THE SECOND BOOK OF
NEPHI.
CHAPTER I.
An account of the death of Lehi. Nephi's brethren
rebelleth against him. The Lord warns Nephi to depart
into the wilderness, &c. His
journeyings in the wilderness, &c and
so forth.
CHAPTER 1
AND now it came to pass that after I, Nephi, had
made an end of teaching my brethren, our father, Lehi, also spake many things
unto them:, and rehearsed unto them,
how great things the Lord had done for them, in bringing them
out of the land of Jerusalem.
2 And he spake unto them concerning their rebellions upon the waters, and the mercies of God in sparing their lives, that they were not swallowed up in the sea.
3 And he also spake unto them concerning the land of promise, which they had
obtained:--how merciful the Lord had
been in warning us that we should flee out of the land of Jerusalem.
4 For, Bbehold, saith he, I have
seen a vision, in the which I know that Jerusalem is destroyed;
and had we remained in Jerusalem, we should also have perished.
5 But, said he, notwithstanding our afflictions, we have obtained a land of
promise, a land which is choice above all other lands; a land which the Lord God
hath covenanted with me should be a land for the inheritance of my seed.
Yea, the Lord hath covenanted this land unto me, and to my children
forever;, and also all they
which those who should be led out of other
countries, by the hand of the Lord.
6 Wherefore, I, Lehi, prophesy according to the workings of the
sSpirit which is in me, that there
shall be none come into this land, save they
should shall be brought by the hand
of the Lord.
7 Wherefore, this land is consecrated unto him whom he shall bring. And
if it so be that they shall serve him according to the commandments which he
hath given, it shall be a land of liberty unto them; wherefore, they shall never
be brought down into captivity:; if
so, it shall be because of iniquity:; for if iniquity shall abound, cursed
shall be the land for their sakes;,
but unto the righteous, it shall be blessed forever.
8 And behold, it is wisdom that this land should be kept as yet from the
knowledge of other nations:; for
behold, many nations would overrun the land, that there would be no place for an
inheritance.
9 Wherefore, I, Lehi, have obtained a promise, that inasmuch as they
which those whom the Lord God shall bring
out of the land of Jerusalem shall keep his commandments, they shall prosper
upon the face of this land; and they shall be kept from all other nations, that
they may possess this land unto themselves. And if it so be that they
shall keep his commandments, they shall be blessed upon the
face of this land, and there shall be none to molest them, nor to take away the
land of their inheritance; and they shall dwell safely forever.
10 But behold, when the time cometh that they shall dwindle in unbelief,
after that they have received so great blessings from the hand
of the Lord;--having a knowledge of
the creation of the earth, and all men, knowing the
great and marvellous works of the Lord from the creation of the
world; having power given them to do all things by faith; having all the
commandments from the beginning, and having been brought by his infinite
goodness into this precious land of promise;--behold, I say, if the day shall come that they will
reject the Holy One of Israel, the true Messiah,
their Redeemer and their God, behold, the judgments of him that is
just, shall rest upon them;.
11 yYea, he will bring other
nations unto them, and he will give unto them power, and he will take away from
them the lands of their possessions;, and he will cause them to be scattered and smitten.
12 Yea, as one generation passeth to another, there shall be
bloodsheds, and great visitations among them;
wherefore, my sons, I would that ye would remember; yea, I would that ye would
hearken unto my words.
13 O that ye would awake,; awake
from a deep sleep, yea, even from the sleep of hell, and shake off the awful
chains by which ye are bound, which are the chains which bind the children of
men, that they are carried away captive down to the eternal gulf of misery and
woe!.
14 Awake! and arise from the dust, and hear the words of a trembling
parent, whose limbs ye must soon lay down in the cold and silent grave, from
whence no traveller can return:; a few more days, and I go the way of all
the earth.
15 But behold, the Lord hath redeemed my soul from
hell:; I have beheld his glory, and
I am encircled about eternally in the arms of his
love.
16 And I desire that ye should remember to observe the statutes and the
judgments of the Lord:; behold, this
hath been the anxiety of my soul, from the beginning.
17 My heart hath been weighed down with sorrow from time to
time:, for I have feared, lest for
the hardness of your hearts, lest the Lord
your God should come out in the fulness of his wrath, upon you,
that ye be cut off and destroyed forever;
18 oOr, that a cursing should
come upon you, for the space of many generations; and ye are
visited by sword, and by famine, and are hated, and are led according to the
will and captivity of the Ddevil.
19 O my sons, that these things might not come upon you, but that ye might be
a choice and a favored people of the Lord. But, behold,
his will be done:; for his ways are
righteousness forever;.
20 aAnd he hath
said, that:
iInasmuch as ye shall keep my
commandments, ye shall prosper in the land; but inasmuch as ye
will not keep my commandments, ye shall be cut off from my
presence.
21 And now that my soul might have joy in you, and that my heart might leave
this world with gladness because of you;, that I might not be brought down with grief and sorrow to
the grave, arise from the dust, my sons, and be men, and be determined in one
mind, and in one heart, united in
all things, that ye may not come down into captivity;
22 tThat ye may not be cursed
with a sore cursing; and also, that ye may not incur the displeasure of a just
God upon you, unto the destruction, yea, the eternal destruction of both soul
and body.
23 Awake, my sons; put on the armor of righteousness. Shake off the chains with which ye are bound, and come forth out of obscurity, and arise from the dust.
24 Rebel no more against your brother, whose views have been glorious, and
who hath kept the commandments from the time that we left
Jerusalem,; and who hath been an
instrument in the hands of God, in bringing us forth into the land of promise:
for were it not for him, we must have perished with hunger in the
wilderness; nevertheless, ye sought to take away his life; yea, and he hath
suffered much sorrow because of you.
25 And I exceedingly fear and tremble because of you, lest he shall suffer
again:; for behold, ye have accused
him that he sought power and authority over you; but I know that he hath not
sought for power nor authority over you;, but he hath sought the glory of God, and your own eternal
welfare.
26 And ye have murmured because he hath been plain unto you. Ye say
that he hath used sharpness; ye say that he hath been angry with
you.; Bbut behold, his sharpness was the sharpness of the power of
the word of God, which was in him; and that which ye call
anger, was the truth, according to that which is in God, which
he could not constrain restrain,
manifesting boldly concerning your iniquities.
27 And it must needs be that the power of God must be with him, even unto his
commanding you, that ye must obey. But behold, it was not
him he, but it was the
sSpirit of the Lord which was in
him, which opened his mouth to utterance that he could not shut it.
28 And now my son, Laman, and also Lemuel and Sam,
and also my sons which who are the
sons of Ishmael, behold, if ye will hearken unto the voice of
Nephi, ye shall not perish. And if ye will hearken unto
him, I leave unto you a blessing, yea, even my first
blessing.
29 But if ye will not hearken unto him, I take away my first
blessing, yea, even my blessing, and it shall rest upon him.
30 And now, Zoram, I speak unto you: Behold, thou art the servant of Laban; nevertheless, thou hast been brought out of the land of Jerusalem, and I know that thou art a true friend unto my son, Nephi, forever.
31 Wherefore, because thou hast been faithful, thy seed
shall be blessed with his seed, that they dwell in prosperity long upon the face
of this land; and nothing, save it shall be iniquity among them, shall harm or
disturb their prosperity upon the face of this land
forever.--
32 Wherefore, if ye shall keep the commandments of the Lord, the Lord hath consecrated this land for the security of thy seed with the seed of my son.
CHAPTER 2
1 AndND now, Jacob, I speak unto
you;: Thou art my first-born in the days of my tribulation in the wilderness.
And behold, in thy childhood, thou hast suffered
afflictions and much sorrow, because of the rudeness of thy brethren.
2 Nevertheless, Jacob, my first-born in the wilderness, thou knowest the greatness of God; and he shall consecrate thine afflictions for thy gain.
3 Wherefore, thy soul shall be blessed, and thou shalt dwell safely with thy
brother, Nephi; and thy days shall be spent in the service of thy
God.--Wherefore, I know that thou art
reedeemed, because of the
righteousness of thy Redeemer:; for
thou hast beheld, that in the fulness of time,
he cometh to bring salvation unto men.
4 And thou hast beheld in thy youth, his glory; wherefore,
thou art blessed even as they unto whom he shall minister in the
flesh:; for the
sSpirit is the same, yesterday,
to-day, and forever. And the way is prepared from the
fall of man, and salvation is free.
5 And men are instructed sufficiently, that they know good
from evil. And the law is given unto men. And by the
law, no flesh is justified; or, by the law,
men are cut off. Yea, by the temporal law, they were cut
off; and also, by the spiritual law, they perish from that
which is good, and become miserable forever.
6 Wherefore, redemption cometh in and through the Holy
Messiah:; for he is full of grace
and truth.
7 Behold, he offereth himself a sacrifice for sin, to answer the ends of the
law, unto all those which who have a
broken heart and a contrite spirit; and unto none else can the ends of the law
be answered.
8 Wherefore, how great the importance to make these things known unto the
inhabitants of the earth, that they may know that there is no flesh that can
dwell in the presence of God, save it be through the merits, and mercy, and
the grace of the Holy Messiah, which who layeth down his life according to the flesh, and taketh
it again by the power of the sSpirit, that he may bring to pass the resurrection of the
dead, being the first that should rise.
9 Wherefore, he is the first fruits firstfruits unto God, inasmuch as he shall make
intercession for all the children of men; and they that believe in
him, shall be saved.
10 And because of the intercession for all, all men cometh unto God;
wherefore, they stand in the presence of Hhim, to be judged of Hhim, according to the truth and holiness
which is in Hhim. Wherefore,
the ends of the law which the Holy One hath given, unto the inflicting of the
punishment which is affixed, which punishment that is affixed is in opposition
to that of the happiness which is affixed, to answer the ends of the
atonement;--
11 fFor it must needs be, that
there is an opposition in all things. If not so, my first-born in the wilderness, righteousness could not be brought
to pass;, neither
wickedness;, neither holiness nor
misery;, neither good nor bad.
Wherefore, all things must needs be a compound in one; wherefore, if it
should be one body, it must neeeds remain as dead, having no
life, neither death, nor
corruption, nor incorruption, happiness nor misery, neither
sense nor insensibility.
12 Wherefore, it must needs have been created for a thing of
noaught; wherefore,
there would have been no purpose in the end of its creation. Wherefore,
this thing must needs destroy the wisdom of God, and his
eternal purposes;, and
also, the power, and the mercy, and the justice of God.
13 And if ye shall say there is no law, ye shall also say there is no sin.
If ye shall say there is no sin, ye shall also say there is no
righteousness.--And if there be no
righteousness, there be no happiness. And if there be no
righteousness nor happiness, there be no punishment nor misery.
And if these things are not, there is no God. And
if there is no God, we are not, neither the
earth:; for there could have been no
creation of things, neither to act nor to be acted upon; wherefore, all things
must have vanished away.
14 And now, my sons, I speak unto you these things, for your
profit and learning:; for there is a
God, and he hath created all things, both the heavens and the earth, and all
things that in them is; are, both
things to act, and things to be acted
upon;.
15 aAnd to bring about his
eternal purposes in the end of man, after that he had created
our first parents, and the beasts of the field, and the fowls
of the air, and in fine, all things which are created, it must needs be that
there was an opposition; even the forbidden fruit in opposition to the tree of
life; the one being sweet and the other bitter;.
16 wWherefore, the Lord God gave
unto man, that he should act for himself. Wherefore, man
could not act for himself, save it should be that he
were was enticed by the one or the
other.
17 And I, Lehi, according to the things which I have read, must needs
suppose, that an angel of God, according to that which is
written, had fallen from Hheaven;
wherefore, he became a Ddevil,
having sought that which was evil before God.
18 And because that he had fallen from
Hheaven, and had become miserable
forever, he sought also the misery of all mankind.--Wherefore,
he sayeth said unto Eve, yea, even
that old serpent, which who is the
Ddevil, which who is the father of all lies;, wherefore he sayeth, said: Partake of the forbidden fruit, and ye shall
not die, but ye shall be as God, knowing good and evil.
19 And after that Adam and Eve had partaken of the forbidden
fruit, they were driven out from of the garden of Eden, to till the earth.
20 And they have brought forth children; yea, even the family of all the earth.
21 And the days of the children of men were
prolonged, according to the will of God, that they might repent while in the
flesh; wherefore, their state became a state of probation, and their time was
lengthened, according to the commandments which the Lord God gave unto the
children of men. For he gave commandment that all men must repent; for he
sheowed unto all men that they were
lost, because of the transgression of their parents.
22 And now, behold, if Adam had not transgressed, he would
not have fallen;, but he would have
remained in the garden of Eden. And all things which were
created, must have remained in the same state in which they were, after
that they were created; and they must have remained forever,
and had no end.
23 And they would have had no children; wherefore, they
would have remained in a state of innocence, having no joy, for they knew no
misery:; doing no good, for they
knew no sin.
24 But, behold, all things have been done in the wisdom of
Hhim who knoweth all things.
25 Adam fell, that men might be; and men are, that they
might have joy.
26 And the Messiah cometh in the fulness of time, that he
might may redeem the children of men
from the fall. And because that they are redeemed from the
fall, they have become free forever, knowing good from evil; to
act for themselves, and not to be acted upon, save it be by the
punishment of the law, at the great and last day, according to
the commandments which God hath given.
27 Wherefore, men are free according to the flesh; and all things are given
them which is are expedient unto
man. And they are free to choose liberty and eternal life, through the
great mediation Mediator of all men,
or to choose captivity and death, according to the captivity and power of the
Ddevil:; for he seeketh that all men might be miserable like unto
himself.
28 And now, my sons, I would that ye should look to the great
mMediator, and hearken unto his
great commandments; and be faithful unto his words, and choose eternal life,
according to the will of his Holy Spirit,;
29 aAnd not choose eternal death,
according to the will of the flesh and the evil which is therein, which giveth
the spirit of the Ddevil power to
captivate, to bring, you down to hell, that he may reign over
you in his own kingdom.
30 I have spoken these few words unto you all, my sons, in the last days of
my probation; and I have chosen the good part, according to the words of the
prophet. And I have none other object, save it be the
everlasting welfare of your souls.--Amen.
CHAPTER II.
CHAPTER 3
AND now I speak unto you, Joseph, my last-born.
Thou wast born in the wilderness of mine afflictions; yea, in the days of
my greatest sorrow, did thy mother bear thee.
2 And may the Lord consecrate also unto thee this land, which is a most precious land, for thine inheritance and the inheritance of thy seed with thy brethren, for thy security forever, if it so be that ye shall keep the commandments of the Holy One of Israel.
3 And now, Joseph, my last-born, whom I have brought out of the wilderness of mine afflictions, may the Lord bless thee forever, for thy seed shall not utterly be destroyed.
4 For behold, thou art the fruit of my loins; and I am a descendant of
Joseph, which who
was carried captive into Egypt. And great was were the covenants of the Lord, which he
made unto Joseph;.
5 wWherefore, Joseph truly saw
our day. And he obtained a promise of the Lord, that out of the fruit of
his loins, the Lord God would raise up a righteous branch unto
the Hhouse of Israel; not the
Messiah, but a branch which was to be broken
off;, nevertheless, to be remembered
in the covenants of the Lord, that the Messiah should be made
manifest unto them in the latter days, in the spirit of power, unto the bringing
of them out of the darkness unto the
light;--yea, out of hidden darkness
and out of captivity unto freedom.
6 For Joseph truly testified, saying: A seer shall the Lord my God
raise up, which who shall be a
choice seer unto the fruit of my loins.
7 Yea, Joseph truly said,:
tThus saith the Lord unto me:
A choice seer will I raise up out of the fruit of thy loins; and he shall
be esteemed highly among the fruit of thy loins. And unto him will I give
commandment, that he shall do a work for the fruit of thy
loins, his brethren, which shall be of great worth unto them, even to the
bringing of them to the knowledge of the covenants which I have made with thy
fathers.
8 And I will give unto him a commandment, that he shall do
none other work, save the work which I shall command him. And I will make
him great in mine eyes:; for he
shall do my work.
9 And he shall be great like unto Moses, whom I have said I would raise up unto you, to deliver my people, O house of Israel.
10 And Moses will I raise up, to deliver thy people out of the land of Egypt.
11 But a seer will I raise up out of the fruit of thy loins; and unto him
will I give power to bring forth my word unto the seed of thy
loins;--and not to the bringing
forth my word only, saith the Lord, but to the convincing them of my word, which
shall have already gone forth among them.
12 Wherefore, the fruit of my thy
loins shall write; and the fruit of the loins of Judah shall write; and that
which shall be written by the fruit of thy loins, and also that which shall be
written by the fruit of the loins of Judah, shall grow together, unto the
confounding of false doctrines, and laying down of contentions,
and establishing peace among the fruit of thy loins, and bringing them to the
knowledge of their fathers in the latter days;, and also to the knowledge of my covenants, saith the
Lord.
13 And out of weakness he shall be made strong, in that day when my work shall commence among all my people, unto the restoring thee, O house of Israel, saith the Lord.
14 And thus prophesied Joseph, saying: Behold, that seer will the Lord
bless; and they that seek to destroy him, shall be
confounded:; for this promise,
of which I have obtained of the Lord, of the fruit of
thy my loins, shall be fulfilled.
Behold, I am sure of the fulfilling of this promise.;
15 And his name shall be called after me; and it shall be after the name of
his father. And he shall be like unto me; for the thing, which the Lord shall bring forth by his hand, by the
power of the Lord shall bring my people unto salvation;.
16 yYea, thus prophesied
Joseph.: I am sure of this
thing, even as I am sure of the promise of Moses:; for the Lord hath said unto me, I will preserve thy seed
forever.
17 And the Lord hath said,:
I will raise up a Moses; and I will give power unto him in a rod; and I
will give judgment unto him in writing. Yet I will not loose his tongue,
that he shall speak much:, for I
will not make him mighty in speaking. But I will write unto him my law, by
the finger of mine own hand; and I will make a spokesman for him.
18 And the Lord said unto me also,: I will raise up unto the fruit of thy loins; and I
will make for him a spokesman. And I, behold, I will give unto
him, that he shall write the writing of the fruit of thy loins,
unto the fruit of thy loins; and the spokesman of thy loins shall declare
it.
19 And the words which he shall write, shall be the words
which is are expedient in my
wisdom, should go forth unto the fruit of thy loins. And
it shall be as if the fruit of thy loins had cried unto them from the
dust:; for I know their faith.
20 And they shall cry from the dust; yea, even repentance unto their
brethren, even that after many generations have gone by them.
And it shall come to pass that their cry shall go, even according to the
simpleness of their words.
21 Because of their faith, their words shall proceed forth
out of my mouth unto their brethren, which
who are the fruit of thy loins; and the weakness of
their words will I make strong in their faith, unto the remembering of my
covenant which I made unto thy fathers.
22 And now, behold, my son Joseph, after this manner did my father of old prophesy.
23 Wherefore, because of this covenant, thou art
blessed:; for thy seed shall not be
destroyed, for they shall hearken unto the words of the Bbook.
24 And there shall raise rise up
one, mighty among them, which who shall do much good, both in word and in deed, being an
instrument in the hands of God, with exceeding faith, to work mighty wonders,
and do that thing which is great in the sight of God, unto the bringing to pass
much restoration unto the Hhouse of
Israel, and unto the seed of thy brethren.
25 And now, blessed art thou, Joseph. Behold, thou art little;
wherefore, hearken unto the words of thy brother, Nephi, and it shall be done unto thee,
even according to the words which I have spoken. Remember the words of thy
dying father. Amen.
CHAPTER III.
CHAPTER 4
AND now, I, Nephi, speak concerning the prophecies of which my father hath
spoken, concerning Joseph, who was carried into Egypt:.
2 For behold, he truly prophesied concerning all his seed. And the
prophecies which he wrote, there are not many greater. And he prophesied
concerning us, and our future generations:; and they are written upon the plates of brass.
3 Wherefore, after my father had made an end of speaking concerning the
prophecies of Joseph, he called the children of Laman, his sons, and his
daughters, and sayeth said unto
them,: Behold, my sons, and my
daughters, which who are the sons
and the daughters of my first-born, I would that ye
should give ear unto my words:.
4 fFor the Lord God hath
said, Tthat: iInasmuch as ye shall keep my commandments,
ye shall prosper in the land; and inasmuch as ye will not keep my
commandments, ye shall be cut off from my presence.
5 But behold, my sons and my daughters, I cannot go down to my
grave, save I should leave a blessing upon
you:; Ffor behold, I know that if ye are brought up in the
right way that ye should go,
ye will not depart from it.
6 Wherefore, if ye are cursed, behold, I leave my blessing upon you, that the
cursing may be taken from you, and be answered upon the heads
of your parents.
7 Wherefore, because of my blessing, the Lord God will not
suffer that ye shall perish; wherefore, he will be merciful unto
you, and unto your seed, forever.
8 And it came to pass that after my father had made an end of speaking to the sons and daughters of Laman, he caused the sons and daughters of Lemuel to be brought before him.
9 And he spake unto them, saying: Behold, my sons and my daughters,
which who are the sons and the
daughters of my second son; behold, I leave unto you the same
blessing which I left unto the sons and daughters of Laman; wherefore, thou
shalt not utterly be destroyed; but in the end, thy seed shall
be blessed.
10 And it came to pass that when my father had made an end of speaking unto
them, behold, it came to pass that he spake unto the sons of
Ishmael, yea, and even all his household.
11 And after that he had made an end of speaking unto them,
he spake unto Sam, saying: Blessed art thou, and thy
seed:; for thou shalt inherit the
land, like unto thy brother, Nephi. And
thy seed shall be numbered with his seed; and thou shalt be even like unto thy
brother, and thy seed like unto his seed; and thou shalt be blessed in all thy
days.
12 And it came to pass that after my
father, Lehi, had spake spoken unto all his household, according to the feelings of
his heart, and the sSpirit of the Lord which was in him, he waxed old.
And it came to pass that he died, and was buried.
13 And it came to pass that not many days after his death, Laman and
Lemuel, and the sons of Ishmael, were angry
with me, because of the admonitions of the
Lord:.
14 fFor I, Nephi, was constrained
to speak unto them, according to the his word.;
Ffor I had spake
spoken many things unto them, and also my father,
before his death; many of which sayings, are written upon mine
other plates:; for a more history
part are written upon mine other plates.
15 And upon these, I write the things of my soul, and many
of the Sscriptures which are
engraven upon the plates of brass:.
For my soul delighteth in the
Sscriptures;, and my heart pondereth them, and writeth them for the
learning and the profit of my children.
16 Behold, my soul delighteth in the things of the Lord; and my heart pondereth continually upon the things which I have seen and heard.
17 Nevertheless, notwithstanding the great goodness of the Lord, in
sheowing me his great and
marvellous works, my heart exclaimeth,: O wretched man that I am;! yYea,
my heart sorroweth, because of my flesh.; Mmy soul
grieveth, because of mine iniquities.
18 I am encompassed about, because of the temptations and the sins which
doth so easily beset me.
19 And when I desire to rejoice, my heart groaneth because of my sins; nevertheless, I know in whom I have trusted.
20 My God hath been my support; he hath led me through mine afflictions in the wilderness; and he hath preserved me upon the waters of the great deep.
21 He hath filled me with his love, even unto the consuming of my flesh.
22 He hath confounded mine enemies, unto the causing of them to quake before me.
23 Behold, he hath heard my cry by day, and he hath given me knowledge by visions in the night-time.
24 And by day have I waxed bold in mighty prayer before him; yea, my voice
have I sent upon up on high; and
angels came down and ministered unto me.
25 And upon the wings of his sSpirit hath my body been carried away upon exceedingly high mountains. And mine eyes
hath have beheld great
things;, yea, even too great for
man; therefore I was bidden that I should not write them.
26 O then, if I have seen so great things;, if the Lord in his condescension unto the children of
men, hath visited men in so much mercy, why should my heart
weep, and my soul linger in the valley of sorrow, and my flesh
waste away, and my strength slacken, because of mine afflictions?
27 And why should I yield to sin, because of my flesh? Yea, why should
I give way to temptations, that the evil one have place in my
heart, to destroy my peace and afflict my soul? Why am I
angry because of mine enemy?
28 Awake, my soul! No longer droop in sin. Rejoice, O my heart, and give place no more for the enemy of my soul.
29 Do not anger again, because of mine enemies. Do not
slacken my strength, because of mine afflictions.
30 Rejoice, O my heart, and cry unto the Lord, and say,: O Lord, I will praise thee forever; yea, my soul
will rejoice in thee, my God, and the rock of my salvation.
31 O Lord, wilt thou redeem my soul? Wilt thou deliver me out of the hands of mine enemies? Wilt thou make me that I may shake at the appearance of sin?
32 May the gates of hell be shut continually before me, because that my heart
is broken and my spirit is contrite?! O Lord, wilt thou not shut the gates of thy
righteousness before me, that I may walk in the path of the low valley, that I
may be strict in the plain road?!
33 O Lord, wilt thou encircle me around in the robe of thy
righteousness?! O Lord, wilt
thou make a way for mine escape before mine enemies?! Wilt thou make my path straight before
me?! Wilt thou not place a
stumbling block in my way?--Bbut that
thou wouldst clear my way before me, and hedge not up my way, but the ways of
mine enemy.
34 O Lord, I have trusted in thee, and I will trust in thee forever. I
will not put my trust in the arm of flesh; for I know that cursed is he that
putteth his trust in the arm of flesh.--Yea, cursed is he that
putteth his trust in man, or maketh flesh his arm.
35 Yea, I know that God will give liberally to him that asketh. Yea, my God will give me, if I ask not amiss; therefore I will lift up my voice unto thee; yea, I will cry unto thee, my God, the rock of my righteousness. Behold, my voice shall forever ascend up unto thee, my rock and mine everlasting God. Amen.
CHAPTER IV.
CHAPTER 5
BEHOLD, it came to pass that I, Nephi, did cry much unto the Lord my God, because of the anger of my brethren.
2 But behold, their anger did increase against me, insomuch that they did seek to take away my life.
3 Yea, they did murmur against me, saying: Our younger brother
thinketh thinks to rule over us; and
we have had much trial because of him; wherefore, now let us slay him, that we
may not be afflicted more because of his words. For behold, we will not
that he shall have him to be our
ruler:; for it
belongeth belongs unto us,
which who are the elder brethren, to
rule over this people.
4 Now I do not write upon these plates, all the words which
they murmured against me. But it sufficeth me to say, that they did seek to take away my life.
5 And it came to pass that the Lord did warn me, that I, Nephi, should depart
from them, and flee into the wilderness, and all they
which those who would go with me.
6 Wherefore, it came to pass that I, Nephi, did take my family, and also
Zoram and his family, and Sam, mine elder brother, and his
family, and Jacob and Joseph, my younger brethren, and also my sisters, and all
they which those who would go with
me. And all they which those
who would go with me, were they which
those who believed in the warnings and the
revelations of God; wherefore, they did hearken unto my words.
7 And we did take our tents and whatsoever things were possible for us, and
did journey in the wilderness for the space of many days. And after
that we had journieyed for the space of many days, we did
pitch our tents.
8 And my people would that we should call the name of the place Nephi; wherefore, we did call it Nephi.
9 And all they which those who
were with me, did take it upon them to call
themselves the people of Nephi.
10 And we did observe to keep the judgments, and the statutes, and the
commandments of the Lord, in all things, according to the law
of Moses.
11 And the Lord was with us; and we did prosper
exceedingly:; for we did sow seed,
and we did reap again in abundance. And we began to raise flocks, and
herds, and animals of every kind.
12 And I, Nephi, had also brought the records which were engraven upon the
plates of brass; and also the ball, or compass, which was prepared for my
father, by the hand of the Lord, according to that which is
written.
13 And it came to pass that we began to prosper exceedingly, and to multiply in the land.
14 And I, Nephi, did take the sword of Laban, and after the manner of it did
make many swords, lest by any means the people which who were now called Lamanites, should come
upon us and destroy us:; for I knew
their hatred towards me and my children, and they
which those who were called my people.
15 And I did teach my people, that they
should to build
buildings;, and that they
should to work in all manner of wood, and of
iron, and of copper, and of brass, and of steel, and of gold, and of silver, and
of precious ores, which were in great abundance.
16 And I, Nephi, did build a temple; and I did construct it after the manner
of the temple of Solomon, save it were not built of so many
precious things:; for they were not
to be found upon the land;,
wherefore, it could not be built like unto Solomon's temple. But the
manner of the construction was like unto the temple of Solomon; and the
workmanship thereof was exceedingly fine.
17 And it came to pass that I, Nephi, did cause my people that they
should to be industrious, and that
they should to labor with their hands.
18 And it came to pass that they would that I should be their
Kking. But I, Nephi, was
desirous that they should have no Kking; nevertheless, I did do for them
according to that which was in my power.
19 And behold, the words of the Lord had been fulfilled unto my brethren,
which he spake concerning them, that I should be their ruler and their
teacher;.
wWherefore, I had been their
ruler and their teacher, according to the commandments of the Lord, until the
time that they sought to take away my life.
20 Wherefore, the word of the Lord was fulfilled which he spake unto me,
saying: Tthat: iInasmuch as they will not hearken unto thy
words, they shall be cut off from the presence of the Lord.
And behold, they were cut off from his presence.
21 And he had caused the cursing to come upon them, yea, even a sore cursing,
because of their iniquity. For behold, they had hardened their hearts
against him, that they had become like unto a flint; wherefore, as they were
white, and exceedingly fair and delightsome, that
they might not be enticing unto my people,
therefore the Lord God did cause a skin of blackness to come
upon them.
22 And thus saith the Lord God,:
I will cause that they shall be loathsome unto thy people, save they shall
repent of their iniquities.
23 And cursed shall be the seed of him that mixeth with their
seed:; for they shall be cursed even
with the same cursing. And the Lord spake it, and it was done.
24 And because of their cursing which was upon them, they
did become an idle people, full of mischief and subtlety, and did seek in the
wilderness for beasts of prey.
25 And the Lord God said unto me,: tThey
shall be a scourge unto thy seed, to stir them up in remembrance of me; and
inasmuch as they will not remember me, and hearken unto my words, they shall
scourge them even unto destruction.
26 And it came to pass that I, Nephi, did consecrate Jacob and Joseph, that they should be priests and teachers over the land of my people.
27 And it came to pass that we lived after the manner of happiness.
28 And thirty years had passed away from the time we left Jerusalem.
29 And I, Nephi, had kept the record upon my plates, which I had made, of my people thus far.
30 And it came to pass that the Lord God said unto me,: Make other plates; and thou shalt engraven many
things upon them which are good in my sight, for the profit of thy
people.--
31 Wherefore, I, Nephi, to be obedient to the commandments of the Lord, went and made these plates upon which I have engraven these things.
32 And I engravened that which is pleasing unto God.
And if my people be are
pleased with the things of God, they will be pleased with mine engravings which are upon these
plates.
33 And if my people desire to know the more particular part of the history of
my people, they must search mine other plates.
34 And it sufficeth me to say, that forty years had passed
away, and we had already had wars and contentions with our brethren.
CHAPTER V.
CHAPTER 6
THE words of Jacob, the brother of Nephi, which he spake unto the people of Nephi:
2 Behold, my beloved brethren, that I, Jacob, having been
called of God, and ordained after the manner of his holy order, and having been
consecrated by my brother, Nephi, unto whom ye look as a king
or a protector, and on whom ye depend for safety, behold, ye
know that I have spoken unto you exceedingly many
things;.
3 nNevertheless, I speak unto you
again:; for I am desirous for the
welfare of your souls. Yea, mine anxiety is great for you; and ye
yourselves know that it ever has been. For I have exhorted you with all
diligence; and I have taught you the words of my father; and I have spoken unto
you concerning all things which are written, from the
creation of the world.
4 And now, behold, I would speak unto you concerning things which are, and
which are to come; wherefore, I will read you the words of Isaiah. And
they are the words which my brother hath has desired me that I should speak unto
you. And I speak them unto you for your sakes, that ye
may learn and glorify the name of your God.
5 And now, the words which I shall read, are they which
Isaiah spake concerning all the Hhouse of Israel; wherefore, they may be likened unto
you:, for ye are of the
Hhouse of Israel. And there
are many things which have been spoken by Isaiah, which may be
likened unto you, because that ye are of the
Hhouse of Israel.
6 And now, these are the words: Thus saith the Lord God: Behold,
I will lift up my 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.
7 And kings shall be thy nursing fathers, and their queens thy nursing
mothers:; they shall bow down to
thee with their faces 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.
8 And now I, Jacob, would speak somewhat concerning these
words:. For behold, the Lord
hath has sheown me that they which those who were at Jerusalem, from whence we came, have been
slain and carried away captive;.
9 nNevertheless, the Lord
hath has sheown unto me that they should return again. And he
also hath has
sheown unto me,
that the Lord God, the Holy One of Israel, should manifest himself unto them in
the flesh; and after that he should manifest
himself, they should scourge him and crucify him, according to
the words of the angel, which who spake it unto me.
10 And after that they have hardened their hearts and
stiffened their necks against the Holy One of Israel, behold, the judgments of
the Holy One of Israel shall come upon them. And the day cometh that they
shall be smitten and afflicted.
11 Wherefore, after they are driven to and fro, for thus saith the angel,
many shall be afflicted in the flesh, and shall not
be suffered to perish, because of the prayers of the
faithful:;
wherefore, they shall be scattered, and smitten, and hated;
nevertheless, the Lord will be merciful unto them, that when they shall come to
the knowledge of their Redeemer, they shall be gathered together again to the
lands of their inheritance.
12 And blessed are the Gentiles, they of whom the prophet
hath has
written:; for behold, if it so be
that they shall repent and fight not against Zion, and do not unite themselves
to that great and abominable church, they shall be saved:; for the Lord God will fulfil his covenants which he
hath has made unto his children; and
for this cause, the prophet hath has written these things.
13 Wherefore, they that fight against Zion and the covenant people of the
Lord, shall lick up the dust of their feet; and the people of
the Lord shall not be ashamed. For the people of the Lord are they
which who wait for
him:; for they still wait for the
coming of the Messiah.
14 And behold, according to the words of the prophet, the Messiah will set
himself again the second time, to recover them; wherefore, he
will manifest himself unto them in power and great glory, unto the destruction
of their enemies, when that day cometh when they shall believe in him; and none
will he destroy that believeth in him.
15 And they that believe not in him, shall be destroyed,
both by fire, and by tempest, and by earthquakes, and by bloodsheds, and by pestilence, and by famine. And they shall
know that the Lord is God, the Holy One of Israel:.
16 fFor shall the prey be taken
from the mighty, or the lawful captive delivered?
17 But thus saith the Lord: Even the captives of the mighty shall be
taken away, and the prey of the terrible shall be
delivered:; for the Mighty God shall
deliver his covenant people. For thus saith the Lord: I will contend
with them that contendeth with thee,--
18 aAnd I will feed them that
oppress thee, with their own flesh; and 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 Mighty One of
Jacob.
CHAPTER 7
YeaEA, for thus saith the Lord:
Have I put thee away, or have I cast thee off forever? For thus
saith the Lord: Where is the bill of your mother's divorcement? To
whom have I put thee away, or to which of my creditors have I sold you?
Yea, to whom have I sold you? Behold, for your iniquities have ye
sold yourselves, and for your transgressions is your mother put
away;.
2 wWherefore, when I
come came, there was no man; when I
called, yea, there was none to answer. O Hhouse of Israel, is my hand shortened at all that it cannot
redeem, or have I no power to deliver? Behold, at my
rebuke, I dry up the sea, I make their rivers a wilderness and
their fish to stink, because the waters are dried
up;, and they die because of
thirst.
3 I clothe the heavens with blackness, and I make sackcloth their covering.
4 The Lord God hath given me the tongue of the learned, that I should know
how to speak a word in season unto thee, O Hhouse of Israel. When ye are weary,
he waketh morning by morning. He waketh mine ear to hear as the
learned.
5 The Lord God hath appointed opened mine ear, and I was not rebellious, neither turned
away back.
6 I gave my back to the smiter, and my cheeks to them that plucked off the
hair. I hid not my face from shame and spitting,.
7 fFor the Lord God will help
me:, therefore shall I not be
confounded. Therefore have I set my face like a flint, and I know that I
shall not be ashamed;.
8 aAnd the Lord is near, and he
justifieth me. Who will contend with me? lLet us stand together. Who is mine adversary?
lLet him come near me, and I
will smite him with the strength of my mouth:.
9 fFor the Lord God will help me.
And all they which who shall
condemn me, behold, all they shall wax old as a garment, and the moth shall eat
them up.
10 Who is among you that feareth the Lord;, that obeyeth the voice of his
servant;, that walketh in
darkness, and hath no light?
11 Behold, all ye that kindleth fire, that
compass yourselves about with sparks:, walk in the light of your fire, and in
the sparks which ye have kindled. This shall ye have of mine
hand:--Yye shall lie down in sorrow.
CHAPTER 8
HearkenEARKEN unto me, ye that
follow after righteousness:.
Look unto the rock from whence ye are hewn, and to the hole of the pit
from whence ye are digged.
2 Look unto Abraham, your father;, and unto Sarah, she that bare you:; for I called him alone, and blessed him.
3 For the Lord shall comfort Zion:, he will comfort all her waste places; and he will make
her wilderness like Eden, and her desert like the garden of the Lord. Joy
and gladness shall be found therein, thanksgiving and the voice of melody.
4 Hearken unto me, my people; and give ear unto me, O my
nation:; for a law shall proceed
from me, and I will make my judgment to rest for a light thing
of for the people.
5 My righteousness is near; my salvation is gone forth, and mine arm shall judge the people. The isles shall wait upon me, and on mine arm shall they trust.
6 Lift up your eyes to the heavens, and look upon the earth
beneath:; for the heavens shall
vanish away like smoke, and the earth shall wax old like a garment; and they
that dwell therein, shall die in like manner. But my
salvation shall be forever;, and my
righteousness shall not be abolished.
7 Hearken unto me, ye that know righteousness, the people in whose heart I
have written my law;, fear ye not
the reproach of men;, neither be ye
afraid of their revilings:.
8 fFor the moth shall eat them up
like a garment, and the worm shall eat them like wool. But my
righteousness shall be forever;, and
my salvation from generation to generation.
9 Awake, awake! Put on strength, O arm of
the Lord:; awake as in the ancient
days. Art thou not it he that
hath cut Rahab, and wounded the dragon?
10 Art thou not it which he who
hath dried the sea, the waters of the great deep; that hath made the depths of
the sea a way for the ransomed to pass over?
11 Therefore, the redeemed of the Lord shall return, and come with singing
unto Zion; and everlasting joy and holiness shall be upon their heads; and they
shall obtain gladness and joy:;
sorrow and mourning shall flee away.
12 I am he; yea, I am he that comforteth you:. Behold, who art thou, that thou shouldst be afraid
of man, which who shall die, and of
the Sson of man,
which who shall be made like unto
grass;?
13 aAnd forgettest the Lord thy maker, that hath stretched forth the
heavens, and laid the foundations of the earth;, and hast feared continually every day, because of the
fury of the oppressor, as if he were ready to destroy? And where is the
fury of the oppressor?
14 The captive exile hasteneth, that he may be loosed, and that he should not
die in the pit, nor that his bread should fail.--
15 But I am the Lord thy God, whose waves roared:; the Lord of Hosts is my name.
16 And I have put my words in thy mouth, and hath covered thee in the shadow
of mine hand, that I may plant the heavens and lay the foundations of the earth,
and say unto Zion,: Behold,
thou art my people.
17 Awake, awake, stand up, O Jerusalem, which hast drunk at the hand of the
Lord the cup of his fury;--thou hast
drunken the dregs of the cup of trembling wrung
out;--
18 aAnd none to guide her among
all the sons she hath brought forth; neither that taketh her by the hand, of all
the sons she hath brought up.
19 These two sons are come unto thee;, who shall be sorry for thee?--thy desolation and destruction, and the famine and the
sword:--Aand by whom shall I comfort thee?
20 Thy sons have fainted, save these two:; they lie at the head of all the
streets,; as a wild bull in a
net:, they are full of the fury of
the Lord, the rebuke of thy God.
21 Therefore hear now this, thou afflicted, and drunken, and not with wine:
22 tThus saith thy Lord,
Tthe Lord and thy God pleadeth the
cause of his people,;
Bbehold, I have taken out of thine
hand the cup of trembling, the dregs of the cup of my fury; thou shalt no more
drink it again.
23 But I will put it into the hand of them that afflict thee; which
I who have said to thy
soul,: Bow down, that we may
go over:--and thou hast laid thy
body as the ground, and as the street, to them
that went over.
24 Awake, awake, put on thy strength, O Zion; put on thy beautiful garments,
O Jerusalem, the holy city:; for
henceforth there shall no more come into thee, the
uncircumcised and the unclean.
25 Shake thyself from the dust; arise, sit down, O
Jerusalem:; loose thyself from the
bands of thy neck, O captive daughter of Zion.
CHAPTER VI.
CHAPTER 9
AndND now, my beloved brethren, I
have read these things that ye might know concerning the covenants of the
Lord; that he hath has covenanted with all the Hhouse of Israel;--
2 tThat he hath
has spoken unto the Jews, by the mouth of his holy
prophets, even from the beginning down, from generation to generation, until the
time cometh comes that they shall be
restored to the true Cchurch and
fold of God; when they shall be gathered home to the lands of their inheritance,
and shall be established in all their lands of promise.
3 Behold, my beloved brethren, I speak unto you these things that ye may rejoice, and lift up your heads forever, because of the blessings which the Lord God shall bestow upon your children.
4 For I know that thou hast ye
have searched much, many of you, to know of things to come; wherefore I
know that ye know that our flesh must waste away and die; nevertheless, in our
bodies, we shall see God.
5 Yea, and I know that ye know, that in the
body he shall sheow himself unto
they those at Jerusalem, from whence
we came; for it is expedient that it should be among them; for it behooveth the Ggreat Creator that he suffereth himself to become subject
unto man, in the flesh, and die for all men, that all men might
become subject unto him.
6 For as death hath passed upon all men, to fulfil the merciful plan of the
Ggreat Creator, there must needs be
a power of resurrection, and the resurrection must needs come unto man by reason
of the fall; and the fall came by reason of transgression; and because man
became fallen, they were cut off from the presence of the
Lord;.
7 wWherefore, it must needs be an infinite
atonement;--save it should be an
infinite atonement, this corruption could not put on
incorruption. Wherefore, the first judgment which came upon
man, must needs have remained to an endless duration. And
if so, this flesh must have laid down to rot and to crumble to its mother earth,
to rise no more.
8 O the wisdom of God!, his mercy
and grace! For behold, if the flesh should rise no more,
our spirits must become subject to that Aangel which who
fell from before the presence of the Eternal God, and became the
Ddevil, to rise no more.
9 And our spirits must have become like unto him, and we become
Ddevils, Aangels to a Ddevil, to be shut out from the presence of our God, and to
remain with the father of lies, in misery, like unto himself; yea, to that being
who beguiled our first parents;, who
transformeth himself nigh unto an angel of light, and stirreth up the children
of men unto secret combinations of murder, and all manner of
secret works of darkness.
10 O how great the goodness of our God, who prepareth a way for our escape from the grasp of this awful monster; yea, that monster, death and hell, which I call the death of the body, and also the death of the spirit.
11 And because of the way of deliverance of our God, the Holy One of Israel, this death, of which I have spoken, which is the temporal, shall deliver up its dead; which death is the grave.
12 And this death of which I have spoken, which is the spiritual death, shall
deliver up its dead; which spiritual death is hell; wherefore, death and hell
must deliver up its their dead, and
hell must deliver up its captive spirits, and the grave must deliver up its
captive bodies, and the bodies and the spirits of men will be
restored, one to the other:; and it is by the power of the resurrection of the Holy
One of Israel.
13 O how great the plan of our God! For on the other hand, the paradise
of God must deliver up the spirits of the righteous, and the grave deliver up
the body of the righteous; and the spirit and the body is restored to itself
again, and all men become incorruptible, and immortal, and they are living
souls, having a perfect knowledge like unto us, in the
flesh;, save it be that our
knowledge shall be perfect;.
14 wWherefore, we shall have a
perfect knowledge of all our guilt, and our uncleanness, and our nakedness; and
the righteous shall have a perfect knowledge of their enjoyment, and their
righteousness, being clothed with purity, yea, even with the robe of
righteousness.
15 And it shall come to pass, that when all men shall have
passed from this first death unto life, inasmuch insomuch as they have become immortal, they must appear
before the judgment-seat of the Holy One of Israel;
and then cometh the judgment, and then must they be judged according to the holy
judgment of God.
16 And assuredly, as the Lord liveth, for the Lord God hath spoken it, and it
is his eternal word, which cannot pass away, that they which
who are righteous, shall be
righteous still, and they which who
are filthy, shall be filthy still; wherefore, they
which who are
filthy, are the Ddevil and his angels; and they shall go away into
everlasting fire, prepared for them; and their torment is as a lake of fire and brimstone, whose
flames ascendeth up forever and ever, and
hath has no end.
17 O the greatness and the justice of our God! For he executeth all his words, and they have gone forth out of his mouth, and his law must be fulfilled.
18 But, behold, the righteous, the saints of the Holy One of Israel, they
which who have believed in the Holy
One of Israel;, they
which who have endured the crosses
of the world, and despised the shame of it;, they shall inherit the Kkingdom of God, which was prepared for them from the
foundation of the world:, and their
joy shall be full forever.
19 O the greatness of the mercy of our God, the Holy One of Israel! For
he delivereth his saints from that awful monster, the
Ddevil, and death, and hell, and that lake of fire and brimstone, which is
endless torment.
20 O how great the holiness of our God! For he knoweth all things, and
there is not any thing, anything
save he know it.
21 And he cometh into the world that he may save all men, if
they will hearken unto his voice:;
for behold, he suffereth the pains of all men;, yea, the pains of every living creature, both men, women, and children,
which who belong to the family of
Adam.--
22 And he suffereth this, that the resurrection might pass
upon all men, that all might stand before him, at the great and
judgment day.
23 And he commandeth all men that they must repent, and be
baptiszed in his name, having
perfect faith in the Holy One of Israel, or they cannot be saved in the
Kkingdom of God.
24 And if they will not repent and believe in his name, and be
baptiszed in his name, and endure to
the end, they must be damned; for the Lord God, the Holy One of Israel,
hath has spoken
it;.
25 wWherefore, he hath has
given a law; and where there is no law given, there is no
punishment; and where there is no punishment, there is no
condemnation; and where there is no condemnation, the mercies
of the Holy One of Israel hath have
claim upon them, because of the atonement:; for they are delivered by the power of
him:.
26 fFor the atonement satisfieth
the demands of his justice upon all those who have not the law given to them,
that they are delivered from that awful monster, death and hell, and the
Ddevil, and the lake of fire and
brimstone, which is endless torment; and they are restored to that God who gave
them breath, which is the Holy One of Israel.
27 But wo unto him that hath has
the law given;, yea, that
hath has all the commandments of
God, like unto us, and that transgresseth them, and that wasteth the days of his
probation:, for awful is his
state!
28 O that cunning plan of the evil one! O the vainness, and the
frailties, and the foolishness of men! When they are
learned, they think they are wise, and they hearken not unto
the counsel of God, for they set it aside, supposing they know of
themselves., Wwherefore, their wisdom is foolishness,
and it profiteth them not. Wherefore And they shall perish.
29 But to be learned is good, if it so be
that they hearken unto the counsels of God.
30 But wo unto the rich, which who are rich as to the things of the world. For
because that they are rich, they despise the
poor, and they persecute the meek, and their hearts are upon their treasures;
wherefore, their treasure is their God. And
behold, their treasure shall perish with them also.
31 And wo unto the deaf, that will not
hear:; for they shall perish.
32 Wo unto the blind, that will not
see:; for they shall perish
also.
33 Wo unto the uncircumcised of heart:, for a knowledge of their iniquities shall smite them at
the last day.
34 Wo unto the liar:, for he
shall be thrust down to hell.
35 Wo unto the murderer, who deliberately
killeth:, for he shall die.
36 Wo unto them who commit whoredoms:, for they shall be thrust down to hell.
37 Yea, wo unto they those that
worship Iidols:, for the
Ddevil of all
Ddevils delighteth in them.
38 And, in fine, wo unto all they that those who die in their sins:; for they shall return to God, and behold his face, and
remain in their sins.
39 O, my beloved brethren, remember the awfulness in transgressing against
that hHoly God, and also the
awfulness of yielding to the enticings of that cunning one. Remember, to
be carnally-minded, is death, and to
be spiritually-minded, is life
eternal.
40 O, my beloved brethren, give ear to my words. Remember the greatness
of the Holy One of Israel. Do not say that I have spoken hard things
against you:; for if ye do, ye will
revile against the truth:; for I
have spoken the words of your Maker. I know that the words of truth are
hard against all uncleanness; but the righteous fear it them not, for they love the truth, and are
not shaken.
41 O then, my beloved brethren, come unto the Lord, the Holy One.
Remember that his paths are righteousness. Behold,
the way for man is narrow, but it lieth in a straight course before him, and the
keeper of the gate is the Holy One of Israel:; and he employeth no servant there; and there is none
other way, save it be by the gate,; for he cannot be deceived;, for the Lord God is his name.
42 And whoso knocketh, to him will he open,; and the wise, and the learned, and they that are rich,
which who are puffed up because of
their learning, and their wisdom, and their riches;--yea, they are they, whom he despiseth;
and save they shall cast these things away, and consider themselves fools before
God, and come down in the depths of humility, he will not open unto them.
43 But the things of the wise and the prudent, shall be hid
from them forever;--yea, that
happiness which is prepared for the Ssaints.
44 O, my beloved brethren, remember my
words:. Behold, I take off my
garments, and I shake them before you:; I pray the God of my salvation that he view me with his
Aall-searching eye; wherefore, ye
shall know at the last day, when all men shall be judged of their works, that
the God of Israel did witness that I shook your iniquities from my soul, and
that I stand with brightness before him, and am rid of your blood.
45 O, my beloved brethren, turn away from your
sins; shake off the chains of him that would bind you fast; come unto that God
which who is the rock of your
salvation.
46 Prepare your souls for that glorious day, when justice
shall be administered unto the righteous;, even the day of judgment, that ye may not shrink with
awful fear; that ye may not remember your awful guilt in perfectness, and be
constrained to exclaim,: Holy,
holy are thy judgments, O Lord God Almighty.--Bbut I know
my guilt; I transgressed thy law, and my transgressions are mine; and the
Ddevil hath obtained me, that I am a
prey to his awful misery.
47 But behold, my brethren, is it expedient that I should awake you to an
awful reality of these things? Would I harrow up your
souls, if your minds were pure? Would I be plain unto you
according to the plainness of the truths, if ye were freed from
sin?
48 Behold, if ye were holy, I would speak unto you of
holiness; but as ye are not holy, and ye look upon me as a teacher, it must
needs be expedient that I teach you the consequences of sin.
49 Behold, my soul abhorreth sin, and my heart delighteth in righteousness; and I will praise the holy name of my God.
50 Come, my brethren, every one that thirsteth, come ye to the waters; and he that hath no money, come buy and eat; yea, come buy wine and milk without money and without price.
51 Wherefore, do not spend money for that which is of no worth, nor your labor for that which cannot satisfy. Hearken diligently unto me, and remember the words which I have spoken; and come unto the Holy One of Israel, and feast upon that which perisheth not, neither can be corrupted, and let your soul delight in fatness.
52 Behold, my beloved brethren, remember the words of your God; pray unto him
continually by day, and give thanks unto his holy name at by night. Let your hearts
rejoice,.
53 aAnd behold how great the
covenants of the Lord, and how great his condescentsions unto the children of men; and because of his
greatness, and his grace and mercy, he hath has promised unto us that our seed shall not utterly be
destroyed, according to the flesh, but that he would preserve them; and in
future generations, they shall become a righteous branch unto
the Hhouse of Israel.
54 And now, my brethren, I would speak unto you more; but on the morrow I will declare unto you the remainder of my words. Amen.
CHAPTER VII.
CHAPTER 10
AND now I, Jacob, speak unto you again, my beloved brethren, concerning this righteous branch of which I have spoken.
2 For behold, the promises which we have obtained, are
promises unto us according to the flesh; wherefore, as it hath
has been shown unto me that many of our children
shall perish in the flesh, because of unbelief, nevertheless,
God will be merciful unto many; and our children shall be restored, that they
may come to that which will give them the true knowledge of their Redeemer.
3 Wherefore, as I said unto you, it must needs be expedient that Christ,--(for in the last night the
Aangel spake unto me that this
should be his name,)--should come
among the Jews, among they which those
who are the more wicked part of the world; and they shall crucify
him:--Ffor thus it behooveth our God;, and there is none other nation on earth that would
crucify their God.
4 For should the mighty miracles be wrought among other
nations, they would repent, and know that he be their
God;.
5 bBut because of
priest-crafts priestcrafts and
iniquities, they at Jerusalem will stiffen their necks against him, that he be
crucified.
6 Wherefore, because of their iniquities, destructions, famines, pestilences,
and bloodsheds, shall come upon them; and they
which who shall not be
destroyed, shall be scattered among all nations.
7 But behold, thus saith the Lord God: When the day cometh that they shall believe in me, that I am Christ, then have I covenanted with their fathers that they shall be restored in the flesh, upon the earth, unto the lands of their inheritance.
8 And it shall come to pass that they shall be gathered in from their long dispersion, from the isles of the sea, and from the four parts of the earth; and the nations of the Gentiles shall be great in the eyes of me, saith God, in carrying them forth to the lands of their inheritance.
9 Yea, the kings of the Gentiles shall be nursing fathers unto them, and
their queens shall become nursing mothers; wherefore, the promises of the Lord
are great unto the Gentiles:, for he
hath spoken it, and who can dispute.?
10 But behold, Tthis land,
saith said God, shall be a land of
thine inheritance;, and the Gentiles
shall be blessed upon the land.
11 And this land shall be a land of liberty unto the
Gentiles;, and there shall be no
kings upon the land, which who shall
raise up unto the Gentiles.
12 And I will fortify this land against all other
nations;.
13 aAnd he that fighteth against
Zion, shall perish, saith God:.
14 fFor he that raiseth up a king
against me, shall perish., Ffor I, the Lord, the Kking of Hheaven, will be their king;, and I will be a light unto them forever, that hear my
words.
15 Wherefore, for this cause, that my covenants may be
fulfilled, which I have made unto the children of men, that I
will do unto them while they are in the flesh, I must needs destroy the secret
works of darkness, and of murders, and of abominations;.
16 wWherefore, he that fighteth
against Zion, both Jew and Gentile, both bond and free, both male and female,
shall perish:; for they are they
which who are the whore of all the
earth; for they which who are not
for me, are against me, saith our God.
17 For I will fulfill my promises which I have made unto the
children of men, that I will do unto them while they are in the
flesh.--
18 Wherefore, my beloved brethren, thus saith our God: I will afflict
thy seed by the hand of the Gentiles; nevertheless, I will soften the hearts of
the Gentiles, that they shall be like unto a father to them;
wherefore, the Gentiles shall be blessed and numbered among the
Hhouse of
Israel.--
19 Wherefore, I will consecrate this land unto thy seed, and they which them
who shall be numbered among thy seed, forever, for the land of their
inheritance:;
Ffor it is a choice land, saith God
unto me, above all other lands;,
wherefore, I will have all men that dwell
thereon, that they shall worship me, saith God.
20 And now, my beloved brethren, seeing that our merciful God
hath has given us so great knowledge
concerning these things, let us remember him, and lay aside our sins, and not
hang down our heads, for we are not cast off; nevertheless, we have been driven
out of the land of our inheritance; but we have been led to a better
land:, for the Lord
hath has made the sea our path, and
we are upon an isle of the sea.
21 But great is are the promises
of the Lord unto they which them who
are upon the isles of the sea; wherefore, as it
sayeth says isles, there must needs
be more than this;, and they are
inhabited also by our brethren.
22 For behold, the Lord God hath has led away from time to time from the
Hhouse of Israel, according to his
will and pleasure. And now, behold, the Lord remembereth
all they which them who have been
broken off;,
wherefore, he remembereth us also.
23 Therefore cheer up your hearts, and remember that ye are free to act for
yourselves:--to choose the way of
everlasting death, or the way of eternal life.
24 Wherefore, my beloved brethren, reconcile yourselves to the will of God,
and not to the will of the Ddevil
and the flesh; and remember, that
after ye are reconciled unto God, that it is only in and through the grace of
God that ye are saved.
25 Wherefore, may God raise you from death, by the power of
the resurrection;, and also from
everlasting death, by the power of the atonement, that ye may
be received into the Eeternal
Kkingdom of God, that ye may praise
him through Ggrace
Ddivine. Amen.
CHAPTER VIII.
CHAPTER 11
AND now, Jacob spake many more things to my people
at that time; nevertheless, only these things have I caused to
be written:, for the things which I
have written, sufficeth me.
2 And now I, Nephi, write more of the words of Isaiah:, for my soul delighteth in his words. For I will
liken his words unto my people;, and
I will send them forth unto all my children:, for he verily saw my Redeemer, even as I have seen
him.
3 And my brother, Jacob also hath
has seen him as I have seen him; wherefore, I will
send their words forth unto my children, to prove unto them
that my words are true. Wherefore, by the words of three, God hath said, I
will establish my word. Nevertheless, God sendeth more
witnesses;, and he proveth all his
words.
4 Behold, my soul delighteth in proving unto my people the truth of the
coming of Christ:; for, for this end
hath the law of Moses been given; and all things which have been given of God
from the beginning of the world, unto man, are the typifying of him.
5 And also, my soul delighteth in the covenants of the Lord
which he hath made to our fathers; yea, my soul delighteth in his grace, and
in his justice, and power, and
mercy, in the great and eternal plan of deliverance from
death.
6 And my soul delighteth in proving unto my people, that
save Christ should come, all men must perish.
7 For if there be no Christ, there be no God; and if there
be no God, we are not, for there could have been no
creation.--But there is a God, and he is
Christ;, and he cometh in the
fulness of his own time.
8 And now, I write some of the words of Isaiah, that whoso
of my people which shall see these words, may
lift up their hearts and rejoice for all men. Now, these
are the words;, and ye may liken
them unto you, and unto all men.
CHAPTER 12
TheHE word that Isaiah, the son
of Amoz, saw, concerning Judah and Jerusalem:
2 And it shall come to pass in the last days, when the mountain of the Lord's
house shall be established in the top of the mountains, and shall be exalted
above the hills, and all nations shall flow into it,.
3 aAnd many people shall go and
say, Come ye, and let us go up to the mountain of the Lord, to the house of the
God of Jacob; and he will teach us of his ways, and we will walk in his
paths:; for out of Zion shall go
forth the law, and the word of the Lord from Jerusalem.
4 And he shall judge among the nations, and shall rebuke many people:
and they shall beat their swords into ploughw-shares, and their spears into pruning-hooks:--nation
shall not lift up sword against nation, neither shall they learn war any
more.
5 O house of Jacob, come ye and let us walk in the light of the Lord; yea, come, for ye have all gone astray, every one to his wicked ways.
6 Therefore, O Lord, thou hast forsaken thy people, the house of Jacob, because they be replenished from the east, and hearken unto soothsayers like the Philistines, and they please themselves in the children of strangers.
7 Their land also is full of silver and gold, neither is there any end of
their treasures; their land is also full of horses, neither is there any end of
their chariots:.
8 tTheir land is also is full of idols; they worship the
work of their own hands,--that which their own fingers have
made:.
9 aAnd the mean man boweth not down, and the great man humbleth himself
not:, therefore, forgive him not.
10 O ye wicked ones, enter into the rock, and hide thee in the dust, for the
fear of the Lord, and the glory of his majesty shall smite
thee.
11 And it shall come to pass that the lofty looks of man shall be humbled, and the haughtiness of men shall be bowed down, and the Lord alone shall be exalted in that day.
12 For the day of the Lord of hHosts soon cometh upon all nations; yea, upon every one;
yea, upon the proud and lofty, and upon every one which who is lifted up;, and he shall be brought low:.
13 yYea, and the day of the Lord
shall come upon all the cedars of Lebanon, for they are high and lifted up; and
upon all the oaks of Bashan,;
14 aAnd upon all the high
mountains, and upon all the hills, and upon all the nations which are lifted up,
and upon every people,;
15 aAnd upon every high tower,
and upon every fenced wall,;
16 aAnd upon all the ships of the
sea, and upon all the ships of Tarshish, and upon all pleasant pictures.
17 And the loftiness of man shall be bowed down, and the haughtiness of men
shall be made low:; and the Lord
alone shall be exalted in that day.
18 And the idols he shall utterly abolish.
19 And they shall go into the holes of the rocks, and into the caves of the
earth, for the fear of the Lord shall come upon them; and the
glory of his majesty shall smite them, when he ariseth to shake terribly the
earth.
20 In that day a man shall cast his idols of silver, and his idols of gold, which he hath made for himself to worship, to the moles and to the bats;
21 tTo go into the clefts of the
rocks, and into the tops of the ragged rocks, for the fear of the Lord shall
come upon them, and the majesty of his glory shall smite
them, when he ariseth to shake terribly the
earth.
22 Cease ye from man, whose breath is in his nostrils:; for wherein is he to be accounted of?
CHAPTER 13
ForOR behold, the Lord, the Lord
of hHosts, doth take away from
Jerusalem, and from Judah,
the stay and the staff, the whole staff of bread, and the whole stay of
water,--
2 tThe mighty man, and the man of
war, the judge, and the prophet, and the prudent, and the
ancient,;
3 tThe captain of fifty, and the
honorable man, and the counsellor, and the cunning artificer,
and the eloquent orator.
4 And I will give children unto them to be their princes, and babes shall rule over them.
5 And the people shall be oppressed, every one by another, and every one by
his neighbor:; the child shall
behave himself proudly against the ancient, and the base against the
honorable.
6 When a man shall take hold of his brother of the house of his father, and
shall say,: Thou hast
clothing, be thou our ruler, and let not this ruin come under thy
hand:--
7 iIn that day shall he
swear, saying,: I will not be
a healer; for in my house there is neither bread nor
clothing:; make me not a ruler of
the people.
8 For Jerusalem is ruined, and Judah is fallen:, because their tongues are and their doings have been against the Lord, to provoke the
eyes of his glory.
9 The sheow of their countenance
doth witness against them, and doth declare their sin to be even as Sodom, and
they cannot hide it. Wo unto their souls!, for they have rewarded evil unto
themselves.!
10 Say unto the righteous, that it is well with
them:; for they shall eat the fruit
of their doings.
11 Wo unto the wicked!, for they
shall perish:; for the reward of
their hands shall be upon them.!
12 And my people, children are their oppressors, and women rule over them.
O my people, they which who
lead thee cause thee to err, and destroy the ways of thy
paths.
13 The Lord standeth up to plead, and standeth to judge the people.
14 The Lord will enter into judgment with the ancients of his
people, and the princes thereof:; for ye have eaten up the vineyard, and
the spoil of the poor in your houses.
15 What mean ye? Ye beat my people to pieces, and grind the faces of
the poor, saith the Lord God of hHosts.
16 Moreover, the Lord saith,: Because the daughters of Zion are haughty, and walk
with stretched-forth necks and wanton eyes, walking
and mincing as they go, and making a tinkling with their
feet:--
17 tTherefore the Lord will smite
with a scab the crown of the head of the daughters of Zion, and the Lord will
discover their secret parts.
18 In that day the Lord will take away the bravery of their tinkling ornaments, and cauls, and round tires like
the moon,;
19 tThe chains,
and the bracelets, and the mufflers,;
20 tThe bonnets, and the
ornaments of the legs, and the head-bands, and the tablets, and
the ear-rings,;
21 tThe rings, and
nose-jewels,;
22 tThe changeable suits of
apparel, and the mantles, and the wimples, and the
crisping-pins,;
23 tThe glasses, and the fine
linen, and hoods, and the vaeils.
24 And it shall come to pass, instead of sweet smell, there
shall be stink; and instead of a girdle, a rent; and instead of well set hair,
baldness; and instead of a stomacher, a girding of
sackcloth:; burning instead of
beauty.
25 Thy men shall fall by the sword, and thy mighty in the
war.
26 And her gates shall lament and mourn; and she shall be desolate, and shall sit upon the ground.
CHAPTER 14
AndND in that day, seven women
shall take hold of one man, saying,:
We will eat our own bread, and wear our own apparel:; only let us be called by thy name, to
take away our reproach.
2 In that day shall the branch of the Lord be beautiful and glorious; the fruit of the earth excellent and comely to them that are escaped of Israel.
3 And it shall come to pass, them they that are left in Zion, and
remaineth in Jerusalem, shall be called holy,
every one that is written among the living in Jerusalem:--
4 wWhen the Lord shall have
washed away the filth of the daughters of Zion, and shall have purged the blood
of Jerusalem from the midst thereof by the spirit of judgment,
and by the spirit of burning.
5 And the Lord will create upon every dwelling-place of mount Zion, and upon
her assemblies, a cloud of and smoke
by day, and the shining of a flaming fire by
night:; for upon all the glory of
Zion shall be a defence.
6 And there shall be a tabernacle for a shadow in the day
time daytime from the heat, and for a place
of refuge, and a covert from storm and from rain.
CHAPTER 15
And then I will sing to my well-beloved a song of
my beloved, touching his vineyard. My
well-beloved hath a vineyard in a very fruitful hill:.
2 aAnd he fenced it, and gathered
out the stones thereof, and planted it with the choicest vine, and built a tower
in the midst of it, and also made a wine-press therein:; and he looked that it should bring forth grapes, and it
brought forth wild grapes.
3 And now, O inhabitants of Jerusalem, and men of Judah, judge, I pray you, betwixt me and my vineyard.
4 What could have been done more to my vineyard, that I have
not done in it? wWherefore,
when I looked that it should bring forth grapes, it brought
forth wild grapes.
5 And now go to; I will tell you what I will do to my
vineyard:--I will take away the
hedge thereof, and it shall be eaten up; and I will break down the wall thereof,
and it shall be trodden down:;
6 aAnd I will lay it
waste:; it shall not be
pruned, nor digged; but there shall come up briers and
thorns:; I will also command the
clouds that they rain no rain upon it.
7 For the vineyard of the Lord of hHosts is the Hhouse of Israel, and the men of Judah his pleasant
plant:; and he looked for judgment,
and behold, oppression; for righteousness, but
behold, a cry.
8 Wo unto them that join house to house, till there can be no place, that they may be placed alone in the midst of the earth!
9 In mine ears, said the Lord of hHosts, Oof a
truth many houses shall be desolate, and great and fair cities without
inhabitant.
10 Yea, ten acres of vineyard shall yield one bath, and the seed of a horner shall yield an ephah.
11 Wo unto them that rise up early in the morning, that they may follow
strong drink;, that continue until
night, and wine inflame them!
12 And the harp, and the viol, the tabret, and
pipe, and wine, are in their feasts:; but they regard not the work of the Lord, neither
consider the operation of his hands.
13 Therefore, my people are gone into captivity,
because they have no knowledge:; and
their honorable men are famished, and their multitude dried up with thirst.
14 Therefore, hell hath enlarged herself, and
opened her mouth without measure:;
and their glory, and their multitude, and their pomp, and he that rejoiceth,
shall descend into it.
15 And the mean man shall be brought down, and the mighty man shall be
humbled, and the eyes of the lofty shall be humbled:.
16 bBut the Lord of
hHosts shall be exalted in judgment,
and God that is holy shall be sanctified in righteousness.
17 Then shall the lambs feed after their manner, and the waste places of the fat ones shall strangers eat.
18 Wo unto them that draw iniquity with cords of vanity, and sin as it were
with a cart-rope:;
19 tThat
say,: Let him make speed,
hasten his work, that we may see it:; and let the counsel of the Holy One of Israel draw nigh
and come, that we may know it.
20 Wo unto them that call evil good, and good evil;, that put darkness for light, and light for
darkness;, that put bitter for
sweet, and sweet for bitter!
21 Wo unto the wise in their own eyes, and prudent in their
own sight!
22 Wo unto the mighty to drink wine, and men of strength to mingle strong
drink:;
23 which Who justify the wicked
for reward, and take away the righteousness of the righteous from him!
24 Therefore, as the fire devoureth the stubble,
and the flame consumeth the chaff, their root shall be rottenness, and their
blossoms shall go up as dust:;
because they have cast away the law of the Lord of hHosts, and despised the word of the Holy One of Israel.
25 Therefore, is the anger of the Lord kindled
against his people, and he hath stretched forth his hand against them, and hath
smitten them:; and the hills did
tremble, and their carcasses were torn in the midst
of the streets. For all this his anger is not turned away, but his hand
is stretched out still.
26 And he will lift up an ensign to the nations from far, and will hiss unto
them from the end of the earth; and behold, they shall come with speed
swiftly:; none shall be weary nor
stumble among them;.
27 nNone shall slumber nor sleep;
neither shall the girdle of their loins be loosed, nor the latchet of their
shoes be broken:;
28 wWhose arrows shall be sharp,
and all their bows bent, and their horses' hoofs shall be counted like flint,
and their wheels like a whirlwind, their roaring like a
lion.--
29 They shall roar like young lions:; yea, they shall roar, and lay hold of the prey, and shall
carry away safe, and none shall deliver.
30 And in that day they shall roar against them like the roaring of the
sea:; and if they look unto the
land, behold, darkness and sorrow, and the light is darkened in the heavens
thereof.
CHAPTER IX.
CHAPTER 16
IN the year that king Uzziah died, I saw also the Lord sitting upon a throne, high and lifted up, and his train filled the temple.
2 Above it stood the seraphims:;
each one had six wings; with twain he covered his face, and with twain he
covered his feet, and with twain he did fly.
3 And one cried unto another, and said,: Holy, holy, holy, is the Lord of
hHosts:; the whole earth is full of his glory.
4 And the posts of the door moved at the voice of him that cried, and the house was filled with smoke.
5 Then said I,: Wo is unto me! for I am undone; because I am a man of unclean lips,; and I dwell in the midst of a people of unclean
lips:; for mine eyes have seen the
King, the Lord of hHosts.-- 6 Then flew one of the
seraphims unto me, having a live coal in his hand, which he had
taken with the tongs from off the altar:;
7 aAnd he laid it upon my mouth,
and said,: Lo, this has
touched thy lips; and thine iniquity is taken away, and thy sin purged.
8 Also I heard the voice of the Lord, saying,: Whom shall I send, and who will go for us?
Then I said,: Here am I; send me.
9 And he said,:
Go, and tell this people,--Hear ye indeed, but they understand
understood not; and see ye indeed, but they perceived
not.
10 Make the heart of this people fat, and make their ears heavy, and shut
their eyes;--lest they see with
their eyes, and hear with their ears, and understand with their heart, and be converted,
and be healed.
11 Then said I,: Lord, how
long? And he said,:
Until the cities be wasted without inhabitant, and the houses without man,
and the land be utterly desolate;
12 aAnd the Lord have removed men
far away, for there shall be a great forsaking in the midst of the land.
13 But yet in it there shall be a tenth, and they shall
return, and shall be eaten:, as a
teil-tree, and as an oak whose substance is in them, when they
cast their leaves:; so the holy seed
shall be the substance thereof.
CHAPTER 17
AndND it came to pass in the days
of Ahaz the son of Jotham, the son of Uzziah, king of Judah,
and that Rezin, king of Syria, and
Pekah the son of Remaliah, king of Israel, went up towards
Jerusalem to war against it, but could not prevail against it.
2 And it was told the house of David, saying,: Syria is confederate with Ephraim. And his
heart was moved, and the heart of his people, as the trees of the wood are moved
with the wind.
3 Then said the Lord unto Isaiah,: Go forth now to meet Ahaz, thou,
and Shearjashub thy son, at the end of the conduit of the upper pool in the
highway of the fuller's field;
4 aAnd say unto
him,: Take heed, and be quiet;
fear not, neither be faint-hearted for the two tails of these smoking
fire-brands firebrands, for the
fierce anger of Rezin with Syria, and of the son of Remaliah.
5 Because Syria, Ephraim, and the son of Remaliah, have taken evil counsel
against thee, saying,: 6 Let us go
up against Judah, and vex it, and let us make a breach therein
for us, and set a king in the midst of it, yea, the
son of Tabeal:.
7 tThus saith the Lord
God,: iIt shall not stand, neither shall it come to pass.
8 For the head of Syria is Damascus, and the head of Damascus,
Rezin:; and within
threescore three score and five
years shall Ephraim be broken, that it be not a people.
9 And the head of Ephraim is Samaria, and the head of Samaria is Remaliah's
son. If ye will not believe, surely ye shall not be
established.
10 Moreover, the Lord spake again unto Ahaz, saying,:
11 Ask thee a sign of the Lord thy God; ask it either in the depths, or in the heights above.
12 But Ahaz said,: I will
not ask, neither will I tempt the Lord.
13 And he said,: Hear ye
now, O house of David; Iis it a
small thing for you to weary men, but will ye weary my God also?
14 Therefore, the Lord himself shall give you a
sign:--Behold, a virgin shall
conceive, and shall bear a son, and shall call his name Immanuel.
15 Butter and honey shall he eat, that he may know to refuse the
evil, and to choose the good.
16 For before the child shall know to refuse the evil and choose the good, the land that thou abhorrest shall be forsaken of both her kings.
17 The Lord shall bring upon thee, and upon thy people, and upon thy father's
house, days that have not come, from the day that Ephraim
departed from Judah, the king of Assyria.
18 And it shall come to pass in that day, that the Lord
shall hiss for the fly that is in the uttermost part of Egypt, and for the bee
that is in the land of Assyria.
19 And they shall come, and shall rest all of them in the desolate valleys, and in the holes of the rocks, and upon all thorns, and upon all bushes.
20 In the same day shall the Lord shave with a razor that is hired, by them
beyond the river, by the king of Assyria, the head, and the hair of the
feet:; and it shall also consume the
beard.
21 And it shall come to pass in that day, a man shall nourish a young
cow, and two sheep;
22 aAnd it shall come to pass,
for the abundance of milk they shall give, he shall eat
butter:; for butter and honey shall
every one eat that is left in the land.--
23 And it shall come to pass in that day, every place shall be, where there were a thousand vines at a thousand silverlings, which shall be for briers and thorns.
24 With arrows and with bows shall men come thither;, because all the land shall become briers and thorns.
25 And all hills that shall be digged with the mattock, there shall not come
thither the fear of briers and thorns:; but it shall be for the sending forth of oxen, and the
treading of lesser cattle.
CHAPTER 18
MoreoverOREOVER, the word of the
Lord said unto me,: Take thee
a great roll, and write in it with a man's pen,
concerning Maher-shalal-hash-baz.
2 And I took unto me faithful witnesses to record, Uriah the priest, and
Zechariah, the son of Jeberechiah.
3 And I went unto the prophetess; and she conceived and bear
bare a son. Then said the Lord to
me,: Call his name, Maher-shalal-hash-baz.
4 For behold, the child shall not have knowledge to cry, My father, and my mother, before the riches of Damascus and the spoil of Samaria shall be taken away before the king of Assyria.
5 The Lord spake also unto me again, saying,:
6 Forasmuch as this people refuseth the waters of Shiloah that go softly, and rejoice in Rezin and Remaliah's son;
7 nNow therefore, behold, the
Lord bringeth up upon them the waters of the river, strong and many, even the
king of Assyria, and all his glory:; and he shall come up over all his channels, and go over
all his banks:.
8 aAnd he shall pass through
Judah; he shall overflow and go over, he shall reach even to the neck; and the
stretching out of his wings shall fill the breadth of thy land, O Immanuel.
9 Associate yourselves, O ye people, and ye shall be broken in pieces; and
give ear all ye of far countries:;
gird yourselves, and ye shall be broken in pieces; gird yourselves, and ye shall
be broken in pieces.
10 Take counsel together, and it shall come to
noaught; speak the word, and it
shall not stand:; for God is with
us.
11 For the Lord spake thus to me with a strong hand, and instructed me that I
should not walk in the way of this people, saying,:
12 Say ye not., A confederacy, to
all to whom this people shall say, A confederacy; neither fear ye their fear,
nor be afraid.
13 Sanctify the Lord of hHosts
himself, and let him be your fear, and let him be your dread.
14 And he shall be for a sanctuary; but for a stone of stumbling, and for a rock of offencse to both the Hhouses of Israel, for a gin and a snare to the inhabitants
of Jerusalem.
15 And many among them shall stumble, and fall, and be
broken, and be snared, and be taken.--
16 Bind up the testimony, seal the law among my disciples.
17 And I will wait upon the Lord, that hideth his face from the house of Jacob, and I will look for him.
18 Behold, I and the children whom the Lord hath given me are for signs and
for wonders in Israel from the Lord of hHosts, which dwelleth in mMount Zion.
19 And when they shall say unto you,: Seek unto them that have familiar spirits, and unto
wizards that peep, and mutter:--should not a people seek unto their God?
for the living to hear from the dead?
20 tTo the law and to the
testimony:; and if they speak not
according to this word, it is because there is no light in them.
21 And they shall pass through it, hardly bestead and
hungry:; and it shall come to
pass, that when they shall be hungry, they shall fret
themselves, and curse their king and their God, and look upward.
22 And they shall look unto the earth; and behold
trouble, and darkness, dimness of anguish, and shall
be driven to darkness.
CHAPTER 19
NeverthelessEVERTHELESS, the
dimness shall not be such as was in her vexation, when at the
first he lightly afflicted the land of Zebulun, and the land of Naphtali, and
afterwards did more grievously afflict by the way of the Red Sea beyond
Jordan, in Galilee of the nations.
2 The people that walked in darkness have seen a great
light:; they that dwell in the land
of the shadow of death, upon them hath the light shined.
3 Thou hast multiplied the nation, and increased the
joy:--they joy before thee according
to the joy in harvest, and as men rejoice when they divide the spoil.
4 For thou hast broken the yoke of his burden, and the staff of his shoulder, the rod of his oppressor.
5 For every battle of the warrior is with confused noise, and garments rolled in blood; but this shall be with burning and fuel of fire.
6 For unto us a child is born, unto us a son is given:; and the government shall be upon his
shoulder:; and his name shall be
called, Wonderful, Counsellor, The
mMighty God, The
eEverlasting Father, The Prince of
Peace.
7 Of the increase of government and peace there is no end, upon the throne of
David, and upon his kingdom, to order it, and to establish it
with judgment and with justice from henceforth, even
forever. The zeal of the Lord of hHosts will perform this.
8 The Lord sent his word unto Jacob and it hath lighted upon Israel.
9 And all the people shall know, even Ephraim and the inhabitants of Samaria,
that say in the pride and the stoutness of
heart,:
10 The bricks are fallen down, but we will build with hewn
stones:; the sycamores are cut down,
but we will change them into cedars.
11 Therefore the Lord shall set up the adversaries of Rezin against him, and join his enemies together;
12 tThe Syrians
before, and the Philistines behind:; and they shall devour Israel with open mouth. For
all this his anger is not turned away, but his hand is stretched out still.
13 For the people turneth not unto him that smiteth them, neither do they
seek the Lord of hHosts.
14 Therefore will the Lord cut off from Israel head and tail, branch and rush
in one day.--
15 The ancient, he is the head; and the prophet that teacheth lies, he is the tail.
16 For the leaders of this people cause them to err; and they that are led of them are destroyed.
17 Therefore the Lord shall have no joy in their young men, neither shall
have mercy on their fatherless and widows:; for every one of them is a hypocrite and an
evil-doer evildoer, and every mouth
speaketh folly. For all this his anger is not turned away, but his hand
is stretched out still.
18 For wickedness burneth as the fire; it shall devour the briers and thorns,
and shall kindle in the thickets of the forests, and they shall mount up like
the lifting up of smoke.--
19 Through the wrath of the Lord of hosts is the land darkened, and the
people shall be as the fuel of the fire:; no man shall spare his brother.
20 And he shall snatch on the right hand, and be hungry; and
he shall eat on the left hand, and they shall not be
satisfied:; they shall eat every man
the flesh of his own arm:--
21 Manasseh, Ephraim; and Ephraim, Manasseh:; they together shall be against Judah. For all this
his anger is not turned away, but his hand is
stretched out still.
CHAPTER 20
WoO unto them that decree
unrighteous decrees, and that write grievousness which they have prescribed;
2 tTo turn aside
away the needy from judgment, and to take away the
right from the poor of my people, that widows may be their prey, and that they
may rob the fatherless!
3 And what will ye do in the day of visitation, and in the desolation which shall come from far? to whom will ye flee for help! and where will ye leave your glory?
4 Without me they shall bow down under the prisoners, and they shall fall under the slain. For all this his anger is not turned away, but his hand is stretched out still.
5 O Assyrian, the rod of mine anger, and the staff in their hand is their indignation.
6 I will send him against a hypocritical nation, and against the people of my
wrath will I give him a charge, to take the spoil, and to take
the prey, and to tread them down like the mire of the streets.
7 Howbeit he meaneth not so, neither doth his heart think so; but in his heart it is to destroy and cut off nations not a few.
8 For he saith,: Are not my
princes altogether kings?
9 Is not Calno as Carchemish? Is not Hamath as Arpad? Is not Samaria as Damascus?
10 As my hand hath founded the kingdoms of the idols, and whose graven images did excel them of Jerusalem and of Samaria;
11 sShall I not, as I have done
unto Samaria and her idols, so do to Jerusalem and to her idols?
12 Wherefore it shall come to pass, that when the Lord hath
performed his whole work upon mMount
Zion and upon Jerusalem, I will punish the fruit of the stout heart of the king
of Assyria, and the glory of his high looks.
13 For he saith,: By the
strength of my hand and by my wisdom I have done these things; for I am
prudent:; and I have moved the
borders of the people, and have robbed their treasures, and I have put down the
inhabitants like a valiant man:;
14 aAnd my hand hath found as a
nest the riches of the people:; and
as one gathereth eggs that are left, have I gathered all the
earth; and there was none that moved the wing, or opened the mouth, or
peeped.
15 Shall the axe boast itself against him that heweth
therewith? Shall the saw magnify itself against him that shaketh it?
aAs if the rod should shake
itself against them that lift it up, or as if the staff should lift up
itself, as if it were no wood.!
16 Therefore shall the Lord, the Lord of hHosts, send among his fat ones,
leanness; and under his glory he shall kindle a burning like the burning of a
fire.
17 And the light of Israel shall be for a fire, and his Holy One for a flame, and shall burn and shall devour his thorns and his briers in one day;
18 aAnd shall consume the glory
of his forest, and of his fruitful field, both soul and body; and they shall be
as when a standard-bearer fainteth.
19 And the rest of the trees of his forest shall be few, that a child may write them.
20 And it shall come to pass in that day, that the remnant of Israel, and such as are escaped of the house of
Jacob, shall no more again stay upon him that smote them;, but shall stay upon the Lord, the Holy One of Israel, in
truth.
21 The remnant shall return, yea, even the remnant of Jacob, unto the mighty God.
22 For though thy people Israel be as the sand of the sea, yet a remnant of
them shall return:; the consumption
decreed shall overflow with righteousness.
23 For the Lord God of hHosts
shall make a consumption, even determined, in all the land.
24 Therefore, thus saith the Lord God of
hHosts,: O my people that dwellest in Zion, be not afraid of
the Assyrian:; he shall smite thee
with a rod, and shall lift up his staff against thee, after the manner of
Egypt.
25 For yet a very little while, and the indignation shall cease, and mine anger in their destruction.
26 And the Lord of hHosts shall
stir up a scourge for him according to the slaughter of Midian at the rock of
Oreb; and as his rod was upon the sea, so shall he lift it up
after the manner of Egypt.
27 And it shall come to pass in that day, that his burden
shall be taken away from off thy shoulder, and his yoke from off thy neck, and
the yoke shall be destroyed because of the anointing.
28 He is come to Aiath, he is passed to Migron; at Michmash he hath laid up
his carriages;.
29 tThey are gone over the
passage; they have taken up their lodging at Geba; Ramath is afraid; Gibeah of
Saul is fled.
30 Lift up the voice, O daughter of Gallim; cause it to be heard unto Laish, O poor Anathoth.
31 Madmenah is removed; the inhabitants of Gebim gather themselves to flee.
32 As yet shall he remain at Nob that day; he shall shake his hand against the mount of the daughter of Zion, the hill of Jerusalem.
33 Behold, the Lord, the Lord of hHosts shall lop the bough with terror; and the high ones of
stature shall be hewn down,; and the
haughty shall be humbled.
34 And he shall cut down the thickets of the forests with iron, and Lebanon shall fall by a mighty one.
CHAPTER 21
AndND there shall come forth a
rod out of the stem of Jesse, and a branch shall grow out of his
roots;.
2 aAnd the
sSpirit of the Lord shall rest upon
him, the spirit of wisdom and understanding, the spirit of counsel and might,
the spirit of knowledge and of the fear of the Lord;
3 aAnd shall make him of quick
understanding in the fear of the Lord:; and he shall not judge after the sight of his eyes,
neither reprove after the hearing of his ears:.
4 bBut with righteousness shall
he judge the poor, and reprove with equity for the meek of the
earth:; and he shall smite the earth
with the rod of his mouth, and with the breath of his lips shall he slay the
wicked.
5 And righteousness shall be the girdle of his loins, and faithfulness the girdle of his reins.
6 The wolf also shall dwell with the lamb, and the leopard shall lie down
with the kid;, and the calf and the
young lion and the fatling together; and a little child shall
lead them.
7 And the cow and the bear shall feed; their young ones shall lie down together; and the lion shall eat straw like the ox.
8 And the sucking child shall play on the hole of the asp, and the weaned child shall put his hand on the cockatrice's den.
9 They shall not hurt nor destroy in all my holy
mountain:, for the earth shall be
full of the knowledge of the Lord, as the waters cover the sea.
10 And in that day there shall be a root of Jesse, which shall stand for an
ensign of the people; to it shall the Gentiles seek:; and his rest shall be glorious.
11 And it shall come to pass in that day, that the Lord
shall set his hand again the second time to recover the remnant of his
people, which shall be left, from
Assyria, and from Egypt, and from Pathros, and from Cush, and from Elam, and
from Shinar, and from Hamath, and from the islands of the sea.
12 And he shall set up an ensign for the nations, and shall assemble the outcasts of Israel, and gather together the dispersed of Judah from the four corners of the earth.
13 The envy of Ephraim also shall depart, and the adversaries of Judah shall
be cut off:; Ephraim shall not envy
Judah, and Judah shall not vex Ephraim.
14 But they shall fly upon the shoulders of the Philistines towards the west; they shall spoil them of the east together; they shall lay their hand upon Edom and Moab; and the children of Ammon shall obey them.
15 And the Lord shall utterly destroy the tongue of the Egyptian sea; and with his mighty wind he shall shake his hand over the river, and shall smite it in the seven streams, and make men go over dry shod.
16 And there shall be a highway for the remnant of his
people, which shall be left, from Assyria, like as it was to
Israel in the day that he came up out of the land of Egypt.
CHAPTER 22
AndND in that day thou shalt
say,: O Lord, I will praise
thee:; though thou wast angry with
me, thine anger is turned away, and thou comfortedst me.
2 Behold, God is my salvation; I will trust, and not be
afraid:; for the Lord JEHOVAH is my
strength and my song; he also is has
become my salvation.
3 Therefore, with joy shall ye draw water out of the wells of salvation.
4 And in that day shall ye say,:
Praise the Lord, call upon his name, declare his doings among the people,
make mention that his name is exalted.
5 Sing unto the Lord; for he hath done excellent
things:; this is known in all the
earth.
6 Cry out and shout, thou inhabitant of Zion; for great is the Holy One of Israel in the midst of thee.
CHAPTER X.
CHAPTER 23
THE burden of Babylon, which Isaiah the son of Amoz did see.
2 Lift ye up a banner upon the high mountain, exalt the voice unto them, shake the hand, that they may go into the gates of the nobles.
3 I have commanded my sanctified ones, I have also called my mighty ones, for mine anger is not upon them that rejoice in my highness.
4 The noise of the multitude in the mountains like as of a great
people;, a tumultuous noise of the
kingdoms of nations gathered together:, the Lord of hHosts mustereth the hosts of the battle.
5 They come from a far country, from the end of heaven, yea, the Lord, and the weapons of his indignation, to destroy the whole land.
6 Howl ye;, for the day of the
Lord is at hand:; it shall come as a
destruction from the Almighty.
7 Therefore shall all hands be faint, every man's heart shall melt;
8 aAnd they shall be afraid;
pangs and sorrows shall take hold of them; they shall be amazed one at another;
their faces shall be as flames.--
9 Behold, the day of the Lord cometh, cruel both with wrath and fierce anger,
to lay the land desolate:; and he
shall destroy the sinners thereof out of it.
10 For the stars of heaven and the constellations thereof shall not give
their light; and the sun shall be darkened in
her his going forth, and the moon
shall not cause her light to shine.
11 And I will punish the world for evil, and the wicked for their iniquity; I will cause the arrogancy of the proud to cease, and will lay down the haughtiness of the terrible.
12 I will make a man more precious than fine gold; even a man than the golden wedge of Ophir.
13 Therefore, I will shake the heavens, and the
earth shall remove out of her place, in the wrath of the Lord of
hHosts, and in the day of his fierce
anger.
14 And it shall be as the chased roe, and as a sheep that no man taketh
up:; and
they shall every man turn to his own people, and flee every one into his own
land.
15 Every one that is proud shall be thrust through; yea, and every one that
is joined to the wicked, shall fall by the sword.
16 Their children also shall be dashed to pieces before their eyes; their
houses shall be spoiled, and their wives ravished.
17 Behold, I will stir up the Medes against them, which shall not regard
silver and gold, nor they shall not shall
they delight in it.
18 Their bows shall also dash the young men to pieces; and they shall have no pity on the fruit of the womb; their eyes shall not spare children.
19 And Babylon, the glory of kingdoms, the beauty of the Chaldees' excellency, shall be as when God overthrew Sodom and Gomorrah.
20 It shall never be inhabited, neither shall it be dwelt in from generation
to generation: neither shall the Arabian pitch tent there:; neither shall the shepherds make their fold
there:.
21 bBut wild beasts of the desert
shall lie there; and their houses shall be full of doleful
creatures,; and owls shall dwell
there, and satyrs shall dance there.
22 And the wild beasts of the islands shall cry in their desolate houses, and
dragons in their pleasant palaces:;
and her time is near to come, and her day shall not be prolonged. For I
will destroy her speedily; yea, for I will be merciful unto my
people:, but the wicked shall
perish.
CHAPTER 24
ForOR the Lord will have mercy on
Jacob, and will yet choose Israel, and set them in their own
land:; and the strangers shall be
joined with them, and they shall cleave to the house of Jacob.
2 And the people shall take them, and bring them to their
place:; yea, from far unto the ends
of the earth:; and they shall return
to their lands of promise. And the house of Israel shall possess them, and
the land of the Lord shall be for servants and handmaids:; and they shall take them captives, unto
whom they were captives; and they shall rule over their oppressors.
3 And it shall come to pass in that day that the Lord shall give thee rest, from thy sorrow, and from thy fear, and from the hard bondage wherein thou wast made to serve.
4 And it shall come to pass in that day, that thou shalt take up this proverb
against the king of Babylon, and say,: How hath the oppressor ceased, the golden city
ceased!
5 The Lord hath broken the staff of the wicked, the sceptres of the rulers.
6 He who smote the people in wrath with a continual stroke, he that ruled the nations in anger, is persecuted, and none hindereth.
7 The whole earth is at rest, and is quiet:; they break forth into singing.
8 Yea, the fir-trees rejoice at thee, and also the cedars of Lebanon,
saying,: Since thou art laid
down, no feller is come up against us.
9 Hell from beneath is moved for thee to meet thee at thy
coming:; it stirreth up the dead for
thee, even all the chief ones of the earth:; it hath raised up from their thrones all the kings of the
nations.
10 All they shall speak and say unto thee,: Art thou also become weak as we? Art thou
become like unto us?
11 Thy pomp is brought down to the grave; the noise of thy viols is not
heard:; the worm is spread under
thee, and the worms cover thee.
12 How art thou fallen from heaven, O Lucifer, son of the morning! Art thou cut down to the ground, which did weaken the nations!
13 For thou hast said in thy heart,: I will ascend into heaven, I will exalt my throne
above the stars of God:; I will sit
also upon the mount of the congregation, in the sides of the north;
14 I will ascend above the heights of the clouds; I will be like the Most High.
15 Yet thou shalt be brought down to hell, to the sides of the pit.
16 They that see thee shall narrowly look upon thee, and shall consider thee,
and shall say,: Is this the
man that made the earth to tremble, that did shake
kingdoms,?
17 aAnd made the world as a
wilderness, and destroyed the cities thereof, and opened not the house of his
prisoners?
18 All the kings of the nations, yea, all of them, lie in glory, every one of them in his own house.
19 But thou art cast out of thy grave like an abominable branch, and the remnant of those that are slain, thrust through with a sword, that go down to the stones of the pit; as a carcass trodden under feet.
20 Thou shalt not be joined with them in burial, because thou hast destroyed
thy land, and slain thy people:; the seed of evil-doers shall never be renowned.
21 Prepare slaughter for his children for the iniquities of their
fathers;, that they do not rise, nor
possess the land, nor fill the face of the world with
cities.--
22 For I will rise up against them, saith the Lord of hHosts, and cut off from Babylon the name, and remnant, and
son, and nephew, saith the Lord.
23 I will also make it a possession for the bittern, and pools of
water:; and I will sweep it with the
besom of destruction, saith the Lord of hHosts.
24 The Lord of hHosts hath sworn,
saying,: Surely as I have
thought, so shall it come to pass; and as I have purposed, so shall it
stand:--
25 tThat I will bring the
Assyrian in my land, and upon my mountains tread him under
foot:; then shall his yoke depart
from off them, and his burden depart from off their shoulders.
26 This is the purpose that is purposed upon the whole
earth:; and this is the hand that is
stretched out upon all nations.
27 For the Lord of hHosts hath
purposed, and who shall disannul? And his hand is stretched out, and who shall turn it back?
28 In the year that king Ahaz died was this burden.
29 Rejoice not thou, whole Palestina, because the rod of him that smote thee
is broken:; for out of the serpent's
root shall come forth a cockatrice, and his fruit shall be a fiery flying
serpent.
30 And the first-born of the poor shall feed, and the needy shall lie down in
safety:; and I will kill thy root
with famine, and he shall slay thy remnant.
31 Howl, O gate; cry, O city; thou, whole Palestina, art
dissolved:; for there shall come
from the north a smoke, and none shall be alone in his appointed times.
32 What shall then answer the messengers of the nations? That the Lord hath founded Zion, and the poor of his people shall trust in it.
CHAPTER XI.
CHAPTER 25
NOW I, Nephi, do speak somewhat concerning the words which I have written,
which have been spoken by the mouth of Isaiah. For behold, Isaiah spake
many things which were hard for many of my people to
understand:; for they know not
concerning the manner of prophesying among the Jews.
2 For I, Nephi, have not taught them many things concerning the manner of the Jews; for their works were works of darkness, and their doings were doings of abominations.
3 Wherefore, I write unto my people, unto all they those that shall receive hereafter these things which I
write, that they may know the judgments of God, that they come upon all nations,
according to the word which he hath spoken.--
4 Wherefore, hearken, O my people, which are of
the Hhouse of Israel, and give ear
unto my words:; for because
that the words of Isaiah are not plain unto you, nevertheless
they are plain unto all they those
that are filled with the spirit of prophecy. But I give unto you a
prophecy, according to the spirit which is in me; wherefore I shall prophesy
according to the plainness which hath been with me from the time that I came out
from Jerusalem with my father:; for
behold, my soul delighteth in plainness unto my people, that they may
learn;.
5 yYea, and my soul delighteth in
the words of Isaiah, for I came out from Jerusalem, and mine eyes hath beheld
the things of the Jews, and I know that the Jews do understand the things of the
Pprophets, and there is none other
people that understand the things which were spoken unto the
Jews, like unto them, save it be that they are taught after the
manner of the things of the Jews.
6 But behold, I, Nephi, have not taught my children after the manner of the Jews; but behold, I, of myself, have dwelt at Jerusalem, wherefore I know concerning the regions round about; and I have made mention unto my children concerning the judgments of God, which hath come to pass among the Jews, unto my children, according to all that which Isaiah hath spoken, and I do not write them.
7 But behold, I proceed with mine own prophecy, according to my plainness; in
the which, I know that no man can err; nevertheless, in the
days that the prophecies of Isaiah shall be fulfilled, men
shall know of a surety, at the times when they shall come to
pass;.
8 wWherefore, they are of worth
unto the children of men, and he that supposeth that they are not, unto them
will I speak particularly, and confine the words unto mine own
people:; for I know that they shall
be of great worth unto them in the last days; for in that day shall they
understand them; wherefore, for their good have I written them.
9 And as one generation hath been destroyed among the Jews,
because of iniquity, even so have they been destroyed, from
generation to generation, according to their iniquities; and
never hath any of them been destroyed, save it were foretold
them by the Pprophets of the
Lord.
10 Wherefore, it hath been told them concerning the destruction which should
come upon them, immediately after my father left Jerusalem; nevertheless, they
hardened their hearts; and according to my prophecy, they have
been destroyed, save it be those which are carried away captive into
Babylon.
11 And now this I speak because of the spirit which is in me. And
notwithstanding that they have been carried
away, they shall return again, and possess the land of
Jerusalem; wherefore, they shall be restored again to
the lands land of their
inheritance.
12 But, behold, they shall have wars, and rumors of wars; and when the day
cometh that the oOnly
bBegotten of the Father, yea, even
the Father of heaven and of earth, shall manifest himself unto them in the
flesh, behold, they will reject him, because of their iniquities, and the
hardness of their hearts, and the stiffness of their necks.
13 Behold, they will crucify
him,; and after
that he is laid in a Ssepulchere for
the space of three days, he shall rise from the dead, with
healing in his wings,; and all
they that those who shall believe on
his name, shall be saved in the Kkingdom of God;. wWherefore, my soul delighted delighteth to prophesy concerning him, for I have seen his
day, and my heart doth magnify his holy name.
14 And behold it shall come to pass, that after the Messiah
hath risen from the dead, and hath manifested himself unto his people, unto as
many as will believe on his name, behold, Jerusalem shall be destroyed
again:; for wo unto them that fight
against God and the people of his church.
15 Wherefore, the Jews shall be scattered among all nations; yea, and also
Babylon shall be destroyed; wherefore, the Jews shall be scattered by other
nations;.
16 aAnd after
that they have been scattered, and the Lord God hath scourged
them by other nations, for the space of many generations, yea,
even down from generation to generation, until they shall be
persuaded to believe in Christ, the Son of God, and the atonement, which is
infinite for all mankind;--and when
that day shall come, that they shall believe in Christ, and
worship the fFather in his name,
with pure hearts, and clean hands, and look not forward any
more for another Messiah, then, at that time, the day
will come that it must needs be expedient that they should believe these
things,.
17 aAnd the Lord will set his
hand again the second time to restore his people from their lost and fallen
state. Wherefore, he will proceed to do a marvelous work,
and a wonder among the children of men.
18 Wherefore, he shall bring forth his words unto them, which words shall
judge them at the last day, for they shall be given them for the purpose of
convincing them of the true Messiah, who was rejected by them; and unto the
convincing of them that they need not look forward any more for a Messiah to
come, for there should not any come, save it should be a false
Messiah, which should deceive the people:; for there is save one Messiah spoken of by the
Pprophets, and that Messiah is he
which who should be rejected of the
Jews.
19 For according to the words of the Pprophets, the Messiah cometh in six hundred years from the
time that my father left Jerusalem; and according to
the words of the Pprophets, and also
the word of the Aangel of God, his
name shall be Jesus Christ, the Son of God.
20 And now, my brethren, I have spoken plainly, that ye cannot
err;. aAnd as the Lord God liveth, that brought
Israel up out of the land of Egypt, and gave unto Moses power that he should
heal the nations, after that they had been
bitten by the poisonous serpents, if they would cast their eyes unto the serpent
which he did raise up before them, and also gave him power that he should smite
the rock, and the water should come forth; yea, behold I say
unto you, that as these things are true, and as the Lord God liveth, there is
none other name given under heaven, save it be this Jesus
Christ, of which I have spoken, whereby man can be
saved.
21 Wherefore, for this cause hath the Lord God promised unto me that these
things which I write, shall be kept and preserved, and handed
down unto my seed, from generation to generation, that the promise may be
fulfilled unto Joseph, that his seed should never perish as long as the earth
should stand.
22 Wherefore, these things shall go from generation to
generation, as long as the earth shall stand; and they shall go
according to the will and pleasure of God; and the nations
which who shall possess
them, shall be judged of them according to the words which are
written;.
23 fFor we labor diligently to
write, to persuade our children, and also our brethren, to believe in Christ,
and to be reconciled to God; for we know that it is by grace that we are saved,
after all that we can do.
24 And, notwithstanding we believe in Christ, we
keep the law of Moses, and look forward with steadfastness unto Christ, until
the law shall be fulfilled;.
25 fFor, for this end was the law
given; wherefore, the law hath become dead unto us, and we are
made alive in Christ, because of our faith; yet we keep the law
because of the commandments;.
26 aAnd we talk of Christ, we
rejoice in Christ, we preach of Christ, we prophesy of Christ, and we write
according to our prophecies, that our children may know to what source they may
look for a remission of their sins.
27 Wherefore, we speak concerning the law, that our children
may know the deadness of the law; and they, by knowing the deadness of the law,
may look forward unto that life which is in Christ, and know for what end the
law was given. And after that, the law is fulfilled in
Christ, that they need not harden their hearts against him,
when the law had ought to be done away.
28 And now behold, my people, ye are a stiffnecked people; wherefore, I have
spoken plainly unto you, that ye cannot
misunderstand. And the words which I have spoken, shall
stand as a testimony against you:;
for they are sufficient to teach any man the right way; for the right way is to
believe in Christ and deny him not; for by denying him, ye also
deny the Pprophets and the law.
29 And now behold, I say unto
you, that the right way is to believe in Christ, and deny him
not; and Christ is the Holy One of Israel:; wherefore ye must bow down before him, and worship him
with all your might, mind, and strength, and your whole soul; and if ye do
this, ye shall in nowise be cast out.
30 And, inasmuch as it shall be expedient, ye must
keep the performances and ordinances of God, until the law
shall be fulfilled which was given unto Moses.
CHAPTER 26
AndND after that
Christ shall have risen from the dead, he shall
sheow himself unto you, my children,
and my beloved brethren; and the words which he shall speak unto
you, shall be the law which ye shall do.
2 For behold, I say unto you, that I have beheld that many
generations shall pass away, and there shall be great wars and contentions among
my people.
3 And after that the Messiah shall come,
there shall be signs given unto my people of his birth, and also of his death
and resurrection; and great and terrible shall that day be unto the
wicked;, for they shall perish; and
they perish because they cast out the prophets, and the saints, and stone them,
and slay them:; wherefore the cry of
the blood of the saints shall ascend up to God from the ground,
against them.
4 Wherefore, all they that those who are proud, and that do wickedly, the day that
cometh shall burn them up, saith the Lord of Hosts,
for they shall be as stubble;.
5 aAnd they that kill the
prophets, and the saints, the depths of the earth shall swallow them up, saith
the Lord of Hosts; and mountains shall cover them, and whirlwinds shall carry
them away, and buildings shall fall upon them, and crush them
to pieces, and grind them to powder;.
6 aAnd they shall be visited with
thunderings, and lightnings, and earthquakes, and all manner of destructions,
for the fire of the anger of the Lord shall be kindled against them, and they
shall be as stubble, and the day that cometh shall consume them, saith the Lord
of Hosts.
7 O the pain, and the anguish of my soul for the loss of the slain of my
people! For I, Nephi, hath have seen it, and it well nigh consumeth me before the
presence of the Lord; but I must cry unto my God,: tThy
ways are just.
8 But behold, the righteous, that hearken unto the words of
the prophets, and destroy them not, but look forward unto Christ with
steadfastness for the signs which are given, notwithstanding all
persecutions;--behold, they are they which shall not perish.
9 But the Son of righteousness shall appear unto them; and he shall heal
them, and they shall have peace with him, until three generations shall have
passed away, and many of the fourth generation shall have passed away in
righteousness.--
10 And when these things shall have passed
away, a speedy destruction cometh unto my people; for,
notwithstanding the pains of my soul, I have seen it; wherefore, I know that it
shall come to pass; and they sell themselves for noaught; for, for the reward of their pride,
and their foolishness, they shall reap destruction; for because
they yieldeth unto the Ddevil, and choose works of darkness rather
than light;, therefore they must go
down to hell,.
11 fFor the
sSpirit of the Lord will not always
strive with man. And when the sSpirit ceaseth to strive with man, then
cometh speedy destruction;, and this
grieveth my soul.
12 And as I spake concerning the convincing of the Jews, that Jesus is the
very Christ, it must needs be, that the Gentiles be convinced
also, that Jesus is the Christ, the Eternal God;
13 aAnd that he manifesteth
himself unto all they that those who
believe in him, by the power of the Holy Ghost; yea, unto every nation, kindred,
tongue, and people, working mighty miracles, signs,
and wonders, among the children of men, according to their
faith.
14 But behold, I prophesy unto you concerning the last days; concerning the days when the Lord God shall bring these things forth unto the children of men.
15 After that my seed and the seed of my brethren shall have
dwindled in unbelief, and shall have been smitten by the Gentiles; yea, after
that the Lord God shall have camped against them round about,
and shall have laid siege against them with a mount, and raised forts against
them; and after that they shall have been brought down low
into in the dust, even that they are
not, yet the words of the righteous shall be written, and the prayers of the
faithful shall be heard, and all they which those who have dwindled in unbelief, shall
not be forgotten;.
16 fFor they
which those who shall be destroyed shall
speak unto them out of the ground, and their speech shall be low out of the
dust, and their voice shall be as one that hath a familiar spirit; for the Lord
God will give unto him power, that he may whisper concerning them, even as it
were out of the ground; and their speech shall whisper out of the dust.
17 For thus saith the Lord God: They shall write the things which shall
be done among them, and they shall be written and sealed up in a book, and
they that those who have dwindled in
unbelief, shall not have them, for they seek to destroy the
things of God:.
18 wWherefore, as they
which those who have been
destroyed, have been destroyed speedily; and the multitude of
their terrible ones, shall be as chaff that passeth
away.--Yyea, thus saith the Lord God: It shall be at an
instant, suddenly.--
19 And it shall come to pass, that they which those who have dwindled in unbelief, shall
be smitten by the hand of the Gentiles.
20 And the Gentiles are lifted up in the pride of their eyes, and have
stumbled, because of the greatness of their stumbling block, that they have
built up many Cchurches;
nevertheless, they put down the power and
the miracles of God, and preach up unto
themselves, their own wisdom, and their own
learning, that they may get gain, and grind upon the face of
the poor;.
21 aAnd there are many churches
built up which causeth envyings, and strifes, and
malice;.
22 aAnd there are also secret
combinations, even as in times of old, according to the combinations of the
Ddevil, for he is the founder of all
these things; yea, the founder of murder, and works of darkness; yea, and he
leadeth them by the neck with a flaxen cord, until he bindeth them with his
strong cords forever.
23 For behold, my beloved brethren, I say unto you, that the
Lord God worketh not in darkness.
24 He doeth not anything, save it be for the benefit of the
world; for he loveth the world, even that he layeth down his own
life, that he may draw all men unto him. Wherefore, he
commandeth none that they shall not partake of his salvation.
25 Behold, doth he cry unto any, saying,: Depart from me? Behold, I say unto you,
nNay; but he
saith,: Come unto me all ye
ends of the earth, buy milk and honey, without money, and
without price.
26 Behold, hath he commanded any that they should depart out of the
synagogues, or out of the houses of worship? Behold, I say unto you,
nNay.
27 Hath he commanded any that they should not partake of his salvation?
Behold, I say unto you, nNay; but he hath given it free for all men; and he hath
commanded his people that they should persuade all men unto
to repentance.
28 Behold, hath the Lord commanded any that they should not partake of his
goodness? Behold, I say unto you, nNay; but all men are privileged the one like unto the
other, and none are forbidden.
29 He commandeth that there shall be no priest-crafts priestcrafts; for, behold, the
priest-crafts priestcrafts are that
men preach and set themselves up for a light unto the world, that they may get
gain, and praise of the world; but they seek not the welfare of
Zion.
30 Behold, the Lord hath forbidden this thing; wherefore, the Lord God hath
given a commandment, that all men should have charity, which
charity is love. And except they should have charity,
they were nothing:.
wWherefore, if they should
have charity, they would not suffer the laborer in Zion to
perish.
31 But the laborer in Zion, shall labor for Zion; for if
they labor for money, they shall perish.
32 And again, the Lord God hath commanded that men should not murder; that
they should not lie; that they should not steal; that they should not take the
name of the Lord their God in vain; that they should not envy; that they should
not have malice; that they should not contend one with another; that they should
not commit whoredoms; and that they should do none of these things; for whoso
doeth them, shall perish;.
33 fFor none of these iniquities
come of the Lord; for he doeth that which is good among the children of men; and
he doeth nothing save it be plain unto the children of men; and he inviteth them
all to come unto him, and partake of his goodness; and he
denieth none that come unto him, black and white, bond and free, male and
female; and he remembereth the heathen,; and all are alike unto God, both Jew and Gentile.
CHAPTER 27
But, behold, in the last days, or in the days of the
Gentiles;--yea, behold all the
nations of the Gentiles, and also the Jews, both they
which those who shall come upon this
land, and they which those
who shall be upon other lands;, yea, even upon all the lands of the
earth;, behold, they will be drunken
with iniquity and all manner of abominations;--
2 aAnd when that day shall
come, they shall be visited of the Lord of
hHosts, with thunder and with
earthquake, and with a great noise, and with storm,
and with tempest, and with the flame of devouring
fire;.
3 aAnd all the nations that fight
against Zion, and that distress her, shall be as a dream of a night vision; yea,
it shall be unto them, even as unto a hungry man, which
dreameth, and behold he eateth, but he awaketh and his soul is
empty; or like unto a thirsty man, which dreameth, and behold
he drinketh, but he awaketh, and behold he is
faint, and his soul hath appetite; yea, even so shall the multitude of all the
nations be that fight against mMount
Zion:.
4 fFor behold, all ye that
do doeth iniquity, stay yourselves
and wonder, for ye shall cry out, and cry; yea, ye shall be
drunken, but not with wine;, ye shall stagger, but not with strong
drink:.
5 fFor behold, the Lord hath
poured out upon you, the spirit of deep sleep. For
behold, ye have closed your eyes, and ye have rejected the
Pprophets,; and your rulers, and the seers hath he covered because of
your iniquities iniquity.
6 And it shall come to pass, that the Lord God shall bring
forth unto you, the words of a book, and they shall be the
words of them which have slumbered.
7 And behold, the book shall be sealed; and in the book
shall be a revelation from God, from the beginning of the
world, to the ending thereof.
8 Wherefore, because of the things which are sealed up, the things which are
sealed, shall not be delivered in the day of the wickedness and
abominations of the people. Wherefore the book shall be kept from
them.
9 But the book shall be delivered unto a Mman, and he shall deliver the words of the book, which are
the words of they which those who
have slumbered in the dust;, and he
shall deliver these words unto another;
10 bBut the words which are
sealed, he shall not deliver, neither shall he deliver the
book. For the book shall be sealed by the power of God, and the revelation
which was sealed, shall be kept in the book until the own due
time of the Lord, that they may come forth:; for, behold, they reveal all things from
the foundation of the world, unto the end thereof.
11 And the day cometh that the words of the book which were
sealed, shall be read upon the house-tops; and
they shall be read by the power of Christ:; and all things shall be revealed unto the children of men
which ever hath have been among the
children of men, and which ever will be, even unto the end of
the earth.
12 Wherefore, at that day when the book shall be delivered unto the man of
whom I have spoken, the book shall be hid from the eyes of the world, that the
eyes of none shall behold it, save it be that three witnesses
shall behold it, by the power of God, besides him to whom the book shall be
delivered; and they shall testify to the truth of the book, and
the things therein.
13 And there is none other which shall view it, save it be a
few, according to the will of God, to bear testimony of his
word unto the children of men:; for
the Lord God hath said, that the words of the faithful should
speak as if it were from the dead.
14 Wherefore, the Lord God will proceed to bring forth the words of the
book,; and in the mouth of as many
witnesses as seemeth him good, will he establish his
word:; and wo be unto him that
rejecteth the word of God.!
15 But behold, it shall come to pass that the Lord God shall say unto him to
whom he shall deliver the book,:
Take these words which are not sealed, and deliver them
to another, that he may sheow them
unto the learned, saying: Read this, I pray thee. And the learned
shall say,: Bring hither the
book, and I will read them:.
16 aAnd now, because of the glory
of the world, and to get gain, will they say
this, and not for the glory of God.
17 And the man shall say,:
I cannot bring the book, for it is sealed.
18 Then shall the learned say,:
I cannot read it.
19 Wherefore, it shall come to pass, that the Lord God will
deliver again the book and the words thereof, to him that is
not learned; and the man that is not learned, shall
say,: I am not learned.
20 Then shall the Lord God say unto him,: The learned shall not read them, for they have
rejected them, and I am able to do mine own work; wherefore,
thou shalt read the words which I shall give unto thee.
21 Touch not the things which are sealed, for I will bring them forth in mine
own due time:; for I will
sheow unto the children of
men, that I am able to do mine own work.
22 Wherefore, when thou hast read the words which I have commanded thee, and
obtained the witnesses which I have promised unto thee, then shalt thou seal up
the book again, and hide it up unto me, that I may preserve the words which thou
hast not read, until I shall see fit in mine own wisdom, to
reveal all things unto the children of men.
23 For behold, I am God; and I am a God of miracles; and I will
sheow unto the world that I am the
same yesterday, to-day today, and
forever; and I work not among the children of men, save it be
according to their faith.
24 And again it shall come to pass, that the Lord shall say
unto him that shall read the words that shall be delivered
him,:
25 For asmuch Forasmuch as this
people draw near unto me with their mouth, and with their lips do honor me, but
have removed their hearts far from me, and their fear towards me is taught by
the precepts of men,--
26 tTherefore, I will proceed to
do a marvellous work among this people;, yea, a marvellous work,
and a wonder:, for the wisdom of
their wise and learned shall perish, and the understanding of their prudent
shall be hid.
27 And wo unto them that seek deep to hide their counsel from the
Lord.! And their works are in
the dark; and they say,: Who
seeth us;, and who knoweth us?
And they also say,:
Surely, your turning of things upside down, shall be
esteemed as the potter's clay. But behold, I will
sheow unto them, saith the Lord of
Hosts, that I know all their works. For shall the work say of him that
made it, Hhe made me not?
Or, shall the thing framed say of him that framed it,
Hhe had no understanding?
28 But behold, saith the Lord of Hosts,: I will sheow unto the children of men, that it is
not yet a very little while, and Lebanon shall
be turned into a fruitful field; and the fruitful field shall be esteemed as a
forest.
29 And in that day shall the deaf hear the words of the
book;, and the eyes of the blind
shall see out of obscurity and out of darkness;.
30 aAnd the meek also shall
increase, and their joy shall be in the Lord;, and the poor among men shall rejoice in the Holy One of
Israel.
31 For assuredly as the Lord liveth, they shall see that the
terrible one is brought to noaught,
and the scorner is consumed, and all that watch for iniquity are cut
off:;
32 aAnd they that a make a man an
offender for a word, and lay a snare for him that reproveth in the gate, and
turn aside the just for a thing of noaught.
33 Therefore, thus saith the Lord, who redeemed
Abraham, concerning the house of Jacob,: Jacob shall not now be ashamed, neither shall his
face now wax pale.
34 But when he seeth his children, the work of my hands, in the midst of him, they shall sanctify my name, and sanctify the Holy One of Jacob, and shall fear the God of Israel.
35 They also that erred in spirit shall come to understanding, and they that murmured shall learn doctrine.
CHAPTER XII.
CHAPTER 28
AND now, behold, my brethren, I have spoken unto you, according as the
sSpirit hath constrained me;
wherefore, I know that they must surely come to pass.
2 And Tthe things which shall be written out of the book shall be
of great worth unto the children of men, and especially unto our seed, which
are is a remnant of the
Hhouse of Israel.
3 For it shall come to pass in that day, that the churches
which are built up, and not unto the Lord, when the one shall say unto the
other,: Behold, I, I am the
Lord's; and the others shall
say,: I, I am the
Lord's.; Aand thus shall every one say, that hath
built up churches, and not unto the Lord;--
4 aAnd they shall contend one
with another; and their priests shall contend one with another; and they shall
teach with their learning, and deny the Holy Ghost, which giveth utterance.
5 And they deny the power of God, the Holy One of Israel; and they say unto
the people,: Hearken unto us,
and hear ye our precept:; for
behold, there is no God to-day today, for the Lord and the Redeemer hath done his work,
and he hath given his power unto men.;
6 Behold, hearken ye unto my precept:; if they shall say there is a miracle
wrought, by the hand of the Lord, believe it not; for this day
he is not a God of miracles:; he
hath done his work.
7 Yea, and there shall be many which shall say,: eEat,
drink, and be merry, for to-morrow tomorrow we die; and it shall be well with us.
8 And there shall also be many which shall say,: eEat,
drink, and be merry; nevertheless, fear God,--he will justify in committing a little sin; yea, lie a
little, take the advantage of one because of his words, dig a pit for thy
neighbor; there is no harm in this.;
Aand do all these things, for
to-morrow tomorrow we die; and if it
so be that we are guilty, God will beat us with a few stripes, and at last we
shall be saved in the Kkingdom of
God.
9 Yea, and there shall be many which shall teach after this manner,
false, and vain, and foolish doctrines, and
shall be puffed up in their hearts, and shall seek deep to hide their counsels
from the Lord; and their works shall be in the dark;.
10 aAnd the blood of the
Ssaints shall cry from the ground
against them.
11 Yea, they have all gone out of the way; they have become corrupted.
12 Because of pride, and because of false teachers, and false doctrine, their
churches have become corrupted;, and
their churches are lifted up; because of pride, they are puffed
up.
13 They rob the poor, because of their fine sanctuaries;
they rob the poor, because of their fine clothing; and they
persecute the meek, and the poor in
heart;, because of
in their pride, they are puffed
up.
14 They wear stiff necks, and high heads; yea, and because
of pride, and wickedness, and abominations, and whoredoms, they have all gone
astray, save it be a few, which who are the humble followers of Christ; nevertheless, they
are led, that in many instances they do err, because they are
taught by the precepts of men.
15 O the wise, and the learned, and the rich, that
are puffed up in the pride of their hearts, and all they that
those who preach false doctrines, and all
they that those who commit
whoredoms, and pervert the right way of the Lord;, wo, wo, wo be unto them, saith the Lord God Almighty, for
they shall be thrust down to hell.!
16 Wo unto them that turn aside the just for a thing of
noaught, and revile
against that which is good, and say that it is of no
worth:!
fFor the day shall come that
the Lord God will speedily visit the inhabitants of the earth; and in that day
that they are fully ripe in iniquity, they shall perish.
17 But behold, if the inhabitants of the earth shall repent of their
wickedness and abominations, they shall not be destroyed, saith
the Lord of Hosts.
18 But behold, that great and abominable church, the whore of all the earth,
must tumble to the earth;, and great
must be the fall thereof:.
19 fFor the kingdom of the
Ddevil must shake, and they which
belong to it must needs be stirred up unto repentance, or the
Ddevil will grasp them with his
everlasting chains, and they be stirred up to anger,
and perish:;
20 fFor behold, at that day shall
he rage in the hearts of the children of men, and stir them up to anger against
that which is good;.
21 aAnd others will he pacify,
and lull them away into carnal security, that they will
say,: All is well in Zion;
yea, Zion prospereth, all is well;--and thus the Ddevil cheateth their souls, and leadeth them away carefully
down to hell.
22 And behold, others he flattereth away, and telleth them there is no hell;
and he saith unto them,: I am no
Ddevil, for there is
none:--and thus he whispereth in
their ears, until he grasps them with his awful chains, from whence there is no
deliverance.
23 Yea, they are grasped with death, and hell; and death, and hell, and the
Devil, and all that have been seized therewith, must stand
before the Tthrone of God, and be
judged according to their works, from whence they must go into the place
prepared for them, even a lake of fire and brimstone, which is endless
torment.
24 Therefore, wo be unto him that is at ease in Zion.!
25 Wo be unto him that crieth,:
All is well;!
26 yYea, wo be unto him that
hearkeneth unto the precepts of men, and denieth the power of God, and the gift of the Holy Ghost.!
27 Yea, wo be unto him that saith,: We have received, and we need no
more.!
28 And in fine, wo unto all they that those who tremble, and are angry because of the truth of
God.! For behold, he that is built
upon the rock, receiveth it with gladness; and he that is built
upon a sandy foundation, trembleth, lest he
shall fall.
29 Wo be unto him that shall say,: We have received the word of God, and we need no
more of the word of God, for we have enough.!
30 For behold, thus saith the Lord God: I will give unto the children
of men line upon line, precept upon precept, here a little and there a little;
and blessed are they that those who
hearken unto my precepts, and lend an ear unto my counsel, for they shall learn
wisdom:; for unto him that
receiveth, I will give more; and from them that shall say, We have enough, from them shall
be taken away even that which they have.--
31 Cursed is he that putteth his trust in man, or maketh flesh his arm, or shall hearken unto the precepts of men, save their precepts shall be given by the power of the Holy Ghost.
32 Wo be unto the Gentiles, saith the Lord God of
Hosts:!
fFor notwithstanding I shall
lengthen out mine arm unto them from day to day, they will deny me;
nevertheless, I will be merciful unto them, saith the Lord God, if they will
repent and come unto me:; for mine
arm is lengthened out all the day long, saith the Lord God of Hosts.
CHAPTER 29
ButUT behold, there shall be
many--at that day, when I shall
proceed to do a marvellous work among them, that I may remember
my covenants which I have made unto the children of men, that I may set my hand
again the second time to recover my people, which are of the
Hhouse of Israel;
2 aAnd also, that I may remember
the promises which I have made unto thee, Nephi, and also unto thy father,
Tthat I would remember your seed;
and that the words of your seed should proceed forth out of my mouth unto your
seed.; Aand my words shall hiss forth unto the ends of the earth,
for a standard unto my people, which are of the Hhouse of Israel.;
3 And because my words shall hiss forth,--many of the Gentiles shall say,: A Bible,! aA
Bible,! wWe have got a Bible, and there cannot be any more
Bible.
4 But thus saith the Lord God: O fools, they shall have a Bible; and it
shall proceed forth from the Jews, mine ancient covenant people. And what
thank they the Jews for the Bible which they receive from them? Yea, what
do the Gentiles mean? Do they remember the travels travails, and the labors, and the pains of the Jews, and
their diligence unto me, in bringing forth salvation unto the Gentiles?
5 O ye Gentiles, have ye remembered the Jews, mine ancient covenant people?
Nay; but ye have cursed them, and have hated them, and have not sought to
recover them. But behold, I will return all these things upon your own
heads:; for I the
Lord, hath have not
forgotten my people.
6 Thou fool, that shall say,:
A Bible, we have got a Bible, and we need no more Bible. Have ye
obtained a Bible, save it were by the Jews?
7 Know ye not that there are more nations than one? Know ye not that
I, the Lord your God, have created all men, and that
I remember they which those who are
upon the isles of the sea; and that I rule in the heavens
above, and in the earth beneath; and I bring forth my word unto
the children of men, yea, even upon all the nations of the earth?
8 Wherefore murmur ye, because that ye shall receive more of my word?
Know ye not that the testimony of two nations is a witness unto you that I
am God, that I remember one nation like unto another?
wWherefore, I speak the same
words unto one nation like unto another. And when the two nations shall
run together, the testimony of the two nations shall run
together also.
9 And I do this that I may prove unto
many, that I am the same yesterday, to-day
today, and forever; and that I speak forth my words
according to mine own pleasure. And because that I have spoken one
word, ye need not suppose that I cannot speak
another:; for my work is not yet
finished; neither shall it be, until the end of
man;, neither from that time
henceforth and forever.
10 Wherefore, because that ye have a Bible, ye need not
suppose that it contains all my words; neither need ye suppose that I have not
caused more to be written:.
11 fFor I command all men, both
in the east, and in the west, and in the north, and in the
south, and in the islands of the sea, that they shall write the words which I
speak unto them:; for out of the
books which shall be written, I will judge the world, every man
according to their works, according to that which is
written.--
12 For behold, I shall speak unto the Jews, and they shall
write it; and I shall also speak unto the Nephites, and they
shall write it; and I shall also speak unto the other tribes of the
Hhouse of Israel, which I have led
away, and they shall write it; and I shall also speak unto all the nations of
the earth, and they shall write it.
13 And it shall come to pass that the Jews shall have the words of the Nephites, and the Nephites shall have the words of the Jews; and the Nephites and the Jews shall have the words of the lost tribes of Israel; and the lost tribes of Israel shall have the words of the Nephites and the Jews.
14 And it shall come to pass that my people, which
are of the Hhouse of Israel, shall
be gathered home unto the lands of their possessions; and my word also shall be
gathered in one. And I will sheow unto them that fight against my word and against my
people, which who are of the
Hhouse of Israel, that I am God, and
that I covenanted with Abraham that I would remember his seed forever.
CHAPTER 30
AndND now,
behold, my beloved brethren, I would speak unto you:; for I, Nephi, would not suffer that ye should suppose
that ye are more righteous than the Gentiles shall be. For behold, except
ye shall keep the commandments of God, ye shall all likewise
perish; and because of the words which have been spoken, ye
need not suppose that the Gentiles are utterly destroyed.
2 For behold, I say unto you, that as many of the Gentiles as will
repent, are the covenant people of the Lord; and as many of the
Jews as will not repent, shall be cast
off:; for the Lord covenanteth with
none, save it be with them that repent and believe in his Son,
which who is the Holy One of
Israel.
3 And now, I would prophesy somewhat more concerning the Jews and the Gentiles. For after the book of which I have spoken shall come forth, and be written unto the Gentiles, and sealed up again unto the Lord, there shall be many which shall believe the words which are written; and they shall carry them forth unto the remnant of our seed.
4 And then shall the remnant of our seed know concerning us, how that we came
out from Jerusalem, and that they are a descendants of the Jews.
5 And the Ggospel of Jesus Christ
shall be declared among them; wherefore, they shall be restored unto the
knowledge of their fathers, and also to the knowledge of Jesus Christ, which was
had among their fathers.
6 And then shall they rejoice,;
for they shall know that it is a blessing unto them from the hand of God; and
their scales of darkness shall begin to fall from their eyes; and many
generations shall not pass away among them, save they shall be a
white pure and a delightsome
people.
7 And it shall come to pass that the Jews which are
scattered, also shall begin to believe in Christ; and they
shall begin to gather in upon the face of the land; and as many as shall believe
in Christ, shall also become a delightsome people.
8 And it shall come to pass that the Lord God shall commence his
work, among all nations, kindreds, tongues, and people, to
bring about the restoration of his people upon the earth.
9 And with righteousness shall the Lord God judge the poor, and reprove with
equity, for the meek of the earth. And he shall smite the
earth with the rod of his mouth; and with the breath of his lips shall he slay
the wicked:.
10 fFor the time speedily
cometh, that the Lord God shall cause a great division among
the people;, and the wicked will he
destroy; and he will spare his people, yea, even if it so be that he must
destroy the wicked by fire.
11 And righteousness shall be the girdle of his loins, and faithfulness the girdle of his reins.
12 And then shall the wolf dwell with the lamb,; and the leopard shall lie down with the
kid;, and the calf, and the young
lion, and the fatling, together; and a little child shall lead them.
13 And the cow and the bear shall feed; their young ones shall lie down together; and the lion shall eat straw like the ox.
14 And the sucking child shall play on the hole of the asp, and the weaned child shall put his hand on the cockatrice's den.
15 They shall not hurt nor destroy in all my holy
mountain:; for the earth shall be
full of the knowledge of the Lord, as the waters cover the
sea.
16 Wherefore, the things of all nations shall be made known; yea, all things shall be made known unto the children of men.
17 There is nothing which is secret, save it shall be
revealed; there is no works of darkness, save
it shall be made manifest in the light; and there is nothing which is sealed
upon the earth, save it shall be loosed.
18 Wherefore, all things which have been revealed unto the children of
men, shall at that day be revealed; and Satan shall have power
over the hearts of the children of men no more, for a long time. And now,
my beloved brethren, I must make an end of my sayings.
CHAPTER XIII.
CHAPTER 31
AND now I, Nephi, make an end of my prophesying unto you, my beloved brethren. And I cannot write but a few things, which I know must surely come to pass; neither can I write but a few of the words of my brother Jacob.
2 Wherefore, the things which I have written, sufficeth me,
save it be a few words which I must speak, concerning the
doctrine of Christ; wherefore, I shall speak unto you plainly, according to the
plainness of my prophesying.
3 For my soul delighteth in plainness:; for after this manner doth the Lord God work among the
children of men. For the Lord God giveth light unto the
understanding:; for he speaketh unto
men according to their language, unto their understanding.
4 Wherefore, I would that ye should remember that I have spoken unto
you, concerning that Pprophet which the Lord showed unto me, that should baptize
the Lamb of God, which should take away the sins of the world.
5 And now, if the Lamb of God, he being holy, should have need to be baptized
by water, to fulfil all righteousness, O then, how much more need have we, being
unholy, to be baptized, yea, even by water.!
6 And now, I would ask of you, my beloved brethren, wherein the Lamb of God did fulfil all righteousness in being baptized by water?
7 Know ye not that he was holy? But notwithstanding he being holy, he
showeth unto the children of men, that, according to the flesh, he humbleth
himself before the Father, and witnesseth unto the Father that he would be
obedient unto him in keeping his commandments;.
8 wWherefore, after
that he was baptized with water, the Holy
Ghost descended upon him in the form of a dove.
9 And again:,
Iit sheoweth unto the children of men the
straightness of the path, and the narrowness of the gate, by
which they should enter, he having set the example before them.
10 And he saith said unto the
children of men,: Follow thou
me. Wherefore, my beloved brethren, can we follow Jesus,
save we shall be willing to keep the commandments of the Father?
11 And the Father saith, said:
Repent ye, repent ye, and be baptized in the name of my
bBeloved Son.
12 And also, the voice of the Son came unto me, saying,: He that is baptized in my name, to him will the
Father give the Holy Ghost, like unto me; wherefore, follow me, and do the
things which ye have seen me do.
13 Wherefore, my beloved brethren, I know that if ye shall follow the Son,
with full purpose of heart, acting no hypocrisy and no deception before God, but
with real intent, repenting of your sins, witnessing unto the Father that ye are
willing to take upon you the name of Christ, by baptism;-- yea, by following your Lord and your Saviour down into the water,
according to his word;, behold, then
shall ye receive the Holy Ghost; yea, then cometh the baptism of fire and of the
Holy Ghost; and then can ye speak with the tongue of Aangels, and shout praises unto the Holy One of Israel.
14 But, behold, my beloved brethren, thus came the
voice of the Son unto me, saying,:
After that ye have repented of your sins, and witnessed
unto the Father that ye are willing to keep my commandments, by the baptism of
water, and have received the baptism of fire and of the Holy Ghost, and can
speak with a new tongue, yea, even with the tongue of Aangels, and after this, should deny me, it
would have been better for you, that ye had not known me.
15 And I heard a voice from the Father, saying,: Yea, the words of my bBeloved, are true and faithful. He
that endureth to the end, the same shall be saved.
16 And now, my beloved brethren, I know by this, that unless
a man shall endure to the end, in following the example of the Son of the living
God, he cannot be saved;.
17 wWherefore, do the things
which I have told you that I have seen, that
your Lord and your Redeemer should
do:; for, for this cause have they
been shown unto me, that ye might know the gate by which ye should enter.
For the gate by which ye should enter, is
repentance, and baptism by water; and then cometh a remission
of your sins by fire, and by the Holy Ghost.
18 And then are ye in this straight and narrow path which
leads to eternal life; yea, ye have entered in by the
gate:; ye have done according to the
commandments of the Father and the Son; and ye have received the Holy Ghost,
which witnesses of the Father and the Son, unto the
fulfilling of the promise which he hath made, Tthat if ye entered in by the way, ye
should receive.
19 And now, my beloved brethren, after that ye have gotten into this straight and narrow path, I
would ask, Iif all
is done? Behold, I say unto you, Nay; for ye have not come thus
far, save it were by the word of Christ, with
unshaken faith in him, relying wholly upon the merits of Hhim who is mighty to save;.
20 wWherefore, ye must press
forward with a steadfastness in Christ, having a perfect brightness of hope, and
a love of God and of all men. Wherefore, if ye shall press forward,
feasting upon the word of Christ, and endure to the end, behold, thus saith the
Father: Ye shall have eternal life.
21 And now, behold, my beloved brethren, this is the way; and there is none
other way nor name given under heaven, whereby man can be saved
in the Kkingdom of God. And
now, behold, this is the doctrine of Christ, and the only true doctrine of the
Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Ghost, which is one God, without end.
Amen.
CHAPTER XIV.
CHAPTER 32
AND now, behold, my beloved brethren, I suppose that ye ponder somewhat in
your hearts, concerning that which ye should
do, after that ye have entered in by the way.
But, behold, why do ye ponder these things in
your hearts?
2 Do ye not remember that I said unto you, that after ye had
received the Holy Ghost, ye could speak with the tongue of
Aangels? And now, how could ye
speak with the tongue of Aangels, save it were by the Holy
Ghost?
3 Angels speak by the power of the Holy Ghost; wherefore, they speak the
words of Christ.--Wherefore, I said unto you, feast upon the
words of Christ:; for behold, the
words of Christ will tell you all things what ye should do.
4 Wherefore, now after that I have spoken these words, if ye
cannot understand them, it will be because ye ask not, neither
do ye knock; wherefore, ye are not brought into the light, but must perish in
the dark.
5 For behold, again I say unto you, that if ye will enter in
by the way, and receive the Holy Ghost, it will sheow unto you all things what ye should do.
6 Behold, this is the doctrine of Christ;, and there will be no more doctrine
given, until after that he shall manifest
himself unto you in the flesh. And when he shall manifest himself unto you
in the flesh, the things which he shall say unto you, shall ye
observe to do.
7 And now I, Nephi, cannot say more:; the sSpirit
stoppeth mine utterance, and I am left to mourn because of the unbelief, and the
wickedness, and the ignorance, and the stiff-neckedness of
men:; for they will not search
knowledge, nor understand great knowledge, when it is given unto them in
plainness, even as plain as word can be.
8 And now, my beloved brethren, I perceive that ye
ponder still in your hearts; and it grieveth me that I must speak concerning
this thing. For if ye would hearken unto the sSpirit which teacheth a man to pray, ye
would know that ye must pray:; for
the evil spirit teacheth not a man to pray, but teacheth him that he must not
pray.
9 But behold, I say unto you, that ye must pray always, and
not faint; that ye must not perform any thing unto the Lord,
save in the first place ye shall pray unto the Father in the name of Christ,
that he will consecrate thy performance unto thee, that thy performance may be
for the welfare of thy soul.
CHAPTER XV.
CHAPTER 33
AND now I, Nephi, cannot write all the things which were taught among my
people; neither am I mighty in writing, like unto
speaking:; for when a man speaketh
by the power of the Holy Ghost, the power of the Holy Ghost
carrieth it unto the hearts of the children of men.
2 But behold, there are many that harden their hearts against the Holy
Spirit, that it hath no place in them; wherefore, they cast many things away
which are written, and esteem them as things of
noaught.
3 But I, Nephi, have written what I have written;, and I esteem it as of great worth, and especially unto my
people. For I pray continually for them by day, and mine eyes water my
pillow by night, because of them; and I cry unto my God in faith, and I know
that he will hear my cry;.
4 aAnd I know that the Lord God
will consecrate my prayers, for the gain of my people.
And the things words which I
have written in weakness, will be made strong unto
them:; for it persuadeth them to do
good; it maketh known unto them of their fathers; and it speaketh of Jesus, and
persuadeth men them to believe in
him, and to endure to the end, which is life eternal.
5 And it speaketh harshly against sin, according
to the plainness of the truth; wherefore, no man will be angry at the words
which I have written, save he shall be of the spirit of the
Ddevil.
6 I glory in plainness; I glory in truth; I glory in my Jesus, for he hath redeemed my soul from hell.
7 I have charity for my people, and great faith in Christ,
that I shall meet many souls spotless at his judgment-seat.
8 I have charity for the Jew;--I
say Jew, because I mean them from whence I came.
9 I also have charity for the Gentiles.--But behold, for
none of these I cannot can I
hope, except they shall be reconciled unto Christ, and enter
into the narrow gate, and walk in the straight
path, which leads to life, and continue in the path until the
end of the day of probation.
10 And now, my beloved brethren, and also Jew, and all ye ends of the earth,
hearken unto these words, and believe in Christ; and if ye
believe not in these words, believe in Christ. And if ye
shall believe in Christ, ye will believe in these
words:, for they are the words of
Christ, and he hath given them unto me; and they teach all men that they should
do good.
11 And if they are not the words of Christ, judge ye:--for Christ will sheow unto you, with power and great glory, that they are his
words, at the last day; and you and I shall stand face to face before his bar;
and ye shall know that I have been commanded of him to write these things,
notwithstanding my weakness:.
12 aAnd I pray the Father in the
name of Christ, that many of us, if not all, may be saved in
his kingdom, at that great and last day.
13 And now, my beloved brethren, all they which those who are of the Hhouse of Israel, and all ye ends of the earth, I speak unto
you, as the voice of one crying from the dust:
fFarewell until that great day
shall come;.
14 aAnd you that will not partake
of the goodness of God, and respect the words of the Jews, and also my words,
and the words which shall proceed forth out of the mouth of the Lamb of God,
behold, I bid you an everlasting farewell, for these words shall condemn you at
the last day:.
15 fFor what I seal on earth,
shall be brought against you at the judgment bar; for thus hath the Lord
commanded me, and I must obey. Amen.