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THE FIRST BOOK OF NEPHI.
HIS REIGN AND MINISTRY.
CHAPTER I.
An account of Lehi and his wife Sariah, and his four Sons, being called, (beginning at the eldest,) Laman,
Lemuel, Sam, and Nephi. The Lord warns Lehi to depart out of the land of Jerusalem, because he prophesieth
unto the people concerning their iniquity; and they seek to destroy his life. He taketh three days journey
into the wilderness with his family. Nephi taketh his brethren and returns to the land of Jerusalem after
the record of the Jews. The account of their sufferings. They take the daughters of Ishmael to wife. They
take their families and depart into the wilderness. Their sufferings and afflictions in the wilderness. The
course of their travels. They come to the large waters. Nephi's brethren rebelled against him. He confounded them,
and buildeth a Ship. They call the place Bountiful. They cross the large waters into the promised land, &c. This
is according to the account of Nephi; or in other words, I Nephi wrote this record.
I, Nephi, having been born of goodly parents, therefore I was taught somewhat in all the learning of my father;
and having seen many afflictions in the course of my days -- nevertheless, having been highly favored of the Lord
in all my days; yea, having had a great knowledge of the goodness and the mysteries of God, therefore I make a
record of my proceedings in my days; yea, I make a record in the language of my father, which
consists of the learning of the Jews and the language of the Egyptians. And I know that the
record which I make, to be true; and I make it with mine own hand; and I make it according to my
knowledge.
For it came to pass in the commencement of the first year of the reign of Zedekiah, king of Judah, (my father Lehi
having dwelt at Jerusalem in all his days;) and in that same year there came many prophets, prophesying unto the
people, that they must repent, or the great city Jerusalem must be destroyed.
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FIRST BOOK OF NEPHI.
Wherefore it came to pass, that my father Lehi, as he went forth, prayed unto the Lord, yea, even with all his heart,
in behalf of his people.
And it came to pass, as he prayed unto the Lord, there came a pillar of fire and dwelt upon a rock before him; and
he saw and heard, he did quake and tremble exceedingly.
And it came to pass that he returned to his own house at Jerusalem; and he cast himself upon his bed, being overcome
with the spirit and the things which he had seen; and being thus overcome with the spirit, he was
carried away in a vision, even that he saw the Heavens open; and he thought he saw God sitting upon his throne,
surrounded with numberless concourses of angels in the attitude of singing and praising their God.
And it came to pass that he saw one descending out of the midst of Heaven, and he beheld that his lustre was above
that of the sun at noon-day; and he also saw twelve others following him, and their brightness did
exceed that of the stars in the firmament; and they came down and went forth upon the face of the
earth; and the first came and stood before my father, and gave unto him a Book, and bade him that he should read.
And it came to pass as he read, he was filled with the spirit of the Lord, and he read saying,
Wo, wo unto Jerusalem! for I have seen thine abominations; yea, and many things did my father read concerning Jerusalem --
that it should be destroyed, and the inhabitants thereof, many should perish by the sword, and many should be carried
away captive into Babylon.
And it came to pass that when my father had read and saw many great and marvellous things, he did exclaim many things
unto the Lord; such as, Great and marvellous are thy works, O Lord God Almighty! Thy throne is high in the Heavens,
and the power and goodness, and mercy is over all the inhabitants of the earth; and because thou art merciful, thou
wilt not suffer those who come unto thee that they shall perish! And after this manner was the
language of my father in the praising of his God; for his soul did rejoice, and his whole heart was filled, because of
the things which he had seen; yea, which the Lord had shewn unto him. And now I, Nephi, do not
make a full account of the things which my father hath written, for he hath written many things which he saw in visions
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and in dreams; and he also hath written many things which he prophesied and spake unto his children, of which I shall
not make a full account; but I will make an account of my proceedings in my days -- Behold I make
an abridgement of the record of my father, upon plates which I have made with mine own hands; wherefore, after that
I have abridged the record of my father, then will I make an account of mine own life.
Therefore, I would that ye should know that after the Lord had shewn marvellous things unto my father Lehi, yea,
concerning the destruction of Jerusalem, behold he went forth among the people and began to prophesy and to declare
unto them concerning the things which he had both seen and heard.
And it came to pass that the Jews did not mock him because of the things which he testified of them; for he truly
testified of their wickedness and their abominations; and he testified that the things which he saw and heard, and
also the things which he read in the Book, manifested plainly of the coming of a Messiah, and also the redemption of
the world.
And when the Jews heard these things, they were angry with him; yea, even as with the prophets of old, whom they had
cast out and stoned and slain; and they also sought his life, that they might take it away. But behold, I, Nephi will
shew unto you that the tender mercies of the Lord is over all them whom he hath chosen, because of their faith, to
make them mighty even unto the power of deliverance.
For behold it came to pass that the Lord spake unto my father., yea, even in a dream, and sayeth unto him, Blessed art
thou Lehi, because of the things which thou hast done; and because thou hast been faithful and declared unto this
people the things which I commanded thee, behold they seek to take away thy life.
And it came to pass that the Lord commanded my father even in a dream, that he should take his family and depart into
the wilderness. And it came to pass that he was obedient unto the word of the Lord, wherefore
he did as the Lord commanded him.
And it came to pass that he departed into the wilderness. -- And he left his house, and the land of his inheritance,
and his gold, and his silver, and his precious things, and took nothing with him save it were his family, and
provisions, and tents, and he departed into the wilderness; and he came down by the
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borders near the shore of the Red Sea; and he travelled in the wilderness, in the borders, which was nearer the
Red Sea; and he did travel in the wilderness with his family, which consisted of my mother, Sariah, and my elder
brothers, which were Laman, Lemuel and Sam.
And it came to pass that when he had travelled three days in the wilderness, he pitched his tent in a valley beside
a river of water. And it came to pass that he built an altar of stones, and he made an offering
unto the Lord, and gave thanks unto the Lord our God. And it came to pass that he called the
name of the river Laman, and it emptied into the Red Sea; and the valley was in the borders near the mouth thereof.
And when my father saw that the waters of the river emptied into the fountain of the Red Sea,
he spake unto Laman, saying: O that thou mightest be like unto this river, continually running into the fountain of
all righteousness. And he also spake unto Lemuel: O that thou mightest be like unto this valley,
firm, and steadfast, and immoveable in keeping the commandments of the Lord. Now this he spake
because of the stiffneckedness of Laman and Lemuel; for behold; they did murmur in many things against their father,
because that he was a visionary man, and that he had led them out of the land of Jerusalem, to leave the land of
their inheritance, and their gold, and their silver, and their precious things, and to perish in the wilderness.
And this they said he had done because of the foolish imaginations of his heart. And thus Laman
and Lemuel, being the eldest, did murmur against their father. -- And they did murmur because they knew not the
dealings of that God who had created them. Neither did they believe that Jerusalem, that great
city, could be destroyed according to the words of the prophets. And they were like unto the Jews, which were at
Jerusalem, which sought to take away the life of my father.
And it came to pass that my father did speak unto them in the valley of Lemuel, with power, being filled with the
spirit, until their frames did shake before him. And he did confound them, that they durst not utter against him;
wherefore they did do as he commanded them. And my father dwelt in a tent.
And it came to pass that I, Nephi, being exceeding young, nevertheless being large in stature, and also having great
desires to know of the mysteries of God, wherefore I did cry unto the Lord; and behold he did visit me, and did soften my
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heart that I did believe all the words which had been spoken by my father; wherefore I did not rebel against him like
unto my brothers. And I spake unto Sam, making known unto him the things which the Lord had
manifested unto me by his Holy Spirit.
And it came to pass that he believed in my words; but behold Laman and Lemuel would not hearken
unto my words: And being grieved because of the hardness of their hearts, I cried unto the Lord for them.
And it came to pass that the Lord spake unto me, saying: Blessed art thou, Nephi, because of thy faith, for thou hast
sought me diligently, with lowiness of heart. And inasmuch as ye shall keep my commandments, ye
shall prosper, and shall be led to a land of promise; yea, even a land which I have prepared for you; yea, a land which
is choice above all other lands. And inasmuch as thy brethren shall rebel against thee, they shall
be cut off from the presence of the Lord. And inasmuch as thou shalt keep my commandments, thou
shalt be made a ruler and a teacher over thy brethren. For behold, in that day that they shall
rebel against me. I will curse them even with a sore curse, and they shall have no power over thy seed, except they
shall rebel against me also. And if it so be that they rebel against me, they shall be a scourge
unto thy seed, to stir them up in the ways of remembrance.
And it came to pass that I, Nephi, returned from speaking with the Lord, to the tent of my father.
And it came to pass that he spake unto me, saying: Behold I have dreamed a dream, in the which the Lord hath commanded
me that thou and thy brethren shall return to Jerusalem. For behold, Laban hath the record of the
Jews, and also a genealogy of my forefathers, and they are engraven upon the plates of brass.
Wherefore the Lord hath commanded me that thou and thy brothers should go unto the house of Laban, and seek the records,
and bring them down hither into the wilderness. And now, behold, thy brothers murmur, saying: It
is a hard thing which I have required of them; but behold I have not required it of them, but it is commanded of the
Lord. Therefore go, my son, and thou shalt be favored of the Lord, because thou hast not murmured.
And it came to pass, that I, Nephi, said unto my father, I will go and do the things which the Lord hath commanded,
for I know that the Lord giveth no commandments unto the
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children of men, save he shall prepare a way for them that they may accomplish the thing which he commandeth them.
And it came to pass that when my father had heard these words, he was exceeding glad, for he knew that I had been
blessed of the Lord. And I, Nephi, and my brethren, took our journey in the wilderness with our
tents, to go up to the land of Jerusalem.
And it came to pass that when we had come up to the land of Jerusalem, I and my brethren did consult one with
another; and we cast lots, which of us should go in unto the house of Laban. And it came to pass
that the lot fell upon Laman; and Laman went in unto the house of Laban and he talked with him as he sat in his
house. And he desired of Laban the records which were engraven upon the plates of brass, which
contained the genealogy of my father.
And behold, it came to pass that Laban was angry, and thrust him out of his presence; and he would not that he should
have records. Wherefore he said unto him, behold thou art a robber, and I will slay thee. But
Laman fled out of his presence, and told the things which Laban had done, unto us. And we began to be exceeding
sorrowful, and my brethren were about to return unto my father in the wilderness. But behold I
said unto them, that as the Lord liveth, and as we live, we will not go down unto our father in the wilderness, until
we have accomplished the thing which the Lord hath commanded us. Wherefore let us be faithful
in keeping the commandments of the Lord; therefore let us go down to the land of our father's inheritance, for behold
he left gold and silver, and all manner of riches. And all this he hath done, because of the commandments of the
Lord: for he knowing that Jerusalem must be destroyed, because of the wickedness of the people.
For behold, they have rejected the words of the prophets -- Wherefore if my father should dwell in the land after
that he hath been commanded to flee out of the land, behold he would also perish. Wherefore it must needs be that he
flee out of the land. And behold, it is wisdom in God that we should obtain these records, that
we might preserve unto our children the language of our fathers; and also that we may preserve
unto them the words which have been spoken by the mouth of all the holy prophets, which have been delivered unto them
by the spirit and power of God, since the world began, even down unto the present time.
FIRST BOOK OF NEPHI.
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And it came to pass that after this manner of language did I persuade my brethren, that they might be faithful in
keeping the commandments of God. And it came to pass that we went down to the land of our
inheritance, and we did gather together our gold, and our silver, and our precious things. And
after that we had gathered these things together, we went up again unto the house of Laban.
And it came to pass that we went in unto Laban, and desired him that he would give unto us the records which were
engraven upon the plates of brass, for which we would give unto him our gold, and our silver, and all our precious
things.
And it came to pass that when Laban saw our property, and that it was exceeding great, he did lust after it, insomuch
that he thrust us out, and sent his servants to slay us, that he might obtain our property. And
it came to pass that we did flee before the servants of Laban, and we were obliged to leave behind our property,
and it fell into the hands of Laban.
And it came to pass that we fled into the wilderness, and the servants of Laban did not overtake us, and we hid
ourselves in the cavity of a rock. And it came to pass that Laman was angry with me, and also
with my father; and also Lemuel; for he hearkened unto the words of Laman. Wherefore Laman and Lemuel did speak many
hard words unto us, their younger brothers, and they did smite us even with a rod.
And it came to pass as they smote us with a rod, behold an angel of the Lord came and stood
before them, and he spake unto them saying: Why do ye smite your younger brother with a rod? Know ye not that the
Lord hath chosen him to be a ruler over you , and this because of your iniquities? Behold thou shalt go up to Jerusalem
again, and the Lord will deliver Laban into your hands. And after that the angel had spoken unto
us, he departed. And after that angel had departed, Laman and Lemuel again began to murmur,
saying, how is it possible that the Lord will deliver Laban into our hands? Behold he is a mighty man, and he can
command fifty, yea, even he can slay fifty; then why not us?
And it came to pass that I spake unto my brethren, saying: Let us go up again unto Jerusalem, and let us be faithful
in keeping the commandments of the Lord; for behold he is mightier than all the earth, then why not mightier than
Laban and his fifty yea, or even than his tens of thousands. Therefore let us go up; let us be
strong like unto Moses: For he truly spake unto the waters of the Red Sea, and they divided
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hither and thither, and our fathers came through out of captivity on dry ground, and the armies of Pharaoh did follow
and were drowned in the waters of the Red Sea. Now behold ye know that this is true; and ye also
know that an angel hath spoken unto you, wherefore can ye doubt. Let us go up; the Lord is able to deliver us, even
as our fathers, and to destroy Laban, even as the Egyptians.
Now when I had spoken these words, they were yet wroth, and still did continue to murmur; Nevertheless they did follow
me up until we came without the walls of Jerusalem. And it was by night; and I caused that they
should hide themselves without the walls. And after that they had hid themselves, I, Nephi, crept into the city and
went forth towards the house of Laban. And I was led by the spirit, not knowing beforehand the
things which I should do. Nevertheless I went forth, and as I came near the house of Laban, I
beheld a man, and he had fallen to the earth before me, for he was drunken with wine. And when I
came to him, I found that it was Laban. And I beheld his sword, and I drew it forth from the
sheath thereof, and the hilt thereof was of pure gold, and the workmanship thereof was exceeding fine; and I saw that
the blade thereof was of the most precious steel.
And it came to pass that I was constrained by the spirit that I should kill Laban; but I said in my heart, never at
any time have I shed blood of man, and I shrunk and would that I might not slay him. And the
spirit saith unto me again, behold the Lord hath delivered him into thy hands; yea, and I also knew that he had sought
to take away mine own life; yea, and he would not hearken unto the commandments of the Lord; and he also had taken
away our property.
And it came to pass that the spirit said unto me again, slay him, for the Lord hath delivered him into my
hands. Behold the Lord slayeth the wicked to bring forth his righteous purposes: it is better
that one man should perish, than that a nation should dwindle and perish in unbelief.
And now, when I, Nephi, had heard these words, I remembered the words of the Lord which he spake unto me in the
wilderness, saying, that inasmuch as thy seed shall keep my commandments, they shall prosper in the land of promise. --
Yea, and I also thought that they could not keep the commandments of the Lord according to the
law of Moses, save they should have the law. And I also knew that the law was engraven upon the
plates of brass. And again -- I knew that
FIRST BOOK OF NEPHI.
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the Lord had delivered Laban into my hands, for this cause: that I might obtain the records according to his
commandments. Therefore I did obey the voice of the spirit, and took Laban by the hair of the
head, and I smote off his head with his own sword.
And after that I had smitten off his head with his own sword, I took the garments of Laban and put them upon mine
own body; yea, even every whit; and I did gird on his armour about my loins. And after that
I had done this, I went forth unto the treasury of Laban, And as I went forth towards the treasury of Laban, behold
I saw the servant of Laban which had the keys of the treasury. And I commanded him in the voice of Laban, that he
should go with me into the treasury; and he supposed me to be his master, Laban, for he beheld
the garments, and also the sword girted about my loins. And he spake unto me concerning the elders
of the Jews, he knowing that his master Laban had been out by night among them. And I spake unto
him as if it had been Laban. And I also spake unto him that I should carry the engravings which
were upon the plates of brass, to my elder brethren, which were without the walls. And I also
bade him that he should follow me. And he, supposing that I spake of the brethren of the church,
and that I was truly that Laban whom I had slain, wherefore he did follow me. And he spake unto
me many times concerning the elders of the Jews, as I went forth unto my brethren, which were without walls.
And it came to pass that when Laman saw me, he was exceedingly frightened, and also Lemuel and Sam. And they fled
from before my presence; for they supposed it was Laban, and that he had slain me, and had sought to take away their
lives also.
And it came to pass that I called after them, and they did hear me; wherefore they did cease to flee from my
presence. And it came to pass that when the servant of Laban beheld my brethren, he began to
tremble, and was about to flee from before me and return to the city of Jerusalem.
And now I, Nephi, being a man large in stature, and also having received much strength of the Lord, therefore I did
seize upon the servant of Laban, and held him, that he should not flee.
And it came to pass that I spake with him, that if he would hearken unto my words, as the Lord liveth and as I live,
even so that if he would hearken unto our words, we would spare
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his life. And I spake unto him, even with an oath, that he need not fear; that he should be a
free man like unto us, if he would go down in the wilderness with us. And I also spake unto him,
saying, surely the Lord hath commanded us to do this thing. And shall we not be diligent in keeping the commandments
of the Lord? therefore, if thou wilt go down into the wilderness to my father, thou shalt have place with us.
And it came to pass that Zoram did take courage at the words which I spake. Now Zoram was the name of the servant;
and he promised that he would go down into the wilderness unto our father. And he also made an oath unto us, that
he would tarry with us from that time forth. Now we were desirous that we should tarry with us
for this cause: that the Jews might not know concerning our flight into the wilderness, lest they should pursue us and
destroy us.
And it came to pass that when Zoram had made an oath unto us, our fears did cease concerning him.
And it came to pass that we took the plates of brass and the servant of Laban, and departed into the wilderness, and
journied into the tent of our father.
And it came to pass after we had came down into the wilderness unto our father, behold he was filled with joy, and also
my mother, Sariah, was exceeding glad, for she truly had mourned because of us; for she had supposed
that we had perished in the wilderness; and she also had complained against my father, telling him that he was a
visionary man; saying, behold thou hast led us forth from the land of our inheritance, and my sons are no more, and we
perish in the wilderness. And after this manner of language had my mother complained against my
father.
And it came to pass that my father spake unto her saying: I know that I am a visionary man; for if I had not seen the
things of God in a vision, I should not have known the goodness of God, but had tarried at Jerusalem and had perished
with my children. But behold, I have obtained a land of promise, in the which thing I do rejoice;
yea, and I know that the Lord will deliver my sons out of the hands of Laban, and bring them down again unto us in the
wilderness. And after this manner of language did my father Lehi comfort my mother Sariah,
concerning us, while we journied in the wilderness up to the land of Jerusalem, to obtain the record of the Jews.
And when we had returned to the tent of my father, behold
FIRST BOOK OF NEPHI.
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their joy was full, and my mother was comforted; and she spake, saying: Now I know of a surety
that the Lord hath commanded my husband to flee into the wilderness; yea, and I also know of a surety that the Lord
hath protected my sons and delivered them out of the hands of Laban, and gave them power whereby they could accomplish
the thing which the Lord hath commanded them. And after this language did she speak.
And it came to pass that they did rejoice exceedingly, and did offer sacrifice and burnt offerings unto the Lord; and
they gave thanks unto the God of Israel. And after that they had given thanks unto the God of
Israel, my father Lehi took the records which were engraven upon the plates of brass, and he did search them from the
beginning. And he beheld that they did contain the five books of Moses, which gave an account of
the creation of the world, and also of Adam and Eve, which was our first parents; and also a
record of Jews from the beginning, even down to the commencement of the reign of Zedekiah, King of Judah;
and also the prophecies of the Holy prophets, from the beginning, even down to the commencement of the reign of
Zedekiah; and also many prophecies which have been spoken by the mouth of Jeremiah.
And it came to pass that my father Lehi also found upon the plates of brass, a genealogy of his fathers; wherefore
he knew that he was a descendant of Joseph; yea, even that Joseph which was the son of Jacob, which was sold into
Egypt, and which was preserved by the hand of the Lord, that he might preserve his father Jacob and all his household
from perishing with famine. And they were also led out of captivity and out of the land of Egypt,
by the same God who had preserved them. And thus my father Lehi did discover the genealogy of his
fathers. And Laban also was a descendant of Joseph, wherefore he and his fathers had kept the records.
And now when my father saw all these things, he was filled with the spirit, and began to prophesy concerning his
seed; that these plates of brass should go forth unto all nations, kindreds, tongues, and people
which were of his seed. Wherefore he said that these plates of brass should never perish; neither
should they be dimmed any more by time. And he prophesied many times concerning his seed.
And it came to pass that thus far I and my father had kept the commandments wherewith the Lord had commanded us.
And we had obtained the record which the Lord had commanded
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us, and searched them and found that they were desirable yea, even of great worth unto us, insomuch that we could
preserve the commandments of the Lord unto our children. Wherefore it was wisdom in the Lord that
we should carry them with us, as we journied in the wilderness towards the land of promise.
========
CHAPTER II.
And now I, Nephi, do not give the genealogy of my fathers in this part of my record; neither at any time shall I give
it after upon these plates which I am writing; for it is given in the record which has been kept by my father; wherefore
I do not write it in this work. For it sufficeth me to say, that we are a descendant of
Joseph. And it mattereth not to me that I am particular to give a full account of all things of
my father, for they cannot be written upon these plates, for I desire the room, that I may write of the things of
God. For the fullness of mine intent is that I may persuade men to come unto the God of Abraham,
and the God of Isaac, and the God of Jacob, and be saved. Wherefore the things which are pleasing
unto the world, I do not write, but the things which are pleasing unto God and unto them which are not of the
world. Wherefore I shall give commandment unto my seed, that they shall not occupy these plates
with things which are not of worth unto the children of men. And now I would that ye might know,
that after my father Lehi had made an end of prophesying concerning his seed, it came to pass that the Lord spake unto
him again, saying, that it was not mete for him, Lehi, that he should take his family into the wilderness alone; but
that his sons should take daughters to wife that they might raise up seed unto the Lord in the land of promise.
And it came to pass that the Lord commanded him that I, Nephi, and my brethren, should again return unto the land of
Jerusalem, and bring down Ishmael and his family into the wilderness.
And it came to pass that I, Nephi, did again, with my brethren, go forth into the wilderness to go up to
Jerusalem. And it came to pass that we went up unto the house of Ishmael, and we did gain favor
in the sight of Ishmael, insomuch that we did speak unto him the words of the Lord.
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And it came to pass that the Lord did soften the heart of Ishmael, and also his household, insomuch that they took
their journey with us down into the wilderness to the tent of our father. And it came to pass
as we journied in the wilderness, behold, Laman and Lemuel, and two of the daughters of Ishmael, and the two sons of
Ishmael, and their families, did rebel against us; yea, against I, Nephi, and Sam, and their father, Ishmael, and
his wife, and his three other daughters.
And it came to pass in the which rebellion, they were desirous to return unto the land of Jerusalem.
And now I, Nephi, being grieved for the hardness of their hearts, therefore I spake unto them, saying; yea, even unto
Laman and unto Lemuel, behold, thou art mine elder brethren; and how is it that ye are so hard in your hearts, and
so blind in your minds, that ye have need that I, your younger brother, should speak unto you, yea, and set an example
for you? How is it that ye have not hearkened unto the word of the Lord?
How is it that ye have forgotten that ye have seen an angel of the Lord? Yea, and how is it that
ye have forgotten how great things the Lord hath done for us in delivering us out of the hands of Laban, and also that
we should obtain the record? Yea, and how is it that ye have forgotten that the Lord is able to
do all things, according to his will, for the children of men, if it so be that they exercise faith in him; wherefore,
let us be faithful in him. And if it so be that we are faithful in him, we shall obtain the land
of promise; and ye shall know at some future period, that the word of the Lord shall be fulfilled, concerning the
destruction of Jerusalem; for all things which the Lord hath spoken concerning the destruction of Jerusalem, must be
fulfilled. For, behold, the spirit of the Lord ceaseth soon to strive with them; for behold,
they have rejected the prophets, and Jeremiah have they cast into prison. And they have sought to take away the life
of my father, insomuch that they have driven him out of the land.
Now behold, I say unto you, that if ye will return unto Jerusalem, ye shall also perish with them. And now, if ye have
choice, go up to the land, and remember the words which I speak unto you, that if ye go, ye will also perish; for thus
the spirit of the Lord constraineth me that I should speak.
And it came to pass that when I, Nephi, had spoken these words unto my brethren, they were angry with me. And it came
to pass that they did lay their hands upon me; for, behold, they were exceeding wroth; and they did bind me with cords,
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for they sought to take away my life, that they might leave me in the wilderness, to be devoured by wild beasts.
But it came to pass that I prayed unto the Lord, saying: O Lord, according to my faith which is in thee, wilt thou
deliver me from the hands of my brethren; yea, even give me strength that I may burst these bands with which I am
bound.
And it came to pass that when I had said these words, behold, the bands were loosed from off my hands and feet, and
I stood before my brethren, and I spake unto them again. And it came to pass that they were angry
with me again, and sought to lay hands upon me; but, behold, one of the daughters of Ishmael, yea, and also her mother,
and one of the sons of Ishmael, did plead with my brethren; and they did cease striving to take away my life.
And it came to pass that they were sorrowful, because of their wickedness, insomuch that they did bow down before me,
and did plead with me, that I would forgive them of the thing that they had done against me.
And it came to pass that I did frankly forgive them all that they had done, and I did exhort them that they would
pray unto the Lord their God, for forgiveness. And it came to pass that they did so. And after that they had done
praying unto the Lord, we did again travel on our journey toward the tent of our father.
And it came to pass that we did come down unto the tent of our father. And after that I and my brothers, and all the
house of Ishmael, had come down unto the tent of my father, they did give thanks unto the Lord their God; and they did
offer sacrifice and burnt offerings unto him.
And it came to pass that we had gathered together all manner of seeds of every kind; both of grain of every kind, and
also of the seeds of fruits of every kind. And it came to pass that while my father tarried in
the wilderness, he spake unto ,us, saying: Behold, I have dreamed a dream; or, in other words, I have seen a
vision. And behold, because of the thing which I have seen, I have reason to rejoice in the Lord,
because of Nephi, and also of Sam, for I have reason to suppose that they, and also many of their seed, will be
saved. -- But, behold, Laman and Lemuel, I fear exceedingly, because of you; for, behold, me
thought I saw a dark and dreary wilderness.
FIRST BOOK OF NEPHI.
19
And it came to pass that I saw a man, and he was dressed in a white robe; and he came and stood before me.
And it came to pass that he spake unto me, and bade me follow him. And it came to pass that as I
followed him, and after I had followed him, I beheld myself that I was in the dark and dreary waste.
And after that I travelled for the space of many hours in darkness, I began to pray unto the Lord, that he would have
mercy on me, according to the multitude of his tender mercies.
And it came to pass that after I had prayed unto the Lord, I beheld a large and spacious field.
And it came to pass that I beheld a tree, whose fruit was desirable, to make one happy.
And it came to pass that I did go forth, and partake of the fruit thereof; and I beheld that it was most sweet, above
all that I ever had before tasted. Yea, and I beheld that the fruit thereof was white, to exceed all the whiteness that
I had ever seen. And as I partook of the fruit thereof, it filled my soul with exceeding great joy;
wherefore, I began to be desirous that my family should partake of it also; for I knew that it was desirous above all
other fruit. And as I cast my eyes round about, that perhaps I might discover my family also, I
beheld a river of water; and it ran along, and it was near the tree of which I was partaking the fruit.
And I looked to behold from whence it came; and I saw the head thereof, a little way off; and at the head thereof, I
beheld your mother Sariah, and Sam, and Nephi; and they stood as if they knew not whither they should go.
And it came to pass that I beckoned unto them; and I also did say unto them, with a loud voice, that they should come
unto me, and partake of the fruit, which was desirable above all other fruit.
And it came to pass that they did come unto me, and partake of the fruit also. And it came to pass
that I was desirous that Laman and Lemuel should come and partake of the fruit also; wherefore, I cast mine eyes towards
the head of the river, that perhaps I might see them.
And it came to pass that I saw them, but they would not come unto me. And I beheld a rod of iron;
and it extended along the bank of the river, and led to the tree by which I stood. And I also
beheld a straight and narrow path which came along by the rod of iron, even to the tree by which I stood; and it also
led by the head of the fountain, unto a large and spacious field, as if it had been a world; and
I saw numberless
20
FIRST BOOK OF NEPHI.
concourses of people; many of whom were pressing forward, that they might obtain the path which led unto the tree by
which it stood.
And it came to pass that they did come forth, and commence in the path which led to the tree. And
it came to pass that there arose a mist of darkness; yea, even an exceeding great mist of darkness, insomuch that they
which had commenced in the path, did lose their way, that they wandered off, and were lost.
And it came to pass that I beheld others pressing forward; and they came forth, and caught hold of the end of the rod
of iron, and they did press through the mist of darkness, clinging to the rod of iron, even until they did come forth
and partake of the fruit of the tree. And after that they had partaken of the fruit of the tree,
they did cast their eyes about as it they were ashamed. And I also cast my eyes round about, and
beheld, on the other side of the river of water, a great and spacious building; and it stood as it were in the air,
high above the earth; and it was filled with people, both old and young, both male and female;
and their number of dress was exceeding fine; and they were in the attitude of mocking and pointing their fingers
towards those which had come at, and were partaking of the fruit. And after that they had tasted
of the fruit, they were ashamed, because of those that were scoffing at them; and they fell away into forbidden paths,
and were lost.
And now I, Nephi, do not speak all the words of my father. But to be short in writing: Behold,
he saw other multitudes pressing forward; and they came and caught hold of the end of the rod of iron; and they did
press their way forward, continually holding fast to the rod of iron, until they came forth and fell down, and partook
of the fruit of the tree. And he also saw other multitudes, feeling their way towards that great
and spacious building.
And it came to pass that many were drowned in the depths of the fountain; and many were lost from his view, wandering
in strange roads. And great was the multitude that did enter into that strange building. And
after that they did enter into that building, they did point the finger of scorn at me, and those that were partaking
of the fruit also; but we heeded them not. These are the words of my father: For as many as
heeded them, had fallen away. And Laman and Lemuel partook not of the fruit, saith my father.
And it came to pass that after my father had spoken all the
FIRST BOOK OF NEPHI.
21
words of his dream or vision, which were many, he said unto us, because of these things which he saw in a vision. he
exceedingly feared for Laman and Lemuel; yea, he feared lest they should be cast off from the presence of the
Lord; and he did not exhort them then with all the feeling of a tender parent, that they would
hearken to his words, in that, perhaps the Lord would be merciful to them, and not cast them off; yea, my father did
preach unto them.
And after he had preached unto them, and also prophesied unto them of many things, he bade them to keep the commandments
of the Lord; and he did cease speaking unto them. And all these things did my father see, and hear,
and speak, as he dwelt in a tent, in the valley of Lemuel; and also a great many more things, which cannot be written
upon these plates. And now, as I have spoken concerning these plates, behold, they are not the
plates upon which I make a full account of the history of my people, I have given the name of Nephi; wherefore, they
are called the plates of Nephi, after mine own name; and these plates also, are called the plates of Nephi.
Nevertheless, I have received a commandment of the Lord, that I should make these plates, for the special purpose that
there should be an account engraven of the ministry of my people. Upon the other plates should be
engraven an account of the reign of the Kings, and the wars, and contentions of my people; wherefore, these plates
are, for the more part, of the ministry; and the other plates are, for the more part, of the reign of the Kings, and
the wars, and the contentions of my people. Wherefore, the Lord hath commanded me to make these
plates, for a wise purpose in him; which purpose, I know not. Behold the Lord knoweth all things,
from the beginning; wherefore, he prepareth a way to accomplish all his works among the children of men; for behold,
he hath all power unto the fulfilling of all his words. And thus it is. Amen.
========
CHAPTER III.
And now I, Nephi, proceed to give an account upon these plates, of my proceedings, and my reign and ministry; therefore,
to proceed with mine account. I must speak somewhat of the things of my father, and also of my brethren.
22
FIRST BOOK OF NEPHI.
For behold, it came to pass that after my father had made an end of speaking the words of his dream, and also exhorting
them to all diligence, he spake unto them concerning the Jews: How that after they were destroyed,
yea, even that great city Jerusalem; and that many were carried away captive into Babylon; that according to the own
due time of the Lord, they should return again; yea, even be brought back out of captivity; and after they are brought
back out of captivity, to possess again the land of their inheritance.
Yea, even six hundred years from the time that my father left Jerusalem, a Prophet would the Lord God raise up among
the Jews; yea, even a Messiah; or, in other words, a Saviour of the world. And he also spake
concerning the prophets: How great a number had testified of these things, concerning this Messiah, of which he had
spoken, or this Redeemer of the world. Wherefore, all mankind was in a lost and in a fallen state;
and ever would be, save they should rely on this Redeemer.
And he spake also, concerning a prophet, which should come before the Messiah, to prepare the way of the
Lord; yea, even he should go forth and cry in the wilderness, Prepare ye the way of the Lord,
and make his paths straight; for there standeth one among you whom ye know not; and he is mightier than I, whose shoe's
latchet I am not worthy to unloose. And much spake my father concerning this thing.
And my father saith that he should baptise in Bethabara, beyond Jordan; and he also spake, that he should baptise with
water. yea, even that he should baptise the Messiah with water. And after that he had baptised
the Messiah with water, he should behold and bear record, that he had baptised the Lamb of God, which should take away
the sins of the world.
And it came to pass that after my father had spoken these words, he spake unto my brethren concerning the Gospel, which
should be preached among the Jews; and also, concerning the dwindling of the Jews in unbelief. And after that they had
slain the Messiah which should come, and after that he had been slain, he should rise from the dead, and should make
himself manifest, by the Holy Ghost, unto the Gentiles.
Yea, even my father spake much concerning the Gentiles, and also concerning the House of Israel: that they should be
compared like unto an olive tree, whose branches should be broken off, and should be scattered upon all the face of
the earth. Wherefore, he said, it must needs be that we should
FIRST BOOK OF NEPHI.
23
be led with one accord, into the land of promise, unto the fulfilling of the word of the Lord: That we should be
scattered upon all the face of the earth. And after that the house of Israel should be scattered,
they should be gathered together again; or, in fine, that after the Gentiles had received the fulness of the Gospel,
the natural branches of the olive tree, or the remnants of the House of Israel, should be grafted in, or come to the
knowledge of the true Messiah, their Lord and their Redeemer. And after this manner of language
did my father prophesy ,and speak unto my brethren; and also, many more things, which I do not write in this book: for
I have written as many of them, as were expedient for me, in mine other book: And all these things
of which I have spoken, was done, as my father dwelt in a tent, in the valley of Lemuel.
And it came to pass that after I, Nephi, having heard all the words of my father, concerning the things which he saw
in a vision; and also the things which he spake by the power of the Holy Ghost; which power, he received by faith on
the Son of God. And the Son of God was the Messiah, which should come.
And it came to pass that I, Nephi, was desirous also, that I might see, and hear, and know of these things, by the
power of the Holy Ghost, which is the gift of God unto all those who diligently seek him, as well in times of old in
the time that he should manifest himself unto the children of men; for he is the same yesterday,
to-day, and forever; and the way is prepared from the foundation of the world, if it so be that they repent and come
unto him; for he that diligently seeketh, shall find; and the mysteries of God shall be unfolded
unto them, by the power of the Holy Ghost, as well in these times, as in times of old; and as well as in times of old,
as in times to come; wherefore, the courses of the Lord is one eternal round. Therefore, remember,
O man, for all thy doings, thou shalt be brought into judgment. Wherefore, if ye have sought to
do wickedly before the judgment seat of God; and no unclean thing can dwell with God; wherefore, ye must be cast off
forever. And the Holy Ghost giveth authority that I should speak these things, and deny them
not.
For it came to pass that after I had desired to know the things that my father had seen, and believing that the Lord
was able to make them known unto me; wherefore, as I sat
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FIRST BOOK OF NEPHI.
pondering in mine heart, I was caught away in the spirit of the Lord, yea, into an exceeding high mountain, which I,
never had before seen, and upon which I never had before sat my foot. And the spirit saith unto
me, Behold, what desirest thou? And I saith, I desire to behold the things which my father
saw. And the spirit saith unto me, Believest thou that thy father saw the tree of which he hath
spoken? And I said yea; thou knowest that I believe all the words of my father.
And when I had spoken these words, the spirit cried with a loud voice, saying: Hosanna to the Lord, the most high God;
for he is God over all the earth, yea, even above all; and blessed art thou, Nephi, because thou believest in the Son
of the Most High God; wherefore, thou shalt behold the things which thou desired. And behold,
this thing shall be given unto thee for a sign: that after thou hast beheld the tree which bore the fruit which thy
father tasted, thou shalt also behold a man descending out of Heaven, and him shall ye witness; and after that ye have
witnessed him, ye shall bear record that it is the Son of God.
And it came to pass that the spirit saith unto me, look! and I looked and beheld the tree; and it was like unto the
tree which my father had seen; and the beauty thereof was far beyond, yea, exceeding of all beauty; and the whiteness
thereof, did exceed the whiteness of the driven snow.
And it came to pass that after that I had seen the tree, I said unto the spirit, I behold thou hast shewn unto me the
tree which is precious above all. And he saith unto me, What desirest thou?
And I said unto him, to know the interpretation thereof; for I spake unto him as a man speaketh; for I beheld that he
was in the form of a man; yet, nevertheless, I knew that it was the spirit of the Lord; and he spake unto me as a man
speaketh with another.
And it came to pass that he said unto me, look: And I looked as if to look upon him, and I saw him not; for he had
gone from before my presence.
And it came to pass that I looked and beheld the great city Jerusalem, and also other cities. And I beheld the city of
Nazareth; and in the city of Nazareth I beheld a virgin, and she was exceeding fair and white.
And it came to pass that I saw the Heavens open; and an angel came down and stood before me; and he saith unto me,
Nephi, what beholdest thou? And I saith unto him, a virgin, most beautiful and fair above all
other virgins. And he saith
FIRST BOOK OF NEPHI.
25
unto me, Knowest thou condescention of God? And I said unto him, I know that he loveth his
children; nevertheless, I do not know the meaning of all things. And he said unto me, Behold,
the virgin which thou seest, is the mother of God, after the manner of flesh.
And it came to pass I beheld that she was carried away in the spirit; and after that she had been carried away in
the spirit for the space of time, the angel spake unto me, saying, look! And I looked and beheld
the virgin again, bearing a child in her arms. And the angel said unto me, behold the Lamb of
God, yea, even the Eternal Father! Knowest thou the meaning of the tree which thy father saw?
And I answered him, saying: Yea, it is the love of God, which sheddeth itself abroad in the hearts of the children of
men; wherefore, it is the most desirable above all things. And he spake unto me, saying, Yea,
and the most joyous to the soul. And after that he had said those words, he said unto me, look!
And I looked, and I beheld the Son of God going forth among the children of men; and I saw many fall down at his feet
and worship him.
And it came to pass that I beheld that the rod of iron which my father had seen, was the word of God, which let to
the fountain of living waters, or to the tree of life; which waters are a representation of the love of God; and I also
beheld that the tree of life was a representation of the love of God. And the angel said unto me
again, Look and behold the condescention of God! And I looked and beheld the Redeemer of the
world, of which my father had spoken; and I also beheld the prophet, which should prepare the way before him. And the
Lamb of God went forth, and was baptised of him; and after that he was baptised, I beheld the Heavens open, and the
Holy Ghost come down out of Heaven and abode upon him in the form of a dove. And I beheld that he
went forth ministering unto the people, in power and great glory; and the multitudes were gathered together to hear
him; and I beheld that they cast him out from among them. And I also beheld twelve others following
him.
And it came to pass that they were carried away in the spirit, from before my face, that I saw them not.
And it came to pass that the angel spake unto me again, saying, look! And I looked, and I beheld the Heavens open again,
and I saw angels descending upon the children of men; and they did minister unto them. And he
spake unto me again, saying. look! And I looked, and beheld the Lamb of God going forth among
26
FIRST BOOK OF NEPHI.
the children of men. And I beheld multitudes of people which were sick, and which were afflicted of all manner of
diseases, and with devils, and unclean spirits; and the angel spake, and shewed all these things unto me. And they
were healed by the power of the Lamb of God; and the devils and the unclean spirits were cast out.
And it came to pass that the angel spake unto me again, saying, look! And I looked and beheld the Lamb of God, that he
was taken by the people; yea, the Everlasting God, was judged of the world; and I saw and bear record.
And I, Nephi, saw that he was lifted up upon the cross, and slain for the sins of the world. And
after that he was slain, I saw the multitudes of the earth, that they were gathered together to fight against the
apostles of the Lamb; for thus were the twelve called by the angel of the Lord. And the multitude
of the earth was gathered together; and I beheld that they were in a large spacious building, like unto the building
which my father saw. And the angel of the Lord spake unto me again, saying, Behold the world and the wisdom thereof;
yea, behold, the House of Israel hath gathered together, to fight against the twelve apostles of the Lamb.
And it came to pass I saw and bear record, that the great and spacious building was the pride of the world; and it fell;
and the fall thereof was exceeding great. And the angel of the Lord spake unto me again, saying: Thus shall be the
destruction of all nations, kindreds, tongues, and people, that shall fight against the twelve apostles of the Lamb.
And it came to pass that the angel said unto me, Look, and behold thy seed, and also the seed of thy brethren! And I
looked and beheld the land of promise; and I beheld multitudes of people, yea, even as it were in number, as many as
the sand of the sea.
And it came to pass that I beheld multitudes gathered together, to battle one against the other; and I beheld wars,
and rumors of wars, and great slaughters with the sword among my people.
And it came to pass that I beheld many generations pass away after the manner of wars and contentions in the land;
and I beheld many cities, yea, even that I did not number them.
And it came to pass that I saw a mist of darkness on the face of the land of promise; and I saw lightnings, and I heard
thunderings, and earthquakes, and all manner of tumultuous
FIRST BOOK OF NEPHI.
27
noises; and I saw the earth and the rocks, that rent; and I saw mountains tumbling into pieces; and I saw the plains
of the earth. that they were broken up; and I saw many cities, that they were sunk; and I saw many, that they were
burned with fire; And I saw many, that they did tumble to earth, because of the quaking thereof.
And it came to pass that after I saw these things, I saw the vapor of darkness, that it passed from off the face of the
earth; and behold, I saw the multitudes which had fallen, because of the great and terrible judgments of the
Lord. And I saw the Heavens open, and the Lamb of God descending out of Heaven; and he came down
and shewed himself unto them. And I also saw and bear record, that the Holy Ghost fell upon
twelve others; and they were ordained of God, and chosen.
And the angel spake unto me, saying: Behold the twelve disciples of the Lamb, which are chosen to minister unto thy
seed. And he saith unto me, Thou remembereth the twelve apostles of the Lamb? Behold, they are
they which shall judge the twelve tribes of Israel; wherefore, the twelve ministers of thy seed, shall be judged of
them; for ye are of the house of Israel; and these twelve ministers which thou beholdest, shall
judge thy seed. And behold, they are righteous forever; for because of their faith in the Lamb of God, their garments
are made white in his blood.
And the angel saith unto me, look! And I looked and beheld three generations did pass away in righteousness; and their
garments were white, even like unto the Lamb of God. And the angel said unto me, These are made white in the blood of
the Lamb, because of their faith in him. And I, Nephi, also many of the fourth generation, which
did pass away in righteousness.
And it came to pass that I saw the multitudes of the earth gathered together. And the angel
said unto me, Behold they seed, and also the seed of thy brethren! And it came to pass that
I looked, and beheld the people of my seed gathered together in multitudes against the seed of my brethren; and they
were gathered together in battle.
And the angel spake unto me, saying: Behold the fountain of filthy water which thy father saw; yea, even the river
of which he spake; and the depths thereof, are the depths of hell; and the mists of darkness,
are the temptations of the devil, which blindeth the eyes, and hardeneth the hearts of the children of men, and leadeth
them away into broad roads, that
28
FIRST BOOK OF NEPHI.
they may perish, and are lost; and the large and spacious building which thy father saw, is
vain imaginations, and the pride of the children of men. And a great and terrible gulf divideth them; yea, even the
word of the justice of the Eternal God, and Jesus Christ, which is the Lamb of God, of whom the Holy Ghost beareth
record, from the beginning of the world until this time, and from this time henceforth and forever.
And while the angel spoke these words, I beheld and saw that the seed of my brethren did contend against my seed,
according to the word of the angel; and because of the pride of my seed, and the temptations of the devil, I beheld
that the seed of my brethren did overpower the people of my seed.
And it came to pass that I beheld and saw the people of the seed of my brethren, that they had overcome my seed; and
they went forth in multitudes upon the face of the land. And I saw them gathered together in
multitudes; and I saw wars, and rumors of wars among them; and in wars, and rumors of wars, I saw many generations
pass away. And the angel said unto me, behold, these shall dwindle in unbelief.
And it came to pass that I beheld that after they had dwindled in unbelief, they became a dark, and loathsome, and a
filthy people, full of idleness and all manner of abominations.
And it came to pass that the angel spake unto me saying, look! And I looked and beheld many nations and
kingdoms. And the angel saith unto me, what beholdest thou? And I said I behold many nations
and kingdoms. And he saith unto me, these are the nations and kingdoms of the Gentiles.
And it came to pass that I saw among the nations of the Gentiles, the foundation of a great church.
And the angel said unto me, Behold the foundation of a church, which is most abominable above all churches, which
slayeth the Saints of God, yea, and tortureth them and bindeth them down, and yoketh them with a yoke of iron, and
bringeth them down into captivity.
And it came to pass that I beheld this great and abominable church; and I saw the devil, that he was the founder of
it. And I also saw gold, and silver, and silks, and scarlets, and fine twined linen, and all
manner of precious clothing; and I saw many harlots. And the angel spake unto me, saying: Behold
the gold, and the silver, and the silks, and the scarlets, and the fine twined linen, and the precious clothing, and
the harlots, are the desires of this great and abominable church:
FIRST BOOK OF NEPHI.
29
and also for the praise of the world, do they destroy the Saints of God, and bring them down into captivity.
And it came to pass that I looked and beheld many waters; and they divided the Gentiles from the seed of my
brethren. And it came to pass that the angel said unto me, Behold, the wrath of God is upon the
seed of thy brethren! And I looked and beheld a man among the Gentiles, which was separated
from the seed of my brethren by the many waters; and I beheld the spirit of God, that it came down and wrought upon
the man; and he went forth among the many waters, even unto the seed of my brethren, which were in the promised
land.
And it came to pass that I beheld the spirit of God, that it wrought upon other Gentiles; and they went forth out of
captivity, upon the many waters.
And it came to pass that I beheld many multitudes of the Gentiles, upon the land of promise; and I beheld the wrath
of God, that it was upon the seed of my brethren; and they were scattered before the Gentiles, and they were
smitten. And I beheld the spirit of the Lord, that it was upon the Gentiles; that they did prosper,
and obtain the land of their inheritance; and I beheld that they were white, and exceeding fair and beautiful, like
unto my people, before they were slain.
And it came to pass that I, Nephi, beheld that the Gentiles which had gone forth out of captivity, did humble themselves
before the Lord; and the power of the Lord was with them; and I beheld that their mother Gentiles
was gathered together upon the waters, and upon the land also, to battle against them, and I
beheld that the power of God was with them; and also, that the wrath of God was upon them, that were gathered together
against them to battle. And I, Nephi, beheld that the Gentiles which had gone out of captivity,
were delivered by the power of God, out of the hands of all other nations.
And it came to pass that I, Nephi, beheld that they did prosper in the land, and I beheld a Book; and it was carried
forth among them. And the angel saith unto me, Knowest thou the meaning of the Book?
And I saith unto him, I know not. And he saith, Behold, it proceedeth out of the mouth of a Jew,
and I, Nephi, beheld it; and he saith unto me, The Book which thou beholdest, is a record of the Jews, which contains
the covenants of the Lord which he hath made unto the House of Israel; and it also containeth many of the prophesies
of the Holy Prophets; and it is a record like unto the engravings which are upon the plates of brass, save there are
not so many;
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FIRST BOOK OF NEPHI.
nevertheless, they contain the covenants of the Lord, which he hath made unto the House of Israel; wherefore, they are
of great worth unto the Gentiles.
And the angel of the Lord said unto me, Thou hast beheld that the Book proceeded forth from the mouth of a Jew; and
when it proceedeth from the mouth of a Jew, it contained the plainness of the Gospel of the Lord, of whom the twelve
apostles bear record; and they bear record according to the truth which is in the Lamb of God;
wherefore, these things go forth from the Jews in purity, unto the Gentiles, according to the truth which is in
God; and after that they go forth by the hand of the twelve apostles of the Lamb, from the Jews
unto the Gentiles; behold, after this, thou seest the foundation of a great and abominable church, which is the most
abominable above all other churches; for behold, they have taken away from the Gospel of the Lamb, many parts which
are plain and most precious; and also, many Covenants of the Lord have they taken away; and all
this have they done, that they might pervert the right ways of the Lord; that they might blind the eyes and harden
the hearts of the children of men; wherefore, thou seest that after the Book hath gone forth
through the hands of the great and abominable church, that there are many plain and precious things taken away from
the Book, which is the Book of the Lamb of God; and after that these plain and precious things
were taken away, it goeth forth unto all the nations of the Gentiles; and after it goeth forth unto all the nations of
the Gentiles, yea, even across the many waters which thou hast seen with the Gentiles which have gone forth out of
captivity; and thou seest because of the many plain and precious things which have been taken out of the Book, which
were plain unto the understanding of the children of men, according to the plainness which is in the Lamb of God; and
because of these things which were taken away out of the Gospel of the Lamb, an exceeding great many do stumble, yea,
insomuch that Satan hath great power over them; nevertheless thou beholdest that the Gentiles
which have gone forth out of captivity, and have been lifted up by the power of God above all other nations upon the
face of the Land, which is choice above all other lands, which is the land which the Lord God hath covenanted with
thy father, that his seed should have, for the land of their inheritance; wherefore, thou seest that the Lord God will
not suffer that the Gentiles will utterly destroy the mixture of thy seed, which is among thy brethren;
neither
FIRST BOOK OF NEPHI.
31
will he suffer that the Gentiles shall destroy the seed of thy brethren; neither will the Lord
God suffer that the Gentiles shall forever remain in that state of awful woundedness which thou beholdest that they
are in, because of the plain and most precious parts of the Gospel of the Lamb which hath been kept back by the
abominable church, whose formation thou hast seen; wherefore, saith the Lamb of God, I will
be merciful unto the Gentiles, unto the visiting of the remnant of the House of Israel in great judgment.
And it came to pass that the angel of the Lord spake unto me, saying: Behold, saith the Lamb of God, after that I have
visited the remnant of the House of Israel, and this remnant of which I speak, is the seed of thy father; wherefore,
after that I have visited them in judgment, and smitten them by the hand of the Gentiles; and after that the Gentiles
do stumble exceedingly, because of the most plain and precious parts of the Gospel of the Lamb which hath been kept
back, by that abominable church, which is the mother of harlots, saith the Lamb; wherefore, I will be merciful unto
the Gentiles in that day, saith the Lamb, insomuch that I will bring forth unto them in mine own power, much of my
Gospel, which shall be plain and precious, saith the Lamb; for behold, saith the Lamb, I will
manifest myself unto thy seed, that they shall write many things which I shall minister unto them, which shall be plain
and precious; and after that thy seed shall be destroyed and dwindle in unbelief, and also, the seed of thy brethren;
behold, these things shall be hid up, to come forth unto the Gentiles, by the gift and power of the
Lamb; and in them shall be written my Gospel, saith the Lamb, and my rock and my
salvation; and blessed are they which shall seek to bring forth my Zion at that day, for they
shall have the gift and the power of the Holy Ghost; and if they endure unto the end, they shall be lifted up at the
last day, and shall be saved in the Everlasting Kingdom of the Lamb; yea, whoso shall publish peace, that shall
publish tidings of great joy, how beautiful upon the mountains shall they be.
And it came to pass that I beheld the remnant of the seed of my brethren, and also the book of the Lamb of God, which
had proceeded forth from the mouth of the Jew; and I beheld that it came forth from the Gentiles, unto the remnant of
the seed of my brethren; and after it had come forth unto them, I beheld other Books, which came
forth by the power of the Lamb, from the Gentiles, unto them, unto the convincing of the
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FIRST BOOK OF NEPHI.
Gentiles, and the remnant of the seed of my brethren, and also to the Jews, which were scattered upon all the face of
the earth, that the records of the prophets and of the twelve apostles of the Lamb, are true.
And the angel spake unto me, saying: These last records which thou hast seen among the Gentiles, shall establish the
truth of the first, which is of the twelve apostles of the Lamb, and shall make known the plain and precious things
which have been taken away from them; and shall make known to all kindreds, tongues, and people, that the Lamb of God
is the Eternal Father and the Saviour of the world; and that all men must come unto Him, or they cannot be
saved; and they must come according to the words which shall be established by the mouth of
the Lamb; and the words of the Lamb shall be made known in the records of thy seed, as well as in the records of the
twelve apostles of the Lamb; wherefore, they shall be established in one, for there is one God and one Shepherd over
all the earth; and the time cometh that he shall manifest himself unto all nations, both unto
the Jews, and also unto the Gentiles; and after that he hath manifested himself unto the Jews, and also unto the
Gentiles, then he shall manifest himself unto the Gentiles, and also unto the Jews, and the last shall be first, and
the first shall be last.
And it shall come to pass, that if the Gentiles shall hearken unto
the Lamb of God in that day that he shall manifest himself unto them in word, and also in power, in very deed, unto
the taking away of their stumbling blocks, if it so be that they harden not their hearts against the
Lamb; and if it so be that they harden not their hearts against the Lamb of God, they shall be
numbered among the seed of thy father; yea, they shall be numbered among the House of Israel; and they shall be a
blest people upon the promised land forever; they shall be no more brought down into captivity; and the House of
Israel shall no more be confounded; and that great pit which hath been digged for them, by that
great and abominable church, which was founded by the Devil and his children, that he might lead away the souls of
men down to Hell; yea, the great pit which hath been digged for the destruction of men, shall be filled by those who
digged it, unto their utter destruction, saith the Lamb of God; not the destruction of the soul, save it be the casting
of it into that Hell which hath no end; for behold, this is according to the captivity of the
FIRST BOOK OF NEPHI.
33
Devil, and also according to the justice of God, upon all those who will work wickedness and abomination before
him.
And it came to pass that the angel spake unto me, Nephi, saying: Thou hast beheld that if the Gentiles repent, it shall
be well with them; and thou also knowest concerning the covenants of the Lord unto the House of Israel; and thou also
hast heard, that whoso repenteth not, must perish; therefore, wo be unto the Gentiles, if it so
be that they harden their hearts against the Lamb of God: for the time cometh, saith the Lamb
of God, that I will work a great and a marvellous work among the children of men; a work which shall be everlasting,
either on the one hand or on the other; either to the convincing of them unto peace and life eternal, or unto the
deliverance of them to the hardness of their hearts and the blindness of their minds, unto their being brought down
into captivity, and also unto destruction, both temporally and spiritually, according to the captivity of the Devil,
of which I have spoken.
And it came to pass that when the angel had spoken these words, he saith unto me, Remember thou the covenants of the
Father unto the House of Israel? I saith unto ,him, yea. And it came to pass that he saith unto
me, Look, and beheld that great and abominable church, which is the mother of abominations, whose foundation is the
devil. And he saith unto me, Behold, there is, save it be, two churches: the one is the church
of the Lamb of God, and the other is the church of the Devil; wherefore. whoso belongeth not to the church of the Lamb
of God, belongeth to that great church, which is the mother of abominations; and she is the whore of all the earth.
And it came to pass that I looked and beheld the whore of all the earth, and she sat upon many waters; and she had
dominion over all the earth, among all nations, kindreds, tongues, and people.
And it came to pass that I beheld the church of the Lamb of God, and its numbers were few, because of the wickedness
and abominations of the whore which sat upon many waters; nevertheless, I beheld that the church of the Lamb, which
were the Saints of God, were also upon all the face of the earth; and their dominion upon the face of the earth was
small, because of the wickedness of the great whore which I saw.
And it came to pass that I beheld that the great mother of abominations did gather together multitudes upon the face of
34
FIRST BOOK OF NEPHI.
the earth, among all the nations of the Gentiles, to fight against the Lamb of God.
And it came to pass that I, Nephi, beheld the power of the Lamb of God, that it descended upon
the saints of the church of the Lamb, and upon the covenant people of the Lord, which were scattered upon all the
face of the earth; and they were warned with righteousness and with the power of God in great glory.
And it came to pass that I beheld that the wrath of God was poured out upon the great and abominable church, insomuch
that there were wars and rumors of wars among all the nations and kindreds of the earth; and as
there began to be wars and rumors of war among all the nations which belongeth to the mother of abominations, the angel
spake unto me saying: Behold, the wrath of God is upon the mother of harlots; and behold, thou seest all these
things! And when the day cometh that the wrath of God is poured out upon the mother of harlots,
which is the great and abominable church of all the earth, whose founder is the Devil, then, at that day, the work of
the Father shall commence, in preparing the way for the fulfilling of his covenants, which he hath made to his people,
which are of the House of Israel.
And it came to pass that the angel spake unto me, saying, Look! And I looked and beheld a man,
and he was dressed in a white robe; and the angel said unto me, Behold one of the twelve Apostles
of the Lamb! Behold, he shall see and write the remainder of these things; yea, and also many
things which have been; and he shall also write concerning the end of the
world; wherefore, the things which he shall write, are just and true; and, behold, they are
written in the book which thou beheld proceeding out of the mouth of the Jew; and at the time proceeded out of the
mouth of the Jew, or, at the time the book proceeded out of the mouth of the Jew, the things which were written, were
plain and pure, and most precious, and easy to the understanding of all men. And, behold, the
things which the Apostle of the Lamb shall write, are many things which thou hast seen; and, behold, the remainder
shalt thou see; but the things which thou shalt see hereafter, thou shalt not write; for the
Lord God hath ordained the Apostle of the Lamb of God, that he should write them. And also,
others which have been to them, hath he shown all things, and they have written them; and they are sealed up, to
come forth in their purity, according to the truth which is
FIRST BOOK OF NEPHI.
35
in the Lamb, in the own due time of the Lord, unto the House of Israel.
And I, Nephi, heard and bear record, that the name of the Apostle of the Lamb was John, according to the word of
the angel. And, behold, I, Nephi, am forbidden that I should write the remainder of the things
which I saw and heard; wherefore, the things which I have written, sufficeth me; and I have not written but a small
part of the things which I saw. And I bear record, that I saw the things which my father saw,
and the angel of the Lord did make them known unto me. -- And now I make an end of speaking
concerning the things which I saw, while I was carried away in the spirit; and if all the things which I saw are not
written, the things which I have written are true. And thus it is. Amen.
========
CHAPTER IV.
And it came to pass that after I, Nephi, had been carried away in the spirit, and seen all these things, I returned
to the ten of my father. And it came to pass that I beheld my brethren, and they were disputing
one with another, concerning the things which my father had spoken unto them; for he truly
spake many great things unto them, which was hard to be understood, save a man should inquire of the Lord; and they
being hard in their hearts, therefore they did not look unto the Lord as they had ought. And now
I, Nephi, was grieved because of the hardness of their hearts, and also, because of the things which I had seen, and
knew they must unavoidably come to pass, because of the great wickedness of the children of men.
And it came to pass that I was overcome because of my afflictions, for I considered that mine afflictions were great
above all, because of the destruction of my people; for I had beheld their fall.
And it came to pass that after I had received strength, I spake unto my brethren, desiring to know of them the cause of
their disputations. And they said, Behold, we cannot understand the words which our father hath
spoken concerning the natural branches of the olive tree, and also, concerning the Gentiles. And
I said unto them, Have ye inquired of the Lord? And they said unto me, we have not; for the Lord
maketh no
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FIRST BOOK OF NEPHI.
such thing known unto us. Behold, I said unto them, How is it ye do not keep the commandments
of the Lord? How is it that ye will perish, because of the hardness of your hearts? Do ye not remember the things which
the Lord hath said: If ye will not harden your hearts, and ask me in faith, believing that ye
shall receive, with diligence in keeping my commandments, surely, these things shall be made known unto you?
Behold, I say unto you, that the House of Israel was compared unto an olive tree, by the spirit
of the Lord which was in our fathers; and, behold, are we not broken off from the House of Israel; and are we not a
branch of the House of Israel? And now, the thing which our father meaneth concerning the
grafting in of the natural branches through the fulness of the Gentiles, is, that in the latter days, when our seed
shall have dwindled in unbelief, yea, for the space of many years, and many generations, after that the Messiah hath
manifested himself in body unto the children of men, then shall the fullness of the Gospel of the Messiah come unto
the Gentiles, and from the Gentiles unto the remnant of our seed; and at that day, shall the
remnant of our seed know that they are of the House of Israel, and that they are the covenant people of the Lord;
and then shall they know and come to the knowledge of their forefathers, and also to the knowledge of the Gospel of
their Redeemer, which was ministered unto their fathers by him; wherefore, they shall come to the knowledge of their
Redeemer, and the very points of his doctrine, that they may know how to come unto him and be saved.
And then at that day, will they not rejoice and give praise unto their everlasting God, their rock and their salvation?
Yea, at that day, will they not receive the strength and nourishment from the true vine? Yea, will they not come unto
the true fold of God? Behold, I say unto you, Yea, they shall be remembered again among the House
of Israel; they shall be grafted in, being a natural branch of the olive tree, into the true olive
tree; and this is what our father meaneth; and he meaneth that it will not come to pass, until
after that they are scattered by the Gentiles; and he meaneth that it shall come by way of the Gentiles, that the Lord
may shew his power unto the Gentiles, for the very cause that he shall be rejected of the Jews, or of the House of
Israel; wherefore, our father hath not spoken of our seed alone, but also of all the House of
Israel, pointing to the covenant which should be fulfilled in the latter days; which covenant
FIRST BOOK OF NEPHI.
37
the Lord made to our father Abraham, saying: In they seed shall all the kindreds of the earth be blessed.
And it came to pass that I, Nephi, spake much unto them concerning these things; yea, I spake unto them concerning
the restoration of the Jews, in the latter days; and I did rehearse unto them the words of
Isaiah, which spake concerning the restoration of the Jews, or of the House of Israel; and after that they were restored,
they should no more be confounded, neither should they be scattered again. And it came to pass that I did speak many
words unto my brethren, that they were pacified, and did humble themselves before the Lord.
And it came to pass that they did speak unto me again, saying: What meaneth the thing which our father saw in a dream?
What meaneth the tree which he saw? And I said unto them, it was a representation of the tree
of life. And they said unto me, What meaneth the rod of iron which our father saw, that led to
the tree? And I said unto them, that it was the word of God; and whoso would hearken unto the
word of God, and would hold fast unto it, they would never perish; neither could the temptations and the firy darts
of the adversary, overpower them unto blindness, to lead them away to destruction. Wherefore I,
Nephi, did exhort them to give heed unto the word of the Lord; yea, I did exhort them with all the energies of my soul,
and with all the faculty which I possessed that they would give heed to the word of God, and remember to keep his
commandments always, in all things. -- And they said unto me, What meaneth the river of water
which our father saw? And I said unto them, that the water which my father saw, was filthiness;
and so much was his mind swallowed up in other things, that he beheld not the filthiness of the water;
and I said unto them, that it was an awful gulf, which separateth the wicked from the tree of life, and also from the
Saints of God; and I said unto them, that it was a representation of that awful Hell, which the
angel said unto me was prepared for the wicked. And I said unto them, that our father also saw,
that the justice of God did also divide the wicked from the righteous; and the brightness thereof was like unto the
brightness of a flaming fire, which ascendeth up unto God forever and ever, and hath no end.
And they said unto me, Doth this thing mean the torment of the body in the days of probation, or doth it mean the final
state of the soul after the death of the temporal body? or doth
38
FIRST BOOK OF NEPHI.
it speak of the things which are temporal? And it came to pass that I said unto them, That it
was a representation of things both temporal and spiritual; for the day should come that they must be judged of their
works, yea, even the works which were done by the temporal body in their days of probation;
wherefore, if they should die in their wickedness, they must be cast off; also as to the things which are spiritual,
which are pertaining to righteousness; wherefore, they must be brought to stand before God to be judged of their works;
and if their works have been filthiness, they must needs be filthy; and if they be filthy, it must needs be that they
cannot dwell in the kingdom of God; if so, The kingdom of God must be filthy also. But behold,
I say unto you, The kingdom of God is not filthy, and there cannot any unclean thing enter into the kingdom of God;
wherefore, there must needs be a place of filthiness prepared for that which is filthy. And there
is a place prepared, yea, even that awful Hell of which I have spoken, and the Devil is the preparator of it; wherefore,
the final state of the souls of men is to dwell in the kingdom of God, or to be cast out because of that justice of
which I have spoken; wherefore, the wicked are rejected from the righteous, and also from that
tree of life, whose fruit is most precious and most desirable above all other fruits; yea, and it is the greatest of
all the gifts of God. And thus I spake unto my brethren. -- Amen.
========
CHAPTER V.
And now it came to pass that after I, Nephi, had made an end of speaking to my brethren, behold, they said unto me,
Thou hast declared unto us hard things, more than that which we are able to bear.
And it came to pass that I said unto them, That I knew that I had spoken hard things against the wicked, according
to the truth; and the righteous have I justified, and testified that they should be lifted up at the last day;
wherefore, the guilty taketh the truth to be hard, for it cutteth them to the very centre. And
now, my brethren, if ye were righteous, and were willing to hearken to the truth, and give heed unto it, that ye
might walk uprightly before God, then ye would not murmur because of the truth, and say thou speaketh hard things
against
FIRST BOOK OF NEPHI.
39
And it came to pass that I, Nephi, did exhort my brethren, with all diligence, to keep the commandments of the
Lord. And it came to pass that they did humble themselves before the Lord; insomuch, that I
had joy and great hopes for them, that they would walk in the paths of righteousness. Now all
these things were said and done, as my father dwelt in a tent in the valley which he called Lemuel.
And it came to pass that I, Nephi, took one of the daughters of Ishmael to wife; and also my brethren took of the
daughters of Ishmael to wife; and also, Zoram took the eldest daghter of Ishmael to wife. And
thus my father had fulfilled all the commandments of the Lord, which had been given unto him. And also, I Nephi, had
been blessed of the Lord, exceedingly.
And it came to pass that the voice of the Lord spake unto my father, by night, and commanded him, that on the morrow,
he should take his journey into the wilderness. And it came to pass that as my father arose in
the morning, and went forth to the tent door, to his great astonishment, he beheld upon the ground a round ball, of
curious workmanship; and it was of fine brass. And within the ball were two spindles; and the one pointed the way
whither we should go into the wilderness.
And it came to pass that we did gather together whatsoever things we should carry into the wilderness, and all the
remainder of our provisions which the Lord had given unto us; and we did take seed of every kind, that we might carry
into the wilderness.
And it came to pass that we did take our tents, and depart into the wilderness, across the river
Laman. And it came to pass that we travelled for the space of four days, nearly a south,
southeast direction, and we did pitch our tents again; and we did call the name of the place Shazer.
And it came to pass that we did take our bows and our arrows, and go forth into the wilderness, to slay food for our
families; and after that we had slain food for our families, we did return again to our families in the wilderness,
to the place of Shazer. And we did go forth again in the wilderness, following the same direction, keeping in the most
fertile parts of the wilderness, which was in the borders near the Red Sea, And it came to pass
that we did travel for the space of many days, slaying food by the way, with our bows and arrows, and our stones, and
our slings; and we did follow the directions
40
FIRST BOOK OF NEPHI.
of the ball, which led us in more fertile parts of the wilderness. And after that we had
travelled for the space of many days, we did pitch our tents, for the space of a time, that we might again rest ourselves
and obtain food for our families.
And it came to pass that as I, Nephi, went forth to slay food, behold, I did break my bow, which was made of fine steel;
and after that I did break my bow, behold, my brethren were angry with me, because of the loss of my bow, for we did
obtain no food. And it came to pass that we did return without food to our families. And being
much fatigued, because of their journeying, they did suffer much for want of food.
And it came to pass that Laman and Lemuel, and the sons of Ishmael, did begin to murmur exceedingly, because of their
sufferings and afflictions in the wilderness; and also, my father began to murmur against the Lord his God; yea, and
they were all exceeding sorrowful, even that they did murmur against the Lord.
Now it came to pass that I, Nephi, having been afflicted with my brethren, because of the loss of my bow; and their
bows having lost their springs, it began to be exceeding difficult, yea, insomuch, that we could obtain no
food. And it came to pass that I, Nephi, did speak much unto my brethren, because that they
had hardened their hearts again, even unto complaining against the Lord their God.
And it came to pass that I, Nephi, did make out of wood a bow, and out of a straight stick, an arrow; wherefore, I
did arm myself with a bow and arrow, with a sling, and with stones. And I said unto my father, Whither shall I go,
to obtain food? And it came to pass that he did inquire of the Lord, for they had humbled
themselves because of my word; for I did say many things unto them in the energy of my soul.
And it came to pass that the voice of the Lord came unto my father; and he was truly chastened because of his murmuring
against the Lord; insomuch, that he was brought down into the depths of sorrow. And it came to pass
that the voice of the Lord said unto him, Look on the ball, and behold the things which are written!
And it came to pass that when my father beheld the things which were written upon the ball, he did fear and tremble
exceedingly; and also my brethren, and the sons of Ishmael, and our wives.
And it came to pass that I, Nephi, beheld the pointers which were in the ball, that they did work according to the
faith, and diligence, and heed, which we did give unto them.
FIRST BOOK OF NEPHI.
41
And there was also written upon them, a new writing, which was plain to read, which did give us understanding
concerning the ways of the Lord; and it was written and changed from time to time, according to the faith and diligence
which we gave unto it: And thus we see, that by small means, the Lord can bring about great things.
And it came to pass that I, Nephi, did go forth up into the top of the mountain, according to the directions which
were given upon the ball. And it came to pass that I did slay beasts, insomuch, that I did obtain
food for our families. -- And it came to pass that I did return to our tents, bearing the beasts
which I had slain; and now, when they beheld that I had obtained food, how great was their joy. And it came to pass that
they did humble themselves before the Lord, and did give thanks unto him.
And it came to pass that we did again take our journey, travelling nearly the same course as in the beginning; and after
that we had travelled for the space of many days, we did pitch our tents again, that we might tarry for the space of
a time.
And it came to pass that Ishmael died, and was buried in the place which was called Nahom. And
it came to pass that the daughters of Ishmael did mourn exceedingly, because of the loss of their father, and because
of their afflictions in the wilderness; and they did murmur against my father, because he had brought them out of the
land of Jerusalem, saying: Our father is dead; yea, and we have wandered much in the wilderness, and we have suffered
much afflictions, hunger, thirst, and fatigue; and after all these sufferings, we must perish in the wilderness with
hunger. And thus they did murmur against my father, and also against me; and they were desirous
to return again to Jerusalem. And Laman saith unto Lemuel, and also unto the sons of Ishmael,
Behold, let us slay our father, and also our brother Nephi, who hath taken it upon him to be our ruler and our teacher,
who are his elder brethren. Now, he saith that the Lord hath talked with him, and also, that
angels hath ministered unto him! But behold, we know that he lieth unto us; and he telleth us these things, and he
worketh many things by his cunning arts, that he may deceive our eyes, thinking, that he may lead us away into some
strange wilderness; and after that he hath led us away, he hath thought to make himself a King and a ruler over us,
that he may do with us according to his will and pleasure.
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FIRST BOOK OF NEPHI.
And after this manner, did my brother Laman stir up their hearts to anger.
And it came to pass that the Lord was with us; yea, even the voice of the Lord came and did speak many words unto
them, and did chasten them exceedingly; and after that they were chastened by the voice of the Lord, they did turn
away their anger, and did repent of their sins, insomuch, that the Lord did bless us again with food, that we did
not perish.
And it came to pass that we did again take our journey in the wilderness; and we did travel nearly eastward, from
that time forth. And we did travel and wade through much affliction in the wilderness; and our women did bear children
in the wilderness. And so great were the blessings of the Lord upon us, that while we did live
upon the raw meat in the wilderness, our women did give plenty of suck for their children, and were strong, yea,
even like unto the men; and they began to bear the journeyings without murmurings. And thus we
see that the commandments of God must be fulfilled. And if it so be that the children of men keep the commandments
of God, he doth nourish them, and strengthen them, and provide means whereby they can accomplish the thing which he
hath commanded them; wherefore, he did provide means for us while we did sojourn in the wilderness.
And we did sojourn for the space of many years, yea, even eight years in the wilderness. And we
did come to the land which we called Bountiful, because of its much fruit, and also, wild honey; and all these things
were prepared of the Lord, that we might not perish. -- And we beheld the Sea, which we called Irreantum, which being
interpreted, is, many waters.
And it came to pass that we did pitch our tents by the seashore; and notwithstanding we had suffered many afflictions
and much difficulty, yea, even so much that we cannot write them all, we were exceedingly rejoiced when we came to the
seashore; and we called the place Bountiful, because of its much fruit.
And it came to pass that after I, Nephi, had been in the land of Bountiful for the space of many days, the voice of
the Lord came unto me, saying: Arise, and get thee into the mountains. And it came to pass that I arose and went up
into the mountain, and cried unto the Lord.
And it came to pass that the Lord spake unto me, saying: Thou shalt construct a ship, after the manner which I shall
shew thee, that I may carry thy people across these waters.
FIRST BOOK OF NEPHI.
43
And I saith, Lord, whither shall I go. that I may find ore to molten, that I may make tools to construct the ship,
after the manner which thou hast shewn unto me? And it came to pass that the Lord told me whither
I should go to find ore, that I might make tools.
And it came to pass that I, Nephi, did make bellowses wherewith to blow the fire, of the skins of beasts; and after
that I had made bellowses, that I might have wherewith to blow the fire, I did smite two stones together, that I might
make fire; for the Lord had not hitherto suffered that we should make much fire, as we journied
in the wilderness; for he saith, I will make that thy food shall become sweet, that ye cook it
not; and I will also be your light in the wilderness; and I will prepare the way before you,
if it so be that ye shall keep my commandments; wherefore, inasmuch as ye shall keep my commandments, ye shall be led
towards the promised land; and ye shall know that it is by me that ye are led. Yea, and the Lord
said also, that after ye have arrived to the promised land, ye shall know that I the Lord, am God; and that I, the Lord,
did deliver you from destruction; yea, that I did bring you out of the land of Jerusalem;
wherefore, I, Nephi, did strive to keep the commandments of the Lord, and I did exhort my brethren to faithfulness and
diligence.
And it came to pass that I did make the tools of the ore which I did molten out of rock. And
when my brethren saw that I was about to build a ship, they began to murmur against me, saying: Our brother is a fool,
for he thinketh that he can build a ship; yea, and he also thinketh that he can cross these great
waters. And thus my brethren did complain against me, and were desirous that they might not
labor, for they did not believe that I could build a ship; neither would they believe that I was instructed of the
Lord.
And now it came to pass that I, Nephi, was exceeding sorrowful, because of the hardness of their hearts; and now when
they saw that I began to be sorrowful, they were glad in their hearts, insomuch, that they did rejoice over me, saying:
We knew that ye could not construct a ship, for we knew that ye were lacking in judgment; wherefore, thou canst not
accomplish so great a work; and thou art like unto our father, led away by the foolish imaginations
of his heart; yea, he hath led us out of the land of Jerusalem; and we have wandered, in the wilderness for these many
years; and our women have toiled, being big with child; and they have borne children in the
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wilderness, and suffered all things, save it were death; and it would have been better that they had died, before they
came out of Jerusalem, than to have suffered these afflictions. Behold, these many years we have
suffered in the wilderness, which time we might have enjoyed our possessions, and the land of our inheritance; yea,
and we might have been happy; and we know that the people which were in the land of Jerusalem,
were a righteous people; for they kept the statues and the judgments of the Lord, and all his commandments, according
to the law of Moses; wherefore, we know that they are a righteous people; and our father hath judged them, and hath
led us away because we would hearken unto his words; yea, and our brother is like unto him. And after this manner of
language did my brethren murmur and complain against us.
And it came to pass that I, Nephi,
spake unto them, saying: Do ye believe that our fathers, which were the children of Israel, would have been led away
out of the hands of the Egyptians, if they had not hearkened unto the words of the Lord? Yea,
do ye suppose that they would have been led out of bondage, if the Lord had not commanded Moses that he should lead
them out of bondage? Now ye know that the children of Israel were in bondage; and ye know that
they were laden with tasks, which were grievous to be borne; wherefore, ye know that it must needs be a good thing
for them, that they should be brought out of bondage. Now ye know that Moses was commanded of
the Lord to do that great work; and ye know that by his word, the waters of the Red Sea were divided hither and thither,
and they passed through on dry ground. But ye know that the Egyptians were drowned in the Red Sea,
which were the armies of Pharaoh; and ye also know that they were fed with manna, in the
wilderness; yea, and ye also know that Moses by his word, according to the power of God which
was in him, smote the rock, and there came forth water, that the children of Israel might quench their
thirst; and notwithstanding they being led, the Lord their God, their Redeemer, going before them,
leading them by day, and giving light unto them by night, and doing all things for them which was expedient for man
to receive, they hardened their hearts, and blinded their minds, and prevailed against Moses and against the true and
living God.
And it came to pass that according to his word, he did destroy them; and according to his word, he did lead them; and
according to his word, he did do all things for them; and
FIRST BOOK OF NEPHI.
45
there was not any thing done, save it were by his word. And after they had crossed the river
Jordan, he did make them mighty, unto the driving out the children of the land, yea, unto the scattering them to
destruction. And now do ye suppose that the children of this land, which were in the land of
promise, which were driven out by our fathers, do ye suppose that they were righteous? Behold, I say unto you,
nay. Do ye suppose that our fathers would have been more choice than they, if they had been
righteous? I say unto you, nay, behold the Lord esteemeth all flesh in one: He that is righteous,
is favored of God. But, behold, this people had rejected every word of God, and the were ripe in iniquity; and the
fulness of the wrath of God was upon them; and the Lord did curse them; and the Lord did curse the land against them,
and bless it unto our fathers; yea, he did curse it against them unto their destruction; and he did bless it unto
our fathers, unto obtaining power over it. Behold, the Lord hath created the earth, that it
should be inhabited; and he hath created his children, that they should possess it. And he raiseth
up a righteous nation, and destroyeth the nations of the wicked. And he leadeth away the
righteous into precious lands, and the wicked he destroyeth, and curseth the land unto them for their
sakes. He ruleth high in the Heavens, for it is his throne, and the earth is his
footstool. And he loveth them which will have him to be their God. Behold, he loveth our fathers;
and he covenanted with them, yea, even Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob; and he remembered the covenants which he had made;
wherefore, he did bring them out of the land of Egypt, and he did straighten them in the
wilderness with his rod, for they hardened their hearts, even as ye have; and the Lord straightened them, because of
their iniquity. He sent firy-flying serpents among them; and after they were bitten, he prepared a way, that they
might be healed; and the labor which they had to perform, was to look! and because of the simpleness of the way, or
the easiness of it, there were many which perished. And they did harden their hearts from time
to time, and they did revile against Moses, and also against God; nevertheless, ye know that they were led forth by
his matchless power, into the land of promise. -- And now, after all these things, the time
has come that they have become wicked, yea, nearly unto ripeness; and I know not but they are at this day about to be
destroyed, for I know that the day must surely come, that they must be destroyed, save a few only, which shall be
led away into captivity.
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wherefore, the Lord commanded my father that he should depart into the wilderness; and the Jews also sought to take
away his life; yea, and ye also have sought to take away his life; wherefore, ye are murderers in your hearts, and ye
are like unto they: Ye are swift to do iniquity, but slow to remember the Lord your God. Ye have
seen the angel, and he spake unto you; yea, ye have heard his voice from time to time; and he hath spoken unto you in
a still, small voice, but ye were past feeling, that ye could not feel his words; wherefore, he hath spoken unto you
like unto the voice of thunder, which did cause the earth to shake as if it were to divide
asunder. And ye also know, that by the power of his almighty word, he can cause the earth that
it shall pass away; yea, and ye know that by his word, he can cause the rough places be made smooth, and smooth places
shall be broken up. O, then, why is it, that ye can be so hard in your hearts? Behold, my soul
is rent with anguish because of you, and my heart is pained: I fear lest ye shall be cast off forever. Behold, I am
full of the spirit of God, insomuch as if my frame had no strength.
And now it came to pass that when I had spoken these words, they were angry with me, and were desirous to throw me
into the depths of the Sea; and as they came forth to lay their hands upon me, I spake unto them saying: In the name
of the Almighty God, I command you that ye touch me not, for I am filled with the power of God, even unto the
consuming of my flesh; and whoso shall lay their hands upon me, shall wither even as a dried reed; and he shall be
as nought before the power of God, for God shall smite him.
And it came to pass that I, Nephi, saith unto them, That they should murmur no more against their father; neither
should they withhold their labor from me, for God had commanded me that I should build a ship.
And I saith unto them, If God had commanded me to do all things, I could do it. If he should command me that I should
say unto this water, Be thou earth; and if I should say it, it would be done. And now, if the
Lord hath such great power, and hath wrought so many miracles among the children of men, how is it that he cannot
instruct me, that I should build a ship?
And it came to pass that I, Nephi, said many things unto my brethren, insomuch that they were confounded, and could
not contend against me; neither durst they lay their hands upon
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47
me, nor touch me with their fingers, even for the space of many days. Now they durst not do this, lest they should
wither before me, so powerful was the spirit of God; and thus it had wrought upon them.
And it came to pass that the Lord said unto me, Stretch forth thine hand again unto thy brethren, and they shall
not wither before thee, but I will shock them, saith the Lord; and this will I do, that they may know that I am the
Lord their God.
And it came to pass that I stretched forth my hand unto my brethren, and they did not wither before me; but the Lord
did shake them, even according to the word which he had spoken. And now, they said, We know of
a surety, that the Lord is with thee, for we know that it is the power of the Lord that hath shaken us. And they
fell down before me, and were about to worship me, but I would not suffer them, saying: I am thy brother, yea, even
thy younger brother; wherefore, worship the Lord thy God, and honor thy father and thy mother, that thy days may be
long in the land which the Lord thy God shall give thee.
And it came to pass that they did worship the Lord, and did go forth with me; and we did work timbers of curious
workmanship. And the Lord did shew me from time to time, after what manner I should work the timbers of the
ship. Now I, Nephi, did not work the timbers after the manner which was learned by men, neither
did I build the ship after the manner of men; but I did build it after the manner which the Lord had shewn unto
me; wherefore, it was not after the manner of men.
And I, Nephi, did go into the mount oft, and I did pray oft unto the Lord; wherefore, the Lord shewed unto me
great things.
And it came to pass that after I had finished the ship according to the word of the Lord, my brethren beheld that
it was good, and that the workmanship thereof was exceeding fine; wherefore, they did humble themselves again before
the Lord.
And it came to pass that the voice of the Lord came unto my father, that we should arise and go down into the ship. --
And it came to pass that on the morrow, after that we had prepared all things, much fruits
and meat from the wilderness, and honey in abundance, and provisions, according to that which the Lord had commanded
us, we did go down into the ship with all our loading and our seeds, and whatsoever
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thing we had brought with us, every one according to his age; wherefore, we did all go down into the ship, with our
wives and our children.
And now, my father had begat two sons, in the wilderness: The eldest was called Jacob, and the younger,
Joseph. And it came to pass that after we had all gone down into the ship, and had taken with
us our provisions and things which had been commanded us, we did put forth into the sea, and were driven forth before
the wind, towards the promised land; and after that we had been driven forth before the wind,
for the space of many days, behold, my brethren, and the sons of Ishmael, and also their wives, began to make themselves
merry, insomuch that they began to dance, and to sing, and to speak with much rudeness, yea, even to that they did
forget by what power they had been brought thither; yea, they were lifted up unto exceeding
rudeness. And I, Nephi, began to fear exceedingly, lest the Lord should be angry with us, and
smite us, because of our iniquity, that we should be swallowed up in the depths of the Sea; wherefore, I, Nephi, began
to speak to them with much soberness; but, behold they were angry with me, saying: We will not that our younger brother
shall be a ruler over us.
And it came to pass that Laman and Lemuel did take me and bind me with cords, and they did treat me with much
harshness; nevertheless, the Lord did suffer it, that he might shew forth his power, unto the fulfilling of his word
which he hath spoken, concerning the wicked.
And it came to pass that after they had bound me, insomuch that I could not move, the compass, which had been prepared
of the Lord, did cease to work; wherefore, they knew not whither they should steer the ship,
insomuch, that there arose a great storm, yea, a great and terrible tempest; and we were driven back upon the waters
for the space of three days; and they began to be frightened exceedingly, lest they should be drowned in the Sea;
nevertheless, they did loose me not. -- And on the fourth day which we had been driven back,
the tempest began to be exceeding sore.
And it came to pass that we were about to be swallowed up in the depths of the Sea. And after that we had been driven
back upon the waters for the space of four days, my brethren began to see that the judgment of God was upon them, and
that they must perish, save that they should repent of their iniquities; wherefore, they came unto me and loosed the bands
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49
which was upon my wrists, and behold, they had much swollen, exceedingly; and also, mine ancles were much swollen,
and great was the soreness thereof. Nevertheless, I did look unto my God, and I did praise him
all the day long; and I did not murmur against the Lord, because of mine afflictions.
Now, my father, Lehi, had said many things unto them, and also unto the sons of Ishmael; but, behold, they did breathe
out much threatnings against any one that should speak for me; and my parents being stricken in years, and having
suffered much grief because of their children, they were brought down, yea, even unto their sick
beds. Because of their grief, and much sorrow, and the iniquity of my brethren, they were brought
near even to be carried out of this time, to meet their God; yea, their gray hairs were about to be brought down to
lie low in the dust; Yea, even they were near to be cast into a watery grave. And Jacob and
Joseph also, being young, having need of much nourishment, were grieved because of the afflictions of their mother;
and also my wife, with her tears and prayers, and also my children, did not soften the hearts of my brethren, that
they would loose me; and there was nothing, save it were the power of God, which threatened them
with destruction, could soften their hearts; wherefore, when they saw that they were about to be swallowed up in the
depths of the sea, they repented to the thing which they had done, insomuch that they loosed me.
And it came to pass that after they had loosed me, behold, I took the compass, and it did work whither I desired it.
And it came to pass that I prayed unto the Lord; and after that I had prayed, the winds did cease, and the storm did
cease, and there was a great calm.
And it came to pass that I, Nephi, did guide the ship, that we sailed again toward the promised
land. And it came to pass that after we had sailed for the space of many days, we did arrive to
the promised land; and we went forth upon the land, and did pitch our tents; and we did call it the promised
land.
And it came to pass that we did begin to till the earth, and we began to plant seeds; yea, we did put all our seeds
into the earth, which we had brought from the land of Jerusalem. And it came to pass that they did grow exceedingly;
wherefore, we were blessed in abundance.
And it came to pass that we did find upon the Land of Promise, as we journied in the wilderness, that there were beasts
in the forests of every kind, both the cow, and the ox, and the
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FIRST BOOK OF NEPHI.
ass, and the horse, and the goat, and the wild goat, and all manner of wild animals, which were used for the use of
men. And we did find all manner of ore, both of gold, and of silver, and of copper.
And it came to pass that the Lord commanded me, wherefore I did make plates of ore, that I might engraven upon them
the record of my people. And upon the plates which I made, I did engraven the record of my father, and also our
journeyings in the wilderness, and the prophecies of my father; and also, many of mine own prophecies have I engraven
upon them. And I knew not at that time when I made them, that I should be commanded of the Lord
to make these plates; wherefore, the record of my father, and the genealogy of his fathers, and the more part of all
our proceedings in the wilderness, are engraven upon those plates of which I have spoken; wherefore, the things which
transpired before that I made these plates, are of a truth, more particularly made mention upon the first plates.
And after that I made these plates by way of commandment, I, Nephi, received a commandment, that the ministry, and
the prophecies, the more plain and precious parts of them, should be written upon these plates; and that the things
which were written, should be kept for the instruction of my people, which should possess the land, and also for other
wise purposes, which purposes, are known unto the Lord; wherefore, I, Nephi, did make a record
upon the other plates, which gives an account, or which gives a greater account, of the wars, and contentions, and
destructions of my people. And this I have done, and commanded my people that they should do, after that I was gone,
and that these plates should be handed down from one generation to another, or from one prophet to another, until
further commandments of the Lord. And an account of my making these plates shall be given hereafter;
and then behold, I proceed according to that which I have spoken; and this I do, that the more sacred things may be kept
for the knowledge of my people. Nevertheless, I do not write any thing upon the plates, save it
be that I think it be sacred. And now, if I do err, even did they err of old. Not that I would excuse myself because
of other men, but because of the weakness which is in me, according to the flesh, I would excuse
myself. For the things which some men esteem to be of great worth, both to the body and soul,
others set at nought, and trample under their feet. Yea, even the
FIRST BOOK OF NEPHI.
51
very God of Israel, do men trample under their feet; I say, trample under their feet; but I would speak in other words:
They do set him at nought, and hearken not to the voice of his counsels; and behold, he cometh
according to the words of the angel, in six hundred years from the time my father left Jerusalem:
And the world, because of their iniquity, shall judge him to be a thing of nought; wherefore, they scourge him, and he
suffereth it; and they smite him, and he suffereth it. Yea, they spit upon him, and he suffereth it, because of his
loving kindness and his long suffering towards the children of men. And the God of our fathers,
which were led out of Egypt, out of bondage, and also were preserved in the wilderness by him; yea, the God of Abraham,
and of Isaac, and the God of Jacob, yieldeth himself according to the words of the angel, as a man, into the hands of
wicked men, to be lifted up according to the words of Zenock, and to be crucified, according to the words of Neum, and
to be buried in a sepulchre, and according to the words of Zenos, which he spake, concerning the three days of darkness,
which should be a sign given of his death, unto them who should inhabit the isles of the sea; more especially given
unto them which are of the House of Israel. For thus spake the Prophet: The Lord God surely shall
visit the House of Israel at that day: some with his voice, because of their righteousness, unto their great joy and
salvation; and others with the thunderings and lightnings of his power, by tempest, by fire, and by smoke, and vapour
of darkness, and by the opening of the earth, and by mountains which shall be carried up; and all
these things must surely come, saith the Prophet Zenos. And the rocks of the earth must rend; and because the groanings
of the earth, many of the Kings of the isles of the sea shall be wrought upon by the spirit of God, to exclaim, The God
of nature suffers. And as for they which are at Jerusalem, saith the prophet, shall be scourged
by all people, saith the prophet, because they crucify the God of Israel, and turned their hearts aside, rejecting
signs, and wonders, and power and glory of the God of Israel; and because they turned their hearts
aside, saith the prophet, and have despised the Holy one of Israel, they shall wander in the flesh, and perish, and
become a hiss and a by-word, and be hated among all nations; nevertheless, when that day cometh,
saith the prophet, that they no more turn aside their hearts against the Holy one of Israel, then will he remember the
covenants which he made to their fathers; yea,
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then will he remember the isles of the sea; yea, and all the people which are of the House of Israel, will I gather
in, saith the Lord, according to the words of the Prophet Zenos, from the four quarters of the earth;
yea, and all the earth shall see the salvation of the Lord, saith the prophet; every nation, kindred, tongue, and
people, shall be blessed.
And I, Nephi, have written these things unto my people, that perhaps I might persuade them that they would remember
the Lord their Redeemer; wherefore, I speak unto all the House of Israel, if it so be that they
should obtain these things. For behold, I have workings in the spirit, which doth weary me, even
that all my joints are weak, for they which are at Jerusalem; for had not the Lord been merciful, to shew unto me
concerning them, even as he had prophets of old; for he surely did shew unto the prophets of old,
all things concerning them; and also, he did shew unto many, concerning us; wherefore, it must needs be, that we know
concerning them, for they are written upon the plates of brass.
========
CHAPTER VI.
Now it came to pass that I, Nephi, did teach my brethren these things. And it came to pass that I did read many things
to them, which were engraven upon the plates of brass, that they might know concerning the doings of the Lord in other
lands, among people of old. And I did read many things unto them, which were written in the Book
of Moses; but that I might more fully persuade them to believe in the Lord their Redeemer, wherefore I did read unto
them that which was written by the Prophet Isaiah; for I did liken all the scriptures unto us, that it might be for
our profit and learning. Wherefore, I spake unto them, saying: Hear ye the words of the prophet,
ye which are a remnant of the House of Israel, a branch of which have been broken off; hear ye the words of the
prophet, which was written unto all the House of Israel, and liken it unto yourselves, that ye may have hope as well
as your brethren, from whom ye have broken off. For after this manner hath the prophet written:
Hearken and hear this, O house of Jacob, which are called by the name of Israel, and are come forth out of the waters
of Judah, which swear by the name of the Lord, and make mention of the God
FIRST BOOK OF NEPHI.
53
of Israel; yet they swear not in truth, nor righteousness. -- Nevertheless, they call themselves
of the Holy city, but they do not stay themselves upon the God of Israel, which is the Lord of hosts; yea, the Lord of
hosts is his name. Behold, I have declared the former things from the beginning; and they went
forth out of my mouth, and I shewed them; I did shew them suddenly. And I did it because I knew
that thou art obstinate, and thy neck was an iron sinew, and thy brow brass; and I have, even
from the beginning, declared to thee; before it came to pass I shewed them thee; and I shewed them for fear lest thou
shouldst say, Mine idol hath done them; and my graven image, and my molten image, hath commanded
them. Thou hast seen and heard all this; and will ye not declare them? And that I have shewed
thee new things from this time, even hidden things, and thou didst not know them. They are created
now, and not from the beginning; even before the day when thou heardest them not, they were declared unto thee, lest
thou shouldst say, Behold, I knew them. Yea, and thou heardest not; yea, thou knewest not; yea,
from that time, thine ear was not opened: for I know that thou wouldst deal very treacherously, and wast called a
transgressor from the womb.
Nevertheless, for my name sake I will defer mine anger, and for my praise will I refrain from thee, that I cut thee
not off. For behold, I have refined thee; I have chosen thee in the furnace of
affliction. For mine own sake, yea, for mine own sake, will I do this; for I will not suffer
my name to be polluted, and I will not give my glory unto another.
Hearken unto me, O Jacob and Israel, my called; for I am he; and I am the first, and I am also the
last. Mine hand hath also laid the foundation of the earth, and my right hand hath spanned the
heavens: and I called unto them, and they stand up together. All ye, assemble yourselves, and
hear; which among them hath declared these things unto them? The Lord hath loved him: yea, and he will fulfill his
word which he hath declared by them; and he will do his pleasure on Babylon, and his arm shall come upon the
Chaldeans. Also, saith the Lord: I the Lord, yea, I have spoken, yea, I have called him, to
declare I have brought him; and he shall make his way prosperous.
Come ye near unto me; I have not spoken in secret from the beginning; from the time that it was declared, have I spoken;
and the Lord God, and his spirit, hath sent me. And
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FIRST BOOK OF NEPHI.
thus saith the Lord, thy Redeemer, the Holy One of Israel I have sent him, the Lord thy God, which teacheth thee to
profit, which leadeth thee by the way thou shouldst go, hath done it. O that thou hadst hearkened
to my commandments! then had thy peace been as a river, and thy righteousness as the waves of the
sea; thy seed also had been as the sand; the offspring of thy bowels like the gravel thereof;
his name should not have been cut off nor destroyed from before me.
Go ye forth of Babylon, flee ye from the Chaldeans, with a voice of singing declare ye, tell this, utter to the end
of the earth; say ye, The Lord hath redeemed his servant Jacob. -- And they thirsted not; he
led them through the deserts: he caused the waters to flow out of the rock for them: he cleaved the rock also, and
the waters gushed out. And notwithstanding he hath done all this, and greater also, There is no
peace, saith the Lord, unto the wicked.
And again: Hearken, O ye house of Israel, all ye that are broken off and are driven out, because of the wickedness
of the pastors of my people; yea, all ye that are broken off, that are scattered abroad, which are of my people, O
house of Israel. Listen, O isles, unto me; and hearken, ye people, from far; The Lord hath called me from the womb;
from the bowels of my mother hath he made mention of my name. And he hath made my mouth like a
sharp sword; in the shadow of his hand hath he hid me, and made me a polished shaft; in his quiver hath he hid
me; and said unto me, Thou art my servant, O Israel, in whom I will be
glorified. Then I said, I have labored in vain, I have spent my strength for nought, and in
vain; surely, my judgment is with the Lord, and my work with my God.
And now, saith the Lord, that formed me from the womb that I should be his servant, to bring Jacob again to him,
Though Israel be not gathered, yet shall I be glorious in the eyes of the Lord, and my God shall be my
strength. And he said, It is a light thing that thou shouldest be my servant to raise up the
tribes of Jacob, and to restore the preserved of Israel: I will also give thee for a light to the Gentiles, that
thou mayest be my salvation unto the ends of the earth. -- Thus saith the Lord, the Redeemer
of Israel, his Holy One, to him whom man despiseth, to him whom the nations abhorreth, to servants of rulers, Kings
shall see and arise, princes also shall worship, because of the Lord that is faithful. Thus
saith the Lord, In an acceptable time have I heard thee, O
FIRST BOOK OF NEPHI.
55
isles of the sea, and in a day of salvation have I helped thee: and I will preserve thee, and give thee my servant
for a covenant of the people, to establish the earth, to cause to inherit the desolate heritages:
that thou mayest say to the prisoners, Go forth; to them that sit in darkness, Shew yourselves. -- They shall feed in
the ways, and their pastures shall be in all high places. They shall not hunger or thirst,
neither shall the heat or the sun smite them: for he that hath mercy on them shall lead them, even by the springs of
water shall he guide them. And I will make all my mountains away, and my highways shall be
exalted. And then, O house of Israel, behold, these shall come from far; and lo, these from
the north and from the west; and these from the land of Sinim.
Sing, O Heavens; and be joyful, O earth; for the feet of them which are in the east shall be established; and break
forth into singing, O mountains: for they shall be smitten no more: for the Lord hath comforted his people, and will
have mercy upon his afflicted. But, behold, Zion hath said, The Lord hath forsaken me, and my
Lord hath forgotten me; but he will shew that he hath not. For can a woman forget her sucking
child, that she should not have compassion on the son of her womb? Yea, they may forget, yet will I not forget thee,
O house of Israel. Behold, I have graven thee upon the palms of my hands; thy walls are
continually before me. Thy children shall make haste against thy destroyers; and they that made
thee waste, shall go forth of thee.
Lift up thine eyes round about, and behold: all these gather themselves together, and they shall come to thee. And as
I live, saith the Lord, thou shalt surely clothe thee with them all, as with an ornament, and bind them on even as a
bride. For thy waste and thy desolate places, and the land of thy destruction, shall even now
be too narrow by reason of the inhabitants; and they that swallowed thee up, shall be far away.
The children which thou shalt have, after thou hast lost the other, shall again in thine ears say, The place is too
straight for me: give place to me that I may dwell. Then shalt thou say in thine heart, Who hath
begotten me these, seeing I have lost my children, and am desolate, a captive, and removing to and fro? and who hath
brought up these? Behold, I was left alone; these, where have they been? Thus saith the Lord God.
Behold, I will lift up mine hand to the Gentiles, and set my standard to the people: and they shall bring thy sons
in their arms, and thy daughters shall be
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carried upon their shoulders. And kings shall be thy nursing fathers, and thy queens thy nursing
mothers: they shall bow down to thee with their face towards the earth, and lick up the dust of thy feet; and thou
shalt know that I am the Lord: for they shall not be ashamed that wait for me. For shall the
prey be taken from the mighty, or the lawful captives delivered? But thus saith the Lord, Even
the captives of the mighty shall be taken away, and the prey of the terrible shall be delivered: for I will contend
with him that contendeth with thee, and I will save thy children. And I will feed them that
oppress thee with their own flesh; they shall be drunken with their own blood, as with sweet wine: and all flesh shall
know that I the Lord am thy Saviour and thy Redeemer, the mighty one of Jacob.
========
CHAPTER VII.
And now it came to pass that after I, Nephi, after that I had read these things which were engraven upon the plates of
brass, my brethren came unto me and said unto me, What meaneth these things which ye have read? Behold, are they to be
understood according to the spirit and not the flesh? And I, Nephi, sayeth unto them, Behold, they
were made manifest unto the prophet, by the voice of the spirit: for by the spirit are all things made known unto the
prophet, which shall come upon the children of men, according to the flesh. Wherefore, the things
which I have read, are things pertaining to things both temporal and spiritual: for it appears that the House of Israel,
sooner or later, will be scattered upon all the face of the earth, and also among all nations,
and before there are many which are already lost from the knowledge of they which are at Jerusalem. Yea, the more part
of all the tribes have been led away; and they are scattered to and fro upon the isles of the sea: and wither they are,
none of us knoweth, save that we know that they have been led away. -- And since that they have
been led away, these things have been prophesied concerning them, and also concerning all they which shall hereafter
be scattered and be confounded, because of the Holy One of Israel: for against him will they harden their hearts:
wherefore, they shall be scattered among all nations,
FIRST BOOK OF NEPHI.
57
and shall be hated by all men. Nevertheless, after that they have been nursed by the Gentiles,
and the Lord hath lifted up his hand upon the Gentiles and set them up for a standard, and their children shall be
carried in their arms, and their daughters shall be carried upon their shoulders, behold, these things of which are
spoken, are temporal: for thus is the covenants of the Lord with our fathers; and it meaneth us in the days to come,
and also our brethren which are of the House of Israel. And it meaneth that the time cometh that
after all the House of Israel have been scattered and confounded, that the Lord God will raise up a mighty nation
among the Gentiles, yea, even upon the face of this land; and by them shall our seed be scattered.
And after that our seed is scattered, the Lord God will proceed to do a marvellous work among the gentiles, which
shall be of great worth unto our seed; wherefore, it is likened unto the being nourished by the Gentiles, and being
carried in their arms, and upon their shoulders. And it shall also be of worth unto the Gentiles;
and not only unto the Gentiles, but unto all the House of Israel, unto the making known of the covenants of the Father
of Heaven unto Abraham, saying, In thy seed shall all the kindreds of the earth be blessed. And
I would, my brethren, that ye should know that all the kindreds of the earth cannot be blessed, unless he shall make
bare his arm in the eyes of the nations. Wherefore, the Lord God will proceed to make bare his
arm in the eyes of all the nations, in bringing about his covenants and his Gospel, unto they which are of the House
of Israel. Wherefore, he will bring them again out of captivity, and they shall be gathered
together to the lands of their inheritance; and they shall be brought out of obscurity, and out of darkness; and they
shall know that the Lord is their Saviour and their Redeemer, the mighty one of Israel. And the
blood of that great and abominable church, which is the whore of all the earth, shall turn upon their own heads: for
they shall war among themselves, and the sword of their own hands shall fall upon their own heads, and they shall be
drunken with their own blood. And every nation which shall war against thee, O house of Israel,
shall be turned one against another, and they shall fall into the pit which they digged to ensnare the people of the
Lord. And all that fight against Zion, shall be destroyed. And that great whore, which hath perverted the right ways
of the Lord; yea, that great and abominable church, shall stumble to the dust, and great shall be the fall of
it. For behold, saith the prophet, that the time
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cometh speedily, that Satan shall have no more power over the hearts of the children of men: forthe day soon cometh,
that all the proud and they which do wickedly, shall be as stubble; and the day cometh that they must be
burned. For the time soon cometh, that the fulness of the wrath of God shall be poured out upon
all the children of men: for he will not suffer that the wicked shall destroy the righteous.
Wherefore, he will preserve the righteous by his power, even if it so be that the fulness of his wrath must come, and
the righteous be preserved, even unto the destruction of their enemies by fire. Wherefore, the righteous need not fear:
for thus saith the prophet, They shall be saved, even if it be so as by fire. Behold, my
brethren, I say unto you, that these things must shortly come; yea, even blood, and fire, and vapor of smoke must
come; and it must needs be upon the face of this earth; and it cometh unto men according to the flesh, if it so be
that they will harden their hearts against the Holy One of Israel: for behold, the righteous
shall not perish; for the time surely must come, that all they which fight against Zion, shall be cut
off. And the Lord will surely prepare a way for his people, unto the fulfilling of the words
of Moses, which he spake, saying: A prophet shall the Lord your God raise up unto you, like unto me; him shall ye
hear in all things whatsoever he shall say unto you. And it shall come to pass that all they which will not hear
that prophet, shall be cut off from among the people. And now I, Nephi, declare unto you, that
this prophet of whom Moses spake, was the Holy One of Israel; wherefore, he shall execute judgment in
righteousness; and the righteous need not fear, for it is they which shall not be confounded.
But it is the kingdom of the Devil, which shall be built up among the children of men, which kingdom is established
among them which are in the flesh: for the time speedily shall come, that all churches which
are built up to get gain, and they which are built up to get power over the flesh, and they which are built up to
become popular in the eyes of the world, and they which seek the lusts of the flesh and the things of the world, and
do all manner of iniquity; yea, in fine, all they which belong to the kingdom of the Devil, it is they which need fear,
and tremble, and quake; it is they which must be brought low in the dust; it is they which must be consumed as
stubble: and this is according to the words of the prophet. And the time cometh speedily, that
the righteous must be led up as calves of the stall, and the Holy One of
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Israel must reign in dominion, and might, and power, and great glory. And he gathereth
his children from the four quarters of the earth; and he numbereth his sheep, and they know him; and there
shall be one fold and one shepherd; and he shall feed his sheep, and in him they shall find pasture.
--
And because of the righteousness of his people, Satan, hath no power; wherefore, he cannot be loosed for the
space of many years: for he hath no power over the hearts of the people, for they dwell in righteousness, and
the Holy One of Israel reigneth. And now behold, I, Nephi, say unto you, that all these
things must come, according to the flesh. But, behold, all nations, kindreds, tongues,
and people, shall dwell safely in the Holy One of Israel, if it so be that they will
repent.
And now I, Nephi, make an end; for I durst not speak further as yet, concerning these
things. Wherefore, my brethren, I would that ye consider that the things which have
been written upon the plates of brass, are true; and they testify that a man must be obedient to the
commandments of God. Wherefore, ye need not suppose that I and my father are the only
ones that have testified, and also taught them. Wherefore, if ye shall be obedient to the commandments, and
endure to the end, ye shall be saved at the last day. And thus it is. Amen.
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 now it came to pass after I, Nephi, had made an end of teaching my brethren, our father, Lehi, also spake many things unto them: how great things the Lord had done for them, in bringing them out of the land of Jerusalem. 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. 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
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out of the land of Jerusalem. For, Behold, 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. 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 they which should be led out of other
countries, by the hand of the Lord. Wherefore, I, Lehi, prophesy according to the workings of the
spirit which is in me, that there shall be none come into this land, save they should be brought by the hand of the
Lord. 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.
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. Wherefore, I,
Lehi, have obtained a promise that inasmuch as they which 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. 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; yea, he will bring other nations unto them,
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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. 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. O that ye would awake, awake from the 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 wo! 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. 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. And I desire that ye should remember to
observe the statues and the judgments of the Lord: behold, this hath been the anxiety of my soul, from the
beginning. 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; or, that a cursing should come upon you, for the space of many
generations; and ye are visited by sword, and by famine, and are hated, and are led according to the will and the
captivity of the Devil. 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; and he hath said, that inasmuch as ye shall keep my commandments, ye shall prosper in
the land; but inasmuch as ye will not keep my commandments, ye shall be cut off from my presence.
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; that 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. Awake, my sons; put on the armor of righteousness. Shake off the chains with which
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ye are bound, and come forth out of obscurity. and arise from the dust. 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. 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 power nor authority over you; but he hath sought the glory of God, and your own eternal
welfare. 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. But 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, manifesting boldly concerning your iniquities. 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, but
it was the spirit of the Lord which was in him, which opened his mouth to utterance that he could not shut
it.
And now my son Laman, and also Lemuel and Sam, and also my sons which are the sons of Ishmael, beheld, 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, yea, even my blessing, and it shall rest upon
him. 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 of my son, Nephi,
forever. 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. -- 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. And 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
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afflictions and much sorrow, because of the rudeness of thy brethren. Nevertheless, Jacob, my
first born in the wilderness, thou knowest the greatness of God; and he shall consecrate thine afflictions for thy
gain. Wherefore, thy soul shall be blessed, and thou shall dwell safely with thy brother, Nephi;
and thy days shall be spent in the service of thy God. -- Wherefore, I know that thou art redeemed because of the
righteousness of thy Redeemer: for thou hast beheld, that in the fulness of time, he cometh to bring salvation unto
men. 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 spirit is the same, yesterday, to-day, and forever. And the way is
prepared from the fall of man, and salvation is free. 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. Wherefore, redemption cometh in and through the Holy
Messiah: for he is full of grace and truth. Behold, he offereth himself a sacrifice for sin, to
answer the ends of the law, unto all those which have a broken heart and a contrite spirit; and unto none else can
the ends of the law be answered. 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 layeth down his life according to
the flesh, and taketh it again by the power of the spirit, that he may bring to pass the resurrection of the dead,
being the first that should rise. Wherefore, he is the first fruits unto God, inasmuch as he
shall make intercession for all the children of men; and they that believe in him, shall be saved.
And because of the intercession for all, all men cometh unto God; wherefore, they stand in the presence of Him, to be
judged of Him, according to the truth and holiness which is in him. 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; for it must needs
be, 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;
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neither holiness nor misery; neither good or bad. Wherefore, all things must needs be a compound in one; wherefore,
if it should be one body, it must needs remain as dead, having no life, neither death nor corruption, nor incorruption,
happiness nor misery, neither sense or insensibility. Wherefore, it must needs have been created
for a thing of nought; wherefore, there would have been no purpose in the end of its creation. Wherefore, this things
must needs destroy the wisdom of God, and his eternal purposes; and also, the power, and the mercy, and the justice of
God. 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.
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; both things to act, and things to be acted
upon; and to bring about his eternal purposes in the end of man, after that he 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; wherefore, 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 enticed by the one or the other.
And I, Lehi, according to the things which I have read must needs suppose, that an angel of God, according to that
which is written, had fallen from Heaven; wherefore, he became a Devil, having sought that which was evil before
God. And because he had fallen from Heaven, and had become miserable forever, he sought also the
misery of all mankind. -- Wherefore, he sayeth unto Eve, yea, even that old serpent, which is the Devil, which is the
father of all lies; wherefore he sayeth, Partake of the forbidden fruit, and ye shall not die, but ye shall be as God,
knowing good and evil. And after that Adam and Eve had partaken of the forbidden fruit, they were
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driven out from the garden of Eden, to till the earth. And they brought forth children; yea, even
the family of all the earth. And the days of children of men were prolonged, according to the will
of God, that they might repent while in the flesh; wherefore, their state being 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 a commandment
that all men must repent; for he shewed unto all men that they were lost, because of the transgression of their
parents. 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 which they were,
after that they were created; and they must have remained forever, and had no end. 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. But, behold, all things have been done in the wisdom
of Him who knoweth all things. Adam fell, that men might be; and men are, that they might have
joy. And the Messiah cometh in the fulness of time, that he might 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 law, at the great and last day, according
to the commandments which God hath given. Wherefore, men are free according to the flesh; and all
things are given them which is expedient unto man. And they are free to choose liberty and eternal life, through the
mediation of all men, or to choose captivity and death, according to the captivity and the power of the Devil: for he
seeketh that all men might be miserable like unto himself.
And now, my sons, I would that ye looked to the great mediator, and hearken unto his great commandments; and be faithful
unto his words, and choose eternal life, according to the will of his Holy Spirit, and not choose
eternal death, according to the will of the flesh and the evil which is therein, which giveth the spirit of the Devil
power to captivate, to bring you down to hell, that he may reign over you in his own kingdom.
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
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according to the words of the prophet. And I have none another object save it be the everlasting welfare of your
souls. -- Amen.
========
CHAPTER II.
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. And may the Lord consecrate 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. 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. For behold, thou art the fruit of my loins; and I am
a descendant of Joseph, which was carried captive into Egypt. And great was the covenants of the Lord, which he made
unto Joseph; wherefore, 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 House of Israel; not the Messiah, but
a branch which was 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. For Joseph truly
testified saying: A seer shall the Lord my God raise up, which shall be a choice seer unto the fruit of my
loins. Yea, Joseph truly said thus saith the Lord unto me: A choice seer will I raise up out of
the fruit of thy loins; and he shall be esteemed highly among the fruit of thy loins. 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. 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.
And he shall be great like unto Moses, whom I have said I would raise up unto you, to deliver my
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people, O house of Israel. And Moses will I raise up, to deliver thy people out of the land
of Egypt. Bat 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. Wherefore,
the fruit of my 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. 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.
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 loins, shall be fulfilled.
Behold, I am sure of the fulfilling of this promise. 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; yea, thus prophesied
Joseph. I am sure of this thing, even as I am sure of the promise of Moses: for the Lord hath said unto me, I will
preserve thy seed forever. 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. 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. And the words which he shall write, shall be the words which is 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. And they shall
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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. Because of their faith, their words shall proceed forth out of my mouth unto their
brethren, which 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.
And now, behold, my son, Joseph, after this manner did my father of old prophesy. Wherefore,
because of this covenant, thou art blessed: for thy seed shall not be destroyed, for they shall hearken unto the words
of the Book. And there shall raise up one, mighty among them, which 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 House of Israel, and unto
the seed of thy brethren. 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.
And now, I, Nephi, speak concerning the prophecies of which my father hath spoken, concerning Joseph, who was carried
into Egypt: 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. Wherefore, after my father had made an end of the speaking concerning
the prophecies of Joseph, he called the children of Laman, his sons, and his daughters, and sayeth unto them, Behold,
my sons, and my daughters, which are the sons and the daughters of my first born. I would that ye should give ear unto
my words: for the Lord God hath said, That inasmuch 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. But behold, my sons and my daughters, I cannot go down to my
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grave, save I should leave a blessing upon you: For behold, I know that if ye are brought up in the right way that ye
should go, ye will not depart from it. 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.
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.
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. And he spake unto them, saying: Behold,
my sons and my daughters, which 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.
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. 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.
And it came to pass that after Lehi had spake unto all his household, according to the feelings of his heart, and the
spirit of the Lord which was in him, he waxed old. And it came to pass that he died, and was buried.
And it came to pass that not many days after his death, Laman and Lemuel, and the sons Ishmael, were angry with me,
because of the admonitions of the Lord: for I, Nephi, was constrained to speak unto them according
to the word. For I had spake 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. And
upon these I write the things of my soul, and many of the Scriptures which are engraven upon the plates of brass: For
my soul deliteth in the Scriptures; and my heart pondereth them, and writeth them for the learning and the profit of
my children. Behold, my soul delighteth in the things of the Lord; and my heart pondereth continually
upon the things which I have seen and heard. Nevertheless,
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notwithstanding the great goodness of the Lord, in shewing me his great and marvelous works, my heart exclaimeth, O
wretched man that I am; yea, my heart sorroweth, because of my flesh. My soul grieveth, because of mine
iniquities. I am encompassed about, because of the temptations and the sins which doth so easily
beset me. And when I desire to rejoice, my heart groaneth because of my sins; nevertheless, I
know in whom I have trusted. 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. He hath filled me
with his love, even unto the consuming of my flesh. He hath confounded mine enemies, unto the
causing of them to quake before me. Behold, he hath heard my cry by day, and he hath given me
knowledge by visions in the night time. And by day have I waxed bold in mighty prayer before him;
yea, my voice have I sent upon high; and angels came down and ministered unto me. And upon the
wings of his spirit hath my body been carried away upon exceeding high mountains. And mine eyes hath beheld great
things; yea, even too great for man; therefore I was bidden that I should not write them. 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 wasteth away, and my strength
slacken, because of mine afflictions? And why should I yield to sin, because of my flesh? Yea, why
should I give away 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? Awake, my soul! No longer droop in sin. Rejoice O my heart,
and give place no more for the enemy of my soul. Do not anger again, because of mine enemies. Do
not slacken my strength, because of mine afflictions. 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. 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? 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 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? O Lord, wilt thou encircle me around
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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? But that thou wouldst clear my way before
me, and hedge not up my way, but the ways of mine enemy. 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. 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.
Behold, it came to pass that I, Nephi, did cry much unto the Lord my God, because of the anger of my
brethren. But behold, their anger did increase against me, insomuch that they did seek to take
away my life. Yea, they did murmur against me, saying: Our younger brother thinketh 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 be our ruler: for it belongeth unto us, which are
the elder brethren, to rule over this people. Now I do not write upon these plates, all the words
which they murmured against me. But it sufficeth me to say, that they seek to take away my life.
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 would go with me. 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 would go with me. And all they which would go with me, were they which believed
in the warnings and the revelations of God; Wherefore, they did hearken unto my words. And we did
take our tents and whatsoever things were possible for us, and did journey in the wilderness for the
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space of many days. And after that we had journied for the space of many days, we did pitch our tents.
And my people would that we should call the name of the place Nephi; wherefore, we did call it Nephi.
And all they which were with me, did take it upon them to call themselves the people of Nephi. And we
did observe to keep the judgments, and the statues, and the commandments of the Lord, in all things, according to the law
of Moses. 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. 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.
And it came to pass that we began to prosper exceedingly, and to multiply in the land. 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 were now
called Lamanites, should come upon us and destroy us: for I knew their hatred towards me and my children, and they which
were called my people. And I did teach my people, that they should build buildings; and that they
should 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. 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 exceeding fine.
And it came to pass that I, Nephi, did cause my people that they should be industrious, and that they should labor with
their hands. And it came to pass that they would that I should be their King. But I, Nephi, was
desirous that they should have no King; nevertheless, I did do for them according to that which was in my
power. 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; wherefore, 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.
Wherefore, the word of the
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Lord was fulfilled which he spake unto me, saying: That inasmuch as they will not hearken unto thy words, they shall
be cut off from his presence. 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 exceeding 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. And thus saith
the Lord God, I will cause that they shall be loathsome unto thy people, save they shall repent of their
iniquities. 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. And because of their
cursing which was upon them, they did become and idle people, full of mischief and subtlety, and did seek in the
wilderness for beasts of prey. And the Lord God said unto me, they 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.
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. And it came to pass that we lived after the manner of happiness.
And thirty years had passed away from the time we left Jerusalem. And I, Nephi, had kept the record
upon my plates, which I had made of my people thus far.
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. -- Wherefore, I, Nephi, to be obedient
to the commandments of the Lord, went and made these plates upon which I have engraven these things.
And I engravened that which is pleasing unto God. And if my people be pleased with the things of God, they be pleased
with mine engravings which are upon these plates. And if my people desire to know the more particular
part of the history of my people, they must search mine other plates. And if it sufficeth me to
say, that forty years had passed away, and we had already had wars and contentions with our brethren.
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