THE FIRST BOOK OF
NEPHI.
HIS REIGN AND MINISTRY.
CHAPTER I.
An account of Lehi and his wife Sariah, and his four
Ssons, 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 returns 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
rebelleth against him. He confoundeth them, and buildeth
a Sship. They call the name of the place Bountiful. They cross the large
waters into the promised land, &c and
so forth. This is according to the account of Nephi;
or, in other words, I, Nephi, wrote this record.
CHAPTER 1
I, NEPHIephi, 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;.
2 yYea, I make a record in the
language of my father, which consists of the learning of the Jews and the
language of the Egyptians.
3 And I know that the record which I make, to
be is true; and I make it with mine own
hand; and I make it according to my knowledge.
4 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.
5 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.
6 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.
7 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 sSpirit and the things which he had
seen;.
8 aAnd being thus overcome with
the sSpirit, he was carried away in
a vision, even that he saw the Hheavens 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.
9 And it came to pass that he saw oOne descending out of the midst of Hheaven, and he beheld that his lustreer was above that of the sun at
noon-day;.
10 aAnd he also saw twelve others
following him, and their brightness did exceed that of the stars in the
firmament;.
11 aAnd they came down and went
forth upon the face of the earth; and the first came and stood before my father,
and gave unto him a Bbook, and bade
him that he should read.
12 And it came to pass that as he read, he was filled with the spirit of the
Lord,.
13 aAnd he read,
saying,: Wo, wo, unto Jerusalem!, for I have seen thine abominations;! yYea,
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.
14 And it came to pass that when my father had read and saw
seen many great and marvellous
things, he did exclaim many things unto the Lord; such as,: Great and marvellous are thy
works, O Lord God Almighty! Thy throne is high in the
Hheavens, and thy power, and
goodness, and mercy is 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!
15 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 sheown unto
him.
16 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; and he also hath written many things which he prophesied and spake unto
his children, of which I shall not make a full account;.
17 bBut I shall make an account
of my proceedings in my days--.
Behold, I make an abridgment of the record of
my father, upon plates which I have made with mine own hands; wherefore, after
that I have abridged the record of my father,
then will I make an account of mine own life.
18 Therefore, I would that ye should know,
that after the Lord had sheown so
many marvellous 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.
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; and he testified that the things which he saw and heard, and also
the things which he read in the Bbook, manifested plainly of the coming of a Messiah, and
also the redemption of the world.
20 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; and they also sought his life, that they might take it away. But
behold, I, Nephi, will sheow unto
you that the tender mercies of the Lord is are over all them those whom he hath chosen, because of their faith, to make
them mighty even unto the power of deliverance.
CHAPTER 2
ForOR
behold, it came to pass that the Lord spake
unto my father, yea, even in a dream, and sayeth said unto him,:
Blessed art thou Lehi, because of the things which thou hast done; 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.
2 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.
3 And it came to pass that he was obedient unto the word of the Lord, wherefore he did as the Lord commanded him.
4 And it came to pass that he departed into the
wilderness.--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 he departed into the
wilderness;.
5 aAnd he came down by the
borders near the shore of the Red Sea; and he travelled in the
wilderness, in the borders, which
was are nearer the Red Sea; and he
did travel in the wilderness with his family, which consisted of my mother,
Sariah, and my elder brothers, which who were Laman, Lemuel, and
Sam.
6 And it came to pass that when he had travelled three days
in the wilderness, he pitched his tent in a valley beside by the side of a river of water.
7 And it came to pass that he built an altar of stones, and
he made an offering unto the Lord, and gave thanks unto the
Lord our God.
8 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.
9 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.!
10 And he also spake unto Lemuel: O that thou mightest be like unto
this valley, firm, and steadfast, and
immoveable in keeping the commandments of the
Lord.!
11 Now this he spake because of the stiffneckedness of Laman and Lemuel; for
behold, they did murmur in many things against their father,
because that he was a visionary man, and that
he 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,
and to perish in the wilderness. And this they said he
had done because of the foolish imaginations of his heart.
12 And thus Laman and Lemuel, being the eldest, did murmur against their
father.--And they did murmur because they knew not the dealings
of that God who had created them.
13 Neither did they believe that Jerusalem, that great city, could be
destroyed according to the words of the prophets. And they were like unto
the Jews, which who
were at Jerusalem, which who sought
to take away the life of my father.
14 And it came to pass that my father did speak unto them in the valley of
Lemuel, with power, being filled with the sSpirit, until their frames did shake before him. And
he did confound them, that they durst not utter against him; wherefore, they did do as he commanded them.
15 And my father dwelt in a tent.
16 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, 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.
17 And I spake unto Sam, making known unto him the things which the Lord had
manifested unto me by his Holy Spirit. And it came to pass that he
believed in my words;.
18 bBut, behold, Laman and Lemuel would
not hearken unto my words:;
Aand being grieved because of the
hardness of their hearts, I cried unto the Lord for them.
19 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.
20 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.
21 And inasmuch as thy brethren shall rebel against thee, they shall be cut off from the presence of the Lord.
22 And inasmuch as thou shalt keep my commandments, thou shalt be made a ruler and a teacher over thy brethren.
23 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.
24 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.
CHAPTER 3
AndND it came to pass that I,
Nephi, returned from speaking with the Lord, to the tent of my father.
2 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 For behold, Laban hath the record of the Jews, and also a
genealogy of my forefathers, and they are engraven upon the
plates of brass.
4 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.
5 And now, behold, thy brothers murmur,
saying: Iit 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.
6 Therefore go, my son, and thou shalt be favored of the Lord, because thou hast not murmured.
7 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.
8 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.
9 And I, Nephi, and my brethren, took our journey in the
wilderness, with our tents, to go up to the land of
Jerusalem.
10 And it came to pass that when we had come gone up to the land of Jerusalem, I and my brethren did
consult one with another;.
11 aAnd we cast lots--which who of
us should go in unto the house of Laban. 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.
12 And he desired of Laban the records which were engraven upon the plates of brass, which contained the genealogy of my father.
13 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.
Wherefore, he said unto
him,: bBehold thou art a robber, and I will slay thee.
14 But Laman fled out of his presence, and told the things which Laban had done, unto us. And we began to be exceedingly sorrowful, and my brethren were about to return unto my father in the wilderness.
15 But behold I said unto them, that: aAs 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.
16 Wherefore, let us be faithful in keeping the
commandments of the Lord; 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.
And all this he hath done, because of the commandments of
the Lord:.
17 fFor he
knowing knew that Jerusalem must be
destroyed, because of the wickedness of the people.
18 For behold, they have rejected the words of the
prophets--. Wherefore, if my father should dwell in the land after
that he hath been commanded to flee out of the land,
behold, he would also perish. Wherefore, it must needs be that he flee out of the land.
19 And behold, it is wisdom in God that we should obtain these records, that
we might may preserve unto our
children the language of our fathers;
20 aAnd 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 sSpirit and power of God, since the world began, even down
unto this present time.
21 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.
22 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.
23 And after that we had gathered these things together, we
went up again unto the house of Laban.
24 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.
25 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.
26 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.
27 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.
28 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. Wherefore Laman and Lemuel did speak
many hard words unto us, their younger brothers, and they did smite us even with
a rod.
29 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? Know ye not that the Lord hath chosen him to be a
ruler over you, and this because of your iniquities? Behold thou
shalt ye shall go up to Jerusalem again, and
the Lord will deliver Laban into your hands.
30 And after that the angel had spoken unto us, he
departed.
31 And after that the angel had departed, Laman and Lemuel
again began to murmur, saying,:
hHow is it possible that the Lord
will deliver Laban into our hands? Behold, he
is a mighty man, and he can command fifty, yea, even he can slay fifty; then why
not us?
CHAPTER 4
AndND 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.?
2 Therefore let us go up; let us be strong like unto
Moses:; Ffor 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.
3 Now behold ye know that this is true; and ye also know that an angel hath
spoken unto you,; wherefore can ye
doubt.? Let us go up; the Lord
is able to deliver us, even as our fathers, and to destroy Laban, even as the
Egyptians.
4 Now when I had spoken these words, they were yet wroth, and did still
continue to murmur; Nnevertheless
they did follow me up until we came without the walls of Jerusalem.
5 And it was by night; and I caused that they should hide themselves without
the walls. And after that they had hid themselves, I,
Nephi, crept into the city and went forth towards the house of Laban.
6 And I was led by the sSpirit,
not knowing beforehand the things which I should do.
7 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.
8 And when I came to him, I found that it was Laban.
9 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.
10 And it came to pass that I was constrained by the sSpirit that I should kill Laban; but I said in my
heart,: nNever at any time have I shed blood of
man,. aAnd I shrunk and would that I might not slay him.
11 And the sSpirit
saithd unto me
again,: bBehold the Lord hath delivered him into thy
hands;.
yYea, 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.
12 And it came to pass that the sSpirit said unto me again,: sSlay
him, for the Lord hath delivered him into thy hands.;
13 Behold the Lord slayeth the wicked to bring forth his righteous
purposes:. It is better that
one man should perish, than that a nation should dwindle and
perish in unbelief.
14 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: iInasmuch as thy seed shall keep my commandments, they shall
prosper in the land of promise.--
15 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.
16 And I also knew that the law was engraven upon the plates of brass.
17 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.
18 Therefore I did obey the voice of the sSpirit, and took Laban by the hair of the head, and I smote
off his head with his own sword.
19 And after that 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 armour about my loins.
20 And after that I had done this, I went forth unto the
treasury of Laban,. And as I
went forth towards the treasury of Laban, behold, I
saw the servant of Laban which who
had the keys of the treasury. And I commanded him in the voice of Laban,
that he should go with me into the treasury;.
21 aAnd he supposed me to be his
master, Laban, for he beheld the garments, and also the sword
girted about my loins.
22 And he spake unto me concerning the elders of the Jews, he knowing that his master, Laban, had been out by night among them.
23 And I spake unto him as if it had been Laban.
24 And I also spake unto him that I should carry the engravings, which were upon the plates of brass, to my elder
brethren, which who were without the
walls.
25 And I also bade him that he should follow me.
26 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.
27 And he spake unto me many times concerning the elders of the Jews, as I
went forth unto my brethren, which who were without the walls.
28 And it came to pass that when Laman saw me, he was
exceedingly frightened, and also Lemuel and Sam. 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.
29 And it came to pass that I called after them, and they did hear me; wherefore they did cease to flee from my presence.
30 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.
31 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.
32 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.
33 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.
34 And I also spake unto him, saying,: sSurely the
Lord hath commanded us to do this thing.; Aand shall we
not be diligent in keeping the commandments of the Lord? Therefore, if
thou wilt go down into the wilderness to my father, thou shalt
have place with us.
35 And it came to pass that Zoram did take courage at the words which I
spake. Now Zoram was the name of the servant; and he promised that he
would go down into the wilderness unto our father. Yea, Aand he
also made an oath unto us, that he would tarry with us from
that time forth.
36 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.
37 And it came to pass that when Zoram had made an oath unto us, our fears did cease concerning him.
38 And it came to pass that we took the plates of brass and the servant of
Laban, and departed into the wilderness, and journieyed unto the tent of our father.
CHAPTER 5
AndND it came to pass after we
had came 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;.
2 fFor she had supposed that we
had perished in the wilderness; and she also had complained against my father,
telling him that he was a visionary man; saying,: bBehold thou
hast led us forth from the land of our inheritance, and my sons are no more, and
we perish in the wilderness.
3 And after this manner of language had my mother complained against my father.
4 And it came 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 But behold, I have obtained a land of promise, in the which things I do rejoice; 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.
6 And after this manner of language did my father,
Lehi, comfort my mother,
Sariah, concerning us, while we journieyed in the wilderness up to the land of Jerusalem, to
obtain the record of the Jews.
7 And when we had returned to the tent of my father, behold their joy was
full, and my mother was comforted;
8 aAnd she spake, saying:
Now I know of a surety that the Lord hath commanded my husband to flee
into the wilderness; 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 gave given them
power whereby they could accomplish the thing which the Lord hath commanded
them. And after this manner of language did she speak.
9 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.
10 And after that 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.
11 And he beheld that they did contain the five books of Moses, which gave an
account of the creation of the world, and also of Adam and Eve, which
was who were our first parents;
12 aAnd also a record of the Jews
from the beginning, even down to the commencement of the reign of Zedekiah, King
of Judah;
13 aAnd also the prophecies of
the Hholy prophets, from the
beginning, even down to the commencement of the reign of Zedekiah; and also many
prophecies which have been spoken by the mouth of Jeremiah.
14 And it came to pass that my father, Lehi, also found upon the plates of brass, a
genealogy of his fathers; wherefore he knew that he was a descendant of Joseph;
yea, even that Joseph which who was
the son of Jacob, which who was sold
into Egypt, and which who was
preserved by the hand of the Lord, that he might preserve his father, Jacob, and all his household
from perishing with famine.
15 And they were also led out of captivity and out of the land of Egypt, by
the that same God who had preserved
them.
16 And thus my father, Lehi, did discover the genealogy of his fathers. And Laban also was a descendant of Joseph, wherefore he and his fathers had kept the records.
17 And now when my father saw all these things, he was filled with the
sSpirit, and began to prophesy
concerning his seed;--
18 tThat these plates of brass
should go forth unto all nations, kindreds, tongues, and people
which who were of his seed.
19 Wherefore, he said that these plates of brass
should never perish; neither should they be dimmed any more by time. And
he prophesied many times things
concerning his seed.
20 And it came to pass that thus far I and my father had kept the commandments wherewith the Lord had commanded us.
21 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.
22 Wherefore, it was wisdom in the Lord that we
should carry them with us, as we journieyed in the wilderness towards the land of promise.
CHAPTER II.
CHAPTER 6
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.
2 For it sufficeth me to say, that we are a descendants of Joseph.
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.
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.
5 Wherefore, the things which are pleasing unto
the world, I do not write, but the things which are pleasing
unto God and unto them which those
who are not of the world.
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.
CHAPTER 7
AndND 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 mete 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.
2 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.
3 And it came to pass that I, Nephi, did again, with my brethren, go forth into the wilderness to go up to Jerusalem.
4 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.
5 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.
6 And it came to pass that as we journieyed 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
I me, Nephi, and Sam, and their
father, Ishmael, and his wife, and his three other daughters.
7 And it came to pass in the which rebellion, they were desirous to return unto the land of Jerusalem.
8 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,:
bBehold,
thou art 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?
9 How is it that ye have not hearkened unto the word of the Lord?
10 How is it that ye have forgotten that ye have seen an angel of the Lord?
11 Yea, and how is it that ye have forgotten how 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?
12 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;? wWherefore, let us be faithful in to him.
13 And if it so be that we are faithful in 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; for all
things which the Lord hath spoken concerning the destruction of
Jerusalem, must be fulfilled.
14 For, behold, the sSpirit of the Lord ceaseth soon to strive with them;
for, behold, they have rejected the prophets, and Jeremiah have
they cast into prison. And they have sought to take away the life of my
father, insomuch that they have driven him out of the land.
15 Now, behold, I say unto you, that if ye
will return unto Jerusalem, ye shall also perish with them.
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 sSpirit of the Lord
constraineth me that I should speak.
16 And it came to pass that when I, Nephi, had spoken these words unto my
brethren, they were angry with me. 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.
17 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; yea, even give me strength that I may burst these bands with which I am bound.
18 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.
19 And it came to pass that they were angry with me again, and sought to lay
hands upon me; 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.
20 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.
21 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. And it came to pass that they did
so. And after that they had done praying unto the
Lord, we did again travel on our journey towards the tent of our father.
22 And it came to pass that we did come down unto the tent of our father.
And after that 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; and they did offer
sacrifice and burnt offerings unto him.
CHAPTER 8
AndND 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
fruits of every kind.
2 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.
3 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.--
4 But, behold, Laman and Lemuel, I fear
exceedingly, because of you; for, behold,
me thought methought I saw in my dream, a
dark and dreary wilderness.
5 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.
6 And it came to pass that he spake unto me, and bade me follow him.
7 And it came to pass that as I followed him, and after I had
followed him, I beheld myself that I was in a dark and dreary
waste.
8 And after that I had travelled 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.
9 And it came to pass that after I had prayed unto the
Lord, I beheld a large and spacious field.
10 And it came to pass that I beheld a tree, whose fruit was
desirable, to make one happy.
11 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
had before tasted. Yea, and I beheld that the fruit
thereof was white, to exceed all the whiteness that I had ever seen.
12 And as I partook of the fruit thereof, it filled my soul
with exceedingly great joy; wherefore, I began to be
desirous that my family should partake of it also; for I knew that it was
desirous desirable above all other
fruit.
13 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.
14 And I looked to behold from whence it came; and I saw the head
thereof, a little way off; 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.
15 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.
16 And it came to pass that they did come unto me, and
partake of the fruit also.
17 And it came to pass that I was desirous that Laman and Lemuel should come and partake of the fruit also; wherefore, I cast mine eyes towards the head of the river, that perhaps I might see them.
18 And it came to pass that I saw them, but they would not come unto me and partake of the fruit.
19 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.
20 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; and it also led by the head of the
fountain, unto a large and spacious field, as if it had been a
world;.
21 aAnd 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.
22 And it came to pass that they did come forth, and commence in the path which led to the tree.
23 And it came to pass that there arose a mist of darkness; yea, even an
exceedingly great mist of darkness, insomuch that
they which who had commenced in the
path, did lose their way, that they wandered
off, and were lost.
24 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; 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.
25 And after that they had partaken of the fruit of the
tree, they did cast their eyes about as it
if they were ashamed.
26 And I also cast my eyes round about, and beheld, on the other side of the
river of water, a great and spacious building; and it stood as it were in the
air, high above the earth;.
27 aAnd it was filled with
people, both old and young, both male and female; and their manner of dress was
exceedingly fine; and they were in the attitude of
mocking and pointing their fingers towards those which who had come at, and were partaking of the
fruit.
28 And after that 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.
29 And now I, Nephi, do not speak all the words of my father.
30 But, to be short in writing:,
Bbehold, 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.
31 And he also saw other multitudes, feeling their way
towards that great and spacious building.
32 And it came to pass that many were drowned in the depths of the fountain; and many were lost from his view, wandering in strange roads.
33 And great was the multitude that did enter into that strange building.
And after that 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.
34 These are the words of my father: For as many as heeded them, had fallen away.
35 And Laman and Lemuel partook not of the fruit, saith
said my father.
36 And it came to pass that 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; yea, he feared lest they should be cast off from the presence of the
Lord;.
37 aAnd he did exhort them then
with all the feeling of a tender parent, that they would hearken to his words,
in that, perhaps the Lord would be merciful to
them, and not cast them off; yea, my father did preach unto them.
39 And after that he had preached unto them, and also
prophesied unto them of many things, he bade them to keep the commandments of
the Lord; and he did cease speaking unto them.
CHAPTER 9
AndND 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.
2 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; for the plates upon which I make a full account of my
people, I have given the name of Nephi; wherefore, they are
called the plates of Nephi, after mine own name; and these plates
also, are called the plates of Nephi.
3 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.
4 Upon the other plates should be engraven an account of the reign of the
Kkings, and the
wars, and contentions of my people; 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 Kkings, and the wars, and
contentions of my people.
5 Wherefore, the Lord hath commanded me to make these
plates, for a wise purpose in him;, which purpose, I know not.
6 But the Lord knoweth all things, from the beginning;
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.
And thus it is. Amen.
CHAPTER III.
CHAPTER 10
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.
2 For behold, it came to pass that 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:--
3 How tThat
after they were should be destroyed,
yea, even that great city Jerusalem;, and that many were
be carried away captive into
Babylon;, that
according to the own due time of the Lord, they should return
again;, yea, even be brought back
out of captivity; and after they are should
be brought back out of captivity, to
they should possess again the land of their
inheritance.
4 Yea, even six hundred years from the time that my father left Jerusalem, a
Pprophet would the Lord God raise up
among the Jews;--yea, even a
Messiah;, or, in other words, a
Saviour of the world.
5 And he also spake concerning the prophets:, Hhow great a
number had testified of these things, concerning this Messiah, of which he had
spoken, or this Redeemer of the world.
6 Wherefore, all mankind was were
in a lost and in a fallen state;,
and ever would be, save they should rely on this Redeemer.
7 And he spake also, concerning a prophet,
which who should come before the
Messiah, to prepare the way of the Lord;--
8 yYea, even he should go forth
and cry in the wilderness,:
Prepare ye the way of the Lord, and make his paths straight; 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. And much spake my father concerning
this thing.
9 And my father saith that said
he should baptisze in Bethabara,
beyond Jordan; and he also spake, that said he should baptisze with water; yea, even that he should
baptisze the Messiah with water.
10 And after that he had baptiszed the Messiah with water, he should behold and bear
record, that he had baptiszed the Lamb of God, which who should take away the sins of the world.
11 And it came to pass that after my father had spoken these
words, he spake unto my brethren concerning the
Ggospel, which
should be preached among the Jews;,
and also, concerning the dwindling of the Jews in unbelief.
And after that they had slain the Messiah, which who
should come, and after that he had been slain,
he should rise from the dead, and should make himself manifest, by the Holy
Ghost, unto the Gentiles.
12 Yea, even my father spake much concerning the Gentiles, and also
concerning the Hhouse of
Israel:, Tthat 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.
13 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:,
Tthat we should be scattered upon
all the face of the earth.
14 And after that the Hhouse of Israel should be scattered, they
should be gathered together again; or, in fine, that after the
Gentiles had received the fulness of the Gospel, the natural branches of the
olive-tree, or the remnants of the
Hhouse of Israel, should be grafted
in, or come to the knowledge of the true Messiah, their Lord and their
Redeemer.
15 And after this manner of language did my father prophesy and speak unto my
brethren;, 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.
16 And all these things, of which I have spoken,
was were done, as
my father dwelt in a tent, in the valley of Lemuel.
17 And it came to pass that after I, Nephi, having heard all
the words of my father, concerning the things which he saw in a
vision;, 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.--Aand the Son of God was the Messiah,
which who should
come.--And
it came to pass that 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;.
18 fFor he is the same yesterday,
to-day, and forever; 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;.
19 fFor he that diligently
seeketh, shall find; 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;, and as well as in times of
old, as in times to come; wherefore, the course of the Lord is
one eternal round.
20 Therefore, remember, O man, for all thy
doings, thou shalt be brought into judgment.
21 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; and no unclean thing can dwell with God; wherefore, ye must be cast off forever.
22 And the Holy Ghost giveth authority that I should speak these things, and deny them not.
CHAPTER 11
ForOR it came to pass
that 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; wherefore, as I sat pondering in mine
heart, I was caught away in the sSpirit of the Lord, yea, into an exceedingly high mountain, which I never had before seen, and upon
which I never had before sat set my
foot.
2 And the sSpirit
saith said unto
me,: Behold, what desirest
thou?
3 And I saith said,: I
desire to behold the things which my father saw.
4 And the sSpirit saith unto
me,: Believest thou that thy
father saw the tree of which he hath spoken?
5 And I said: yYea;, thou
knowest that I believe all the words of my father.
6 And when I had spoken these words, the sSpirit 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;. aAnd 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.
7 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 Hheaven, and
him shall ye witness; and after that ye have witnessed
him, ye shall bear record that it is the Son of God.
8 And it came to pass that the sSpirit saith said unto me,:
lLook!
aAnd 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.
9 And it came to pass that after that I had
seen the tree, I said unto the sSpirit,:
I behold thou hast sheown unto
me the tree which is precious above all.
10 And he saith said unto
me,: What desirest thou?
11 And I said unto him,:
tTo know the interpretation
thereof;--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
sSpirit of the Lord; and he spake
unto me as a man speaketh with another.
12 And it came to pass that he said unto me,: lLook:!
And I looked as if to look upon him, and I saw him not; for he had gone
from before my presence.
13 And it came to pass that I looked and beheld the great city of Jerusalem, and also other cities. And I beheld the city of Nazareth; and in the city of Nazareth I beheld a virgin, and she was exceedingly fair and white.
14 And it came to pass that I saw the Hheavens open; and an angel came down and stood before me;
and he saith said unto
me,: Nephi, what beholdest
thou?
15 And I saith said unto
him,: aA virgin, most beautiful and fair above all other
virgins.
16 And he saith said unto
me,: Knowest thou the
condescention of God?
17 And I said unto him,: I
know that he loveth his children; nevertheless, I do not know the meaning of all
things.
18 And he said unto me,:
Behold, the virgin which whom
thou seest, is the mother of the Son
of God, after the manner of the flesh.
19 And it came to pass that I beheld that she was
carried away in the sSpirit; and
after that she had been carried away in the
sSpirit for the space of a
time, the angel spake unto me, saying,: lLook!
20 And I looked and beheld the virgin again, bearing a child in her arms.
21 And the angel said unto me,:
bBehold the Lamb of God, yea,
even the Son of the Eternal Father! Knowest
thou the meaning of the tree which thy father saw?
22 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.
23 And he spake unto me, saying,:
Yea, and the most joyous to the soul.
24 And after that he had said those words, he said unto
me,: lLook! And I looked, and I beheld the Son of God going
forth among the children of men; and I saw many fall down at his feet and
worship him.
25 And it came to pass that I beheld that the rod of iron, which my father had seen, was the word of God, which
let led to the fountain of living
waters, or to the tree of life; which waters are a representation of the love of
God; and I also beheld that the tree of life was a representation of the love of
God.
26 And the angel said unto me again,: Look and behold the condescention of God!
27 And I looked and beheld the Redeemer of the world, of
which whom my father had spoken; and
I also beheld the prophet, which who should prepare the way before him. And the Lamb
of God went forth, and was baptiszed of him; and after that he was
baptiszed, I beheld the
Hheavens open, and the Holy Ghost
come down out of Hheaven and
abode abide upon him in the form of
a dove.
28 And I beheld that he went forth ministering unto the people, in power and great glory; and the multitudes were gathered together to hear him; and I beheld that they cast him out from among them.
29 And I also beheld twelve others following him. And it came to pass
that they were carried away in the sSpirit, from before my face,
that and I saw them not.
30 And it came to pass that the angel spake unto me again,
saying,:
lLook! And I looked, and
I beheld the Hheavens open again,
and I saw angels descending upon the children of men; and they did minister unto
them.
31 And he spake unto me again, saying,: lLook!
And I looked, and I beheld the Lamb of God going forth among the children
of men. And I beheld multitudes of people which who were sick, and which who were afflicted of with all manner of diseases, and with
devils, and unclean spirits; and the angel
spake, and sheowed
all these things unto me. And they were healed by the power of the Lamb of
God; and the devils and the unclean spirits were cast out.
32 And it came to pass that the angel spake unto me again,
saying,:
lLook! And I looked and
beheld the Lamb of God, that he was taken by the people; yea, the Son of the Eeverlasting God, was judged of the world;
and I saw and bear record.
33 And I, Nephi, saw that he was lifted up upon the cross,
and slain for the sins of the world.
34 And after that 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.
35 And the multitude of the earth was gathered together; and I beheld that
they were in a large and spacious building, like unto the building which my
father saw. And the angel of the Lord spake unto me again,
saying,: Behold the world and
the wisdom thereof; yea, behold, the Hhouse of Israel hath gathered together, to
fight against the twelve apostles of the Lamb.
36 And it came to pass that I saw and bear record,
that the great and spacious building was the pride of the world; and it
fell;, and the fall thereof was
exceedingly great. 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.
CHAPTER 12
AndND it came to pass that the
angel said unto me,: Look, and
behold thy seed, and also the seed of thy brethren!. And I looked and beheld the land of promise; and I
beheld multitudes of people, yea, even as it were in number, as
many as the sand of the sea.
2 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.
3 And it came to pass that I beheld many generations pass away, after the manner of wars and contentions in the land; and I beheld many cities, yea, even that I did not number them.
4 And it came to pass that I saw a mist of darkness on the face of the land
of promise; and I saw lightnings, and I heard thunderings, and earthquakes, and
all manner of tumultuous noises; and I saw the earth and the rocks, that they
rent; and I saw mountains tumbling into pieces; and I saw the plains of the
earth, that they were broken up; and I saw many cities, that
they were sunk; and I saw many, that they were burned with
fire; Aand I saw
many, that they did tumble to the earth, because of the quaking thereof.
5 And it came to pass that after I saw these things, I saw
the vapor of darkness, that it passed from off the face of the earth; and
behold, I saw multitudes which who
had not fallen, because of the great
and terrible judgments of the Lord.
6 And I saw the Hheavens open,
and the Lamb of God descending out of Hheaven; and he came down and sheowed himself unto them.
7 And I also saw and bear record, that the Holy Ghost fell
upon twelve others; and they were ordained of God, and chosen.
8 And the angel spake unto me, saying: Behold the twelve disciples of
the Lamb, which who are chosen to
minister unto thy seed.
9 And he saith said unto
me,: Thou remembereth the
twelve apostles of the Lamb? Behold, they are they
which who shall judge the twelve
tribes of Israel; wherefore, the twelve ministers of thy seed,
shall be judged of them; for ye are of the house of
Israel;.
10 aAnd these twelve ministers
which whom thou
beholdest, shall judge thy seed. And, behold, they are righteous forever; for because of their
faith in the Lamb of God, their garments are made white in his
blood.
11 And the angel saith said unto
me,: lLook! And I looked, and
beheld three generations did pass away in righteousness; and
their garments were white, even like unto the Lamb of God.
And the angel said unto me,:
These are made white in the blood of the Lamb, because of their faith in
him.
12 And I, Nephi, also saw many of the fourth generation,
which who did pass
passed away in righteousness.
13 And it came to pass that I saw the multitudes of the earth gathered together.
14 And the angel said unto me,:
Behold thy seed, and also the seed of thy brethren!.
15 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.
16 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;.
17 aAnd 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 may perish, and
are lost;.
18 aAnd the large and spacious
building, which thy father saw, is vain
imaginations, and the pride of the children of men. And a
great and a terrible gulf divideth them; yea, even the word of the justice of
the Eternal God, and Jesus Christ, the
Messiah which 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.
19 And while the angel spoke 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; 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.
20 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.
21 And I saw them gathered together in multitudes; and I saw
wars, and rumors of wars among them; and in
wars, and rumors of wars, I saw many
generations pass away.
22 And the angel said unto me,:
bBehold,
these shall dwindle in unbelief.
23 And it came to pass that I beheld,
that after they had dwindled in unbelief, they
became a dark, and loathsome, and a filthy people, full of idleness and all
manner of abominations.
CHAPTER 13
AndND it came to pass that the
angel spake unto me, saying,: lLook!
And I looked and beheld many nations and kingdoms.
2 And the angel saith said unto
me,: wWhat beholdest thou? And I said: I behold many nations and kingdoms.
3 And he saith said unto
me,: tThese are the nations and kingdoms of the Gentiles.
4 And it came to pass that I saw among the nations of the
Gentiles, the foundation formation of a great church.
5 And the angel said unto me,:
Behold the foundation formation of a church, which is most
abominable above all other churches, which slayeth the Ssaints of God, yea, and tortureth them and bindeth them
down, and yoketh them with a yoke of iron, and bringeth them down into
captivity.
6 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.
7 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.
8 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:.
9 aAnd also for the praise of the
world, do they destroy the Ssaints of God, and bring them down into captivity.
10 And it came to pass that I looked and beheld many waters; and they divided the Gentiles from the seed of my brethren.
11 And it came to pass that the angel said unto me,: Behold, the wrath of God is upon
the seed of thy brethren!.
12 And I looked and beheld a man among the Gentiles, which
who was separated from the seed of my brethren by the
many waters; and I beheld the sSpirit of God, that it came down and wrought upon the man;
and he went forth among upon the
many waters, even unto the seed of my brethren, which who were in the promised land.
13 And it came to pass that I beheld the sSpirit of God, that it wrought upon other Gentiles; and
they went forth out of captivity, upon the many waters.
14 And it came to pass that I beheld many multitudes of the
Gentiles, upon the land of promise; and I beheld the wrath of
God, that it was upon the seed of my brethren; and they were scattered before
the Gentiles, and they were smitten.
15 And I beheld the sSpirit of
the Lord, that it was upon the Gentiles;, that and they
did prosper, and obtain the land of for their inheritance; and I beheld that they were white,
and exceedingly fair and beautiful, like unto my
people, before that they were slain.
16 And it came to pass that I, Nephi, beheld that the Gentiles
which who had gone forth out of
captivity, did humble themselves before the Lord; and the power
of the Lord was with them;.
17 aAnd I beheld that their
mother Gentiles was were gathered
together upon the waters, and upon the land also, to battle against
them;.
18 aAnd I beheld that the power of God was with
them;, and also,
that the wrath of God was upon them, all
those that were gathered together against them to battle.
19 And I, Nephi, beheld that the Gentiles which that had gone out of captivity, were
delivered by the power of God, out of the hands of all other
nations.
20 And it came to pass that I, Nephi, beheld that they did prosper in the
land; and I beheld a Bbook; and it
was carried forth among them.
21 And the angel saith said unto
me,: Knowest thou the meaning
of the Bbook?
22 And I saith said unto
him,: I know not.
23 And he saith, said:
Behold, it proceedeth out of the mouth of a
Jew,. aAnd I, Nephi, beheld it; and he saith
said unto me,: The Bbook which that
thou beholdest, is a record of the Jews, which contains the
covenants of the Lord, which he hath made unto the
Hhouse of Israel; and it also
containeth many of the prophescies
of the Hholy Pprophets; 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
Hhouse of Israel; wherefore, they
are of great worth unto the Gentiles.
24 And the angel of the Lord said unto me,: Thou hast beheld that the Bbook proceeded forth from the mouth of a Jew; and when it
proceeded forth from the mouth of a Jew, it contained the
plainness fulness of the
Ggospel 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;.
25 wWherefore, these things go
forth from the Jews in purity, unto the Gentiles, according to
the truth which is in God;.
26 aAnd after
that they go forth by the hand of the twelve apostles of the
Lamb, from the Jews unto the Gentiles;, behold, after this, thou seest the
foundation formation of
a that great and abominable church,
which is the most abominable above all other churches; for
behold, they have taken away from the Ggospel of the Lamb, many parts which are
plain and most precious; and also, many Ccovenants of the Lord have they taken
away;.
27 aAnd 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;.
28 wWherefore, thou seest that
after the Bbook hath gone forth
through the hands of the great and abominable church, that there are many plain
and precious things taken away from the Bbook, which is the Bbook of the Lamb of God;.
29 aAnd after
that these plain and precious things were taken
away, it goeth forth unto all the nations of the Gentiles; 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;, and
thou seest--because of the many plain and precious
things which have been taken out of the Bbook, which were plain unto the understanding of the
children of men, according to the plainness which is in the Lamb of
God;--and because
of these things which were are taken
away out of the Ggospel of the Lamb,
an exceedingly great many do stumble, yea, insomuch
that Satan hath great power over them;.
30 nNevertheless thou beholdest
that the Gentiles which 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, which is the land
which 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 is are
among thy brethren;.
31 nNeither will he suffer that
the Gentiles shall destroy the seed of thy brethren;.
32 nNeither will the Lord God
suffer that the Gentiles shall forever remain in that state of
awful state of woundedness blindness, which thou beholdest that they
are in, because of the plain and most precious parts of the
Ggospel of the Lamb which
hath have been kept back by that
abominable church, whose formation thou hast seen;.
33 wWherefore,
saith the Lamb of God,: I will
be merciful unto the Gentiles, unto the visiting of the remnant of the
Hhouse of Israel in great
judgment.
34 And it came to pass that the angel of the Lord spake unto me, saying:
Behold, saith the Lamb of God, after that I have visited
the remnant of the Hhouse of
Israel,--and this remnant of
which whom I speak,
is the seed of thy father;--wherefore, after that I have visited
them in judgment, and smitten them by the hand of the
Gentiles;, and after
that the Gentiles do stumble exceedingly, because of the most
plain and precious parts of the Ggospel of the Lamb which hath have been kept back, by that abominable
church, which is the mother of harlots, saith the Lamb;--wherefore, I will be merciful unto the
Gentiles in that day, saith the Lamb, insomuch that I will
bring forth unto them, in mine own power, much of my
Ggospel, which shall be plain and
precious, saith the Lamb;.
35 fFor, 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; and after that 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;.
36 aAnd in them shall be written
my Ggospel, saith the Lamb, and my
rock and my salvation;.
37 aAnd blessed are they
which who shall seek to bring forth
my Zion at that day, for they shall have the gift and the power of the Holy
Ghost; and if they endure unto the end, they shall be lifted up
at the last day, and shall be saved in the Eeverlasting Kkingdom of the Lamb; yea, and whoso shall publish peace, that shall
publish yea, tidings of great joy, how
beautiful upon the mountains shall they be.
38 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;, and I
beheld that it came forth from the Gentiles, unto the
remnant of the seed of my brethren;.
39 aAnd after it had come forth
unto them, I beheld other Bbooks, 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
to the Jews, which 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.
40 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 is are
of the twelve apostles of the Lamb, and shall make known the plain and precious
things which have been taken away from them; and shall make known to all
kindreds, tongues, and people, that the Lamb of God is the
Son of the Eternal Father, and the
Saviour of the world; and that all men must come unto
Hhim, or they cannot be
saved;.
41 aAnd they must come according
to the words which shall be established by the mouth of the Lamb; 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; wherefore, they
both shall be established in
one,; for there is one God and one
Shepherd over all the earth;.
42 aAnd the time cometh that he
shall manifest himself unto all nations, both unto the Jews,
and also unto the Gentiles; and after that he
hath has manifested himself unto the
Jews, and also unto the Gentiles, then he shall manifest
himself unto the Gentiles, and also unto the Jews, and the last
shall be first, and the first shall be last.
CHAPTER 14
AndND 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,--
2 if it so be that they harden not their hearts against the
Lamb; aAnd if it so
be that they harden not their hearts against the Lamb of God, they
shall be numbered among the seed of thy father; yea, they shall be numbered
among the Hhouse of Israel; and they
shall be a blest blessed people upon
the promised land forever; they shall be no more brought down into captivity;
and the Hhouse of Israel shall no
more be confounded;.
3 aAnd that great pit, which hath been digged for them, by that
great and abominable church, which was founded by the Ddevil and his children, that he might lead away the souls
of men down to Hhell;--yea,
the 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; not the
destruction of the soul, save it be the casting of it into that
Hhell which hath no
end;.
4 fFor behold, this is according
to the captivity of the Ddevil, and
also according to the justice of God, upon all those who will work wickedness
and abomination before him.
5 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; and thou also knowest concerning the covenants of the Lord unto the
Hhouse of Israel; and thou also hast
heard, that whoso repenteth not, must
perish;.
6 tTherefore, wo be unto the
Gentiles, if it so be that they harden their hearts against the
Lamb of God:.
7 fFor the time cometh, saith the
Lamb of God, that I will work a great and a marvellous work
among the children of men; a work which shall be everlasting, either on the one
hand or on the other;--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
unto into destruction, both
temporally and spiritually, according to the captivity of the
Ddevil, of which I have spoken.
8 And it came to pass that when the angel had spoken these words, he saith
unto me,: Rememberest thou the covenants of the Father unto the
Hhouse of Israel? I
saith said unto him,
yYea.
9 And it came to pass that he saith said unto me,:
Look, and behold that great and abominable church, which is the mother of
abominations, whose foundation founder is the Ddevil.
10 And he saith said unto
me,: Behold,
there is, are save it
be, two churches only:; the one is the church of the Lamb of God, and the other
is the church of the Ddevil;
wherefore, whoso belongeth not to the church of the Lamb of
God, belongeth to that great church, which is the mother of
abominations; and she is the whore of all the earth.
11 And it came to pass that I looked and beheld the whore of all the earth, and she sat upon many waters; and she had dominion over all the earth, among all nations, kindreds, tongues, and people.
12 And it came to pass that I looked and beheld
the church of the Lamb of God, and its numbers were few, because of the
wickedness and abominations of the whore which who sat upon many waters; nevertheless, I beheld that the
church of the Lamb, which who were
the Ssaints of God, were also upon
all the face of the earth; and their dominions upon
the face of the earth was were
small, because of the wickedness of the great whore which whom I saw.
13 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.
14 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, which who were scattered upon all the face of the earth; and they
were armed with righteousness and with the power of God in great glory.
15 And it came to pass that I beheld that the wrath of God was poured out
upon the that great and abominable
church, insomuch that there were wars and rumors of wars among all the nations
and kindreds of the earth;.
16 aAnd 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: Behold, the wrath of God is
upon the mother of harlots; and, behold, thou seest all these
things!--
17 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 Ddevil, 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,
which who are of the
Hhouse of Israel.
18 And it came to pass that the angel spake unto me,
saying,: Look!
19 And I looked and beheld a man, and he was dressed in a white
robe;.
20 aAnd the angel said unto
me,: Behold one of the twelve
Aapostles of the
Lamb!.
21 Behold, he shall see and write the remainder of these things; yea, and
also many things which have been;.
22 aAnd he shall also write
concerning the end of the world;.
23 wWherefore, the things which
he shall write, are just and true; and,
behold, they are written in the book which thou beheld
proceeding out of the mouth of the Jew; 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.
24 And, behold, the things which this
Aapostle of the Lamb shall
write, are many things which thou hast seen;
and, behold, the remainder shalt thou
see;.
25 bBut the things which thou
shalt see hereafter, thou shalt not write; for the Lord God
hath ordained the Aapostle of the
Lamb of God, that he should write them.
26 And also, others which who have been, to
them, hath he shown all things, and they have written them; 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
Hhouse of Israel.
27 And I, Nephi, heard and bear record, that the name of the
Aapostle of the Lamb was John,
according to the word of the angel.
28 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; and I have
not written but a small part of the things which I saw.
29 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.--
30 And now I make an end of speaking concerning the things which I
saw, while I was carried away in the spirit; and if all the
things which I saw are not written, the things which I have written are true.
And thus it is. Amen.
CHAPTER IV.
CHAPTER 15
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.
2 And it came to pass that I beheld my brethren, and they were disputing one
with another, concerning the things which my father had spoken
unto them;.
3 fFor he truly spake many great
things unto them, which was were
hard to be understood, save a man should inquire of the Lord; and they being
hard in their hearts, therefore they did not look unto the Lord as they
had ought.
4 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.
5 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
destructions of my people;, for I had beheld their fall.
6 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.
7 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.
8 And I said unto them,:
Have ye inquired of the Lord?
9 And they said unto me,:
wWe have not; for the Lord
maketh no such thing known unto us.
10 Behold, I said unto them,:
How is it that ye do not keep the commandments of the Lord? How is
it that ye will perish, because of the hardness of your hearts?
11 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?.
12 Behold, I say unto you, that the Hhouse of Israel was compared unto an olive-tree, by the sSpirit of the Lord which was in our
fathers; and, behold, are we
not broken off from the Hhouse of
Israel;, and are we not a branch of
the Hhouse of Israel?
13 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 that the
Messiah hath shall be manifested
himself in body unto the children of men, then shall the
fulness of the Ggospel of the
Messiah come unto the Gentiles, and from the Gentiles unto the remnant of our
seed;--
14 aAnd at that
day, shall the remnant of our seed know that they are of the
Hhouse of Israel, and that they are
the covenant people of the Lord; and then shall they know and come to the
knowledge of their forefathers, and also to the knowledge of the
Ggospel of their Redeemer, which was
ministered unto their fathers by him; 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 And then at that day, will they not rejoice and give
praise unto their everlasting God, their rock and their salvation? Yea, at
that day, will they not receive the strength and nourishment from the true vine?
Yea, will they not come unto the true fold of God?
16 Behold, I say unto you, Yea; they shall be remembered again among the
Hhouse of Israel; they shall be
grafted in, being a natural branch of the olive-tree,
into the true olive-tree;.
17 aAnd this is what our father
meaneth; and he meaneth that it will not come to pass, until
after that they are scattered by the Gentiles; and he meaneth
that it shall come by way of the Gentiles, that the Lord may
sheow his power unto the Gentiles,
for the very cause that he shall be rejected of the Jews, or of the
Hhouse of
Israel;.
18 wWherefore, our father hath
not spoken of our seed alone, but also of all the Hhouse of Israel, pointing to the covenant which should be
fulfilled in the latter days; which covenant the Lord made to our father
Abraham, saying: In thy seed shall all the kindreds of the earth be
blessed.
19 And it came to pass that I, Nephi, spake much unto them concerning these
things; yea, I spake unto them concerning the restoration of the
Jews, in the latter days;.
20 aAnd I did rehearse unto them
the words of Isaiah, which who spake
concerning the restoration of the Jews, or of the Hhouse of Israel; and after that they were
restored, they should no more be confounded, neither should
they be scattered again. 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.
21 And it came to pass that they did speak unto me again, saying: What
meaneth the this thing which our
father saw in a dream? What meaneth the tree which he saw?
22 And I said unto them,:
iIt was a representation of
the tree of life.
23 And they said unto me,:
What meaneth the rod of iron which our father saw, that led to the
tree?
24 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; neither could the temptations and the fiery darts of the adversary, overpower them
unto blindness, to lead them away to destruction.
25 Wherefore, I, Nephi, did exhort them to give
heed unto the word of the Lord; 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.--
26 And they said unto me,:
What meaneth the river of water which our father saw?
27 And I said unto them, that the water which my father
saw, was filthiness; and so much was his mind swallowed up in
other things, that he beheld not the filthiness of the
water;.
28 aAnd I said unto
them, that it was an awful gulf, which
separateth separated the wicked from
the tree of life, and also from the Ssaints of God;.
29 aAnd I said unto
them, that it was a representation of that awful
Hhell, which the angel said unto me
was prepared for the wicked.
30 And I said unto them, that our father also
saw, that the justice of God did also divide the wicked from
the righteous; 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.
31 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?
32 And it came to pass that I said unto them,
Tthat it was a representation of
things both temporal and spiritual; 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;.
33 wWherefore, 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; wherefore, they must be brought to stand before
God, to be judged of their works; and if their works have been
filthiness, they must needs be filthy; and if they be
filthy, it must needs be that they cannot dwell in the kingdom
of God; if so, Tthe kingdom of God
must be filthy also.
34 But, behold, I say unto you, Tthe kingdom of God is not filthy, and there cannot any
unclean thing enter into the kingdom of God; wherefore, there
must needs be a place of filthiness prepared for that which is filthy.
35 And there is a place prepared, yea, even that awful
Hhell of which I have spoken, and
the Ddevil is the preparator of it;
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;.
36 wWherefore, 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; yea, and it is the
greatest of all the gifts of God. And thus I spake unto my
brethren.--Amen.
CHAPTER V.
CHAPTER 16
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
that which we are able to bear.
2 And it came to pass that I said unto them,
Tthat 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 centreer.
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:
tThou speakest hard things
against us.
4 And it came to pass that I, Nephi, did exhort my brethren, with all diligence, to keep the commandments of the Lord.
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.
6 Now, all these things were said and done, as my father
dwelt in a tent in the valley which he called Lemuel.
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.
8 And thus my father had fulfilled all the commandments of the
Lord, which had been given unto him. And also, I, Nephi, had been blessed of the Lord,
exceedingly.
9 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.
10 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. And within the ball were two spindles; and the one pointed the way
whither we should go into the wilderness.
11 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; and we did take seed of every kind,
that we might carry into the wilderness.
12 And it came to pass that we did take our tents, and
depart into the wilderness, across the river Laman.
13 And it came to pass that we travelled 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.
14 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
that we had slain food for our families, we
did return again to our families in the wilderness, to the place of Shazer.
And we did go forth again, in the wilderness, following
the same direction, keeping in the most fertile parts of the wilderness, which
was were in the borders near the Red
Sea.
15 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 aAnd we did follow the
directions of the ball, which led us in the more fertile parts of the
wilderness.
17 And after that we had travelled 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.
18 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 that
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.
19 And it came to pass that we did return without food to our
families., Aand being much fatigued, because of their journeying, they
did suffer much for the want of food.
20 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.
21 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.
22 And it came to pass that I, Nephi, did speak much unto my brethren,
because that they had hardened their hearts again, even unto
complaining against the Lord their God.
23 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. And I said unto my
father,: Whither shall I
go, to obtain food?
24 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.
25 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.
26 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!.
27 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.
28 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.
29 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:. And thus we see, that by small
means, the Lord can bring about great things.
30 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.
31 And it came to pass that I did slay wild beasts,
insomuch, that I did obtain food for our
families.--
32 And it came to pass that I did return to our tents, bearing the beasts
which I had slain; and now, when they beheld that I had
obtained food, how great was their joy.! And it came to pass that they did humble themselves
before the Lord, and did give thanks unto him.
33 And it came to pass that we did again take our journey,
travelling nearly the same course as in the beginning; and
after that we had travelled for the space of
many days, we did pitch our tents again, that we might tarry
for the space of a time.
34 And it came to pass that Ishmael died, and was buried in the place which was called Nahom.
35 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; 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.
36 And thus they did murmur against my father, and also against me; and they were desirous to return again to Jerusalem.
37 And Laman saith said unto
Lemuel, and also unto the sons of
Ishmael,: Behold, let us slay
our father, and also our brother Nephi, who hath has taken it upon him to be our ruler and our teacher, who
are his elder brethren.
38 Now, he saith says that the
Lord hath has talked with him, and
also, that angels hath have ministered unto him!. But behold, we know that he lieth
lies unto us; and he telleth 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; and after that he
hath has led us away, he
hath has thought to make himself a
Kking and a ruler over us, that he
may do with us according to his will and pleasure. And after this
manner, did my brother Laman stir up their hearts to anger.
39 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; and after
that 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.
CHAPTER 17
AndND it came to pass that we did
again take our journey in the wilderness; and we did travel nearly
eastward, from that time forth. And we did travel and
wade through much affliction in the wilderness; and our women did bear children
in the wilderness.
2 And so great were the blessings of the Lord upon us, that while we did live
upon the 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.
3 And thus we see that the commandments of God must be fulfilled. 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 hath has commanded them; wherefore, he did provide means for us
while we did sojourn in the wilderness.
4 And we did sojourn for the space of many years, yea, even eight years in the wilderness.
5 And we did come to the land which we called Bountiful, because of its much
fruit, and also, wild honey; and all these
things were prepared of the Lord, that we might not
perish.--And we beheld the Ssea, which we called Irreantum, which, being interpreted, is, many waters.
6 And it came to pass that we did pitch our tents by the seashore; 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; and we called the place Bountiful, because of its much fruit.
7 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. And it came to pass that I arose and went up into the mountain, and cried unto the Lord.
8 And it came to pass that the Lord spake unto me, saying: Thou shalt
construct a ship, after the manner which I shall sheow thee, that I may carry thy people across these
waters.
9 And I saith, 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 sheown unto me?
10 And it came to pass that the Lord told me whither I should go to find ore, that I might make tools.
11 And it came to pass that I, Nephi, did make a
bellowses wherewith to blow the fire, of the skins of beasts;
and after that I had made a
bellowses, that I might have wherewith to blow the fire, I did
smite two stones together, that I might make
fire;.
12 fFor the Lord had not hitherto
suffered that we should make much fire, as we journeyed in the wilderness; for
he saith, said: I will make
that thy food shall become sweet, that ye cook
it not;
13 aAnd I will also be your light
in the wilderness; and I will prepare the way before you, if it so be that ye
shall keep my commandments; 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.
14 Yea, and the Lord said also, that: aAfter
ye have arrived to in the promised
land, ye shall know that I, the Lord, am God; and that I, the Lord, did deliver
you from destruction; yea, that I did bring you out of the land of
Jerusalem;.
15 wWherefore, I, Nephi, did
strive to keep the commandments of the Lord, and I did exhort my brethren to
faithfulness and diligence.
16 And it came to pass that I did make tools of the ore which I did molten out of the rock.
17 And when my brethren saw that I was about to build a ship, they began to murmur against me, saying: Our brother is a fool, for he thinketh that he can build a ship; yea, and he also thinketh that he can cross these great waters.
18 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; neither would they believe that I was instructed of the Lord.
19 And now it came to pass that I, Nephi, was exceedingly sorrowful, because of the hardness of
their hearts; 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: 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;.
20 aAnd thou art like unto our
father, led away by the foolish imaginations of his heart; yea, he hath led us
out of the land of Jerusalem;, and
we have wandered in the wilderness for these many years; 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; and it
would have been better that they had died, before they came out
of Jerusalem, than to have suffered these afflictions.
21 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;.
22 aAnd we know that the people
which who were in the land of
Jerusalem, were a righteous people; for they kept the
statues statutes and
the judgments of the Lord, and all his commandments, according
to the law of Moses; wherefore, we know that they are a righteous people; and
our father hath judged them, and hath led us away because we would hearken unto
his words; yea, and our brother is like unto him. And after this manner of
language did my brethren murmur and complain against us.
23 And it came to pass that I, Nephi, spake unto them, saying: Do ye
believe that our fathers, which 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?
24 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?
25 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; wherefore, ye know that it must needs be a good thing for them, that they should be brought out of bondage.
26 Now ye know that Moses was commanded of the Lord to do that great work;
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.
27 But ye know that the Egyptians were drowned in the Red Sea,
which who were the armies of
Pharaoh;.
28 aAnd ye also know that they
were fed with manna, in the wilderness;.
29 yYea, 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;.
30 aAnd 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 was 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.
31 And it came to pass that according to his word, he did
destroy them; and according to his word, he did lead them; and
according to his word, he did do all things for them; and there
was not any thing done, save it were by his word.
32 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.
33 And now, do ye suppose that the children of
this land, which who were in the
land of promise, which who were
driven out by our fathers, do ye suppose that they were righteous? Behold,
I say unto you, nNay.
34 Do ye suppose that our fathers would have been more choice than
they, if they had been righteous? I say unto you,
nNay,.
35 bBehold, the Lord esteemeth
all flesh in one:;
Hhe that is
righteous, is favored of God. 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; 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;, and he did bless it unto our fathers,
unto their obtaining power over it.
36 Behold, the Lord hath created the earth, that it should
be inhabited; and he hath created his children, that they
should possess it.
37 And he raiseth up a righteous nation, and destroyeth the nations of the wicked.
38 And he leadeth away the righteous into precious lands, and the wicked he destroyeth, and curseth the land unto them for their sakes.
39 He ruleth high in the Hheavens, for it is his throne, and this earth is his
footstool.
40 And he loveth them which those
who will have him to be their God. Behold, he
loveth loved our
fathers;, and he covenanted with
them, yea, even Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob; and he remembered the covenants which
he had made; wherefore, he did bring them out of the land of
Egypt,.
41 aAnd he did
straighten them in the wilderness with his
rod,; for they hardened their
hearts, even as ye have; and the Lord straightened
them, because of their iniquity. He sent fiery-flying serpents among them; and after
they were bitten, he prepared a way, that they
might be healed; 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
which who perished.
42 And they did harden their hearts from time to time, and they did revile
against Moses, and also against God; nevertheless, ye know that they were led
forth by his matchless power, into the land of
promise.--
43 And now, after all these things, the time has come that they have become
wicked, yea, nearly unto ripeness; and I know not but they are at this day about
to be destroyed,; for I know that
the day must surely come, that they must be destroyed, save a
few only, which who shall be led
away into captivity;.
44 wWherefore, the Lord commanded
my father that he should depart into the wilderness; and the Jews also sought to
take away his life; yea, and ye also have sought to take away his life;
wherefore, ye are murderers in your hearts, and ye are like
unto they: them.
45 Ye are swift to do iniquity, but slow to remember the
Lord your God. Ye have seen an angel, and he spake unto you; yea, ye have
heard his voice from time to time; and he hath spoken unto you in a
still, small voice, but ye were past feeling, that ye could not
feel his words; wherefore, he hath has spoken unto you like unto the voice of thunder, which
did cause the earth to shake as if it were to divide asunder.
46 And ye also know, that by the power of his
Aalmighty word, he
can cause the earth that it shall pass away; 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.
O, then, why is it, that ye can be so hard in your hearts?
47 Behold, my soul is rent with anguish because of you, and my heart is
pained:; I fear lest ye shall be
cast off forever. Behold, I am full of the sSpirit of God, insomuch as if that my frame had has no strength.
48 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 Ssea; 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;
and whoso shall lay their his hands
upon me, shall wither even as a dried reed; and he shall be as
noaught before the power of God, for
God shall smite him.
49 And it came to pass that I, Nephi, saith said unto them, Tthat 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.
50 And I saith said unto
them,: If God had commanded me
to do all things, I could do it them. If he should command me that I should say unto
this water, Bbe thou earth, it
should be earth; and if I should say it, it would be done.
51 And now, if the Lord hath has
such great power, and hath has
wrought so many miracles among the children of men, how is it that he cannot
instruct me, that I should build a ship?
52 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; neither durst they lay their hands upon me, nor
touch me with their fingers, even for the space of many days. Now they
durst not do this, lest they should wither before me, so
powerful was the sSpirit of God; and
thus it had wrought upon them.
53 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.
54 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.
55 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 hath has shaken us. 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; 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.
CHAPTER 18
AndND it came to pass that they
did worship the Lord, and did go forth with me; and we did work timbers of
curious workmanship. And the Lord did sheow me from time to time, after what manner
I should work the timbers of the ship.
2 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; but I did build it
after the manner which the Lord had sheown unto me; wherefore, it was not after the manner of
men.
3 And I, Nephi, did go into the mount oft, and I did pray oft unto the Lord;
wherefore, the Lord sheowed unto me great things.
4 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; wherefore, they did humble themselves again before the Lord.
5 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.--
6 And it came to pass that on the morrow, after that 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, 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; wherefore, we did all go down into the ship, with our
wives and our children.
7 And now, my father had begat two sons, in the
wilderness:; Tthe eldest elder was called Jacob, and the
younger, Joseph.
8 And it came to pass that after we had all gone down into
the ship, and had taken with us our provisions and things which had been
commanded us, we did put forth into the sea, and were driven
forth before the wind, towards the promised
land;.
9 aAnd after
that 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, yea, even to that they did forget by
what power they had been brought thither; yea, they were lifted up unto
exceeding rudeness.
10 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 Ssea; wherefore, I, Nephi, began to speak to them with much
soberness; but, behold, they were angry with
me, saying: We will not that our younger brother shall be a ruler over us.
11 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; nevertheless, the Lord did
suffer it, that he might sheow forth his power, unto the fulfilling of his word which
he hath had spoken,
concerning the wicked.
12 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;.
13 wWherefore, they knew not
whither they should steer the ship, insomuch, that there arose
a great storm, yea, a great and terrible tempest;, and we were driven back upon the waters for the space of
three days; and they began to be frightened exceedingly, lest
they should be drowned in the Ssea;
nevertheless, they did not loose me
not.--
14 And on the fourth day, which we had been driven back, the tempest began to be exceedingly sore.
15 And it came to pass that we were about to be swallowed up in the depths of
the Ssea. And after
that we had been driven back upon the waters for the space of
four days, my brethren began to see that the judgment of God
was were upon them, and that they
must perish, save that they should repent of their iniquities;
wherefore, they came unto me, and loosed the bands
which was were upon my wrists, and
behold, they had much
swollen, exceedingly; and also, mine
anckles were much swollen, and great
was the soreness thereof.
16 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.
17 Now, my father, Lehi, had said many things unto them, and
also unto the sons of Ishmael; but, behold, they did breathe out much
threatnings against any one anyone
that should speak for me; and my parents being stricken in years, and having
suffered much grief because of their children, they were brought down, yea, even
unto upon their sick-beds.
18 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; yea, their gray hairs were about to be
brought down to lie low in the dust; Yyea, even they were near to be cast with sorrow into a watery grave.
19 And Jacob and Joseph also, being young, having need of much nourishment,
were grieved because of the afflictions of their mother; 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;.
20 aAnd there was
nothing, save it were the power of God, which threatened them
with destruction, could soften their hearts; wherefore, when they saw that they
were about to be swallowed up in the depths of the sea, they
repented to of the thing which they
had done, insomuch that they loosed me.
21 And it came to pass that after they had loosed me,
behold, I took the compass, and it did work whither I desired it. And it
came to pass that I prayed unto the Lord; and after that I had
prayed, the winds did cease, and the storm did cease, and there
was a great calm.
22 And it came to pass that I, Nephi, did guide the ship, that we sailed again towards the promised land.
23 And it came to pass that after we had sailed for the space of many
days, we did arrive to at the promised land; and we went forth upon the land, and
did pitch our tents; and we did call it the promised land.
24 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. And it came to pass that they did grow exceedingly; wherefore, we were blessed in abundance.
25 And it came to pass that we did find upon the Lland of Ppromise, as we journieyed 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 used for the
use of men. And we did find all manner of ore, both of gold, and of
silver, and of copper.
CHAPTER 19
AndND 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. 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.
2 And I knew not at that the time
when I made them, that I should be commanded of the Lord to
make these plates; 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; wherefore, the things
which transpired before that I made these
plates, are, of a truth, more
particularly made mention upon the first plates.
3 And after that 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; and that the things which were
written, should be kept for the instruction of my people,
which who should possess the land,
and also for other wise purposes, which purposes, are known
unto the Lord;.
4 wWherefore, 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. And this have
I done, and commanded my people that what they should do, after
that 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.
5 And an account of my making these plates shall be given hereafter; 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.
6 Nevertheless, I do not write any thing anything upon plates, save it be that I
think it be sacred. And now, if I do err, even did they err of
old.; Nnot 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.
7 For the things which some men esteem to be of great worth, both to the body
and soul, others set at noaught, and trample under their feet.
Yea, even the very God of Israel, do men trample under
their feet; I say, trample under their feet; but I would speak
in other words:--Tthey
do set him at noaught, and hearken not to the voice of his
counsels;.
8 aAnd behold,
he cometh, according to the words of the angel, in
six hundred years from the time my father left Jerusalem:.
9 And the world, because of their iniquity, shall judge him to be a thing of
noaught; wherefore,
they scourge him, and he suffereth it; and they smite him, and he suffereth it.
Yea, they spit upon him, and he suffereth it, because of his loving
kindness and his long-suffering towards the children
of men.
10 And the God of our fathers, which who were led out of Egypt, out of bondage, and also were
preserved in the wilderness by him;,
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, and to be crucified, according to the words of
Neum, and to be buried in a sepulchre, and according to the
words of Zenos, which he spake, concerning the three days of
darkness, which should be a sign given of his death, unto
them those who should inhabit the
isles of the sea;, more especially
given unto them which those who are
of the Hhouse of Israel.
11 For thus spake the Pprophet:
The Lord God surely shall visit all the Hhouse of Israel at that day:, some with his voice, because of their righteousness, unto
their great joy and salvation;, and
others, with the thunderings and the
lightnings of his power, by tempest, by fire, and by smoke, and
vapour of darkness, and by the opening of the earth, and by
mountains which shall be carried up;.
12 aAnd all these things must
surely come, saith the Pprophet
Zenos. And the rocks of the earth must rend; and because of the groanings
of the earth, many of the Kkings of
the isles of the sea shall be wrought upon by the sSpirit of God, to exclaim,: The God of nature suffers.
13 And as for they which those
who are at Jerusalem, saith the prophet, they
shall be scourged by all people, saith the prophet, because
they crucify the God of Israel, and turned their hearts aside,
rejecting signs, and wonders, and power and glory of the God of
Israel;.
14 aAnd because they
turned 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 by-word, and be hated among all
nations;.
15 nNevertheless, 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;.
16 yYea, then will he remember
the isles of the sea; yea, and all the people which who are of the Hhouse of Israel, will I gather in, saith the Lord,
according to the words of the Prophet Zenos, from the four quarters of the
earth;.
17 yYea, and all the earth shall
see the salvation of the Lord, saith the prophet; every nation, kindred,
tongue, and people, shall be blessed.
18 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 wWherefore, I speak unto all
the Hhouse of Israel, if it so be
that they should obtain these things.
20 For behold, I have workings in the spirit, which doth weary
me, even that all my joints are weak, for they
which those who are at Jerusalem; for had
not the Lord been merciful, to sheow
unto me concerning them, even as he had prophets of old;, I should have perished
also.
21 for And he surely did
sheow unto the prophets of
old, all things concerning them; and also, he
did sheow unto
many, concerning us; wherefore, it must needs
be, that we know concerning them, for they are
written upon the plates of brass.
CHAPTER VI.
22 NOWow it came to pass that I,
Nephi, did teach my brethren these things.; Aand 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.
23 And I did read many things unto them, which were written
in the Bbooks of Moses; but that I might more fully persuade them to
believe in the Lord their Redeemer, wherefore
I did read unto them that which was written by the Pprophet Isaiah; for I did liken all scriptures unto us,
that it might be for our profit and learning.
24 Wherefore, I spake unto them, saying: Hear ye the
words of the prophet, ye which who
are a remnant of the Hhouse of
Israel, a branch of which who have
been broken off; hear ye the words of the prophet, which was
were written unto all the Hhouse of Israel, and liken it them unto yourselves, that ye may have hope as well as your
brethren, from whom ye have been
broken off.; Ffor after this manner hath has the prophet written:.
CHAPTER 20
HearkenEARKEN and hear this, O
house of Jacob, which 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, which
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.--
2 Nevertheless, they call themselves of the Hholy city, but they do not stay themselves upon the God of
Israel, which who is the Lord of
hHosts; yea, the Lord of
hHosts is his name.
3 Behold, I have declared the former things from the beginning; and they went
forth out of my mouth, and I sheowed
them;. I did
sheow them suddenly.
4 And I did it because I knew that thou art obstinate, and thy neck
was is an iron sinew, and thy brow
brass;
5 aAnd I have,
even from the beginning, declared to thee; before it came to
pass I sheowed them thee; and I
sheowed them for fear lest thou
shouldest say,--Mine idol hath done them;, and my graven image, and my molten
image, hath commanded them.
6 Thou hast seen and heard all this; and will ye not declare them? And
that I have sheowed thee new things
from this time, even hidden things, and thou didst not know them.
7 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.
8 Yea, and thou heardest not; yea, thou knewest not; yea, from that
time, thine ear was not opened:; for I knew that thou wouldest deal very
treacherously, and wast called a transgressor from the womb.
9 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.
10 For, behold, I have refined thee;, I have chosen thee in the furnace of affliction.
11 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.
12 Hearken unto me, O Jacob, and
Israel, my called;,
for I am he; and I am the first, and I am also the last.
13 Mine hand hath also laid the foundation of the earth, and my right hand
hath spanned the heavens:.
and I called unto them,
and they stand up together.
14 All ye, assemble yourselves, and hear; which who among them hath declared these things unto them?
The Lord hath loved him:; yea,
and he will fulfil his word which he hath declared by them; and he will do his
pleasure on Babylon, and his arm shall come upon the Chaldeans.
15 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.
16 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
sSpirit, hath sent me.
17 And thus saith the Lord, thy Redeemer, the Holy One of Israel; I have sent him, the Lord thy God,
which who teacheth thee to profit,
which who leadeth thee by the way
thou shouldst go, hath done it.
18 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;.
19 tThy 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.
20 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.--
21 And they thirsted not; he led them through the
deserts:; he caused the waters to
flow out of the rock for them:; he
cleaved clave the rock
also, and the waters gushed out.
22 And notwithstanding he hath done all this, and greater also,
Tthere is no peace, saith the Lord,
unto the wicked.
CHAPTER 21
AndND 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, which who are of my people, O house of Israel. 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.
2 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;
3 aAnd said unto
me,: Thou art my servant, O
Israel, in whom I will be glorified.
4 Then I said, I have labored in vain, I have spent my strength for
noaught, and in
vain; surely, my judgment is with the Lord, and my work with my
God.
5 And now, saith the Lord,--that
formed me from the womb that I should be his servant, to bring Jacob again to
him,--Tthough Israel be not gathered, yet shall I be glorious in
the eyes of the Lord, and my God shall be my strength.
6 And he said,: It is a
light thing that thou shouldest 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.--
7 Thus saith the Lord, the Redeemer of Israel, his Holy One, to him whom man
despiseth, to him whom the nations abhorreth, to
servants of rulers,: Kings shall see and arise, princes also shall
worship, because of the Lord that is faithful.
8 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:;
9 tThat thou mayest say to the
prisoners,: Go forth; to them that
sit in darkness,:
Sheow
yourselves.--They shall feed in the ways, and their pastures
shall be in all high places.
10 They shall not hunger or 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.
11 And I will make all my mountains away a way, and my highways shall be exalted.
12 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.
13 Sing, O Hheavens; and be
joyful, O earth; for the feet of them which 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.
14 But, behold, Zion hath said,:
The Lord hath forsaken me, and my Lord hath forgotten
me;--but he will
sheow that he hath not.
15 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.
16 Behold, I have graven thee upon the palms of my hands; thy walls are continually before me.
17 Thy children shall make haste against thy destroyers; and they that made
thee waste, shall go forth of thee.
18 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.
19 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.
20 The children which whom thou
shalt have, after thou hast lost the other first, shall again in thine ears say,: The place is too straight for
me:; give place to me that I may
dwell.
21 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?
aAnd who hath brought up
these? Behold, I was left alone; these, where have they been?
22 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.
23 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.
24 For shall the prey be taken from the mighty, or the lawful captives delivered?
25 But thus saith the Lord, Eeven
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.
26 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
Saviour and thy Redeemer, the mMighty oOne of
Jacob.
CHAPTER VII.
CHAPTER 22
AND now it came to pass that after I, Nephi, after that I
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? 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?
2 And I, Nephi, sayeth said unto
them,:
Behold, they were made manifest unto the
prophet, by the voice of the sSpirit:; for by
the sSpirit are all things made
known unto the prophets, which shall come upon the
children of men, according to the flesh.
3 Wherefore, the things of which I have read, are things
pertaining to things both temporal and spiritual:; for it appears that the Hhouse of Israel, sooner or later, will be scattered upon
all the face of the earth, and also among all nations,.
4 aAnd before
behold, there are many which who are already lost from the knowledge of they
which those who are at Jerusalem. Yea,
the more part of all the tribes have been led away; and they are scattered to
and fro upon the isles of the sea:;
and whither they are, none of us knoweth, save that we know
that they have been led away.--
5 And since that they have been led away, these things have
been prophesied concerning them, and also concerning all they
which those who shall hereafter be scattered
and be confounded, because of the Holy One of Israel:; for against him will they harden their hearts; wherefore,
they shall be scattered among all nations, and shall be hated
by of all men.
6 Nevertheless, after that they have been
shall be nursed by the Gentiles, and the Lord
hath has lifted up his hand upon the
Gentiles and set them up for a standard, and their children shall
be have been carried in their arms, and
their daughters shall be have been
carried upon their shoulders, behold, these things of which are
spoken, are temporal:; for thus is are the covenants of the Lord with our fathers; and it
meaneth us in the days to come, and also all our brethren which
who are of the Hhouse of Israel.
7 And it meaneth that the time cometh that after all the
Hhouse 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; and by them shall our seed be
scattered.
8 And after that our seed is scattered, the
Lord God will proceed to do a marvellous work among the
Gentiles, which shall be of great worth unto our seed; wherefore, it is likened
unto the their being nourished by
the Gentiles, and being carried in their arms,
and upon their shoulders.
9 And it shall also be of worth unto the Gentiles; and not only unto the
Gentiles, but unto all the Hhouse of Israel, unto the making known of the covenants of
the Father of Hheaven unto Abraham,
saying,: In thy seed shall all
the kindreds of the earth be blessed.
10 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.
11 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 Ggospel, unto they which
those who are of the Hhouse of Israel.
12 Wherefore, he will bring them again out of captivity, and they shall be
gathered together to the lands of their inheritance; and they shall be brought
out of obscurity, and out of darkness; and they shall know that
the Lord is their Saviour and their Redeemer, the
mMighty oOne of Israel.
13 And the blood of that great and abominable church, which is the whore of
all the earth, shall turn upon their own heads:; 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.
14 And every nation which shall war against thee, O house of Israel, shall be
turned one against another, and they shall fall into the pit which they digged
to ensnare the people of the Lord. And all that fight against
Zion, shall be destroyed., Aand that
great whore, which who hath
perverted the right ways of the Lord;, yea, that great and abominable church, shall
stumble tumble to the
dust, and great shall be the fall of it.
15 For behold, saith the prophet, that the time cometh
speedily, that Satan shall have no more power over the hearts
of the children of men:; for the day
soon cometh, that all the proud and they which
who do wickedly, shall be as
stubble; and the day cometh that they must be burned.
16 For the time soon cometh, that the fulness of the wrath
of God shall be poured out upon all the children of men:; for he will not suffer that the wicked shall destroy the
righteous.
17 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. Wherefore, the righteous
need not fear:; for thus saith the
prophet, Tthey shall be saved, even
if it so be as by fire.
18 Behold, my brethren, I say unto you, that these things must shortly come;
yea, even blood, and fire, and vapor of smoke must come; and it must needs be
upon the face of this earth; 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:.
19 fFor behold, the righteous
shall not perish; for the time surely must come, that all they
which who fight against
Zion, shall be cut off.
20 And the Lord will surely prepare a way for his people, unto the fulfilling
of the words of Moses, which he spake, saying: 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. And it shall come to pass that all
they which those who will not hear
that prophet, shall be cut off from among the people.
21 And now I, Nephi, declare unto you, that this prophet of whom Moses
spake, was the Holy One of Israel; wherefore, he shall execute
judgment in righteousness;.
22 aAnd the righteous need not
fear, for it is they which are those who shall not be confounded. But it is the
kingdom of the Ddevil, which shall
be built up among the children of men, which kingdom is established among them
which are in the flesh:--
23 fFor the time speedily shall
come, that all churches which are built up to get gain, and all
they which those who are built up to
get power over the flesh, and they which those who are built up to become popular in the eyes of the
world, and they which those who seek
the lusts of the flesh and the things of the world, and to do all manner of
iniquity; yea, in fine, all they which those who belong to the kingdom of the
Ddevil, it
is are they which who need fear, and tremble, and quake; it
is they are those which
who must be brought low in the dust; it
is they are those which
who must be consumed as
stubble:; and this is according to
the words of the prophet.
24 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.
25 And he gathereth his children from the four quarters of the earth; and he
numbereth his sheep, and they know him; and there shall be one fold and one
shepherd; and he shall feed his sheep, and in him they shall find
pasture.--
26 And because of the righteousness of his people, Satan
hath has no power; wherefore, he
cannot be loosed for the space of many years:; for he bath hath no power over the hearts of the people, for they dwell
in righteousness, and the Holy One of Israel reigneth.
27 And now behold, I, Nephi, say unto you, that all these
things must come, according to the flesh.
28 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.
29 And now I, Nephi, make an end; for I durst not speak further as
yet, concerning these things.
30 Wherefore, my brethren, I would that ye should consider that the things
which have been written upon the plates of brass, are true; and
they testify that a man must be obedient to the commandments of God.
31 Wherefore, ye need not suppose that I and my father are the only ones that have testified, and also taught them. Wherefore, if ye shall be obedient to the commandments, and endure to the end, ye shall be saved at the last day. And thus it is. Amen.