianton concerning their lands, and having commenced the
twenty and fifth year in peace;
51:2.
2 Nevertheless, they did not
long maintain an entire peace in the land, for there began to be a contention
among the people concerning the chief judge Pahoran; for behold, there were a
part of the people who desired that a few particular points of the law should
be altered.
51:3.
3 But behold, Pahoran would
not alter nor suffer the law to be altered; therefore, he did not hearken to
those who had sent in their voices with their petitions concerning the altering
of the law.
51:4.
4 Therefore, those who were
desirous that the law should be altered were angry with him, and desired that
he should no longer be chief judge over the land; therefore there arose a warm
dispute concerning the matter, but not unto bloodshed.
Alma; 23:2
51:5.
5 And it came to pass that
those who were desirous that Pahoran should be dethroned from the judgment-seat
were called king-men, for they were desirous that the law should be altered in
a manner to overthrow the free government and to establish a king over the
land.
51:6.
6 And those who were desirous
that Pahoran should remain chief judge over the land took upon them the name of
freemen; and thus was the division among them, for the freemen had sworn or
covenanted to maintain their rights and the privileges of their religion by a
free government.
Alma; 23:3
51:7.
7 And it came to pass that
this matter of their contention was settled by the voice of the people. 8 And it came to pass that the voice of the people
came in favor of the freemen, and Pahoran retained the judgment-seat, which
caused much rejoicing among the brethren of Pahoran and also many of the people
of liberty, who also put the king-men to silence, that they durst not oppose
but were obliged to maintain the cause of freedom.
51:8.
9 Now those who were in favor
of kings were those of high birth, and they sought to be kings; and they were
supported by those who sought power and authority over the people.
51:9.
10 But behold, this was a
critical time for such contentions to be among the people of Nephi; for behold,
Amalickiah had again stirred up the hearts of the people of the Lamanites
against the people of the Nephites, and he was gathering together soldiers from
all parts of his land, and arming them, and preparing for war with all
diligence; for he had sworn to drink the blood of Moroni.
51:10.
11 But behold, we shall see
that his promise which he made was rash; nevertheless, he did prepare himself
and his armies to come to battle against the Nephites.
51:11.
12 Now his armies were not so
great as they had hitherto been, because of the many thousands who had been
slain by the hand of the Nephites; 13 but
notwithstanding their great loss, Amalickiah had gathered together a
wonderfully great army, insomuch that he feared not to come down to the land of
Zarahemla.
51:12.
14 Yea, even Amalickiah did
himself come down, at the head of the Lamanites. 15
And it was in the twenty and fifth year of the reign of the judges; and
it was at the same time that they had begun to settle the affairs of their
contentions concerning the chief judge, Pahoran.
Alma; 23:4
51:13.
16 And it came to pass that
when the men who were called king-men had heard that the Lamanites were coming
down to battle against them, they were glad in their hearts; and they refused
to take up arms, for they were so wroth with the chief judge, and also with the
people of liberty, that they would not take up arms to defend their country.
51:14.
17 And it came to pass that
when Moroni saw this, and also saw that the Lamanites were coming into the
borders of the land, he was exceedingly wroth because of the stubbornness of
those people whom he had labored with so much diligence to preserve; yea, he
was exceedingly wroth; his soul was filled with anger against them.
51:15.
18 And it came to pass that he
sent a petition, with the voice of the people, unto the governor of the land,
desiring that he should read it, and give him (Moroni) power to compel those
dissenters to defend their country or to put them to death.
51:16.
19 For it was his first care to
put an end to such contentions and dissensions among the people; for behold,
this had been hitherto a cause of all their destruction. 20 And it came to pass that it was granted
according to the voice of the people.
Alma; 23:5
51:17.
21 And it came to pass that
Moroni commanded that his army should go against those king-men, to pull down
their pride and their nobility and level them with the earth, or they should
take up arms and support the cause of liberty.
51:18.
22 And it came to pass that the
armies did march forth against them; and they did pull down their pride and
their nobility, insomuch that as they did lift their weapons of war to fight
against the men of Moroni they were hewn down and leveled to the earth.
51:19.
23 And it came to pass that
there were four thousand of those dissenters who were hewn down by the sword;
and those of their leaders who were not slain in battle were taken and cast
into prison, for there was no time for their trials at this period.
51:20.
24 And the remainder of those
dissenters, rather than be smitten down to the earth by the sword, yielded to
the standard of liberty, and were compelled to hoist the title of liberty upon
their towers, and in their cities, and to take up arms in defence of their
country.
51:21.
25 And thus Moroni put an end
to those king-men, that there were not any known by the appellation of
king-men; and thus he put an end to the stubbornness and the pride of those
people who professed the blood of nobility; 26 but
they were brought down to humble themselves like unto their brethren, and to
fight valiantly for their freedom from bondage.
Alma; 23:6
51:22.
27 Behold, it came to pass that
while Moroni was thus breaking down the wars and contentions among his own
people, and subjecting them to peace and civilization, and making regulations
to prepare for war against the Lamanites, behold, the Lamanites had come into
the land of Moroni, which was in the borders by the seashore.
Alma; 23:7
51:23.
28 And it came to pass that the
Nephites were not sufficiently strong in the city of Moroni; therefore
Amalickiah did drive them, slaying many. 29 And
it came to pass that Amalickiah took possession of the city, yea, possession of
all their fortifications.
51:24.
30 And those who fled out of
the city of Moroni came to the city of Nephihah; and also the people of the
city of Lehi gathered themselves together, and made preparations and were ready
to receive the Lamanites to battle.
Alma; 23:8
51:25.
31 But it came to pass that
Amalickiah would not suffer the Lamanites to go against the city of Nephihah to
battle, but kept them down by the seashore, leaving men in every city to
maintain and defend it.
51:26.
32 And thus he went on, taking
possession of many cities, the city of Nephihah, and the city of Lehi, and the
city of Morianton, and the city of Omner, and the city of Gid, and the city of
Mulek, all of which were on the east borders by the seashore.
51:27.
33 And thus had the Lamanites
obtained, by the cunning of Amalickiah, so many cities, by their numberless
hosts, all of which were strongly fortified after the manner of the
fortifications of Moroni; all of which afforded strongholds for the Lamanites.
Alma; 23:9
51:28.
34 And it came to pass that
they marched to the borders of the land Bountiful, driving the Nephites before
them and slaying many.
51:29.
35 But it came to pass that
they were met by Teancum, who had slain Morianton and had headed his people in
his flight.
51:30.
36 And it came to pass that he
headed Amalickiah also, as he was marching forth with his numerous army that he
might take possession of the land Bountiful, and also the land northward.
51:31.
37 But behold he met with a
disappointment by being repulsed by Teancum and his men, for they were great
warriors; for every man of Teancum did exceed the Lamanites in their strength
and in their skill of war, insomuch that they did gain advantage over the Lamanites.
Alma; 23:10
51:32.
38 And it came to pass that
they did harass them, insomuch that they did slay them even until it was dark. 39 And it came to pass that Teancum and his men
did pitch their tents in the borders of the land Bountiful; and Amalickiah did
pitch his tents in the borders on the beach by the seashore, and after this
manner were they driven.
Alma; 23:11
51:33.
40 And it came to pass that
when the night had come, Teancum and his servant stole forth and went out by
night, and went into the camp of Amalickiah; and behold, sleep had overpowered
them because of their much fatigue, which was caused by the labors and heat of
the day.
Alma; 23:12
51:34.
41 And it came to pass that
Teancum stole privily into the tent of the king, and put a javelin to his
heart; and he did cause the death of the king immediately that he did not awake
his servants.
51:35.
42 And he returned again
privily to his own camp, and behold, his men were asleep, and he awoke them and
told them all the things that he had done.
51:36.
43 And he caused that his
armies should stand in readiness, lest the Lamanites had awakened and should
come upon them.
51:37.
44 And thus endeth the twenty
and fifth year of the reign of the judges over the people of Nephi; and thus
endeth the days of Amalickiah.
Alma, Chapter 24
Alma; 24:1
Alma, Chapter 52
52:1.
1 And now, it came to pass in
the twenty and sixth year of the reign of the judges over the people of Nephi,
behold, when the Lamanites awoke on the first morning of the first month,
behold, they found Amalickiah was dead in his own tent; and they also saw that
Teancum was ready to give them battle on that day.
52:2.
2 And now, when the Lamanites
saw this they were affrighted; and they abandoned their design in marching into
the land northward, and retreated with all their army into the city of Mulek,
and sought protection in their fortifications.
52:3.
3 And it came to pass that the
brother of Amalickiah was appointed king over the people; and his name was
Ammoron; thus king Ammoron, the brother of king Amalickiah, was appointed to
reign in his stead.
Alma; 24:2
52:4.
4 And it came to pass that he
did command that his people should maintain those cities, which they had taken
by the shedding of blood; for they had not taken any cities save they had lost
much blood.
52:5.
5 And now, Teancum saw that
the Lamanites were determined to maintain those cities which they had taken,
and those parts of the land which they had obtained possession of; 6 and also seeing the enormity of their number,
Teancum thought it was not expedient that he should attempt to attack them in
their forts.
52:6.
But he kept his men round about, as if
making preparations for war; 7 yea, and
truly he was preparing to defend himself against them, by casting up walls
round about and preparing places of resort.
Alma; 24:3
52:7.
8 And it came to pass that he
kept thus preparing for war until Moroni had sent a large number of men to
strengthen his army.
52:8.
9 And Moroni also sent orders
unto him that he should retain all the prisoners who fell into his hands; for
as the Lamanites had taken many prisoners, that he should retain all the
prisoners of the Lamanites as a ransom for those whom the Lamanites had taken.
52:9.
10 And he also sent orders unto
him that he should fortify the land Bountiful, and secure the narrow pass which
led into the land northward, lest the Lamanites should obtain that point and
should have power to harass them on every side.
52:10.
11 And Moroni also sent unto
him, desiring him that he would be faithful in maintaining that quarter of the
land, and that he would seek every opportunity to scourge the Lamanites in that
quarter, as much as was in his power, 12 that
perhaps he might take again by stratagem or some other way those cities which
had been taken out of their hands; and that he also would fortify and
strengthen the cities round about, which had not fallen into the hands of the
Lamanites.
52:11.
13 And he also said unto him, I
would come unto you, but behold, the Lamanites are upon us in the borders of
the land by the west sea; and behold, I go against them, therefore I cannot
come unto you.
Alma; 24:4
52:12.
14 Now, the king (Ammoron) had
departed out of the land of Zarahemla, and had made known unto the queen
concerning the death of his brother, and had gathered together a large number
of men, and had marched forth against the Nephites on the borders by the west
sea.
52:13.
15 And thus he was endeavoring
to harass the Nephites, and to draw away a part of their forces to that part of
the land, while he had commanded those whom he had left to possess the cities
which he had taken, that they should also harass the Nephites on the borders by
the east sea, and should take possession of their lands as much as it was in
their power, according to the power of their armies.
52:14.
16 And thus were the Nephites
in those dangerous circumstances in the ending of the twenty and sixth year of
the reign of the judges over the people of Nephi.
Alma; 24:5
52:15.
17 But behold, it came to pass
in the twenty and seventh year of the reign of the judges, that Teancum, by the
command of Moroni—who had established armies to protect the south and the west
borders of the land, and had begun his march towards the land Bountiful, that
he might assist Teancum with his men in retaking the cities which they had
lost—
52:16.
18 And it came to pass that
Teancum had received orders to make an attack upon the city of Mulek, and
retake it if it were possible.
Alma; 24:6
52:17.
19 And it came to pass that
Teancum made preparations to make an attack upon the city of Mulek, and march
forth with his army against the Lamanites; but he saw that it was impossible
that he could overpower them while they were in their fortifications; 20 therefore he abandoned his designs and returned
again to the city Bountiful, to wait for the coming of Moroni, that he might
receive strength to his army.
Alma; 24:7
52:18.
21 And it came to pass that
Moroni did arrive with his army at the land of Bountiful, in the latter end of
the twenty and seventh year of the reign of the judges over the people of
Nephi.
52:19.
22 And in the commencement of
the twenty and eighth year, Moroni and Teancum and many of the chief captains
held a council of war—what they should do to cause the Lamanites to come out
against them to battle; 23 or that they
might by some means flatter them out of their strongholds, that they might gain
advantage over them and take again the city of Mulek.
Alma; 24:8
52:20.
24 And it came to pass they
sent embassies to the army of the Lamanites, which protected the city of Mulek,
to their leader, whose name was Jacob, desiring him that he would come out with
his armies to meet them upon the plains between the two cities. 25 But behold, Jacob, who was a Zoramite, would
not come out with his army to meet them upon the plains.
Alma; 24:9
52:21.
26 And it came to pass that
Moroni, having no hopes of meeting them upon fair grounds, therefore, he
resolved upon a plan that he might decoy the Lamanites out of their
strongholds.
52:22.
27 Therefore he caused that
Teancum should take a small number of men and march down near the seashore; and
Moroni and his army, by night, marched in the wilderness, on the west of the
city Mulek; 28 and thus, on the morrow, when
the guards of the Lamanites had discovered Teancum, they ran and told it unto
Jacob, their leader.
Alma; 24:10
52:23.
29 And it came to pass that the
armies of the Lamanites did march forth against Teancum, supposing by their
numbers to overpower Teancum because of the smallness of his numbers. 30 And as Teancum saw the armies of the Lamanites
coming out against him he began to retreat down by the seashore, northward.
Alma; 24:11
52:24.
31 And it came to pass that
when the Lamanites saw that he began to flee, they took courage and pursued
them with vigor. 32 And while Teancum was
thus leading away the Lamanites who were pursuing them in vain, behold, Moroni
commanded that a part of his army who were with him should march forth into the
city, and take possession of it.
52:25.
33 And thus they did, and slew
all those who had been left to protect the city, yea, all those who would not
yield up their weapons of war.
52:26.
34 And thus Moroni had obtained
possession of the city Mulek with a part of his army, while he marched with the
remainder to meet the Lamanites when they should return from the pursuit of
Teancum.
Alma; 24:12
52:27.
35 And it came to pass that the
Lamanites did pursue Teancum until they came near the city Bountiful, and then
they were met by Lehi and a small army, which had been left to protect the city
Bountiful.
52:28.
36 And now behold, when the
chief captains of the Lamanites had beheld Lehi with his army coming against
them, they fled in much confusion, lest perhaps they should not obtain the city
Mulek before Lehi should overtake them; for they were wearied because of their
march, and the men of Lehi were fresh.
52:29.
37 Now the Lamanites did not
know that Moroni had been in their rear with his army; and all they feared was
Lehi and his men.
52:30.
38 Now Lehi was not desirous to
overtake them till they should meet Moroni and his army.
52:31.
39 And it came to pass that
before the Lamanites had retreated far they were surrounded by the Nephites, by
the men of Moroni on one hand, and the men of Lehi on the other, all of whom
were fresh and full of strength; but the Lamanites were wearied because of
their long march.
52:32.
40 And Moroni commanded his men
that they should fall upon them until they had given up their weapons of war.
Alma; 24:13
52:33.
41 And it came to pass that
Jacob, being their leader, being also a Zoramite, and having an unconquerable
spirit, he led the Lamanites forth to battle with exceeding fury against
Moroni.
52:34.
42 Moroni being in their course
of march, therefore Jacob was determined to slay them and cut his way through
to the city of Mulek. 43 But behold, Moroni
and his men were more powerful; therefore they did not give way before the
Lamanites.
Alma; 24:14
52:35.
44 And it came to pass that
they fought on both hands with exceeding fury; and there were many slain on
both sides; yea, and Moroni was wounded and Jacob was killed.
52:36.
45 And Lehi pressed upon their
rear with such fury with his strong men, that the Lamanites in the rear
delivered up their weapons of war; and the remainder of them, being much
confused, knew not whither to go or to strike.
52:37.
46 Now Moroni seeing their
confusion, he said unto them: If ye will bring forth your weapons of war and
deliver them up, behold we will forbear shedding your blood.
52:38.
47 And it came to pass that
when the Lamanites had heard these words, their chief captains, all those who
were not slain, came forth and threw down their weapons of war at the feet of
Moroni, and also commanded their men that they should do the same.
52:39.
48 But behold, there were many
that would not; and those who would not deliver up their swords were taken and
bound, and their weapons of war were taken from them, and they were compelled
to march with their brethren forth into the land Bountiful.
52:40.
49 And now the number of
prisoners who were taken exceeded more than the number of those who had been
slain, yea, more than those who had been slain on both sides.
Alma; 24:15
Alma, Chapter 53
53:1.
50 And it came to pass that
they did set guards over the prisoners of the Lamanites, and did compel them to
go forth and bury their dead, yea, and also the dead of the Nephites who were
slain; and Moroni placed men over them to guard them while they should perform
their labors.
53:2.
51 And Moroni went to the city
of Mulek with Lehi, and took command of the city and gave it unto Lehi. 52 Now behold, this Lehi was a man who had been
with Moroni in the more part of all his battles; and he was a man like unto
Moroni, and they rejoiced in each other’s safety; yea, they were beloved by
each other, and also beloved by all the people of Nephi.
Alma; 24:16
53:3.
53 And it came to pass that
after the Lamanites had finished burying their dead and also the dead of the
Nephites, they were marched back into the land Bountiful; 54 and Teancum, by the orders of Moroni, caused
that they should commence laboring in digging a ditch round about the land, or
the city, Bountiful.
53:4.
55 And he caused that they
should build a breastwork of timbers upon the inner bank of the ditch; and they
cast up dirt out of the ditch against the breastwork of timbers; 56 and thus they did cause the Lamanites to labor
until they had encircled the city of Bountiful round about with a strong wall
of timbers and earth, to an exceeding height.
53:5.
57 And this city became an
exceeding stronghold ever after; and in this city they did guard the prisoners
of the Lamanites; yea, even within a wall which they had caused them to build
with their own hands. 58 Now Moroni was
compelled to cause the Lamanites to labor, because it was easy to guard them
while at their labor; and he desired all his forces when he should make an
attack upon the Lamanites.
Alma; 24:17
53:6.
59 And it came to pass that
Moroni had thus gained a victory over one of the greatest of the armies of the
Lamanites, and had obtained possession of the city of Mulek, which was one of
the strongest holds of the Lamanites in the land of Nephi; and thus he had also
built a stronghold to retain his prisoners.
53:7.
60 And it came to pass that he
did no more attempt a battle with the Lamanites in that year, but he did employ
his men in preparing for war, yea, and in making fortifications to guard
against the Lamanites, yea, and also delivering their women and their children
from famine and affliction, and providing food for their armies.
Alma; 24:18
53:8.
61 And now it came to pass that
the armies of the Lamanites, on the west sea, south, while in the absence of
Moroni on account of some intrigue amongst the Nephites, which caused
dissensions amongst them, had gained some ground over the Nephites, yea, insomuch
that they had obtained possession of a number of their cities in that part of
the land.
53:9.
62 And thus because of iniquity
amongst themselves, yea, because of dissensions and intrigue among themselves
they were placed in the most dangerous circumstances.
Alma; 24:19
53:10.
63 And now behold, I have
somewhat to say concerning the people of Ammon, who in the beginning, were
Lamanites; but by Ammon and his brethren, or rather by the power and word of
God, they had been converted unto the Lord; 64 and
they had been brought down into the land of Zarahemla, and had ever since been
protected by the Nephites.
53:11.
And because of their oath they had been
kept from taking up arms against their brethren; 65
for they had taken an oath that they never would shed blood more; and
according to their oath they would have perished; yea, they would have suffered
themselves to have fallen into the hands of their brethren, had it not been for
the pity and the exceeding love which Ammon and his brethren had had for them.
53:12.
66 And for this cause they were
brought down into the land of Zarahemla; and they ever had been protected by
the Nephites.
Alma; 24:20
53:13.
67 But it came to pass that
when they saw the danger, and the many afflictions and tribulations which the
Nephites bore for them, they were moved with compassion and were desirous to
take up arms in the defence of their country.
53:14.
68 But behold, as they were
about to take their weapons of war, they were overpowered by the persuasions of
Helaman and his brethren, for they were about to break the oath which they had
made.
53:15.
69 And Helaman feared lest by
so doing they should lose their souls; therefore all those who had entered into
this covenant were compelled to behold their brethren wade through their
afflictions, in their dangerous circumstances at this time.
53:16.
70 But behold, it came to pass
they had many sons, who had not entered into a covenant that they would not
take their weapons of war to defend themselves against their enemies; 71 therefore they did assemble themselves together
at this time, as many as were able to take up arms, and they called themselves
Nephites.
53:17.
72 And they entered into a
covenant to fight for the liberty of the Nephites, yea, to protect the land
unto the laying down of their lives; 73 yea,
even they covenanted that they never would give up their liberty, but they
would fight in all cases to protect the Nephites and themselves from bondage.
Alma; 24:21
53:18.
74 Now behold, there were two
thousand of those young men, who entered into this covenant and took their
weapons of war to defend their country.
53:19.
75 And now behold, as they
never had hitherto been a disadvantage to the Nephites, they became now at this
period of time also a great support; for they took their weapons of war, and
they would that Helaman should be their leader.
53:20.
76 And they were all young men,
and they were exceedingly valiant for courage, and also for strength and
activity; but behold, this was not all—they were men who were true at all times
in whatsoever thing they were entrusted.
53:21.
77 Yea, they were men of truth
and soberness, for they had been taught to keep the commandments of God and to
walk uprightly before him.
Alma; 24:22
53:22.
78 And now it came to pass that
Helaman did march at the head of his two thousand stripling soldiers, to the
support of the people in the borders of the land on the south by the west sea.
53:23.
79 And thus ended the twenty
and eighth year of the reign of the judges over the people of Nephi.
Alma, Chapter 25
Alma; 25:1
Alma, Chapter 54
54:1.
1 And now it came to pass in
the commencement of the twenty and ninth year of the judges, that Ammoron sent
unto Moroni desiring that he would exchange prisoners.
54:2.
2 And it came to pass that
Moroni felt to rejoice exceedingly at this request, for he desired the
provisions which were imparted for the support of the Lamanite prisoners for
the support of his own people; and he also desired his own people for the
strengthening of his army.
54:3.
3 Now the Lamanites had taken
many women and children, and there was not a woman nor a child among all the
prisoners of Moroni, or the prisoners whom Moroni had taken; 4 therefore Moroni resolved upon a stratagem to
obtain as many prisoners of the Nephites from the Lamanites as it were
possible.
54:4.
Therefore he wrote an epistle, and sent it
by the servant of Ammoron, the same who had brought an epistle to Moroni. 5 Now these are the words which he wrote unto
Ammoron, saying:
54:5.
Behold, Ammoron, I have written unto you
somewhat concerning this war which ye have waged against my people, or rather
which thy brother hath waged against them, and which ye are still determined to
carry on after his death.
54:6.
6 Behold, I would tell you
somewhat concerning the justice of God, and the sword of his almighty wrath,
which doth hang over you except ye repent and withdraw your armies into your
own lands, or the land of your possessions, which is the land of Nephi.
54:7.
Yea, I would tell you these things if ye
were capable of hearkening unto them; 7 yea,
I would tell you concerning that awful hell that awaits to receive such
murderers as thou and thy brother have been, except ye repent and withdraw your
murderous purposes, and return with your armies to your own lands.
54:8.
8 But as ye have once rejected
these things, and have fought against the people of the Lord, even so I may
expect you will do it again.
Alma; 25:2
54:9.
9 And now behold, we are
prepared to receive you; yea, and except you withdraw your purposes, behold, ye
will pull down the wrath of that God whom you have rejected upon you, even to
your utter destruction.
54:10.
10 But, as the Lord liveth, our
armies shall come upon you except ye withdraw, and ye shall soon be visited
with death, for we will retain our cities and our lands; yea, and we will
maintain our religion and the cause of our God.
54:11.
11 But behold, it supposeth me
that I talk to you concerning these things in vain; or it supposeth me that
thou art a child of hell; therefore I will close my epistle by telling you that
I will not exchange prisoners, save it be on conditions that ye will deliver up
a man and his wife and his children, for one prisoner; if this be the case that
ye will do it, I will exchange.
54:12.
12 And behold, if you do not
this, I will come against you with my armies; yea, even I will arm my women and
my children, and I will come against you, and I will follow you even into your
own land, which is the land of our first inheritance; yea, and it shall be
blood for blood, yea, life for life; and I will give you battle even until you
are destroyed from off the face of the earth.
54:13.
13 Behold, I am in my anger,
and also my people; ye have sought to murder us, and we have only sought to
defend ourselves. 14 But behold, if ye seek
to destroy us more we will seek to destroy you; yea, and we will seek our land,
the land of our first inheritance.
54:14.
15 Now I close my epistle. I am
Moroni; I am a leader of the people of the Nephites.
Alma; 25:3
54:15.
16 Now it came to pass that
Ammoron, when he had received this epistle, was angry; and he wrote another
epistle unto Moroni, and these are the words which he wrote, saying:
54:16.
I am Ammoron, the king of the Lamanites; I
am the brother of Amalickiah whom ye have murdered. 17
Behold, I will avenge his blood upon you, yea, and I will come upon you
with my armies for I fear not your threatenings.
54:17.
18 For behold, your fathers did
wrong their brethren, insomuch that they did rob them of their right to the
government when it rightly belonged unto them.
54:18.
19 And now behold, if ye will
lay down your arms, and subject yourselves to be governed by those to whom the
government doth rightly belong, then will I cause that my people shall lay down
their weapons and shall be at war no more.
54:19.
20 Behold, ye have breathed out
many threatenings against me and my people; but behold, we fear not your
threatenings.
54:20.
21 Nevertheless, I will grant
to exchange prisoners according to your request, gladly, that I may preserve my
food for my men of war; 22 and we will wage
a war which shall be eternal, either to the subjecting the Nephites to our
authority or to their eternal extinction.
54:21.
23 And as concerning that God
whom ye say we have rejected, behold, we know not such a being; neither do ye;
but if it so be that there is such a thing, we know not but that he hath made
us as well as you.
54:22.
24 And if it so be that there
is a devil and a hell, behold will he not send you there to dwell with my
brother whom ye have murdered, whom ye have hinted that he hath gone to such a
place? But behold these things matter not.
54:23.
25 I am Ammoron, and a
descendant of Zoram, whom your fathers pressed and brought out of Jerusalem.
54:24.
And behold now, I am a bold Lamanite; 26 behold, this war hath been waged to avenge
their wrongs, and to maintain and to obtain their rights to the government; and
I close my epistle to Moroni.
Alma; 25:4
Alma, Chapter 55
55:1.
27 Now it came to pass that
when Moroni had received this epistle he was more angry, because he knew that
Ammoron had a perfect knowledge of his fraud; yea, he knew that Ammoron knew
that it was not a just cause that had caused him to wage a war against the
people of Nephi.
55:2.
28 And he said: Behold, I will
not exchange prisoners with Ammoron save he will withdraw his purpose, as I
have stated in my epistle; for I will not grant unto him that he shall have any
more power than what he hath got.
55:3.
29 Behold, I know the place
where the Lamanites do guard my people whom they have taken prisoners; and as
Ammoron would not grant unto me mine epistle, behold, I will give unto him
according to my words; yea, I will seek death among them until they shall sue
for peace.
55:4.
30 And now it came to pass that
when Moroni had said these words, he caused that a search should be made among
his men, that perhaps he might find a man who was a descendant of Laman among
them.
Alma; 25:5
55:5.
31 And it came to pass that
they found one, whose name was Laman; and he was one of the servants of the
king who was murdered by Amalickiah.
55:6.
32 Now Moroni caused that Laman
and a small number of his men should go forth unto the guards who were over the
Nephites.
55:7.
33 Now the Nephites were
guarded in the city of Gid; therefore Moroni appointed Laman and caused that a
small number of men should go with him.
Alma; 25:6
55:8.
34 And when it was evening Laman
went to the guards who were over the Nephites, and behold, they saw him coming
and they hailed him; 35 but he saith unto
them: Fear not; behold, I am a Lamanite. Behold, we have escaped from the
Nephites, and they sleep; and behold we have taken of their wine and brought
with us.
55:9.
36 Now when the Lamanites heard
these words they received him with joy; and they said unto him: Give us of your
wine, that we may drink; we are glad that ye have thus taken wine with you for
we are weary.
55:10.
37 But Laman said unto them:
Let us keep of our wine till we go against the Nephites to battle. But this
saying only made them more desirous to drink of the wine;
55:11.
38 For, said they: We are
weary, therefore let us take of the wine, and by and by we shall receive wine
for our rations, which will strengthen us to go against the Nephites.
55:12.
And Laman said unto them: You may do
according to your desires.
55:13.
39 And it came to pass that
they did take of the wine freely; and it was pleasant to their taste, therefore
they took of it more freely; and it was strong, having been prepared in its
strength.
Alma; 25:7
55:14.
40 And it came to pass they did
drink and were merry, and by and by they were all drunken.
55:15.
41 And now when Laman and his
men saw that they were all drunken, and were in a deep sleep, they returned to
Moroni and told him all the things that had happened.
55:16.
And now this was according to the design of
Moroni. 42 And Moroni had prepared his men
with weapons of war; and he went to the city Gid, while the Lamanites were in a
deep sleep and drunken, and cast in weapons of war unto the prisoners, insomuch
that they were all armed;
55:17.
Yea, even to their women, and all those of
their children, as many as were able to use a weapon of war, when Moroni had
armed all those prisoners; 43 and all those
things were done in a profound silence.
55:18.
But had they awakened the Lamanites, behold
they were drunken and the Nephites could have slain them.
55:19.
44 But behold, this was not the
desire of Moroni; he did not delight in murder or bloodshed, but he delighted
in the saving of his people from destruction; and for this cause he might not
bring upon him injustice, he would not fall upon the Lamanites and destroy them
in their drunkenness.
55:20.
45 But he had obtained his
desires; for he had armed those prisoners of the Nephites who were within the
wall of the city, and had given them power to gain possession of those parts
which were within the walls.
55:21.
46 And then he caused the men
who were with him to withdraw a pace from them, and surround the armies of the
Lamanites.
55:22.
47 Now behold this was done in
the night-time, so that when the Lamanites awoke in the morning they beheld
that they were surrounded by the Nephites without, and that their prisoners
were armed within.
55:23.
48 And thus they saw that the
Nephites had power over them; and in these circumstances they found that it was
not expedient that they should fight with the Nephites; 49 therefore their chief captains demanded their weapons of
war, and they brought them forth and cast them at the feet of the Nephites,
pleading for mercy.
55:24.
Now behold, this was the desire of Moroni. 50 He took them prisoners of war, and took
possession of the city, and caused that all the prisoners should be liberated,
who were Nephites; and they did join the army of Moroni, and were a great
strength to his army.
Alma; 25:8
55:25.
51 And it came to pass that he
did cause the Lamanites, whom he had taken prisoners, that they should commence
a labor in strengthening the fortifications round about the city Gid.
55:26.
52 And it came to pass that
when he had fortified the city Gid, according to his desires, he caused that
his prisoners should be taken to the city Bountiful; 53
and he also guarded that city with an exceedingly strong force.
55:27.
54 And it came to pass that
they did, notwithstanding all the intrigues of the Lamanites, keep and protect
all the prisoners whom they had taken, and also maintain all the ground and the
advantage which they had retaken.
55:28.
55 And it came to pass that the
Nephites began again to be victorious, and to reclaim their rights and their
privileges.
55:29.
56 Many time did the Lamanites
attempt to encircle them about by night, but in these attempts they did lose
many prisoners.
55:30.
57 And many times did they
attempt to administer of their wine to the Nephites, that they might destroy
them with poison or with drunkenness.
55:31.
58 But behold, the Nephites
were not slow to remember the Lord their God in this their time of affliction. 59 They could not be taken in their snares; yea,
they would not partake of their wine, save they had first given to some of the
Lamanite prisoners.
55:32.
60 And they were thus cautious
that no poison should be administered among them; for if their wine would
poison a Lamanite it would also poison a Nephite; and thus they did try all
their liquors.
55:33.
61 And now it came to pass that
it was expedient for Moroni to make preparations to attack the city Morianton; 62 for behold, the Lamanites had, by their labors,
fortified the city Morianton until it had become an exceeding stronghold.
55:34.
And they were continually bringing new
forces into that city, and also new supplies of provisions.
55:35.
63 And thus ended the twenty
and ninth year of the reign of the judges over the people of Nephi.
Alma, Chapter 26
Alma; 26:1
Alma, Chapter 56
56:1.
1 And now it came to pass in
the commencement of the thirtieth year of the reign of the judges, on the
second day in the first month, Moroni received an epistle from Helaman, stating
the affairs of the people in that quarter of the land.
56:2.
2 And these are the words
which he wrote, saying: My dearly beloved brother, Moroni, as well in the Lord
as in the tribulations of our warfare; behold, my beloved brother, I have
somewhat to tell you concerning our warfare in this part of the land.
56:3.
3 Behold, two thousand of the
sons of those men whom Ammon brought down out of the land of Nephi— 4 now ye have known that these were descendants of
Laman, who was the eldest son of our father Lehi;
56:4.
5 Now I need not rehearse unto
you concerning their traditions or their unbelief, for thou knowest concerning
all these things—
56:5.
Therefore it sufficeth me that I tell you
that two thousand of these young men have taken their weapons of war, and would
that I should be their leader; and we have come forth to defend our country.
56:6.
6 And now ye also know
concerning the covenant which their fathers made, that they would not take up
their weapons of war against their brethren to shed blood.
56:7.
7 But in the twenty and sixth
year, when they saw our afflictions and our tribulations for them, they were
about to break the covenant which they had made and take up their weapons of
war in our defence.
56:8.
8 But I would not suffer them
that they should break this covenant which they had made, supposing that God
would strengthen us, insomuch that we should not suffer more because of the
fulfilling the oath which they had taken.
56:9.
9 But behold, here is one
thing in which we may have great joy. 10 For
behold, in the twenty and sixth year, I, Helaman, did march at the head of
these two thousand young men to the city of Judea, to assist Antipus, whom ye
had appointed a leader over the people of that part of the land.
56:10.
11 And I did join my two
thousand sons, (for they are worthy to be called sons) to the army of Antipus,
in which strength Antipus did rejoice exceedingly; for behold, his army had
been reduced by the Lamanites because their forces had slain a vast number of
our men, for which cause we have to mourn.
56:11.
12 Nevertheless, we may console
ourselves in this point, that they have died in the cause of their country and
of their God, yea, and they are happy.
56:12.
13 And the Lamanites had also
retained many prisoners, all of whom are chief captains, for none other have
they spared alive. 14 And we suppose that
they are now at this time in the land of Nephi; it is so if they are not slain.
Alma; 26:2
56:13.
15 And now these are the cities
of which the Lamanites have obtained possession by the shedding of the blood of
so many of our valiant men:
56:14.
The land of Manti, or the city of Manti,
and the city of Zeezrom, and the city of Cumeni, and the city of Antiparah.
56:15.
16 And these are the cities
which they possessed when I arrived at the city of Judea; and I found Antipus
and his men toiling with their might to fortify the city.
56:16.
17 Yea, and they were depressed
in body as well as in spirit, for they had fought valiantly by day and toiled
by night to maintain their cities; and thus they had suffered great afflictions
of every kind.
56:17.
18 And now they were determined
to conquer in this place or die; therefore you may well suppose that this
little force which I brought with me, yea, those sons of mine, gave them great
hopes and much joy.
Alma; 26:3
56:18.
19 And now it came to pass that
when the Lamanites saw that Antipus had received a greater strength to his
army, they were compelled by the orders of Ammoron to not come against the city
of Judea, or against us, to battle.
56:19.
20 And thus were we favored of
the Lord; for had they come upon us in this our weakness they might have
perhaps destroyed our little army; but thus were we preserved.
56:20.
21 They were commanded by
Ammoron to maintain those cities which they had taken. And thus ended the
twenty and sixth year. 22 And in the
commencement of the twenty and seventh year we had prepared our city and
ourselves for defence.
56:21.
23 Now we were desirous that
the Lamanites should come upon us; for we were not desirous to make an attack
upon them in their strongholds.
56:22.
24 And it came to pass that we
kept spies out round about, to watch the movements of the Lamanites, that they
might not pass us by night nor by day to make an attack upon our other cities
which were on the northward.
56:23.
25 For we knew in those cities
they were not sufficiently strong to meet them; therefore we were desirous, if
they should pass by us, to fall upon them in their rear, and thus bring them up
in the rear at the same time they were met in the front. 26 We supposed that we could overpower them; but
behold, we were disappointed in this our desire.
56:24.
27 They durst not pass by us
with their whole army, neither durst they with a part, lest they should not be
sufficiently strong and they should fall.
56:25.
28 Neither durst they march
down against the city of Zarahemla; neither durst they cross the head of Sidon,
over to the city of Nephihah.
56:26.
29 And thus, with their forces,
they were determined to maintain those cities which they had taken.
Alma; 26:4
56:27.
30 And now it came to pass in
the second month of this year, there was brought unto us many provisions from
the fathers of those my two thousand sons.
56:28.
31 And also there were sent two
thousand men unto us from the land of Zarahemla. 32
And thus we were prepared with ten thousand men, and provisions for
them, and also for their wives and their children.
56:29.
33 And the Lamanites, thus
seeing our forces increase daily, and provisions arrive for our support, they
began to be fearful, and began to sally forth, if it were possible to put an
end to our receiving provisions and strength.
56:30.
34 Now when we saw that the
Lamanites began to grow uneasy on this wise, we were desirous to bring a
stratagem into effect upon them; 35 therefore
Antipus ordered that I should march forth with my little sons to a neighboring
city, as if we were carrying provisions to a neighboring city.
56:31.
36 And we were to march near
the city of Antiparah, as if we were going to the city beyond, in the borders
by the seashore.
56:32.
37 And it came to pass that we
did march forth, as if with our provisions, to go to that city.
56:33.
38 And it came to pass that
Antipus did march forth with a part of his army, leaving the remainder to
maintain the city. 39 But he did not march
forth until I had gone forth with my little army, and came near the city
Antiparah.
56:34.
40 And now, in the city
Antiparah were stationed the strongest army of the Lamanites; yea, the most
numerous.
56:35.
41 And it came to pass that when
they had been informed by their spies, they came forth with their army and
marched against us.
Alma; 26:5
56:36.
42 And it came to pass that we
did flee before them, northward. 43 And thus
we did lead away the most powerful army of the Lamanites;
56:37.
Yea, even to a considerable distance,
insomuch that when they saw the army of Antipus pursuing them, with their
might, they did not turn to the right nor to the left, but pursued their march
in a straight course after us; 44 and, as we
suppose, it was their intent to slay us before Antipus should overtake them,
and this that they might not be surrounded by our people.
56:38.
45 And now Antipus, beholding
our danger, did speed the march of his army. 46 But
behold, it was night; therefore they did not overtake us, neither did Antipus
overtake them; therefore we did camp for the night.
Alma; 26:6
56:39.
47 And it came to pass that
before the dawn of the morning, behold, the Lamanites were pursuing us. 48 Now we were not sufficiently strong to contend
with them; yea, I would not suffer that my little sons should fall into their
hands; therefore we did continue our march, and we took our march into the
wilderness.
56:40.
49 Now they durst not turn to
the right nor to the left lest they should be surrounded; neither would I turn
to the right nor to the left lest they should overtake me, and we could not
stand against them, but be slain, and they would make their escape; and thus we
did flee all that day into the wilderness, even until it was dark.
Alma; 26:7
56:41.
50 And it came to pass that
again, when the light of the morning came we saw the Lamanites upon us, and we
did flee before them.
56:42.
51 But it came to pass that they
did not pursue us far before they halted; and it was in the morning of the
third day of the seventh month.
56:43.
52 And now, whether they were
overtaken by Antipus we knew not, but I said unto my men: Behold, we know not
but they have halted for the purpose that we should come against them, that
they might catch us in their snare;
56:44.
Therefore what say ye, my sons, will ye go
against them to battle?
56:45.
53 And now I say unto you, my
beloved brother Moroni, that never had I seen so great courage, nay, not
amongst all the Nephites.
56:46.
54 For as I had ever called
them my sons (for they were all of them very young) even so they said unto me:
Father, behold our God is with us, and he will not suffer that we should fall;
then let us go forth; 55 we would not slay
our brethren if they would let us alone; therefore let us go, lest they should
overpower the army of Antipus.
56:47.
56 Now they never had fought,
yet they did not fear death; and they did think more upon the liberty of their
fathers than they did upon their lives; yea, they had been taught by their
mothers, that if they did not doubt, God would deliver them.
56:48.
57 And they rehearsed unto me
the words of their mothers, saying: We do not doubt our mothers knew it.
Alma; 26:8
56:49.
58 And it came to pass that I
did return with my two thousand against these Lamanites who had pursued us. 59 And now behold, the armies of Antipus had
overtaken them, and a terrible battle had commenced.
56:50.
60 The army of Antipus being
weary, because of their long march in so short a space of time, were about to
fall into the hands of the Lamanites; and had I not returned with my two
thousand they would have obtained their purpose.
56:51.
61 For Antipus had fallen by
the sword, and many of his leaders, because of their weariness, which was
occasioned by the speed of their march—therefore the men of Antipus, being
confused because of the fall of their leaders, began to give way before the Lamanites.
Alma; 26:9
56:52.
62 And it came to pass that the
Lamanites took courage, and began to pursue them; and thus were the Lamanites
pursuing them with great vigor when Helaman came upon their rear with his two
thousand, and began to slay them exceedingly, insomuch that the whole army of
the Lamanites halted and turned upon Helaman.
56:53.
63 Now when the people of
Antipus saw that the Lamanites had turned them about, they gathered together
their men and came again upon the rear of the Lamanites.
Alma; 26:10
56:54.
64 And now it came to pass that
we, the people of Nephi, the people of Antipus, and I with my two thousand, did
surround the Lamanites, and did slay them; yea, insomuch that they were
compelled to deliver up their weapons of war and also themselves as prisoners
of war.
Alma; 26:11
56:55.
65 And now it came to pass that
when they had surrendered themselves up unto us, behold, I numbered those young
men who had fought with me, fearing lest there were many of them slain.
56:56.
66 But behold, to my great joy,
there had not one soul of them fallen to the earth; yea, and they had fought as
if with the strength of God; yea, never were men known to have fought with such
miraculous strength; 67 and with such mighty
power did they fall upon the Lamanites, that they did frighten them; and for
this cause did the Lamanites deliver themselves up as prisoners of war.
56:57.
68 And as we had no place for
our prisoners, that we could guard them to keep them from the armies of the
Lamanites, therefore we sent them to the land of Zarahemla, and a part of those
men who were not slain of Antipus, with them; 69 and
the remainder I took and joined them to my stripling Ammonites, and took our
march back to the city of Judea.
Alma; 26:12
Alma, Chapter 57
57:1.
70 And now it came to pass that
I received an epistle from Ammoron, the king, stating that if I would deliver
up those prisoners of war whom we had taken that he would deliver up the city
of Antiparah unto us.
57:2.
71 But I sent an epistle unto
the king, that we were sure our forces were sufficient to take the city of
Antiparah by our force; and by delivering up the prisoners for that city we
should suppose ourselves unwise, and that we would only deliver up our prisoners
on exchange.
57:3.
72 And Ammoron refused mine
epistle, for he would not exchange prisoners; therefore we began to make
preparations to go against the city of Antiparah.
57:4.
73 But the people of Antiparah
did leave the city, and fled to their other cities, which they had possession
of, to fortify them; and thus the city of Antiparah fell into our hands.
57:5.
74 And thus ended the twenty
and eighth year of the reign of the judges.
Alma; 26:13
57:6.
75 And it came to pass that in
the commencement of the twenty and ninth year, we received a supply of
provisions, and also an addition to our army, from the land of Zarahemla, and
from the land round about, to the number of six thousand men, besides sixty of
the sons of the Ammonites who had come to join their brethren, my little band
of two thousand. 76 And now behold, we were
strong, yea, and we had also plenty of provisions brought unto us.
Alma; 26:14
57:7.
77 And it came to pass that it
was our desire to wage a battle with the army which was placed to protect the
city Cumeni.
57:8.
78 And now behold, I will show
unto you that we soon accomplished our desire; yea, with our strong force, or
with a part of our strong force, we did surround, by night, the city Cumeni, a
little before they were to receive a supply of provisions.
57:9.
79 And it came to pass that we
did camp round about the city for many nights; but we did sleep upon our
swords, and keep guards, that the Lamanites could not come upon us by night and
slay us, which they attempted many times; but as many times as they attempted
this their blood was spilt.
57:10.
80 At length their provisions
did arrive, and they were about to enter the city by night. 81 And we, instead of being Lamanites, were
Nephites; therefore, we did take them and their provisions.
57:11.
82 And notwithstanding the
Lamanites being cut off from their support after this manner, they were still
determined to maintain the city; 83 therefore
it became expedient that we should take those provisions and send them to
Judea, and our prisoners to the land of Zarahemla.
Alma; 26:15
57:12.
84 And it came to pass that not
many days had passed away before the Lamanites began to lose all hopes of
succor; therefore they yielded up the city unto our hands; and thus we had
accomplished our designs in obtaining the city Cumeni.
57:13.
85 But it came to pass that our
prisoners were so numerous that, notwithstanding the enormity of our numbers,
we were obliged to employ all our force to keep them, or to put them to death.
57:14.
86 For behold, they would break
out in great numbers, and would fight with stones, and with clubs, or
whatsoever thing they could get into their hands, insomuch that we did slay
upwards of two thousand of them after they had surrendered themselves prisoners
of war.
57:15.
87 Therefore it became
expedient for us, that we should put an end to their lives, or guard them,
sword in hand, down to the land of Zarahemla; 88 and
also our provisions were not any more than sufficient for our own people,
notwithstanding that which we had taken from the Lamanites.
57:16.
89 And now, in those critical
circumstances, it became a very serious matter to determine concerning these
prisoners of war; nevertheless, we did resolve to send them down to the land of
Zarahemla; 90 therefore we selected a part
of our men, and gave them charge over our prisoners to go down to the land of
Zarahemla.
Alma; 26:16
57:17.
But it came to pass that on the morrow they
did return. 91 And now behold, we did not
inquire of them concerning the prisoners; for behold, the Lamanites were upon
us, and they returned in season to save us from falling into their hands. 92 For behold, Ammoron had sent to their support a
new supply of provisions and also a numerous army of men.
Alma; 26:17
57:18.
93 And it came to pass that
those men whom we sent with the prisoners did arrive in season to check them,
as they were about to overpower us.
57:19.
94 But behold, my little band
of two thousand and sixty fought most desperately; yea, they were firm before
the Lamanites, and did administer death unto all those who opposed them.
57:20.
95 And as the remainder of our
army were about to give way before the Lamanites, behold, those two thousand
and sixty were firm and undaunted.
57:21.
Yea, and they did obey and observe to
perform every word of command with exactness; 96 yea,
and even according to their faith it was done unto them; and I did remember the
words which they said unto me that their mothers had taught them.
57:22.
97 And now behold, it was these
my sons, and those men who had been selected to convey the prisoners, to whom
we owe this great victory; for it was they who did beat the Lamanites;
therefore they were driven back to the city of Manti.
57:23.
98 And we retained our city
Cumeni, and were not all destroyed by the sword; nevertheless, we had suffered
great loss.
Alma; 26:18
57:24.
99 And it came to pass that
after the Lamanites had fled, I immediately gave orders that my men who had
been wounded should be taken from among the dead, and caused that their wounds
should be dressed.
57:25.
100 And it came to pass that
there were two hundred, out of my two thousand and sixty, who had fainted
because of the loss of blood; 101 nevertheless,
according to the goodness of God, and to our great astonishment, and also the
joy of our whole army, there was not one soul of them who did perish; yea, and
neither was there one soul among them who had not received many wounds.
57:26.
102 And now, their preservation
was astonishing to our whole army, yea, that they should be spared while there
was a thousand of our brethren who were slain. 103 And
we do justly ascribe it to the miraculous power of God, because of their
exceeding faith in that which they had been taught to believe—that there was a
just God, and whosoever did not doubt, that they should be preserved by his
marvelous power.
57:27.
104 Now this was the faith of
these of whom I have spoken; they are young, and their minds are firm, and they
do put their trust in God continually.
Alma; 26:19
57:28.
105 And now it came to pass that
after we had thus taken care of our wounded men, and had buried our dead and
also the dead of the Lamanites, who were many, behold, we did inquire of Gid
concerning the prisoners whom they had started to go down to the land of
Zarahemla with.
57:29.
106 Now Gid was the chief captain
over the band who was appointed to guard them down to the land.
57:30.
107 And now, these are the words
which Gid said unto me: Behold, we did start to go down to the land of
Zarahemla with our prisoners. 108 And it
came to pass that we did meet the spies of our armies, who had been sent out to
watch the camp of the Lamanites.
57:31.
109 And they cried unto us,
saying—Behold, the armies of the Lamanites are marching towards the city of
Cumeni; and behold, they will fall upon them, yea, and will destroy our people.
Alma; 26:20
57:32.
110 And it came to pass that our prisoners did
hear their cries, which caused them to take courage; and they did rise up in
rebellion against us.
57:33.
111 And it came to pass because
of their rebellion we did cause that our swords should come upon them. 112 And it came to pass that they did in a body
run upon our swords, in the which, the greater number of them were slain; and
the remainder of them broke through and fled from us.
57:34.
113 And behold, when they had
fled and we could not overtake them, we took our march with speed towards the
city Cumeni; and behold, we did arrive in time that we might assist our
brethren in preserving the city.
57:35.
114 And behold, we are again
delivered out of the hands of our enemies. 115 And
blessed is the name of our God; for behold, it is he that has delivered us;
yea, that has done this great thing for us.
Alma; 26:21
57:36.
116 Now it came to pass that
when I, Helaman, had heard these words of Gid, I was filled with exceeding joy
because of the goodness of God in preserving us, that we might not all perish; 117 yea, and I trust that the souls of them who
have been slain have entered into the rest of their God.
Alma; 26:22
Alma, Chapter 58
58:1.
118 And behold, now it came to
pass that our next object was to obtain the city of Manti; but behold, there
was no way that we could lead them out of the city by our small bands. 119 For behold, they remembered that which we had
hitherto done; therefore we could not decoy them away from their strongholds.
58:2.
120 And they were so much more
numerous than was our army that we durst not go forth and attack them in their
strongholds.
58:3.
121 Yea, and it became expedient
that we should employ our men to the maintaining those parts of the land which
we had regained of our possessions; 122 therefore
it became expedient that we should wait, that we might receive more strength
from the land of Zarahemla and also a new supply of provisions.
Alma; 26:23
58:4.
123 And it came to pass that I
thus did send an embassy to the governor of our land, to acquaint him
concerning the affairs of our people. 124 And
it came to pass that we did wait to receive provisions and strength from the
land of Zarahemla.
58:5.
125 But behold, this did profit
us but little; for the Lamanites were also receiving great strength from day to
day, and also many provisions; and thus were our circumstances at this period
of time.
58:6.
126 And the Lamanites were
sallying forth against us from time to time, resolving by stratagem to destroy
us; nevertheless we could not come to battle with them, because of their
retreats and their strongholds.
Alma; 26:24
58:7.
127 And it came to pass that we
did wait in these difficult circumstances for the space of many months, even
until we were about to perish for the want of food.
58:8.
128 But it came to pass that we
did receive food, which was guarded to us by an army of two thousand men to our
assistance; 129 and this is all the
assistance which we did receive, to defend ourselves and our country from
falling into the hands of our enemies, yea, to contend with an enemy which was
innumerable.
58:9.
130 And now the cause of these
our embarrassments, or the cause why they did not send more strength unto us,
we knew not; therefore we were grieved and also filled with fear, lest by any
means the judgments of God should come upon our land, to our overthrow and
utter destruction.
58:10.
131 Therefore we did pour out
our souls in prayer to God, that he would strengthen us and deliver us out of
the hands of our enemies, yea, and also give us strength that we might retain
our cities, and our lands, and our possessions, for the support of our people.
58:11.
132 Yea, and it came to pass
that the Lord our God did visit us with assurances that he would deliver us;
yea, insomuch that he did speak peace to our souls, and did grant unto us great
faith, and did cause us that we should hope for our deliverance in him.
58:12.
133 And we did take courage with
our small force which we had received, and were fixed with a determination to
conquer our enemies, and to maintain our lands, and our possessions, and our
wives, and our children, and the cause of our liberty.
58:13.
134 And thus we did go forth
with all our might against the Lamanites, who were in the city of Manti; and we
did pitch our tents by the wilderness side, which was near to the city.
58:14.
135 And it came to pass that on
the morrow, that when the Lamanites saw that we were in the borders by the
wilderness which was near the city, that they sent out their spies round about
us that they might discover the number and the strength of our army.
Alma; 26:25
58:15.
136 And it came to pass that
when they saw that we were not strong, according to our numbers, and fearing
that we should cut them off from their support except they should come out to
battle against us and kill us, 137 and also
supposing that they could easily destroy us with their numerous hosts,
therefore they began to make preparations to come out against us to battle.
58:16.
138 And when we saw that they
were making preparations to come out against us, behold, I caused that Gid,
with a small number of men, should secrete himself in the wilderness, and also
that Teomner and a small number of men should secrete themselves also in the
wilderness.
58:17.
139 Now Gid and his men were on
the right and the others on the left; and when they had thus secreted
themselves, behold, I remained, with the remainder of my army, in that same
place where we had first pitched our tents against the time that the Lamanites should
come out to battle.
Alma; 26:26
58:18.
140 And it came to pass that the
Lamanites did come out with their numerous army against us. 141 And when they had come and were about to fall
upon us with the sword, I caused that my men, those who were with me, should
retreat into the wilderness.
Alma; 26:27
58:19.
142 And it came to pass that the
Lamanites did follow after us with great speed, for they were exceedingly
desirous to overtake us that they might slay us; therefore they did follow us
into the wilderness; 143 and we did pass by
in the midst of Gid and Teomner, insomuch that they were not discovered by the
Lamanites.
Alma; 26:28
58:20.
144 And it came to pass that
when the Lamanites had passed by, or when the army had passed by, Gid and
Teomner did rise up from their secret places, and did cut off the spies of the
Lamanites that they should not return to the city.
58:21.
145 And it came to pass that
when they had cut them off, they ran to the city and fell upon the guards who
were left to guard the city, insomuch that they did destroy them and did take
possession of the city.
58:22.
146 Now this was done because
the Lamanites did suffer their whole army, save a few guards only, to be led
away into the wilderness.
Alma; 26:29
58:23.
147 And it came to pass that Gid
and Teomner by this means had obtained possession of their strongholds. 148 And it came to pass that we took our course,
after having traveled much in the wilderness towards the land of Zarahemla.
58:24.
149 And when the Lamanites saw
that they were marching towards the land of Zarahemla, they were exceedingly
afraid, lest there was a plan laid to lead them on to destruction; therefore
they began to retreat into the wilderness again, yea, even back by the same way
which they had come.
58:25.
150 And behold, it was night and
they did pitch their tents, for the chief captains of the Lamanites had
supposed that the Nephites were weary because of their march; and supposing
that they had driven their whole army therefore they took no thought concerning
the city of Manti.
Alma; 26:30
58:26.
151 Now it came to pass that when
it was night, I caused that my men should not sleep, but that they should march
forward by another way towards the land of Manti.
58:27.
152 And because of this our
march in the night-time, behold, on the morrow we were beyond the Lamanites,
insomuch that we did arrive before them at the city of Manti.
58:28.
153 And thus it came to pass,
that by this stratagem we did take possession of the city of Manti without the
shedding of blood.
Alma; 26:31
58:29.
154 And it came to pass that
when the armies of the Lamanites did arrive near the city, and saw that we were
prepared to meet them, they were astonished exceedingly and struck with great
fear, insomuch that they did flee into the wilderness.
58:30.
155 Yea, and it came to pass
that the armies of the Lamanites did flee out of all this quarter of the land. 156 But behold, they have carried with them many
women and children out of the land.
58:31.
157 And those cities which had
been taken by the Lamanites, all of them are at this period of time in our
possession; and our fathers and our women and our children are returning to
their homes, all save it be those who have been taken prisoners and carried off
by the Lamanites.
58:32.
158 But behold, our armies are
small to maintain so great a number of cities and so great possessions.
58:33.
159 But behold, we trust in our
God who has given us victory over those lands, insomuch that we have obtained
those cities and those lands, which were our own.
58:34.
160 Now we do not know the cause
that the government does not grant us more strength; neither do those men who
came up unto us know why we have not received greater strength.
58:35.
161 Behold, we do not know but
what ye are unsuccessful, and ye have drawn away the forces into that quarter
of the land; if so, we do not desire to murmur.
58:36.
162 And if it is not so, behold,
we fear that there is some faction in the government, that they do not send
more men to our assistance; for we know that they are more numerous than that
which they have sent.
58:37.
163 But, behold, it mattereth
not—we trust God will deliver us, notwithstanding the weakness of our armies,
yea, and deliver us out of the hands of our enemies.
Alma; 26:32
58:38.
164 Behold, this is the twenty
and ninth year, in the latter end, and we are in the possession of our lands;
and the Lamanites have fled to the land of Nephi.
58:39.
165 And those sons of the people
of Ammon, of whom I have so highly spoken, are with me in the city of Manti;
and the Lord had supported them, yea, and kept them from falling by the sword,
insomuch that even one soul has not been slain.
58:40.
166 But behold, they have
received many wounds; nevertheless they stand fast in that liberty wherewith
God has made them free; 167 and they are
strict to remember the Lord their God from day to day; yea, they do observe to
keep his statutes, and his judgments, and his commandments continually; and
their faith is strong in the prophecies concerning that which is to come.
58:41.
168 And now, my beloved brother,
Moroni, may the Lord our God, who has redeemed us and made us free, keep you
continually in his presence; 169 yea, and
may he favor this people, even that ye may have success in obtaining the
possession of all that which the Lamanites have taken from us, which was for
our support. 170 And now, behold, I close
mine epistle. I am Helaman, the son of Alma.
Alma, Chapter 27
Alma; 27:1
Alma, Chapter 59
59:1.
1 Now it came to pass in the
thirtieth year of the reign of the judges over the people of Nephi, after
Moroni had received and had read Helaman’s epistle, he was exceedingly rejoiced
because of the welfare, yea, the exceeding success which Helaman had had, in
obtaining those lands which were lost.
59:2.
2 Yea, and he did make it
known unto all his people, in all the land round about in that part where he
was, that they might rejoice also.
Alma; 27:2
59:3.
3 And it came to pass that he
immediately sent an epistle to Pahoran, desiring that he should cause men to be
gathered together to strengthen Helaman, or the armies of Helaman, insomuch
that he might with ease maintain that part of the land which he had been so
miraculously prospered in regaining.
59:4.
4 And it came to pass when
Moroni had sent this epistle to the land of Zarahemla, he began again to lay a
plan that he might obtain the remainder of those possessions and cities which
the Lamanites had taken from them.
Alma; 27:3
59:5.
5 And it came to pass that
while Moroni was thus making preparations to go against the Lamanites to
battle, behold, the people of Nephihah, who were gathered together from the
city of Moroni and the city of Lehi and the city of Morianton, were attacked by
the Lamanites.
59:6.
6 Yea, even those who had been
compelled to flee from the land of Manti, and from the land round about, had
come over and joined the Lamanites in this part of the land.
59:7.
7 And thus being exceedingly
numerous, yea, and receiving strength from day to day, by the command of
Ammoron they came forth against the people of Nephihah, and they did begin to
slay them with an exceedingly great slaughter.
59:8.
8 And their armies were so
numerous that the remainder of the people of Nephihah were obliged to flee
before them; and they came even and joined the army of Moroni.
59:9.
9 And now as Moroni had
supposed that there should be men sent to the city Nephihah, to the assistance
of the people to maintain that city, and knowing that it was easier to keep the
city from falling into the hands of the Lamanites than to retake it from them,
he supposed that they would easily maintain that city.
59:10.
10 Therefore he retained all
his force to maintain those places which he had recovered.
Alma; 27:4
59:11. 11 And now, when Moroni saw that the city of Nephihah was lost he
was exceedingly sorrowful, and began to doubt, because of the wickedness of the
people, whether they should not fall into the hands of their brethren.
59:12.
12 Now this was the case with
all his chief captains. They doubted and marveled also because of the
wickedness of the people, and this because of the success of the Lamanites over
them.
59:13.
13 And it came to pass that
Moroni was angry with the government, because of their indifference concerning
the freedom of their country.
Alma; 27:5
Alma, Chapter 60
60:1.
14 And it came to pass that he
wrote again to the governor of the land, who was Pahoran, and these are the
words which he wrote, saying: Behold, I direct mine epistle to Pahoran, in the
city of Zarahemla, who is the chief judge and the governor over the land, and
also to all those who have been chosen by this people to govern and manage the
affairs of this war.
60:2.
15 For behold, I have somewhat
to say unto them by the way of condemnation; for behold, ye yourselves know
that ye have been appointed to gather together men, and arm them with swords,
and with cimeters, and all manner of weapons of war of every kind, and send
forth against the Lamanites, in whatsoever parts they should come into our
land.
60:3.
16 And now behold, I say unto
you that myself, and also my men, and also Helaman and his men, have suffered
exceedingly great sufferings; yea, even hunger, thirst, and fatigue, and all
manner of afflictions of every kind.
60:4.
17 But behold, were this all we
had suffered we would not murmur nor complain.
60:5.
But behold, great has been the slaughter
among our people; 18 yea, thousands have
fallen by the sword, while it might have otherwise been if ye had rendered unto
our armies sufficient strength and succor for them. 19
Yea, great has been your neglect towards us.
60:6.
And now behold, we desire to know the cause
of this exceedingly great neglect; yea, we desire to know the cause of your
thoughtless state.
60:7.
20 Can you think to sit upon
your thrones in a state of thoughtless stupor, while your enemies are spreading
the work of death around you? 21 Yea, while
they are murdering thousands of your brethren—
60:8.
Yea, even they who have looked up to you
for protection, yea, have placed you in a situation that ye might have succored
them, 22 yea, ye might have sent armies unto
them, to have strengthened them, and have saved thousands of them from falling
by the sword.
60:9.
23 But behold, this is not
all—ye have withheld your provisions from them, insomuch that many have fought
and bled out their lives because of their great desires which they had for the
welfare of this people; 24 yea, and this
they have done when they were about to perish with hunger, because of your
exceedingly great neglect towards them.
Alma; 27:6
60:10. 25 And now, my beloved brethren—for ye ought to be beloved; yea,
and ye ought to have stirred yourselves more diligently for the welfare and the
freedom of this people; 26 but behold, ye
have neglected them insomuch that the blood of thousands shall come upon your
heads for vengeance; yea, for known unto God were all their cries, and all
their sufferings—
60:11.
27 Behold, could ye suppose
that ye could sit upon your thrones, and because of the exceeding goodness of
God ye could do nothing and he would deliver you? Behold, if ye have supposed
this ye have supposed in vain.
60:12.
28 Do ye suppose that, because
so many of your brethren have been killed it is because of their wickedness? I
say unto you, if ye have supposed this ye have supposed in vain; for I say unto
you, there are many who have fallen by the sword; 29
and behold it is to your condemnation;
60:13.
For the Lord suffereth the righteous to be
slain that his justice and judgment may come upon the wicked; therefore ye need
not suppose that the righteous are lost because they are slain; but behold,
they do enter into the rest of the Lord their God.
Alma; 27:7
60:14. 30 And now behold, I say unto you, I fear exceedingly that the
judgments of God will come upon this people, because of their exceeding
slothfulness, yea, even the slothfulness of our government, and their
exceedingly great neglect towards their brethren, yea, towards those who have
been slain.
60:15.
31 For were it not for the
wickedness which first commenced at our head, we could have withstood our
enemies that they could have gained no power over us.
60:16.
Yea, had it not been for the war which
broke out among ourselves; 32 yea, were it
not for these king-men, who caused so much bloodshed among ourselves; yea, at
the time we were contending among ourselves, if we had united our strength as
we hitherto have done; 33 yea, had it not
been for the desire of power and authority which those king-men had over us;
had they been true to the cause of our freedom, and united with us, and gone
forth against our enemies, instead of taking up their swords against us, which
was the cause of so much bloodshed among ourselves; 34
yea, if we had gone forth against them in the strength of the Lord, we
should have dispersed our enemies, for it would have been done, according to
the fulfilling of his word.
60:17.
35 But behold, now the
Lamanites are coming upon us, taking possession of our lands, and they are
murdering our people with the sword, yea, our women and our children, and also
carrying them away captive, causing them that they should suffer all manner of afflictions,
and this because of the great wickedness of those who are seeking for power and
authority, yea, even those king-men.
60:18.
36 But why should I say much
concerning this matter? For we know not but what ye yourselves are seeking for
authority. We know not but what ye are also traitors to your country.
60:19.
37 Or is it that ye have
neglected us because ye are in the heart of our country and ye are surrounded
by security, that ye do not cause food to be sent unto us, and also men to
strengthen our armies?
60:20.
38 Have ye forgotten the
commandments of the Lord your God? Yea, have ye forgotten the captivity of our
fathers? 39 Have ye forgotten the many times
we have been delivered out of the hands of our enemies?
60:21.
40 Or do ye suppose that the
Lord will still deliver us, while we sit upon our thrones and do not make use
of the means which the Lord has provided for us?
60:22.
41 Yea, will ye sit in idleness
while ye are surrounded with thousands of those, yea, and tens of thousands,
who do also sit in idleness, while there are thousands round about in the
borders of the land who are falling by the sword, yea, wounded and bleeding?
60:23.
42 Do ye suppose that God will
look upon you as guiltless while ye sit still and behold these things? Behold I
say unto you, Nay. 43 Now I would that ye
should remember that God has said that the inward vessel shall be cleansed
first, and then shall the outer vessel be cleansed also.
Alma; 27:8
60:24. 44 And now, except ye do repent of that which ye have done, and
begin to be up and doing, and send forth food and men unto us, and also unto
Helaman, that he may support those parts of our country which he has regained,
and that we may also recover the remainder of our possessions in these parts,
behold it will be expedient that we contend no more with the Lamanites until we
have first cleansed our inward vessel, yea, even the great head of our
government.
60:25.
45 And except ye grant mine
epistle, and come out and show unto me a true spirit of freedom, and strive to
strengthen and fortify our armies, and grant unto them food for their support,
behold I will leave a part of my freemen to maintain this part of our land, and
I will leave the strength and the blessings of God upon them, that none other
power can operate against them—
60:26.
And this because of their exceeding faith,
and their patience in their tribulations—
60:27.
46 And I will come unto you,
and if there be any among you that has a desire for freedom, yea, if there be
even a spark of freedom remaining, behold I will stir up insurrections among
you, even until those who have desires to usurp power and authority shall
become extinct.
60:28.
47 Yea, behold I do not fear
your power nor your authority, but it is my God whom I fear; and it is
according to his commandments that I do take my sword to defend the cause of my
country, and it is because of your iniquity that we have suffered so much loss.
60:29.
48 Behold it is time, yea, the
time is now at hand, that except ye do bestir yourselves in the defence of your
country and your little ones, the sword of justice doth hang over you; yea, and
it shall fall upon you and visit you even to your utter destruction.
60:30.
49 Behold, I wait for
assistance from you; and, except ye do administer unto our relief, behold, I
come unto you, even in the land of Zarahemla, and smite you with the sword,
insomuch that ye can have no more power to impede the progress of this people
in the cause of our freedom.
60:31.
50 For behold, the Lord will
not suffer that ye shall live and wax strong in your iniquities to destroy his
righteous people.
60:32.
51 Behold, can you suppose that
the Lord will spare you and come out in judgment against the Lamanites, when it
is the tradition of their fathers that has caused their hatred, 52 yea, and it has been redoubled by those who
have dissented from us, while your iniquity is for the cause of your love of
glory and the vain things of the world?
60:33.
53 Ye know that ye do
transgress the laws of God, and ye do know that ye do trample them under your
feet. 54 Behold, the Lord saith unto me: If
those whom ye have appointed your governors do not repent of their sins and
iniquities, ye shall go up to battle against them.
Alma; 27:9
60:34. 55 And now behold, I, Moroni, am constrained, according to the
covenant which I have made to keep the commandments of my God; therefore I
would that ye should adhere to the word of God, and send speedily unto me of
your provisions and of your men, and also to Helaman.
60:35.
56 And behold, if ye will not
do this I come unto you speedily; for behold, God will not suffer that we
should perish with hunger; therefore he will give unto us of your food, even if
it must be by the sword. 57 Now see that ye
fulfil the word of God.
60:36.
58 Behold, I am Moroni, your
chief captain. I seek not for power, but to pull it down. 59 I seek not for honor of the world, but for the
glory of my God, and the freedom and welfare of my country. And thus I close
mine epistle.
Alma, Chapter 28
Alma; 28:1
Alma, Chapter 61
61:1.
1 Behold, now it came to pass
that soon after Moroni had sent his epistle unto the chief governor, he
received an epistle from Pahoran, the chief governor. 2
And these are the words which he received:
61:2.
I, Pahoran, who am the chief governor of
this land, do send these words unto Moroni, the chief captain over the army.
Behold, I say unto you, Moroni, that I do not joy in your great afflictions,
yea, it grieves my soul.
61:3.
3 But behold, there are those
who do joy in your afflictions, yea, insomuch that they have risen up in
rebellion against me, and also those of my people who are freemen, yea, and
those who have risen up are exceedingly numerous.
61:4.
4 And it is those who have
sought to take away the judgment-seat from me that have been the cause of this
great iniquity; 5 for they have used great
flattery, and they have led away the hearts of many people, which will be the
cause of sore affliction among us; they have withheld our provisions, and have
daunted our freemen that they have not come unto you.
61:5.
6 And behold, they have driven
me out before them, and I have fled to the land of Gideon, with as many men as
it were possible that I could get.
61:6.
7 And behold, I have sent a
proclamation throughout this part of the land; and behold, they are flocking to
us daily, to their arms, in the defence of their country and their freedom, and
to avenge our wrongs.
61:7.
8 And they have come unto us,
insomuch that those who have risen up in rebellion against us are set at
defiance, yea, insomuch that they do fear us and durst not come out against us
to battle.
61:8.
9 They have got possession of
the land, or the city, of Zarahemla; they have appointed a king over them, and
he hath written unto the king of the Lamanites, in the which he hath joined an
alliance with him; 10 in the which alliance
he hath agreed to maintain the city of Zarahemla, which maintenance he
supposeth will enable the Lamanites to conquer the remainder of the land, and
he shall be placed king over this people when they shall be conquered under the
Lamanites.
61:9.
11 And now, in your epistle you
have censured me, but it mattereth not; I am not angry, but do rejoice in the
greatness of your heart. 12 I, Pahoran, do
not seek for power, save only to retain my judgment-seat that I may preserve
the rights and the liberty of my people. 13 My
soul standeth fast in that liberty in the which God hath made us free.
Alma; 28:2
61:10.
14 And now, behold, we will
resist wickedness even unto bloodshed. 15 We
would not shed the blood of the Lamanites if they would stay in their own land.
61:11.
16 We would not shed the blood
of our brethren if they would not rise up in rebellion and take the sword
against us.
61:12.
17 We would subject ourselves
to the yoke of bondage if it were requisite with the justice of God, or if he
should command us so to do.
61:13.
18 But behold he doth not
command us that we shall subject ourselves to our enemies, but that we should
put our trust in him, and he will deliver us.
61:14.
19 Therefore, my beloved
brother, Moroni, let us resist evil, and whatsoever evil we cannot resist with
our words, yea, such as rebellions and dissensions, let us resist them with our
swords, that we may retain our freedom, that we may rejoice in the great
privilege of our church, and in the cause of our Redeemer and our God.
61:15.
20 Therefore, come unto me
speedily with a few of your men, and leave the remainder in the charge of Lehi
and Teancum; give unto them power to conduct the war in that part of the land,
according to the Spirit of God, which is also the Spirit of freedom which is in
them.
61:16.
21 Behold I have sent a few
provisions unto them, that they may not perish until ye can come unto me.
61:17.
22 Gather together whatsoever
force ye can upon your march hither, and we will go speedily against those
dissenters, in the strength of our God according to the faith which is in us.
61:18.
23 And we will take possession
of the city of Zarahemla, that we may obtain more food to send forth unto Lehi
and Teancum; yea, we will go forth against them in the strength of the Lord,
and we will put an end to this great iniquity.
Alma; 28:3
61:19.
24 And now, Moroni, I do joy in
receiving your epistle, for I was somewhat worried concerning what we should
do, whether it should be just in us to go against our brethren.
61:20.
25 But ye have said, except
they repent the Lord hath commanded you that ye should go against them.
61:21.
26 See that ye strengthen Lehi
and Teancum in the Lord; tell them to fear not, for God will deliver them, yea,
and also all those who stand fast in that liberty wherewith God hath made them
free. 27 And now I close mine epistle to my
beloved brother, Moroni.
Alma, Chapter 29
Alma; 29:1
Alma, Chapter 62
62:1.
1 And now it came to pass that
when Moroni had received this epistle his heart did take courage, and was
filled with exceedingly great joy because of the faithfulness of Pahoran, that
he was not also a traitor to the freedom and cause of his country.
62:2.
2 But he did also mourn
exceedingly because of the iniquity of those who had driven Pahoran from the
judgment-seat, yea, in fine because of those who had rebelled against their
country and also their God.
Alma; 29:2
62:3.
3 And it came to pass that
Moroni took a small number of men, according to the desire of Pahoran, and gave
Lehi and Teancum command over the remainder of his army, and took his march
towards the land of Gideon.
62:4.
4 And he did raise the
standard of liberty in whatsoever place he did enter, and gained whatsoever
force he could in all his march towards the land of Gideon.
Alma; 29:3
62:5.
5 And it came to pass that
thousands did flock unto his standard, and did take up their swords in the
defence of their freedom, that they might not come into bondage.
62:6.
6 And thus, when Moroni had
gathered together whatsoever men he could in all his march, he came to the land
of Gideon; and uniting his forces with those of Pahoran they became exceedingly
strong, even stronger than the men of Pachus, who was the king of those
dissenters who had driven the freemen out of the land of Zarahemla and had
taken possession of the land.
Alma; 29:4
62:7.
7 And it came to pass that
Moroni and Pahoran went down with their armies into the land of Zarahemla, and
went forth against the city, and did meet the men of Pachus, insomuch that they
did come to battle.
62:8.
8 And behold, Pachus was slain
and his men were taken prisoners, and Pahoran was restored to his
judgment-seat.
62:9.
9 And the men of Pachus
received their trial, according to the law, and also those king-men who had
been taken and cast into prison; and they were executed according to the law; 10 yea, those men of Pachus and those king-men,
whosoever would not take up arms in the defence of their country, but would
fight against it, were put to death.
62:10.
11 And thus it became expedient
that this law should be strictly observed for the safety of their country; yea,
and whosoever was found denying their freedom was speedily executed according
to the law.
62:11.
12 And thus ended the thirtieth
year of the reign of the judges over the people of Nephi; Moroni and Pahoran
having restored peace to the land of Zarahemla, among their own people, having
inflicted death upon all those who were not true to the cause of freedom.
Alma; 29:5
62:12.
13 And it came to pass in the
commencement of the thirty and first year of the reign of the judges over the
people of Nephi, Moroni immediately caused that provisions should be sent, and
also an army of six thousand men should be sent unto Helaman, to assist him in
preserving that part of the land.
62:13.
14 And he also caused that an
army of six thousand men, with a sufficient quantity of food, should be sent to
the armies of Lehi and Teancum. 15 And it
came to pass that this was done to fortify the land against the Lamanites.
Alma; 29:6
62:14.
16 And it came to pass that
Moroni and Pahoran, leaving a large body of men in the land of Zarahemla, took
their march with a large body of men towards the land of Nephihah, being
determined to overthrow the Lamanites in that city.
Alma; 29:7
62:15.
17 And it came to pass that as
they were marching towards the land, they took a large body of men of the
Lamanites, and slew many of them, and took their provisions and their weapons
of war.
62:16.
18 And it came to pass after
they had taken them, they caused them to enter into a covenant that they would
no more take up their weapons of war against the Nephites.
62:17.
19 And when they had entered
into this covenant they sent them to dwell with the people of Ammon, and they
were in number about four thousand who had not been slain.
Alma; 29:8
62:18.
20 And it came to pass that
when they had sent them away they pursued their march towards the land of
Nephihah. 21 And it came to pass that when
they had come to the city of Nephihah, they did pitch their tents in the plains
of Nephihah, which is near the city of Nephihah.
62:19.
22 Now Moroni was desirous that
the Lamanites should come out to battle against them, upon the plains; but the
Lamanites, knowing of their exceedingly great courage, and beholding the
greatness of their numbers, therefore they durst not come out against them;
therefore they did not come to battle in that day.
62:20.
23 And when the night came,
Moroni went forth in the darkness of the night, and came upon the top of the
wall to spy out in what part of the city the Lamanites did camp with their
army.
Alma; 29:9
62:21.
24 And it came to pass that they
were on the east, by the entrance; and they were all asleep. 25 And now Moroni returned to his army, and caused
that they should prepare in haste strong cords and ladders, to be let down from
the top of the wall into the inner part of the wall.
Alma; 29:10
62:22.
26 And it came to pass that
Moroni caused that his men should march forth and come upon the top of the
wall, and let themselves down into that part of the city, yea, even on the
west, where the Lamanites did not camp with their armies.
Alma; 29:11
62:23.
27 And it came to pass that
they were all let down into the city by night, by the means of their strong
cords and their ladders; thus when the morning came they were all within the
walls of the city.
62:24.
28 And now, when the Lamanites
awoke and saw that the armies of Moroni were within the walls, they were
affrighted exceedingly, insomuch that they did flee out by the pass.
62:25.
29 And now when Moroni saw that
they were fleeing before him, he did cause that his men should march forth
against them, and slew many, and surrounded many others, and took them
prisoners; and the remainder of them fled into the land of Moroni, which was in
the borders by the seashore.
62:26.
30 Thus had Moroni and Pahoran
obtained the possession of the city of Nephihah without the loss of one soul;
and there were many of the Lamanites who were slain.
Alma; 29:12
62:27.
31 Now it came to pass that
many of the Lamanites that were prisoners were desirous to join the people of
Ammon and become a free people.
62:28.
32 And it came to pass that as
many as were desirous, unto them it was granted according to their desires.
62:29.
Therefore, all the prisoners of the
Lamanites did join the people of Ammon, and did begin to labor exceedingly,
tilling the ground, raising all manner of grain, and flocks and herds of every
kind; 33 and thus were the Nephites relieved
from a great burden; yea, insomuch that they were relieved from all the
prisoners of the Lamanites.
Alma; 29:13
62:30.
34 Now it came to pass that
Moroni, after he had obtained possession of the city of Nephihah, having taken
many prisoners, which did reduce the armies of the Lamanites exceedingly, and
having regained many of the Nephites who had been taken prisoners, which did
strengthen the army of Moroni exceedingly; therefore Moroni went forth from the
land of Nephihah to the land of Lehi.
Alma; 29:14
62:31.
35 And it came to pass that
when the Lamanites saw that Moroni was coming against them, they were again
frightened and fled before the army of Moroni.
62:32.
36 And it came to pass that
Moroni and his army did pursue them from city to city, until they were met by
Lehi and Teancum; and the Lamanites fled from Lehi and Teancum, even down upon
the borders by the seashore, until they came to the land of Moroni.
62:33.
37 And the armies of the
Lamanites were all gathered together, insomuch that they were all in one body
in the land of Moroni. 38 Now, Ammoron, the
king of the Lamanites, was also with them.
Alma; 29:15
62:34.
39 And it came to pass that
Moroni and Lehi and Teancum did encamp with their armies round about in the
borders of the land of Moroni, insomuch that the Lamanites were encircled about
in the borders by the wilderness on the south, and in the borders by the
wilderness on the east.
62:35.
And thus they did encamp for the night. 40 For behold, the Nephites and the Lamanites also
were weary because of the greatness of the march; therefore they did not
resolve upon any stratagem in the night-time, save it were Teancum; 41 for he was exceedingly angry with Ammoron,
insomuch that he considered that Ammoron, and Amalickiah his brother, had been
the cause of this great and lasting war between them and the Lamanites, which
had been the cause of so much war and bloodshed, yea, and so much famine.
Alma; 29:16
62:36.
42 And it came to pass that
Teancum in his anger did go forth into the camp of the Lamanites, and did let
himself down over the walls of the city. 43 And
he went forth with a cord, from place to place, insomuch that he did find the
king; and he did cast a javelin at him, which did pierce him near the heart. 44 But behold, the king did awaken his servants
before he died, insomuch that they did pursue Teancum, and slew him.
Alma; 29:17
62:37.
45 Now it came to pass that
when Lehi and Moroni knew that Teancum was dead they were exceedingly
sorrowful; for behold, he had been a man who had fought valiantly for his
country, yea, a true friend to liberty; and he had suffered very many
exceedingly sore afflictions. 46 But behold,
he was dead, and had gone the way of all the earth.
Alma; 29:18
62:38.
47 Now it came to pass that
Moroni marched forth on the morrow, and came upon the Lamanites, insomuch that
they did slay them with a great slaughter; and they did drive them out of the
land; and they did flee, even that they did not return at that time against the
Nephites.
62:39.
48 And thus ended the thirty
and first year of the reign of the judges over the people of Nephi; and thus
they had had wars, and bloodsheds, and famine, and affliction, for the space of
many years.
62:40.
49 And there had been murders,
and contentions, and dissensions, and all manner of iniquity among the people
of Nephi; nevertheless for the righteous’ sake, yea, because of the prayers of
the righteous, they were spared.
62:41.
50 But behold, because of the
exceedingly great length of the war between the Nephites and the Lamanites many
had become hardened, because of the exceedingly great length of the war; 51 and many were softened because of their
afflictions, insomuch that they did humble themselves before God, even in the
depth of humility.
Alma; 29:19
62:42.
52 And it came to pass that
after Moroni had fortified those parts of the land which were most exposed to
the Lamanites, until they were sufficiently strong, he returned to the city of
Zarahemla; and also Helaman returned to the place of his inheritance; and there
was once more peace established among the people of Nephi.
62:43.
53 And Moroni yielded up the
command of his armies into the hands of his son, whose name was Moronihah; and
he retired to his own house that he might spend the remainder of his days in
peace.
62:44.
54 And Pahoran did return to
his judgment-seat; and Helaman did take upon him again to preach unto the
people the word of God; for because of so many wars and contentions it had
become expedient that a regulation should be made again in the church.
62:45.
55 Therefore, Helaman and his
brethren went forth, and did declare the word of God with much power unto the
convincing of many people of their wickedness, which did cause them to repent
of their sins and to be baptized unto the Lord their God.
Alma; 29:20
62:46.
56 And it came to pass that
they did establish again the church of God, throughout all the land.
62:47.
Yea, and regulations were made concerning
the law. 57 And their judges, and their
chief judges were chosen.
62:48.
58 And the people of Nephi
began to prosper again in the land, and began to multiply and to wax
exceedingly strong again in the land. 59 And
they began to grow exceedingly rich.
62:49.
But notwithstanding their riches, or their
strength, or their prosperity, they were not lifted up in the pride of their
eyes; neither were they slow to remember the Lord their God; but they did
humble themselves exceedingly before him.
62:50.
60 Yea, they did remember how
great things the Lord had done for them, that he had delivered them from death,
and from bonds, and from prisons, and from all manner of afflictions and he had
delivered them out of the hands of their enemies.
62:51.
61 And they did pray unto the
Lord their God continually, insomuch that the Lord did bless them, according to
his word, so that they did wax strong and prosper in the land.
62:52.
62 And it came to pass that all
these things were done. 63 And Helaman died,
in the thirty and fifth year of the reign of the judges over the people of
Nephi.
Alma, Chapter 30
Alma; 30:1
Alma, Chapter 63
63:1.
1 And it came to pass in the
commencement of the thirty and sixth year of the reign of the judges over the
people of Nephi, that Shiblon took possession of those sacred things which had
been delivered unto Helaman by Alma.
63:2.
2 And he was a just man, and
he did walk uprightly before God; and he did observe to do good continually, to
keep the commandments of the Lord his God; and also did his brother.
Alma; 30:2
63:3.
3 And it came to pass that Moroni died also. 4 And thus ended the thirty and sixth year of the
reign of the judges.
63:4.
5 And it came to pass that in
the thirty and seventh year of the reign of the judges, there was a large
company of men, even to the amount of five thousand and four hundred men, with
their wives and their children, departed out of the land of Zarahemla into the
land which was northward.
Alma; 30:3
63:5.
6 And it came to pass that
Hagoth, he being an exceedingly curious man, therefore he went forth and built
him an exceedingly large ship, on the borders of the land Bountiful, by the
land Desolation, and launched it forth into the west sea, by the narrow neck
which led into the land northward.
63:6.
7 And behold, there were many
of the Nephites who did enter therein and did sail forth with much provisions,
and also many women and children; and they took their course northward. 8 And thus ended the thirty and seventh year.
63:7.
9 And in the thirty and eighth
year, this man built other ships. 10 And the
first ship did also return, and many more people did enter into it; and they
also took much provisions, and set out again to the land northward.
Alma; 30:4
63:8.
11 And it came to pass that
they were never heard of more. And we suppose that they were drowned in the
depths of the sea. 12 And it came to pass
that one other ship also did sail forth; and whither she did go we know not.
63:9.
13 And it came to pass that in
this year there were many people who went forth into the land northward. And
thus ended the thirty and eighth year.
Alma; 30:5
63:10.
14 And it came to pass in the
thirty and ninth year of the reign of the judges, Shiblon died also, and
Corianton had gone forth to the land northward in a ship, to carry forth
provisions unto the people who had gone forth into that land.
63:11.
15 Therefore it became
expedient for Shiblon to confer those sacred things, before his death, upon the
son of Helaman, who was called Helaman, being called after the name of his
father.
63:12.
16 Now behold, all those
engravings which were in the possession of Helaman were written and sent forth
among the children of men throughout all the land, save it were those parts
which had been commanded by Alma should not go forth.
63:13.
17 Nevertheless, these things
were to be kept sacred, and handed down from one generation to another;
therefore, in this year, they had been conferred upon Helaman, before the death
of Shiblon.
63:14.
18 And it came to pass also in
this year that there were some dissenters who had gone forth unto the
Lamanites; and they were stirred up again to anger against the Nephites.
63:15.
19 And also in this same year
they came down with a numerous army to war against the people of Moronihah, or
against the army of Moronihah, in the which they were beaten and driven back
again to their own lands, suffering great loss.
63:16.
20 And thus ended the thirty
and ninth year of the reign of the judges over the people of Nephi.
63:17.
21 And thus ended the account
of Alma, and Helaman his son, and also Shiblon, who was his son.
THE
BOOK OF HELAMAN
An
account of the Nephites. Their wars and contentions, and their dissensions. And
also the prophecies of many holy prophets, before the coming of Christ,
according to the records of Helaman, who was the son of Helaman, and also
according to the records of his sons, even down to the coming of Christ. And
also many of the Lamanites are converted. An account of their conversion. An
account of the righteousness of the Lamanites, and the wickedness and
abominations of the Nephites, according to the record of Helaman and his sons,
even down to the coming of Christ, which is called the book of Helaman.
Helaman, Chapter 1
Helaman; 1:1
Helaman, Chapter 1
1:1.
1 And now behold, it came to
pass in the commencement of the fortieth year of the reign of the judges over
the people of Nephi, there began to be a serious difficulty among the people of
the Nephites.
1:2.
2 For behold, Pahoran had died, and gone the way
of all the earth; therefore there began to be a serious contention concerning
who should have the judgment-seat among the brethren, who were the sons of
Pahoran.
1:3.
3 Now these are their names
who did contend for the judgment-seat, who did also cause the people to
contend: Pahoran, Paanchi, and Pacumeni.
1:4.
4 Now these are not all the
sons of Pahoran, (for he had many) but these are they who did contend for the
judgment-seat; therefore, they did cause three divisions among the people.
1:5.
5 Nevertheless, it came to
pass that Pahoran was appointed by the voice of the people to be chief judge
and a governor over the people of Nephi.
Helaman; 1:2
1:6.
6 And it came to pass that
Pacumeni, when he saw that he could not obtain the judgment-seat, he did unite
with the voice of the people.
1:7.
7 But behold, Paanchi, and
that part of the people that were desirous that he should be their governor,
was exceedingly wroth; therefore, he was about to flatter away those people to
rise up in rebellion against their brethren.
Helaman; 1:3
1:8.
8 And it came to pass as he
was about to do this, behold, he was taken, and was tried according to the
voice of the people, and condemned unto death; for he had raised up in
rebellion and sought to destroy the liberty of the people.
1:9.
9 Now when those people who
were desirous that he should be their governor saw that he was condemned unto
death, therefore they were angry, and behold, they sent forth one Kishkumen,
even to the judgment-seat of Pahoran, and murdered Pahoran as he sat upon the
judgment-seat.
1:10.
10 And he was pursued by the
servants of Pahoran; but behold, so speedy was the flight of Kishkumen that no
man could overtake him.
1:11.
11 And he went unto those that
sent him, and they all entered into a covenant, yea, swearing by their
everlasting Maker, that they would tell no man that Kishkumen had murdered
Pahoran.
1:12.
Therefore, Kishkumen was not known among
the people of Nephi, for he was in disguise at the time that he murdered
Pahoran. 12 And Kishkumen and his band, who
had covenanted with him, did mingle themselves among the people, in a manner
that they all could not be found; but as many as were found were condemned unto
death.
1:13.
13 And now behold, Pacumeni was
appointed, according to the voice of the people, to be a chief judge and a
governor over the people, to reign in the stead of his brother Pahoran; and it
was according to his right. 14 And all this
was done in the fortieth year of the reign of the judges; and it had an end.
Helaman; 1:4
1:14.
15 And it came to pass in the
forty and first year of the reign of the judges, that the Lamanites had
gathered together an innumerable army of men, and armed them with swords, and
with cimeters and with bows, and with arrows, and with head-plates, and with
breastplates, and with all manner of shields of every kind.
1:15.
And they came down again that they might
pitch battle against the Nephites. 16 And
they were led by a man whose name was Coriantumr; and he was a descendant of
Zarahemla; and he was a dissenter from among the Nephites; and he was a large
and a mighty man.
1:16.
17 Therefore, the king of the
Lamanites, whose name was Tubaloth, who was the son of Ammoron, supposing that
Coriantumr, being a mighty man, could stand against the Nephites, with his
strength and also with his great wisdom, insomuch that by sending him forth he
should gain power over the Nephites—
1:17.
18 Therefore he did stir them
up to anger, and he did gather together his armies, and he did appoint
Coriantumr to be their leader, and did cause that they should march down to the
land of Zarahemla to battle against the Nephites.
Helaman; 1:5
1:18.
19 And it came to pass that
because of so much contention and so much difficulty in the government, that
they had not kept sufficient guards in the land of Zarahemla; for they had
supposed that the Lamanites durst not come into the heart of their lands to attack
that great city Zarahemla.
1:19.
20 But it came to pass that
Coriantumr did march forth at the head of his numerous host, and came upon the
inhabitants of the city, and their march was with such exceedingly great speed
that there was no time for the Nephites to gather together their armies.
1:20.
21 Therefore Coriantumr did cut
down the watch by the entrance of the city, and did march forth with his whole
army into the city, and they did slay every one who did oppose them, insomuch
that they did take possession of the whole city.
1:21.
22 And it came to pass that
Pacumeni, who was the chief judge, did flee before Coriantumr, even to the
walls of the city. 23 And it came to pass
that Coriantumr did smite him against the wall, insomuch that he died. And thus
ended the days of Pacumeni.
Helaman; 1:6
1:22.
24 And now when Coriantumr saw
that he was in possession of the city of Zarahemla, and saw that the Nephites
had fled before them, and were slain, and were taken, and were cast into
prison, and that he had obtained the possession of the strongest hold in all
the land, his heart took courage insomuch that he was about to go forth against
all the land.
1:23.
25 And now he did not tarry in
the land of Zarahemla, but he did march forth with a large army, even towards
the city of Bountiful; for it was his determination to go forth and cut his way
through with the sword, that he might obtain the north parts of the land.
1:24.
26 And, supposing that their
greatest strength was in the center of the land, therefore he did march forth,
giving them no time to assemble themselves together save it were in small
bodies; and in this manner they did fall upon them and cut them down to the
earth.
1:25.
27 But behold, this march of
Coriantumr through the center of the land gave Moronihah great advantage over
them, notwithstanding the greatness of the number of the Nephites who were
slain.
1:26.
28 For behold, Moronihah had
supposed that the Lamanites durst not come into the center of the land, but
that they would attack the cities round about in the borders as they had
hitherto done; therefore Moronihah had caused that their strong armies should maintain
those parts round about by the borders.
1:27.
29 But behold, the Lamanites
were not frightened according to his desire, but they had come into the center
of the land, and had taken the capital city which was the city of Zarahemla,
and were marching through the most capital parts of the land, slaying the
people with a great slaughter, both men, women, and children, taking possession
of many cities and of many strongholds.
1:28.
30 But when Moronihah had
discovered this, he immediately sent forth Lehi with an army round about to
head them before they should come to the land Bountiful.
1:29.
31 And thus he did; and he did
head them before they came to the land Bountiful, and gave unto them battle,
insomuch that they began to retreat back towards the land of Zarahemla.
1:30.
32 And it came to pass that
Moronihah did head them in their retreat, and did give unto them battle,
insomuch that it became an exceedingly bloody battle; yea, many were slain, and
among the number who were slain Coriantumr was also found.
1:31.
33 And now, behold, the
Lamanites could not retreat either way, neither on the north, nor on the south,
nor on the east, nor on the west, for they were surrounded on every hand by the
Nephites.
1:32.
34 And thus had Coriantumr
plunged the Lamanites into the midst of the Nephites, insomuch that they were
in the power of the Nephites, and he himself was slain, and the Lamanites did
yield themselves into the hands of the Nephites.
Helaman; 1:7
1:33.
35 And it came to pass that
Moronihah took possession of the city of Zarahemla again, and caused that the
Lamanites who had been taken prisoners should depart out of the land in peace.
1:34.
36 And thus ended the forty and
first year of the reign of the judges.
Helaman; 1:8
Helaman, Chapter 2
2:1.
37 And it came to pass in the
forty and second year of the reign of the judges, after Moronihah had
established again peace between the Nephites and the Lamanites, behold there
was no one to fill the judgment-seat; therefore there began to be a contention again
among the people concerning who should fill the judgment-seat.
2:2.
38 And it came to pass that
Helaman, who was the son of Helaman, was appointed to fill the judgment-seat,
by the voice of the people.
2:3.
39 But behold, Kishkumen, who
had murdered Pahoran, did lay wait to destroy Helaman also; and he was upheld
by his band, who had entered into a covenant that no one should know his
wickedness.
2:4.
40 For there was one Gadianton,
who was exceedingly expert in many words, and also in his craft, to carry on
the secret work of murder and of robbery; therefore he became the leader of the
band of Kishkumen.
2:5.
41 Therefore he did flatter
them, and also Kishkumen, that if they would place him in the judgment-seat he
would grant unto those who belonged to his band that they should be placed in
power and authority among the people; therefore Kishkumen sought to destroy
Helaman.
Helaman; 1:9
2:6.
42 And it came to pass as he
went forth towards the judgment-seat to destroy Helaman, behold one of the
servants of Helaman, having been out by night, and having obtained, through
disguise, a knowledge of those plans which had been laid by this band to destroy
Helaman—
2:7.
43 And it came to pass that he
met Kishkumen, and he gave unto him a sign; therefore Kishkumen made known unto
him the object of his desire, desiring that he would conduct him to the
judgment-seat that he might murder Helaman.
2:8.
44 And when the servant of
Helaman had known all the heart of Kishkumen, and how that it was his object to
murder, and also that it was the object of all those who belonged to his band
to murder, and to rob, and to gain power, (and this was their secret plan, and
their combination) the servant of Helaman said unto Kishkumen: Let us go forth
unto the judgment-seat.
2:9.
45 Now this did please
Kishkumen exceedingly, for he did suppose that he should accomplish his design;
but behold, the servant of Helaman, as they were going forth unto the
judgment-seat, did stab Kishkumen even to the heart, that he fell dead without
a groan. 46 And he ran and told Helaman all
the things which he had seen, and heard, and done.
Helaman; 1:10
2:10.
47 And it came to pass that
Helaman did send forth to take this band of robbers and secret murderers, that
they might be executed according to the law.
2:11.
48 But behold, when Gadianton
had found that Kishkumen did not return he feared lest that he should be
destroyed; therefore he caused that his band should follow him. 49 And they took their flight out of the land, by
a secret way, into the wilderness; and thus when Helaman sent forth to take
them they could nowhere be found.
2:12.
And more of this Gadianton shall be spoken
hereafter. 50 And thus ended the forty and
second year of the reign of the judges over the people of Nephi.
2:13.
51 And behold, in the end of
this book ye shall see that this Gadianton did prove the overthrow, yea, almost
the entire destruction of the people of Nephi.
2:14.
52 Behold I do not mean the end
of the book of Helaman, but I mean the end of the book of Nephi, from which I
have taken all the account which I have written.
Helaman, Chapter 2
Helaman; 2:1
Helaman, Chapter 3
3:1.
1 And now it came to pass in
the forty and third year of the reign of the judges, there was no contention
among the people of Nephi save it were a little pride which was in the church,
which did cause some little dissensions among the people, which affairs were
settled in the ending of the forty and third year.
3:2.
2 And there was no contention
among the people in the forty and fourth year; neither was there much
contention in the forty and fifth year.
3:3.
3 And it came to pass in the
forty and sixth, yea, there was much contention and many dissensions; in the
which there were an exceedingly great many who departed out of the land of
Zarahemla, and went forth unto the land northward to inherit the land.
3:4.
4 And they did travel to an
exceedingly great distance, insomuch that they came to large bodies of water
and many rivers.
3:5.
5 Yea, and even they did
spread forth into all parts of the land, into whatever parts it had not been
rendered desolate and without timber, because of the many inhabitants who had
before inherited the land.
3:6.
6 And now no part of the land
was desolate, save it were for timber; but because of the greatness of the
destruction of the people who had before inhabited the land it was called
desolate.
3:7.
7 And there being but little
timber upon the face of the land, nevertheless the people who went forth became
exceedingly expert in the working of cement; therefore they did build houses of
cement, in the which they did dwell.
Helaman; 2:2
3:8.
8 And it came to pass that
they did multiply and spread, and did go forth from the land southward to the
land northward, and did spread insomuch that they began to cover the face of
the whole earth, from the sea south to the sea north, from the sea west to the
sea east.
3:9.
9 And the people who were in
the land northward did dwell in tents, and in houses of cement, and they did
suffer whatsoever tree should spring up upon the face of the land that it
should grow up, that in time they might have timber to build their houses, yea,
their cities, and their temples, and their synagogues, and their sanctuaries,
and all manner of their buildings.
Helaman; 2:3
3:10.
10 And it came to pass as
timber was exceedingly scarce in the land northward, they did send forth much
by the way of shipping.
3:11.
And thus they did enable the people in the
land northward that they might build many cities, both of wood and of cement.
3:12.
11 And it came to pass that
there were many of the people of Ammon, who were Lamanites by birth, did also
go forth into this land.
Helaman; 2:4
3:13.
12 And now there are many
records kept of the proceedings of this people, by many of this people, which
are particular and very large, concerning them.
3:14.
13 But behold, a hundredth part
of the proceedings of this people, yea, the account of the Lamanites and of the
Nephites, and their wars, and contentions, and dissensions, and their
preaching, and their prophecies, and their shipping and their building of ships,
and their building of temples, and of synagogues and their sanctuaries, and
their righteousness, and their wickedness, and their murders, and their
robbings, and their plundering, and all manner of abominations and whoredoms,
cannot be contained in this work.
3:15.
14 But behold, there are many
books and many records of every kind, and they have been kept chiefly by the
Nephites.
3:16.
And they have been handed down from one
generation to another by the Nephites, even until they have fallen into
transgression and have been murdered, plundered, and hunted, and driven forth,
and slain, and scattered upon the face of the earth, and mixed with the
Lamanites until they are no more called the Nephites, becoming wicked, and
wild, and ferocious, yea, even becoming Lamanites.
Helaman; 2:5
3:17.
15 And now I return again to
mine account; therefore, what I have spoken had passed after there had been
great contentions, and disturbances, and wars, and dissensions, among the
people of Nephi.
3:18.
16 The forty and sixth year of
the reign of the judges ended;
3:19.
17 And it came to pass that
there was still great contention in the land, yea, even in the forty and
seventh year, and also in the forty and eighth year.
3:20.
18 Nevertheless Helaman did
fill the judgment-seat with justice and equity; yea, he did observe to keep the
statutes, and the judgments, and the commandments of God; and he did do that
which was right in the sight of God continually; and he did walk after the ways
of his father, insomuch that he did prosper in the land.
3:21.
19 And it came to pass that he
had two sons. He gave unto the eldest the name of Nephi, and unto the youngest,
the name of Lehi. And they began to grow up unto the Lord.
3:22.
20 And it came to pass that the
wars and contentions began to cease, in a small degree, among the people of the
Nephites, in the latter end of the forty and eighth year of the reign of the
judges over the people of Nephi.
3:23.
21 And it came to pass in the
forty and ninth year of the reign of the judges, there was continual peace
established in the land, all save it were the secret combinations which
Gadianton the robber had established in the more settled parts of the land, which
at that time were not known unto those who were at the head of government;
therefore they were not destroyed out of the land.
Helaman; 2:6
3:24.
22 And it came to pass that in
this same year there was exceedingly great prosperity in the church, insomuch
that there were thousands who did join themselves unto the church and were
baptized unto repentance.
3:25.
23 And so great was the
prosperity of the church, and so many the blessings which were poured out upon
the people, that even the high priests and the teachers were themselves
astonished beyond measure.
3:26.
24 And it came to pass that the
work of the Lord did prosper unto the baptizing and uniting to the church of
God, many souls, yea, even tens of thousands.
3:27.
25 Thus we may see that the
Lord is merciful unto all who will, in the sincerity of their hearts, call upon
his holy name.
3:28.
Yea, thus we see that the gate of heaven is
open unto all, even to those who will believe on the name of Jesus Christ, who
is the Son of God.
3:29.
26 Yea, we see that whosoever
will may lay hold upon the word of God, which is quick and powerful, which
shall divide asunder all the cunning and the snares and the wiles of the devil,
and lead the man of Christ in a strait and narrow course across that everlasting
gulf of misery which is prepared to engulf the wicked—
3:30.
And land their souls, yea, their immortal
souls, at the right hand of God in the kingdom of heaven, to sit down with
Abraham, and Isaac, and with Jacob, and with all our holy fathers, to go no
more out.
3:31.
27 And in this year there was
continual rejoicing in the land of Zarahemla, and in all the regions round
about, even in all the land which was possessed by the Nephites.
3:32.
28 And it came to pass that
there was peace and exceedingly great joy in the remainder of the forty and
ninth year; yea, and also there was continual peace and great joy in the
fiftieth year of the reign of the judges.
3:33.
29 And in the fifty and first
year of the reign of the judges there was peace also, save it were the pride
which began to enter into the church—not into the church of God, but into the
hearts of the people who professed to belong to the church of God—
3:34.
And they were lifted up in pride, even to
the persecution of many of their brethren. 30 Now
this was a great evil, which did cause the more humble part of the people to
suffer great persecutions, and to wade through much affliction.
3:35.
31 Nevertheless they did fast
and pray oft, and did wax stronger and stronger in their humility, and firmer
and firmer in the faith of Christ, unto the filling their souls with joy and
consolation, yea, even to the purifying and the sanctification of their hearts,
which sanctification cometh because of their yielding their hearts unto God.
3:36.
32 And it came to pass that the
fifty and second year ended in peace also, save it were the exceedingly great
pride which had gotten into the hearts of the people; and it was because of
their exceedingly great riches and their prosperity in the land; and it did
grow upon them from day to day.
Helaman; 2:7
3:37.
33 And it came to pass in the
fifty and third year of the reign of the judges, Helaman died, and his eldest
son Nephi began to reign in his stead. 34 And
it came to pass that he did fill the judgment-seat with justice and equity;
yea, he did keep the commandments of God, and did walk in the ways of his
father.
Helaman, Chapter 4
4:1.
35 And it came to pass in the
fifty and fourth year there were many dissensions in the church, and there was
also a contention among the people, insomuch that there was much bloodshed.
4:2.
And the rebellious part were slain and
driven out of the land, and they did go unto the king of the Lamanites.
Helaman; 2:8
4:3.
36 And it came to pass that
they did endeavor to stir up the Lamanites to war against the Nephites; but
behold, the Lamanites were exceedingly afraid, insomuch that they would not
hearken to the words of those dissenters.
4:4.
37 But it came to pass in the
fifty and sixth year of the reign of the judges, there were dissenters who went
up from the Nephites unto the Lamanites; and they succeeded with those others
in stirring them up to anger against the Nephites; and they were all that year
preparing for war.
4:5.
38 And in the fifty and seventh
year they did come down against the Nephites to battle, and they did commence
the work of death; yea, insomuch that in the fifty and eighth year of the reign
of the judges they succeeded in obtaining possession of the land of Zarahemla;
yea, and also all the lands, even unto the land which was near the land
Bountiful.
4:6.
39 And the Nephites and the
armies of Moronihah were driven even into the land of Bountiful;
4:7.
And there they did fortify against the
Lamanites, from the west sea, even unto the east; it being a day’s journey for
a Nephite, on the line which they had fortified and stationed their armies to
defend their north country.
4:8.
40 And thus those dissenters of
the Nephites, with the help of a numerous army of the Lamanites, had obtained
all the possession of the Nephites which was in the land southward. 41 And all this was done in the fifty and eighth
and ninth years of the reign of the judges.
Helaman; 2:9
4:9.
42 And it came to pass in the
sixtieth year of the reign of the judges, Moronihah did succeed with his armies
in obtaining many parts of the land; yea, they regained many cities which had
fallen into the hands of the Lamanites.
Helaman; 2:10
4:10.
43 And it came to pass in the
sixty and first year of the reign of the judges they succeeded in regaining
even the half of all their possessions.
4:11.
44 Now this great loss of the
Nephites, and the great slaughter which was among them, would not have happened
had it not been for their wickedness and their abomination which was among
them; yea, and it was among those also who professed to belong to the church of
God.
4:12.
45 And it was because of the
pride of their hearts, because of their exceeding riches, yea, it was because
of their oppression to the poor, withholding their food from the hungry,
withholding their clothing from the naked, and smiting their humble brethren
upon the cheek, making a mock of that which was sacred, denying the spirit of
prophecy and of revelation, murdering, plundering, lying, stealing, committing
adultery, rising up in great contentions, and deserting away into the land of
Nephi, among the Lamanites—
4:13.
46 And because of this their
great wickedness, and their boastings in their own strength, they were left in
their own strength; therefore they did not prosper, but were afflicted and
smitten, and driven before the Lamanites, until they had lost possession of
almost all their lands.
4:14.
47 But behold, Moronihah did
preach many things unto the people because of their iniquity, and also Nephi
and Lehi, who were the sons of Helaman, did preach many things unto the people,
48 yea, and did prophesy many things unto
them concerning their iniquities, and what should come unto them if they did
not repent of their sins.
4:15.
49 And it came to pass that
they did repent, and inasmuch as they did repent they did begin to prosper.
4:16.
50 For when Moronihah saw that
they did repent he did venture to lead them forth from place to place, and from
city to city, even until they had regained the one-half of their property and
the one-half of all their lands.
4:17.
51 And thus ended the sixty and
first year of the reign of the judges.
Helaman; 2:11
4:18.
52 And it came to pass in the
sixty and second year of the reign of the judges, that Moronihah could obtain
no more possessions over the Lamanites.
4:19.
53 Therefore they did abandon
their design to obtain the remainder of their lands, for so numerous were the
Lamanites that it became impossible for the Nephites to obtain more power over
them; therefore Moronihah did employ all his armies in maintaining those parts
which he had taken.
Helaman; 2:12
4:20.
54 And it came to pass, because
of the greatness of the number of the Lamanites the Nephites were in great
fear, lest they should be overpowered, and trodden down, and slain, and
destroyed.
4:21.
55 Yea, they began to remember
the prophecies of Alma, and also the words of Mosiah; and they saw that they
had been a stiffnecked people, and that they had set at naught the commandments
of God.
4:22.
56 And that they had altered
and trampled under their feet the laws of Mosiah, or that which the Lord
commanded him to give unto the people; 57 and
they saw that their laws had become corrupted, and that they had become a
wicked people, insomuch that they were wicked even like unto the Lamanites.
4:23.
58 And because of their
iniquity the church had begun to dwindle; and they began to disbelieve in the
spirit of prophecy and in the spirit of revelation; and the judgments of God
did stare them in the face.
4:24.
59 And they saw that they had
become weak, like unto their brethren, the Lamanites, and that the Spirit of
the Lord did no more preserve them; yea, it had withdrawn from them because the
Spirit of the Lord doth not dwell in unholy temples—
4:25.
60 Therefore the Lord did cease
to preserve them by his miraculous and matchless power, for they had fallen
into a state of unbelief and awful wickedness; and they saw that the Lamanites
were exceedingly more numerous than they, and except they should cleave unto
the Lord their God, they must unavoidably perish.
4:26.
61 For behold, they saw that the
strength of the Lamanites was as great as their strength, even man for man. 62 And thus had they fallen into this great
transgression; yea, thus had they become weak, because of their transgression,
in the space of not many years.
Helaman; 2:13
Helaman, Chapter 5
5:1.
63 And it came to pass that in
this same year, behold, Nephi delivered up the judgment-seat to a man whose
name was Cezoram.
5:2.
64 For as their laws and their
governments were established by the voice of the people, and they who chose
evil were more numerous than they who chose good, therefore they were ripening
for destruction, for the laws had become corrupted.
5:3.
65 Yea, and this was not all;
they were a stiffnecked people, insomuch that they could not be governed by the
law nor justice, save it were to their destruction.
Helaman; 2:14
5:4.
66 And it came to pass that
Nephi had become weary because of their iniquity; and he yielded up the
judgment-seat, and took it upon him to preach the word of God all the remainder
of his days, and his brother Lehi also, all the remainder of his days;
5:5.
For they remembered the words which their
father Helaman spake unto them. 67 And these
are the words which he spake:
5:6.
Behold, my sons, I desire that ye should
remember to keep the commandments of God; and I would that ye should declare
unto the people these words. 68 Behold, I
have given unto you the names of our first parents who came out of the land of
Jerusalem; and this I have done that when you remember your names ye may
remember them; and when ye remember them ye may remember their works; and when
ye remember their works ye may know how that it is said, and also written, that
they were good.
5:7.
69 Therefore, my sons, I would
that ye should do that which is good, that it may be said of you, and also
written, even as it has been said and written of them.
5:8.
70 And now my sons, behold I
have somewhat more to desire of you, which desire is, that ye may not do these
things that ye may boast, but that ye may do these things to lay up for
yourselves a treasure in heaven, yea, which is eternal, and which fadeth not
away; yea, that ye may have that precious gift of eternal life, which we have
reason to suppose hath been given to our fathers.
Helaman; 2:15
5:9.
71 O remember, remember, my
sons, the words which king Benjamin spake unto his people; yea, remember that
there is no other way nor means whereby man can be saved, only through the
atoning blood of Jesus Christ, who shall come, yea, remember that he cometh to
redeem the world.
5:10.
72 And remember also the words
which Amulek spake unto Zeezrom, in the city of Ammonihah; for he said unto him
that the Lord surely should come to redeem his people, but that he should not
come to redeem them in their sins, but to redeem them from their sins.
5:11.
73 And he hath power given unto
him from the Father to redeem them from their sins because of repentance;
therefore he hath sent his angels to declare the tidings of the conditions of
repentance, which bringeth unto the power of the Redeemer, unto the salvation
of their souls.
5:12.
74 And now, my sons, remember,
remember that it is upon the rock of our Redeemer, who is Christ, the Son of
God, that ye must build your foundation; that when the devil shall send forth
his mighty winds, yea, his shafts in the whirlwind, 75
yea, when all his hail and his mighty storm shall beat upon you, it
shall have no power over you to drag you down to the gulf of misery and endless
wo, because of the rock upon which ye are built, which is a sure foundation, a
foundation whereon if men build they cannot fall.
Helaman; 2:16
5:13.
76 And it came to pass that
these were the words which Helaman taught to his sons; yea, he did teach them
many things which are not written, and also many things which are written.
5:14.
77 And they did remember his
words; and therefore they went forth, keeping the commandments of God, to teach
the word of God among all the people of Nephi, beginning at the city Bountiful;
5:15.
And from thenceforth to the city of Gid;
and from the city of Gid to the city of Mulek;
5:16.
78 And even from one city to
another, until they had gone forth among all the people of Nephi who were in
the land southward; and from thence into the land of Zarahemla, among the
Lamanites.
Helaman; 2:17
5:17.
79 And it came to pass that
they did preach with great power, insomuch that they did confound many of those
dissenters who had gone over from the Nephites, insomuch that they came forth
and did confess their sins and were baptized unto repentance, and immediately
returned to the Nephites to endeavor to repair unto them the wrongs which they
had done.
5:18.
80 And it came to pass that
Nephi and Lehi did preach unto the Lamanites with such great power and
authority, for they had power and authority, given unto them that they might
speak, and they also had what they should speak given unto them—
5:19.
81 Therefore they did speak
unto the great astonishment of the Lamanites, to the convincing them, insomuch
that there were eight thousand of the Lamanites who were in the land of
Zarahemla and round about baptized unto repentance, and were convinced of the
wickedness of the traditions of their fathers.
Helaman; 2:18
5:20.
82 And it came to pass that
Nephi and Lehi did proceed from thence to go to the land of Nephi.
5:21.
83 And it came to pass that
they were taken by an army of the Lamanites and cast into prison; yea, even in
that same prison in which Ammon and his brethren were cast by the servants of
Limhi.
5:22.
84 And after they had been cast
into prison many days without food, behold, they went forth into the prison to
take them that they might slay them.
5:23.
85 And it came to pass that
Nephi and Lehi were encircled about as if by fire, even insomuch that they
durst not lay their hands upon them for fear lest they should be burned. 86 Nevertheless, Nephi and Lehi were not burned;
and they were as standing in the midst of fire and were not burned.
5:24.
87 And when they saw that they
were encircled about with a pillar of fire, and that it burned them not, their
hearts did take courage.
5:25.
88 For they saw that the
Lamanites durst not lay their hands upon them; neither durst they come near
unto them, but stood as if they were struck dumb with amazement.
Helaman; 2:19
5:26.
89 And it came to pass that
Nephi and Lehi did stand forth and began to speak unto them, saying: Fear not,
for behold, it is God that has shown unto you this marvelous thing, in the
which is shown unto you that ye cannot lay your hands on us to slay us.
5:27.
90 And behold, when they had
said these words, the earth shook exceedingly, and the walls of the prison did
shake as if they were about to tumble to the earth; but behold, they did not
fall. 91 And behold, they that were in the
prison were Lamanites and Nephites who were dissenters.
5:28.
92 And it came to pass that
they were overshadowed with a cloud of darkness, and an awful solemn fear came
upon them.
5:29.
93 And it came to pass that
there came a voice as if it were above the cloud of darkness, saying: Repent
ye, repent ye, and seek no more to destroy my servants whom I have sent unto
you to declare good tidings.
Helaman; 2:20
5:30.
94 And it came to pass when
they heard this voice, and beheld that it was not a voice of thunder, neither
was it a voice of a great tumultuous noise, but behold, it was a still voice of
perfect mildness, as if it had been a whisper, and it did pierce even to the
very soul—
5:31.
95 And notwithstanding the
mildness of the voice, behold the earth shook exceedingly, and the walls of the
prison trembled again, as if it were about to tumble to the earth; and behold
the cloud of darkness, which had overshadowed them, did not disperse—
5:32.
96 And behold the voice came
again, saying: Repent ye, repent ye, for the kingdom of heaven is at hand; and
seek no more to destroy my servants. 97 And
it came to pass that the earth shook again, and the walls trembled.
5:33.
And also again the third time the voice
came, and did speak unto them marvelous words which cannot be uttered by man;
and the walls did tremble again, and the earth shook as if it were about to
divide asunder.
Helaman; 2:21
5:34.
98 And it came to pass that the
Lamanites could not flee because of the cloud of darkness which did overshadow
them; yea, and also they were immovable because of the fear which did come upon
them.
5:35.
99 Now there was one among them
who was a Nephite by birth, who had once belonged to the church of God but had
dissented from them.
5:36.
100 And it came to pass that he
turned him about, and behold, he saw through the cloud of darkness the faces of
Nephi and Lehi; and behold, they did shine exceedingly, even as the faces of
angels. 101 And he beheld that they did lift
their eyes to heaven; and they were in the attitude as if talking or lifting
their voices to some being whom they beheld.
Helaman; 2:22
5:37.
102 And it came to pass that
this man did cry unto the multitude, that they might turn and look. 103 And behold, there was power given unto them
that they did turn and look; and they did behold the faces of Nephi and Lehi.
5:38.
104 And they said unto the man:
Behold, what do all these things mean, and who is it with whom these men do
converse?
5:39.
105 Now the man’s name was
Aminadab. And Aminadab said unto them: They do converse with the angels of God.
5:40.
106 And it came to pass that the
Lamanites said unto him: What shall we do, that this cloud of darkness may be
removed from overshadowing us?
5:41.
107 And Aminadab said unto them:
You must repent, and cry unto the voice, even until ye shall have faith in
Christ, who was taught unto you by Alma, and Amulek, and Zeezrom; and when ye
shall do this, the cloud of darkness shall be removed from overshadowing you.
Helaman; 2:23
5:42.
108 And it came to pass that
they all did begin to cry unto the voice of him who had shaken the earth; yea,
they did cry even until the cloud of darkness was dispersed.
5:43.
109 And it came to pass that
when they cast their eyes about, and saw that the cloud of darkness was
dispersed from overshadowing them, behold, they saw that they were encircled
about, yea every soul, by a pillar of fire.
5:44.
110 And Nephi and Lehi were in
the midst of them; yea, they were encircled about; yea, they were as if in the
midst of a flaming fire, yet it did harm them not, neither did it take hold
upon the walls of the prison; and they were filled with that joy which is
unspeakable and full of glory.
5:45.
111 And behold, the Holy Spirit
of God did come down from heaven, and did enter into their hearts, and they
were filled as if with fire, and they could speak forth marvelous words.
Helaman; 2:24
5:46.
112 And it came to pass that
there came a voice unto them, yea, a pleasant voice, as if it were a whisper,
saying:
5:47.
Peace, peace be unto you, because of your
faith in my Well Beloved, who was from the foundation of the world.
5:48.
113 And now, when they heard
this they cast up their eyes as if to behold from whence the voice came; and
behold, they saw the heavens open; and angels came down out of heaven and
ministered unto them.
5:49.
114 And there were about three
hundred souls who saw and heard these things; and they were bidden to go forth
and marvel not, neither should they doubt.
5:50.
115 And it came to pass that
they did go forth, and did minister unto the people, declaring throughout all
the regions round about all the things which they had heard and seen, insomuch
that the more part of the Lamanites were convinced of them, because of the
greatness of the evidences which they had received.
5:51.
116 And as many as were
convinced did lay down their weapons of war, and also their hatred and the
tradition of their fathers.
5:52.
117 And it came to pass that
they did yield up unto the Nephites the lands of their possession.
Helaman; 2:25
Helaman, Chapter 6
6:1.
118 And it came to pass that
when the sixty and second year of the reign of the judges had ended, all these
things had happened and the Lamanites had become, the more part of them, a
righteous people, insomuch that their righteousness did exceed that of the
Nephites because of their firmness and their steadiness in the faith.
6:2.
119 For behold, there were many
of the Nephites who had become hardened and impenitent and grossly wicked,
insomuch that they did reject the word of God and all the preaching and
prophesying which did come among them.
6:3.
120 Nevertheless, the people of
the church did have great joy because of the conversion of the Lamanites, yea,
because of the church of God, which had been established among them. 121 And they did fellowship one with another and
did rejoice one with another, and did have great joy.
6:4.
122 And it came to pass that
many of the Lamanites did come down into the land of Zarahemla, and did declare
unto the people of the Nephites the manner of their conversion, and did exhort
them to faith and repentance.
6:5.
123 Yea, and many did preach
with exceedingly great power and authority, unto the bringing down many of them
into the depths of humility, to be the humble followers of God and the Lamb.
Helaman; 2:26
6:6.
124 And it came to pass that
many of the Lamanites did go into the land northward; and also Nephi and Lehi
went into the land northward, to preach unto the people. 125 And thus ended the sixty and third year.
6:7.
126 And behold, there was peace
in all the land, insomuch that the Nephites did go into whatsoever part of the
land they would, whether among the Nephites or the Lamanites.
6:8.
127 And it came to pass that the
Lamanites did also go whithersoever they would, whether it were among the
Lamanites or among the Nephites; and thus they did have free intercourse one
with another, to buy and to sell, and to get gain, according to their desire.
Helaman; 2:27
6:9.
128 And it came to pass that
they became exceedingly rich, both the Lamanites and the Nephites; and they did
have an exceeding plenty of gold, and of silver, and of all manner of precious
metals, both in the land south and in the land north.
6:10.
129 Now the land south was
called Lehi and the land north was called Mulek, which was after the son of
Zedekiah; for the Lord did bring Mulek into the land north, and Lehi into the
land south.
6:11.
130 And behold, there was all
manner of gold in both these lands, and of silver, and of precious ore of every
kind; and there were also curious workmen, who did work all kinds of ore and
did refine it; and thus they did become rich.
6:12.
131 They did raise grain in
abundance, both in the north and in the south; and they did flourish
exceedingly, both in the north and in the south. 132
And they did multiply and wax exceedingly strong in the land. And they
did raise many flocks and herds, yea, many fatlings.
6:13.
133 Behold their women did toil
and spin, and did make all manner of cloth, of fine-twined linen and cloth of
every kind, to clothe their nakedness. 134 And
thus the sixty and fourth year did pass away in peace.
6:14.
135 And in the sixty and fifth
year they did also have great joy and peace, yea, much preaching and many
prophecies concerning that which was to come. And thus passed away the sixty
and fifth year.
Helaman; 2:28
6:15.
136 And it came to pass that in
the sixty and sixth year of the reign of the judges, behold, Cezoram was
murdered by an unknown hand as he sat upon the judgment-seat. 137 And it came to pass that in the same year,
that his son, who had been appointed by the people in his stead, was also
murdered. And thus ended the sixty and sixth year.
6:16.
138 And in the commencement of
the sixty and seventh year the people began to grow exceedingly wicked again.
6:17.
139 For behold, the Lord had
blessed them so long with the riches of the world that they had not been
stirred up to anger, to wars, nor to bloodshed; therefore they began to set
their hearts upon their riches; 140 yea,
they began to seek to get gain that they might be lifted up one above another;
therefore they began to commit secret murders, and to rob and to plunder, that
they might get gain.
6:18.
141 And now behold, those
murderers and plunderers were a band who had been formed by Kishkumen and
Gadianton. 142 And now it had come to pass
that there were many, even among the Nephites, of Gadianton’s band. But behold,
they were more numerous among the more wicked part of the Lamanites. 143 And they were called Gadianton’s robbers and
murderers.
6:19.
And it was they who did murder the chief
judge Cezoram, and his son, while in the judgment-seat; and behold, they were
not found.
Helaman; 2:29
6:20.
144 And now it came to pass that
when the Lamanites found that there were robbers among them they were
exceedingly sorrowful; and they did use every means in their power to destroy
them off the face of the earth.
6:21.
145 But behold, Satan did stir
up the hearts of the more part of the Nephites, insomuch that they did unite
with those bands of robbers, and did enter into their covenants and their
oaths, that they would protect and preserve one another in whatsoever difficult
circumstances they should be placed, that they should not suffer for their
murders, and their plunderings, and their stealings.
Helaman; 2:30
6:22.
146 And it came to pass that
they did have their signs, yea, their secret signs, and their secret words; and
this that they might distinguish a brother who had entered into the covenant,
that whatsoever wickedness his brother should do he should not be injured by
his brother, nor by those who did belong to his band, who had taken this
covenant.
6:23.
147 And thus they might murder,
and plunder, and steal, and commit whoredoms and all manner of wickedness,
contrary to the laws of their country and also the laws of their God.
6:24.
148 And whosoever of those who
belonged to their band should reveal unto the world of their wickedness and
their abominations, should be tried, not according to the laws of their
country, but according to the laws of their wickedness, which had been given by
Gadianton and Kishkumen.
6:25.
149 Now behold, it is these
secret oaths and covenants which Alma commanded his son should not go forth
unto the world, lest they should be a means of bringing down the people unto
destruction.
6:26.
150 Now behold, those secret
oaths and covenants did not come forth unto Gadianton from the records which
were delivered unto Helaman; 151 but behold,
they were put into the heart of Gadianton by that same being who did entice our
first parents to partake of the forbidden fruit—
6:27.
Yea, that same being who did plot with
Cain, that if he would murder his brother Abel it should not be known unto the
world. 152 And he did plot with Cain and his
followers from that time forth.
6:28.
153 And also it is that same
being who put it into the hearts of the people to build a tower sufficiently
high that they might get to heaven. 154 And
it was that same being who led on the people who came from that tower into this
land; who spread the works of darkness and abominations over all the face of
the land, until he dragged the people down to an entire destruction, and to an
everlasting hell.
6:29.
155 Yea, it is that same being
who put it into the heart of Gadianton to still carry on the work of darkness,
and of secret murder; and he has brought it forth from the beginning of man
even down to this time.
6:30.
156 And behold, it is he who is
the author of all sin. And behold, he doth carry on his works of darkness and
secret murder, and doth hand down their plots, and their oaths, and their
covenants, and their plans of awful wickedness, from generation to generation
according as he can get hold upon the hearts of the children of men.
6:31.
157 And now behold, he had got
great hold upon the hearts of the Nephites; yea, insomuch that they had become
exceedingly wicked; 158 yea, the more part
of them had turned out of the way of righteousness, and did trample under their
feet the commandments of God, and did turn unto their own ways, and did build
up unto themselves idols of their gold and their silver.
Helaman; 2:31
6:32.
159 And it came to pass that all
these iniquities did come unto them in the space of not many years, insomuch
that a more part of it had come unto them in the sixty and seventh year of the
reign of the judges over the people of Nephi.
6:33.
160 And they did grow in their
iniquities in the sixty and eighth year also, to the great sorrow and
lamentation of the righteous.
6:34.
161 And thus we see that the
Nephites did begin to dwindle in unbelief, and grow in wickedness and
abominations, while the Lamanites began to grow exceedingly in the knowledge of
their God; yea, they did begin to keep his statutes and commandments, and to walk
in truth and uprightness before him.
6:35.
162 And thus we see that the
Spirit of the Lord began to withdraw from the Nephites, because of the
wickedness and the hardness of their hearts.
6:36.
163 And thus we see that the
Lord began to pour out his Spirit upon the Lamanites, because of their easiness
and willingness to believe in his words.
Helaman; 2:32
6:37.
164 And it came to pass that the
Lamanites did hunt the band of robbers of Gadianton; and they did preach the
word of God among the more wicked part of them, insomuch that this band of
robbers was utterly destroyed from among the Lamanites.
6:38.
165 And it came to pass on the
other hand, that the Nephites did build them up and support them, beginning at
the more wicked part of them, until they had overspread all the land of the
Nephites, and had seduced the more part of the righteous until they had come
down to believe in their works and partake of their spoils, and to join with
them in their secret murders and combinations.
6:39.
166 And thus they did obtain the
sole management of the government, insomuch that they did trample under their
feet and smite and rend and turn their backs upon the poor and the meek, and
the humble followers of God.
6:40.
167 And thus we see that they
were in an awful state, and ripening for an everlasting destruction.
6:41.
168 And it came to pass that
thus ended the sixty and eighth year of the reign of the judges over the people
of Nephi.
Helaman, Chapter 3
THE PROPHECY OF NEPHI, THE SON OF HELAMAN.
God threatens the people of Nephi, that he will visit them in his anger, to
their utter destruction, except they repent of their wickedness. God smiteth
the people of Nephi with pestilence; they repent and turn unto him. Samuel, a
Lamanite, prophesies unto the Nephites.
Helaman; 3:1
Helaman, Chapter 7
7:1.
1 Behold, now it came to pass
in the sixty and ninth year of the reign of the judges over the people of the
Nephites, that Nephi, the son of Helaman, returned to the land of Zarahemla
from the land northward.
7:2.
For he had been forth among the people who
were in the land northward, and did preach the word of God unto them, and did
prophesy many things unto them;
7:3.
2 And they did reject all his
words, insomuch that he could not stay among them, but returned again unto the
land of his nativity.
7:4.
3 And seeing the people in a
state of such awful wickedness, and those Gadianton robbers filling the
judgment-seats—having usurped the power and authority of the land; laying aside
the commandments of God, and not in the least aright before him; doing no justice
unto the children of men;
7:5.
Condemning the righteous because of their
righteousness; letting the guilty and the wicked go unpunished because of their
money; 4 and moreover to be held in office
at the head of government, to rule and do according to their wills, that they
might get gain and glory of the world, and, moreover, that they might the more
easily commit adultery, and steal, and kill, and do according to their own
wills—
7:6.
5 Now this great iniquity had
come upon the Nephites, in the space of not many years; and when Nephi saw it,
his heart was swollen with sorrow within his breast; 6
and he did exclaim in the agony of his soul:
7:7.
Oh, that I could have had my days in the
days when my father Nephi first came out of the land of Jerusalem, that I could
have joyed with him in the promised land; 7 then
were his people easy to be entreated, firm to keep the commandments of God, and
slow to be led to do iniquity; and they were quick to hearken unto the words of
the Lord—
7:8.
8 Yea, if my days could have
been in those days, then would my soul have had joy in the righteousness of my
brethren.
7:9.
9 But behold, I am consigned
that these are my days, and that my soul shall be filled with sorrow because of
this the wickedness of my brethren.
7:10.
10 And behold, now it came to
pass that it was upon a tower, which was in the garden of Nephi, which was by
the highway which led to the chief market, which was in the city of Zarahemla; 11 therefore, Nephi had bowed himself upon the
tower which was in his garden, which tower was also near unto the garden gate
by which led the highway.
Helaman; 3:2
7:11.
12 And it came to pass that
there were certain men passing by and saw Nephi as he was pouring out his soul
unto God upon the tower; and they ran and told the people what they had seen,
and the people came together in multitudes that they might know the cause of so
great mourning for the wickedness of the people.
7:12.
13 And now, when Nephi arose he
beheld the multitudes of people who had gathered together.
7:13.
14 And it came to pass that he
opened his mouth and said unto them: Behold, why have ye gathered yourselves
together? That I may tell you of your iniquities?
7:14.
15 Yea, because I have got upon
my tower that I might pour out my soul unto my God, because of the exceeding
sorrow of my heart, which is because of your iniquities!
7:15.
16 And because of my mourning
and lamentation ye have gathered yourselves together, and do marvel; yea, and
ye have great need to marvel; 17 yea, ye
ought to marvel because ye are given away that the devil has got so great hold
upon your hearts.
7:16.
Yea, how could you have given way to the
enticing of him who is seeking to hurl away your souls down to everlasting
misery and endless wo?
7:17.
18 O repent ye, repent ye! Why
will ye die? Turn ye, turn ye unto the Lord your God. Why has he forsaken you?
7:18.
19 It is because you have
hardened your hearts; yea, ye will not hearken unto the voice of the good
shepherd; yea, ye have provoked him to anger against you.
7:19.
20 And behold, instead of
gathering you, except ye will repent, behold, he shall scatter you forth that
ye shall become meat for dogs and wild beasts.
7:20.
21 O, how could you have
forgotten your God in the very day that he has delivered you?
7:21.
22 But behold, it is to get
gain, to be praised of men, yea, and that ye might get gold and silver. 23 And ye have set your hearts upon the riches and
the vain things of this world, for the which ye do murder, and plunder, and
steal, and bear false witness against your neighbor, and do all manner of
iniquity.
7:22.
And for this cause wo shall come unto you
except ye shall repent. 24 For if ye will
not repent, behold, this great city, and also all those great cities which are
round about, which are in the land of our possession, shall be taken away that
ye shall have no place in them; for behold, the Lord will not grant unto you
strength, as he has hitherto done, to withstand against your enemies.
7:23.
25 For behold, thus saith the
Lord: I will not show unto the wicked of my strength, to one more than the
other, save it be unto those that repent of their sins, and hearken unto my
words. 26 Now therefore, I would that ye
should behold, my brethren, that it shall be better for the Lamanites than for
you except ye shall repent.
7:24.
For behold, they are more righteous than
you, for they have not sinned against that great knowledge which ye have
received; 27 therefore the Lord will be
merciful unto them; yea, he will lengthen out their days and increase their
seed, even when thou shalt be utterly destroyed except thou shalt repent.
7:25.
28 Yea, wo be unto you because
of that great abomination which has come among you; and ye have united
yourselves unto it, yea, to that secret band which was established by
Gadianton!
7:26.
29 Yea, wo shall come unto you
because of that pride which ye have suffered to enter your hearts, which has
lifted you up beyond that which is good because of your exceedingly great
riches!
7:27.
Yea, wo be unto you because of your
wickedness and abominations!
7:28.
30 And except ye repent ye
shall perish; yea, even your lands shall be taken from you, and ye shall be
destroyed from off the face of the earth.
7:29.
31 Behold now, I do not say
that these things shall be, of myself, because it is not of myself that I know
these things; but behold, I know that these things are true because the Lord
God has made them known unto me, therefore I testify that they shall be.
Helaman; 3:3
Helaman, Chapter 8
8:1.
32 And now it came to pass that
when Nephi had said these words, behold, there were men who were judges, who
also belonged to the secret band of Gadianton, and they were angry, 33 and they cried out against him, saying unto the
people: Why do ye not seize upon this man and bring him forth, that he may be
condemned according to the crime which he has done?
8:2.
34 Why seest thou this man, and
hearest him revile against this people and against our law?
8:3.
35 For behold, Nephi had spoken
unto them concerning the corruptness of their law; yea, many things did Nephi
speak which cannot be written; and nothing did he speak which was contrary to
the commandments of God.
8:4.
36 And those judges were angry
with him because he spake plainly unto them concerning their secret works of
darkness; nevertheless, they durst not lay their own hands upon him, for they
feared the people lest they should cry out against them.
8:5.
Therefore they did cry unto the people,
saying: Why do you suffer this man to revile against us? 37 For behold he doth condemn all this people,
even unto destruction; yea, and also that these our great cities shall be taken
from us, that we shall have no place in them.
8:6.
38 And now we know that this is
impossible, for behold, we are powerful, and our cities great, therefore our
enemies can have no power over us.
Helaman; 3:4
8:7.
39 And it came to pass that
thus they did stir up the people to anger against Nephi, and raised contentions
among them; for there were some who did cry out: Let this man alone, for he is
a good man, and those things which he saith will surely come to pass except we
repent;
8:8.
40 Yea, behold, all the
judgments will come upon us which he has testified unto us; for we know that he
has testified aright unto us concerning our iniquities. 41 And behold they are many, and he knoweth as well all things
which shall befall us as he knoweth of our iniquities;
8:9.
Yea, and behold, if he had not been a
prophet he could not have testified concerning those things.
8:10.
42 And it came to pass that
those people who sought to destroy Nephi were compelled because of their fear,
that they did not lay their hands on him; 43 therefore
he began again to speak unto them, seeing that he had gained favor in the eyes
of some, insomuch that the remainder of them did fear.
8:11.
44 Therefore he was constrained
to speak more unto them saying: Behold, my brethren, have ye not read that God
gave power unto one man, even Moses, to smite upon the waters of the Red Sea,
and they parted hither and thither, insomuch that the Israelites, who were our
fathers, came through upon dry ground, and the waters closed upon the armies of
the Egyptians and swallowed them up?
Helaman; 3:5
8:12.
45 And now behold, if God gave
unto this man such power, then why should ye dispute among yourselves, and say
that he hath given unto me no power whereby I may know concerning the judgments
that shall come upon you except ye repent?
8:13.
46 But, behold, ye not only
deny my words, but ye also deny all the words which have been spoken by our
fathers, and also the words which were spoken by this man, Moses, who had such
great power given unto him, yea, the words which he hath spoken concerning the
coming of the Messiah.
8:14.
47 Yea, did he not bear record
that the Son of God should come? And as he lifted up the brazen serpent in the
wilderness, even so shall he be lifted up who should come.
8:15.
48 And as many as should look
upon that serpent should live, even so as many as should look upon the Son of
God with faith, having a contrite spirit, might live, even unto that life which
is eternal.
Helaman; 3:6
8:16.
49 And now behold, Moses did
not only testify of these things, but also all the holy prophets, from his days
even to the days of Abraham.
8:17.
50 Yea, and behold, Abraham saw
of his coming, and was filled with gladness and did rejoice.
8:18.
51 Yea, and behold I say unto
you, that Abraham not only knew of these things, but there were many before the
days of Abraham who were called by the order of God; yea, even after the order
of his Son; 52 and this that it should be
shown unto the people, a great many thousand years before his coming, that even
redemption should come unto them.
8:19.
53 And now I would that ye
should know, that even since the days of Abraham there have been many prophets
that have testified these things; yea, behold, the prophet Zenos did testify
boldly; for the which he was slain.
8:20.
54 And behold, also Zenock, and
also Ezias, and also Isaiah, and Jeremiah, (Jeremiah being that same prophet
who testified of the destruction of Jerusalem) 55 and
now we know that Jerusalem was destroyed according to the words of Jeremiah. O
then why not the Son of God come, according to his prophecy?
8:21.
56 And now will you dispute
that Jerusalem was destroyed? Will ye say that the sons of Zedekiah were not
slain, all except it were Mulek? 57 Yea, and
do ye not behold that the seed of Zedekiah are with us, and they were driven
out of the land of Jerusalem? But behold, this is not all—
8:22.
58 Our father Lehi was driven
out of Jerusalem because he testified of these things. 59
Nephi also testified of these things, and also almost all of our
fathers, even down to this time; yea, they have testified of the coming of
Christ, and have looked forward, and have rejoiced in his day which is to come.
8:23.
60 And behold, he is God, and
he is with them, and he did manifest himself unto them, that they were redeemed
by him; and they gave unto him glory, because of that which is to come.
8:24.
61 And now, seeing ye know
these things and cannot deny them except ye shall lie, therefore in this ye
have sinned, for ye have rejected all these things, notwithstanding so many
evidences which ye have received; 62 yea,
even ye have received all things, both things in heaven, and all things which
are in the earth, as a witness that they are true.
8:25.
63 But behold, ye have rejected
the truth, and rebelled against your holy God; and even at this time, instead
of laying up for yourselves treasures in heaven, where nothing doth corrupt,
and where nothing can come which is unclean, ye are heaping up for yourselves
wrath against the day of judgment.
8:26.
64 Yea, even at this time ye
are ripening, because of your murders and your fornication and wickedness, for
everlasting destruction; yea, and except ye repent it will come unto you soon.
8:27.
65 Yea, behold it is now even
at your doors; yea, go ye in unto the judgment-seat, and search; and behold,
your judge is murdered, and he lieth in his blood; and he hath been murdered by
his brother, who seeketh to sit in the judgment-seat.
8:28.
66 And behold, they both belong
to your secret band, whose author is Gadianton and the evil one who seeketh to
destroy the souls of men.
Helaman; 3:7
Helaman, Chapter 9
9:1.
67 Behold, now it came to pass
that when Nephi had spoken these words, certain men who were among them ran to
the judgment-seat; yea, even there were five who went, 68
and they said among themselves, as they went:
9:2.
Behold, now we will know of a surety
whether this man be a prophet and God hath commanded him to prophesy such
marvelous things unto us. 69 Behold, we do
not believe that he hath; yea, we do not believe that he is a prophet;
nevertheless, if this thing which he has said concerning the chief judge be
true, that he be dead, then will we believe that the other words which he has
spoken are true.
9:3.
70 And it came to pass that
they ran in their might, and came in unto the judgment-seat; and behold, the
chief judge had fallen to the earth, and did lie in his blood.
9:4.
71 And now behold, when they
saw this they were astonished exceedingly, insomuch that they fell to the
earth; for they had not believed the words which Nephi had spoken concerning
the chief judge.
9:5.
72 But now, when they saw they
believed, and fear came upon them lest all the judgments which Nephi had spoken
should come upon the people; therefore they did quake, and had fallen to the
earth.
9:6.
73 Now, immediately when the
judge had been murdered—he being stabbed by his brother by a garb of secrecy,
and he fled, and the servants ran and told the people, raising the cry of
murder among them;
9:7.
74 And behold the people did
gather themselves together unto the place of the judgment-seat—and behold, to
their astonishment they saw those five men who had fallen to the earth.
9:8.
75 And now behold, the people
knew nothing concerning the multitude who had gathered together at the garden
of Nephi; therefore they said among themselves: These men are they who have
murdered the judge, and God has smitten them that they could not flee from us.
Helaman; 3:8
9:9.
76 And it came to pass that
they laid hold on them, and bound them and cast them into prison. 77 And there was a proclamation sent abroad that
the judge was slain, and that the murderers had been taken and were cast into
prison.
9:10.
78 And it came to pass that on
the morrow the people did assemble themselves together to mourn and to fast, at
the burial of the great chief judge who had been slain.
9:11.
79 And thus also those judges
who were at the garden of Nephi, and heard his words, were also gathered
together at the burial.
Helaman; 3:9
9:12.
80 And it came to pass that
they inquired among the people, saying: Where are the five who were sent to
inquire concerning the chief judge whether he was dead? 81 And they answered and said: Concerning this five whom ye say
ye have sent, we know not; but there are five who are the murderers, whom we
have cast into prison.
9:13.
82 And it came to pass that the
judges desired that they should be brought; and they were brought, and behold
they were the five who were sent; 83 and
behold the judges inquired of them to know, concerning the matter, and they
told them all that they had done, saying:
9:14.
We ran and came to the place of the
judgment-seat, and when we saw all things even as Nephi had testified, we were
astonished insomuch that we fell to the earth; and when we were recovered from
our astonishment, behold they cast us into prison.
9:15.
84 Now, as for the murder of
this man, we know not who has done it; and only this much we know, we ran and
came according as ye desired, and behold he was dead, according to the words of
Nephi.
Helaman; 3:10
9:16.
85 And now it came to pass that
the judges did expound the matter unto the people, and did cry out against
Nephi, saying: Behold, we know that this Nephi must have agreed with some one
to slay the judge, and then he might declare it unto us, that he might convert
us unto his faith, that he might raise himself to be a great man, chosen of
God, and a prophet.
9:17.
86 And now behold, we will
detect this man, and he shall confess his fault and make known unto us the true
murderer of this judge.
9:18.
87 And it came to pass that the
five were liberated on the day of the burial. 88 Nevertheless,
they did rebuke the judges in the words which they had spoken against Nephi,
and did contend with them one by one, insomuch that they did confound them.
9:19.
89 Nevertheless, they caused
that Nephi should be taken and bound and brought before the multitude, and they
began to question him in divers ways that they might cross him, that they might
accuse him to death—
9:20.
90 Saying unto him: Thou art
confederate; who is this man that hath done this murder? Now tell us, and
acknowledge thy fault; saying, Behold here is money; and also we will grant
unto thee thy life if thou wilt tell us, and acknowledge the agreement which thou
hast made with him.
Helaman; 3:11
9:21.
91 But Nephi said unto them: O
ye fools, ye uncircumcised of heart, ye blind, and ye stiffnecked people, do ye
know how long the Lord your God will suffer you that ye shall go on in this
your way of sin?
9:22.
92 O ye ought to begin to howl
and mourn, because of the great destruction which at this time doth await you,
except ye shall repent.
9:23.
93 Behold ye say that I have
agreed with a man that he should murder Seezoram, our chief judge. 94 But behold, I say unto you, that this is
because I have testified unto you that ye might know concerning this thing;
yea, even for a witness unto you, that I did know of the wickedness and
abominations which are among you.
9:24.
95 And because I have done
this, ye say that I have agreed with a man that he should do this thing; yea,
because I showed unto you this sign ye are angry with me, and seek to destroy
my life.
9:25.
96 And now behold, I will show
unto you another sign, and see if ye will in this thing seek to destroy me.
9:26.
97 Behold I say unto you: Go to
the house of Seantum, who is the brother of Seezoram, and say unto him—
9:27.
Has Nephi, the pretended prophet, who doth
prophesy so much evil concerning this people, agreed with thee, in the which ye
have murdered Seezoram, who is your brother?
9:28.
And behold, he shall say unto you, Nay.
9:29.
98 And ye shall say unto him:
Have ye murdered your brother?
9:30.
And he shall stand with fear, and wist not
what to say. 99 And behold, he shall deny
unto you; and he shall make as if he were astonished; nevertheless, he shall
declare unto you that he is innocent.
9:31.
100 But behold, ye shall examine
him, and ye shall find blood upon the skirts of his cloak.
9:32.
101 And when ye have seen this,
ye shall say: From whence cometh this blood? Do we not know that it is the
blood of your brother?
9:33.
And then shall he tremble, and shall look
pale, even as if death had come upon him.
9:34.
102 And then shall ye say:
Because of this fear and this paleness which has come upon your face, behold,
we know that thou art guilty.
9:35.
103 And then shall greater fear
come upon him; and then shall he confess unto you, and deny no more that he has
done this murder.
9:36.
104 And then shall he say unto
you, that I, Nephi, know nothing concerning the matter save it were given unto
me by the power of God. 105 And then shall
ye know that I am an honest man, and that I am sent unto you from God.
Helaman; 3:12
9:37.
106 And it came to pass that
they went and did, even according as Nephi had said unto them. 107 And behold, the words which he had said were
true; for according to the words he did deny; and also according to the words
he did confess.
9:38.
108 And he was brought to prove
that he himself was the very murderer, insomuch that the five were set at
liberty, and also was Nephi.
9:39.
109 And there were some of the
Nephites who believed on the words of Nephi; and there were some also, who
believed because of the testimony of the five, for they had been converted
while they were in prison.
9:40.
110 And now there were some
among the people, who said that Nephi was a prophet.
9:41.
And there were others who said: Behold, he
is a god, for except he was a god he could not know of all things. 111 For behold, he has told us the thoughts of our
hearts, and also has told us things; and even he has brought unto our knowledge
the true murderer of our chief judge.
Helaman; 3:13
Helaman, Chapter 10
10:1.
112 And it came to pass that
there arose a division among the people, insomuch that they divided hither and
thither and went their ways, leaving Nephi alone, as he was standing in the
midst of them.
10:2.
113 And it came to pass that
Nephi went his way towards his own house, pondering upon the things which the
Lord had shown unto him.
10:3.
114 And it came to pass as he
was thus pondering—being much cast down because of the wickedness of the people
of the Nephites, their secret works of darkness, and their murderings, and
their plunderings, and all manner of iniquities—and it came to pass as he was
thus pondering in his heart, behold, a voice came unto him saying:
10:4.
115 Blessed art thou, Nephi, for
those things which thou hast done; for I have beheld how thou hast with
unwearyingness declared the word, which I have given unto thee, unto this
people. 116 And thou hast not feared them,
and hast not sought thine own life, but hast sought my will, and to keep my
commandments.
10:5.
117 And now, because thou hast
done this with such unwearyingness, behold, I will bless thee forever; and I
will make thee mighty in word and in deed, in faith and in works; yea, even
that all things shall be done unto thee according to thy word, for thou shalt
not ask that which is contrary to my will.
10:6.
118 Behold, thou art Nephi, and
I am God. 119 Behold, I declare it unto thee
in the presence of mine angels, that ye shall have power over this people, and
shall smite the earth with famine, and with pestilence, and destruction,
according to the wickedness of this people.
10:7.
120 Behold, I give unto you
power, that whatsoever ye shall seal on earth shall be sealed in heaven; and
whatsoever ye shall loose on earth shall be loosed in heaven; and thus shall ye
have power among this people.
10:8.
121 And thus, if ye shall say
unto this temple it shall be rent in twain, it shall be done.
10:9.
122 And if ye shall say unto
this mountain, Be thou cast down and become smooth, it shall be done.
10:10.
123 And behold, if ye shall say
that God shall smite this people, it shall come to pass.
10:11.
124 And now behold, I command
you, that ye shall go and declare unto this people, that thus saith the Lord
God, who is the Almighty: Except ye repent ye shall be smitten, even unto
destruction.
Helaman; 3:14
10:12. 125 And behold, now it came to pass that when the Lord had spoken
these words unto Nephi, he did stop and did not go unto his own house, but did
return unto the multitudes who were scattered about upon the face of the land,
and began to declare unto them the word of the Lord which had been spoken unto
him, concerning their destruction if they did not repent.
10:13.
126 Now behold, notwithstanding
that great miracle which Nephi had done in telling them concerning the death of
the chief judge, they did harden their hearts and did not hearken unto the
words of the Lord.
10:14.
127 Therefore Nephi did declare
unto them the word of the Lord, saying: Except ye repent, thus saith the Lord,
ye shall be smitten even unto destruction.
10:15.
128 And it came to pass that
when Nephi had declared unto them the word, behold, they did still harden their
hearts and would not hearken unto his words; therefore they did revile against
him, and did seek to lay their hands upon him that they might cast him into
prison.
10:16.
129 But behold, the power of God
was with him, and they could not take him to cast him into prison, for he was
taken by the Spirit and conveyed away out of the midst of them.
Helaman; 3:15
10:17. 130 And it came to pass that thus he did go forth in the Spirit,
from multitude to multitude, declaring the word of God, even until he had
declared it unto them all, or sent it forth among all the people.
10:18.
131 And it came to pass that
they would not hearken unto his words; and there began to be contentions,
insomuch that they were divided against themselves and began to slay one
another with the sword.
10:19.
132 And thus ended the seventy
and first year of the reign of the judges over the people of Nephi.
Helaman, Chapter 4
Helaman; 4:1
Helaman, Chapter 11
11:1.
1 And now it came to pass in
the seventy and second year of the reign of the judges that the contentions did
increase, insomuch that there were wars throughout all the land among all the
people of Nephi.
11:2.
2 And it was this secret band
of robbers who did carry on this work of destruction and wickedness. 3 And this war did last all that year; and in the
seventy and third year it did also last.
Helaman; 4:2
11:3.
4 And it came to pass that in
this year Nephi did cry unto the Lord, saying:
11:4.
O Lord, do not suffer that this people
shall be destroyed by the sword; but O Lord, rather let there be a famine in
the land, to stir them up in remembrance of the Lord their God, and perhaps
they will repent and turn unto thee.
11:5.
5 And so it was done,
according to the words of Nephi. And there was a great famine upon the land,
among all the people of Nephi. 6 And thus in
the seventy and fourth year the famine did continue, and the work of
destruction did cease by the sword but became sore by famine.
11:6.
7 And this work of destruction
did also continue in the seventy and fifth year. 8 For
the earth was smitten that it was dry, and did not yield forth grain in the
season of grain; and the whole earth was smitten, even among the Lamanites as
well as among the Nephites, so that they were smitten that they did perish by
thousands in the more wicked parts of the land.
Helaman; 4:3
11:7.
9 And it came to pass that the
people saw that they were about to perish by famine, and they began to remember
the Lord their God; and they began to remember the words of Nephi.
11:8.
10 And the people began to
plead with their chief judges and their leaders, that they would say unto
Nephi: Behold, we know that thou art a man of God, and therefore cry unto the
Lord our God that he turn away from us this famine, lest all the words which thou
hast spoken concerning our destruction be fulfilled.
11:9.
11 And it came to pass that the
judges did say unto Nephi, according to the words which had been desired. 12 And it came to pass that when Nephi saw that
the people had repented and did humble themselves in sackcloth, he cried again
unto the Lord, saying:
11:10.
O Lord, behold this people repenteth; 13 and they have swept away the band of Gadianton
from amongst them insomuch that they have become extinct, and they have
concealed their secret plans in the earth.
11:11.
14 Now, O Lord, because of this
their humility wilt thou turn away thine anger, and let thine anger be appeased
in the destruction of those wicked men whom thou hast already destroyed.
11:12.
15 O Lord, wilt thou turn away
thine anger, yea, thy fierce anger, and cause that this famine may cease in
this land.
11:13.
16 O Lord, wilt thou hearken
unto me, and cause that it may be done according to my words, and send forth
rain upon the face of the earth, that she may bring forth her fruit, and her
grain in the season of grain.
11:14.
17 O Lord, thou didst hearken
unto my words when I said, Let there be a famine, that the pestilence of the
sword might cease; and I know that thou wilt, even at this time, hearken unto
my words, for thou saidst that: If this people repent I will spare them.
11:15.
18 Yea, O Lord, and thou seest
that they have repented, because of the famine and the pestilence and
destruction which has come unto them.
11:16.
19 And now, O Lord, wilt thou
turn away thine anger, and try again if they will serve thee? And if so, O
Lord, thou canst bless them according to thy words which thou hast said.
Helaman; 4:4
11:17. 20 And it came to pass that in the seventy and sixth year the Lord
did turn away his anger from the people, and caused that rain should fall upon
the earth, insomuch that it did bring forth her fruit in the season of her
fruit. 21 And it came to pass that it did
bring forth her grain in the season of her grain.
11:18.
22 And behold, the people did
rejoice and glorify God, and the whole face of the land was filled with
rejoicing; and they did no more seek to destroy Nephi, but they did esteem him
as a great prophet, and a man of God, having great power and authority given
unto him from God.
11:19.
23 And behold, Lehi, his
brother, was not a whit behind him as to things pertaining to righteousness.
11:20.
24 And thus it did come to pass
that the people of Nephi began to prosper again in the land, and began to build
up their waste places, and began to multiply and spread, even until they did
cover the whole face of the land, both on the northward and on the southward,
from the sea west to the sea east.
11:21.
25 And it came to pass that the
seventy and sixth year did end in peace. 26 And
the seventy and seventh year began in peace; and the church did spread
throughout the face of all the land; and the more part of the people, both the
Nephites and the Lamanites, did belong to the church; and they did have
exceedingly great peace in the land; and thus ended the seventy and seventh
year.
11:22.
27 And also they had peace in
the seventy and eighth year, save it were a few contentions concerning the
points of doctrine which had been laid down by the prophets.
11:23.
28 And in the seventy and ninth
year there began to be much strife. 29 But
it came to pass that Nephi and Lehi, and many of their brethren who knew
concerning the true points of doctrine, having many revelations daily,
therefore they did preach unto the people, insomuch that they did put an end to
their strife in that same year.
Helaman; 4:5
11:24. 30 And it came to pass that in the eightieth year of the reign of
the judges over the people of Nephi, there were a certain number of the
dissenters from the people of Nephi, who had some years before gone over unto
the Lamanites, and taken upon themselves the name of Lamanites, 31 and also a certain number who were real
descendants of the Lamanites, being stirred up to anger by them, or by those
dissenters, therefore they commenced a war with their brethren.
11:25.
32 And they did commit murder
and plunder; and then they would retreat back into the mountains, and into the
wilderness and secret places, hiding themselves that they could not be
discovered, receiving daily an addition to their numbers, inasmuch as there were
dissenters that went forth unto them.
11:26.
33 And thus in time, yea, even
in the space of not many years, they became an exceedingly great band of
robbers; and they did search out all the secret plans of Gadianton; and thus
they became robbers of Gadianton.
11:27.
34 Now behold, these robbers
did make great havoc, yea, even great destruction among the people of Nephi,
and also among the people of the Lamanites.
Helaman; 4:6
11:28. 35 And it came to pass that it was expedient that there should be
a stop put to this work of destruction; therefore they sent an army of strong
men into the wilderness and upon the mountains to search out this band of
robbers, and to destroy them.
11:29.
36 But behold, it came to pass
that in that same year they were driven back even into their own lands. 37 And thus ended the eightieth year of the reign
of the judges over the people of Nephi.
Helaman; 4:7
11:30. 38 And it came to pass in the commencement of the eighty and first
year they did go forth again against this band of robbers, and did destroy
many; 39 and they were also visited with
much destruction.
11:31.
And they were again obliged to return out
of the wilderness and out of the mountains unto their own lands, because of the
exceeding greatness of the numbers of those robbers who infested the mountains
and the wilderness.
11:32.
40 And it came to pass that
thus ended this year. And the robbers did still increase and wax strong,
insomuch that they did defy the whole armies of the Nephites, and also of the
Lamanites; and they did cause great fear to come unto the people upon all the
face of the land.
11:33.
41 Yea, for they did visit many
parts of the land, and did do great destruction unto them; yea, did kill many,
and did carry away others captive into the wilderness, yea, and more especially
their women and their children.
11:34.
42 Now this great evil, which
came unto the people because of their iniquity, did stir them up again in
remembrance of the Lord their God.
11:35.
43 And thus ended the eighty
and first year of the reign of the judges.
11:36.
44 And in the eighty and second
year they began again to forget the Lord their God. 45
And in the eighty and third year they began to wax strong in iniquity. 46 And in the eighty and fourth year they did not
mend their ways.
11:37.
47 And it came to pass in the
eighty and fifth year they did wax stronger and stronger in their pride, and in
their wickedness; and thus they were ripening again for destruction.
11:38.
And thus ended the eighty and fifth year.
Helaman; 4:8
Helaman, Chapter 12
12:1.
48 And thus we can behold how
false, and also the unsteadiness of the hearts of the children of men; yea, we
can see that the Lord in his great infinite goodness doth bless and prosper
those who put their trust in him.
12:2.
49 Yea, and we may see at the
very time when he doth prosper his people, yea, in the increase of their
fields, their flocks and their herds, and in gold, and in silver, and in all
manner of precious things of every kind and art; 50
sparing their lives, and delivering them out of the hands of their
enemies; softening the hearts of their enemies that they should not declare
wars against them; yea, and in fine, doing all things for the welfare and
happiness of his people; 51 yea, then is the
time that they do harden their hearts, and do forget the Lord their God, and do
trample under their feet the Holy One—yea, and this because of their ease, and
their exceedingly great prosperity.
12:3.
52 And thus we see that except
the Lord doth chasten his people with many afflictions, yea, except he doth
visit them with death and with terror, and with famine and with all manner of
pestilence, they will not remember him.
12:4.
53 O how foolish, and how vain,
and how evil, and devilish, and how quick to do iniquity, and how slow to do
good, are the children of men; 54 yea, how
quick to hearken unto the words of the evil one, and to set their hearts upon
the vain things of the world!
12:5.
Yea, how quick to be lifted up in pride;
yea, how quick to boast, and do all manner of that which is iniquity; 55 and how slow are they to remember the Lord
their God, and to give ear unto his counsels, yea, how slow to walk in wisdom’s
paths!
12:6.
56 Behold, they do not desire
that the Lord their God, who hath created them, should rule and reign over
them; notwithstanding his great goodness and his mercy towards them, they do
set at naught his counsels, and they will not that he should be their guide.
12:7.
57 O how great is the
nothingness of the children of men; yea, even they are less than the dust of
the earth.
12:8.
58 For behold, the dust of the
earth moveth hither and thither, to the dividing asunder, at the command of our
great and everlasting God.
12:9.
59 Yea, behold at his voice do
the hills and the mountains tremble and quake.
12:10.
And by the power of his voice they are
broken up, and become smooth, yea, even like unto a valley.
12:11.
60 Yea, by the power of his
voice doth the whole earth shake;
12:12.
Yea, by the power of his voice, do the
foundations rock, even to the very center.
12:13.
61 Yea, and if he say unto the
earth—Move—it is moved.
12:14.
Yea, if he say unto the earth—Thou shalt go
back, that it lengthen out the day for many hours—it is done;
12:15.
62 And thus, according to his
word the earth goeth back, and it appeareth unto man that the sun standeth
still; yea, and behold, this is so; for surely it is the earth that moveth and
not the sun.
Helaman; 4:9
12:16.
63 And behold, also, if he say
unto the waters of the great deep—Be thou dried up—it is done.
12:17.
64 Behold, if he say unto this
mountain—Be thou raised up, and come over and fall upon that city, that it be
buried up—behold it is done.
12:18.
65 And behold, if a man hide up
a treasure in the earth, and the Lord shall say—Let it be accursed, because of
the iniquity of him who hath hid it up—behold, it shall be accursed.
12:19.
66 And if the Lord shall say—Be
thou accursed, that no man shall find thee from this time henceforth and
forever—behold, no man getteth it henceforth and forever.
12:20.
67 And behold, if the Lord
shall say unto a man—Because of thine iniquities, thou shalt be accursed
forever—it shall be done.
12:21.
68 And if the Lord shall
say—Because of thine iniquities thou shalt be cut off from my presence—he will
cause that it shall be so.
12:22.
69 And wo unto him to whom he
shall say this, for it shall be unto him that will do iniquity, and he cannot
be saved; therefore, for this cause, that men might be saved, hath repentance
been declared.
12:23.
70 Therefore, blessed are they
who will repent and hearken unto the voice of the Lord their God; for these are
they that shall be saved.
12:24.
71 And may God grant, in his
great fulness, that men might be brought unto repentance and good works, that
they might be restored unto grace for grace, according to their works.
12:25.
72 And I would that all men
might be saved. But we read that in the great and last day there are some who
shall be cast out, yea, who shall be cast off from the presence of the Lord;
12:26.
73 Yea, who shall be consigned
to a state of endless misery, fulfilling the words which say: They that have
done good shall have everlasting life; and they that have done evil shall have
everlasting damnation. And thus it is. Amen.
Helaman, Chapter 5
The prophecy of Samuel the Lamanite to the Nephites.
Helaman; 5:1
Helaman, Chapter 13
13:1.
1 And now it came to pass in
the eighty and sixth year, the Nephites did still remain in wickedness, yea in
great wickedness, while the Lamanites did observe strictly to keep the
commandments of God, according to the law of Moses.
13:2.
2 And it came to pass that in
this year there was one Samuel, a Lamanite, came into the land of Zarahemla,
and began to preach unto the people. 3 And
it came to pass that he did preach, many days, repentance unto the people, and
they did cast him out, and he was about to return to his own land.
13:3.
4 But behold, the voice of the
Lord came unto him, that he should return again, and prophesy unto the people
whatsoever things should come into his heart.
Helaman; 5:2
13:4.
5 And it came to pass that
they would not suffer that he should enter into the city; therefore he went and
got upon the wall thereof, and stretched forth his hand and cried with a loud
voice, and prophesied unto the people whatsoever things the Lord put into his
heart.
13:5.
6 And he said unto them:
Behold, I, Samuel, a Lamanite, do speak the words of the Lord which he doth put
into my heart; and behold he hath put it into my heart to say unto this people
that the sword of justice hangeth over this people; and four hundred years pass
not away save the sword of justice falleth upon this people.
13:6.
7 Yea, heavy destruction
awaiteth this people, and it surely cometh unto this people, and nothing can
save this people save it be repentance and faith on the Lord Jesus Christ, who
surely shall come into the world, and shall suffer many things and shall be
slain for his people.
13:7.
8 And behold, an angel of the
Lord hath declared it unto me, and he did bring glad tidings to my soul. 9 And behold, I was sent unto you to declare it
unto you also, that ye might have glad tidings; but behold ye would not receive
me.
13:8.
10 Therefore, thus saith the
Lord: Because of the hardness of the hearts of the people of the Nephites,
except they repent I will take away my word from them, and I will withdraw my
Spirit from them, and I will suffer them no longer, and I will turn the hearts
of their brethren against them.
13:9.
11 And four hundred years shall
not pass away before I will cause that they shall be smitten; yea, I will visit
them with the sword and with famine and with pestilence.
13:10.
12 Yea, I will visit them in my
fierce anger, and there shall be those of the fourth generation who shall live,
of your enemies, to behold your utter destruction; 13
and this shall surely come except ye repent, saith the Lord; and those
of the fourth generation shall visit your destruction.
13:11.
14 But if ye will repent and
return unto the Lord your God I will turn away mine anger, saith the Lord; yea,
thus saith the Lord, blessed are they who will repent and turn unto me, but wo
unto him that repenteth not.
13:12.
15 Yea, wo unto this great city
of Zarahemla; for behold, it is because of those who are righteous that it is
saved; 16 yea, wo unto this great city, for
I perceive, saith the Lord, that there are many, yea, even the more part of
this great city, that will harden their hearts against me, saith the Lord.
13:13.
But blessed are they who will repent, for
them will I spare. 17 But behold, if it were
not for the righteous who are in this great city, behold, I would cause that
fire should come down out of heaven and destroy it.
13:14.
18 But behold, it is for the
righteous’ sake that it is spared. But behold, the time cometh, saith the Lord,
that when ye shall cast out the righteous from among you, then shall ye be ripe
for destruction; 19 yea, wo be unto this
great city, because of the wickedness and abominations which are in her.
13:15.
20 Yea, and wo be unto the city
of Gideon, for the wickedness and abominations which are in her.
13:16.
21 Yea, and wo be unto all the
cities which are in the land round about, which are possessed by the Nephites,
because of the wickedness and abominations which are in them.
13:17.
22 And behold, a curse shall
come upon the land, saith the Lord of Hosts, because of the people’s sake who
are upon the land, yea, because of their wickedness and their abominations.
Helaman; 5:3
13:18.
23 And it shall come to pass,
saith the Lord of Hosts, yea, our great and true God, that whoso shall hide up
treasures in the earth shall find them again no more, because of the great
curse of the land, save he be a righteous man and shall hide it up unto the
Lord.
13:19.
24 For I will, saith the Lord,
that they shall hide up their treasures unto me; and cursed be they who hide
not up their treasures unto me; for none hideth up their treasures unto me save
it be the righteous; 25 and he that hideth
not up his treasures unto me, cursed is he, and also the treasure, and none
shall redeem it because of the curse of the land.
13:20.
26 And the day shall come that
they shall hide up their treasures, because they have set their hearts upon
riches; 27 and because they have set their
hearts upon their riches, and will hide up their treasures when they shall flee
before their enemies; because they will not hide them up unto me, cursed be
they and also their treasures; and in that day shall they be smitten, saith the
Lord.
13:21.
28 Behold ye, the people of
this great city, and hearken unto my words; yea, hearken unto the words which
the Lord saith; for behold, he saith that ye are cursed because of your riches, 29 and also are your riches cursed because ye
have set your hearts upon them, and have not hearkened unto the words of him
who gave them unto you.
13:22.
30 Ye do not remember the Lord
your God in the things with which he hath blessed you, but ye do always
remember your riches, not to thank the Lord your God for them; 31 yea, your hearts are not drawn out unto the
Lord, but they do swell with great pride, unto boasting, and unto great
swelling, envyings, strifes, malice, persecutions and murders, and all manner
of iniquities.
13:23.
32 For this cause hath the Lord
God caused that a curse should come upon the land, and also upon your riches,
and this because of your iniquities.
13:24.
33 Yea, wo unto this people,
because of this time which has arrived, that ye do cast out the prophets, and
do mock them, and cast stones at them, and do slay them, and do all manner of
iniquity unto them, even as they did of old time.
13:25.
34 And now when ye talk, ye
say: If our days had been in the days of our fathers of old, we would not have
slain the prophets; we would not have stoned them, and cast them out.
13:26.
35 Behold ye are worse than
they; for as the Lord liveth, if a prophet come among you and declareth unto
you the word of the Lord, which testifieth of your sins and iniquities, ye are
angry with him, and cast him out and seek all manner of ways to destroy him; 36 yea, you will say that he is a false prophet,
and that he is a sinner, and of the devil, because he testifieth that your
deeds are evil.
13:27.
37 But behold, if a man shall
come among you and shall say: Do this, and there is no iniquity; do that and ye
shall not suffer; yea, he will say: Walk after the pride of your own hearts;
yea, walk after the pride of your eyes, and do whatsoever your heart desireth—and
if a man shall come among you and say this, ye will receive him, and say that
he is a prophet.
13:28.
38 Yea, ye will lift him up,
and ye will give unto him of your substance; ye will give unto him of your
gold, and of your silver, and ye will clothe him with costly apparel; 39 and because he speaketh flattering words unto
you, and he saith that all is well, then ye will not find fault with him.
Helaman; 5:4
13:29.
40 O ye wicked and ye perverse
generation; ye hardened and ye stiffnecked people, how long will ye suppose
that the Lord will suffer you? Yea, how long will ye suffer yourselves to be
led by foolish and blind guides? Yea, how long will ye choose darkness rather
than light?
13:30.
41 Yea, behold, the anger of
the Lord is already kindled against you; behold, he hath cursed the land
because of your iniquity.
13:31.
And behold, the time cometh that he curseth
your riches, that they become slippery, that ye cannot hold them; 42 and in the days of your poverty ye cannot
retain them.
13:32.
And in the days of your poverty ye shall
cry unto the Lord; and in vain shall ye cry, for your desolation is already
come upon you, and your destruction is made sure; 43
and then shall ye weep and howl in that day, saith the Lord of Hosts. 44 And then shall ye lament, and say:
13:33.
O that I had repented, and had not killed
the prophets, and stoned them, and cast them out. 45
Yea, in that day ye shall say: O that we had remembered the Lord our God
in the day that he gave us our riches, and then they would not have become
slippery that we should lose them; for behold, our riches are gone from us.
13:34.
46 Behold, we lay a tool here
and on the morrow it is gone; and behold, our swords are taken from us in the
day we have sought them for battle.
13:35.
47 Yea, we have hid up our
treasures and they have slipped away from us, because of the curse of the land.
13:36.
48 O that we had repented in
the day that the word of the Lord came unto us; for behold the land is cursed,
and all things are become slippery, and we cannot hold them.
13:37.
49 Behold, we are surrounded by
demons, yea, we are encircled about by the angels of him who hath sought to
destroy our souls. 50 Behold, our iniquities
are great. O Lord, canst thou not turn away thine anger from us? And this shall
be your language in those days.
13:38.
51 But behold, your days of
probation are past; ye have procrastinated the day of your salvation until it
is everlastingly too late, and your destruction is made sure; 52 yea, for ye have sought all the days of your
lives for that which ye could not obtain; and ye have sought for happiness in
doing iniquity, which thing is contrary to the nature of that righteousness
which is in our great and Eternal Head.
13:39.
53 O ye people of the land,
that ye would hear my words! And I pray that the anger of the Lord be turned
away from you, and that ye would repent and be saved.
Helaman; 5:5
Helaman, Chapter 14
14:1.
54 And now it came to pass that
Samuel, the Lamanite, did prophesy a great many more things which cannot be
written.
14:2.
55 And behold, he said unto
them: Behold, I give unto you a sign; for five years more cometh, and behold,
then cometh the Son of God to redeem all those who shall believe on his name.
14:3.
56 And behold, this will I give
unto you for a sign at the time of his coming; for behold, there shall be great
lights in heaven, insomuch that in the night before he cometh there shall be no
darkness, insomuch that it shall appear unto man as if it was day.
14:4.
57 Therefore, there shall be
one day and a night and a day, as if it were one day and there were no night;
and this shall be unto you for a sign; for ye shall know of the rising of the
sun and also of its setting; 58 therefore
they shall know of a surety that there shall be two days and a night;
nevertheless the night shall not be darkened; and it shall be the night before
he is born.
Helaman; 5:6
14:5.
59 And behold, there shall a
new star arise, such an one as ye never have beheld; and this also shall be a
sign unto you.
14:6.
60 And behold this is not all,
there shall be many signs and wonders in heaven.
14:7.
61 And it shall come to pass
that ye shall all be amazed, and wonder, insomuch that ye shall fall to the
earth.
14:8.
62 And it shall come to pass
that whosoever shall believe on the Son of God, the same shall have everlasting
life.
14:9.
63 And behold, thus hath the
Lord commanded me, by his angel, that I should come and tell this thing unto
you; yea, he hath commanded that I should prophesy these things unto you; yea,
he hath said unto me: Cry unto this people, repent and prepare the way of the
Lord.
14:10.
64 And now, because I am a
Lamanite, and have spoken unto you the words which the Lord hath commanded me,
and because it was hard against you, ye are angry with me and do seek to
destroy me, and have cast me out from among you.
14:11.
65 And ye shall hear my words,
for, for this intent have I come up upon the walls of this city, that ye might
hear and know of the judgments of God which do await you because of your
iniquities, and also that ye might know the conditions of repentance;
14:12.
66 And also that ye might know
of the coming of Jesus Christ, the Son of God, the Father of heaven and of
earth, the Creator of all things from the beginning; and that ye might know of
the signs of his coming, to the intent that ye might believe on his name.
14:13.
67 And if ye believe on his
name ye will repent of all your sins, that thereby ye may have a remission of
them through his merits.
14:14.
68 And behold, again, another
sign I give unto you, yea, a sign of his death.
14:15.
For behold, he surely must die that
salvation may come; 69 yea, it behooveth him
and becometh expedient that he dieth, to bring to pass the resurrection of the
dead, that thereby men may be brought into the presence of the Lord.
14:16.
70 Yea, behold, this death
bringeth to pass the resurrection, and redeemeth all mankind from the first
death—that spiritual death; for all mankind, by the fall of Adam being cut off
from the presence of the Lord, are considered as dead, both as to things temporal
and to things spiritual.
14:17.
71 But behold, the resurrection
of Christ redeemeth mankind, yea, even all mankind, and bringeth them back into
the presence of the Lord.
14:18.
72 Yea, and it bringeth to pass
the condition of repentance, that whosoever repenteth the same is not hewn down
and cast into the fire; 73 but whosoever
repenteth not is hewn down and cast into the fire; and there cometh upon them
again a spiritual death, yea, a second death, for they are cut off again as to
things pertaining to righteousness.
14:19.
74 Therefore repent ye, repent
ye, lest by knowing these things and not doing them ye shall suffer yourselves
to come under condemnation, and ye are brought down unto this second death.
Helaman; 5:7
14:20.
75 But behold, as I said unto
you concerning another sign, a sign of his death, behold, in that day that he
shall suffer death the sun shall be darkened and refuse to give his light unto
you; and also the moon and the stars; 76 and
there shall be no light upon the face of this land, even from the time that he
shall suffer death, for the space of three days, to the time that he shall rise
again from the dead.
14:21.
77 Yea, at the time that he
shall yield up the ghost there shall be thunderings and lightnings for the
space of many hours, and the earth shall shake and tremble; and the rocks which
are upon the face of this earth, which are both above the earth and beneath,
which ye know at this time are solid, or the more part of it is one solid mass,
shall be broken up;
14:22.
78 Yea, they shall be rent in
twain, and shall ever after be found in seams and in cracks, and in broken
fragments upon the face of the whole earth, yea, both above the earth and
beneath.
14:23.
79 And behold, there shall be
great tempests, and there shall be many mountains laid low, like unto a valley,
and there shall be many places which are now called valleys which shall become
mountains, whose height is great.
14:24.
80 And many highways shall be
broken up, and many cities shall become desolate.
14:25.
And many graves shall be opened, and shall
yield up many of their dead; and many saints shall appear unto many.
14:26.
81 And behold, thus hath the
angel spoken unto me; for he said unto me that there should be thunderings and
lightnings for the space of many hours.
14:27.
82 And he said unto me that
while the thunder and the lightning lasted, and the tempest, that these things
should be, and that darkness should cover the face of the whole earth for the
space of three days.
14:28.
83 And the angel said unto me
that many shall see greater things than these, to the intent that they might
believe that these signs and these wonders should come to pass upon all the
face of this land, to the intent that there should be no cause for unbelief
among the children of men—
14:29.
84 And this to the intent that
whosoever will believe might be saved, and that whosoever will not believe, a
righteous judgment might come upon them; and also if they are condemned they
bring upon themselves their own condemnation.
14:30.
85 And now remember, remember,
my brethren, that whosoever perisheth, perisheth unto himself; and whosoever
doeth iniquity, doeth it unto himself; for behold, ye are free; ye are
permitted to act for yourselves; for behold, God hath given unto you a knowledge
and he hath made you free.
14:31.
86 He hath given unto you that
ye might know good from evil, and he hath given unto you that ye might choose
life or death; and ye can do good and be restored unto that which is good, or
have that which is good restored unto you; or ye can do evil, and have that
which is evil restored unto you.
Helaman; 5:8
Helaman, Chapter 15
15:1.
87 And now, my beloved
brethren, behold, I declare unto you that except ye shall repent your houses
shall be left unto you desolate.
15:2.
Yea, except ye repent, your women shall
have great cause to mourn in the day that they shall give suck; 88 for ye shall attempt to flee and there shall be
no place for refuge; yea, and wo unto them which are with child, for they shall
be heavy and cannot flee; therefore, they shall be trodden down and shall be
left to perish.
15:3.
89 Yea, wo unto this people who
are called the people of Nephi except they shall repent, when they shall see
all these signs and wonders which shall be showed unto them; 90 for behold, they have been a chosen people of
the Lord; yea, the people of Nephi hath he loved, and also hath he chastened
them; yea, in the days of their iniquities hath he chastened them because he
loveth them.
15:4.
91 But behold my brethren, the
Lamanites hath he hated because their deeds have been evil continually, and
this because of the iniquity of the tradition of their fathers. 92 But behold, salvation hath come unto them
through the preaching of the Nephites; and for this intent hath the Lord
prolonged their days.
15:5.
93 And I would that ye should
behold that the more part of them are in the path of their duty, and they do
walk circumspectly before God, and they do observe to keep his commandments and
his statutes and his judgments according to the law of Moses.
15:6.
94 Yea, I say unto you, that
the more part of them are doing this, and they are striving with unwearied
diligence that they may bring the remainder of their brethren to the knowledge
of the truth; therefore there are many who do add to their numbers daily.
15:7.
95 And behold, ye do know of
yourselves, for ye have witnessed it, that as many of them as are brought to
the knowledge of the truth, and to know of the wicked and abominable traditions
of their fathers, and are led to believe the holy scriptures, 96 yea, the prophecies of the holy prophets, which
are written, which leadeth them to faith on the Lord, and unto repentance,
which faith and repentance bringeth a change of heart unto them—
15:8.
97 Therefore, as many as have
come to this, ye know of yourselves are firm and steadfast in the faith, and in
the thing wherewith they have been made free.
15:9.
98 And ye know also that they
have buried their weapons of war, and they fear to take them up lest by any
means they should sin; yea, ye can see that they fear to sin— 99 for behold they will suffer themselves that
they be trodden down and slain by their enemies, and will not lift their swords
against them, and this because of their faith in Christ.
15:10.
100 And now, because of their
steadfastness when they do believe in that thing which they do believe, for
because of their firmness when they are once enlightened, behold, the Lord
shall bless them and prolong their days, notwithstanding their iniquity—
15:11.
101 Yea, even if they should
dwindle in unbelief the Lord shall prolong their days, until the time shall
come which hath been spoken of by our fathers, and also by the prophet Zenos,
and many other prophets, concerning the restoration of our brethren, the Lamanites,
again to the knowledge of the truth—
15:12.
102 Yea, I say unto you, that in
the latter times the promises of the Lord have been extended to our brethren,
the Lamanites; 103 and notwithstanding the
many afflictions which they shall have, and notwithstanding they shall be
driven to and fro upon the face of the earth, and be hunted, and shall be
smitten and scattered abroad, having no place for refuge, the Lord shall be
merciful unto them.
15:13.
104 And this is according to the
prophecy, that they shall again be brought to the true knowledge, which is
knowledge of their Redeemer, and their great and true shepherd, and be numbered
among his sheep.
15:14.
105 Therefore I say unto you, it
shall be better for them than for you except ye repent.
15:15.
106 For behold, had the mighty
works been shown unto them which have been shown unto you, yea, unto them who
have dwindled in unbelief because of the traditions of their fathers, ye can
see of yourselves that they never would again have dwindled in unbelief.
15:16.
107 Therefore, saith the Lord: I
will not utterly destroy them, but I will cause that in the day of my wisdom
they shall return again unto me, saith the Lord.
15:17.
108 And now behold, saith the
Lord, concerning the people of the Nephites: If they will not repent, and
observe to do my will, I will utterly destroy them, saith the Lord, because of
their unbelief notwithstanding the many mighty works which I have done among
them; and as surely as the Lord liveth shall these things be, saith the Lord.
Helaman; 5:9
Helaman, Chapter 16
16:1.
109 And now, it came to pass
that there were many who heard the words of Samuel, the Lamanite, which he
spake upon the walls of the city. 110 And as
many as believed on his word went forth and sought for Nephi; and when they had
come forth and found him they confessed unto him their sins and denied not,
desiring that they might be baptized unto the Lord.
16:2.
111 But as many as there were
who did not believe in the words of Samuel were angry with him; and they cast
stones at him upon the wall, and also many shot arrows at him as he stood upon
the wall; 112 but the Spirit of the Lord was
with him, insomuch that they could not hit him with their stones neither with
their arrows.
16:3.
113 Now when they saw that they
could not hit him, there were many more who did believe on his words, insomuch
that they went away unto Nephi to be baptized.
16:4.
114 For behold, Nephi was
baptizing, and prophesying, and preaching, crying repentance unto the people,
showing signs and wonders, working miracles among the people, that they might
know that the Christ must shortly come—
16:5.
115 Telling them of things which
must shortly come, that they might know and remember at the time of their
coming that they had been made known unto them beforehand, to the intent that
they might believe; 116 therefore as many as
believed on the words of Samuel went forth unto him to be baptized, for they
came repenting and confessing their sins.
16:6.
117 But the more part of them
did not believe in the words of Samuel; therefore when they saw that they could
not hit him with their stones and their arrows, they cried unto their captains,
saying: Take this fellow and bind him, for behold he hath a devil; 118 and because of the power of the devil which is
in him we cannot hit him with our stones and our arrows; therefore take him and
bind him, and away with him.
16:7.
119 And as they went forth to
lay their hands on him, behold, he did cast himself down from the wall, and did
flee out of their lands, yea, even unto his own country, and began to preach
and to prophesy among his own people.
16:8.
120 And behold, he was never
heard of more among the Nephites; and thus were the affairs of the people.
16:9.
121 And thus ended the eighty
and sixth year of the reign of the judges over the people of Nephi.
16:10.
122 And thus ended also the
eighty and seventh year of the reign of the judges, the more part of the people
remaining in their pride and wickedness, and the lesser part walking more
circumspectly before God.
16:11.
123 And these were the
conditions also, in the eighty and eighth year of the reign of the judges.
16:12.
124 And there was but little
alteration in the affairs of the people, save it were the people began to be
more hardened in iniquity, and do more and more of that which was contrary to
the commandments of God, in the eighty and ninth year of the reign of the
judges.
Helaman; 5:10
16:13.
125 But it came to pass in the
ninetieth year of the reign of the judges, there were great signs given unto
the people, and wonders; and the words of the prophets began to be fulfilled.
16:14.
126 And angels did appear unto
men, wise men, and did declare unto them glad tidings of great joy; thus in
this year the scriptures began to be fulfilled.
16:15.
127 Nevertheless, the people
began to harden their hearts, all save it were the most believing part of them,
both of the Nephites and also of the Lamanites, and began to depend upon their
own strength and upon their own wisdom, saying:
16:16.
128 Some things they may have
guessed right, among so many; but behold, we know that all these great and
marvelous works cannot come to pass, of which has been spoken.
16:17.
129 And they began to reason and to contend among
themselves, saying:
16:18.
That it is not reasonable that such a being
as a Christ shall come; 130 if so, and he be
the Son of God, the Father of heaven and of earth, as it has been spoken, why
will he not show himself unto us as well as unto them who shall be at
Jerusalem?
16:19.
131 Yea, why will he not show
himself in this land as well as in the land of Jerusalem?
16:20.
132 But behold, we know that
this is a wicked tradition, which has been handed down unto us by our fathers,
to cause us that we should believe in some great and marvelous thing which
should come to pass, but not among us, but in a land which is far distant, a
land which we know not; 133 therefore they
can keep us in ignorance, for we cannot witness with our own eyes that they are
true.
16:21.
134 And they will, by the
cunning and the mysterious arts of the evil one, work some great mystery which
we cannot understand, which will keep us down to be servants to their words,
and also servants unto them, for we depend upon them to teach us the word; 135 and thus will they keep us in ignorance if we
will yield ourselves unto them, all the days of our lives.
16:22.
136 And many more things did the
people imagine up in their hearts, which were foolish and vain; 137 and they were much disturbed, for Satan did
stir them up to do iniquity continually; yea, he did go about spreading rumors
and contentions upon all the face of the land, that he might harden the hearts
of the people against that which was good and against that which should come.
16:23.
138 And notwithstanding the
signs and the wonders which were wrought among the people of the Lord, and the
many miracles which they did, Satan did get great hold upon the hearts of the
people upon all the face of the land.
16:24.
139 And thus ended the ninetieth
year of the reign of the judges over the people of Nephi.
16:25.
140 And thus ended the book of
Helaman, according to the record of Helaman and his sons.
THIRD
BOOK OF NEPHI
THE BROTHER OF NEPHI
And
Helaman was the son of Helaman, who was the son of Alma, who was the son of
Alma, being a descendant of Nephi who was the son of Lehi, who came out of
Jerusalem in the first year of the reign of Zedekiah, the king of Judah.
3rd Nephi, Chapter 1
3rd Nephi; 1:1
3rd Nephi, Chapter 1
1:1.
1 Now it came to pass that the
ninety and first year had passed away and it was six hundred years from the
time that Lehi left Jerusalem; and it was in the year that Lachoneus was the
chief judge and the governor over the land.
1:2.
2 And Nephi, the son of
Helaman, had departed out of the land of Zarahemla, giving charge unto his son
Nephi, who was his eldest son, concerning the plates of brass, and all the
records which had been kept, and all those things which had been kept sacred from
the departure of Lehi out of Jerusalem.
1:3.
3 Then he departed out of the
land, and whither he went, no man knoweth; and his son Nephi did keep the
records in his stead, yea, the record of this people.
3rd Nephi; 1:2
1:4.
4 And it came to pass that in
the commencement of the ninety and second year, behold, the prophecies of the
prophets began to be fulfilled more fully; for there began to be greater signs
and greater miracles wrought among the people.
1:5.
5 But there were some who
began to say that the time was past for the words to be fulfilled, which were
spoken by Samuel, the Lamanite.
1:6.
6 And they began to rejoice
over their brethren, saying: Behold the time is past, and the words of Samuel
are not fulfilled; therefore, your joy and your faith concerning this thing
hath been vain.
1:7.
7 And it came to pass that
they did make a great uproar throughout the land; and the people who believed
began to be very sorrowful, lest by any means those things which had been
spoken might not come to pass.
1:8.
8 But behold, they did watch
steadfastly for that day and that night and that day which should be as one day
as if there were no night, that they might know that their faith had not been
vain.
3rd Nephi; 1:3
1:9.
9 Now it came to pass that
there was a day set apart by the unbelievers, that all those who believed in
those traditions should be put to death except the sign should come to pass,
which had been given by Samuel the prophet.
1:10.
10 Now it came to pass that
when Nephi, the son of Nephi, saw this wickedness of his people, his heart was
exceedingly sorrowful.
1:11.
11 And it came to pass that he
went out and bowed himself down upon the earth, and cried mightily to his God
in behalf of his people, yea, those who were about to be destroyed because of
their faith in the tradition of their fathers.
1:12.
12 And it came to pass that he
cried mightily unto the Lord, all that day; and behold, the voice of the Lord
came unto him, saying:
1:13.
Lift up your head and be of good cheer; for
behold, the time is at hand, and on this night shall the sign be given, 13 and on the morrow come I into the world, to
show unto the world that I will fulfill all that which I have caused to be
spoken by the mouth of my holy prophets.
1:14.
14 Behold, I come unto my own,
to fulfill all things which I have made known unto the children of men from the
foundation of the world, and to do the will, both of the Father and of the
Son—of the Father because of me, and of the Son because of my flesh. 15 And behold, the time is at hand, and this night
shall the sign be given.
3rd Nephi; 1:4
1:15.
16 And it came to pass that the
words which came unto Nephi were fulfilled, according as they had been spoken; 17 for behold, at the going down of the sun there
was no darkness; and the people began to be astonished because there was no
darkness when the night came.
1:16.
18 And there were many, who had
not believed the words of the prophets, who fell to the earth and became as if
they were dead, for they knew that the great plan of destruction which they had
laid for those who believed in the words of the prophets had been frustrated;
for the sign which had been given was already at hand.
1:17.
And they began to know that the Son of God
must shortly appear; 19 yea, in fine, all
the people upon the face of the whole earth from the west to the east, both in
the land north and in the land south, were so exceedingly astonished that they
fell to the earth.
1:18.
20 For they knew that the
prophets had testified of these things for many years, and that the sign which
had been given was already at hand; and they began to fear because of their
iniquity and their unbelief.
3rd Nephi; 1:5
1:19.
21 And it came to pass that
there was no darkness in all that night, but it was as light as though it was
mid-day. 22 And it came to pass that the sun
did rise in the morning again, according to its proper order; and they knew
that it was the day that the Lord should be born, because of the sign which had
been given.
1:20.
23 And it had come to pass,
yea, all things, every whit, according to the words of the prophets.
1:21.
24 And it came to pass also
that a new star did appear, according to the word.
1:22.
25 And it came to pass that
from this time forth there began to be lyings sent forth among the people, by
Satan, to harden their hearts, to the intent that they might not believe in
those signs and wonders which they had seen; 26 but
notwithstanding these lyings and deceivings the more part of the people did
believe, and were converted unto the Lord.
1:23.
27 And it came to pass that
Nephi went forth among the people, and also many others, baptizing unto
repentance, in the which there was a great remission of sins. 28 And thus the people began again to have peace
in the land.
1:24.
And there were no contentions, save it were
a few that began to preach, endeavoring to prove by the scriptures that it was
no more expedient to observe the law of Moses. 29 Now
in this thing they did err, having not understood the scriptures.
1:25.
30 But it came to pass that
they soon became converted, and were convinced of the error which they were in,
for it was made known unto them that the law was not yet fulfilled, and that it
must be fulfilled in every whit; 31 yea, the
word came unto them that it must be fulfilled; yea, that one jot or tittle
should not pass away till it should all be fulfilled; therefore in this same
year were they brought to a knowledge of their error and did confess their
faults.
1:26.
32 And thus the ninety and
second year did pass away, bringing glad tidings unto the people because of the
signs which did come to pass, according to the words of the prophecy of all the
holy prophets.
3rd Nephi; 1:6
1:27.
33 And it came to pass that the
ninety and third year did also pass away in peace, save it were for the
Gadianton robbers, who dwelt upon the mountains, who did infest the land; 34 for so strong were their holds and their secret
places that the people could not overpower them; therefore they did commit many
murders, and did do much slaughter among the people.
1:28.
35 And it came to pass that in
the ninety and fourth year they began to increase in great degree, because
there were many dissenters of the Nephites who did flee unto them, which did
cause much sorrow unto those Nephites who did remain in the land.
1:29.
36 And there was also a cause
of much sorrow among the Lamanites; for behold, they had many children who did
grow up and began to wax strong in years, that they became for themselves, and
were led away by some who were Zoramites, by their lyings and their flattering
words, to join those Gadianton robbers.
1:30.
37 And thus were the Lamanites
afflicted also, and began to decrease as to their faith and righteousness,
because of the wickedness of the rising generation.
3rd Nephi; 1:7
3rd Nephi, Chapter 2
2:1.
38 And it came to pass that
thus passed away the ninety and fifth year also, and the people began to forget
those signs and wonders which they had heard, and began to be less and less
astonished at a sign or a wonder from heaven, 39 insomuch
that they began to be hard in their hearts, and blind in their minds, and began
to disbelieve all which they had heard and seen—
2:2.
Imagining up some vain thing in their
hearts, that it was wrought by men and by the power of the devil, to lead away
and deceive the hearts of the people; 40 and
thus did Satan get possession of the hearts of the people again, insomuch that
he did blind their eyes and lead them away to believe that the doctrine of
Christ was a foolish and a vain thing.
3rd Nephi; 1:8
2:3.
41 And it came to pass that the
people began to wax strong in wickedness and abominations; and they did not
believe that there should be any more signs or wonders given; 42 and Satan did go about, leading away the hearts
of the people, tempting them and causing them that they should do great
wickedness in the land.
2:4.
43 And thus did pass away the
ninety and sixth year; and also the ninety and seventh year; and also the
ninety and eighth year; and also the ninety and ninth year;
2:5.
And also an hundred years had passed away
since the days of Mosiah, who was king over the people of the Nephites.
2:6.
44 And six hundred and nine
years had passed away since Lehi left Jerusalem.
2:7.
And nine years had passed away from the
time when the sign was given, which was spoken of by the prophets, that Christ
should come into the world.
2:8.
45 Now the Nephites began to
reckon their time from this period when the sign was given, or from the coming
of Christ; 46 therefore, nine years had
passed away.
2:9.
And Nephi, who was the father of Nephi, who
had the charge of the records, did not return to the land of Zarahemla, and
could nowhere be found in all the land.
3rd Nephi; 1:9
2:10.
47 And it came to pass that the
people did still remain in wickedness, notwithstanding the much preaching and
prophesying which was sent among them; and thus passed away the tenth year
also; and the eleventh year also passed away in iniquity.
2:11.
48 And it came to pass in the
thirteenth year there began to be wars and contentions throughout all the land;
for the Gadianton robbers had become so numerous, and did slay so many of the
people, and did lay waste so many cities, and did spread so much death and
carnage throughout the land, that it became expedient that all the people, both
the Nephites and the Lamanites, should take up arms against them.
2:12.
49 Therefore, all the Lamanites
who had become converted unto the Lord did unite with their brethren, the
Nephites, and were compelled, for the safety of their lives and their women and
their children, to take up arms against those Gadianton robbers, 50 yea, and also to maintain their rights, and the
privileges of their church and of their worship, and their freedom and their
liberty.
2:13.
51 And it came to pass that
before this thirteenth year had passed away the Nephites were threatened with
utter destruction because of this war, which had become exceedingly sore.
2:14.
52 And it came to pass that
those Lamanites who had united with the Nephites were numbered among the
Nephites;
2:15.
And their curse was taken from them, and
their skin became white like unto the Nephites;
2:16.
53 And their young men and their
daughters became exceedingly fair, and they were numbered among the Nephites,
and were called Nephites. And thus ended the thirteenth year.
3rd Nephi; 1:10
2:17.
54 And it came to pass in the
commencement of the fourteenth year, the war between the robbers and the people
of Nephi did continue and did become exceedingly sore; 55
nevertheless, the people of Nephi did gain some advantage of the
robbers, insomuch that they did drive them back out of their lands into the
mountains and into their secret places.
2:18.
And thus ended the fourteenth year. 56 And in the fifteenth year they did come forth
against the people of Nephi; and because of the wickedness of the people of
Nephi, and their many contentions and dissensions, the Gadianton robbers did
gain many advantages over them.
2:19.
57 And thus ended the fifteenth
year, and thus were the people in a state of many afflictions; and the sword of
destruction did hang over them, insomuch that they were about to be smitten
down by it, and this because of their iniquity.
3rd Nephi, Chapter 2
3rd Nephi; 2:1
3rd Nephi, Chapter 3
3:1.
1 And now it came to pass that
in the sixteenth year from the coming of Christ, Lachoneus, the governor of the
land, received an epistle from the leader and the governor of this band of
robbers; 2 and these were the words which
were written, saying:
3:2.
Lachoneus, most noble and chief governor of
the land, behold, I write this epistle unto you, and do give unto you
exceedingly great praise because of your firmness, and also the firmness of
your people, in maintaining that which ye suppose to be your right and liberty;
3 yea, ye do stand well, as if ye were
supported by the hand of a god, in the defence of your liberty, and your
property, and your country, or that which ye do call so.
3:3.
4 And it seemeth a pity unto
me, most noble Lachoneus, that ye should be so foolish and vain as to suppose
that ye can stand against so many brave men who are at my command, who do now
at this time stand in their arms, and do await with great anxiety for the
word—Go down upon the Nephites and destroy them.
3:4.
5 And I, knowing of their
unconquerable spirit, having proved them in the field of battle, and knowing of
their everlasting hatred towards you because of the many wrongs which ye have
done unto them, therefore if they should come down against you they would visit
you with utter destruction.
3:5.
6 Therefore I have written
this epistle, sealing it with mine own hand, feeling for your welfare, because
of your firmness in that which ye believe to be right, and your noble spirit in
the field of battle.
3:6.
7 Therefore I write unto you,
desiring that ye would yield up unto this my people, your cities, your lands,
and your possessions, rather than that they should visit you with the sword and
that destruction should come upon you.
3:7.
8 Or in other words, yield
yourselves up unto us, and unite with us and become acquainted with our secret
works, and become our brethren that ye may be like unto us—not our slaves, but
our brethren and partners of all our substance.
3:8.
9 And behold, I swear unto
you, if ye will do this, with an oath, ye shall not be destroyed; but if ye
will not do this, I swear unto you with an oath, that on the morrow month I
will command that my armies shall come down against you, 10 and they shall not stay their hand and shall
spare not, but shall slay you, and shall let fall the sword upon you even until
ye shall become extinct.
3:9.
11 And behold, I am Giddianhi;
and I am the governor of this the secret society of Gadianton; which society
and the works thereof I know to be good; and they are of ancient date and they
have been handed down unto us.
3:10.
12 And I write this epistle
unto you, Lachoneus, and I hope that ye will deliver up your lands and your
possessions, without the shedding of blood, that this my people may recover
their rights and government, who have dissented away from you because of your
wickedness in retaining from them their rights of government, and except ye do
this, I will avenge their wrongs. I am Giddianhi.
3rd Nephi; 2:2
3:11.
13 And now it came to pass when
Lachoneus received this epistle he was exceedingly astonished, because of the
boldness of Giddianhi demanding the possession of the land of the Nephites, 14 and also of threatening the people and avenging
the wrongs of those that had received no wrong, save it were they had wronged
themselves by dissenting away unto those wicked and abominable robbers.
3:12.
15 Now behold, this Lachoneus,
the governor, was a just man, and could not be frightened by the demands and
the threatenings of a robber; 16 therefore
he did not hearken to the epistle of Giddianhi, the governor of the robbers,
but he did cause that his people should cry unto the Lord for strength against
the time that the robbers should come down against them.
3:13.
17 Yea, he sent a proclamation
among all the people, that they should gather together their women, and their
children, their flocks and their herds, and all their substance, save it were
their land, unto one place.
3:14.
18 And he caused that
fortifications should be built round about them, and the strength thereof
should be exceedingly great. 19 And he
caused that armies, both of the Nephites and of the Lamanites, or of all them
who were numbered among the Nephites, should be placed as guards round about to
watch them, and to guard them from the robbers day and night.
3:15.
20 Yea, he said unto them: As
the Lord liveth, except ye repent of all your iniquities, and cry unto the
Lord, ye will in no wise be delivered out of the hands of those Gadianton
robbers.
3:16.
21 And so great and marvelous
were the words and prophecies of Lachoneus that they did cause fear to come
upon all the people; and they did exert themselves in their might to do
according to the words of Lachoneus.
3rd Nephi; 2:3
3:17.
22 And it came to pass that
Lachoneus did appoint chief captains over all the armies of the Nephites, to
command them at the time that the robbers should come down out of the
wilderness against them.
3:18.
23 Now the chiefest among all
the chief captains and the great commander of the armies of the Nephites was
appointed, and his name was Gidgiddoni.
3:19.
24 Now it was the custom among
all the Nephites to appoint for their chief captains, (save it were in their
times of wickedness) some one that had the spirit of revelation and also
prophecy; therefore, this Gidgiddoni was a great prophet among them, as also
was the chief judge.
3:20.
25 Now the people said unto
Gidgiddoni: Pray unto the Lord, and let us go up upon the mountains and into
the wilderness, that we may fall upon the robbers and destroy them in their own
lands.
3:21.
26 But Gidgiddoni saith unto
them: The Lord forbid; for if we should go up against them the Lord would
deliver us into their hands; 27 therefore we
will prepare ourselves in the center of our lands, and we will gather all our
armies together, and we will not go against them, but we will wait till they
shall come against us; 28 therefore as the
Lord liveth, if we do this he will deliver them into our hands.
3rd Nephi; 2:4
3:22.
29 And it came to pass in the
seventeenth year, in the latter end of the year, the proclamation of Lachoneus
had gone forth throughout all the face of the land, 30
and they had taken their horses, and their chariots, and their cattle,
and all their flocks, and their herds, and their grain, and all their
substance, 31 and did march forth by
thousands and by tens of thousands, until they had all gone forth to the place
which had been appointed that they should gather themselves together, to defend
themselves against their enemies.
3:23.
32 And the land which was
appointed was the land of Zarahemla, and the land which was between the land
Zarahemla and the land Bountiful, yea, to the line which was between the land
Bountiful and the land Desolation.
3:24.
33 And there were a great many
thousand people who were called Nephites, who did gather themselves together in
this land. 34 Now Lachoneus did cause that
they should gather themselves together in the land southward, because of the
great curse which was upon the land northward.
3:25.
And they did fortify themselves against
their enemies; 35 and they did dwell in one
land, and in one body, and they did fear the words which had been spoken by
Lachoneus, insomuch that they did repent of all their sins; 36 and they did put up their prayers unto the Lord
their God, that he would deliver them in the time that their enemies should
come down against them to battle.
3:26.
37 And they were exceedingly
sorrowful because of their enemies. 38 And
Gidgiddoni did cause that they should make weapons of war of every kind, and
they should be strong with armor, and with shields, and with bucklers, after
the manner of his instruction.
3rd Nephi; 2:5
3rd Nephi, Chapter 4
4:1.
39 And it came to pass that in
the latter end of the eighteenth year those armies of robbers had prepared for
battle, and began to come down and to sally forth from the hills, and out of
the mountains, and the wilderness, and their strongholds, and their secret
places, 40 and began to take possession of
the lands, both which were in the land south and which were in the land north,
and began to take possession of all the lands which had been deserted by the
Nephites, and the cities which had been left desolate.
4:2.
41 But behold, there were no
wild beasts nor game in those lands which had been deserted by the Nephites,
and there was no game for the robbers save it were in the wilderness.
4:3.
42 And the robbers could not
exist save it were in the wilderness, for the want of food; for the Nephites
had left their lands desolate, and had gathered their flocks and their herds
and all their substance, and they were in one body.
4:4.
43 Therefore, there was no
chance for the robbers to plunder and to obtain food, save it were to come up
in open battle against the Nephites; 44 and
the Nephites being in one body, and having so great a number, and having
reserved for themselves provisions, and horses and cattle, and flocks of every
kind, that they might subsist for the space of seven years, 45 in the which time they did hope to destroy the
robbers from off the face of the land; and thus the eighteenth year did pass
away.
3rd Nephi; 2:6
4:5.
46 And it came to pass that in
the nineteenth year Giddianhi found that it was expedient that he should go up
to battle against the Nephites, for there was no way that they could subsist
save it were to plunder and rob and murder.
4:6.
47 And they durst not spread
themselves upon the face of the land insomuch that they could raise grain, lest
the Nephites should come upon them and slay them; 48
therefore Giddianhi gave commandment unto his armies that in this year
they should go up to battle against the Nephites.
3rd Nephi; 2:7
4:7.
49 And it came to pass that
they did come up to battle; and it was in the sixth month; and behold, great
and terrible was the day that they did come up to battle; 50 and they were girded about after the manner of
robbers; and they had a lamb-skin about their loins, and they were dyed in
blood, and their heads were shorn, and they had head-plates upon them; 51 and great and terrible was the appearance of
the armies of Giddianhi, because of their armor, and because of their being
dyed in blood.
4:8.
52 And it came to pass that the
armies of the Nephites, when they saw the appearance of the army of Giddianhi,
had all fallen to the earth, and did lift their cries to the Lord their God,
that he would spare them and deliver them out of the hands of their enemies.
4:9.
53 And it came to pass that
when the armies of Giddianhi saw this they began to shout with a loud voice,
because of their joy, for they had supposed that the Nephites had fallen with
fear because of the terror of their armies.
4:10.
54 But in this thing they were
disappointed, for the Nephites did not fear them; but they did fear their God
and did supplicate him for protection; 55 therefore,
when the armies of Giddianhi did rush upon them they were prepared to meet
them; yea, in the strength of the Lord they did receive them.
4:11.
56 And the battle commenced in
this the sixth month; and great and terrible was the battle thereof, yea, great
and terrible was the slaughter thereof, insomuch that there never was known so
great a slaughter among all the people of Lehi since he left Jerusalem.
4:12.
57 And notwithstanding the
threatenings and the oaths which Giddianhi had made, behold, the Nephites did
beat them, insomuch that they did fall back from before them.
3rd Nephi; 2:8
4:13.
58 And it came to pass that
Gidgiddoni commanded that his armies should pursue them as far as the borders
of the wilderness, and that they should not spare any that should fall into
their hands by the way; 59 and thus they did
pursue them and did slay them, to the borders of the wilderness, even until
they had fulfilled the commandment of Gidgiddoni.
4:14.
60 And it came to pass that
Giddianhi, who had stood and fought with boldness, was pursued as he fled; and
being weary because of his much fighting he was overtaken and slain. And thus
was the end of Giddianhi the robber.
3rd Nephi; 2:9
4:15.
61 And it came to pass that the
armies of the Nephites did return again to their place of security. 62 And it came to pass that this nineteenth year
did pass away, and the robbers did not come again to battle; neither did they
come again in the twentieth year.
4:16.
63 And in the twenty and first
year they did not come up to battle, but they came up on all sides to lay siege
round about the people of Nephi; 64 for they
did suppose that if they should cut off the people of Nephi from their lands,
and should hem them in on every side, and if they should cut them off from all
their outward privileges, that they could cause them to yield themselves up
according to their wishes.
4:17.
65 Now they had appointed unto
themselves another leader, whose name was Zemnarihah; therefore it was
Zemnarihah that did cause that this siege should take place.
4:18.
66 But behold, this was an
advantage to the Nephites; for it was impossible for the robbers to lay siege
sufficiently long to have any effect upon the Nephites, because of their much
provision which they had laid up in store,
4:19.
And because of the scantiness of provisions
among the robbers— 67 for behold, they had
nothing save it were meat for their subsistence, which meat they did obtain in
the wilderness;
4:20.
68 And it came to pass that the
wild game became scarce in the wilderness—insomuch that the robbers were about
to perish with hunger.
4:21.
69 And the Nephites were
continually marching out by day and by night, and falling upon their armies,
and cutting them off by thousands and by tens of thousands.
4:22.
70 And thus it became the
desire of the people of Zemnarihah to withdraw from their design, because of
the great destruction which came upon them by night and by day.
3rd Nephi; 2:10
4:23.
71 And it came to pass that
Zemnarihah did give command unto his people that they should withdraw
themselves from the siege, and march into the furthermost parts of the land
northward.
4:24.
72 And now, Gidgiddoni being
aware of their design, and knowing of their weakness because of the want of
food, and the great slaughter which had been made among them, therefore he did
send out his armies in the night-time, and did cut off the way of their retreat,
and did place his armies in the way of their retreat.
4:25.
73 And this did they do in the
night-time, and got on their march beyond the robbers, so that on the morrow,
when the robbers began their march, they were met by the armies of the Nephites
both in their front and in their rear.
4:26.
74 And the robbers who were on
the south were also cut off in their places of retreat. And all these things
were done by command of Gidgiddoni.
4:27.
75 And there were many
thousands who did yield themselves up prisoners unto the Nephites, and the
remainder of them were slain.
4:28.
And their leader, Zemnarihah, was taken and
hanged upon a tree, yea, even upon the top thereof until he was dead. 76 And when they had hanged him until he was dead
they did fell the tree to the earth, and did cry with a loud voice, saying:
4:29.
May the Lord preserve his people in
righteousness and in holiness of heart, that they may cause to be felled to the
earth all who shall seek to slay them because of power and secret combinations,
even as this man hath been felled to the earth.
4:30.
77 And they did rejoice and cry
again with one voice, saying: May the God of Abraham, and the God of Isaac, and
the God of Jacob, protect this people in righteousness, so long as they shall
call on the name of their God for protection.
4:31.
78 And it came to pass that
they did break forth, all as one, in singing, and praising their God for the
great thing which he had done for them, in preserving them from falling into
the hands of their enemies.
4:32.
79 Yea, they did cry: Hosanna
to the Most High God. And they did cry: Blessed be the name of the Lord God
Almighty, the Most High God.
4:33.
80 And their hearts were
swollen with joy, unto the gushing out of many tears, because of the great
goodness of God in delivering them out of the hands of their enemies; 81 and they knew it was because of their
repentance and their humility that they had been delivered from an everlasting
destruction.
3rd Nephi, Chapter 5
5:1.
82 And now behold, there was
not a living soul among all the people of the Nephites who did doubt in the
least the words of all the holy prophets who had spoken; 83 for they knew that it must needs be that they
must be fulfilled.
5:2.
And they knew that it must be expedient
that Christ had come, because of the many signs which had been given, according
to the words of the prophets; 84 and because
of the things which had come to pass already they knew that it must needs be
that all things should come to pass according to that which had been spoken.
5:3.
85 Therefore they did forsake
all their sins, and their abominations, and their whoredoms, and did serve God
with all diligence day and night.
3rd Nephi; 2:11
5:4.
86 And now it came to pass that
when they had taken all the robbers prisoners, insomuch that none did escape
who were not slain, they did cast their prisoners into prison, and did cause
the word of God to be preached unto them; 87 and
as many as would repent of their sins and enter into a covenant that they would
murder no more were set at liberty.
5:5.
88 But as many as there were
who did not enter into a covenant, and who did still continue to have those
secret murders in their hearts, yea, as many as were found breathing out
threatenings against their brethren were condemned and punished according to the
law.
5:6.
89 And thus they did put an end
to all those wicked, and secret, and abominable combinations, in the which
there was so much wickedness, and so many murders committed.
5:7.
90 And thus had the twenty and
second year passed away, and the twenty and third year also, and the twenty and
fourth, and the twenty and fifth; 91 and
thus had twenty and five years passed away.
5:8.
And there had many things transpired which,
in the eyes of some, would be great and marvelous; 92
nevertheless, they cannot all be written in this book; yea, this book
cannot contain even a hundredth part of what was done among so many people in
the space of twenty and five years;
5:9.
93 But behold there are records
which do contain all the proceedings of this people; and a shorter but true
account was given by Nephi.
5:10.
94 Therefore I have made my
record of these things according to the record of Nephi, which was engraven on
the plates which were called the plates of Nephi.
5:11.
95 And behold, I do make the
record on plates which I have made with mine own hands.
5:12.
96 And behold, I am called
Mormon, being called after the land of Mormon, the land in which Alma did
establish the church among the people, yea, the first church which was
established among them after their transgression.
5:13.
97 Behold, I am a disciple of
Jesus Christ, the Son of God. I have been called of him to declare his word
among his people, that they might have everlasting life.
5:14.
98 And it hath become expedient
that I, according to the will of God, that the prayers of those who have gone
hence, who were the holy ones, should be fulfilled according to their faith,
should make a record of these things which have been done—
5:15.
99 Yea, a small record of that
which hath taken place from the time that Lehi left Jerusalem, even down until
the present time.
5:16.
100 Therefore I do make my
record from the accounts which have been given by those who were before me,
until the commencement of my day;
5:17.
And then I do make a record of the things
which I have seen with mine own eyes.
5:18.
101 And I know the record which
I make to be a just and a true record; nevertheless there are many things
which, according to our language, we are not able to write.
3rd Nephi; 2:12
5:19.
102 And now I make an end of my
saying, which is of myself, and proceed to give my account of the things which
have been before me.
5:20.
I am Mormon, and a pure descendant of Lehi.
103 I have reason to bless my God and my
Savior Jesus Christ, that he brought our fathers out of the land of Jerusalem,
(and no one knew it save it were himself and those whom he brought out of that
land) and that he hath given me and my people so much knowledge unto the
salvation of our souls.
5:21.
104 Surely he hath blessed the
house of Jacob, and hath been merciful unto the seed of Joseph.
5:22.
105 And insomuch as the children
of Lehi have kept his commandments he hath blessed them and prospered them
according to his word.
5:23.
106 Yea, and surely shall he
again bring a remnant of the seed of Joseph to the knowledge of the Lord their
God.
5:24.
107 And as surely as the Lord
liveth, will he gather in from the four quarters of the earth all the remnant
of the seed of Jacob, who are scattered abroad upon all the face of the earth.
5:25.
108 And as he hath covenanted
with all the house of Jacob, even so shall the covenant wherewith he hath
covenanted with the house of Jacob be fulfilled in his own due time, unto the
restoring all the house of Jacob unto the knowledge of the covenant that he
hath covenanted with them.
5:26.
109 And then shall they know
their Redeemer, who is Jesus Christ, the Son of God; and then shall they be
gathered in from the four quarters of the earth unto their own lands, from
whence they have been dispersed; yea, as the Lord liveth so shall it be. Amen.
3rd Nephi, Chapter 3
3rd Nephi; 3:1
3rd Nephi, Chapter 6
6:1.
1 And now it came to pass that
the people of the Nephites did all return to their own lands in the twenty and
sixth year, every man, with his family, his flocks and his herds, his horses
and his cattle, and all things whatsoever did belong unto them.
6:2.
2 And it came to pass that
they had not eaten up all their provisions; therefore they did take with them
all that they had not devoured, of all their grain of every kind, and their
gold, and their silver, and all their precious things, 3
and they did return to their own lands and their possessions, both on
the north and on the south, both on the land northward and on the land
southward.
6:3.
4 And they granted unto those
robbers who had entered into a covenant to keep the peace of the land, who were
desirous to remain Lamanites, lands, according to their numbers, that they
might have, with their labors, wherewith to subsist upon; and thus they did
establish peace in all the land.
6:4.
5 And they began again to
prosper and to wax great; and the twenty and sixth and seventh years passed
away, and there was great order in the land; and they had formed their laws
according to equity and justice.
6:5.
6 And now there was nothing in
all the land to hinder the people from prospering continually, except they
should fall into transgression.
6:6.
7 And now it was Gidgiddoni,
and the judge, Lachoneus, and those who had been appointed leaders, who had
established this great peace in the land.
3rd Nephi; 3:2
6:7.
8 And it came to pass that
there were many cities built anew, and there were many old cities repaired.
6:8.
And there were many highways cast up, and
many roads made, which led from city to city, and from land to land, and from
place to place.
6:9.
9 And thus passed away the
twenty and eighth year, and the people had continual peace.
6:10.
10 But it came to pass in the
twenty and ninth year there began to be some disputings among the people; 11 and some were lifted up unto pride and
boastings because of their exceedingly great riches, yea, even unto great
persecutions;
6:11.
For there were many merchants in the land,
and also many lawyers, and many officers.
6:12.
12 And the people began to be
distinguished by ranks, according to their riches and their chances for
learning, 13 yea, some were ignorant because
of their poverty, and others did receive great learning because of their
riches.
6:13.
14 Some were lifted up in
pride, and others were exceedingly humble; some did return railing for railing,
while others would receive railing and persecution and all manner of
afflictions, and would not turn and revile again, but were humble and penitent
before God.
6:14.
15 And thus there became a
great inequality in all the land, insomuch that the church began to be broken
up; yea, insomuch that in the thirtieth year the church was broken up in all
the land save it were among a few of the Lamanites who were converted unto the
true faith; 16 and they would not depart
from it, for they were firm, and steadfast, and immovable, willing with all
diligence to keep the commandments of the Lord.
6:15.
17 Now the cause of this
iniquity of the people was this—Satan had great power, unto the stirring up of
the people to do all manner of iniquity, and to the puffing them up with pride,
tempting them to seek for power, and authority, and riches, and the vain things
of the world.
6:16.
18 And thus Satan did lead away
the hearts of the people to do all manner of iniquity; therefore they had
enjoyed peace but a few years.
3rd Nephi; 3:3
6:17.
19 And thus, in the
commencement of the thirtieth year—the people having been delivered up for the
space of a long time to be carried about by the temptations of the devil
whithersoever he desired to carry them, and to do whatsoever iniquity he
desired they should—and thus in the commencement of this, the thirtieth year,
they were in a state of awful wickedness.
6:18.
20 Now they did not sin
ignorantly, for they knew the will of God concerning them, for it had been
taught unto them; therefore they did wilfully rebel against God.
6:19.
21 And now it was in the days
of Lachoneus, the son of Lachoneus, for Lachoneus did fill the seat of his
father and did govern the people that year.
6:20.
22 And there began to be men
inspired from heaven and sent forth, standing among the people in all the land,
preaching and testifying boldly of the sins and iniquities of the people, 23 and testifying unto them concerning the
redemption which the Lord would make for his people, or in other words, the
resurrection of Christ; and they did testify boldly of his death and
sufferings.
6:21.
24 Now there were many of the
people who were exceedingly angry because of those who testified of these
things; 25 and those who were angry were
chiefly the chief judges, and they who had been high priests and lawyers; 26 yea, all those who were lawyers were angry with
those who testified of these things.
6:22.
27 Now there was no lawyer nor
judge nor high priest that could have power to condemn any one to death save
their condemnation was signed by the governor of the land.
6:23.
28 Now there were many of those
who testified of the things pertaining to Christ who testified boldly, who were
taken and put to death secretly by the judges, that the knowledge of their
death came not unto the governor of the land until after their death.
6:24.
29 Now behold, this was
contrary to the laws of the land, that any man should be put to death except
they had power from the governor of the land—
6:25.
30 Therefore a complaint came
up unto the land of Zarahemla, to the governor of the land, against these
judges who had condemned the prophets of the Lord unto death, not according to
the law.
3rd Nephi; 3:4
6:26.
31 Now it came to pass that
they were taken and brought up before the judge to be judged of the crime which
they had done, according to the law which had been given by the people.
6:27.
32 Now it came to pass that
those judges had many friends and kindreds; and the remainder, yea, even almost
all the lawyers and the high priests, did gather themselves together, and unite
with the kindreds of those judges who were to be tried according to the law.
6:28.
33 And they did enter into a
covenant one with another, yea, even into that covenant which was given by them
of old, which covenant was given and administered by the devil, to combine
against all righteousness.
6:29.
34 Therefore they did combine
against the people of the Lord, and enter into a covenant to destroy them, and
to deliver those who were guilty of murder from the grasp of justice, which was
about to be administered according to the law.
6:30.
35 And they did set at defiance
the law and the rights of their country; and they did covenant one with another
to destroy the governor, and to establish a king over the land, that the land
should no more be at liberty but should be subject unto kings.
3rd Nephi, Chapter 7
7:1.
36 Now behold, I will show unto you that they did
not establish a king over the land; but in this same year, yea, the thirtieth
year, they did destroy upon the judgment seat, yea, did murder the chief judge
of the land.
7:2.
37 And the people were divided
one against another; and they did separate one from another into tribes, every
man according to his family and his kindred and friends; and thus they did
destroy the government of the land.
7:3.
38 And every tribe did appoint
a chief or a leader over them; and thus they became tribes and leaders of
tribes.
7:4.
39 Now behold, there was no man
among them save he had much family and many kindreds and friends; therefore
their tribes became exceedingly great.
7:5.
40 Now all this was done, and
there were no wars as yet among them; and all this iniquity had come upon the
people because they did yield themselves unto the power of Satan.
7:6.
41 And the regulations of the
government were destroyed, because of the secret combination of the friends and
kindreds of those who murdered the prophets.
7:7.
42 And they did cause a great
contention in the land, insomuch that the more righteous part of the people had
nearly all become wicked; yea, there were but few righteous men among them.
3rd Nephi; 3:5
7:8.
43 And thus six years had not
passed away since the more part of the people had turned from their
righteousness, like the dog to his vomit, or like the sow to her wallowing in
the mire.
7:9.
44 Now this secret combination,
which had brought so great iniquity upon the people, did gather themselves
together, and did place at their head a man whom they did call Jacob;
7:10.
45 And they did call him their
king; therefore he became a king over this wicked band; and he was one of the
chiefest who had given his voice against the prophets who testified of Jesus.
7:11.
46 And it came to pass that
they were not so strong in number as the tribes of the people, who were united
together save it were their leaders did establish their laws, every one
according to his tribe; 47 nevertheless they
were enemies; notwithstanding they were not a righteous people, yet they were
united in the hatred of those who had entered into a covenant to destroy the
government.
7:12.
48 Therefore, Jacob seeing that
their enemies were more numerous than they, he being the king of the band,
therefore he commanded his people that they should take their flight into the
northernmost part of the land, 49 and there
build up unto themselves a kingdom, until they were joined by dissenters, (for
he flattered them that there would be many dissenters) and they become
sufficiently strong to contend with the tribes of the people; 50 and they did so.
7:13.
And so speedy was their march that it could
not be impeded until they had gone forth out of the reach of the people. 51 And thus ended the thirtieth year; and thus
were the affairs of the people of Nephi.
3rd Nephi; 3:6
7:14.
52 And it came to pass in the
thirty and first year that they were divided into tribes, every man according
to his family, kindred and friends; 53 nevertheless
they had come to an agreement that they would not go to war one with another;
but they were not united as to their laws, and their manner of government, for
they were established according to the minds of those who were their chiefs and
their leaders. 54 But they did establish
very strict laws that one tribe should not trespass against another, insomuch
that in some degree they had peace in the land; 55 nevertheless,
their hearts were turned from the Lord their God, and they did stone the
prophets and did cast them out from among them.
3rd Nephi; 3:7
7:15.
56 And it came to pass that
Nephi—having been visited by angels and also the voice of the Lord, therefore
having seen angels, and being eye-witness, and having had power given unto him
that he might know concerning the ministry of Christ, and also being eye-witness
to their quick return from righteousness unto their wickedness and
abominations;
7:16.
57 Therefore, being grieved for
the hardness of their hearts and the blindness of their minds—went forth among
them in that same year, and began to testify, boldly, repentance and remission
of sins through faith on the Lord Jesus Christ.
7:17.
58 And he did minister many
things unto them; and all of them cannot be written, and a part of them would
not suffice, therefore they are not written in this book. And Nephi did
minister with power and with great authority.
3rd Nephi; 3:8
7:18.
59 And it came to pass that
they were angry with him, even because he had greater power than they, for it
were not possible that they could disbelieve his words, for so great was his
faith on the Lord Jesus Christ that angels did minister unto him daily.
7:19.
60 And in the name of Jesus did
he cast out devils and unclean spirits; and even his brother did he raise from
the dead, after he had been stoned and suffered death by the people.
7:20.
61 And the people saw it, and
did witness of it, and were angry with him because of his power; and he did
also do many more miracles, in the sight of the people, in the name of Jesus.
3rd Nephi; 3:9
7:21.
62 And it came to pass that the
thirty and first year did pass away, and there were but few who were converted
unto the Lord; 63 but as many as were
converted did truly signify unto the people that they had been visited by the
power and Spirit of God, which was in Jesus Christ, in whom they believed.
7:22.
64 And as many as had devils
cast out from them, and were healed of their sicknesses and their infirmities,
did truly manifest unto the people that they had been wrought upon by the
Spirit of God, and had been healed; 65 and
they did show forth signs also and did do some miracles among the people.
3rd Nephi; 3:10
7:23.
66 Thus passed away the thirty
and second year also. 67 And Nephi did cry
unto the people in the commencement of the thirty and third year; and he did
preach unto them repentance and remission of sins.
7:24.
68 Now I would have you to
remember also, that there were none who were brought unto repentance who were
not baptized with water.
7:25.
69 Therefore, there were
ordained of Nephi, men unto this ministry, that all such as should come unto
them should be baptized with water, and this as a witness and a testimony
before God, and unto the people, that they had repented and received a
remission of their sins.
7:26.
70 And there were many in the
commencement of this year that were baptized unto repentance; and thus the more
part of the year did pass away.
3rd Nephi, Chapter 4
3rd Nephi; 4:1
3rd Nephi, Chapter 8
8:1.
1 And now it came to pass that
according to our record, and we know our record to be true, for behold, it was
a just man who did keep the record—for he truly did many miracles in the name
of Jesus; 2 and there was not any man who
could do a miracle in the name of Jesus save he were cleansed every whit from
his iniquity—
8:2.
3 And now it came to pass, if
there was no mistake made by this man in the reckoning of our time, the thirty
and third year had passed away;
8:3.
And the people began to look with great
earnestness for the sign which had been given by the prophet Samuel, the
Lamanite, 4 yea, for the time that there
should be darkness for the space of three days over the face of the land.
8:4.
5 And there began to be great
doubtings and disputations among the people, notwithstanding so many signs had
been given.
3rd Nephi; 4:2
8:5.
6 And it came to pass in the
thirty and fourth year, in the first month, on the fourth day of the month,
there arose a great storm, such an one as never had been known in all the land.
8:6.
7 And there was also a great
and terrible tempest; and there was terrible thunder, insomuch that it did
shake the whole earth as if it was about to divide asunder.
8:7.
And there were exceedingly sharp
lightnings, such as never had been known in all the land.
8:8.
8 And the city of Zarahemla
did take fire.
8:9.
And the city of Moroni did sink into the
depths of the sea, and the inhabitants thereof were drowned.
8:10.
9 And the earth was carried up
upon the city of Moronihah that in the place of the city there became a great
mountain.
8:11.
And there was a great and terrible
destruction in the land southward.
8:12.
10 But behold, there was a more
great and terrible destruction in the land northward; for behold, the whole
face of the land was changed, because of the tempest and the whirlwinds and the
thunderings and the lightnings, and the exceedingly great quaking of the whole
earth;
8:13.
11 And the highways were broken
up, and the level roads were spoiled, and many smooth places became rough.
8:14.
And many great and notable cities were
sunk, and many were burned, and many were shaken till the buildings thereof had
fallen to the earth, and the inhabitants thereof were slain, and the places
were left desolate.
8:15.
12 And there were some cities
which remained; but the damage thereof was exceedingly great, and there were
many of them who were slain.
8:16.
13 And there were some who were
carried away in the whirlwind; and whither they went no man knoweth, save they
know that they were carried away.
8:17.
14 And thus the face of the
whole earth became deformed, because of the tempests, and the thunderings, and
the lightnings, and the quaking of the earth.
8:18.
15 And behold, the rocks were
rent in twain; they were broken up upon the face of the whole earth, insomuch
that they were found in broken fragments, and in seams and in cracks, upon all
the face of the land.
3rd Nephi; 4:3
8:19.
16 And it came to pass that
when the thunderings, and the lightnings, and the storm, and the tempest, and
the quakings of the earth did cease—for behold, they did last for about the
space of three hours; and it was said by some that the time was greater; 17 nevertheless, all these great and terrible
things were done in about the space of three hours—and then behold, there was
darkness upon the face of the land.
3rd Nephi; 4:4
8:20.
18 And it came to pass that
there was thick darkness upon all the face of the land, insomuch that the
inhabitants thereof who had not fallen could feel the vapor of darkness;
8:21.
19 And there could be no light,
because of the darkness, neither candles, neither torches; neither could there
be fire kindled with their fine and exceedingly dry wood, so that there could
not be any light at all;
8:22.
20 And there was not any light
seen, neither fire, nor glimmer, neither the sun, nor the moon, nor the stars,
for so great were the mists of darkness which were upon the face of the land.
3rd Nephi; 4:5
8:23.
21 And it came to pass that it
did last for the space of three days that there was no light seen; and there
was great mourning and howling and weeping among all the people continually; 22 yea, great were the groanings of the people,
because of the darkness and the great destruction which had come upon them.
8:24.
23 And in one place they were
heard to cry, saying: O that we had repented before this great and terrible
day, and then would our brethren have been spared, and they would not have been
burned in that great city Zarahemla.
8:25.
24 And in another place they
were heard to cry and mourn, saying: O that we had repented before this great
and terrible day, and had not killed and stoned the prophets, and cast them
out; 25 then would our mothers and our fair
daughters, and our children have been spared, and not have been buried up in
that great city Moronihah. And thus were the howlings of the people great and
terrible.
3rd Nephi; 4:6
3rd Nephi, Chapter 9
9:1.
26 And it came to pass that
there was a voice heard among all the inhabitants of the earth, upon all the
face of this land, crying:
9:2.
Wo, wo, wo unto this people; wo unto the
inhabitants of the whole earth except they shall repent; 27 for the devil laugheth, and his angels rejoice,
because of the slain of the fair sons and daughters of my people; and it is
because of their iniquity and abominations that they are fallen!
9:3.
28 Behold, that great city
Zarahemla have I burned with fire, and the inhabitants thereof.
9:4.
29 And behold, that great city
Moroni have I caused to be sunk in the depths of the sea, and the inhabitants
thereof to be drowned.
9:5.
30 And behold, that great city
Moronihah have I covered with earth, and the inhabitants thereof, to hide their
iniquities and their abominations from before my face, that the blood of the
prophets and the saints shall not come any more unto me against them.
9:6.
31 And behold, the city of
Gilgal have I caused to be sunk, and the inhabitants thereof to be buried up in
the depths of the earth;
9:7.
32 Yea, and the city of Onihah
and the inhabitants thereof, and the city of Mocum and the inhabitants thereof,
and the city of Jerusalem and the inhabitants thereof; and waters have I caused
to come up in the stead thereof, 33 to hide
their wickedness and abominations from before my face, that the blood of the
prophets and the saints shall not come up any more unto me against them.
9:8.
34 And behold, the city of
Gadiandi, and the city of Gadiomnah, and the city of Jacob, and the city of
Gimgimno, all these have I caused to be sunk, and made hills and valleys in the
places thereof; 35 and the inhabitants
thereof have I buried up in the depths of the earth, to hide their wickedness
and abominations from before my face, that the blood of the prophets and the
saints should not come up any more unto me against them.
3rd Nephi; 4:7
9:9.
36 And behold, that great city
Jacobugath, which was inhabited by the people of king Jacob, have I caused to
be burned with fire because of their sins and their wickedness, which was above
all the wickedness of the whole earth, because of their secret murders and
combinations; 37 for it was they that did
destroy the peace of my people and the government of the land; therefore I did
cause them to be burned, to destroy them from before my face, that the blood of
the prophets and the saints should not come up unto me any more against them.
9:10.
38 And behold, the city of
Laman, and the city of Josh, and the city of Gad, and the city of Kishkumen,
have I caused to be burned with fire, and the inhabitants thereof, because of
their wickedness in casting out the prophets, and stoning those whom I did send
to declare unto them concerning their wickedness and their abominations.
9:11.
39 And because they did cast
them all out, that there were none righteous among them, I did send down fire
and destroy them, that their wickedness and abominations might be hid from
before my face, that the blood of the prophets and the saints whom I sent among
them might not cry unto me from the ground against them.
9:12.
40 And many great destructions
have I caused to come upon this land, and upon this people, because of their
wickedness and their abominations.
3rd Nephi; 4:8
9:13.
41 O all ye that are spared
because ye were more righteous than they, will ye not now return unto me, and
repent of your sins, and be converted, that I may heal you?
9:14.
42 Yea, verily I say unto you,
if ye will come unto me ye shall have eternal life. 43
Behold, mine arm of mercy is extended towards you, and whosoever will
come, him will I receive; and blessed are those who come unto me.
9:15.
44 Behold, I am Jesus Christ
the Son of God. I created the heavens and the earth, and all things that in
them are. 45 I was with the Father from the
beginning. I am in the Father, and the Father in me; and in me hath the Father
glorified his name.
9:16.
46 I came unto my own, and my
own received me not. And the scriptures concerning my coming are fulfilled.
9:17.
47 And as many as have received
me, to them have I given to become the sons of God; and even so will I to as
many as shall believe on my name, for behold, by me redemption cometh, and in
me is the law of Moses fulfilled.
9:18.
48 I am the light and the life
of the world. I am Alpha and Omega, the beginning and the end.
9:19.
49 And ye shall offer up unto
me no more the shedding of blood; yea, your sacrifices and your burnt offerings
shall be done away, for I will accept none of your sacrifices and your burnt
offerings.
9:20.
And ye shall offer for a sacrifice unto me
a broken heart and a contrite spirit. 50 And
whoso cometh unto me with a broken heart and a contrite spirit, him will I
baptize with fire and with the Holy Ghost, even as the Lamanites, because of
their faith in me at the time of their conversion, were baptized with fire and
with the Holy Ghost, and they knew it not.
9:21.
51 Behold, I have come unto the
world to bring redemption unto the world, to save the world from sin.
9:22.
Therefore, whoso repenteth and cometh unto
me as a little child, him will I receive, for of such is the kingdom of God. 52 Behold, for such I have laid down my life, and
have taken it up again; therefore repent, and come unto me ye ends of the
earth, and be saved.
3rd Nephi; 4:9
3rd Nephi, Chapter 10
10:1.
53 And now behold, it came to
pass that all the people of the land did hear these sayings, and did witness of
it. 54 And after these sayings there was
silence in the land for the space of many hours;
10:2.
For so great was the astonishment of the
people that they did cease lamenting and howling for the loss of their kindred
which had been slain; therefore there was silence in all the land for the space
of many hours.
3rd Nephi; 4:10
10:3.
55 And it came to pass that
there came a voice again unto the people, and all the people did hear, and did
witness of it, saying:
10:4.
O ye people of these great cities which
have fallen, who are descendants of Jacob, yea, who are of the house of Israel,
how oft have I gathered you as a hen gathereth her chickens under her wings,
and have nourished you.
10:5.
56 And again, how oft would I
have gathered you as a hen gathereth her chickens under her wings, yea, O ye
people of the house of Israel, who have fallen; 57 yea,
O ye people of the house of Israel, ye that dwell at Jerusalem, as ye that have
fallen; yea, how oft would I have gathered you as a hen gathereth her chickens,
and ye would not.
10:6.
58 O ye house of Israel whom I
have spared, how oft will I gather you as a hen gathereth her chickens under
her wings, if ye will repent and return unto me with full purpose of heart.
10:7.
59 But if not, O house of
Israel, the places of your dwellings shall become desolate until the time of
the fulfilling of the covenant to your fathers.
3rd Nephi; 4:11
10:8.
60 And now it came to pass that
after the people had heard these words, behold, they began to weep and howl
again because of the loss of their kindred and friends.
10:9.
61 And it came to pass that
thus did the three days pass away. 62 And it
was in the morning, and the darkness dispersed from off the face of the land,
and the earth did cease to tremble, and the rocks did cease to rend, and the
dreadful groanings did cease, and all the tumultuous noises did pass away.
10:10.
63 And the earth did cleave
together again, that it stood; and the mourning, and the weeping, and the
wailing of the people who were spared alive did cease; 64
and their mourning was turned into joy, and their lamentations into the
praise and thanksgiving unto the Lord Jesus Christ, their Redeemer.
10:11.
65 And thus far were the
scriptures fulfilled which had been spoken by the prophets.
10:12.
66 And it was the more
righteous part of the people who were saved, and it was they who received the
prophets and stoned them not; and it was they who had not shed the blood of the
saints, who were spared—
10:13.
67 And they were spared and
were not sunk and buried up in the earth; and they were not drowned in the
depths of the sea; and they were not burned by fire, neither were they fallen
upon and crushed to death; 68 and they were
not carried away in the whirlwind; neither were they overpowered by the vapor
of smoke and of darkness.
10:14.
69 And now, whoso readeth, let
him understand; he that hath the scriptures, let him search them, and see and
behold if all these deaths and destructions by fire, and by smoke, and by
tempests, and by whirlwinds, and by the opening of the earth to receive them,
and all these things are not unto the fulfilling of the prophecies of many of
the holy prophets.
10:15.
70 Behold, I say unto you, Yea,
many have testified of these things at the coming of Christ, and were slain
because they testified of these things.
10:16.
71 Yea, the prophet Zenos did
testify of these things, and also Zenock spake concerning these things, because
they testified particularly concerning us, who are the remnant of their seed.
10:17.
72 Behold, our father Jacob also
testified concerning a remnant of the seed of Joseph. And behold, are not we a
remnant of the seed of Joseph? 73 And these
things which testify of us, are they not written upon the plates of brass which
our father Lehi brought out of Jerusalem?
10:18.
74 And it came to pass that in
the ending of the thirty and fourth year, behold, I will show unto you that the
people of Nephi who were spared, and also those who had been called Lamanites,
who had been spared, did have great favors shown unto them, and great blessings
poured out upon their heads, insomuch that soon after the ascension of Christ
into heaven he did truly manifest himself unto them—
10:19.
Showing his body unto them, and ministering
unto them; 75 and an account of his ministry
shall be given hereafter. Therefore for this time I make an end of my sayings.
3rd Nephi, Chapter 5
Jesus Christ showeth himself unto the people of Nephi, as the
multitude were gathered together in the land Bountiful, and did minister unto
them; and on this wise did he show himself unto them.
3rd Nephi; 5:1
3rd Nephi, Chapter 11
11:1.
1 And now it came to pass that
there were a great multitude gathered together, of the people of Nephi, round
about the temple which was in the land Bountiful; 2
and they were marveling and wondering one with another, and were showing
one to another the great and marvelous change which had taken place.
11:2.
3 And they were also
conversing about this Jesus Christ, of whom the sign had been given concerning
his death.
3rd Nephi; 5:2
11:3.
4 And it came to pass that
while they were thus conversing one with another, they heard a voice as if it
came out of heaven; and they cast their eyes round about, for they understood
not the voice which they heard; 5 and it was
not a harsh voice, neither was it a loud voice; nevertheless, and
notwithstanding it being a small voice it did pierce them that did hear to the
center, insomuch that there was no part of their frame that it did not cause to
quake; yea, it did pierce them to the very soul, and did cause their hearts to
burn.
11:4.
6 And it came to pass that
again they heard the voice, and they understood it not.
11:5.
And again the third time they did hear the
voice, and did open their ears to hear it; 7 and
their eyes were towards the sound thereof; and they did look steadfastly
towards heaven, from whence the sound came.
11:6.
And behold, the third time they did
understand the voice which they heard; 8 and
it said unto them:
11:7.
Behold my Beloved Son, in whom I am well
pleased, in whom I have glorified my name—hear ye him.
3rd Nephi; 5:3
11:8.
9 And it came to pass, as they
understood they cast their eyes up again towards heaven; and behold, they saw a
Man descending out of heaven; 10 and he was
clothed in a white robe; and he came down and stood in the midst of them; and
the eyes of the whole multitude were turned upon him, and they durst not open
their mouths, even one to another, and wist not what it meant, for they thought
it was an angel that had appeared unto them.
3rd Nephi; 5:4
11:9.
11 And it came to pass that he
stretched forth his hand and spake unto the people, saying:
11:10.
Behold, I am Jesus Christ, whom the
prophets testified shall come into the world.
11:11.
12 And behold, I am the light
and the life of the world; and I have drunk out of that bitter cup which the
Father hath given me, and have glorified the Father in taking upon me the sins
of the world, in the which I have suffered the will of the Father in all things
from the beginning.
3rd Nephi; 5:5
11:12.
13 And it came to pass that
when Jesus had spoken these words the whole multitude fell to the earth; for
they remembered that it had been prophesied among them that Christ should show
himself unto them after his ascension into heaven.
3rd Nephi; 5:6
11:13. 14 And it came to pass that the Lord spake unto them saying:
11:14.
Arise and come forth unto me, that ye may
thrust your hands into my side, and also that ye may feel the prints of the
nails in my hands and in my feet, that ye may know that I am the God of Israel,
and the God of the whole earth, and have been slain for the sins of the world.
3rd Nephi; 5:7
11:15. 15 And it came to pass that the multitude went forth, and thrust
their hands into his side, and did feel the prints of the nails in his hands
and in his feet; 16 and this they did do,
going forth one by one until they had all gone forth, and did see with their
eyes and did feel with their hands, and did know of a surety and did bear
record, that it was he, of whom it was written by the prophets, that should
come.
11:16.
17 And when they had all gone
forth and had witnessed for themselves, they did cry out with one accord,
saying:
11:17.
Hosanna! Blessed be the name of the Most
High God! And they did fall down at the feet of Jesus, and did worship him.
3rd Nephi; 5:8
11:18. 18 And it came to pass that he spake unto Nephi (for Nephi was
among the multitude) and he commanded him that he should come forth.
11:19.
19 And Nephi arose and went
forth, and bowed himself before the Lord and did kiss his feet.
11:20.
20 And the Lord commanded him
that he should arise. And he arose and stood before him.
11:21.
21 And the Lord said unto him: I
give unto you power that ye shall baptize this people when I am again ascended
into heaven.
11:22.
22 And again the Lord called
others, and said unto them likewise; and he gave unto them power to baptize. 23 And he said unto them: On this wise shall ye
baptize; and there shall be no disputations among you.
11:23.
24 Verily I say unto you, that
whoso repenteth of his sins through your words and desireth to be baptized in
my name, on this wise shall ye baptize them—Behold, ye shall go down and stand
in the water, and in my name shall ye baptize them.
11:24.
25 And now behold, these are
the words which ye shall say, calling them by name, saying:
11:25.
Having authority given me of Jesus Christ,
I baptize you in the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Ghost.
Amen.
11:26.
26 And then shall ye immerse
them in the water, and come forth again out of the water.
11:27.
27 And after this manner shall
ye baptize in my name; for behold, verily I say unto you, that the Father, and
the Son, and the Holy Ghost are one; and I am in the Father, and the Father in
me, and the Father and I are one.
11:28.
28 And according as I have
commanded you thus shall ye baptize. 29 And
there shall be no disputations among you, as there have hitherto been; neither
shall there be disputations among you concerning the points of my doctrine, as
there have hitherto been.
11:29.
30 For verily, verily I say
unto you, he that hath the spirit of contention is not of me, but is of the
devil, who is the father of contention, and he stirreth up the hearts of men to
contend with anger, one with another.
11:30.
31 Behold, this is not my
doctrine, to stir up the hearts of men with anger, one against another; but
this is my doctrine, that such things should be done away.
11:31.
32 Behold, verily, verily, I say
unto you, I will declare unto you my doctrine.
11:32.
And this is my doctrine, and it is the
doctrine which the Father hath given unto me; 33 and
I bear record of the Father, and the Father beareth record of me, and the Holy
Ghost beareth record of the Father and me; and I bear record that the Father
commandeth all men, everywhere, to repent and believe in me.
11:33.
34 And whoso believeth in me,
and is baptized, the same shall be saved; and they are they who shall inherit
the kingdom of God.
11:34.
35 And whoso believeth not in
me, and is not baptized, shall be damned.
11:35.
36 Verily, verily, I say unto
you, that this is my doctrine, and I bear record of it from the Father; and
whoso believeth in me believeth in the Father also; 37
and unto him will the Father bear record of me, for he will visit him
with fire and with the Holy Ghost.
11:36.
38 And thus will the Father bear
record of me, and the Holy Ghost will bear record unto him of the Father and
me; for the Father, and I, and the Holy Ghost are one.
3rd Nephi; 5:9
11:37. 39 And again I say unto you, ye must repent, and become as a
little child, and be baptized in my name, or ye can in nowise receive these
things.
11:38.
40 And again I say unto you, ye
must repent, and be baptized in my name, and become as a little child, or ye
can in nowise inherit the kingdom of God.
11:39.
41 Verily, verily, I say unto
you, that this is my doctrine, and whoso buildeth upon this buildeth upon my
rock, and the gates of hell shall not prevail against them.
11:40.
42 And whoso shall declare more
or less than this, and establish it for my doctrine, the same cometh of evil,
and is not built upon my rock; but he buildeth upon a sandy foundation, and the
gates of hell stand open to receive such when the floods come and the winds
beat upon them.
11:41.
43 Therefore, go forth unto
this people, and declare the words which I have spoken, unto the ends of the
earth.
3rd Nephi, Chapter 12
12:1.
44 And it came to pass that
when Jesus had spoken these words unto Nephi, and to those who had been called,
(now the number of them who had been called, and received power and authority
to baptize, was twelve) 45 and behold, he
stretched forth his hand unto the multitude, and cried unto them, saying:
Blessed are ye if ye shall give heed unto the words of these twelve whom I have
chosen from among you to minister unto you, and to be your servants; 46 and unto them I have given power that they may
baptize you with water; and after that ye are baptized with water, behold, I
will baptize you with fire and with the Holy Ghost; 47
therefore blessed are ye if ye shall believe in me and be baptized,
after that ye have seen me and know that I am.
12:2.
48 And again, more blessed are
they who shall believe in your words because that ye shall testify that ye have
seen me, and that ye know that I am. 49 Yea,
blessed are they who shall believe in your words, and come down into the depths
of humility and be baptized, for they shall be visited with fire and with the
Holy Ghost, and shall receive a remission of their sins.
12:3.
50 Yea, blessed are the poor in
spirit who come unto me, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven.
12:4.
51 And again, blessed are all
they that mourn, for they shall be comforted.
12:5.
52 And blessed are the meek,
for they shall inherit the earth.
12:6.
53 And blessed are all they who
do hunger and thirst after righteousness, for they shall be filled with the
Holy Ghost.
12:7.
54 And blessed are the
merciful, for they shall obtain mercy.
12:8.
55 And blessed are all the pure
in heart, for they shall see God.
12:9.
56 And blessed are all the
peacemakers, for they shall be called the children of God.
12:10.
57 And blessed are all they who
are persecuted for my name’s sake, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven.
12:11.
58 And blessed are ye when men
shall revile you and persecute, and shall say all manner of evil against you
falsely, for my sake;
12:12.
59 For ye shall have great joy
and be exceedingly glad, for great shall be your reward in heaven; for so
persecuted they the prophets who were before you.
12:13.
60 Verily, verily, I say unto
you, I give unto you to be the salt of the earth; but if the salt shall lose
its savor wherewith shall the earth be salted? The salt shall be thenceforth
good for nothing, but to be cast out and to be trodden under foot of men.
12:14.
61 Verily, verily, I say unto
you, I give unto you to be the light of this people. A city that is set on a
hill cannot be hid.
12:15.
62 Behold, do men light a
candle and put it under a bushel? Nay, but on a candlestick, and it giveth
light to all that are in the house;
12:16.
63 Therefore let your light so
shine before this people, that they may see your good works and glorify your
Father who is in heaven.
12:17.
64 Think not that I am come to
destroy the law or the prophets. I am not come to destroy but to fulfil;
12:18.
65 For verily I say unto you,
one jot nor tittle hath not passed away from the law, but in me it hath all
been fulfilled.
3rd Nephi; 5:10
12:19.
66 And behold, I have given you
the law and the commandments of my Father, that ye shall believe in me, and
that ye shall repent of your sins, and come unto me with a broken heart and a
contrite spirit. 67 Behold, ye have the
commandments before you, and the law is fulfilled.
12:20.
Therefore come unto me and be ye saved; 68 for verily I say unto you, that except ye shall
keep my commandments, which I have commanded you at this time, ye shall in no
case enter into the kingdom of heaven.
12:21.
69 Ye have heard that it hath
been said by them of old time, and it is also written before you, that thou
shalt not kill, and whosoever shall kill shall be in danger of the judgment of
God;
12:22.
70 But I say unto you, that
whosoever is angry with his brother shall be in danger of his judgment. And
whosoever shall say to his brother, Raca, shall be in danger of the council;
and whosoever shall say, Thou fool, shall be in danger of hell fire.
12:23.
71 Therefore, if ye shall come
unto me, or shall desire to come unto me, and rememberest that thy brother hast
aught against thee—
12:24.
72 Go thy way unto thy brother,
and first be reconciled to thy brother, and then come unto me with full purpose
of heart, and I will receive you.
12:25.
73 Agree with thine adversary
quickly while thou art in the way with him, lest at any time he shall get thee,
and thou shalt be cast into prison.
12:26.
74 Verily, verily, I say unto
thee, thou shalt by no means come out thence until thou hast paid the uttermost
senine. 75 And while ye are in prison can ye
pay even one senine? Verily, verily, I say unto you, Nay.
12:27.
76 Behold, it is written by
them of old time, that thou shalt not commit adultery;
12:28.
77 But I say unto you, that
whosoever looketh on a woman, to lust after her, hath committed adultery
already in his heart.
12:29.
78 Behold, I give unto you a
commandment, that ye suffer none of these things to enter into your heart;
12:30.
For it is better that ye should deny
yourselves of these things, wherein ye will take up your cross, than that ye
should be cast into hell.
12:31.
79 It hath been written, that
whosoever shall put away his wife, let him give her a writing of divorcement.
12:32.
80 Verily, verily, I say unto
you, that whosoever shall put away his wife, saving for the cause of
fornication, causeth her to commit adultery; and whoso shall marry her who is
divorced committeth adultery.
3rd Nephi; 5:11
12:33.
81 And again it is written,
thou shalt not forswear thyself, but shalt perform unto the Lord thine oaths;
12:34.
82 But verily, verily, I say
unto you, swear not at all; neither by heaven, for it is God’s throne;
12:35.
Nor by the earth, for it is his footstool;
12:36.
Neither shalt thou swear by thy head,
because thou canst not make one hair black or white;
12:37.
83 But let your communication
be Yea, yea; Nay, nay; for whatsoever cometh of more than these is evil.
12:38.
84 And behold, it is written,
an eye for an eye, and a tooth for a tooth;
12:39.
85 But I say unto you, that ye
shall not resist evil, but whosoever shall smite thee on thy right cheek, turn
to him the other also;
12:40.
86 And if any man will sue thee
at the law and take away thy coat, let him have thy cloak also;
12:41.
87 And whosoever shall compel
thee to go a mile, go with him twain.
12:42.
88 Give to him that asketh
thee, and from him that would borrow of thee turn not away.
12:43.
89 And behold it is written
also, that thou shalt love thy neighbor and hate thine enemy;
12:44.
90 But I say unto you, love
your enemies, bless them that curse you, do good to them that hate you, and
pray for them who despitefully use you and persecute you;
12:45.
91 That ye may be the children
of your Father who is in heaven; for he maketh his sun to rise on the evil and
on the good.
12:46.
Therefore those things which were of old
time, which were under the law, in me are all fulfilled.
12:47.
92 Old things are done away, and
all things have become new.
12:48.
Therefore I would that ye should be perfect
even as I, or your Father who is in heaven is perfect.
3rd Nephi, Chapter 13
13:1.
93 Verily, verily, I say that I
would that ye should do alms unto the poor; but take heed that ye do not your
alms before men to be seen of them; otherwise ye have no reward of your Father
who is in heaven.
13:2.
94 Therefore, when ye shall do
your alms do not sound a trumpet before you, as will hypocrites do in the
synagogues and in the streets, that they may have glory of men. Verily I say
unto you, they have their reward.
13:3.
95 But when thou doest alms let not thy left hand
know what thy right hand doeth;
13:4.
96 That thine alms may be in
secret; and thy Father who seeth in secret, himself shall reward thee openly.
3rd Nephi; 5:12
13:5.
97 And when thou prayest thou
shalt not do as the hypocrites, for they love to pray, standing in the
synagogues and in the corners of the streets, that they may be seen of men.
Verily I say unto you, they have their reward.
13:6.
98 But thou, when thou prayest,
enter into thy closet, and when thou hast shut thy door, pray to thy Father who
is in secret; and thy Father, who seeth in secret, shall reward thee openly.
13:7.
99 But when ye pray, use not
vain repetitions, as the heathen, for they think that they shall be heard for
their much speaking.
13:8.
100 Be not ye therefore like
unto them, for your Father knoweth what things ye have need of before ye ask
him.
13:9.
101 After this manner therefore
pray ye: 102 Our Father who art in heaven,
hallowed be thy name.
13:10.
103 Thy will be done on earth as
it is in heaven.
13:11.
104 And forgive us our debts, as
we forgive our debtors.
13:12.
105 And lead us not into
temptation, but deliver us from evil.
13:13.
106 For thine is the kingdom,
and the power, and the glory, forever. Amen.
13:14.
107 For, if ye forgive men their
trespasses your heavenly Father will also forgive you;
13:15.
But if ye forgive not men their trespasses
neither will your Father forgive your trespasses.
13:16.
108 Moreover, when ye fast be
not as the hypocrites, of a sad countenance, for they disfigure their faces
that they may appear unto men to fast. Verily I say unto you, they have their
reward.
13:17.
109 But thou, when thou fastest,
anoint thy head, and wash thy face;
13:18.
That thou appear not unto men to fast, but
unto thy Father, who is in secret; and thy Father, who seeth in secret, shall
reward thee openly.
3rd Nephi; 5:13
13:19.
110 Lay not up for yourselves
treasures upon earth, where moth and rust doth corrupt, and thieves break
through and steal;
13:20.
111 But lay up for yourselves
treasures in heaven, where neither moth nor rust doth corrupt, and where
thieves do not break through nor steal.
13:21.
112 For where your treasure is,
there will your heart be also.
13:22.
113 The light of the body is the
eye; if, therefore, thine eye be single, thy whole body shall be full of light.
13:23.
114 But if thine eye be evil,
thy whole body shall be full of darkness. If, therefore, the light that is in
thee be darkness, how great is that darkness!
13:24.
115 No man can serve two
masters; for either he will hate the one and love the other, or else he will
hold to the one and despise the other. Ye cannot serve God and Mammon.
3rd Nephi, Chapter 6
3rd Nephi; 6:1
13:25.
1 And now it came to pass that
when Jesus had spoken these words he looked upon the twelve whom he had chosen,
and said unto them: Remember the words which I have spoken. 2 For behold, ye are they whom I have chosen to
minister unto this people. 3 Therefore I say
unto you, take no thought for your life, what ye shall eat, or what ye shall
drink; nor yet for your body, what ye shall put on. Is not the life more than
meat, and the body than raiment?
13:26.
4 Behold the fowls of the air,
for they sow not, neither do they reap nor gather into barns; yet your heavenly
Father feedeth them. Are ye not much better than they?
13:27.
5 Which of you by taking
thought can add one cubit unto his stature?
13:28.
6 And why take ye thought for
raiment? Consider the lilies of the field how they grow; they toil not, neither
do they spin;
13:29.
7 And yet I say unto you, that
even Solomon, in all his glory, was not arrayed like one of these.
13:30.
8 Wherefore, if God so clothe
the grass of the field, which today is, and tomorrow is cast into the oven,
even so will he clothe you, if ye are not of little faith.
13:31.
9 Therefore take no thought,
saying, What shall we eat? or, What shall we drink? or, Wherewithal shall we be
clothed?
13:32.
10 For your heavenly Father
knoweth that ye have need of all these things.
13:33.
11 But seek ye first the
kingdom of God and his righteousness, and all these things shall be added unto
you.
13:34.
12 Take therefore no thought
for the morrow, for the morrow shall take thought for the things of itself.
Sufficient is the day unto the evil thereof.
3rd Nephi; 6:2
3rd Nephi, Chapter 14
14:1.
13 And now it came to pass that
when Jesus had spoken these words he turned again to the multitude, and did
open his mouth unto them again, saying: Verily, verily, I say unto you, Judge
not, that ye be not judged.
14:2.
14 For with what judgment ye
judge, ye shall be judged; and with what measure ye mete, it shall be measured
to you again.
14:3.
15 And why beholdest thou the
mote that is in thy brother’s eye, but considerest not the beam that is in
thine own eye?
14:4.
16 Or how wilt thou say to thy
brother: Let me pull the mote out of thine eye—and behold, a beam is in thine
own eye?
14:5.
17 Thou hypocrite, first cast
the beam out of thine own eye; and then shalt thou see clearly to cast the mote
out of thy brother’s eye.
14:6.
18 Give not that which is holy
unto the dogs, neither cast ye your pearls before swine, lest they trample them
under their feet, and turn again and rend you.
3rd Nephi; 6:3
14:7.
19 Ask, and it shall be given
unto you; seek, and ye shall find; knock, and it shall be opened unto you.
14:8.
20 For every one that asketh,
receiveth; and he that seeketh, findeth; and to him that knocketh, it shall be
opened.
14:9.
21 Or what man is there of you,
who, if his son ask bread, will give him a stone?
14:10.
22 Or if he ask a fish, will he
give him a serpent?
14:11.
23 If ye then, being evil, know
how to give good gifts unto your children, how much more shall your Father who
is in heaven give good things to them that ask him?
14:12.
24 Therefore, all things
whatsoever ye would that men should do to you, do ye even so to them, for this
is the law and the prophets.
3rd Nephi; 6:4
14:13.
25 Enter ye in at the strait
gate; for wide is the gate, and broad is the way, which leadeth to destruction,
and many there be who go in thereat;
14:14.
26 Because strait is the gate,
and narrow is the way, which leadeth unto life, and few there be that find it.
14:15.
27 Beware of false prophets,
who come to you in sheep’s clothing, but inwardly they are ravening wolves.
14:16.
28 Ye shall know them by their
fruits. Do men gather grapes of thorns, or figs of thistles?
14:17.
29 Even so every good tree
bringeth forth good fruit; but a corrupt tree bringeth forth evil fruit.
14:18.
30 A good tree cannot bring
forth evil fruit, neither a corrupt tree bring forth good fruit.
14:19.
31 Every tree that bringeth not
forth good fruit is hewn down, and cast into the fire.
14:20.
32 Wherefore, by their fruits ye
shall know them.
3rd Nephi; 6:5
14:21.
33 Not every one that saith
unto me, Lord, Lord, shall enter into the kingdom of heaven; but he that doeth
the will of my Father who is in heaven.
14:22.
34 Many will say to me in that
day: Lord, Lord, have we not prophesied in thy name, and in thy name have cast
out devils, and in thy name done many wonderful works?
14:23.
35 And then will I profess unto
them: I never knew you; depart from me, ye that work iniquity.
3rd Nephi; 6:6
14:24.
36 Therefore, whoso heareth
these sayings of mine and doeth them, I will liken him unto a wise man, who
built his house upon a rock—
14:25.
And the rain descended, and the floods
came, and the winds blew, and beat upon that house; and it fell not, for it was
founded upon a rock.
14:26.
37 And every one that heareth
these sayings of mine and doeth them not shall be likened unto a foolish man,
who built his house upon the sand—
14:27.
And the rain descended, and the floods
came, and the winds blew, and beat upon that house; and it fell, and great was
the fall of it.
3rd Nephi, Chapter 7
3rd Nephi; 7:1
3rd Nephi, Chapter 15
15:1.
1 And now it came to pass that
when Jesus had ended these sayings he cast his eyes round about on the
multitude, and said unto them: Behold, ye have heard the things which I taught
before I ascended to my Father; 2 therefore,
whoso remembereth these sayings of mine and doeth them, him will I raise up at
the last day.
15:2.
3 And it came to pass that
when Jesus had said these words he perceived that there were some among them
who marveled, and wondered what he would concerning the law of Moses; for they
understood not the saying that old things had passed away, and that all things
had become new.
15:3.
4 And he said unto them:
Marvel not that I said unto you that old things had passed away, and that all
things had become new.
15:4.
5 Behold, I say unto you that
the law is fulfilled that was given unto Moses.
15:5.
6 Behold, I am he that gave
the law, and I am he who covenanted with my people Israel; therefore, the law
in me is fulfilled, for I have come to fulfil the law; therefore it hath an
end.
15:6.
7 Behold, I do not destroy the
prophets, for as many as have not been fulfilled in me, verily I say unto you,
shall all be fulfilled.
15:7.
8 And because I said unto you
that old things have passed away, I do not destroy that which hath been spoken
concerning things which are to come.
15:8.
9 For behold, the covenant
which I have made with my people is not all fulfilled; but the law which was
given unto Moses hath an end in me.
15:9.
10 Behold, I am the law, and
the light. Look unto me, and endure to the end, and ye shall live; for unto him
that endureth to the end will I give eternal life.
15:10.
11 Behold, I have given unto
you the commandments; therefore keep my commandments. 12
And this is the law and the prophets, for they truly testified of me.
3rd Nephi; 7:2
15:11.
13 And now it came to pass that
when Jesus had spoken these words, he said unto those twelve whom he had
chosen:
15:12.
Ye are my disciples; and ye are a light
unto this people, who are a remnant of the house of Joseph.
15:13.
14 And behold, this is the land
of your inheritance; and the Father hath given it unto you.
15:14.
15 And not at any time hath the
Father given me commandment that I should tell it unto your brethren at
Jerusalem.
15:15.
Neither at any time hath the Father given
me commandment that I should tell unto them concerning the other tribes of the
house of Israel, whom the Father hath led away out of the land.
15:16.
16 This much did the Father
command me, that I should tell unto them:
15:17.
That other sheep I have which are not of
this fold; them also I must bring, and they shall hear my voice; and there
shall be one fold, and one shepherd.
15:18.
17 And now, because of
stiffneckedness and unbelief they understood not my word; therefore I was
commanded to say no more of the Father concerning this thing unto them.
15:19.
18 But, verily, I say unto you
that the Father hath commanded me, and I tell it unto you, that ye were
separated from among them because of their iniquity; therefore it is because of
their iniquity that they know not of you.
15:20.
19 And verily, I say unto you
again that the other tribes hath the Father separated from them; and it is
because of their iniquity that they know not of them.
15:21.
20 And verily I say unto you,
that ye are they of whom I said: Other sheep I have which are not of this fold;
them also I must bring, and they shall hear my voice; and there shall be one
fold, and one shepherd.
15:22.
21 And they understood me not,
for they supposed it had been the Gentiles; for they understood not that the
Gentiles should be converted through their preaching.
15:23.
22 And they understood me not
that I said they shall hear my voice; and they understood me not that the
Gentiles should not at any time hear my voice—that I should not manifest myself
unto them save it were by the Holy Ghost.
15:24.
23 But behold, ye have both
heard my voice, and seen me; and ye are my sheep, and ye are numbered among
those whom the Father hath given me.
3rd Nephi; 7:3
3rd Nephi, Chapter 16
16:1.
24 And verily, verily, I say
unto you that I have other sheep which are not of this land, neither of the
land of Jerusalem, neither in any parts of that land round about whither I have
been to minister.
16:2.
25 For they of whom I speak are
they who have not as yet heard my voice; neither have I at any time manifested
myself unto them.
16:3.
26 But I have received a
commandment of the Father that I shall go unto them, and that they shall hear
my voice, and shall be numbered among my sheep, that there may be one fold and
one shepherd; therefore I go to show myself unto them.
16:4.
27 And I command you that ye
shall write these sayings after I am gone, that if it so be that my people at
Jerusalem, they who have seen me and been with me in my ministry, do not ask
the Father in my name, that they may receive a knowledge of you by the Holy
Ghost, and also of the other tribes whom they know not of, 28 that these sayings which ye shall write shall
be kept and shall be manifested unto the Gentiles, that through the fulness of
the Gentiles, the remnant of their seed, who shall be scattered forth upon the
face of the earth because of their unbelief, may be brought in, or may be
brought to a knowledge of me, their Redeemer.
16:5.
29 And then will I gather them
in from the four quarters of the earth; and then will I fulfill the covenant
which the Father hath made unto all the people of the house of Israel.
3rd Nephi; 7:4
16:6.
30 And blessed are the
Gentiles, because of their belief in me, in and of the Holy Ghost, which
witnesses unto them of me and of the Father.
16:7.
31 Behold, because of their
belief in me, saith the Father, and because of the unbelief of you, O house of
Israel, in the latter day shall the truth come unto the Gentiles, that the
fulness of these things shall be made known unto them.
16:8.
32 But wo, saith the Father,
unto the unbelieving of the Gentiles—for notwithstanding they have come forth
upon the face of this land, and have scattered my people who are of the house
of Israel; and my people who are of the house of Israel have been cast out from
among them, and have been trodden under feet by them;
16:9.
33 And because of the mercies
of the Father unto the Gentiles, and also the judgments of the Father upon my
people who are of the house of Israel, verily, verily, I say unto you, that
after all this, and I have caused my people who are of the house of Israel to
be smitten, and to be afflicted, and to be slain, and to be cast out from among
them, and to become hated by them, and to become a hiss and a byword among
them—
16:10.
34 And thus commandeth the
Father that I should say unto you: At that day when the Gentiles shall sin
against my gospel, and shall reject the fulness of my gospel, and shall be
lifted up in the pride of their hearts above all nations, and above all the people
of the whole earth, and shall be filled with all manner of lyings, and of
deceits, and of mischiefs, and all manner of hypocrisy, and murders, and
priestcrafts, and whoredoms, and of secret abominations; 35 and if they shall do all those things, and shall
reject the fulness of my gospel, behold, saith the Father, I will bring the
fulness of my gospel from among them.
16:11.
36 And then will I remember my
covenant which I have made unto my people, O house of Israel, and I will bring
my gospel unto them.
16:12.
37 And I will show unto thee, O
house of Israel, that the Gentiles shall not have power over you; but I will
remember my covenant unto you, O house of Israel, and ye shall come unto the
knowledge of the fulness of my gospel.
16:13.
38 But if the Gentiles will
repent and return unto me, saith the Father, behold they shall be numbered
among my people, O house of Israel.
16:14.
39 And I will not suffer my
people, who are of the house of Israel, to go through among them, and tread
them down, saith the Father.
16:15.
40 But if they will not turn
unto me, and hearken unto my voice, I will suffer them, yea, I will suffer my
people, O house of Israel, that they shall go through among them, and shall
tread them down, 41 and they shall be as
salt that hath lost its savor, which is thenceforth good for nothing but to be
cast out, and to be trodden under foot of my people, O house of Israel.
16:16.
42 Verily, verily, I say unto
you, thus hath the Father commanded me—that I should give unto this people this
land for their inheritance.
16:17.
43 And then the words of the
prophet Isaiah shall be fulfilled, which say:
16:18.
Thy watchmen shall lift up the voice; with
the voice together shall they sing, for they shall see eye to eye when the Lord
shall bring again Zion.
16:19.
44 Break forth into joy, sing
together, ye waste places of Jerusalem; for the Lord hath comforted his people,
he hath redeemed Jerusalem.
16:20.
45 The Lord hath made bare his
holy arm in the eye of all the nations; and all the ends of the earth shall see
the salvation of God.
3rd Nephi, Chapter 8
3rd Nephi; 8:1
3rd Nephi, Chapter 17
17:1.
1 Behold, now it came to pass
that when Jesus had spoken these words he looked round about again on the
multitude, and he said unto them: Behold, my time is at hand.
17:2.
2 I perceive that ye are weak,
that ye cannot understand all my words which I am commanded of the Father to
speak unto you at this time.
17:3.
3 Therefore, go ye unto your
homes, and ponder upon the things which I have said, and ask of the Father, in
my name, that ye may understand, and prepare your minds for the morrow, and I
come unto you again.
17:4.
4 But now I go unto the
Father, and also to show myself unto the lost tribes of Israel, for they are
not lost unto the Father, for he knoweth whither he hath taken them.
3rd Nephi; 8:2
17:5.
5 And it came to pass that
when Jesus had thus spoken, he cast his eyes round about again on the
multitude, and beheld they were in tears, and did look steadfastly upon him as
if they would ask him to tarry a little longer with them.
17:6.
6 And he said unto them:
Behold, my bowels are filled with compassion towards you.
17:7.
Have ye any that are sick among you? Bring
them hither. 7 Have ye any that are lame, or
blind, or halt, or maimed, or leprous, or that are withered, or that are deaf,
or that are afflicted in any manner? Bring them hither and I will heal them,
for I have compassion upon you; 8 my bowels
are filled with mercy.
17:8.
For I perceive that ye desire that I should
show unto you what I have done unto your brethren at Jerusalem, for I see that
your faith is sufficient that I should heal you.
3rd Nephi; 8:3
17:9.
9 And it came to pass that
when he had thus spoken, all the multitude, with one accord, did go forth with
their sick and their afflicted, and their lame, and with their blind, and with
their dumb, and with all them that were afflicted in any manner; and he did
heal them every one as they were brought forth unto him.
17:10.
10 And they did all, both they
who had been healed and they who were whole, bow down at his feet, and did
worship him; 11 and as many as could come
for the multitude did kiss his feet, insomuch that they did bathe his feet with
their tears.
3rd Nephi; 8:4
17:11.
12 And it came to pass that he
commanded that their little children should be brought.
17:12.
13 So they brought their little
children and set them down upon the ground round about him, and Jesus stood in
the midst; and the multitude gave way till they had all been brought unto him.
17:13.
14 And it came to pass that
when they had all been brought, and Jesus stood in the midst, he commanded the
multitude that they should kneel down upon the ground.
17:14.
15 And it came to pass that
when they had knelt upon the ground, Jesus groaned within himself, and said:
Father, I am troubled because of the wickedness of the people of the house of
Israel.
17:15.
16 And when he had said these
words, he himself also knelt upon the earth; and behold he prayed unto the
Father, and the things which he prayed cannot be written, and the multitude did
bear record who heard him.
17:16.
17 And after this manner do
they bear record: The eye hath never seen, neither hath the ear heard, before,
so great and marvelous things as we saw and heard Jesus speak unto the Father;
17:17.
18 And no tongue can speak,
neither can there be written by any man, neither can the hearts of men conceive
so great and marvelous things as we both saw and heard Jesus speak; 19 and no one can conceive of the joy which filled
our souls at the time we heard him pray for us unto the Father.
3rd Nephi; 8:5
17:18.
20 And it came to pass that
when Jesus had made an end of praying unto the Father, he arose; but so great
was the joy of the multitude that they were overcome.
17:19.
21 And it came to pass that
Jesus spake unto them, and bade them arise.
17:20.
22 And they arose from the
earth, and he said unto them: Blessed are ye because of your faith. And now
behold, my joy is full.
17:21.
23 And when he had said these
words, he wept, and the multitude bare record of it, and he took their little
children, one by one, and blessed them, and prayed unto the Father for them.
17:22.
24 And when he had done this he
wept again;
17:23.
And he spake unto the multitude, and said
unto them: Behold your little ones.
17:24.
25 And as they looked to behold
they cast their eyes towards heaven, and they saw the heavens open, and they
saw angels descending out of heaven as it were in the midst of fire; and they
came down and encircled those little ones about, 26
and they were encircled about with fire; and the angels did minister
unto them.
17:25.
And the multitude did see and hear and bear
record; and they know that their record is true for they all of them did see
and hear, every man for himself; 27 and they
were in number about two thousand and five hundred souls; and they did consist
of men, women, and children.
3rd Nephi; 8:6
3rd Nephi, Chapter 18
18:1.
28 And it came to pass that
Jesus commanded his disciples that they should bring forth some bread and wine
unto him.
18:2.
29 And while they were gone for
bread and wine, he commanded the multitude that they should sit themselves down
upon the earth.
18:3.
30 And when the disciples had
come with bread and wine, he took of the bread and brake and blessed it; and he
gave unto the disciples and commanded that they should eat.
18:4.
31 And when they had eaten and
were filled, he commanded that they should give unto the multitude.
18:5.
32 And when the multitude had
eaten and were filled, he said unto the disciples: Behold there shall one be
ordained among you, and to him will I give power that he shall break bread and
bless it and give it unto the people of my church, unto all those who shall
believe and be baptized in my name.
18:6.
33 And this shall ye always
observe to do, even as I have done, even as I have broken bread and blessed it
and given it unto you.
18:7.
34 And this shall ye do in
remembrance of my body, which I have shown unto you. 35
And it shall be a testimony unto the Father that ye do always remember
me. 36 And if ye do always remember me ye
shall have my Spirit to be with you.
3rd Nephi; 8:7
18:8.
37 And it came to pass that
when he said these words, he commanded his disciples that they should take of
the wine of the cup and drink of it, and that they should also give unto the
multitude that they might drink of it.
18:9.
38 And it came to pass that
they did so, and did drink of it and were filled; and they gave unto the
multitude, and they did drink, and they were filled.
18:10.
39 And when the disciples had
done this, Jesus said unto them: Blessed are ye for this thing which ye have
done, for this is fulfilling my commandments, and this doth witness unto the
Father that ye are willing to do that which I have commanded you.
18:11.
40 And this shall ye always do
to those who repent and are baptized in my name; and ye shall do it in
remembrance of my blood, which I have shed for you, that ye may witness unto
the Father that ye do always remember me. 41 And
if ye do always remember me ye shall have my Spirit to be with you.
18:12.
42 And I give unto you a
commandment that ye shall do these things. 43 And
if ye shall always do these things blessed are ye, for ye are built upon my
rock.
18:13.
44 But whoso among you shall do
more or less than these are not built upon my rock, but are built upon a sandy
foundation; 45 and when the rain descends,
and the floods come, and the winds blow, and beat upon them, they shall fall,
and the gates of hell are ready open to receive them.
18:14.
46 Therefore blessed are ye if
ye shall keep my commandments, which the Father hath commanded me that I should
give unto you.
18:15.
47 Verily, verily, I say unto
you, ye must watch and pray always, lest ye be tempted by the devil, and ye be
led away captive by him.
18:16.
48 And as I have prayed among
you even so shall ye pray in my church, among my people who do repent and are
baptized in my name. 49 Behold I am the
light; I have set an example for you.
3rd Nephi; 8:8
18:17.
50 And it came to pass that
when Jesus had spoken these words unto his disciples, he turned again unto the
multitude and said unto them:
18:18.
Behold, verily, verily, I say unto you, ye
must watch and pray always lest ye enter into temptation; 51 for Satan desireth to have you, that he may
sift you as wheat.
18:19.
Therefore ye must always pray unto the
Father in my name;
18:20.
And whatsoever ye shall ask the Father in
my name, which is right, believing that ye shall receive, behold it shall be
given unto you.
18:21.
52 Pray in your families unto
the Father, always in my name, that your wives and your children may be
blessed.
18:22.
53 And behold, ye shall meet
together oft; and ye shall not forbid any man from coming unto you when ye
shall meet together, but suffer them that they may come unto you and forbid
them not;
18:23.
54 But ye shall pray for them,
and shall not cast them out; and if it so be that they come unto you oft ye
shall pray for them unto the Father, in my name.
18:24.
Therefore, hold up your light that it may
shine unto the world. 55 Behold I am the
light which ye shall hold up—that which ye have seen me do. 56 Behold ye see that I have prayed unto the
Father, and ye all have witnessed.
18:25.
And ye see that I have commanded that none
of you should go away, but rather have commanded that ye should come unto me,
that ye might feel and see; 57 even so shall
ye do unto the world; and whosoever breaketh this commandment suffereth himself
to be led into temptation.
3rd Nephi; 8:9
18:26.
58 And now it came to pass that
when Jesus had spoken these words, he turned his eyes again upon the disciples
whom he had chosen, and said unto them:
18:27.
59 Behold verily, verily, I say
unto you, I give unto you another commandment, and then I must go unto my
Father that I may fulfil other commandments which he hath given me.
18:28.
60 And now behold, this is the
commandment which I give unto you, that ye shall not suffer any one knowingly
to partake of my flesh and blood unworthily, when ye shall minister it;
18:29.
For whoso eateth and drinketh my flesh and
blood unworthily eateth and drinketh damnation to his soul; 61 therefore if ye know that a man is unworthy to
eat and drink of my flesh and blood ye shall forbid him.
18:30.
Nevertheless, ye shall not cast him out
from among you, but ye shall minister unto him and shall pray for him unto the
Father, in my name; 62 and if it so be that
he repenteth and is baptized in my name, then shall ye receive him, and shall
minister unto him of my flesh and blood.
18:31.
63 But if he repent not he
shall not be numbered among my people, that he may not destroy my people, for
behold I know my sheep, and they are numbered.
18:32.
64 Nevertheless, ye shall not
cast him out of your synagogues, or your places of worship, for unto such shall
ye continue to minister; 65 for ye know not
but what they will return and repent, and come unto me with full purpose of
heart, and I shall heal them; and ye shall be the means of bringing salvation
unto them.
18:33.
66 Therefore, keep these sayings
which I have commanded you that ye come not under condemnation; for wo unto him
whom the Father condemneth.
18:34.
67 And I give you these
commandments because of the disputations which have been among you. 68 And blessed are ye if ye have no disputations
among you.
18:35.
69 And now I go unto the
Father, because it is expedient that I should go unto the Father for your
sakes.
3rd Nephi; 8:10
18:36.
70 And it came to pass that
when Jesus had made an end of these sayings, he touched with his hand the
disciples whom he had chosen, one by one, even until he had touched them all,
and spake unto them as he touched them.
18:37.
71 And the multitude heard not
the words which he spake, therefore they did not bear record; but the disciples
bare record that he gave them power to give the Holy Ghost. 72 And I will show unto you hereafter that this
record is true.
3rd Nephi; 8:11
18:38.
73 And it came to pass that
when Jesus had touched them all, there came a cloud and overshadowed the
multitude that they could not see Jesus.
18:39.
74 And while they were
overshadowed he departed from them, and ascended into heaven. 75 And the disciples saw and did bear record that
he ascended again into heaven.
3rd Nephi, Chapter 9
3rd Nephi; 9:1
3rd Nephi, Chapter 19
19:1.
1 And now it came to pass that
when Jesus had ascended into heaven, the multitude did disperse, and every man
did take his wife and his children and did return to his own home.
19:2.
2 And it was noised abroad
among the people immediately, before it was yet dark, that the multitude had
seen Jesus, and that he had ministered unto them, and that he would also show
himself on the morrow unto the multitude.
19:3.
3 Yea, and even all the night
it was noised abroad concerning Jesus; and insomuch did they send forth unto
the people that there were many, yea, an exceedingly great number, did labor
exceedingly all that night, that they might be on the morrow in the place where
Jesus should show himself unto the multitude.
3rd Nephi; 9:2
19:4.
4 And it came to pass that on
the morrow, when the multitude was gathered together, behold, Nephi and his
brother whom he had raised from the dead, whose name was Timothy, and also his
son, whose name was Jonas, and also Mathoni, and Mathonihah, his brother, and
Kumen, and Kumenonhi, and Jeremiah, and Shemnon, and Jonas, and Zedekiah, and
Isaiah—now these were the names of the disciples whom Jesus had chosen— 5 and it came to pass that they went forth and
stood in the midst of the multitude.
19:5.
6 And behold, the multitude
was so great that they did cause that they should be separated into twelve
bodies.
19:6.
7 And the twelve did teach the
multitude; and behold, they did cause that the multitude should kneel down upon
the face of the earth, and should pray unto the Father in the name of Jesus.
19:7.
8 And the disciples did pray
unto the Father also in the name of Jesus. 9 And
it came to pass that they arose and ministered unto the people.
19:8.
10 And when they had ministered
those same words which Jesus had spoken—nothing varying from the words which
Jesus had spoken—behold, they knelt again and prayed to the Father in the name
of Jesus.
19:9.
And they did pray for that which they most
desired; and they desired that the Holy Ghost should be given unto them.
19:10.
11 And when they had thus
prayed they went down unto the water’s edge, and the multitude followed them.
19:11.
12 And it came to pass that
Nephi went down into the water and was baptized.
19:12.
13 And he came up out of the
water and began to baptize. And he baptized all those whom Jesus had chosen.
19:13.
14 And it came to pass when
they were all baptized and had come up out of the water, the Holy Ghost did
fall upon them, and they were filled with the Holy Ghost and with fire.
19:14.
15 And behold, they were
encircled about as if it were by fire; and it came down from heaven, and the
multitude did witness it, and did bear record; and angels did come down out of
heaven and did minister unto them.
19:15.
16 And it came to pass that
while the angels were ministering unto the disciples, behold, Jesus came and
stood in the midst and ministered unto them.
19:16.
17 And it came to pass that he
spake unto the multitude, and commanded them that they should kneel down again
upon the earth, and also that his disciples should kneel down upon the earth.
19:17.
18 And it came to pass that
when they had all knelt down upon the earth, he commanded his disciples that
they should pray.
19:18.
19 And behold, they began to
pray; and they did pray unto Jesus, calling him their Lord and their God.
3rd Nephi; 9:3
19:19. 20 And it came to pass that Jesus departed out of the midst of
them, and went a little way off from them and bowed himself to the earth, and
he said:
19:20.
Father, I thank thee that thou hast given
the Holy Ghost unto these whom I have chosen; and it is because of their belief
in me that I have chosen them out of the world.
19:21.
21 Father, I pray thee that
thou wilt give the Holy Ghost unto all them that shall believe in their words.
19:22.
22 Father, thou hast given them
the Holy Ghost because they believe in me; and thou seest that they believe in
me because thou hearest them, and they pray unto me; and they pray unto me
because I am with them.
19:23.
23 And now Father, I pray unto
thee for them, and also for all those who shall believe on their words, that
they may believe in me, that I may be in them as thou, Father, art in me, that
we may be one.
3rd Nephi; 9:4
19:24. 24 And it came to pass that when Jesus had thus prayed unto the
Father, he came unto his disciples, and behold, they did still continue,
without ceasing, to pray unto him; and they did not multiply many words, for it
was given unto them what they should pray, and they were filled with desire.
19:25.
25 And it came to pass that
Jesus blessed them as they did pray unto him; and his countenance did smile
upon them, and the light of his countenance did shine upon them, and behold
they were as white as the countenance and also the garments of Jesus; 26 and behold the whiteness thereof did exceed all
the whiteness, yea, even there could be nothing upon earth so white as the
whiteness thereof.
19:26.
27 And Jesus said unto them:
Pray on; nevertheless they did not cease to pray.
19:27.
28 And he turned from them
again, and went a little way off and bowed himself to the earth; and he prayed
again unto the Father, saying:
19:28.
Father, I thank thee that thou hast
purified those whom I have chosen, because of their faith, 29 and I pray for them, and also for them who
shall believe on their words, that they may be purified in me, through faith on
their words, even as they are purified in me.
19:29.
30 Father, I pray not for the
world, but for those whom thou hast given me out of the world, because of their
faith, that they may be purified in me, that I may be in them as thou, Father,
art in me, that we may be one, that I may be glorified in them.
3rd Nephi; 9:5
19:30. 31 And when Jesus had spoken these words he came again unto his
disciples; and behold they did pray steadfastly, without ceasing, unto him; and
he did smile upon them again; and behold they were white, even as Jesus.
19:31.
32 And it came to pass that he
went again a little way off and prayed unto the Father;
19:32.
And tongue cannot speak the words which he
prayed, neither can be written by man the words which he prayed.
19:33.
33 And the multitude did hear
and do bear record; and their hearts were open and they did understand in their
hearts the words which he prayed.
19:34.
34 Nevertheless, so great and
marvelous were the words which he prayed that they cannot be written, neither
can they be uttered by man.
3rd Nephi; 9:6
19:35. 35 And it came to pass that when Jesus had made an end of praying
he came again to the disciples, and said unto them: So great faith have I never
seen among all the Jews; wherefore I could not show unto them so great
miracles, because of their unbelief.
19:36.
36 Verily I say unto you, there
are none of them that have seen so great things as ye have seen; neither have
they heard so great things as ye have heard.
3rd Nephi; 9:7
3rd Nephi, Chapter 20
20:1.
37 And it came to pass that he
commanded the multitude that they should cease to pray, and also his disciples.
38 And he commanded them that they should
not cease to pray in their hearts.
20:2.
39 And he commanded them that
they should arise and stand up upon their feet. And they arose up and stood
upon their feet.
20:3.
40 And it came to pass that he
brake bread again and blessed it, and gave to the disciples to eat.
20:4.
41 And when they had eaten he
commanded them that they should break bread, and give unto the multitude.
20:5.
42 And when they had given unto
the multitude he also gave them wine to drink, and commanded them that they
should give unto the multitude.
20:6.
43 Now, there had been no
bread, neither wine, brought by the disciples, neither by the multitude;
20:7.
But he truly gave unto them bread to eat,
and also wine to drink.
20:8.
44 And he said unto them: He
that eateth this bread eateth of my body to his soul; and he that drinketh of
this wine drinketh of my blood to his soul; and his soul shall never hunger nor
thirst, but shall be filled.
20:9.
45 Now, when the multitude had
all eaten and drunk, behold, they were filled with the Spirit; and they did cry
out with one voice, and gave glory to Jesus, whom they both saw and heard.
3rd Nephi; 9:8
20:10.
46 And it came to pass that
when they had all given glory unto Jesus, he said unto them: Behold now I
finish the commandment which the Father hath commanded me concerning this
people, who are a remnant of the house of Israel.
20:11.
47 Ye remember that I spake
unto you, and said that when the words of Isaiah should be fulfilled—behold
they are written, ye have them before you, therefore search them—
20:12.
48 And verily, verily, I say
unto you, that when they shall be fulfilled then is the fulfilling of the
covenant which the Father hath made unto his people, 49
O house of Israel.
20:13.
And then shall the remnants, which shall be
scattered abroad upon the face of the earth, be gathered in from the east and
from the west, and from the south and from the north; and they shall be brought
to the knowledge of the Lord their God, who hath redeemed them.
20:14.
50 And the Father hath
commanded me that I should give unto you this land, for your inheritance.
20:15.
51 And I say unto you, that if
the Gentiles do not repent after the blessing which they shall receive, after
they have scattered my people—
20:16.
Then shall ye, who are a remnant of the
house of Jacob, go forth among them; 52 and
ye shall be in the midst of them who shall be many; and ye shall be among them
as a lion among the beasts of the forest, and as a young lion among the flocks
of sheep, who, if he goeth through both treadeth down and teareth in pieces,
and none can deliver.
20:17.
53 Thy hand shall be lifted up
upon thine adversaries, and all thine enemies shall be cut off.
20:18.
54 And I will gather my people
together as a man gathereth his sheaves into the floor.
20:19.
For I will make my people with whom the
Father hath covenanted, yea, I will make thy horn iron, and I will make thy
hoofs brass. 55 And thou shalt beat in
pieces many people; and I will consecrate their gain unto the Lord, and their
substance unto the Lord of the whole earth. And behold, I am he who doeth it.
3rd Nephi; 9:9
20:20.
56 And it shall come to pass,
saith the Father, that the sword of my justice shall hang over them at that
day; and except they repent it shall fall upon them, saith the Father, yea,
even upon all the nations of the Gentiles.
20:21.
57 And it shall come to pass
that I will establish my people, O house of Israel.
20:22.
58 And behold, this people will
I establish in this land, unto the fulfilling of the covenant which I made with
your father Jacob; and it shall be a New Jerusalem. 59
And the powers of heaven shall be in the midst of this people; yea, even
I will be in the midst of you.
20:23.
60 Behold, I am he of whom
Moses spake, saying: A prophet shall the Lord your God raise up unto you of
your brethren, like unto me; him shall ye hear in all things whatsoever he
shall say unto you. 61 And it shall come to
pass that every soul who will not hear that prophet shall be cut off from among
the people.
20:24.
62 Verily I say unto you, yea,
and all the prophets from Samuel and those that follow after, as many as have
spoken, have testified of me.
20:25.
63 And behold, ye are the
children of the prophets; and ye are of the house of Israel; and ye are of the
covenant which the Father made with your fathers, saying unto Abraham: And in
thy seed shall all the kindreds of the earth be blessed.
20:26.
64 The Father having raised me
up unto you first, and sent me to bless you in turning away every one of you
from his iniquities; and this because ye are the children of the covenant—
20:27.
65 And after that ye were
blessed then fulfilleth the Father the covenant which he made with Abraham,
saying: In thy seed shall all the kindreds of the earth be blessed—unto the
pouring out of the Holy Ghost through me upon the Gentiles, which blessing upon
the Gentiles shall make them mighty above all, unto the scattering of my
people, O house of Israel.
20:28.
And they shall be a scourge unto the people
of this land. 66 Nevertheless, when they
shall have received the fulness of my gospel, then if they shall harden their
hearts against me I will return their iniquities upon their own heads, saith
the Father.
20:29.
67 And I will remember the
covenant which I have made with my people; and I have covenanted with them that
I would gather them together in mine own due time, 68
that I would give unto them again the land of their fathers for their
inheritance, which is the land of Jerusalem, which is the promised land unto
them forever, saith the Father.
3rd Nephi; 9:10
20:30.
69 And it shall come to pass
that the time cometh, when the fulness of my gospel shall be preached unto
them;
20:31.
And they shall believe in me, that I am
Jesus Christ, the Son of God, and shall pray unto the Father in my name.
20:32.
70 Then shall their watchmen
lift up their voice, and with the voice together shall they sing; for they
shall see eye to eye.
20:33.
71 Then will the Father gather
them together again, and give unto them Jerusalem for the land of their
inheritance.
20:34.
72 Then shall they break forth
into joy—Sing together, ye waste places of Jerusalem; for the Father hath
comforted his people, he hath redeemed Jerusalem.
20:35.
73 The Father hath made bare
his holy arm in the eyes of all the nations; and all the ends of the earth
shall see the salvation of the Father; and the Father and I are one.
20:36.
74 And then shall be brought to
pass that which is written: Awake, awake again, and put on thy strength, O
Zion; put on thy beautiful garments, O Jerusalem, the holy city, for henceforth
there shall no more come into thee the uncircumcised and the unclean.
20:37.
75 Shake thyself from the dust;
arise, sit down, O Jerusalem; loose thyself from the bands of thy neck, O
captive daughter of Zion.
20:38.
76 For thus saith the Lord: Ye
have sold yourselves for naught, and ye shall be redeemed without money.
20:39.
77 Verily, verily, I say unto
you, that my people shall know my name; yea, in that day they shall know that I
am he that doth speak.
3rd Nephi; 9:11
20:40.
78 And then shall they say: How
beautiful upon the mountains are the feet of him that bringeth good tidings
unto them, that publisheth peace; that bringeth good tidings unto them of good,
that publisheth salvation; that saith unto Zion: Thy God reigneth!
20:41.
79 And then shall a cry go
forth: Depart ye, depart ye, go ye out from thence, touch not that which is
unclean; go ye out of the midst of her; be ye clean that bear the vessels of
the Lord.
20:42.
80 For ye shall not go out with
haste nor go by flight; for the Lord will go before you, and the God of Israel
shall be your rearward.
20:43.
81 Behold, my servant shall
deal prudently; he shall be exalted and extolled and be very high.
20:44.
82 As many were astonished at
thee—his visage was so marred, more than any man, and his form more than the
sons of men—
20:45.
83 So shall he sprinkle many
nations; the kings shall shut their mouths at him, for that which had not been
told them shall they see; and that which they had not heard shall they
consider.
20:46.
84 Verily, verily, I say unto
you, all these things shall surely come, even as the Father hath commanded me. 85 Then shall this covenant which the Father hath
covenanted with his people be fulfilled; and then shall Jerusalem be inhabited
again with my people, and it shall be the land of their inheritance.
3rd Nephi, Chapter 21
21:1.
86 And verily I say unto you, I
give unto you a sign, that ye may know the time when these things shall be
about to take place—that I shall gather in, from their long dispersion, my
people, O house of Israel, and shall establish again among them my Zion;
21:2.
87 And behold, this is the
thing which I will give unto you for a sign—for verily I say unto you that when
these things which I declare unto you, and which I shall declare unto you
hereafter of myself, and by the power of the Holy Ghost which shall be given
unto you of the Father, shall be made known unto the Gentiles 88 that they may know concerning this people who
are a remnant of the house of Jacob, and concerning this my people who shall be
scattered by them;
21:3.
89 Verily, verily, I say unto
you, when these things shall be made known unto them of the Father, and shall
come forth of the Father, from them unto you;
21:4.
For it is wisdom in the Father that they
should be established in this land, 90 and
be set up as a free people by the power of the Father, that these things might
come forth from them unto a remnant of your seed, that the covenant of the
Father may be fulfilled which he hath covenanted with his people, O house of
Israel;
21:5.
91 Therefore, when these works
and the works which shall be wrought among you hereafter shall come forth from
the Gentiles, unto your seed which shall dwindle in unbelief because of
iniquity;
21:6.
92 For thus it behooveth the
Father that it should come forth from the Gentiles, that he may show forth his
power unto the Gentiles, for this cause that the Gentiles, if they will not
harden their hearts, that they may repent and come unto me and be baptized in
my name and know of the true points of my doctrine, that they may be numbered
among my people, O house of Israel;
21:7.
93 And when these things come
to pass that thy seed shall begin to know these things—it shall be a sign unto
them, that they may know that the work of the Father hath already commenced
unto the fulfilling of the covenant which he hath made unto the people who are
of the house of Israel.
21:8.
94 And when that day shall
come, it shall come to pass that kings shall shut their mouths; for that which
had not been told them shall they see; and that which they had not heard shall
they consider.
21:9.
95 For in that day, for my sake
shall the Father work a work, which shall be a great and a marvelous work among
them; and there shall be among them those who will not believe it, although a
man shall declare it unto them.
21:10.
96 But behold, the life of my
servant shall be in my hand; therefore they shall not hurt him, although he
shall be marred because of them. 97 Yet I
will heal him, for I will show unto them that my wisdom is greater than the
cunning of the devil.
3rd Nephi; 9:12
21:11.
98 Therefore it shall come to
pass that whosoever will not believe in my words, who am Jesus Christ, which
the Father shall cause him to bring forth unto the Gentiles, and shall give
unto him power that he shall bring them forth unto the Gentiles, (it shall be
done even as Moses said) they shall be cut off from among my people who are of
the covenant.
21:12.
99 And my people who are a
remnant of Jacob shall be among the Gentiles, yea, in the midst of them as a
lion among the beasts of the forest, as a young lion among the flocks of sheep,
who, if he go through both treadeth down and teareth in pieces, and none can
deliver.
21:13.
100 Their hand shall be lifted
up upon their adversaries, and all their enemies shall be cut off.
21:14.
101 Yea, wo be unto the Gentiles
except they repent; for it shall come to pass in that day, saith the Father,
that I will cut off thy horses out of the midst of thee, and I will destroy thy
chariots;
21:15.
And I will cut off the cities of thy land,
and throw down all thy strongholds;
21:16.
102 And I will cut off
witchcrafts out of thy land, and thou shalt have no more soothsayers;
21:17.
103 Thy graven images I will
also cut off, and thy standing images out of the midst of thee, and thou shalt
no more worship the works of thy hands;
21:18.
104 And I will pluck up thy
groves out of the midst of thee; so will I destroy thy cities.
21:19.
105 And it shall come to pass
that all lyings, and deceivings, and envyings, and strifes, and priestcrafts,
and whoredoms, shall be done away.
21:20.
106 For it shall come to pass,
saith the Father, that at that day whosoever will not repent and come unto my
Beloved Son, them will I cut off from among my people, O house of Israel;
21:21.
And I will execute vengeance and fury upon
them, even as upon the heathen, such as they have not heard.
3rd Nephi, Chapter 10
3rd Nephi; 10:1
21:22.
1 But if they will repent and
hearken unto my words, and harden not their hearts, I will establish my church
among them, and they shall come in unto the covenant and be numbered among this
the remnant of Jacob, unto whom I have given this land for their inheritance;
21:23.
And they shall assist my people, the
remnant of Jacob, 2 and also as many of the
house of Israel as shall come, that they may build a city, which shall be
called the New Jerusalem.
21:24.
3 And then shall they assist
my people that they may be gathered in, who are scattered upon all the face of
the land, in unto the New Jerusalem.
21:25.
4 And then shall the power of
heaven come down among them; and I also will be in the midst.
21:26.
And then shall the work of the Father
commence at that day, even when this gospel shall be preached among the remnant
of this people. 5 Verily I say unto you, at
that day shall the work of the Father commence among all the dispersed of my
people, yea, even the tribes which have been lost, which the Father hath led
away out of Jerusalem.
21:27.
6 Yea, the work shall commence
among all the dispersed of my people, with the Father to prepare the way
whereby they may come unto me, that they may call on the Father in my name.
21:28.
7 Yea, and then shall the work
commence, with the Father among all nations in preparing the way whereby his
people may be gathered home to the land of their inheritance.
21:29.
8 And they shall go out from
all nations; and they shall not go out in haste, nor go by flight, for I will
go before them, saith the Father, and I will be their rearward.
3rd Nephi, Chapter 22
22:1.
And then shall that which is written come
to pass: 9 Sing, O barren, thou that didst
not bear; break forth into singing, and cry aloud, thou that didst not travail
with child; for more are the children of the desolate than the children of the
married wife, saith the Lord.
22:2.
10 Enlarge the place of thy
tent, and let them stretch forth the curtains of thy habitations; spare not,
lengthen thy cords and strengthen thy stakes;
22:3.
11 For thou shalt break forth
on the right hand and on the left, and thy seed shall inherit the Gentiles and
make the desolate cities to be inhabited.
22:4.
12 Fear not, for thou shalt not
be ashamed; neither be thou confounded, for thou shalt not be put to shame; for
thou shalt forget the shame of thy youth, and shalt not remember the reproach
of thy youth, and shalt not remember the reproach of thy widowhood any more.
22:5.
13 For thy maker, thy husband,
the Lord of Hosts is his name; and thy Redeemer, the Holy One of Israel—the God
of the whole earth shall he be called.
22:6.
14 For the Lord hath called
thee as a woman forsaken and grieved in spirit, and a wife of youth, when thou
wast refused, saith thy God.
22:7.
15 For a small moment have I
forsaken thee, but with great mercies will I gather thee.
22:8.
16 In a little wrath I hid my
face from thee for a moment, but with everlasting kindness will I have mercy on
thee, saith the Lord thy Redeemer.
22:9.
17 For this, the waters of Noah
unto me, for as I have sworn that the waters of Noah should no more go over the
earth, so have I sworn that I would not be wroth with thee.
22:10.
18 For the mountains shall
depart and the hills be removed, but my kindness shall not depart from thee,
neither shall the covenant of my peace be removed, saith the Lord that hath
mercy on thee.
3rd Nephi; 10:2
22:11. 19 O thou afflicted, tossed with tempest, and not comforted!
Behold, I will lay thy stones with fair colors, and lay thy foundations with
sapphires.
22:12.
20 And I will make thy windows
of agates, and thy gates of carbuncles, and all thy borders of pleasant stones.
22:13.
21 And all thy children shall
be taught of the Lord; and great shall be the peace of thy children.
22:14.
22 In righteousness shalt thou
be established; thou shalt be far from oppression for thou shalt not fear, and
from terror for it shall not come near thee.
22:15.
23 Behold, they shall surely
gather together against thee, not by me; whosoever shall gather together
against thee shall fall for thy sake.
22:16.
24 Behold, I have created the
smith that bloweth the coals in the fire, and that bringeth forth an instrument
for his work; and I have created the waster to destroy.
22:17.
25 No weapon that is formed
against thee shall prosper; and every tongue that shall revile against thee in
judgment thou shalt condemn. This is the heritage of the servants of the Lord,
and their righteousness is of me, saith the Lord.
3rd Nephi, Chapter 23
23:1.
26 And now, behold, I say unto
you, that ye ought to search these things. 27 Yea,
a commandment I give unto you that ye search these things diligently; for great
are the words of Isaiah.
23:2.
28 For surely he spake as
touching all things concerning my people which are of the house of Israel;
therefore it must needs be that he must speak also to the Gentiles.
23:3.
29 And all things that he spake
have been and shall be, even according to the words which he spake.
23:4.
30 Therefore give heed to my
words; write the things which I have told you; and according to the time and
the will of the Father they shall go forth unto the Gentiles.
23:5.
31 And whosoever will hearken
unto my words and repenteth and is baptized, the same shall be saved. 32 Search the prophets, for many there be that
testify of these things.
3rd Nephi; 10:3
23:6.
33 And now it came to pass that
when Jesus had said these words he said unto them again, after he had expounded
all the scriptures unto them which they had received, he said unto them:
Behold, other scriptures I would that ye should write, that ye have not.
23:7.
34 And it came to pass that he
said unto Nephi: Bring forth the record which ye have kept.
23:8.
35 And when Nephi had brought
forth the records, and laid them before him, he cast his eyes upon them and
said:
23:9.
36 Verily I say unto you, I
commanded my servant Samuel, the Lamanite, that he should testify unto this
people, that at the day that the Father should glorify his name in me that
there were many saints who should arise from the dead, and should appear unto
many, and should minister unto them. 37 And
he said unto them: Was it not so?
23:10.
38 And his disciples answered
him and said: Yea, Lord, Samuel did prophesy according to thy words, and they
were all fulfilled.
23:11.
39 And Jesus said unto them:
How be it that ye have not written this thing, that many saints did arise and
appear unto many and did minister unto them?
23:12.
40 And it came to pass that
Nephi remembered that this thing had not been written.
23:13.
41 And it came to pass that
Jesus commanded that it should be written; therefore it was written according
as he commanded.
3rd Nephi, Chapter 11
3rd Nephi; 11:1
23:14.
1 And now it came to pass that
when Jesus had expounded all the scriptures in one, which they had written, he
commanded them that they should teach the things which he had expounded unto
them.
3rd Nephi, Chapter 24
24:1.
2 And it came to pass that he
commanded them that they should write the words which the Father had given unto
Malachi, which he should tell unto them. 3 And
it came to pass that after they were written he expounded them. 4 And these are the words which he did tell unto
them, saying: Thus said the Father unto Malachi—Behold, I will send my
messenger, and he shall prepare the way before me, and the Lord whom ye seek
shall suddenly come to his temple, even the messenger of the covenant, whom ye
delight in; behold, he shall come, saith the Lord of Hosts.
24:2.
5 But who may abide the day of
his coming, and who shall stand when he appeareth? For he is like a refiner’s
fire, and like fuller’s soap.
24:3.
6 And he shall sit as a
refiner and purifier of silver; and he shall purify the sons of Levi, and purge
them as gold and silver, that they may offer unto the Lord an offering in
righteousness.
24:4.
7 Then shall the offering of
Judah and Jerusalem be pleasant unto the Lord, as in the days of old, and as in
former years.
24:5.
8 And I will come near to you
to judgment; and I will be a swift witness against the sorcerers, and against
the adulterers, and against false swearers, and against those that oppress the
hireling in his wages, the widow and the fatherless, and that turn aside the
stranger, and fear not me, saith the Lord of Hosts.
24:6.
9 For I am the Lord, I change
not; therefore ye sons of Jacob are not consumed.
3rd Nephi; 11:2
24:7.
10 Even from the days of your
fathers ye are gone away from mine ordinances, and have not kept them. Return
unto me and I will return unto you, saith the Lord of Hosts. But ye say:
Wherein shall we return?
3rd Nephi; 11:3
24:8.
11 Will a man rob God? Yet ye
have robbed me. But ye say: Wherein have we robbed thee? In tithes and
offerings.
24:9.
12 Ye are cursed with a curse,
for ye have robbed me, even this whole nation.
24:10.
13 Bring ye all the tithes into
the storehouse, that there may be meat in my house; and prove me now herewith,
saith the Lord of Hosts, if I will not open you the windows of heaven, and pour
you out a blessing that there shall not be room enough to receive it.
24:11.
14 And I will rebuke the
devourer for your sakes, and he shall not destroy the fruits of your ground;
neither shall your vine cast her fruit before the time in the fields, saith the
Lord of Hosts.
24:12.
15 And all nations shall call
you blessed, for ye shall be a delightsome land, saith the Lord of Hosts.
3rd Nephi; 11:4
24:13. 16 Your words have been stout against me, saith the Lord. Yet ye
say: What have we spoken against thee?
24:14.
17 Ye have said: It is vain to
serve God, and what doth it profit that we have kept his ordinances and that we
have walked mournfully before the Lord of Hosts?
24:15.
18 And now we call the proud
happy; yea, they that work wickedness are set up; yea, they that tempt God are
even delivered.
3rd Nephi; 11:5
24:16. 19 Then they that feared the Lord spake often one to another, and
the Lord hearkened and heard; and a book of remembrance was written before him
for them that feared the Lord, and that thought upon his name.
24:17.
20 And they shall be mine,
saith the Lord of Hosts, in that day when I make up my jewels; and I will spare
them as a man spareth his own son that serveth him.
24:18.
21 Then shall ye return and
discern between the righteous and the wicked, between him that serveth God and
him that serveth him not.
3rd Nephi, Chapter 25
25:1.
22 For behold, the day cometh
that shall burn as an oven; and all the proud, yea, and all that do wickedly,
shall be stubble; and the day that cometh shall burn them up, saith the Lord of
Hosts, that it shall leave them neither root nor branch.
3rd Nephi; 11:6
25:2.
23 But unto you that fear my
name, shall the Son of Righteousness arise with healing in his wings; and ye
shall go forth and grow up as calves in the stall.
25:3.
24 And ye shall tread down the
wicked; for they shall be ashes under the soles of your feet in the day that I
shall do this, saith the Lord of Hosts.
25:4.
25 Remember ye the law of
Moses, my servant, which I commanded unto him in Horeb for all Israel, with the
statutes and judgments.
25:5.
26 Behold, I will send you
Elijah the prophet before the coming of the great and dreadful day of the Lord;
25:6.
27 And he shall turn the heart
of the fathers to the children, and the heart of the children to their fathers,
lest I come and smite the earth with a curse.
3rd Nephi; 11:7
3rd Nephi, Chapter 26
26:1.
28 And now it came to pass that
when Jesus had told these things he expounded them unto the multitude; and he
did expound all things unto them, both great and small.
26:2.
29 And he saith: These
scriptures, which ye had not with you, the Father commanded that I should give
unto you; for it was wisdom in him that they should be given unto future
generations.
26:3.
30 And he did expound all
things, even from the beginning until the time that he should come in his
glory— 31 yea, even all things which should
come upon the face of the earth, even until the elements should melt with
fervent heat, and the earth should be wrapt together as a scroll, and the
heavens and the earth should pass away;
26:4.
32 And even unto the great and
last day, when all people, and all kindreds, and all nations and tongues shall
stand before God, to be judged of their works, whether they be good or whether
they be evil—
26:5.
33 If they be good, to the
resurrection of everlasting life; and if they be evil, to the resurrection of
damnation; being on a parallel, the one on the one hand and the other on the
other hand, according to the mercy, and the justice, and the holiness which is
in Christ, who was before the world began.
3rd Nephi, Chapter 12
3rd Nephi; 12:1
26:6.
1 And now there cannot be
written in this book even a hundredth part of the things which Jesus did truly
teach unto the people;
26:7.
But behold the plates of Nephi do contain
the more part of the things which he taught the people.
26:8.
2 And these things have I
written, which are a lesser part of the things which he taught the people; and
I have written them to the intent that they may be brought again unto this
people, from the Gentiles, according to the words which Jesus hath spoken.
26:9.
3 And when they shall have
received this, which is expedient that they should have first, to try their
faith, and if it shall so be that they shall believe these things then shall
the greater things be made manifest unto them.
26:10.
4 And if it so be that they
will not believe these things, then shall the greater things be withheld from
them, unto their condemnation.
26:11.
5 Behold, I was about to write
them, all which were engraven upon the plates of Nephi, but the Lord forbade
it, saying: I will try the faith of my people.
26:12.
Therefore I, Mormon, do write the things
which have been commanded me of the Lord. 6 And
now I, Mormon, make an end of my sayings, and proceed to write the things which
have been commanded me.
26:13.
Therefore, I would that ye should behold
that the Lord truly did teach the people, for the space of three days; and
after that he did show himself unto them oft, and did break bread oft, and
bless it, and give it unto them.
3rd Nephi; 12:2
26:14. 7 And it came to pass that he did teach and minister unto the
children of the multitude of whom hath been spoken, and he did loose their
tongues, and they did speak unto their fathers great and marvelous things, even
greater than he had revealed unto the people; and he loosed their tongues that
they could utter.
26:15.
8 And it came to pass that
after he had ascended into heaven—the second time that he showed himself unto
them, and had gone unto the Father, after having healed all their sick, and
their lame, and opened the eyes of their blind and unstopped the ears of the
deaf, and even had done all manner of cures among them, and raised a man from
the dead, and had shown forth his power unto them, and had ascended unto the
Father—
26:16.
9 Behold, it came to pass on
the morrow that the multitude gathered themselves together, and they both saw
and heard these children; yea, even babes did open their mouths and utter
marvelous things; and the things which they did utter were forbidden that there
should not any man write them.
26:17.
10 And it came to pass that the
disciples whom Jesus had chosen began from that time forth to baptize and to
teach as many as did come unto them; and as many as were baptized in the name
of Jesus were filled with the Holy Ghost.
26:18.
11 And many of them saw and
heard unspeakable things, which are not lawful to be written.
26:19.
And they taught, and did minister one to
another; and they had all things common among them, every man dealing justly,
one with another.
26:20.
12 And it came to pass that
they did do all things even as Jesus had commanded them.
26:21.
13 And they who were baptized
in the name of Jesus were called the church of Christ.
3rd Nephi; 12:3
3rd Nephi, Chapter 27
27:1.
14 And it came to pass that as
the disciples of Jesus were journeying and were preaching the things which they
had both heard and seen, and were baptizing in the name of Jesus, it came to
pass that the disciples were gathered together and were united in mighty prayer
and fasting.
27:2.
15 And Jesus again showed
himself unto them, for they were praying unto the Father in his name; and Jesus
came and stood in the midst of them, and said unto them: What will ye that I
shall give unto you?
27:3.
16 And they said unto him:
Lord, we will that thou wouldst tell us the name whereby we shall call this
church; for there are disputations among the people concerning this matter.
27:4.
17 And the Lord said unto them:
Verily, verily, I say unto you, why is it that the people should murmur and
dispute because of this thing?
27:5.
18 Have they not read the
scriptures, which say ye must take upon you the name of Christ, which is my
name? For by this name shall ye be called at the last day;
27:6.
And whoso taketh upon him my name, and
endureth to the end, the same shall be saved at the last day.
27:7.
19 Therefore, whatsoever ye
shall do, ye shall do it in my name; therefore ye shall call the church in my
name; and ye shall call upon the Father in my name that he will bless the
church for my sake.
27:8.
20 And how be it my church save
it be called in my name? For if a church be called in Moses’ name then it be
Moses’ church; or if it be called in the name of a man then it be the church of
a man; but if it be called in my name then it is my church, if it so be that
they are built upon my gospel.
27:9.
21 Verily I say unto you, that
ye are built upon my gospel; therefore ye shall call whatsoever things ye do
call, in my name; therefore if ye call upon the Father, for the church, if it
be in my name the Father will hear you;
27:10.
22 And if it so be that the
church is built upon my gospel then will the Father show forth his own works in
it.
27:11.
23 But if it be not built upon
my gospel, and is built upon the works of men, or upon the works of the devil,
verily I say unto you they have joy in their works for a season, and by and by
the end cometh, and they are hewn down and cast into the fire, from whence
there is no return.
27:12.
24 For their works do follow
them, for it is because of their works that they are hewn down; therefore
remember the things that I have told you.
27:13.
25 Behold I have given unto you
my gospel, and this is the gospel which I have given unto you—that I came into
the world to do the will of my Father, because my Father sent me.
27:14.
26 And my Father sent me that I
might be lifted up upon the cross; and after that I had been lifted up upon the
cross, that I might draw all men unto me, 27 that
as I have been lifted up by men even so should men be lifted up by the Father,
to stand before me, to be judged of their works, whether they be good or
whether they be evil—
27:15.
28 And for this cause have I
been lifted up; therefore, according to the power of the Father I will draw all
men unto me, that they may be judged according to their works.
3rd Nephi; 12:4
27:16.
29 And it shall come to pass,
that whoso repenteth and is baptized in my name shall be filled; and if he
endureth to the end, behold, him will I hold guiltless before my Father at that
day when I shall stand to judge the world.
27:17.
30 And he that endureth not
unto the end, the same is he that is also hewn down and cast into the fire,
from whence they can no more return, because of the justice of the Father.
27:18.
And this is the word which he hath given
unto the children of men. 31 And for this
cause he fulfilleth the words which he hath given, and he lieth not, but
fulfilleth all his words.
27:19.
And no unclean thing can enter into his
kingdom; 32 therefore nothing entereth into
his rest save it be those who have washed their garments in my blood, because
of their faith, and the repentance of all their sins, and their faithfulness
unto the end.
27:20.
33 Now this is the commandment:
Repent, all ye ends of the earth, and come unto me and be baptized in my name,
that ye may be sanctified by the reception of the Holy Ghost, that ye may stand
spotless before me at the last day.
27:21.
34 Verily, verily, I say unto
you, this is my gospel; and ye know the things that ye must do in my church;
for the works which ye have seen me do that shall ye also do; 35 for that which ye have seen me do even that
shall ye do;
27:22.
Therefore, if ye do these things blessed
are ye, for ye shall be lifted up at the last day.
3rd Nephi, Chapter 13
3rd Nephi; 13:1
27:23.
1 Write the things which ye
have seen and heard, save it be those which are forbidden.
27:24.
Write the works of this people, which shall
be, even as hath been written, of that which hath been.
27:25.
2 For behold, out of the books
which have been written, and which shall be written, shall this people be
judged, for by them shall their works be known unto men.
27:26.
3 And behold, all things are
written by the Father; therefore out of the books which shall be written shall
the world be judged.
27:27.
4 And know ye that ye shall be
judges of this people, according to the judgment which I shall give unto you,
which shall be just. 5 Therefore, what
manner of men ought ye to be? Verily I say unto you, even as I am.
27:28.
And now I go unto the Father. 6 And verily I say unto you, whatsoever things ye
shall ask the Father in my name shall be given unto you.
27:29.
Therefore, ask, and ye shall receive;
knock, and it shall be opened unto you; for he that asketh, receiveth; and unto
him that knocketh, it shall be opened.
27:30.
7 And now, behold, my joy is
great, even unto fulness, because of you, and also this generation; yea, and
even the Father rejoiceth, and also all the holy angels, because of you and
this generation; for none of them are lost.
27:31.
8 Behold, I would that ye
should understand; for I mean them who are now alive of this generation; and
none of them are lost; and in them I have fulness of joy.
27:32.
9 But behold, it sorroweth me
because of the fourth generation from this generation, for they are led away
captive by him even as was the son of perdition; for they will sell me for
silver and for gold, and for that which moth doth corrupt and which thieves can
break through and steal. 10 And in that day
will I visit them, even in turning their works upon their own heads.
3rd Nephi; 13:2
27:33.
11 And it came to pass that
when Jesus had ended these sayings he said unto his disciples: Enter ye in at
the strait gate; for strait is the gate, and narrow is the way that leads to
life, and few there be that find it; but wide is the gate, and broad the way
which leads to death, and many there be that travel therein, until the night
cometh, wherein no man can work.
3rd Nephi; 13:3
3rd Nephi, Chapter 28
28:1.
12 And it came to pass when
Jesus had said these words, he spake unto his disciples, one by one, saying
unto them: What is it that ye desire of me, after that I am gone to the Father?
28:2.
13 And they all spake, save it
were three, saying: We desire that after we have lived unto the age of man,
that our ministry, wherein thou hast called us, may have an end, that we may
speedily come unto thee in thy kingdom.
28:3.
14 And he said unto them:
Blessed are ye because ye desired this thing of me; therefore, after that ye
are seventy and two years old ye shall come unto me in my kingdom; and with me
ye shall find rest.
28:4.
15 And when he had spoken unto
them, he turned himself unto the three, and said unto them: What will ye that I
should do unto you, when I am gone unto the Father?
28:5.
16 And they sorrowed in their
hearts, for they durst not speak unto him the things which they desired.
28:6.
17 And he said unto them:
Behold, I know your thoughts, and ye have desired the thing which John, my
beloved, who was with me in my ministry, before that I was lifted up by the
Jews, desired of me.
28:7.
18 Therefore, more blessed are
ye, for ye shall never taste of death; but ye shall live to behold all the
doings of the Father unto the children of men, even until all things shall be
fulfilled according to the will of the Father, when I shall come in my glory
with the powers of heaven.
28:8.
19 And ye shall never endure
the pains of death; but when I shall come in my glory ye shall be changed in
the twinkling of an eye from mortality to immortality; and then shall ye be
blessed in the kingdom of my Father.
28:9.
20 And again, ye shall not have
pain while ye shall dwell in the flesh, neither sorrow save it be for the sins
of the world; 21 and all this will I do
because of the thing which ye have desired of me, for ye have desired that ye
might bring the souls of men unto me, while the world shall stand.
28:10.
And for this cause ye shall have fulness of
joy; and ye shall sit down in the kingdom of my Father; 22 yea, your joy shall be full, even as the Father hath given
me fulness of joy; and ye shall be even as I am, and I am even as the Father;
and the Father and I are one;
28:11.
23 And the Holy Ghost beareth
record of the Father and me; and the Father giveth the Holy Ghost unto the
children of men, because of me.
3rd Nephi; 13:4
28:12.
24 And it came to pass that when
Jesus had spoken these words, he touched every one of them with his finger save
it were the three who were to tarry, and then he departed.
28:13.
25 And behold, the heavens were
opened, and they were caught up into heaven, and saw and heard unspeakable
things.
28:14.
26 And it was forbidden them
that they should utter; neither was it given unto them power that they could
utter the things which they saw and heard;
28:15.
27 And whether they were in the
body or out of the body, they could not tell; for it did seem unto them like a
transfiguration of them, that they were changed from this body of flesh into an
immortal state, that they could behold the things of God.
28:16.
28 But it came to pass that they
did again minister upon the face of the earth; nevertheless they did not
minister of the things which they had heard and seen, because of the
commandment which was given them in heaven.
28:17.
29 And now, whether they were
mortal or immortal, from the day of their transfiguration, I know not;
28:18.
But this much I know, according to the
record which hath been given—they did go forth upon the face of the land, and
did minister unto all the people, uniting as many to the church as would
believe in their preaching; baptizing them, 30 and
as many as were baptized did receive the Holy Ghost.
28:19.
And they were cast into prison by them who
did not belong to the church. 31 And the
prisons could not hold them, for they were rent in twain.
28:20.
And they were cast down into the earth; 32 but they did smite the earth with the word of
God, insomuch that by his power they were delivered out of the depths of the
earth; and therefore they could not dig pits sufficient to hold them.
28:21.
33 And thrice they were cast
into a furnace and received no harm.
28:22.
34 And twice were they cast
into a den of wild beasts; and behold they did play with the beasts as a child
with a suckling lamb, and received no harm.
28:23.
35 And it came to pass that
thus they did go forth among all the people of Nephi, and did preach the gospel
of Christ unto all people upon the face of the land; 36
and they were converted unto the Lord, and were united unto the church
of Christ, and thus the people of that generation were blessed, according to
the word of Jesus.
28:24.
37 And now I, Mormon, make an
end of speaking concerning these things for a time.
28:25.
38 Behold, I was about to write
the names of those who were never to taste of death, but the Lord forbade;
therefore I write them not, for they are hid from the world.
28:26.
39 But behold, I have seen
them, and they have ministered unto me.
28:27.
And behold they will be among the Gentiles,
and the Gentiles shall know them not.
28:28.
40 They will also be among the
Jews, and the Jews shall know them not.
3rd Nephi; 13:5
28:29.
41 And it shall come to pass,
when the Lord seeth fit in his wisdom that they shall minister unto all the
scattered tribes of Israel, and unto all nations, kindreds, tongues and people,
and shall bring out of them unto Jesus many souls, that their desire may be
fulfilled, and also because of the convincing power of God which is in them.
28:30.
42 And they are as the angels
of God, and if they shall pray unto the Father in the name of Jesus they can
show themselves unto whatsoever man it seemeth them good.
28:31.
43 Therefore, great and
marvelous works shall be wrought by them, before the great and coming day when
all people must surely stand before the judgment-seat of Christ;
28:32.
44 Yea even among the Gentiles
shall there be a great and marvelous work wrought by them, before that judgment
day.
28:33.
45 And if ye had all the
scriptures which give an account of all the marvelous works of Christ, ye
would, according to the words of Christ, know that these things must surely
come.
28:34.
46 And wo be unto him that will
not hearken unto the words of Jesus, and also to them whom he hath chosen and
sent among them; 47 for whoso receiveth not
the words of Jesus and the words of those whom he hath sent receiveth not him;
and therefore he will not receive them at the last day;
28:35.
And it would be better for them if they had
not been born. 48 For do ye suppose that ye
can get rid of the justice of an offended God, who hath been trampled under
feet of men, that thereby salvation might come?
3rd Nephi; 13:6
28:36.
49 And now behold, as I spake
concerning those whom the Lord hath chosen, yea, even three who were caught up
into the heavens, that I knew not whether they were cleansed from mortality to
immortality—
28:37.
50 But behold, since I wrote, I
have inquired of the Lord, and he hath made it manifest unto me that there must
needs be a change wrought upon their bodies, or else it needs be that they must
taste of death;
28:38.
51 Therefore, that they might
not taste of death there was a change wrought upon their bodies, that they
might not suffer pain nor sorrow save it were for the sins of the world.
28:39.
52 Now this change was not
equal to that which shall take place at the last day; but there was a change
wrought upon them, insomuch that Satan could have no power over them, that he
could not tempt them; and they were sanctified in the flesh, that they were
holy, and that the powers of the earth could not hold them.
28:40.
53 And in this state they were
to remain until the judgment day of Christ; and at that day they were to
receive a greater change, and to be received into the kingdom of the Father to
go no more out, but to dwell with God eternally in the heavens.
3rd Nephi, Chapter 29
29:1.
54 And now behold, I say unto
you that when the Lord shall see fit, in his wisdom, that these sayings shall
come unto the Gentiles according to his word, then ye may know that the
covenant which the Father hath made with the children of Israel, concerning their
restoration to the lands of their inheritance, is already beginning to be
fulfilled.
29:2.
55 And ye may know that the
words of the Lord, which have been spoken by the holy prophets, shall all be
fulfilled; and ye need not say that the Lord delays his coming unto the
children of Israel.
29:3.
56 And ye need not imagine in
your hearts that the words which have been spoken are vain, for behold, the
Lord will remember his covenant which he hath made unto his people of the house
of Israel.
29:4.
57 And when ye shall see these
sayings coming forth among you, then ye need not any longer spurn at the doings
of the Lord, for the sword of his justice is in his right hand; and behold, at
that day, if ye shall spurn at his doings he will cause that it shall soon
overtake you.
29:5.
58 Wo unto him that spurneth at
the doings of the Lord; yea, wo unto him that shall deny the Christ and his
works!
29:6.
59 Yea, wo unto him that shall
deny the revelations of the Lord, and that shall say the Lord no longer worketh
by revelation, or by prophecy, or by gifts, or by tongues, or by healings, or
by the power of the Holy Ghost!
29:7.
60 Yea, and wo unto him that
shall say at that day, to get gain, that there can be no miracle wrought by
Jesus Christ; for he that doeth this shall become like unto the son of
perdition, for whom there was no mercy, according to the word of Christ!
29:8.
61 Yea, and ye need not any
longer hiss, nor spurn, nor make game of the Jews, nor any of the remnant of
the house of Israel; for behold, the Lord remembereth his covenant unto them,
and he will do unto them according to that which he hath sworn.
29:9.
62 Therefore ye need not
suppose that ye can turn the right hand of the Lord unto the left, that he may
not execute judgment unto the fulfilling of the covenant which he hath made
unto the house of Israel.
3rd Nephi, Chapter 14
3rd Nephi; 14:1
3rd Nephi, Chapter 30
30:1.
1 Hearken, O ye Gentiles, and
hear the words of Jesus Christ, the Son of the living God, which he hath
commanded me that I should speak concerning you, for, behold he commandeth me
that I should write, saying:
30:2.
2 Turn, all ye Gentiles, from
your wicked ways; and repent of your evil doings, of your lyings and
deceivings, and of your whoredoms, and of your secret abominations, and your
idolatries, and of your murders, and your priestcrafts, and your envyings, and your
strifes, and from all your wickedness and abominations, 3 and come unto me, and be baptized in my name, that ye may
receive a remission of your sins, and be filled with the Holy Ghost, that ye
may be numbered with my people who are of the house of Israel.
FOURTH
BOOK OF NEPHI
THE
BOOK OF NEPHI
WHO IS THE SON OF NEPHI—ONE
OF THE DISCIPLES OF JESUS CHRIST
An
account of the people of Nephi, according to his record.
4th Nephi, Chapter 1
4th Nephi; 1:1
4th Nephi, Chapter 1
1:1.
1 And it came to pass that the
thirty and fourth year passed away, and also the thirty and fifth, and behold
the disciples of Jesus had formed a church of Christ in all the lands round
about. 2 And as many as did come unto them,
and did truly repent of their sins, were baptized in the name of Jesus; and
they did also receive the Holy Ghost.
4th Nephi; 1:2
1:2.
3 And it came to pass in the
thirty and sixth year, the people were all converted unto the Lord, upon all
the face of the land, both Nephites and Lamanites, and there were no
contentions and disputations among them, and every man did deal justly one with
another.
1:3.
4 And they had all things
common among them; therefore there were not rich and poor, bond and free, but
they were all made free, and partakers of the heavenly gift.
4th Nephi; 1:3
1:4.
5 And it came to pass that the
thirty and seventh year passed away also, and there still continued to be peace
in the land.
1:5.
6 And there were great and
marvelous works wrought by the disciples of Jesus, insomuch that they did heal
the sick, and raise the dead, and cause the lame to walk, and the blind to
receive their sight, and the deaf to hear; 7 and
all manner of miracles did they work among the children of men; and in nothing
did they work miracles save it were in the name of Jesus.
1:6.
8 And thus did the thirty and
eighth year pass away, and also the thirty and ninth, and forty and first, and
the forty and second, yea, even until forty and nine years had passed away, and
also the fifty and first, and the fifty and second; yea, and even until fifty
and nine years had passed away.
1:7.
9 And the Lord did prosper
them exceedingly in the land; yea, insomuch that they did build cities again
where there had been cities burned.
1:8.
Yea, even that great city Zarahemla did
they cause to be built again.
1:9.
10 But there were many cities
which had been sunk, and waters came up in the stead thereof; therefore these
cities could not be renewed.
4th Nephi; 1:4
1:10.
11 And now, behold, it came to
pass that the people of Nephi did wax strong, and did multiply exceedingly
fast, and became an exceedingly fair and delightsome people.
1:11.
12 And they were married, and
given in marriage, and were blessed according to the multitude of the promises
which the Lord had made unto them.
1:12.
13 And they did not walk any
more after the performances and ordinances of the law of Moses; but they did
walk after the commandments which they had received from their Lord and their
God, continuing in fasting and prayer, and in meeting together oft both to pray
and to hear the word of the Lord.
1:13.
14 And it came to pass that
there was no contention among all the people, in all the land; but there were
mighty miracles wrought among the disciples of Jesus.
4th Nephi; 1:5
1:14.
15 And it came to pass that the
seventy and first year passed away, and also the seventy and second year, yea,
and in fine, till the seventy and ninth year had passed away; yea, even an
hundred years had passed away, and the disciples of Jesus, whom he had chosen,
had all gone to the paradise of God, save it were the three who should tarry; 16 and there were other disciples ordained in
their stead; and also many of that generation had passed away.
1:15.
17 And it came to pass that
there was no contention in the land, because of the love of God which did dwell
in the hearts of the people.
1:16.
18 And there were no envyings,
nor strifes, nor tumults, nor whoredoms, nor lyings, nor murders, nor any
manner of lasciviousness; 19 and surely
there could not be a happier people among all the people who had been created
by the hand of God.
1:17.
20 There were no robbers, nor
murderers, neither were there Lamanites, nor any manner of —ites; but they were
in one, the children of Christ, and heirs to the kingdom of God.
1:18.
21 And how blessed were they!
For the Lord did bless them in all their doings; yea, even they were blessed
and prospered until an hundred and ten years had passed away; and the first
generation from Christ had passed away, and there was no contention in all the
land.
4th Nephi; 1:6
1:19.
22 And it came to pass that
Nephi, he that kept this last record, (and he kept it upon the plates of Nephi)
died, and his son Amos kept it in his stead; and he kept it upon the plates of
Nephi also.
1:20.
23 And he kept it eighty and
four years, and there was still peace in the land, save it were a small part of
the people who had revolted from the church and taken upon them the name of
Lamanites; therefore there began to be Lamanites again in the land.
4th Nephi; 1:7
1:21.
24 And it came to pass that
Amos died also, (and it was an hundred and ninety and four years from the
coming of Christ) and his son Amos kept the record in his stead; and he also
kept it upon the plates of Nephi; and it was also written in the book of Nephi,
which is this book.
1:22.
25 And it came to pass that two
hundred years had passed away; and the second generation had all passed away
save it were a few.
1:23.
26 And now I, Mormon, would
that ye should know that the people had multiplied, insomuch that they were
spread upon all the face of the land, and that they had become exceedingly
rich, because of their prosperity in Christ.
1:24.
27 And now, in this two hundred
and first year there began to be among them those who were lifted up in pride,
such as the wearing of costly apparel, and all manner of fine pearls, and of
the fine things of the world.
1:25.
28 And from that time forth
they did have their goods and their substance no more common among them.
1:26.
And they began to be divided into classes;
and they began to build up churches unto themselves to get gain, and began to
deny the true church of Christ.
4th Nephi; 1:8
1:27.
29 And it came to pass that when
two hundred and ten years had passed away there were many churches in the land;
yea, there were many churches which professed to know the Christ, and yet they
did deny the more parts of his gospel, insomuch that they did receive all
manner of wickedness, and did administer that which was sacred unto him to whom
it had been forbidden because of unworthiness.
1:28.
30 And this church did multiply
exceedingly because of iniquity, and because of the power of Satan who did get
hold upon their hearts.
1:29.
31 And again, there was another
church which denied the Christ; and they did persecute the true church of
Christ, because of their humility and their belief in Christ; and they did
despise them because of the many miracles which were wrought among them.
1:30.
32 Therefore they did exercise
power and authority over the disciples of Jesus who did tarry with them, and
they did cast them into prison; 33 but by
the power of the word of God, which was in them, the prisons were rent in
twain, and they went forth doing mighty miracles among them.
1:31.
34 Nevertheless, and
notwithstanding all these miracles, the people did harden their hearts, and did
seek to kill them, even as the Jews at Jerusalem sought to kill Jesus,
according to his word.
1:32.
35 And they did cast them into
furnaces of fire, and they came forth receiving no harm.
1:33.
And they also cast them into dens of wild
beasts, and they did play with the wild beasts even as a child with a lamb; and
they did come forth from among them, receiving no harm.
1:34.
36 Nevertheless, the people did
harden their hearts, for they were led by many priests and false prophets to
build up many churches, and to do all manner of iniquity. 37 And they did smite upon the people of Jesus;
but the people of Jesus did not smite again. 38 And
thus they did dwindle in unbelief and wickedness, from year to year, even until
two hundred and thirty years had passed away.
1:35.
39 And now it came to pass in
this year, yea, in the two hundred and thirty and first year, there was a great
division among the people.
1:36.
40 And it came to pass that in
this year there arose a people who were called the Nephites, and they were true
believers in Christ; and among them there were those who were called by the
Lamanites—Jacobites, and Josephites, and Zoramites;
1:37.
41 Therefore the true believers
in Christ, and the true worshipers of Christ, (among whom were the three
disciples of Jesus who should tarry) were called Nephites, and Jacobites, and
Josephites, and Zoramites.
1:38.
42 And it came to pass that
they who rejected the gospel were called Lamanites, and Lemuelites, and
Ishmaelites; and they did not dwindle in unbelief, but they did wilfully rebel
against the gospel of Christ; 43 and they
did teach their children that they should not believe, even as their fathers,
from the beginning, did dwindle.
1:39.
44 And it was because of the
wickedness and abomination of their fathers, even as it was in the beginning. 45 And they were taught to hate the children of
God, even as the Lamanites were taught to hate the children of Nephi from the
beginning.
4th Nephi; 1:9
1:40.
46 And it came to pass that two
hundred and forty and four years had passed away, and thus were the affairs of
the people. 47 And the more wicked part of
the people did wax strong, and became exceedingly more numerous than were the
people of God.
1:41.
48 And they did still continue
to build up churches unto themselves, and adorn them with all manner of
precious things. 49 And thus did two hundred
and fifty years pass away, and also two hundred and sixty years.
1:42.
50 And it came to pass that the
wicked part of the people began again to build up the secret oaths and
combinations of Gadianton.
1:43.
51 And also the people who were
called the people of Nephi began to be proud in their hearts, because of their
exceeding riches, and become vain like unto their brethren, the Lamanites.
1:44.
52 And from this time the
disciples began to sorrow for the sins of the world.
4th Nephi; 1:10
1:45.
53 And it came to pass that
when three hundred years had passed away, both the people of Nephi and the
Lamanites had become exceedingly wicked one like unto another.
1:46.
54 And it came to pass that the
robbers of Gadianton did spread over all the face of the land; and there were
none that were righteous save it were the disciples of Jesus. 55 And gold and silver did they lay up in store in
abundance, and did traffic in all manner of traffic.
4th Nephi; 1:11
1:47.
56 And it came to pass that
after three hundred and five years had passed away, (and the people did still
remain in wickedness) Amos died; and his brother, Ammaron, did keep the record
in his stead.
1:48.
57 And it came to pass that
when three hundred and twenty years had passed away, Ammaron, being constrained
by the Holy Ghost, did hide up the records which were sacred— 58 yea, even all the sacred records which had
been handed down from generation to generation, which were sacred—even until
the three hundred and twentieth year from the coming of Christ.
1:49.
59 And he did hide them up unto
the Lord that they might come again unto the remnant of the house of Jacob
according to the prophecies and the promises of the Lord. And thus is the end
of the record of Ammaron.
THE
BOOK OF MORMON
Mormon, Chapter 1
Mormon; 1:1
Mormon, Chapter 1
1:1.
1 And now I, Mormon, make a
record of the things which I have both seen and heard, and call it the Book of
Mormon.
1:2.
2 And about the time that
Ammaron hid up the records unto the Lord, he came unto me, (I being about ten
years of age, and I began to be learned somewhat after the manner of the
learning of my people) and Ammaron said unto me: I perceive that thou art a sober
child, and art quick to observe;
1:3.
3 Therefore, when ye are about
twenty and four years old I would that ye should remember the things that ye
have observed concerning this people; 4 and
when ye are of that age go to the land Antum, unto a hill which shall be called
Shim; and there have I deposited unto the Lord all the sacred engravings
concerning this people.
1:4.
5 And behold, ye shall take
the plates of Nephi unto yourself, and the remainder shall ye leave in the
place where they are; and ye shall engrave on the plates of Nephi all the
things that ye have observed concerning this people.
1:5.
6 And I, Mormon, being a
descendant of Nephi, (and my father’s name was Mormon) I remembered the things
which Ammaron commanded me.
1:6.
7 And it came to pass that I,
being eleven years old, was carried by my father into the land southward, even
to the land of Zarahemla.
1:7.
The whole face of the land had become
covered with buildings, and the people were as numerous almost, as it were the
sand of the sea.
1:8.
8 And it came to pass in this
year there began to be a war between the Nephites, who consisted of the
Nephites and the Jacobites and the Josephites and the Zoramites; and this war
was between the Nephites, and the Lamanites and the Lemuelites and the Ishmaelites.
1:9.
9 Now the Lamanites and the
Lemuelites and the Ishmaelites were called Lamanites, and the two parties were
Nephites and Lamanites.
1:10.
10 And it came to pass that the
war began to be among them in the borders of Zarahemla, by the waters of Sidon.
Mormon; 1:2
1:11.
11 And it came to pass that the
Nephites had gathered together a great number of men, even to exceed the number
of thirty thousand. 12 And it came to pass
that they did have in this same year a number of battles, in which the Nephites
did beat the Lamanites and did slay many of them.
1:12.
13 And it came to pass that the
Lamanites withdrew their design, and there was peace settled in the land; and
peace did remain for the space of about four years, that there was no
bloodshed.
1:13.
14 But wickedness did prevail
upon the face of the whole land, insomuch that the Lord did take away his
beloved disciples, and the work of miracles and of healing did cease because of
the iniquity of the people.
1:14.
15 And there were no gifts from
the Lord, and the Holy Ghost did not come upon any, because of their wickedness
and unbelief.
1:15.
16 And I, being fifteen years
of age and being somewhat of a sober mind, therefore I was visited of the Lord,
and tasted and knew of the goodness of Jesus.
1:16.
17 And I did endeavor to preach
unto this people, but my mouth was shut, and I was forbidden that I should
preach unto them; for behold they had wilfully rebelled against their God; and
the beloved disciples were taken away out of the land, because of their
iniquity.
1:17.
18 But I did remain among them,
but I was forbidden to preach unto them, because of the hardness of their
hearts; and because of the hardness of their hearts the land was cursed for
their sake.
1:18.
19 And these Gadianton robbers,
who were among the Lamanites, did infest the land, insomuch that the
inhabitants thereof began to hide up their treasures in the earth; and they
became slippery, because the Lord had cursed the land, that they could not hold
them, nor retain them again.
1:19.
20 And it came to pass that
there were sorceries, and witchcrafts, and magics; and the power of the evil
one was wrought upon all the face of the land, even unto the fulfilling of all
the words of Abinadi, and also Samuel the Lamanite.
Mormon; 1:3
Mormon, Chapter 2
2:1.
21 And it came to pass in that
same year there began to be a war again between the Nephites and the Lamanites.
22 And notwithstanding I being young, was
large in stature; therefore the people of Nephi appointed me that I should be
their leader, or the leader of their armies.
2:2.
23 Therefore it came to pass
that in my sixteenth year I did go forth at the head of an army of the
Nephites, against the Lamanites; therefore three hundred and twenty and six
years had passed away.
2:3.
24 And it came to pass that in
the three hundred and twenty and seventh year the Lamanites did come upon us
with exceedingly great power, insomuch that they did frighten my armies;
therefore they would not fight, and they began to retreat towards the north
countries.
2:4.
25 And it came to pass that we
did come to the city of Angola, and we did take possession of the city, and
make preparations to defend ourselves against the Lamanites. 26 And it came to pass that we did fortify the
city with our might; but notwithstanding all our fortifications the Lamanites
did come upon us and did drive us out of the city.
2:5.
27 And they did also drive us
forth out of the land of David.
2:6.
And we marched forth and came to the land
of Joshua, which was in the borders west by the seashore.
2:7.
28 And it came to pass that we
did gather in our people as fast as it were possible, that we might get them
together in one body.
2:8.
29 But behold, the land was
filled with robbers and with Lamanites; and notwithstanding the great
destruction which hung over my people, they did not repent of their evil
doings; 30 therefore there was blood and
carnage spread throughout all the face of the land, both on the part of the
Nephites and also on the part of the Lamanites; and it was one complete
revolution throughout all the face of the land.
2:9.
31 And now, the Lamanites had a
king, and his name was Aaron; and he came against us with an army of forty and
four thousand. 32 And behold, I withstood
him with forty and two thousand. And it came to pass that I beat him with my
army that he fled before me. 33 And behold,
all this was done, and three hundred and thirty years had passed away.
Mormon; 1:4
2:10.
34 And it came to pass that the
Nephites began to repent of their iniquity, and began to cry even as had been
prophesied by Samuel the prophet; for behold no man could keep that which was
his own, for the thieves, and the robbers, and the murderers, and the magic
art, and the witchcraft which was in the land.
2:11.
35 Thus there began to be a
mourning and a lamentation in all the land because of these things, and more
especially among the people of Nephi.
2:12.
36 And it came to pass that
when I, Mormon, saw their lamentation and their mourning and their sorrow
before the Lord, my heart did begin to rejoice within me, knowing the mercies
and the long-suffering of the Lord, therefore supposing that he would be merciful
unto them that they would again become a righteous people.
2:13.
37 But behold this my joy was
vain, for their sorrowing was not unto repentance, because of the goodness of
God; but it was rather the sorrowing of the damned, because the Lord would not
always suffer them to take happiness in sin.
2:14.
38 And they did not come unto
Jesus with broken hearts and contrite spirits, but they did curse God, and wish
to die. 39 Nevertheless they would struggle
with the sword for their lives.
2:15.
40 And it came to pass that my
sorrow did return unto me again, and I saw that the day of grace was passed
with them, both temporally and spiritually; for I saw thousands of them hewn
down in open rebellion against their God, and heaped up as dung upon the face
of the land. 41 And thus three hundred and
forty and four years had passed away.
Mormon; 1:5
2:16.
42 And it came to pass that in
the three hundred and forty and fifth year the Nephites did begin to flee
before the Lamanites; and they were pursued until they came even to the land of
Jashon, before it was possible to stop them in their retreat.
2:17.
43 And now, the city of Jashon
was near the land where Ammaron had deposited the records unto the Lord, that
they might not be destroyed. 44 And behold I
had gone according to the word of Ammaron, and taken the plates of Nephi, and
did make a record according to the words of Ammaron.
2:18.
45 And upon the plates of Nephi
I did make a full account of all the wickedness and abominations; but upon
these plates I did forbear to make a full account of their wickedness and
abominations, for behold, a continual scene of wickedness and abominations has
been before mine eyes ever since I have been sufficient to behold the ways of
man.
2:19.
46 And wo is me because of
their wickedness; for my heart has been filled with sorrow because of their
wickedness, all my days; nevertheless, I know that I shall be lifted up at the
last day.
Mormon; 1:6
2:20.
47 And it came to pass that in
this year the people of Nephi again were hunted and driven. 48 And it came to pass that we were driven forth
until we had come northward to the land which was called Shem.
2:21.
49 And it came to pass that we
did fortify the city of Shem, and we did gather in our people as much as it
were possible, that perhaps we might save them from destruction.
2:22.
50 And it came to pass in the
three hundred and forty and sixth year they began to come upon us again.
2:23.
51 And it came to pass that I
did speak unto my people, and did urge them with great energy, that they would
stand boldly before the Lamanites and fight for their wives, and their
children, and their houses, and their homes.
2:24.
52 And my words did arouse them
somewhat to vigor, insomuch that they did not flee from before the Lamanites,
but did stand with boldness against them.
2:25.
53 And it came to pass that we
did contend with an army of thirty thousand against an army of fifty thousand. 54 And it came to pass that we did stand before
them with such firmness that they did flee from before us.
2:26.
55 And it came to pass that when
they had fled we did pursue them with our armies, and did meet them again, and
did beat them; 56 nevertheless the strength
of the Lord was not with us; yea, we were left to ourselves, that the Spirit of
the Lord did not abide in us; therefore we had become weak like unto our
brethren.
2:27.
57 And my heart did sorrow
because of this the great calamity of my people, because of their wickedness
and their abominations. 58 But behold, we
did go forth against the Lamanites and the robbers of Gadianton, until we had
again taken possession of the lands of our inheritance.
2:28.
59 And the three hundred and
forty and ninth year had passed away. 60 And
in the three hundred and fiftieth year we made a treaty with the Lamanites and
the robbers of Gadianton, in which we did get the lands of our inheritance
divided.
2:29.
61 And the Lamanites did give
unto us the land northward, yea, even to the narrow passage which led into the
land southward. 62 And we did give unto the
Lamanites all the land southward.
Mormon; 1:7
Mormon, Chapter 3
3:1.
63 And it came to pass that the
Lamanites did not come to battle again until ten years more had passed away. 64 And behold, I had employed my people, the
Nephites, in preparing their lands and their arms against the time of battle.
3:2.
65 And it came to pass that the
Lord did say unto me: Cry unto this people—Repent ye, and come unto me, and be
ye baptized, and build up again my church, and ye shall be spared.
3:3.
66 And I did cry unto this
people, but it was in vain; and they did not realize that it was the Lord that
had spared them, and granted unto them a chance for repentance. 67 And behold they did harden their hearts against
the Lord their God.
3:4.
68 And it came to pass that
after this tenth year had passed away, making, in the whole, three hundred and
sixty years from the coming of Christ, the king of the Lamanites sent an
epistle unto me, which gave unto me to know that they were preparing to come
again to battle against us.
3:5.
69 And it came to pass that I
did cause my people that they should gather themselves together at the land
Desolation, to a city which was in the borders, by the narrow pass which led
into the land southward.
3:6.
70 And there we did place our
armies, that we might stop the armies of the Lamanites, that they might not get
possession of any of our lands; therefore we did fortify against them with all
our force.
Mormon; 1:8
3:7.
71 And it came to pass that in
the three hundred and sixty and first year the Lamanites did come down to the
city of Desolation to battle against us; and it came to pass that in that year
we did beat them, insomuch that they did return to their own lands again.
3:8.
72 And in the three hundred and
sixty and second year they did come down again to battle. 73 And we did beat them again, and did slay a
great number of them, and their dead were cast into the sea.
3:9.
74 And now, because of this
great thing which my people, the Nephites, had done, they began to boast in
their own strength, and began to swear before the heavens that they would
avenge themselves of the blood of their brethren who had been slain by their enemies.
3:10.
75 And they did swear by the
heavens, and also by the throne of God, that they would go up to battle against
their enemies, and would cut them off from the face of the land.
Mormon; 1:9
3:11.
76 And it came to pass that I,
Mormon, did utterly refuse from this time forth to be a commander and a leader
of this people, because of their wickedness and abomination.
3:12.
77 Behold, I had led them,
notwithstanding their wickedness I had led them many times to battle, and had
loved them, according to the love of God which was in me, with all my heart; 78 and my soul had been poured out in prayer unto
my God all the day long for them; nevertheless, it was without faith, because
of the hardness of their hearts.
3:13.
79 And thrice have I delivered
them out of the hands of their enemies, and they have repented not of their
sins.
3:14.
80 And when they had sworn by
all that had been forbidden them by our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ, that they
would go up unto their enemies to battle, and avenge themselves of the blood of
their brethren, behold the voice of the Lord came unto me saying:
3:15.
Vengeance is mine, and I will repay; and
because this people repented not after I had delivered them, behold, they shall
be cut off from the face of the earth.
3:16.
81 And it came to pass that I
utterly refused to go up against mine enemies; and I did even as the Lord had
commanded me; and I did stand as an idle witness to manifest unto the world the
things which I saw and heard, according to the manifestations of the Spirit
which had testified of things to come.
3:17.
82 Therefore I write unto you,
Gentiles, and also unto you, house of Israel, when the work shall commence,
that ye shall be about to prepare to return to the land of your inheritance;
3:18.
83 Yea, behold, I write unto
all the ends of the earth; yea, unto you, twelve tribes of Israel, who shall be
judged according to your works by the twelve whom Jesus chose to be his
disciples in the land of Jerusalem.
3:19.
84 And I write also unto the
remnant of this people, who shall also be judged by the twelve whom Jesus chose
in this land; and they shall be judged by the other twelve whom Jesus chose in
the land of Jerusalem.
3:20.
85 And these things doth the
Spirit manifest unto me; therefore I write unto you all. 86 And for this cause I write unto you, that ye
may know that ye must all stand before the judgment-seat of Christ, yea, every
soul who belongs to the whole human family of Adam; 87
and ye must stand to be judged of your works, whether they be good or
evil;
3:21.
And also that ye may believe the gospel of
Jesus Christ, which ye shall have among you; 88 and
also that the Jews, the covenant people of the Lord, shall have other witness
besides him whom they saw and heard, that Jesus, whom they slew, was the very
Christ and the very God.
3:22.
89 And I would that I could
persuade all ye ends of the earth to repent and prepare to stand before the
judgment-seat of Christ.
Mormon, Chapter 2
Mormon; 2:1
Mormon, Chapter 4
4:1.
1 And now it came to pass that
in the three hundred and sixty and third year the Nephites did go up with their
armies to battle against the Lamanites, out of the land Desolation.
4:2.
2 And it came to pass that the
armies of the Nephites were driven back again to the land of Desolation. 3 And while they were yet weary, a fresh army of
the Lamanites did come upon them; and they had a sore battle, insomuch that the
Lamanites did take possession of the city Desolation, and did slay many of the
Nephites, and did take many prisoners.
4:3.
And the remainder did flee and join the
inhabitants of the city Teancum. 4 Now the
city Teancum lay in the borders by the seashore; and it was also near the city
Desolation.
4:4.
5 And it was because the
armies of the Nephites went up unto the Lamanites that they began to be
smitten; for were it not for that, the Lamanites could have had no power over
them.
4:5.
6 But, behold, the judgments
of God will overtake the wicked; and it is by the wicked that the wicked are
punished; for it is the wicked that stir up the hearts of the children of men
unto bloodshed.
4:6.
7 And it came to pass that the
Lamanites did make preparations to come against the city Teancum.
Mormon; 2:2
4:7.
8 And it came to pass in the
three hundred and sixty and fourth year the Lamanites did come against the city
Teancum, that they might take possession of the city Teancum also.
4:8.
9 And it came to pass that
they were repulsed and driven back by the Nephites. 10
And when the Nephites saw that they had driven the Lamanites they did
again boast of their own strength; and they went forth in their own might, and
took possession again of the city Desolation.
4:9.
11 And now all these things had
been done, and there had been thousands slain on both sides, both the Nephites
and the Lamanites.
4:10.
12 And it came to pass that the
three hundred and sixty and sixth year had passed away, and the Lamanites came
again upon the Nephites to battle; and yet the Nephites repented not of the
evil they had done, but persisted in their wickedness continually.
4:11.
13 And it is impossible for the
tongue to describe, or for man to write a perfect description of the horrible
scene of the blood and carnage which was among the people, both of the Nephites
and of the Lamanites; and every heart was hardened, so that they delighted in
the shedding of blood continually.
4:12.
14 And there never had been so
great wickedness among all the children of Lehi, nor even among all the house
of Israel, according to the words of the Lord, as was among this people.
Mormon; 2:3
4:13.
15 And it came to pass that the
Lamanites did take possession of the city Desolation, and this because their
number did exceed the number of the Nephites.
4:14.
16 And they did also march
forward against the city Teancum, and did drive the inhabitants forth out of
her, and did take many prisoners both women and children, and did offer them up
as sacrifices unto their idol gods.
4:15.
17 And it came to pass that in
the three hundred and sixty and seventh year, the Nephites being angry because
the Lamanites had sacrificed their women and their children, that they did go
against the Lamanites with exceedingly great anger, insomuch that they did beat
again the Lamanites, and drive them out of their lands.
4:16.
18 And the Lamanites did not
come again against the Nephites until the three hundred and seventy and fifth
year.
4:17.
19 And in this year they did
come down against the Nephites with all their powers; and they were not
numbered because of the greatness of their number.
4:18.
20 And from this time forth did
the Nephites gain no power over the Lamanites, but began to be swept off by
them even as a dew before the sun.
4:19.
21 And it came to pass that the
Lamanites did come down against the city Desolation; and there was an
exceedingly sore battle fought in the land Desolation, in the which they did
beat the Nephites.
4:20.
22 And they fled again from
before them, and they came to the city Boaz; and there they did stand against
the Lamanites with exceeding boldness, insomuch that the Lamanites did not beat
them until they had come again the second time.
4:21.
23 And when they had come the
second time, the Nephites were driven and slaughtered with an exceedingly great
slaughter; their women and their children were again sacrificed unto idols.
4:22.
24 And it came to pass that the
Nephites did again flee from before them, taking all the inhabitants with them,
both in towns and villages.
4:23.
25 And now I, Mormon, seeing
that the Lamanites were about to overthrow the land, therefore I did go to the
hill Shim, and did take up all the records which Ammaron had hid up unto the
Lord.
Mormon; 2:4
Mormon, Chapter 5
5:1.
26 And it came to pass that I
did go forth among the Nephites, and did repent of the oath which I had made
that I would no more assist them; and they gave me command again of their
armies, for they looked upon me as though I could deliver them from their afflictions.
5:2.
27 But behold, I was without
hope, for I knew the judgments of the Lord which should come upon them; for
they repented not of their iniquities, but did struggle for their lives without
calling upon that Being who created them.
5:3.
28 And it came to pass that the
Lamanites did come against us as we had fled to the city of Jordan; but behold,
they were driven back that they did not take the city at that time.
5:4.
29 And it came to pass that
they came against us again, and we did maintain the city. 30 And there were also other cities which were
maintained by Nephites, which strongholds did cut them off that they could not
get into the country which lay before us, to destroy the inhabitants of our
land.
5:5.
31 And it came to pass that
whatsoever lands we had passed by, and the inhabitants thereof were not
gathered in, were destroyed by the Lamanites, and their towns, and villages,
and cities were burned with fire; and thus three hundred and seventy and nine years
passed away.
Mormon; 2:5
5:6.
32 And it came to pass that in
the three hundred and eightieth year the Lamanites did come again against us to
battle, and we did stand against them boldly; but it was all in vain, for so
great were their numbers that they did tread the people of the Nephites under
their feet.
5:7.
33 And it came to pass that we
did again take to flight, and those whose flight was swifter than the
Lamanites’ did escape, and those whose flight did not exceed the Lamanites’
were swept down and destroyed.
5:8.
34 And now behold, I, Mormon,
do not desire to harrow up the souls of men in casting before them such an
awful scene of blood and carnage as was laid before mine eyes; 35 but I, knowing that these things must surely be
made known, and that all things which are hid must be revealed upon the
house-tops—
5:9.
And also that a knowledge of these things
must come unto the remnant of these people, and also unto the Gentiles, who the
Lord hath said should scatter this people, and this people should be counted as
naught among them— 36 therefore I write a
small abridgment, daring not to give a full account of the things which I have
seen, because of the commandment which I have received, and also that ye might
not have too great sorrow because of the wickedness of this people.
Mormon; 2:6
5:10.
37 And now behold, this I speak
unto their seed, and also to the Gentiles who have care for the house of
Israel, that realize and know from whence their blessings come.
5:11.
38 For I know that such will
sorrow for the calamity of the house of Israel; yea, they will sorrow for the
destruction of this people; they will sorrow that this people had not repented
that they might have been clasped in the arms of Jesus.
5:12.
39 Now these things are written
unto the remnant of the house of Jacob; and they are written after this manner,
because it is known of God that wickedness will not bring them forth unto them;
and they are to be hid up unto the Lord that they may come forth in his own due
time.
5:13.
40 And this is the commandment
which I have received; and behold, they shall come forth according to the
commandment of the Lord, when he shall see fit, in his wisdom.
5:14.
41 And behold, they shall go
unto the unbelieving of the Jews; and for this intent shall they go—that they
may be persuaded that Jesus is the Christ, the Son of the living God; 42 that the Father may bring about, through his
most Beloved, his great and eternal purpose, in restoring the Jews, or all the
house of Israel, to the land of their inheritance, which the Lord their God
hath given them, unto the fulfilling of his covenant;
5:15.
43 And also that the seed of
this people may more fully believe his gospel, which shall go forth unto them
from the Gentiles; 44 for this people shall
be scattered, and shall become a dark, a filthy, and a loathsome people, beyond
the description of that which ever hath been amongst us, yea, even that which
hath been among the Lamanites, and this because of their unbelief and idolatry.
5:16.
45 For behold, the Spirit of
the Lord hath already ceased to strive with their fathers; and they are without
Christ and God in the world; and they are driven about as chaff before the
wind.
5:17.
46 They were once a delightsome
people, and they had Christ for their shepherd; yea, they were led even by God
the Father.
5:18.
47 But now, behold, they are
led about by Satan, even as chaff is driven before the wind, or as a vessel is
tossed about upon the waves, without sail or anchor, or without anything
wherewith to steer her; and even as she is, so are they.
5:19.
48 And behold, the Lord hath
reserved their blessings, which they might have received in the land, for the
Gentiles who shall possess the land.
5:20.
49 But behold, it shall come to
pass that they shall be driven and scattered by the Gentiles; and after they
have been driven and scattered by the Gentiles, behold, then will the Lord
remember the covenant which he made unto Abraham and unto all the house of
Israel.
5:21.
50 And also the Lord will
remember the prayers of the righteous, which have been put up unto him for
them.
5:22.
51 And then, O ye Gentiles, how
can ye stand before the power of God, except ye shall repent and turn from your
evil ways?
5:23.
52 Know ye not that ye are in
the hands of God? 53 Know ye not that he
hath all power, and at his great command the earth shall be rolled together as
a scroll?
5:24.
54 Therefore, repent ye, and
humble yourselves before him, lest he shall come out in justice against
you—lest a remnant of the seed of Jacob shall go forth among you as a lion, and
tear you in pieces, and there is none to deliver.
Mormon, Chapter 3
Mormon; 3:1
Mormon, Chapter 6
6:1.
1 And now I finish my record
concerning the destruction of my people, the Nephites. 2
And it came to pass that we did march forth before the Lamanites.
6:2.
3 And I, Mormon, wrote an
epistle unto the king of the Lamanites, and desired of him that he would grant
unto us that we might gather together our people unto the land of Cumorah, by a
hill which was called Cumorah, and there we could give them battle.
6:3.
4 And it came to pass that the
king of the Lamanites did grant unto me the thing which I desired.
6:4.
5 And it came to pass that we
did march forth to the land of Cumorah, and we did pitch our tents around about
the hill Cumorah; and it was in a land of many waters, rivers, and fountains;
and here we had hope to gain advantage over the Lamanites.
6:5.
6 And when three hundred and
eighty and four years had passed away, we had gathered in all the remainder of
our people unto the land of Cumorah.
Mormon; 3:2
6:6.
7 And it came to pass that
when we had gathered in all our people in one to the land of Cumorah, behold I,
Mormon, began to be old; and knowing it to be the last struggle of my people,
and having been commanded of the Lord that I should not suffer the records
which had been handed down by our fathers, which were sacred, to fall into the
hands of the Lamanites, (for the Lamanites would destroy them) 8 therefore I made this record out of the plates
of Nephi, and hid up in the hill Cumorah all the records which had been
entrusted to me by the hand of the Lord, save it were these few plates which I
gave unto my son Moroni.
6:7.
9 And it came to pass that my
people, with their wives and their children, did now behold the armies of the
Lamanites marching towards them; and with that awful fear of death which fills
the breasts of all the wicked, did they await to receive them.
6:8.
10 And it came to pass that
they came to battle against us, and every soul was filled with terror because
of the greatness of their numbers.
6:9.
11 And it came to pass that
they did fall upon my people with the sword, and with the bow, and with the
arrow, and with the ax, and with all manner of weapons of war.
6:10.
12 And it came to pass that my
men were hewn down, yea, even my ten thousand who were with me, and I fell
wounded in the midst; and they passed by me that they did not put an end to my
life.
6:11.
13 And when they had gone
through and hewn down all my people save it were twenty and four of us, (among
whom was my son Moroni) 14 and we having
survived the dead of our people, did behold on the morrow, when the Lamanites
had returned unto their camps, from the top of the hill Cumorah, the ten
thousand of my people who were hewn down, being led in the front by me.
6:12.
And we also beheld the ten thousand of my
people who were led by my son Moroni.
6:13.
15 And behold, the ten thousand
of Gidgiddonah had fallen, and he also in the midst.
6:14.
And Lamah had fallen with his ten thousand;
and Gilgal had fallen with his ten thousand; and Limhah had fallen with his ten
thousand; and Jeneum had fallen with his ten thousand; and Cumenihah, and
Moronihah, and Antionum, and Shiblom, and Shem, and Josh, had fallen with their
ten thousand each.
Mormon; 3:3
6:15.
16 And it came to pass that
there were ten more who did fall by the sword, with their ten thousand each;
yea, even all my people, save it were those twenty and four who were with me,
and also a few who had escaped into the south countries, and a few who had
deserted over unto the Lamanites, had fallen; 17 and
their flesh, and bones, and blood lay upon the face of the earth, being left by
the hands of those who slew them to molder upon the land, and to crumble and to
return to their mother earth.
6:16.
18 And my soul was rent with
anguish, because of the slain of my people, and I cried:
6:17.
O ye fair ones, how could ye have departed
from the ways of the Lord! O ye fair ones, how could ye have rejected that
Jesus, who stood with open arms to receive you!
6:18.
19 Behold, if ye had not done
this, ye would not have fallen. But behold, ye are fallen, and I mourn your
loss.
6:19.
20 O ye fair sons and
daughters, ye fathers and mothers, ye husbands and wives, ye fair ones, how is
it that ye could have fallen!
6:20.
21 But behold, ye are gone, and
my sorrows cannot bring your return.
6:21.
And the day soon cometh that your mortal
must put on immortality, and these bodies which are now moldering in corruption
must soon become incorruptible bodies; 22 and
then ye must stand before the judgment-seat of Christ to be judged according to
your works and if it so be that ye are righteous, then are ye blessed with your
fathers who have gone before you.
6:22.
23 O that ye had repented
before this great destruction had come upon you. But behold, ye are gone, and
the Father, yea, the Eternal Father of heaven, knoweth your state; and he doeth
with you according to his justice and mercy.
Mormon; 3:4
Mormon, Chapter 7
7:1.
24 And now, behold, I would
speak somewhat unto the remnant of this people who are spared, if it so be that
God may give unto them my words, that they may know of the things of their
fathers; yea, I speak unto you, ye remnant of the house of Israel; and these
are the words which I speak:
7:2.
Know ye that ye are of the house of Israel.
7:3.
25 Know ye that ye must come
unto repentance, or ye cannot be saved.
7:4.
26 Know ye that ye must lay
down your weapons of war, and delight no more in the shedding of blood, and
take them not again, save it be that God shall command you.
7:5.
27 Know ye that ye must come to
the knowledge of your fathers, and repent of all your sins and iniquities, and
believe in Jesus Christ, that he is the Son of God, and that he was slain by
the Jews, and by the power of the Father he hath risen again, whereby he hath
gained the victory over the grave; and also in him is the sting of death
swallowed up.
7:6.
28 And he bringeth to pass the
resurrection of the dead, whereby man must be raised to stand before his
judgment-seat.
7:7.
29 And he hath brought to pass
the redemption of the world, whereby he that is found guiltless before him at
the judgment day hath it given unto him to dwell in the presence of God in his
kingdom, to sing ceaseless praises with the choirs above, unto the Father, and
unto the Son, and unto the Holy Ghost, which are one God, in a state of
happiness which hath no end.
7:8.
30 Therefore repent, and be
baptized in the name of Jesus, and lay hold upon the gospel of Christ, which
shall be set before you, not only in this record but also in the record which
shall come unto the Gentiles from the Jews, which record shall come from the
Gentiles unto you.
7:9.
31 For behold, this is written
for the intent that ye may believe that; and if ye believe that ye will believe
this also; and if ye believe this ye will know concerning your fathers, and
also the marvelous works which were wrought by the power of God among them.
7:10.
32 And ye will also know that
ye are a remnant of the seed of Jacob; therefore ye are numbered among the
people of the first covenant; 33 and if it
so be that ye believe in Christ, and are baptized, first with water, then with
fire and with the Holy Ghost, following the example of our Savior, according to
that which he hath commanded us, it shall be well with you in the day of
judgment. Amen.
Mormon, Chapter 4
Mormon; 4:1
Mormon, Chapter 8
8:1.
1 Behold I, Moroni, do finish
the record of my father, Mormon. Behold, I have but few things to write, which
things I have been commanded by my father.
8:2.
2 And now it came to pass that
after the great and tremendous battle at Cumorah, behold, the Nephites who had
escaped into the country southward were hunted by the Lamanites, until they
were all destroyed.
8:3.
And my father also was killed by them, and
I even remain alone to write the sad tale of the destruction of my people. 3 But behold, they are gone, and I fulfil the
commandment of my father. 4 And whether they
will slay me, I know not.
8:4.
Therefore I will write and hide up the
records in the earth; and whither I go it mattereth not.
8:5.
5 Behold, my father hath made
this record, and he hath written the intent thereof. 6
And behold, I would write it also if I had room upon the plates, but I
have not; and ore I have none, for I am alone. My father hath been slain in
battle, and all my kinsfolk, and I have not friends nor whither to go; and how
long the Lord will suffer that I may live I know not.
8:6.
7 Behold, four hundred years
have passed away since the coming of our Lord and Savior.
8:7.
8 And behold, the Lamanites
have hunted my people, the Nephites, down from city to city and from place to
place, even until they are no more; and great has been their fall; yea, great
and marvelous is the destruction of my people, the Nephites.
8:8.
9 And behold, it is the hand
of the Lord which hath done it. 10 And
behold also, the Lamanites are at war one with another; and the whole face of
this land is one continual round of murder and bloodshed; and no one knoweth
the end of the war.
8:9.
11 And now, behold, I say no
more concerning them, for there are none save it be the Lamanites and robbers
that do exist upon the face of the land.
8:10.
12 And there are none that do
know the true God save it be the disciples of Jesus, who did tarry in the land
until the wickedness of the people was so great that the Lord would not suffer
them to remain with the people; and whether they be upon the face of the land
no man knoweth.
8:11.
13 But behold, my father and I
have seen them, and they have ministered unto us.
8:12.
14 And whoso receiveth this
record, and shall not condemn it because of the imperfections which are in it,
the same shall know of greater things than these. 15
Behold, I am Moroni; and were it possible, I would make all things known
unto you.
Mormon; 4:2
8:13.
16 Behold, I make an end of
speaking concerning this people. 17 I am the
son of Mormon, and my father was a descendant of Nephi.
8:14.
And I am the same who hideth up this record
unto the Lord; the plates thereof are of no worth, because of the commandment
of the Lord. 18 For he truly saith that no
one shall have them to get gain; but the record thereof is of great worth; and
whoso shall bring it to light, him will the Lord bless.
8:15.
19 For none can have power to
bring it to light save it be given him of God; for God wills that it shall be
done with an eye single to his glory, or the welfare of the ancient and long
dispersed covenant people of the Lord.
8:16.
20 And blessed be he that shall
bring this thing to light; for it shall be brought out of darkness unto light,
according to the word of God; 21 yea, it
shall be brought out of the earth, and it shall shine forth out of darkness,
and come unto the knowledge of the people; and it shall be done by the power of
God.
8:17.
And if there be faults they be the faults
of a man. 22 But behold, we know no fault;
nevertheless God knoweth all things; therefore, he that condemneth, let him be
aware lest he shall be in danger of hell fire.
8:18.
23 And he that saith: Show unto
me, or ye shall be smitten—let him beware lest he commandeth that which is
forbidden of the Lord.
8:19.
24 For behold, the same that
judgeth rashly shall be judged rashly again; for according to his works shall
his wages be; therefore, he that smiteth shall be smitten again, of the Lord.
8:20.
25 Behold what the scripture
says—man shall not smite, neither shall he judge; for judgment is mine, saith
the Lord, and vengeance is mine also, and I will repay.
8:21.
26 And he that shall breathe
out wrath and strifes against the work of the Lord, and against the covenant
people of the Lord who are the house of Israel, and shall say: We will destroy
the work of the Lord, and the Lord will not remember his covenant which he hath
made unto the house of Israel—the same is in danger to be hewn down and cast
into the fire;
8:22.
For the eternal purposes of the Lord shall
roll on, until all his promises shall be fulfilled.
8:23.
27 Search the prophecies of
Isaiah. Behold, I cannot write them. 28 Yea,
behold I say unto you, that those saints who have gone before me, who have
possessed this land, shall cry, yea, even from the dust will they cry unto the
Lord; and as the Lord liveth he will remember the covenant which he hath made
with them.
8:24.
29 And he knoweth their
prayers, that they were in behalf of their brethren. 30
And he knoweth their faith, for in his name could they remove mountains;
and in his name could they cause the earth to shake; and by the power of his
word did they cause prisons to tumble to the earth; 31
yea, even the fiery furnace could not harm them, neither wild beasts nor
poisonous serpents, because of the power of his word.
8:25.
32 And behold, their prayers
were also in behalf of him that the Lord should suffer to bring these things
forth.
8:26.
33 And no one need say they
shall not come, for they surely shall, for the Lord hath spoken it; for out of
the earth shall they come, by the hand of the Lord, and none can stay it; 34 and it shall come in a day when it shall be
said that miracles are done away; and it shall come even as if one should speak
from the dead.
Mormon; 4:3
8:27.
35 And it shall come in a day
when the blood of saints shall cry unto the Lord, because of secret
combinations and the works of darkness.
8:28.
36 Yea, it shall come in a day
when the power of God shall be denied, and churches become defiled and be
lifted up in the pride of their hearts; yea, even in a day when leaders of
churches and teachers shall rise in the pride of their hearts, even to the envying
of them who belong to their churches.
8:29.
37 Yea, it shall come in a day
when there shall be heard of fires, and tempests, and vapors of smoke in
foreign lands;
8:30.
And there shall also be heard of wars,
rumors of wars, and earthquakes in divers places.
8:31.
38 Yea, it shall come in a day
when there shall be great pollutions upon the face of the earth; 39 there shall be murders, and robbing, and lying,
and deceivings, and whoredoms, and all manner of abominations; when there shall
be many who will say, Do this, or do that, and it mattereth not, for the Lord
will uphold such at the last day. 40 But wo
unto such for they are in the gall of bitterness and in the bonds of iniquity.
8:32.
41 Yea, it shall come in a day
when there shall be churches built up that shall say: Come unto me, and for
your money you shall be forgiven of your sins.
8:33.
42 O ye wicked and perverse and
stiffnecked people, why have ye built up churches unto yourselves to get gain? 43 Why have ye transfigured the holy word of God,
that ye might bring damnation upon your souls? 44 Behold,
look ye unto the revelations of God; for behold, the time cometh at that day
when all these things must be fulfilled.
Mormon; 4:4
8:34.
45 Behold, the Lord hath shown
unto me great and marvelous things concerning that which must shortly come, at
that day when these things shall come forth among you.
8:35.
46 Behold, I speak unto you as
if ye were present, and yet ye are not. 47 But
behold, Jesus Christ hath shown you unto me, and I know your doing.
8:36.
And I know that ye do walk in the pride of
your hearts; 48 and there are none save a
few only who do not lift themselves up in the pride of their hearts, unto the
wearing of very fine apparel, unto envying, and strifes, and malice, and
persecutions, and all manner of iniquities; 49 and
your churches, yea, even every one, have become polluted because of the pride
of your hearts.
8:37.
50 For behold, ye do love
money, and your substance, and your fine apparel, and the adorning of your
churches, more than ye love the poor and the needy, the sick and the afflicted.
8:38.
51 O ye pollutions, ye
hypocrites, ye teachers, who sell yourselves for that which will canker, why
have ye polluted the holy church of God? 52 Why
are ye ashamed to take upon you the name of Christ? 53
Why do ye not think that greater is the value of an endless happiness
than that misery which never dies—because of the praise of the world?
8:39.
54 Why do ye adorn yourselves
with that which hath no life, and yet suffer the hungry, and the needy, and the
naked, and the sick and the afflicted to pass by you, and notice them not?
8:40.
55 Yea, why do ye build up your
secret abominations to get gain, and cause that widows should mourn before the
Lord, and also orphans to mourn before the Lord, and also the blood of their
fathers and their husbands to cry unto the Lord from the ground, for vengeance
upon your heads?
8:41.
56 Behold, the sword of
vengeance hangeth over you; and the time soon cometh that he avengeth the blood
of the saints upon you, for he will not suffer their cries any longer.
Mormon; 4:5
Mormon, Chapter 9
9:1.
57 And now, I speak also
concerning those who do not believe in Christ.
9:2.
58 Behold, will ye believe in
the day of your visitation—behold, when the Lord shall come, yea, even that
great day when the earth shall be rolled together as a scroll, and the elements
shall melt with fervent heat, 59 yea, in
that great day when ye shall be brought to stand before the Lamb of God—then
will ye say that there is no God?
9:3.
60 Then will ye longer deny the
Christ, or can ye behold the Lamb of God? 61 Do
ye suppose that ye shall dwell with him under a consciousness of your guilt? 62 Do ye suppose that ye could be happy to dwell
with that holy Being, when your souls are racked with a consciousness of guilt
that ye have ever abused his laws?
9:4.
63 Behold, I say unto you that
ye would be more miserable to dwell with a holy and just God, under a
consciousness of your filthiness before him, than ye would to dwell with the
damned souls in hell.
9:5.
64 For behold, when ye shall be
brought to see your nakedness before God, and also the glory of God, and the
holiness of Jesus Christ, it will kindle a flame of unquenchable fire upon you.
9:6.
65 O then ye unbelieving, turn
ye unto the Lord; cry mightily unto the Father in the name of Jesus, that
perhaps ye may be found spotless, pure, fair, and white, having been cleansed
by the blood of the Lamb, at that great and last day.
Mormon; 4:6
9:7.
66 And again I speak unto you
who deny the revelations of God, and say that they are done away, that there
are no revelations, nor prophecies, nor gifts, nor healing, nor speaking with
tongues, and the interpretation of tongues;
9:8.
67 Behold I say unto you, he
that denieth these things knoweth not the gospel of Christ; yea, he has not
read the scriptures; if so, he does not understand them.
9:9.
68 For do we not read that God
is the same yesterday, today, and forever, and in him there is no variableness
neither shadow of changing?
9:10.
69 And now if ye have imagined
up unto yourselves a god who doth vary, and in whom there is shadow of
changing, then have ye imagined up unto yourselves a god who is not God of
miracles.
9:11.
70 But behold, I will show unto
you a God of miracles, even the God of Abraham, and the God of Isaac, and the
God of Jacob; and it is that same God who created the heavens and the earth,
and all things that in them are.
9:12.
71 Behold he created Adam, and
by Adam came the fall of man. And because of the fall of man came Jesus Christ,
even the Father and the Son; and because of Jesus Christ came the redemption of
man.
9:13.
72 And because of the redemption
of man, which came by Jesus Christ, they are brought back into the presence of
the Lord; yea, this is wherein all men are redeemed, because the death of
Christ bringeth to pass the resurrection, which bringeth to pass a redemption
from an endless sleep, from which sleep all men shall be awakened by the power
of God when the trump shall sound; 73 and
they shall come forth, both small and great, and all shall stand before his
bar, being redeemed and loosed from this eternal band of death, which death is
a temporal death.
9:14.
74 And then cometh the judgment
of the Holy One upon them; and then cometh the time that he that is filthy
shall be filthy still; and he that is righteous shall be righteous still; he
that is happy shall be happy still; and he that is unhappy shall be unhappy
still.
Mormon; 4:7
9:15.
75 And now, O all ye that have
imagined up unto yourselves a god who can do no miracles, I would ask of you,
have all these things passed, of which I have spoken? Has the end come yet? 76 Behold I say unto you, Nay; and God has not
ceased to be a God of miracles.
9:16.
77 Behold, are not the things
that God hath wrought marvelous in our eyes? Yea, and who can comprehend the
marvelous works of God?
9:17.
78 Who shall say that it was
not a miracle that by his word the heaven and the earth should be; and by the
power of his word man was created of the dust of the earth; and by the power of
his word have miracles been wrought?
9:18.
79 And who shall say that Jesus
Christ did not many mighty miracles? 80 And
there were many mighty miracles wrought by the hands of the apostles.
9:19.
81 And if there were miracles
wrought then, why has God ceased to be a God of miracles and yet be an
unchangeable Being? 82 And behold, I say
unto you he changeth not; if so he would cease to be God; and he ceaseth not to
be God, and is a God of miracles.
9:20.
83 And the reason why he
ceaseth to do miracles among the children of men is because that they dwindle
in unbelief, and depart from the right way, and know not the God in whom they
should trust.
9:21.
84 Behold, I say unto you that
whoso believeth in Christ, doubting nothing, whatsoever he shall ask the Father
in the name of Christ it shall be granted him; and this promise is unto all,
even unto the ends of the earth.
9:22.
85 For behold, thus said Jesus
Christ, the Son of God, unto his disciples who should tarry, yea, and also to
all his disciples, in the hearing of the multitude: 86
Go ye into all the world, and preach the gospel to every creature;
9:23.
And he that believeth and is baptized shall
be saved, but he that believeth not shall be damned;
9:24.
87 And these signs shall follow
them that believe—in my name shall they cast out devils; they shall speak with
new tongues; they shall take up serpents; and if they drink any deadly thing it
shall not hurt them; they shall lay hands on the sick and they shall recover;
9:25.
88 And whosoever shall believe
in my name, doubting nothing, unto him will I confirm all my words, even unto
the ends of the earth.
9:26.
89 And now, behold, who can
stand against the works of the Lord? Who can deny his sayings? 90 Who will rise up against the almighty power of
the Lord? Who will despise the works of the Lord? Who will despise the children
of Christ? 91 Behold, all ye who are
despisers of the works of the Lord, for ye shall wonder and perish.
9:27.
92 O then despise not, and
wonder not, but hearken unto the words of the Lord, and ask the Father in the
name of Jesus for what things soever ye shall stand in need. 93 Doubt not, but be believing, and begin as in
times of old, and come unto the Lord with all your heart, and work out your own
salvation with fear and trembling before him.
9:28.
94 Be wise in the days of your
probation; strip yourselves of all uncleanness; ask not, that ye may consume it
on your lusts, but ask with a firmness unshaken, that ye will yield to no
temptation, but that ye will serve the true and living God.
9:29.
95 See that ye are not baptized
unworthily; see that ye partake not of the sacrament of Christ unworthily; but
see that ye do all things in worthiness, and do it in the name of Jesus Christ,
the Son of the living God; and if ye do this, and endure to the end, ye will in
nowise be cast out.
9:30.
96 Behold, I speak unto you as
though I spake from the dead; for I know that ye shall have my words.
9:31.
97 Condemn me not because of
mine imperfection, neither my father, because of his imperfection, neither them
who have written before him; but rather give thanks unto God that he hath made
manifest unto you our imperfections, that ye may learn to be more wise than we
have been.
Mormon; 4:8
9:32.
98 And now, behold, we have
written this record according to our knowledge, in the characters which are
called among us the reformed Egyptian, being handed down and altered by us,
according to our manner of speech.
9:33.
99 And if our plates had been
sufficiently large we should have written in Hebrew; but the Hebrew hath been
altered by us also; and if we could have written in Hebrew, behold, ye would
have had no imperfection in our record.
9:34.
100 But the Lord knoweth the
things which we have written, and also that none other people knoweth our
language; and because that none other people knoweth our language, therefore he
hath prepared means for the interpretation thereof.
9:35.
101 And these things are written
that we may rid our garments of the blood of our brethren, who have dwindled in
unbelief.
9:36.
102 And behold, these things
which we have desired concerning our brethren, yea, even their restoration to
the knowledge of Christ, are according to the prayers of all the saints who
have dwelt in the land.
9:37.
103 And may the Lord Jesus
Christ grant that their prayers may be answered according to their faith; and
may God the Father remember the covenant which he hath made with the house of
Israel; and may he bless them forever, through faith on the name of Jesus Christ.
Amen.
THE
BOOK OF ETHER
Ether, Chapter 1
Ether; 1:1
Ether, Chapter 1
1:1.
1 And now I, Moroni, proceed to
give an account of those ancient inhabitants who were destroyed by the hand of
the Lord upon the face of this north country.
1:2.
2 And I take mine account from
the twenty and four plates which were found by the people of Limhi, which is
called the Book of Ether.
1:3.
3 And as I suppose that the
first part of this record, which speaks concerning the creation of the world,
and also of Adam, and an account from that time even to the great tower, and
whatsoever things transpired among the children of men until that time, is had
among the Jews—
1:4.
4 Therefore I do not write
those things which transpired from the days of Adam until that time; but they
are had upon the plates; and whoso findeth them, the same will have power that
he may get the full account.
1:5.
5 But behold, I give not the
full account, but a part of the account I give, from the tower down until they
were destroyed.
1:6.
And on this wise do I give the account. 6 He that wrote this record was Ether, and he was
a descendant of Coriantor.
1:7.
Coriantor was the son of Moron.
1:8.
And Moron was the son of Ethem.
1:9.
And Ethem was the son of Ahah.
1:10.
And Ahah was the son of Seth.
1:11.
And Seth was the son of Shiblon.
1:12.
And Shiblon was the son of Com.
1:13.
And Com was the son of Coriantum.
1:14.
And Coriantum was the son of Amnigaddah.
1:15.
And Amnigaddah was the son of Aaron.
1:16.
And Aaron was a descendant of Heth, who was
the son of Hearthom.
1:17.
And Hearthom was the son of Lib.
1:18.
And Lib was the son of Kish.
1:19.
And Kish was the son of Corom.
1:20.
And Corom was the son of Levi.
1:21.
And Levi was the son of Kim.
1:22.
And Kim was the son of Morianton.
1:23.
And Morianton was a descendant of
Riplakish.
1:24.
And Riplakish was the son of Shez.
1:25.
And Shez was the son of Heth.
1:26.
And Heth was the son of Com.
1:27.
And Com was the son of Coriantum.
1:28.
And Coriantum was the son of Emer.
1:29.
And Emer was the son of Omer.
1:30.
And Omer was the son of Shule.
1:31.
And Shule was the son of Kib.
1:32.
And Kib was the son of Orihah, who was the
son of Jared;
1:33.
7 Which Jared came forth with
his brother and their families, with some others and their families, from the
great tower, at the time the Lord confounded the language of the people, and
swore in his wrath that they should be scattered upon all the face of the
earth; and according to the word of the Lord the people were scattered.
1:34.
8 And the brother of Jared
being a large and mighty man, and a man highly favored of the Lord, Jared, his
brother, said unto him: Cry unto the Lord, that he will not confound us that we
may not understand our words.
1:35.
9 And it came to pass that the
brother of Jared did cry unto the Lord, and the Lord had compassion upon Jared;
therefore he did not confound the language of Jared; and Jared and his brother
were not confounded.
1:36.
10 Then Jared said unto his
brother: Cry again unto the Lord, and it may be that he will turn away his
anger from them who are our friends, that he confound not their language.
1:37.
11 And it came to pass that the
brother of Jared did cry unto the Lord, and the Lord had compassion upon their
friends and their families also, that they were not confounded.
1:38.
12 And it came to pass that
Jared spake again unto his brother, saying: Go and inquire of the Lord whether
he will drive us out of the land, and if he will drive us out of the land, cry
unto him whither we shall go. 13 And who
knoweth but the Lord will carry us forth into a land which is choice above all
the earth? 14 And if it so be, let us be
faithful unto the Lord, that we may receive it for our inheritance.
Ether; 1:2
1:39.
15 And it came to pass that the
brother of Jared did cry unto the Lord according to that which had been spoken
by the mouth of Jared.
1:40.
16 And it came to pass that the
Lord did hear the brother of Jared, and had compassion upon him, and said unto
him:
1:41.
Go to and gather together thy flocks, both
male and female, of every kind; and also of the seed of the earth of every
kind; and thy families; and also Jared thy brother and his family; and also thy
friends and their families, and the friends of Jared and their families.
1:42.
17 And when thou hast done this
thou shalt go at the head of them down into the valley which is northward. 18 And there will I meet thee, and I will go
before thee into a land which is choice above all the lands of the earth.
1:43.
19 And there will I bless thee
and thy seed, and raise up unto me of thy seed, and of the seed of thy brother,
and they who shall go with thee, a great nation. 20
And there shall be none greater than the nation which I will raise up
unto me of thy seed, upon all the face of the earth. 21
And thus I will do unto thee because this long time ye have cried unto
me.
Ether; 1:3
Ether, Chapter 2
2:1.
22 And it came to pass that
Jared and his brother, and their families, and also the friends of Jared and
his brother and their families, went down into the valley which was northward,
(and the name of the valley was Nimrod, being called after the mighty hunter)
with their flocks which they had gathered together, male and female, of every
kind.
2:2.
23 And they did also lay snares
and catch fowls of the air; and they did also prepare a vessel, in which they
did carry with them the fish of the waters.
2:3.
24 And they did also carry with
them deseret, which, by interpretation, is a honey bee; and thus they did carry
with them swarms of bees, and all manner of that which was upon the face of the
land, seeds of every kind.
2:4.
25 And it came to pass that
when they had come down into the valley of Nimrod the Lord came down and talked
with the brother of Jared; and he was in a cloud, and the brother of Jared saw
him not.
2:5.
26 And it came to pass that the
Lord commanded them that they should go forth into the wilderness, yea, into
that quarter where there never had man been. 27 And
it came to pass that the Lord did go before them, and did talk with them as he
stood in a cloud, and gave directions whither they should travel.
Ether; 1:4
2:6.
28 And it came to pass that
they did travel in the wilderness, and did build barges, in which they did
cross many waters, being directed continually by the hand of the Lord.
2:7.
29 And the Lord would not
suffer that they should stop beyond the sea in the wilderness, but he would
that they should come forth even unto the land of promise, which was choice
above all other lands, which the Lord God had preserved for a righteous people.
2:8.
30 And he had sworn in his
wrath unto the brother of Jared, that whoso should possess this land of
promise, from that time henceforth and forever, should serve him, the true and
only God, or they should be swept off when the fulness of his wrath should come
upon them.
2:9.
31 And now, we can behold the
decrees of God concerning this land, that it is a land of promise; and
whatsoever nation shall possess it shall serve God, or they shall be swept off
when the fulness of his wrath shall come upon them. 31
And the fulness of his wrath cometh upon them when they are ripened in
iniquity.
2:10.
For behold, this is a land which is choice
above all other lands; wherefore he that doth possess it shall serve God or
shall be swept off; for it is the everlasting decree of God. 33 And it is not until the fulness of iniquity
among the children of the land, that they are swept off.
2:11.
34 And this cometh unto you, O
ye Gentiles, that ye may know the decrees of God—that ye may repent, and not
continue in your iniquities until the fulness come, that ye may not bring down
the fulness of the wrath of God upon you as the inhabitants of the land have
hitherto done.
2:12.
35 Behold, this is a choice
land, and whatsoever nation shall possess it shall be free from bondage, and
from captivity, and from all other nations under heaven, if they will but serve
the God of the land, who is Jesus Christ, who hath been manifested by the
things which we have written.
Ether; 1:5
2:13.
36 And now I proceed with my
record; for behold, it came to pass that the Lord did bring Jared and his
brethren forth even to that great sea which divideth the lands. 37 And as they came to the sea they pitched their
tents; and they called the name of the place Moriancumer; and they dwelt in
tents, and dwelt in tents upon the seashore for the space of four years.
2:14.
38 And it came to pass at the
end of four years that the Lord came again unto the brother of Jared, and stood
in a cloud and talked with him. 39 And for
the space of three hours did the Lord talk with the brother of Jared, and
chastened him because he remembered not to call upon the name of the Lord.
2:15.
40 And the brother of Jared
repented of the evil which he had done, and did call upon the name of the Lord
for his brethren who were with him. 41 And
the Lord said unto him: I will forgive thee and thy brethren of their sins; but
thou shalt not sin any more, for ye shall remember that my Spirit will not
always strive with man; wherefore, if ye will sin until ye are fully ripe ye
shall be cut off from the presence of the Lord. 42 And
these are my thoughts upon the land which I shall give you for your inheritance;
for it shall be a land choice above all other lands.
2:16.
43 And the Lord said: Go to
work and build, after the manner of barges which ye have hitherto built. 44 And it came to pass that the brother of Jared
did go to work, and also his brethren, and built barges after the manner which
they had built, according to the instructions of the Lord. 45 And they were small, and they were light upon
the water, even like unto the lightness of a fowl upon the water.
2:17.
And they were built after a manner that
they were exceedingly tight, even that they would hold water like unto a dish; 46 and the bottom thereof was tight like unto a
dish; and the sides thereof were tight like unto a dish; and the ends thereof
were peaked; and the top thereof was tight like unto a dish; and the length
thereof was the length of a tree; and the door thereof, when it was shut, was
tight like unto a dish.
Ether; 1:6
2:18.
47 And it came to pass that the
brother of Jared cried unto the Lord, saying: O Lord, I have performed the work
which thou hast commanded me, and I have made the barges according as thou hast
directed me.
2:19.
48 And behold, O Lord, in them
there is no light; whither shall we steer? 49 And
also we shall perish, for in them we cannot breathe, save it is the air which
is in them; therefore we shall perish.
2:20.
50 And the Lord said unto the
brother of Jared: Behold, thou shalt make a hole in the top, and also in the
bottom; and when thou shalt suffer for air thou shalt unstop the hole and
receive air. 51 And if it be so that the
water come in upon thee, behold, ye shall stop the hole, that ye may not perish
in the flood.
2:21.
52 And it came to pass that the
brother of Jared did so, according as the Lord had commanded.
2:22.
53 And he cried again unto the
Lord saying: O Lord, behold I have done even as thou hast commanded me; and I
have prepared the vessels for my people, and behold there is no light in them. 54 Behold, O Lord, wilt thou suffer that we shall
cross this great water in darkness?
2:23.
55 And the Lord said unto the
brother of Jared: What will ye that I should do that ye may have light in your
vessels? 56 For behold, ye cannot have
windows, for they will be dashed in pieces; neither shall ye take fire with
you, for ye shall not go by the light of fire.
2:24.
For behold, ye shall be as a whale in the
midst of the sea; for the mountain waves shall dash upon you. 57 Nevertheless, I will bring you up again out of
the depths of the sea; for the winds have gone forth out of my mouth, and also
the rains and the floods have I sent forth.
2:25.
58 And behold, I prepare you
against these things; for ye cannot cross this great deep save I prepare you
against the waves of the sea, and the winds which have gone forth, and the
floods which shall come. 59 Therefore what
will ye that I should prepare for you that ye may have light when ye are
swallowed up in the depths of the sea?
Ether; 1:7
Ether, Chapter 3
3:1.
60 And it came to pass that the
brother of Jared, (now the number of the vessels which had been prepared was
eight) went forth unto the mount, which they called the mount Shelem, because
of its exceeding height, and did molten out of a rock sixteen small stones; 61 and they were white and clear, even as
transparent glass; and he did carry them in his hands upon the top of the
mount, and cried again unto the Lord, saying:
3:2.
Lord, thou hast said that we must be
encompassed about by the floods. 62 Now
behold, O Lord, and do not be angry with thy servant because of his weakness
before thee; for we know that thou art holy and dwellest in the heavens, and
that we are unworthy before thee; 63 because
of the fall our natures have become evil continually; nevertheless, O Lord,
thou hast given us a commandment that we must call upon thee, that from thee we
may receive according to our desires.
3:3.
64 Behold, O Lord, thou hast
smitten us because of our iniquity, and hast driven us forth, and for these
many years we have been in the wilderness; nevertheless, thou hast been
merciful unto us. 65 O Lord, look upon me in
pity, and turn away thine anger from this thy people, and suffer not that they
shall go forth across this raging deep in darkness; but behold these things
which I have molten out of the rock.
3:4.
66 And I know, O Lord, that thou
hast all power, and can do whatsoever thou wilt for the benefit of man;
therefore touch these stones, O Lord, with thy finger, and prepare them that
they may shine forth in darkness; and they shall shine forth unto us in the
vessels which we have prepared, that we may have light while we shall cross the
sea.
3:5.
67 Behold, O Lord, thou canst
do this. We know that thou art able to show forth great power, which looks
small unto the understanding of men.
Ether; 1:8
3:6.
68 And it came to pass that
when the brother of Jared had said these words, behold, the Lord stretched
forth his hand and touched the stones one by one with his finger. 69 And the veil was taken from off the eyes of the
brother of Jared, and he saw the finger of the Lord; and it was as the finger
of a man, like unto flesh and blood; and the brother of Jared fell down before
the Lord, for he was struck with fear.
3:7.
70 And the Lord saw that the
brother of Jared had fallen to the earth; and the Lord said unto him: Arise,
why hast thou fallen?
3:8.
71 And he saith unto the Lord: I
saw the finger of the Lord, and I feared lest he should smite me; for I knew
not that the Lord had flesh and blood.
3:9.
72 And the Lord said unto him:
Because of thy faith thou hast seen that I shall take upon me flesh and blood;
and never has man come before me with such exceeding faith as thou hast; for
were it not so ye could not have seen my finger. Sawest thou more than this?
3:10.
73 And he answered: Nay; Lord,
show thyself unto me.
3:11.
74 And the Lord said unto him:
Believest thou the words which I shall speak?
3:12.
75 And he answered: Yea, Lord,
I know that thou speakest the truth, for thou art a God of truth, and canst not
lie.
3:13.
76 And when he had said these
words, behold, the Lord showed himself unto him, and said: Because thou knowest
these things ye are redeemed from the fall; therefore ye are brought back into
my presence; therefore I show myself unto you.
3:14.
77 Behold, I am he who was
prepared from the foundation of the world to redeem my people. Behold, I am
Jesus Christ. I am the Father and the Son. 78 In
me shall all mankind have life, and that eternally, even they who shall believe
on my name; and they shall become my sons and my daughters.
3:15.
79 And never have I showed
myself unto man whom I have created, for never has man believed in me as thou
hast. 80 Seest thou that ye are created
after mine own image? Yea, even all men were created in the beginning after
mine own image.
3:16.
81 Behold, this body, which ye
now behold, is the body of my spirit; and man have I created after the body of
my spirit; and even as I appear unto thee to be in the spirit will I appear
unto my people in the flesh.
Ether; 1:9
3:17.
82 And now, as I, Moroni, said
I could not make a full account of these things which are written therefore it
sufficeth me to say that Jesus showed himself unto this man in the spirit, even
after the manner and in the likeness of the same body even as he showed himself
unto the Nephites.
3:18.
83 And he ministered unto him
even as he ministered unto the Nephites; and all this, that this man might know
that he was God, because of the many great works which the Lord had showed unto
him.
3:19.
84 And because of the knowledge
of this man he could not be kept from beholding within the veil; and he saw the
finger of Jesus, which, when he saw, he fell with fear; for he knew that it was
the finger of the Lord; 85 and he had faith
no longer, for he knew, nothing doubting.
3:20.
Wherefore, having this perfect knowledge of
God, he could not be kept from within the veil; therefore he saw Jesus; and he
did minister unto him.
Ether; 1:10
3:21.
86 And it came to pass that the
Lord said unto the brother of Jared: Behold, thou shalt not suffer these things
which ye have seen and heard to go forth unto the world, until the time cometh
that I shall glorify my name in the flesh; wherefore, ye shall treasure up the
things which ye have seen and heard, and show it to no man.
3:22.
87 And behold, when ye shall
come unto me, ye shall write them and shall seal them up, that no one can
interpret them; for ye shall write them in a language that they cannot be read.
3:23.
88 And behold, these two stones
will I give unto thee, and ye shall seal them up also with the things which ye
shall write.
3:24.
89 For behold, the language
which ye shall write I have confounded; wherefore I will cause in my own due
time that these stones shall magnify to the eyes of men these things which ye
shall write.
3:25.
90 And when the Lord had said
these words, he showed unto the brother of Jared all the inhabitants of the
earth which had been, and also all that would be; and he withheld them not from
his sight, even unto the ends of the earth.
3:26.
91 For he had said unto him in
times before, that if he would believe in him that he could show unto him all
things—it should be shown unto him; therefore the Lord could not withhold
anything from him, for he knew that the Lord could show him all things.
3:27.
92 And the Lord said unto him:
Write these things and seal them up; and I will show them in mine own due time
unto the children of men.
Ether; 1:11
3:28.
93 And it came to pass that the
Lord commanded him that he should seal up the two stones which he had received,
and show them not, until the Lord should show them unto the children of men.
Ether, Chapter 4
4:1.
94 And the Lord commanded the
brother of Jared to go down out of the mount from the presence of the Lord, and
write the things which he had seen; and they were forbidden to come unto the
children of men until after that he should be lifted up upon the cross; 95 and for this cause did king Mosiah keep them,
that they should not come unto the world until after Christ should show himself
unto his people.
4:2.
96 And after Christ truly had
showed himself unto his people he commanded that they should be made manifest.
4:3.
97 And now, after that, they
have all dwindled in unbelief; and there is none save it be the Lamanites, and
they have rejected the gospel of Christ; therefore I am commanded that I should
hide them up again in the earth.
4:4.
98 Behold, I have written upon
these plates the very things which the brother of Jared saw; and there never
were greater things made manifest than those which were made manifest unto the
brother of Jared.
4:5.
Wherefore the Lord hath commanded me to
write them; and I have written them. 99 And
he commanded me that I should seal them up; and he also hath commanded that I
should seal up the interpretation thereof; wherefore I have sealed up the
interpreters, according to the commandment of the Lord.
4:6.
100 For the Lord said unto me:
They shall not go forth unto the Gentiles until the day that they shall repent
of their iniquity, and become clean before the Lord.
4:7.
101 And in that day that they
shall exercise faith in me, saith the Lord, even as the brother of Jared did,
that they may become sanctified in me, then will I manifest unto them the
things which the brother of Jared saw, even to the unfolding unto them all my
revelations, saith Jesus Christ, the Son of God, the Father of the heavens and
of the earth, and all things that in them are.
4:8.
102 And he that will contend
against the word of the Lord, let him be accursed; and he that shall deny these
things, let him be accursed; for unto them will I show no greater things, saith
Jesus Christ; for I am he who speaketh.
4:9.
103 And at my command the
heavens are opened and are shut; and at my word the earth shall shake; and at
my command the inhabitants thereof shall pass away, even so as by fire.
4:10.
104 And he that believeth not my
words believeth not my disciples; and if it so be that I do not speak, judge
ye; for ye shall know that it is I that speaketh, at the last day.
Ether; 1:12
4:11.
105 But he that believeth these
things which I have spoken, him will I visit with the manifestations of my
Spirit, and he shall know and bear record. 106 For
because of my Spirit he shall know that these things are true; for it
persuadeth men to do good.
4:12.
And whatsoever thing persuadeth men to do
good is of me; for good cometh of none save it be of me. 107 I am the same that leadeth men to all good; he
that will not believe my words will not believe me—that I am; and he that will
not believe me will not believe the Father who sent me. 108 For behold, I am the Father, I am the light, and the life,
and the truth of the world.
4:13.
109 Come unto me, O ye Gentiles,
and I will show unto you the greater things, the knowledge which is hid up
because of unbelief.
4:14.
110 Come unto me, O ye house of
Israel, and it shall be made manifest unto you how great things the Father hath
laid up for you, from the foundation of the world; and it hath not come unto
you, because of unbelief.
4:15.
111 Behold, when ye shall rend
that veil of unbelief which doth cause you to remain in your awful state of
wickedness, and hardness of heart, and blindness of mind, then shall the great
and marvelous things which have been hid up from the foundation of the world
from you— 112 yea, when ye shall call upon
the Father in my name, with a broken heart and a contrite spirit, then shall ye
know that the Father hath remembered the covenant which he made unto your
fathers, O house of Israel.
4:16.
113 And then shall my
revelations which I have caused to be written by my servant John be unfolded in
the eyes of all the people. 114 Remember,
when ye see these things, ye shall know that the time is at hand that they
shall be made manifest in very deed.
4:17.
Therefore, when ye shall receive this
record ye may know that the work of the Father has commenced upon all the face
of the land.
4:18.
115 Therefore, repent all ye
ends of the earth, and come unto me, and believe in my gospel, and be baptized
in my name; for he that believeth and is baptized shall be saved; but he that
believeth not shall be damned; and signs shall follow them that believe in my
name.
4:19.
116 And blessed is he that is
found faithful unto my name at the last day, for he shall be lifted up to dwell
in the kingdom prepared for him from the foundation of the world. 117 And behold it is I that hath spoken it. Amen.
Ether, Chapter 2
Ether; 2:1
Ether, Chapter 5
5:1.
1 And now I, Moroni, have
written the words which were commanded me, according to my memory; and I have
told you the things which I have sealed up; therefore touch them not in order
that ye may translate; for that thing is forbidden you, except by and by it
shall be wisdom in God.
5:2.
2 And behold, ye may be
privileged that ye may show the plates unto those who shall assist to bring
forth this work;
5:3.
And unto three shall they be shown by the
power of God; wherefore they shall know of a surety that these things are true.
5:4.
3 And in the mouth of three
witnesses shall these things be established; and the testimony of three, and
this work, in the which shall be shown forth the power of God and also his
word, of which the Father, and the Son, and the Holy Ghost bear record—and all
this shall stand as a testimony against the world at the last day.
5:5.
4 And if it so be that they
repent and come unto the Father in the name of Jesus, they shall be received
into the kingdom of God.
5:6.
5 And now, if I have no
authority for these things, judge ye; for ye shall know that I have authority
when ye shall see me, and we shall stand before God at the last day. Amen.
Ether, Chapter 3
Ether; 3:1
Ether, Chapter 6
6:1.
1 And now I, Moroni, proceed
to give the record of Jared and his brother.
6:2.
2 For it came to pass after
the Lord had prepared the stones which the brother of Jared had carried up into
the mount, the brother of Jared came down out of the mount, and he did put
forth the stones into the vessels which were prepared, one in each end thereof;
and behold, they did give light unto the vessels.
6:3.
3 And thus the Lord caused
stones to shine in darkness, to give light unto men, women, and children, that
they might not cross the great waters in darkness.
Ether; 3:2
6:4.
4 And it came to pass that
when they had prepared all manner of food, that thereby they might subsist upon
the water, and also food for their flocks and herds, and whatsoever beast or
animal or fowl that they should carry with them— 5 and
it came to pass that when they had done all these things they got aboard of
their vessels or barges, and set forth into the sea, commending themselves unto
the Lord their God.
6:5.
6 And it came to pass that the
Lord God caused that there should be a furious wind blow upon the face of the
waters, towards the promised land; and thus they were tossed upon the waves of
the sea before the wind.
6:6.
7 And it came to pass that
they were many times buried in the depths of the sea, because of the mountain
waves which broke upon them, and also the great and terrible tempests which
were caused by the fierceness of the wind.
Ether; 3:3
6:7.
8 And it came to pass that
when they were buried in the deep there was no water that could hurt them,
their vessels being tight like unto a dish, and also they were tight like unto
the ark of Noah; 9 therefore when they were
encompassed about by many waters they did cry unto the Lord, and he did bring
them forth again upon the top of the waters.
6:8.
10 And it came to pass that the
wind did never cease to blow towards the promised land while they were upon the
waters; and thus they were driven forth before the wind.
6:9.
11 And they did sing praises
unto the Lord; yea, the brother of Jared did sing praises unto the Lord, and he
did thank and praise the Lord all the day long; and when the night came, they
did not cease to praise the Lord.
6:10.
12 And thus they were driven
forth; and no monster of the sea could break them, neither whale that could mar
them; and they did have light continually, whether it was above the water or
under the water.
6:11.
13 And thus they were driven
forth, three hundred and forty and four days upon the water.
6:12.
And they did land upon the shore of the
promised land. 14 And when they had set
their feet upon the shores of the promised land they bowed themselves down upon
the face of the land, and did humble themselves before the Lord, and did shed
tears of joy before the Lord, because of the multitude of his tender mercies
over them.
Ether; 3:4
6:13.
15 And it came to pass that
they went forth upon the face of the land, and began to till the earth.
6:14.
16 And Jared had four sons; and
they were called Jacom, and Gilgah, and Mahah, and Orihah.
6:15.
17 And the brother of Jared
also begat sons and daughters.
6:16.
18 And the friends of Jared and
his brother were in number about twenty and two souls; and they also begat sons
and daughters before they came to the promised land; and therefore they began
to be many.
6:17.
19 And they were taught to walk
humbly before the Lord; and they were also taught from on high.
Ether; 3:5
6:18.
20 And it came to pass that
they began to spread upon the face of the land, and to multiply and to till the
earth; and they did wax strong in the land.
6:19.
21 And the brother of Jared
began to be old, and saw that he must soon go down to the grave; wherefore he
said unto Jared: Let us gather together our people that we may number them,
that we may know of them what they will desire of us before we go down to our
graves.
6:20.
22 And accordingly the people
were gathered together. 23 Now the number of
the sons and the daughters of the brother of Jared were twenty and two souls;
and the number of sons and daughters of Jared were twelve, he having four sons.
6:21.
24 And it came to pass that
they did number their people; and after that they had numbered them, they did
desire of them the things which they would that they should do before they went
down to their graves.
6:22.
25 And it came to pass that the
people desired of them that they should anoint one of their sons to be a king
over them.
6:23.
26 And now behold, this was
grievous unto them. 27 And the brother of
Jared said unto them: Surely this thing leadeth into captivity.
6:24.
28 But Jared said unto his
brother: Suffer them that they may have a king. And therefore he said unto
them: Choose ye out from among our sons a king, even whom ye will.
Ether; 3:6
6:25.
29 And it came to pass that
they chose even the firstborn of the brother of Jared; and his name was Pagag. 30 And it came to pass that he refused and would
not be their king. 31 And the people would
that his father should constrain him, but his father would not; and he
commanded them that they should constrain no man to be their king.
6:26.
32 And it came to pass that
they chose all the brothers of Pagag, and they would not.
6:27.
33 And it came to pass that
neither would the sons of Jared, even all save it were one; and Orihah was
anointed to be king over the people.
6:28.
34 And he began to reign, and
the people began to prosper; and they became exceedingly rich.
6:29.
35 And it came to pass that
Jared died, and his brother also.
6:30.
36 And it came to pass that
Orihah did walk humbly before the Lord, and did remember how great things the
Lord had done for his father, and also taught his people how great things the
Lord had done for their fathers.
Ether; 3:7
Ether, Chapter 7
7:1.
37 And it came to pass that
Orihah did execute judgment upon the land in righteousness all his days, whose
days were exceedingly many.
7:2.
38 And he begat sons and
daughters; yea, he begat thirty and one, among whom were twenty and three sons.
7:3.
39 And it came to pass that he
also begat Kib in his old age. 40 And it
came to pass that Kib reigned in his stead; and Kib begat Corihor.
7:4.
41 And when Corihor was thirty
and two years old he rebelled against his father, and went over and dwelt in
the land of Nehor; and he begat sons and daughters, and they became exceedingly
fair; wherefore Corihor drew away many people after him.
7:5.
42 And when he had gathered
together an army he came up unto the land of Moron where the king dwelt, and
took him captive, which brought to pass the saying of the brother of Jared that
they would be brought into captivity.
7:6.
43 Now the land of Moron, where
the king dwelt, was near the land which is called Desolation by the Nephites.
7:7.
44 And it came to pass that Kib
dwelt in captivity, and his people under Corihor his son, until he became
exceedingly old; nevertheless Kib begat Shule in his old age, while he was yet
in captivity.
Ether; 3:8
7:8.
45 And it came to pass that
Shule was angry with his brother; and Shule waxed strong, and became mighty as
to the strength of a man; and he was also mighty in judgment.
7:9.
46 Wherefore, he came to the
hill Ephraim, and he did molten out of the hill, and made swords out of steel
for those whom he had drawn away with him; and after he had armed them with
swords he returned to the city Nehor and gave battle unto his brother Corihor,
by which means he obtained the kingdom and restored it unto his father Kib.
7:10.
47 And now because of the thing
which Shule had done, his father bestowed upon him the kingdom; therefore he
began to reign in the stead of his father.
7:11.
48 And it came to pass that he
did execute judgment in righteousness; and he did spread his kingdom upon all
the face of the land, for the people had become exceedingly numerous.
7:12.
49 And it came to pass that
Shule also begat many sons and daughters.
7:13.
50 And Corihor repented of the
many evils which he had done; wherefore Shule gave him power in his kingdom.
7:14.
51 And it came to pass that
Corihor had many sons and daughters. 52 And
among the sons of Corihor there was one whose name was Noah.
Ether; 3:9
7:15.
53 And it came to pass that
Noah rebelled against Shule, the king, and also his father Corihor, and drew
away Cohor his brother, and also all his brethren and many of the people.
7:16.
54 And he gave battle unto
Shule the king, in which he did obtain the land of their first inheritance; and
he became a king over that part of the land.
7:17.
55 And it came to pass that he
gave battle again unto Shule, the king; and he took Shule, the king, and
carried him away captive into Moron.
7:18.
56 And it came to pass as he
was about to put him to death, the sons of Shule crept into the house of Noah
by night and slew him, and broke down the door of the prison and brought out
their father, and placed him upon his throne in his own kingdom.
7:19.
Wherefore, the son of Noah did build up his
kingdom in his stead; 57 nevertheless they
did not gain power any more over Shule the king, and the people who were under
the reign of Shule the king did prosper exceedingly and wax great.
7:20.
58 And the country was divided;
and there were two kingdoms, the kingdom of Shule, and the kingdom of Cohor,
the son of Noah.
7:21.
59 And Cohor, the son of Noah,
caused that his people should give battle unto Shule, in which Shule did beat
them and did slay Cohor.
7:22.
60 And now Cohor had a son who
was called Nimrod; and Nimrod gave up the kingdom of Cohor unto Shule, and he
did gain favor in the eyes of Shule; wherefore Shule did bestow great favors
upon him, and he did do in the kingdom of Shule according to his desires.
7:23.
61 And also in the reign of
Shule there came prophets among the people, who were sent from the Lord,
prophesying that the wickedness and idolatry of the people was bringing a curse
upon the land, and they should be destroyed if they did not repent.
Ether; 3:10
7:24.
62 And it came to pass that the
people did revile against the prophets, and did mock them. 63 And it came to pass that king Shule did execute
judgment against all those who did revile against the prophets.
7:25.
And he did execute a law throughout all the
land, which gave power unto the prophets that they should go whithersoever they
would; and by this cause the people were brought unto repentance.
7:26.
64 And because the people did
repent of their iniquities and idolatries the Lord did spare them, and they
began to prosper again in the land. 65 And
it came to pass that Shule begat sons and daughters in his old age.
7:27.
66 And there were no more wars
in the days of Shule; and he remembered the great things that the Lord had done
for his fathers in bringing them across the great deep into the promised land;
wherefore he did execute judgment in righteousness all his days.
Ether; 3:11
Ether, Chapter 8
8:1.
67 And it came to pass that he
begat Omer, and Omer reigned in his stead. 68 And
Omer begat Jared; and Jared begat sons and daughters.
8:2.
69 And Jared rebelled against
his father, and came and dwelt in the land of Heth. 70
And it came to pass that he did flatter many people, because of his
cunning words, until he had gained the half of the kingdom.
8:3.
71 And when he had gained the
half of the kingdom he gave battle unto his father, and he did carry away his
father into captivity, and did make him serve in captivity;
8:4.
72 And now, in the days of the
reigns of Omer he was in captivity the half of his days. 73 And it came to pass that he begat sons and
daughters among whom were Esrom and Coriantumr;
8:5.
And they were exceedingly angry because of
the doings of Jared their brother, insomuch that they did raise an army and
gave battle unto Jared. 74 And it came to
pass that they did give battle unto him by night.
8:6.
75 And it came to pass that
when they had slain the army of Jared they were about to slay him also; and he
plead with them that they would not slay him, and he would give up the kingdom
unto his father. 76 And it came to pass that
they did grant unto him his life.
8:7.
77 And now Jared became
exceedingly sorrowful because of the loss of the kingdom, for he had set his
heart upon the kingdom and upon the glory of the world.
8:8.
78 Now the daughter of Jared
being exceedingly expert, and seeing the sorrows of her father, thought to
devise a plan whereby she could redeem the kingdom unto her father.
8:9.
79 Now the daughter of Jared
was exceedingly fair. And it came to pass that she did talk with her father,
and said unto him: Whereby hath my father so much sorrow? 80 Hath he not read the record which our fathers
brought across the great deep? 81 Behold, is
there not an account concerning them of old, that they by their secret plans
did obtain kingdoms and great glory?
8:10.
82 And now, therefore, let my
father send for Akish, the son of Kimnor; and behold, I am fair, and I will
dance before him, and I will please him, that he will desire me to wife;
wherefore if he shall desire of thee that ye shall give unto him me to wife, then
shall ye say: I will give her if ye will bring unto me the head of my father,
the king.
Ether; 3:12
8:11.
83 And now Omer was a friend to
Akish; wherefore, when Jared had sent for Akish, the daughter of Jared danced
before him that she pleased him, insomuch that he desired her to wife. 84 And it came to pass that he said unto Jared:
Give her unto me to wife.
8:12.
85 And Jared said unto him: I
will give her unto you, if ye will bring unto me the head of my father, the
king.
8:13.
86 And it came to pass that
Akish gathered in unto the house of Jared all his kinsfolk, and said unto them:
Will ye swear unto me that ye will be faithful unto me in the thing which I
shall desire of you?
8:14.
87 And it came to pass that
they all sware unto him, by the God of heaven, and also by the heavens, and
also by the earth, and by their heads, that whoso should vary from the
assistance which Akish desired should lose his head; 88
and whoso should divulge whatsoever thing Akish made known unto them,
the same should lose his life.
8:15.
And it came to pass that thus they did
agree with Akish. 89 And Akish did
administer unto them the oaths which were given by them of old who also sought
power, which had been handed down even from Cain, who was a murderer from the
beginning.
8:16.
90 And they were kept up by the
power of the devil to administer these oaths unto the people, to keep them in
darkness, to help such as sought power to gain power, and to murder, and to
plunder, and to lie, and to commit all manner of wickedness and whoredoms.
8:17.
91 And it was the daughter of
Jared who put it into his heart to search up these things of old; and Jared put
it into the heart of Akish; wherefore, Akish administered it unto his kindred
and friends, leading them away by fair promises to do whatsoever thing he
desired.
8:18.
92 And it came to pass that
they formed a secret combination, even as they of old; which combination is
most abominable and wicked above all, in the sight of God;
8:19.
93 For the Lord worketh not in
secret combinations, neither doth he will that man should shed blood, but in
all things hath forbidden it, from the beginning of man.
Ether; 3:13
8:20.
94 And now I, Moroni, do not
write the manner of their oaths and combinations, for it hath been made known
unto me that they are had among all people, and they are had among the
Lamanites.
8:21.
And they have caused the destruction of
this people of whom I am now speaking, and also the destruction of the people
of Nephi.
8:22.
95 And whatsoever nation shall
uphold such secret combinations, to get power and gain, until they shall spread
over the nation, behold, they shall be destroyed; for the Lord will not suffer
that the blood of his saints, which shall be shed by them, shall always cry
unto him from the ground for vengeance upon them and yet he avenge them not.
8:23.
96 Wherefore, O ye Gentiles, it
is wisdom in God that these things should be shown unto you, that thereby ye
may repent of your sins, and suffer not that these murderous combinations shall
get above you, which are built up to get power and gain—and the work, yea, even
the work of destruction come upon you, 97 yea,
even the sword of the justice of the Eternal God shall fall upon you, to your
overthrow and destruction if ye shall suffer these things to be.
8:24.
98 Wherefore, the Lord
commandeth you, when ye shall see these things come among you that ye shall
awake to a sense of your awful situation, because of this secret combination
which shall be among you; or wo be unto it, because of the blood of them who
have been slain; for they cry from the dust for vengeance upon it, and also
upon those who built it up.
8:25.
99 For it cometh to pass that
whoso buildeth it up seeketh to overthrow the freedom of all lands, nations,
and countries; 100 and it bringeth to pass
the destruction of all people, for it is built up by the devil, who is the
father of all lies; even that same liar who beguiled our first parents, 101 yea, even that same liar who hath caused man
to commit murder from the beginning; who hath hardened the hearts of men that
they have murdered the prophets, and stoned them, and cast them out from the
beginning.
8:26.
102 Wherefore, I, Moroni, am
commanded to write these things that evil may be done away, and that the time
may come that Satan may have no power upon the hearts of the children of men,
but that they may be persuaded to do good continually, that they may come unto
the fountain of all righteousness and be saved.
Ether, Chapter 4
Ether; 4:1
Ether, Chapter 9
9:1.
1 And now I, Moroni, proceed
with my record. 2 Therefore, behold, it came
to pass that because of the secret combinations of Akish and his friends,
behold, they did overthrow the kingdom of Omer.
9:2.
Nevertheless, the Lord was merciful unto
Omer, and also to his sons and to his daughters who did not seek his
destruction.
9:3.
3 And the Lord warned Omer in
a dream that he should depart out of the land; wherefore Omer departed out of
the land with his family, and traveled many days, and came over and passed by
the hill of Shim, 4 and came over by the
place where the Nephites were destroyed, and from thence eastward, and came to
a place which was called Ablom, by the seashore, and there he pitched his tent,
and also his sons and his daughters, and all his household, save it were Jared
and his family.
Ether; 4:2
9:4.
5 And it came to pass that
Jared was anointed king over the people, by the hand of wickedness; and he gave
unto Akish his daughter to wife.
9:5.
6 And it came to pass that
Akish sought the life of his father-in-law; and he applied unto those whom he
had sworn by the oath of the ancients, and they obtained the head of his
father-in-law, as he sat upon his throne, giving audience to his people.
9:6.
7 For so great had been the
spreading of this wicked and secret society that it had corrupted the hearts of
all the people; therefore Jared was murdered upon his throne, and Akish reigned
in his stead.
9:7.
8 And it came to pass that
Akish began to be jealous of his son, therefore he shut him up in prison, and
kept him upon little or no food until he had suffered death.
9:8.
9 And now the brother of him
that suffered death, (and his name was Nimrah) was angry with his father
because of that which his father had done unto his brother.
9:9.
10 And it came to pass that
Nimrah gathered together a small number of men, and fled out of the land, and
came over and dwelt with Omer.
9:10.
11 And it came to pass that
Akish begat other sons, and they won the hearts of the people, notwithstanding
they had sworn unto him to do all manner of iniquity according to that which he
desired.
9:11.
12 Now the people of Akish were
desirous for gain, even as Akish was desirous for power; wherefore, the sons of
Akish did offer them money, by which means they drew away the more part of the
people after them.
9:12.
13 And there began to be a war
between the sons of Akish and Akish, which lasted for the space of many years,
yea, unto the destruction of nearly all the people of the kingdom, 14 yea, even all, save it were thirty souls, and
they who fled with the house of Omer.
9:13.
Wherefore, Omer was restored again to the
land of his inheritance.
9:14.
15 And it came to pass that
Omer began to be old; nevertheless, in his old age he begat Emer; and he
anointed Emer to be king to reign in his stead.
9:15.
16 And after that he had
anointed Emer to be king he saw peace in the land for the space of two years,
and he died, having seen exceedingly many days, which were full of sorrow. 17 And it came to pass that Emer did reign in his
stead, and did fill the steps of his father.
Ether; 4:3
9:16.
18 And the Lord began again to
take the curse from off the land, and the house of Emer did prosper exceedingly
under the reign of Emer; 19 and in the space
of sixty and two years they had become exceedingly strong, insomuch that they
became exceedingly rich—
9:17.
Having all manner of fruit, and of grain,
and of silks, and of fine linen, and of gold, and of silver, and of precious
things;
9:18.
20 And also all manner of
cattle, of oxen, and cows, and of sheep, and of swine, and of goats, and also
many other kinds of animals which were useful for the food of man.
9:19.
21 And they also had horses,
and asses, and there were elephants and cureloms and cumoms; all of which were
useful unto man, and more especially the elephants and cureloms and cumoms.
9:20.
22 And thus the Lord did pour
out his blessings upon this land, which was choice above all other lands; and
he commanded that whoso should possess the land should possess it unto the
Lord, or they should be destroyed when they were ripened in iniquity; for upon
such, saith the Lord: I will pour out the fulness of my wrath.
9:21.
23 And Emer did execute
judgment in righteousness all his days, and he begat many sons and daughters;
and he begat Coriantum, and he anointed Coriantum to reign in his stead.
9:22.
24 And after he had anointed
Coriantum to reign in his stead he lived four years, and he saw peace in the
land; yea, and he even saw the Son of Righteousness, and did rejoice and glory
in his day; and he died in peace.
9:23.
25 And it came to pass that
Coriantum did walk in the steps of his father, and did build many mighty
cities, and did administer that which was good unto his people in all his days.
26 And it came to pass that he had no
children even until he was exceedingly old.
9:24.
27 And it came to pass that his
wife died, being an hundred and two years old. 28 And
it came to pass that Coriantum took to wife, in his old age, a young maid, and
begat sons and daughters; wherefore he lived until he was an hundred and forty
and two years old.
9:25.
29 And it came to pass that he
begat Com, and Com reigned in his stead; and he reigned forty and nine years,
and he begat Heth; and he also begat other sons and daughters.
9:26.
30 And the people had spread
again over all the face of the land, and there began again to be an exceedingly
great wickedness upon the face of the land, and Heth began to embrace the
secret plans again of old, to destroy his father.
9:27.
31 And it came to pass that he
did dethrone his father, for he slew him with his own sword; and he did reign
in his stead.
9:28.
32 And there came prophets in
the land again, crying repentance unto them—that they must prepare the way of
the Lord or there should come a curse upon the face of the land; yea, even
there should be a great famine, in which they should be destroyed if they did
not repent.
9:29.
33 But the people believed not
the words of the prophets, but they cast them out; and some of them they cast
into pits and left them to perish. 34 And it
came to pass that they did all these things according to the commandment of the
king, Heth.
Ether; 4:4
9:30.
35 And it came to pass that
there began to be a great dearth upon the land, and the inhabitants began to be
destroyed exceedingly fast because of the dearth, for there was no rain upon
the face of the earth.
9:31.
And there came forth poisonous serpents
also upon the face of the land, and did poison many people. 36 And it came to pass that their flocks began to
flee before the poisonous serpents, towards the land southward, which was
called by the Nephites Zarahemla.
9:32.
37 And it came to pass that
there were many of them which did perish by the way; nevertheless, there were
some which fled into the land southward.
9:33.
38 And it came to pass that the
Lord did cause the serpents that they should pursue them no more, but that they
should hedge up the way that the people could not pass, that whoso should
attempt to pass might fall by the poisonous serpents.
9:34.
39 And it came to pass that the
people did follow the course of the beasts, and did devour the carcasses of
them which fell by the way, until they had devoured them all. 40 Now when the people saw that they must perish
they began to repent of their iniquities and cry unto the Lord.
9:35.
41 And it came to pass that
when they had humbled themselves sufficiently before the Lord he did send rain
upon the face of the earth; and the people began to revive again, and there
began to be fruit in the north countries, and in all the countries round about.
42 And the Lord did show forth his power
unto them in preserving them from famine.
Ether, Chapter 10
10:1.
43 And it came to pass that
Shez, who was a descendant of Heth—for Heth had perished by the famine, and all
his household save it were Shez—wherefore, Shez began to build up again a
broken people.
10:2.
44 And it came to pass that
Shez did remember the destruction of his fathers, and he did build up a
righteous kingdom; for he remembered what the Lord had done in bringing Jared
and his brother across the deep; and he did walk in the ways of the Lord; and he
begat sons and daughters.
10:3.
45 And his eldest son, whose
name was Shez, did rebel against him; nevertheless, Shez was smitten by the
hand of a robber, because of his exceeding riches, which brought peace again
unto his father.
10:4.
46 And it came to pass that his
father did build up many cities upon the face of the land, and the people began
again to spread over all the face of the land. 47 And
Shez did live to an exceedingly old age; and he begat Riplakish. And he died,
and Riplakish reigned in his stead.
Ether; 4:5
10:5.
48 And it came to pass that
Riplakish did not do that which was right in the sight of the Lord, for he did
have many wives and concubines, and did lay that upon men’s shoulders which was
grievous to be borne; yea, he did tax them with heavy taxes; and with the taxes
he did build many spacious buildings.
10:6.
49 And he did erect him an
exceedingly beautiful throne; and he did build many prisons, and whoso would
not be subject unto taxes he did cast into prison; and whoso was not able to
pay taxes he did cast into prison; 50 and he
did cause that they should labor continually for their support; and whoso
refused to labor he did cause to be put to death.
10:7.
Wherefore he did obtain all his fine work,
yea, even his fine gold he did cause to be refined in prison, and all manner of
fine workmanship he did cause to be wrought in prison. 51
And it came to pass that he did afflict the people with his whoredoms
and abominations.
10:8.
And when he had reigned for the space of
forty and two years the people did rise up in rebellion against him; and there
began to be war again in the land, insomuch that Riplakish was killed, and his
descendants were driven out of the land.
Ether; 4:6
10:9.
52 And it came to pass after
the space of many years, Morianton, (he being a descendant of Riplakish)
gathered together an army of outcasts, and went forth and gave battle unto the
people; and he gained power over many cities; 53 and
the war became exceedingly sore, and did last for the space of many years; and
he did gain power over all the land, and did establish himself king over all
the land.
10:10.
54 And after that he had
established himself king he did ease the burden of the people, by which he did
gain favor in the eyes of the people, and they did anoint him to be their king.
10:11.
55 And he did do justice unto
the people, but not unto himself because of his many whoredoms; wherefore he
was cut off from the presence of the Lord.
10:12.
56 And it came to pass that
Morianton built up many cities, and the people became exceedingly rich under
his reign, both in buildings, and in gold and silver, and in raising grain, and
in flocks, and herds, and such things which had been restored unto them.
10:13.
57 And Morianton did live to an
exceedingly great age, and then he begat Kim; and Kim did reign in the stead of
his father; and he did reign eight years, and his father died. 58 And it came to pass that Kim did not reign in
righteousness, wherefore he was not favored of the Lord.
10:14.
59 And his brother did rise up
in rebellion against him, by which he did bring him into captivity; and he did
remain in captivity all his days; and he begat sons and daughters in captivity,
and in his old age he begat Levi; and he died.
Ether; 4:7
10:15.
60 And it came to pass that
Levi did serve in captivity after the death of his father, for the space of
forty and two years. 61 And he did make war
against the king of the land, by which he did obtain unto himself the kingdom.
10:16.
62 And after he had obtained
unto himself the kingdom he did that which was right in the sight of the Lord;
and the people did prosper in the land; and he did live to a good old age, and
begat sons and daughters; and he also begat Corom, whom he anointed king in his
stead.
10:17.
63 And it came to pass that
Corom did that which was good in the sight of the Lord all his days; and he
begat many sons and daughters; and after he had seen many days he did pass
away, even like unto the rest of the earth; and Kish reigned in his stead.
10:18.
64 And it came to pass that Kish
passed away also, and Lib reigned in his stead.
10:19.
65 And it came to pass that Lib
also did that which was good in the sight of the Lord. 66
And in the days of Lib the poisonous serpents were destroyed. Wherefore
they did go into the land southward, to hunt food for the people of the land,
for the land was covered with animals of the forest. 67
And Lib also himself became a great hunter.
10:20.
68 And they built a great city
by the narrow neck of land, by the place where the sea divides the land.
10:21.
69 And they did preserve the
land southward for a wilderness, to get game. 70 And
the whole face of the land northward was covered with inhabitants.
10:22.
And they were exceedingly industrious, and
they did buy and sell and traffic one with another, that they might get gain.
10:23.
71 And they did work in all
manner of ore, and they did make gold, and silver, and iron, and brass, and all
manner of metals; and they did dig it out of the earth; wherefore they did cast
up mighty heaps of earth to get ore, of gold, and of silver, and of iron, and
of copper. 72 And they did work all manner
of fine work.
10:24.
73 And they did have silks, and
fine-twined linen; and they did work all manner of cloth, that they might
clothe themselves from their nakedness.
10:25.
74 And they did make all manner
of tools to till the earth, both to plow and to sow, to reap and to hoe, and
also to thrash.
10:26.
75 And they did make all manner
of tools with which they did work their beasts.
10:27.
76 And they did make all manner
of weapons of war. 77 And they did work all
manner of work of exceedingly curious workmanship.
10:28.
78 And never could be a people
more blessed than were they, and more prospered by the hand of the Lord. 79 And they were in a land that was choice above
all lands, for the Lord had spoken it.
10:29.
80 And it came to pass that Lib
did live many years, and begat sons and daughters; and he also begat Hearthom.
10:30.
81 And it came to pass that
Hearthom reigned in the stead of his father. 82 And
when Hearthom had reigned twenty and four years, behold, the kingdom was taken
away from him. 83 And he served many years
in captivity, yea, even all the remainder of his days.
10:31.
84 And he begat Heth, and Heth
lived in captivity all his days. 85 And Heth
begat Aaron, and Aaron dwelt in captivity all his days; and he begat
Amnigaddah, and Amnigaddah also dwelt in captivity all his days; and he begat
Coriantum, and Coriantum dwelt in captivity all his days; and he begat Com.
10:32.
86 And it came to pass that Com
drew away the half of the kingdom. 87 And he
reigned over the half of the kingdom forty and two years; and he went to battle
against the king, Amgid, and they fought for the space of many years, during
which time Com gained power over Amgid, and obtained power over the remainder
of the kingdom.
10:33.
88 And in the days of Com there
began to be robbers in the land; and they adopted the old plans, and
administered oaths after the manner of the ancients, and sought again to
destroy the kingdom.
10:34.
89 Now Com did fight against
them much; nevertheless, he did not prevail against them.
Ether, Chapter 11
11:1.
90 And there came also in the
days of Com many prophets, and prophesied of the destruction of that great
people except they should repent, and turn unto the Lord, and forsake their
murders and wickedness.
Ether; 4:8
11:2.
91 And it came to pass that the
prophets were rejected by the people, and they fled unto Com for protection,
for the people sought to destroy them.
11:3.
And they prophesied unto Com many things;
and he was blessed in all the remainder of his days.
11:4.
92 And he lived to a good old
age, and begat Shiblom; and Shiblom reigned in his stead. 93 And the brother of Shiblom rebelled against
him, and there began to be an exceedingly great war in all the land.
Ether; 4:9
11:5.
94 And it came to pass that the
brother of Shiblom caused that all the prophets who prophesied of the
destruction of the people should be put to death;
11:6.
95 And there was great calamity
in all the land, for they had testified that a great curse should come upon the
land, and also upon the people, and that there should be a great destruction
among them, such an one as never had been upon the face of the earth, 96 and their bones should become as heaps of earth
upon the face of the land except they should repent of their wickedness.
11:7.
97 And they hearkened not unto
the voice of the Lord, because of their wicked combinations; wherefore, there
began to be wars and contentions in all the land, and also many famines and
pestilences, insomuch that there was a great destruction, such an one as never
had been known upon the face of the earth; and all this came to pass in the
days of Shiblom.
11:8.
98 And the people began to
repent of their iniquity; and inasmuch as they did the Lord did have mercy on
them.
Ether; 4:10
11:9.
99 And it came to pass that
Shiblom was slain, and Seth was brought into captivity, and did dwell in
captivity all his days.
11:10.
100 And it came to pass that
Ahah, his son, did obtain the kingdom; and he did reign over the people all his
days. 101 And he did do all manner of
iniquity in his days, by which he did cause the shedding of much blood; and few
were his days.
11:11.
102 And Ethem, being a
descendant of Ahah, did obtain the kingdom; and he also did do that which was
wicked in his days.
11:12.
103 And it came to pass that in
the days of Ethem there came many prophets, and prophesied again unto the
people; yea, they did prophesy that the Lord would utterly destroy them from
off the face of the earth except they repented of their iniquities.
11:13.
104 And it came to pass that the
people hardened their hearts, and would not hearken unto their words; and the
prophets mourned and withdrew from among the people.
Ether; 4:11
11:14.
105 And it came to pass that
Ethem did execute judgment in wickedness all his days; and he begat Moron. 106 And it came to pass that Moron did reign in
his stead; and Moron did that which was wicked before the Lord.
11:15.
107 And it came to pass that
there arose a rebellion among the people, because of that secret combination
which was built up to get power and gain; and there arose a mighty man among
them in iniquity, and gave battle unto Moron, in which he did overthrow the
half of the kingdom; and he did maintain the half of the kingdom for many
years.
11:16.
108 And it came to pass that
Moron did overthrow him, and did obtain the kingdom again.
11:17.
109 And it came to pass that
there arose another mighty man; and he was a descendant of the brother of
Jared.
11:18.
110 And it came to pass that he
did overthrow Moron and obtain the kingdom; wherefore, Moron dwelt in captivity
all the remainder of his days; and he begat Coriantor.
Ether; 4:12
11:19.
111 And it came to pass that
Coriantor dwelt in captivity all his days.
11:20.
112 And in the days of Coriantor
there also came many prophets, and prophesied of great and marvelous things,
and cried repentance unto the people, and except they should repent the Lord
God would execute judgment against them to their utter destruction;
11:21.
113 And that the Lord God would
send or bring forth another people to possess the land, by his power, after the
manner by which he brought their fathers.
11:22.
114 And they did reject all the
words of the prophets, because of their secret society and wicked abominations.
11:23.
115 And it came to pass that
Coriantor begat Ether, and he died, having dwelt in captivity all his days.
Ether, Chapter 5
Ether; 5:1
Ether, Chapter 12
12:1.
1 And it came to pass that the
days of Ether were in the days of Coriantumr; and Coriantumr was king over all
the land.
12:2.
2 And Ether was a prophet of
the Lord; wherefore Ether came forth in the days of Coriantumr, and began to
prophesy unto the people, for he could not be restrained because of the Spirit
of the Lord which was in him.
12:3.
3 For he did cry from the
morning, even until the going down of the sun, exhorting the people to believe
in God unto repentance lest they should be destroyed, saying unto them that by
faith all things are fulfilled—
12:4.
4 Wherefore, whoso believeth
in God might with surety hope for a better world, yea, even a place at the
right hand of God, which hope cometh of faith, maketh an anchor to the souls of
men, which would make them sure and steadfast, always abounding in good works,
being led to glorify God.
12:5.
5 And it came to pass that
Ether did prophesy great and marvelous things unto the people, which they did
not believe, because they saw them not.
12:6.
6 And now, I, Moroni, would
speak somewhat concerning these things; I would show unto the world that faith
is things which are hoped for and not seen; 7 wherefore,
dispute not because ye see not, for ye receive no witness until after the trial
of your faith.
12:7.
For it was by faith that Christ showed
himself unto our fathers, after he had risen from the dead; 8 and he showed not himself unto them until after
they had faith in him; wherefore, it must needs be that some had faith in him,
for he showed himself not unto the world.
12:8.
9 But because of the faith of
men he has shown himself unto the world, and glorified the name of the Father,
and prepared a way that thereby others might be partakers of the heavenly gift,
that they might hope for those things which they have not seen.
12:9.
10 Wherefore, ye may also have
hope, and be partakers of the gift, if ye will but have faith.
12:10.
11 Behold it was by faith that
they of old were called after the holy order of God.
12:11.
Wherefore, by faith was the law of Moses
given. 12 But in the gift of his Son hath
God prepared a more excellent way; and it is by faith that it hath been
fulfilled.
12:12.
13 For if there be no faith
among the children of men God can do no miracle among them; wherefore, he
showed not himself until after their faith.
12:13.
14 Behold, it was the faith of
Alma and Amulek that caused the prison to tumble to the earth.
12:14.
15 Behold, it was the faith of
Nephi and Lehi that wrought the change upon the Lamanites, that they were
baptized with fire and with the Holy Ghost.
12:15.
16 Behold, it was the faith of
Ammon and his brethren which wrought so great a miracle among the Lamanites.
12:16.
Yea, and even all they who wrought miracles
wrought them by faith, even those who were before Christ and also those who
were after.
12:17.
17 And it was by faith that the
three disciples obtained a promise that they should not taste of death; and
they obtained not the promise until after their faith.
12:18.
18 And neither at any time hath
any wrought miracles until after their faith; wherefore they first believed in
the Son of God.
Ether; 5:2
12:19.
19 And there were many whose
faith was so exceedingly strong, even before Christ came, who could not be kept
from within the veil, but truly saw with their eyes the things which they had
beheld with an eye of faith, and they were glad.
12:20.
20 And behold, we have seen in
this record that one of these was the brother of Jared; for so great was his
faith in God, that when God put forth his finger he could not hide it from the
sight of the brother of Jared, because of his word which he had spoken unto
him, which word he had obtained by faith.
12:21.
21 And after the brother of
Jared had beheld the finger of the Lord, because of the promise which the
brother of Jared had obtained by faith, the Lord could not withhold anything
from his sight; wherefore he showed him all things, for he could no longer be
kept without the veil.
12:22.
22 And it is by faith that my
fathers have obtained the promise that these things should come unto their
brethren through the Gentiles; therefore the Lord hath commanded me, yea, even
Jesus Christ.
12:23.
23 And I said unto him: Lord,
the Gentiles will mock at these things, because of our weakness in writing; for
Lord thou hast made us mighty in word by faith, but thou hast not made us
mighty in writing; 24 for thou hast made all
this people that they could speak much, because of the Holy Ghost which thou
hast given them;
12:24.
And thou hast made us that we could write
but little, because of the awkwardness of our hands. 25
Behold, thou hast not made us mighty in writing like unto the brother of
Jared, for thou madest him that the things which he wrote were mighty even as
thou art, unto the overpowering of man to read them.
12:25.
26 Thou hast also made our
words powerful and great, even that we cannot write them; wherefore, when we
write we behold our weakness, and stumble because of the placing of our words;
and I fear lest the Gentiles shall mock at our words.
12:26.
27 And when I had said this,
the Lord spake unto me, saying: Fools mock, but they shall mourn; and my grace
is sufficient for the meek, that they shall take no advantage of your weakness;
12:27.
28 And if men come unto me I
will show unto them their weakness. I give unto men weakness that they may be
humble; and my grace is sufficient for all men that humble themselves before
me; for if they humble themselves before me, and have faith in me, then will I
make weak things become strong unto them.
12:28.
29 Behold, I will show unto the
Gentiles their weakness and I will show unto them that faith, hope and charity
bringeth unto me—the fountain of all righteousness.
Ether; 5:3
12:29.
30 And I, Moroni, having heard
these words, was comforted, and said: O Lord, thy righteous will be done, for I
know that thou workest unto the children of men according to their faith;
12:30.
For the brother of Jared said unto the
mountain Zerin, Remove—and it was removed. 31 And
if he had not had faith it would not have moved; wherefore thou workest after
men have faith.
12:31.
For thus didst thou manifest thyself unto
thy disciples; 32 for after they had faith,
and did speak in thy name, thou didst show thyself unto them in great power.
12:32.
And I also remember that thou hast said
that thou hast prepared a house for man, yea, even among the mansions of thy
Father, in which man might have a more excellent hope; wherefore man must hope,
or he cannot receive an inheritance in the place which thou hast prepared.
12:33.
33 And again, I remember that
thou hast said that thou hast loved the world, even unto the laying down of thy
life for the world, that thou mightest take it again to prepare a place for the
children of men.
12:34.
34 And now I know that this
love which thou hast had for the children of men is charity; wherefore, except
men shall have charity they cannot inherit that place which thou hast prepared
in the mansions of thy Father.
12:35.
35 Wherefore, I know by this
thing which thou hast said, that if the Gentiles have not charity, because of
our weakness, that thou wilt prove them, and take away their talent, yea, even
that which they have received, and give unto them who shall have more abundantly.
Ether; 5:4
12:36.
36 And it came to pass that I
prayed unto the Lord that he would give unto the Gentiles grace, that they
might have charity.
12:37.
37 And it came to pass that the
Lord said unto me: If they have not charity it mattereth not unto thee, thou
hast been faithful; wherefore, thy garments shall be made clean. 38 And because thou hast seen thy weakness thou
shalt be made strong, even unto the sitting down in the place which I have
prepared in the mansions of my Father.
12:38.
39 And now I, Moroni, bid
farewell unto the Gentiles, yea, and also unto my brethren whom I love, until
we shall meet before the judgment-seat of Christ, where all men shall know that
my garments are not spotted with your blood.
12:39.
40 And then shall ye know that
I have seen Jesus, and that he hath talked with me face to face, and that he
told me in plain humility, even as a man telleth another in mine own language,
concerning these things;
12:40.
And only a few have I written, because of
my weakness in writing.
12:41.
41 And now, I would commend you
to seek this Jesus of whom the prophets and apostles have written, that the
grace of God the Father, and also the Lord Jesus Christ, and the Holy Ghost,
which beareth record of them, may be and abide in you forever. Amen.
Ether, Chapter 6
Ether; 6:1
Ether, Chapter 13
13:1.
1 And now I, Moroni, proceed
to finish my record concerning the destruction of the people of whom I have
been writing.
13:2.
2 For behold, they rejected
all the words of Ether; for he truly told them of all things, from the
beginning of man; and that after the waters had receded from off the face of
this land it became a choice land above all other lands, a chosen land of the Lord;
3 wherefore the Lord would have that all men
should serve him who dwell upon the face thereof;
13:3.
And that it was the place of the New
Jerusalem, which should come down out of heaven, and the holy sanctuary of the
Lord.
13:4.
4 Behold, Ether saw the days
of Christ, and he spake concerning a New Jerusalem upon this land.
13:5.
And he spake also concerning the house of
Israel, and the Jerusalem from whence Lehi should come—after it should be
destroyed it should be built up again, a holy city unto the Lord; 5 wherefore, it could not be a new Jerusalem for
it had been in a time of old; but it should be built up again, and become a
holy city of the Lord; and it should be built unto the house of Israel.
13:6.
6 And that a New Jerusalem
should be built upon this land, unto the remnant of the seed of Joseph, for
which things there has been a type.
13:7.
For as Joseph brought his father down into
the land of Egypt, even so he died there; 7 wherefore,
the Lord brought a remnant of the seed of Joseph out of the land of Jerusalem,
that he might be merciful unto the seed of Joseph that they should perish not,
even as he was merciful unto the father of Joseph that he should perish not.
13:8.
8 Wherefore, the remnant of
the house of Joseph shall be built upon this land; and it shall be a land of
their inheritance; and they shall build up a holy city unto the Lord, like unto
the Jerusalem of old; and they shall no more be confounded, until the end come
when the earth shall pass away.
13:9.
9 And there shall be a new
heaven and a new earth; and they shall be like unto the old save the old have
passed away, and all things have become new.
13:10.
10 And then cometh the New
Jerusalem; and blessed are they who dwell therein, for it is they whose
garments are white through the blood of the Lamb; and they are they who are
numbered among the remnant of the seed of Joseph, who were of the house of
Israel.
13:11.
11 And then also cometh the
Jerusalem of old; and the inhabitants thereof, blessed are they, for they have
been washed in the blood of the Lamb; 12 and
they are they who were scattered and gathered in from the four quarters of the
earth, and from the north countries, and are partakers of the fulfilling of the
covenant which God made with their father, Abraham.
13:12.
13 And when these things come,
bringeth to pass the scripture which saith, there are they who were first, who
shall be last; and there are they who were last, who shall be first.
Ether; 6:2
13:13. 14 And I was about to write more, but I am forbidden; but great
and marvelous were the prophecies of Ether; but they esteemed him as naught,
and cast him out; and he hid himself in the cavity of a rock by day, and by
night he went forth viewing the things which should come upon the people.
13:14.
15 And as he dwelt in the
cavity of a rock he made the remainder of his record, viewing the destructions
which came upon the people, by night.
13:15.
16 And it came to pass that in
that same year in which he was cast out from among the people there began to be
a great war among the people, for there were many who rose up, who were mighty
men, and sought to destroy Coriantumr by their secret plans of wickedness, of
which hath been spoken.
13:16.
17 And now Coriantumr, having
studied, himself, in all the arts of war and all the cunning of the world,
wherefore he gave battle unto them who sought to destroy him.
13:17.
18 But he repented not, neither
his fair sons nor daughters; neither the fair sons and daughters of Cohor;
neither the fair sons and daughters of Corihor; and in fine, there were none of
the fair sons and daughters upon the face of the whole earth who repented of
their sins.
13:18.
19 Wherefore, it came to pass
that in the first year that Ether dwelt in the cavity of a rock, there were
many people who were slain by the sword of those secret combinations, fighting
against Coriantumr that they might obtain the kingdom.
13:19.
20 And it came to pass that the
sons of Coriantumr fought much and bled much.
13:20.
21 And in the second year the
word of the Lord came to Ether, that he should go and prophesy unto Coriantumr
that, if he would repent, and all his household, the Lord would give unto him
his kingdom and spare the people—
13:21.
22 Otherwise they should be
destroyed, and all his household save it were himself. And he should only live
to see the fulfilling of the prophecies which had been spoken concerning
another people receiving the land for their inheritance; 23 and Coriantumr should receive a burial by them;
and every soul should be destroyed save it were Coriantumr.
Ether; 6:3
13:22. 24 And it came to pass that Coriantumr repented not, neither his
household, neither the people; and the wars ceased not; and they sought to kill
Ether, but he fled from before them and hid again in the cavity of the rock.
13:23.
25 And it came to pass that
there arose up Shared, and he also gave battle unto Coriantumr; and he did beat
him, insomuch that in the third year he did bring him into captivity.
13:24.
26 And the sons of Coriantumr,
in the fourth year, did beat Shared, and did obtain the kingdom again unto
their father.
13:25.
27 Now there began to be a war
upon all the face of the land, every man with his band fighting for that which
he desired.
13:26.
28 And there were robbers, and
in fine, all manner of wickedness upon all the face of the land.
13:27.
29 And it came to pass that
Coriantumr was exceedingly angry with Shared, and he went against him with his
armies to battle; and they did meet in great anger, and they did meet in the
valley of Gilgal; and the battle became exceedingly sore.
13:28.
30 And it came to pass that
Shared fought against him for the space of three days. 31
And it came to pass that Coriantumr beat him, and did pursue him until
he came to the plains of Heshlon.
13:29.
32 And it came to pass that
Shared gave him battle again upon the plains; and behold, he did beat
Coriantumr, and drove him back again to the valley of Gilgal.
13:30.
33 And Coriantumr gave Shared
battle again in the valley of Gilgal, in which he beat Shared and slew him.
13:31.
34 And Shared wounded
Coriantumr in his thigh, that he did not go to battle again for the space of
two years, in which time all the people upon the face of the land were shedding
blood, and there was none to restrain them.
Ether, Chapter 14
14:1.
35 And now there began to be a
great curse upon all the land because of the iniquity of the people, in which,
if a man should lay his tool or his sword upon his shelf, or upon the place
whither he would keep it, behold, upon the morrow, he could not find it, so
great was the curse upon the land.
14:2.
36 Wherefore every man did
cleave unto that which was his own, with his hands, and would not borrow
neither would he lend; and every man kept the hilt of his sword in his right
hand, in the defence of his property and his own life and of his wives and children.
Ether; 6:4
14:3.
37 And now, after the space of
two years, and after the death of Shared, behold, there arose the brother of
Shared and he gave battle unto Coriantumr, in which Coriantumr did beat him and
did pursue him to the wilderness of Akish.
14:4.
38 And it came to pass that the
brother of Shared did give battle unto him in the wilderness of Akish; and the
battle became exceedingly sore, and many thousands fell by the sword.
14:5.
39 And it came to pass that
Coriantumr did lay siege to the wilderness; and the brother of Shared did march
forth out of the wilderness by night, and slew a part of the army of
Coriantumr, as they were drunken.
14:6.
40 And he came forth to the
land of Moron, and placed himself upon the throne of Coriantumr.
14:7.
41 And it came to pass that
Coriantumr dwelt with his army in the wilderness for the space of two years, in
which he did receive great strength to his army.
14:8.
42 Now the brother of Shared,
whose name was Gilead, also received great strength to his army, because of
secret combinations.
14:9.
43 And it came to pass that his
high priest murdered him as he sat upon his throne.
14:10.
44 And it came to pass that one
of the secret combinations murdered him in a secret pass, and obtained unto
himself the kingdom; and his name was Lib; and Lib was a man of great stature,
more than any other man among all the people.
14:11.
45 And it came to pass that in
the first year of Lib, Coriantumr came up unto the land of Moron, and gave
battle unto Lib.
14:12.
46 And it came to pass that he
fought with Lib, in which Lib did smite upon his arm that he was wounded;
nevertheless, the army of Coriantumr did press forward upon Lib, that he fled
to the borders upon the seashore.
14:13.
47 And it came to pass that
Coriantumr pursued him; and Lib gave battle unto him upon the seashore.
14:14.
48 And it came to pass that Lib
did smite the army of Coriantumr, that they fled again to the wilderness of
Akish.
14:15.
49 And it came to pass that Lib
did pursue him until he came to the plains of Agosh. 50
And Coriantumr had taken all the people with him as he fled before Lib
in that quarter of the land whither he fled.
14:16.
51 And when he had come to the
plains of Agosh he gave battle unto Lib, and he smote upon him until he died;
nevertheless, the brother of Lib did come against Coriantumr in the stead
thereof, and the battle became exceedingly sore, in the which Coriantumr fled
again before the army of the brother of Lib.
Ether; 6:5
14:17.
52 Now the name of the brother
of Lib was called Shiz. 53 And it came to
pass that Shiz pursued after Coriantumr, and he did overthrow many cities, and
he did slay both women and children, and he did burn the cities.
14:18.
54 And there went a fear of Shiz
throughout all the land; yea, a cry went forth throughout the land—Who can
stand before the army of Shiz? Behold, he sweepeth the earth before him!
14:19.
55 And it came to pass that the
people began to flock together in armies, throughout all the face of the land.
14:20.
56 And they were divided; and a
part of them fled to the army of Shiz, and a part of them fled to the army of
Coriantumr.
14:21.
57 And so great and lasting had
been the war, and so long had been the scene of bloodshed and carnage, that the
whole face of the land was covered with the bodies of the dead.
14:22.
58 And so swift and speedy was
the war that there was none left to bury the dead, but they did march forth
from the shedding of blood to the shedding of blood, leaving the bodies of both
men, women, and children strewed upon the face of the land, to become a prey to
the worms of the flesh.
14:23.
59 And the scent thereof went
forth upon the face of the land, even upon all the face of the land; wherefore
the people became troubled by day and by night, because of the scent thereof.
14:24.
60 Nevertheless, Shiz did not
cease to pursue Coriantumr; for he had sworn to avenge himself upon Coriantumr
of the blood of his brother, who had been slain, and the word of the Lord which
came to Ether that Coriantumr should not fall by the sword.
14:25.
61 And thus we see that the
Lord did visit them in the fulness of his wrath, and their wickedness and
abominations had prepared a way for their everlasting destruction.
14:26.
62 And it came to pass that
Shiz did pursue Coriantumr eastward, even to the borders by the seashore, and
there he gave battle unto Shiz for the space of three days.
14:27.
63 And so terrible was the
destruction among the armies of Shiz that the people began to be frightened,
and began to flee before the armies of Coriantumr; 64
and they fled to the land of Corihor, and swept off the inhabitants
before them, all them that would not join them.
14:28.
And they pitched their tents in the valley
of Corihor; 65 and Coriantumr pitched his
tents in the valley of Shurr. 66 Now the
valley of Shurr was near the hill Comnor; wherefore, Coriantumr did gather his
armies together upon the hill Comnor, and did sound a trumpet unto the armies
of Shiz to invite them forth to battle.
14:29.
67 And it came to pass that
they came forth, but were driven again; and they came the second time, and they
were driven again the second time. 68 And it
came to pass that they came again the third time, and the battle became
exceedingly sore.
14:30.
69 And it came to pass that
Shiz smote upon Coriantumr that he gave him many deep wounds; 70 and Coriantumr, having lost his blood, fainted,
and was carried away as though he were dead.
14:31.
71 Now the loss of men, women
and children on both sides was so great that Shiz commanded his people that
they should not pursue the armies of Coriantumr; wherefore, they returned to
their camp.
Ether; 6:6
Ether, Chapter 15
15:1.
72 And it came to pass when
Coriantumr had recovered of his wounds, he began to remember the words which
Ether had spoken unto him.
15:2.
73 He saw that there had been
slain by the sword already nearly two millions of his people, and he began to
sorrow in his heart; yea, there had been slain two millions of mighty men, and
also their wives and their children.
15:3.
74 He began to repent of the
evil which he had done; he began to remember the words which had been spoken by
the mouth of all the prophets, and he saw them that they were fulfilled thus
far, every whit; and his soul mourned and refused to be comforted.
15:4.
75 And it came to pass that he
wrote an epistle unto Shiz, desiring him that he would spare the people, and he
would give up the kingdom for the sake of the lives of the people.
15:5.
76 And it came to pass that
when Shiz had received his epistle he wrote an epistle unto Coriantumr, that if
he would give himself up, that he might slay him with his own sword, that he
would spare the lives of the people.
15:6.
77 And it came to pass that the
people repented not of their iniquity; and the people of Coriantumr were
stirred up to anger against the people of Shiz; 78 and
the people of Shiz were stirred up to anger against the people of Coriantumr;
wherefore, the people of Shiz did give battle unto the people of Coriantumr.
15:7.
79 And when Coriantumr saw that
he was about to fall he fled again before the people of Shiz.
15:8.
80 And it came to pass that he
came to the waters of Ripliancum, which, by interpretation, is large, or to
exceed all; wherefore, when they came to these waters they pitched their tents;
and Shiz also pitched his tents near unto them; and therefore on the morrow
they did come to battle.
15:9.
81 And it came to pass that
they fought an exceedingly sore battle, in which Coriantumr was wounded again,
and he fainted with the loss of blood.
15:10.
82 And it came to pass that the
armies of Coriantumr did press upon the armies of Shiz that they beat them,
that they caused them to flee before them; and they did flee southward, and did
pitch their tents in a place which was called Ogath.
15:11.
83 And it came to pass that the
army of Coriantumr did pitch their tents by the hill Ramah; and it was that
same hill where my father Mormon did hide up the records unto the Lord, which
were sacred.
Ether; 6:7
15:12.
84 And it came to pass that
they did gather together all the people upon all the face of the land, who had
not been slain, save it was Ether.
15:13.
85 And it came to pass that
Ether did behold all the doings of the people; and he beheld that the people
who were for Coriantumr were gathered together to the army of Coriantumr; and
the people who were for Shiz were gathered together to the army of Shiz.
15:14.
86 Wherefore, they were for the
space of four years gathering together the people, that they might get all who
were upon the face of the land, and that they might receive all the strength
which it was possible that they could receive.
15:15.
87 And it came to pass that when
they were all gathered together, every one to the army which he would, with
their wives and their children—both men women and children being armed with
weapons of war, having shields, and breastplates, and head-plates, and being
clothed after the manner of war—they did march forth one against another to
battle; and they fought all that day, and conquered not.
15:16.
88 And it came to pass that
when it was night they were weary, and retired to their camps; and after they
had retired to their camps they took up a howling and a lamentation for the
loss of the slain of their people; and so great were their cries, their howlings
and lamentations, that they did rend the air exceedingly.
15:17.
89 And it came to pass that on
the morrow they did go again to battle, and great and terrible was that day; 90 nevertheless, they conquered not, and when the
night came again they did rend the air with their cries, and their howlings,
and their mournings, for the loss of the slain of their people.
Ether; 6:8
15:18.
91 And it came to pass that
Coriantumr wrote again an epistle unto Shiz, desiring that he would not come
again to battle, but that he would take the kingdom, and spare the lives of the
people.
15:19.
92 But behold, the Spirit of
the Lord had ceased striving with them, and Satan had full power over the
hearts of the people; for they were given up unto the hardness of their hearts,
and the blindness of their minds that they might be destroyed; wherefore they
went again to battle.
15:20.
93 And it came to pass that
they fought all that day, and when the night came they slept upon their swords.
15:21.
And on the morrow they fought even until
the night came.
15:22.
94 And when the night came they
were drunken with anger, even as a man who is drunken with wine; and they slept
again upon their swords.
15:23.
And on the morrow they fought again; 95 and when the night came they had all fallen by
the sword save it were fifty and two of the people of Coriantumr, and sixty and
nine of the people of Shiz.
15:24.
96 And it came to pass that
they slept upon their swords that night, and on the morrow they fought again,
and they contended in their might with their swords and with their shields, all
that day.
15:25.
97 And when the night came
there were thirty and two of the people of Shiz, and twenty and seven of the
people of Coriantumr.
Ether; 6:9
15:26.
98 And it came to pass that
they ate and slept, and prepared for death on the morrow. 99 And they were large and mighty men as to the
strength of men.
15:27.
100 And it came to pass that
they fought for the space of three hours, and they fainted with the loss of
blood.
15:28.
101 And it came to pass that
when the men of Coriantumr had received sufficient strength that they could
walk, they were about to flee for their lives; but behold, Shiz arose, and also
his men, and he swore in his wrath that he would slay Coriantumr or he would
perish by the sword.
15:29.
102 Wherefore, he did pursue
them, and on the morrow he did overtake them; and they fought again with the
sword. 103 And it came to pass that when
they had all fallen by the sword, save it were Coriantumr and Shiz, behold Shiz
had fainted with the loss of blood.
15:30.
104 And it came to pass that
when Coriantumr had leaned upon his sword, that he rested a little, he smote
off the head of Shiz.
15:31.
105 And it came to pass that
after he had smitten off the head of Shiz, that Shiz raised upon his hands and
fell; and after that he had struggled for breath, he died.
15:32.
106 And it came to pass that
Coriantumr fell to the earth, and became as if he had no life.
15:33.
107 And the Lord spake unto
Ether, and said unto him: Go forth. 108 And
he went forth, and beheld that the words of the Lord had all been fulfilled;
and he finished his record; (and the hundredth part I have not written) and he
hid them in a manner that the people of Limhi did find them.
15:34.
109 Now the last words which are
written by Ether are these: Whether the Lord will that I be translated, or that
I suffer the will of the Lord in the flesh, it mattereth not, if it so be that
I am saved in the kingdom of God. Amen.
THE
BOOK OF MORONI
Moroni, Chapter 1
Moroni; 1:1
Moroni, Chapter 1
1:1.
1 Now I, Moroni, after having
made an end of abridging the account of the people of Jared, I had supposed not
to have written more, but I have not as yet perished; and I make not myself
known to the Lamanites lest they should destroy me.
1:2.
2 For behold, their wars are
exceedingly fierce among themselves; and because of their hatred they put to
death every Nephite that will not deny the Christ.
1:3.
3 And I, Moroni, will not deny
the Christ; wherefore, I wander whithersoever I can for the safety of mine own
life.
1:4.
4 Wherefore, I write a few
more things, contrary to that which I had supposed; for I had supposed not to
have written any more; but I write a few more things, that perhaps they may be
of worth unto my brethren, the Lamanites, in some future day, according to the
will of the Lord.
Moroni, Chapter 2
Moroni; 2:1
Moroni, Chapter 2
2:1.
1 The words of Christ, which
he spake unto his disciples, the twelve whom he had chosen, as he laid his
hands upon them—
2:2.
2 And he called them by name,
saying: Ye shall call on the Father in my name, in mighty prayer; and after ye
have done this ye shall have power that to him upon whom ye shall lay your
hands, ye shall give the Holy Ghost; and in my name shall ye give it, for thus
do mine apostles.
2:3.
3 Now Christ spake these words
unto them at the time of his first appearing; and the multitude heard it not,
but the disciples heard it; and on as many as they laid their hands, fell the
Holy Ghost.
Moroni, Chapter 3
Moroni; 3:1
Moroni, Chapter 3
3:1.
1 The manner which the
disciples, who were called the elders of the church, ordained priests and
teachers—
3:2.
2 After they had prayed unto
the Father in the name of Christ, they laid their hands upon them, and said:
3:3.
In the name of Jesus Christ I ordain you to
be a priest, (or, if he be a teacher) I ordain you to be a teacher, to preach
repentance and remission of sins through Jesus Christ, by the endurance of
faith on his name to the end. Amen.
3:4.
3 And after this manner did
they ordain priests and teachers, according to the gifts and callings of God
unto men; and they ordained them by the power of the Holy Ghost, which was in
them.
Moroni, Chapter 4
Moroni; 4:1
Moroni, Chapter 4
4:1.
1 The manner of their elders
and priests administering the flesh and blood of Christ unto the church; 2 and they administered it according to the
commandments of Christ; wherefore we know the manner to be true; and the elder
or priest did minister it—
4:2.
3 And they did kneel down with
the church, and pray to the Father in the name of Christ, saying:
4:3.
4 O God, the Eternal Father,
we ask thee in the name of thy Son, Jesus Christ, to bless and sanctify this
bread to the souls of all those who partake of it; that they may eat in
remembrance of the body of thy Son, and witness unto thee, O God, the Eternal
Father, that they are willing to take upon them the name of thy Son, and always
remember him, and keep his commandments which he hath given them, that they may
always have his Spirit to be with them. Amen.
Moroni, Chapter 5
Moroni; 5:1
Moroni, Chapter 5
5:1.
1 The manner of administering
the wine— 2 Behold, they took the cup, and
said:
5:2.
3 O God, the Eternal Father,
we ask thee, in the name of thy Son, Jesus Christ, to bless and sanctify this
wine to the souls of all those who drink of it, that they may do it in
remembrance of the blood of thy Son, which was shed for them; that they may witness
unto thee, O God, the Eternal Father, that they do always remember him, that
they may have his Spirit to be with them. Amen.
Moroni, Chapter 6
Moroni; 6:1
Moroni, Chapter 6
6:1.
1 And now I speak concerning
baptism. 2 Behold, elders, priests, and
teachers were baptized; and they were not baptized save they brought forth
fruit meet that they were worthy of it.
6:2.
Neither did they receive any unto baptism
save they came forth with a broken heart and a contrite spirit, and witnessed
unto the church that they truly repented of all their sins.
6:3.
3 And none were received unto
baptism save they took upon them the name of Christ, having a determination to
serve him to the end.
6:4.
4 And after they had been
received unto baptism, and were wrought upon and cleansed by the power of the
Holy Ghost, they were numbered among the people of the church of Christ; 5 and their names were taken, that they might be
remembered and nourished by the good word of God, to keep them in the right
way, to keep them continually watchful unto prayer, relying alone upon the
merits of Christ, who was the author and the finisher of their faith.
6:5.
6 And the church did meet
together oft, to fast and to pray, and to speak one with another concerning the
welfare of their souls.
6:6.
And they did meet together oft to partake
of bread and wine, in remembrance of the Lord Jesus.
6:7.
7 And they were strict to
observe that there should be no iniquity among them; and whoso was found to
commit iniquity, and three witnesses of the church did condemn them before the
elders, 8 and if they repented not, and
confessed not, their names were blotted out, and they were not numbered among
the people of Christ.
6:8.
But as oft as they repented and sought
forgiveness, with real intent, they were forgiven.
6:9.
9 And their meetings were
conducted by the church after the manner of the workings of the Spirit, and by
the power of the Holy Ghost; for as the power of the Holy Ghost led them
whether to preach, or to exhort, or to pray, or to supplicate, or to sing, even
so it was done.
Moroni, Chapter 7
Moroni; 7:1
Moroni, Chapter 7
7:1.
1 And now I, Moroni, write a
few of the words of my father Mormon, which he spake concerning faith, hope,
and charity; for after this manner did he speak unto the people, as he taught
them in the synagogue which they had built for the place of worship.
7:2.
2 And now I, Mormon, speak
unto you, my beloved brethren; and it is by the grace of God the Father, and
our Lord Jesus Christ, and his holy will, because of the gift of his calling
unto me, that I am permitted to speak unto you at this time.
7:3.
3 Wherefore, I would speak
unto you that are of the church, that are the peaceable followers of Christ,
and that have obtained a sufficient hope by which ye can enter into the rest of
the Lord, from this time henceforth until ye shall rest with him in heaven.
7:4.
4 And now my brethren, I judge
these things of you because of your peaceable walk with the children of men.
7:5.
For I remember the word of God, which saith
by their works ye shall know them; for if their works be good, then they are
good also.
7:6.
5 For behold, God hath said a
man being evil cannot do that which is good; for if he offereth a gift, or
prayeth unto God, except he shall do it with real intent it profiteth him
nothing.
7:7.
6 For behold, it is not
counted unto him for righteousness.
7:8.
7 For behold, if a man being
evil giveth a gift, he doeth it grudgingly; wherefore it is counted unto him
the same as if he had retained the gift; wherefore he is counted evil before
God.
7:9.
8 And likewise also is it
counted evil unto a man, if he shall pray and not with real intent of heart;
yea, and it profiteth him nothing, for God receiveth none such.
7:10.
Wherefore, a man being evil cannot do that
which is good; neither will he give a good gift.
7:11.
9 For behold, a bitter
fountain cannot bring forth good water; neither can a good fountain bring forth
bitter water; wherefore, a man being a servant of the devil cannot follow
Christ; and if he follow Christ he cannot be a servant of the devil.
Moroni; 7:2
7:12.
10 Wherefore, all things which
are good cometh of God; and that which is evil cometh of the devil; for the
devil is an enemy unto God, and fighteth against him continually, and inviteth
and enticeth to sin, and to do that which is evil continually.
7:13.
11 But behold, that which is of
God inviteth and enticeth to do good continually; wherefore, every thing which
inviteth and enticeth to do good, and to love God, and to serve him, is
inspired of God.
7:14.
12 Wherefore, take heed, my
beloved brethren, that ye do not judge that which is evil to be of God, or that
which is good and of God to be of the devil.
7:15.
13 For behold, my brethren, it
is given unto you to judge, that ye may know good from evil; and the way to
judge is as plain, that ye may know with a perfect knowledge, as the daylight
is from the dark night.
7:16.
14 For behold, the Spirit of
Christ is given to every man, that he may know good from evil; wherefore, I
show unto you the way to judge; for every thing which inviteth to do good, and
to persuade to believe in Christ, is sent forth by the power and gift of
Christ; 15 wherefore ye may know with a
perfect knowledge it is of God.
7:17.
But whatsoever thing persuadeth men to do
evil, and believe not in Christ, and deny him, and serve not God, then ye may
know with a perfect knowledge it is of the devil; 16
for after this manner doth the devil work, for he persuadeth no man to
do good, no, not one; neither do his angels; neither do they who subject
themselves unto him.
Moroni; 7:3
7:18.
17 And now, my brethren, seeing
that ye know the light by which ye may judge, which light is the light of
Christ, see that ye do not judge wrongfully; for with that same judgment which
ye judge ye shall also be judged.
7:19.
18 Wherefore, I beseech of you,
brethren, that ye should search diligently in the light of Christ that ye may
know good from evil; and if ye will lay hold upon every good thing, and condemn
it not, ye certainly will be a child of Christ.
7:20.
19 And now, my brethren, how is
it possible that ye can lay hold upon every good thing?
7:21.
20 And now I come to that
faith, of which I said I would speak; and I will tell you the way whereby ye
may lay hold on every good thing.
7:22.
21 For behold, God knowing all
things, being from everlasting to everlasting, behold, he sent angels to
minister unto the children of men, to make manifest concerning the coming of
Christ; and in Christ there should come every good thing.
7:23.
22 And God also declared unto
prophets, by his own mouth, that Christ should come.
7:24.
23 And behold, there were
divers ways that he did manifest things unto the children of men, which were
good; and all things which are good cometh of Christ; otherwise men were
fallen, and there could no good thing come unto them.
7:25.
24 Wherefore, by the
ministering of angels, and by every word which proceeded forth out of the mouth
of God, men began to exercise faith in Christ; and thus by faith, they did lay
hold upon every good thing; and thus it was until the coming of Christ.
7:26.
25 And after that he came men
also were saved by faith in his name; and by faith, they become the sons of
God. 26 And as sure as Christ liveth he
spake these words unto our fathers, saying: Whatsoever thing ye shall ask the
Father in my name, which is good, in faith believing that ye shall receive,
behold, it shall be done unto you.
7:27.
27 Wherefore, my beloved
brethren, have miracles ceased because Christ hath ascended into heaven, and
hath sat down on the right hand of God, to claim of the Father his rights of
mercy which he hath upon the children of men?
7:28.
28 For he hath answered the
ends of the law, and he claimeth all those who have faith in him; and they who
have faith in him will cleave unto every good thing; wherefore he advocateth
the cause of the children of men; and he dwelleth eternally in the heavens.
7:29.
29 And because he hath done
this, my beloved brethren, have miracles ceased? 30
Behold I say unto you, Nay; neither have angels ceased to minister unto
the children of men.
7:30.
31 For behold, they are subject
unto him, to minister according to the word of his command, showing themselves
unto them of strong faith and a firm mind in every form of godliness.
7:31.
32 And the office of their
ministry is to call men unto repentance, and to fulfill and to do the work of
the covenants of the Father, which he hath made unto the children of men, to
prepare the way among the children of men, by declaring the word of Christ unto
the chosen vessels of the Lord, that they may bear testimony of him.
7:32.
33 And by so doing, the Lord
God prepareth the way that the residue of men may have faith in Christ, that
the Holy Ghost may have place in their hearts, according to the power thereof; 34 and after this manner bringeth to pass the
Father, the covenants which he hath made unto the children of men.
7:33.
35 And Christ hath said: If ye
will have faith in me ye shall have power to do whatsoever thing is expedient
in me.
7:34.
36 And he hath said: Repent all
ye ends of the earth, and come unto me, and be baptized in my name, and have
faith in me, that ye may be saved.
Moroni; 7:4
7:35.
37 And now, my beloved
brethren, if this be the case that these things are true which I have spoken
unto you, and God will show unto you, with power and great glory at the last
day, that they are true, and if they are true has the day of miracles ceased?
7:36.
38 Or have angels ceased to
appear unto the children of men? 39 Or has
he withheld the power of the Holy Ghost from them? 40
Or will he, so long as time shall last, or the earth shall stand, or
there shall be one man upon the face thereof to be saved?
7:37.
41 Behold I say unto you, Nay;
for it is by faith that miracles are wrought; and it is by faith that angels
appear and minister unto men; 42 wherefore,
if these things have ceased wo be unto the children of men, for it is because
of unbelief, and all is vain.
7:38.
For no man can be saved, according to the
words of Christ, save they shall have faith in his name; 43 wherefore, if these things have ceased, then
has faith ceased also; and awful is the state of man, for they are as though
there had been no redemption made.
7:39.
44 But behold, my beloved
brethren, I judge better things of you, for I judge that ye have faith in
Christ because of your meekness; for if ye have not faith in him then ye are
not fit to be numbered among the people of his church.
7:40.
45 And again, my beloved
brethren, I would speak unto you concerning hope. 46
How is it that ye can attain unto faith, save ye shall have hope?
7:41.
And what is it that ye shall hope for? 47 Behold I say unto you that ye shall have hope
through the atonement of Christ and the power of his resurrection, to be raised
unto life eternal, and this because of your faith in him according to the
promise.
7:42.
48 Wherefore, if a man have
faith he must needs have hope; for without faith there cannot be any hope.
7:43.
49 And again, behold I say unto
you that he cannot have faith and hope, save he shall be meek, and lowly of
heart.
7:44.
If so, his faith and hope is vain, for none
is acceptable before God, save the meek and lowly in heart; 50 and if a man be meek and lowly in heart, and
confesses by the power of the Holy Ghost that Jesus is the Christ, he must
needs have charity; for if he have not charity he is nothing; wherefore he must
needs have charity.
7:45.
51 And charity suffereth long,
and is kind, and envieth not, and is not puffed up, seeketh not her own, is not
easily provoked, thinketh no evil, and rejoiceth not in iniquity but rejoiceth
in the truth, beareth all things, believeth all things, hopeth all things,
endureth all things.
7:46.
Wherefore, my beloved brethren, if ye have
not charity, ye are nothing, for charity never faileth. 52 Wherefore, cleave unto charity, which is the greatest of
all, for all things must fail—
7:47.
But charity is the pure love of Christ, and
it endureth forever; and whoso is found possessed of it at the last day, it
shall be well with him.
7:48.
53 Wherefore, my beloved
brethren, pray unto the Father with all the energy of heart, that ye may be
filled with this love, which he hath bestowed upon all who are true followers
of his Son, Jesus Christ; that ye may become the sons of God; that when he shall
appear we shall be like him, for we shall see him as he is; that we may have
this hope; that we may be purified even as he is pure. Amen.
Moroni, Chapter 8
Moroni; 8:1
Moroni, Chapter 8
8:1.
1 An epistle of my father
Mormon, written to me, Moroni; and it was written unto me soon after my calling
to the ministry. 2 And on this wise did he
write unto me, saying:
8:2.
8:2 My beloved son, Moroni, I rejoice
exceedingly that your Lord Jesus Christ hath been mindful of you, and hath
called you to his ministry, and to his holy work.
8:3.
3 I am mindful of you always
in my prayers, continually praying unto God the Father in the name of his Holy
Child, Jesus, that he, through his infinite goodness and grace, will keep you
through the endurance of faith on his name to the end.
Moroni; 8:2
8:4.
4 And now, my son, I speak
unto you concerning that which grieveth me exceedingly; for it grieveth me that
there should disputations rise among you.
8:5.
5 For, if I have learned the
truth, there have been disputations among you concerning the baptism of your
little children.
8:6.
6 And now, my son, I desire
that ye should labor diligently, that this gross error should be removed from
among you; for, for this intent I have written this epistle.
8:7.
7 For immediately after I had
learned these things of you I inquired of the Lord concerning the matter. 8 And the word of the Lord came to me by the power
of the Holy Ghost, saying:
8:8.
Listen to the words of Christ, your
Redeemer, your Lord and your God. 9 Behold,
I came into the world not to call the righteous but sinners to repentance; the
whole need no physician, but they that are sick; wherefore, little children are
whole, for they are not capable of committing sin; wherefore the curse of Adam
is taken from them in me, that it hath no power over them; and the law of
circumcision is done away in me.
8:9.
10 And after this manner did
the Holy Ghost manifest the word of God unto me; wherefore, my beloved son, I
know that it is solemn mockery before God, that ye should baptize little
children.
8:10.
11 Behold I say unto you that
this thing shall ye teach—repentance and baptism unto those who are accountable
and capable of committing sin; yea, teach parents that they must repent and be
baptized, and humble themselves as their little children, and they shall all be
saved with their little children.
8:11.
And their little children need no
repentance, neither baptism. 12 Behold,
baptism is unto repentance to the fulfilling the commandments unto the
remission of sins.
8:12.
13 But little children are
alive in Christ, even from the foundation of the world; if not so, God is a
partial God, and also a changeable God, and a respecter to persons; for how
many little children have died without baptism!
8:13.
14 Wherefore, if little
children could not be saved without baptism, these must have gone to an endless
hell.
8:14.
16 Behold I say unto you, that
he that supposeth that little children need baptism is in the gall of
bitterness and in the bonds of iniquity, for he hath neither faith, hope, nor
charity; wherefore, should he be cut off while in the thought, he must go down
to hell.
8:15.
16 For awful is the wickedness
to suppose that God saveth one child because of baptism, and the other must
perish because he hath no baptism.
8:16.
17 Wo be unto them that shall
pervert the ways of the Lord after this manner, for they shall perish except
they repent. 18 Behold, I speak with
boldness, having authority from God; and I fear not what man can do; for
perfect love casteth out all fear.
8:17.
And I am filled with charity, which is
everlasting love; wherefore, all children are alike unto me; wherefore, I love
little children with a perfect love; and they are all alike and partakers of
salvation.
Moroni; 8:3
8:18.
19 For I know that God is not a
partial God, neither a changeable being; but he is unchangeable from all
eternity to all eternity.
8:19.
20 Little children cannot
repent; wherefore, it is awful wickedness to deny the pure mercies of God unto
them, for they are all alive in him because of his mercy.
8:20.
21 And he that saith that
little children need baptism denieth the mercies of Christ, and setteth at
naught the atonement of him and the power of his redemption.
8:21.
22 Wo unto such, for they are
in danger of death, hell, and an endless torment. 23
I speak it boldly; God hath commanded me. 24
Listen unto them and give heed, or they stand against you at the
judgment-seat of Christ.
8:22.
25 For behold that all little
children are alive in Christ, and also all they that are without the law. 26 For the power of redemption cometh on all them
that have no law; wherefore, he that is not condemned, or he that is under no
condemnation, cannot repent; and unto such baptism availeth nothing—
8:23.
27 But it is mockery before
God, denying the mercies of Christ, and the power of his Holy Spirit, and
putting trust in dead works.
8:24.
28 Behold, my son, this thing
ought not to be; for repentance is unto them that are under condemnation and
under the curse of a broken law.
8:25.
29 And the first fruits of
repentance is baptism; and baptism cometh by faith unto the fulfilling the
commandments; and the fulfilling the commandments bringeth remission of sins;
8:26.
And the remission of sins bringeth
meekness, and lowliness of heart; and because of meekness and lowliness of
heart cometh the visitation of the Holy Ghost, which Comforter filleth with
hope and perfect love, which love endureth by diligence unto prayer, until the
end shall come, when all the saints shall dwell with God.
8:27.
30 Behold, my son, I will write
unto you again if I go not out soon against the Lamanites. 31 Behold, the pride of this nation, or the people
of the Nephites, hath proven their destruction except they should repent.
8:28.
32 Pray for them, my son, that
repentance may come unto them. 33 But
behold, I fear lest the Spirit hath ceased striving with them; and in this part
of the land they are also seeking to put down all power and authority which
cometh from God; and they are denying the Holy Ghost.
8:29.
34 And after rejecting so great
a knowledge, my son, they must perish soon, unto the fulfilling of the
prophecies which were spoken by the prophets, as well as the words of our
Savior himself.
8:30.
35 Farewell, my son, until I
shall write unto you, or shall meet you again. Amen.
Moroni, Chapter 9
The second epistle of Mormon to his son Moroni.
Moroni; 9:1
Moroni, Chapter 9
9:1.
1 My beloved son, I write unto
you again that ye may know that I am yet alive; but I write somewhat of that
which is grievous.
9:2.
2 For behold, I have had a
sore battle with the Lamanites, in which we did not conquer; and Archeantus has
fallen by the sword, and also Luram and Emron; yea, and we have lost a great
number of our choice men.
9:3.
3 And now behold, my son, I
fear lest the Lamanites shall destroy this people; for they do not repent, and
Satan stirreth them up continually to anger one with another.
9:4.
4 Behold, I am laboring with
them continually; and when I speak the word of God with sharpness they tremble
and anger against me; and when I use no sharpness they harden their hearts
against it; wherefore, I fear lest the Spirit of the Lord hath ceased striving
with them.
9:5.
5 For so exceedingly do they
anger that it seemeth me that they have no fear of death; and they have lost
their love, one towards another; and they thirst after blood and revenge
continually.
9:6.
6 And now, my beloved son,
notwithstanding their hardness, let us labor diligently; for if we should cease
to labor, we should be brought under condemnation; for we have a labor to
perform whilst in this tabernacle of clay, that we may conquer the enemy of all
righteousness, and rest our souls in the kingdom of God.
Moroni; 9:2
9:7.
7 And now I write somewhat
concerning the sufferings of this people. 8 For
according to the knowledge which I have received from Amoron, behold, the
Lamanites have many prisoners, which they took from the tower of Sherrizah; and
there were men, women, and children.
9:8.
9 And the husbands and fathers
of those women and children they have slain; and they feed the women upon the
flesh of their husbands, and the children upon the flesh of their fathers; and
no water, save a little, do they give unto them.
9:9.
10 And notwithstanding this
great abomination of the Lamanites, it doth not exceed that of our people in
Moriantum. 11 For behold, many of the
daughters of the Lamanites have they taken prisoners; and after depriving them
of that which was most dear and precious above all things, which is chastity
and virtue—
9:10.
And after they had done this thing, they
did murder them in a most cruel manner, torturing their bodies even unto death;
and after they have done this, they devour their flesh like unto wild beasts,
because of the hardness of their hearts; and they do it for a token of bravery.
9:11.
12 O my beloved son, how can a
people like this, that are without civilization—
9:12.
(And only a few years have passed away, and
they were a civil and a delightsome people)
9:13.
But O my son, how can a people like this,
whose delight is in so much abomination—
9:14.
How can we expect that God will stay his
hand in judgment against us?
9:15.
13 Behold, my heart cries: Wo
unto this people. 14 Come out in judgment, O
God, and hide their sins, and wickedness, and abominations from before thy
face!
9:16.
15 And again, my son, there are
many widows and their daughters who remain in Sherrizah; and that part of the
provisions which the Lamanites did not carry away, behold, the army of Zenephi
has carried away, and left them to wander whithersoever they can for food; and
many old women do faint by the way and die.
9:17.
16 And the army which is with
me is weak; and the armies of the Lamanites are betwixt Sherrizah and me; and
as many as have fled to the army of Aaron have fallen victims to their awful
brutality.
Moroni; 9:3
9:18.
17 O the depravity of my
people! They are without order and without mercy. 18
Behold, I am but a man, and I have but the strength of a man, and I
cannot any longer enforce my commands.
9:19.
19 And they have become strong
in their perversion; and they are alike brutal, sparing none, neither old nor
young; and they delight in everything save that which is good; and the
suffering of our women and our children upon all the face of this land doth exceed
everything; yea, tongue cannot tell, neither can it be written.
9:20.
20 And now, my son, I dwell no
longer upon this horrible scene. 21 Behold,
thou knowest the wickedness of this people; thou knowest that they are without
principle, and past feeling; and their wickedness doth exceed that of the
Lamanites.
9:21.
22 Behold, my son, I cannot
recommend them unto God lest he should smite me.
9:22.
23 But behold, my son, I
recommend thee unto God, and I trust in Christ that thou wilt be saved; and I
pray unto God that he will spare thy life, to witness the return of his people
unto him, or their utter destruction; 24 for
I know that they must perish except they repent and return unto him.
9:23.
And if they perish it will be like unto the
Jaredites, because of the wilfulness of their hearts, seeking for blood and
revenge.
9:24.
25 And if it so be that they
perish, we know that many of our brethren have deserted over unto the
Lamanites, and many more will also desert over unto them; 26 wherefore, write somewhat a few things, if thou
art spared and I shall perish and not see thee; but I trust that I may see thee
soon; for I have sacred records that I would deliver up unto thee.
9:25.
27 My son, be faithful in
Christ; and may not the things which I have written grieve thee, to weigh thee
down unto death; but may Christ lift thee up, and may his sufferings and death,
and the showing his body unto our fathers, and his mercy and long-suffering,
and the hope of his glory and of eternal life, rest in your mind forever.
9:26.
28 And may the grace of God the
Father, whose throne is high in the heavens, and our Lord Jesus Christ, who
sitteth on the right hand of his power, until all things shall become subject
unto him, be, and abide with you forever. Amen.
Moroni, Chapter 10
Moroni; 10:1
Moroni, Chapter 10
10:1.
1 Now I, Moroni, write
somewhat as seemeth me good; and I write unto my brethren, the Lamanites; and I
would that they should know that more than four hundred and twenty years have
passed away since the sign was given of the coming of Christ.
10:2.
2 And I seal up these records,
after I have spoken a few words by way of exhortation unto you.
10:3.
3 Behold, I would exhort you
that when ye shall read these things, if it be wisdom in God that ye should
read them, that ye would remember how merciful the Lord hath been unto the
children of men, from the creation of Adam even down unto the time that ye shall
receive these things, and ponder it in your hearts.
10:4.
4 And when ye shall receive
these things, I would exhort you that ye would ask God, the Eternal Father, in
the name of Christ, if these things are not true; 5
and if ye shall ask with a sincere heart, with real intent, having faith
in Christ, he will manifest the truth of it unto you, by the power of the Holy
Ghost.
10:5.
And by the power of the Holy Ghost ye may
know the truth of all things.
10:6.
6 And whatsoever thing is good
is just and true; wherefore, nothing that is good denieth the Christ, but
acknowledgeth that he is.
10:7.
7 And ye may know that he is,
by the power of the Holy Ghost; wherefore I would exhort you that ye deny not
the power of God; for he worketh by power, according to the faith of the
children of men, the same today and tomorrow, and forever.
10:8.
8 And again, I exhort you, my
brethren, that ye deny not the gifts of God, for they are many; and they come
from the same God. 9 And there are different
ways that these gifts are administered; but it is the same God who worketh all
in all; and they are given by the manifestations of the Spirit of God unto men,
to profit them.
10:9.
10 For behold, to one is given
by the Spirit of God, that he may teach the word of wisdom;
10:10.
And to another, that he may teach the word
of knowledge by the same Spirit;
10:11.
And to another, exceedingly great faith;
and to another, the gifts of healing by the same Spirit;
10:12.
11 And again, to another, that
he may work mighty miracles;
10:13.
And again, to another, that he may prophesy
concerning all things;
10:14.
And again, to another, the beholding of
angels and ministering spirits;
10:15.
And again, to another, all kinds of
tongues;
10:16.
And again, to another, the interpretation
of languages and of divers kinds of tongues.
10:17.
12 And all these gifts come by
the Spirit of Christ; and they come unto every man severally, according as he
will.
10:18.
13 And I would exhort you, my
beloved brethren, that ye remember that every good gift cometh of Christ.
10:19.
14 And I would exhort you, my
beloved brethren, that ye remember that he is the same yesterday, today, and
forever, and that all these gifts of which I have spoken, which are spiritual,
never will be done away, even as long as the world shall stand, only according
to the unbelief of the children of men.
10:20.
15 Wherefore, there must be
faith; and if there must be faith there must also be hope; and if there must be
hope there must also be charity.
10:21.
And except ye have charity ye can in nowise
be saved in the kingdom of God; 16 neither
can ye be saved in the kingdom of God if ye have not faith; neither can ye if
ye have no hope.
10:22.
And if ye have no hope ye must needs be in
despair; and despair cometh because of iniquity.
10:23.
17 And Christ truly said unto
our fathers: If ye have faith ye can do all things which are expedient unto me.
Moroni; 10:2
10:24.
18 And now I speak unto all the
ends of the earth—that if the day cometh that the power and gifts of God shall
be done away among you, it shall be because of unbelief.
10:25.
19 And wo be unto the children
of men if this be the case; for there shall be none that doeth good among you,
no not one. 20 For if there be one among you
that doeth good, he shall work by the power and gifts of God.
10:26.
21 And wo unto them who shall
do these things away and die, for they die in their sins, and they cannot be
saved in the kingdom of God; and I speak it according to the words of Christ;
and I lie not.
10:27.
22 And I exhort you to remember
these things; for the time speedily cometh that ye shall know that I lie not,
for ye shall see me at the bar of God; and the Lord God will say unto you: Did
I not declare my words unto you, which were written by this man, like as one
crying from the dead, 23 yea, even as one
speaking out of the dust?
10:28.
24 I declare these things unto
the fulfilling of the prophecies. 25 And
behold, they shall proceed forth out of the mouth of the everlasting God; and
his word shall hiss forth from generation to generation.
10:29.
26 And God shall show unto you,
that that which I have written is true.
10:30.
27 And again I would exhort you
that ye would come unto Christ, and lay hold upon every good gift, and touch
not the evil gift, nor the unclean thing.
10:31.
28 And awake, and arise from
the dust, O Jerusalem; yea, and put on thy beautiful garments, O daughter of
Zion; and strengthen thy stakes and enlarge thy borders forever, that thou
mayest no more be confounded, that the covenants of the Eternal Father which he
hath made unto thee, O house of Israel, may be fulfilled.
10:32.
29 Yea, come unto Christ, and
be perfected in him, and deny yourselves of all ungodliness; and if ye shall
deny yourselves of all ungodliness and love God with all your might, mind and
strength, then is his grace sufficient for you, that by his grace ye may be
perfect in Christ; and if by the grace of God ye are perfect in Christ, ye can
in nowise deny the power of God.
10:33.
30 And again, if ye by the
grace of God are perfect in Christ, and deny not his power, then are ye
sanctified in Christ by the grace of God, through the shedding of the blood of
Christ, which is in the covenant of the Father unto the remission of your sins,
that ye become holy, without spot.
10:34.
31 And now I bid unto all,
farewell. I soon go to rest in the paradise of God, until my spirit and body
shall again reunite, and I am brought forth triumphant through the air, to meet
you before the pleasing bar of the great Jehovah, the Eternal Judge of both
quick and dead. Amen.
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