THE BOOK OF HELAMAN

An account of the Nephites. Their wars and contentions, and their dissensions. And also the prophecies of many holy prophets, before the coming of Christ, according to the records of Helaman, who was the son of Helaman, and also according to the records of his sons, even down to the coming of Christ. And also many of the Lamanites are converted. An account of their conversion. An account of the righteousness of the Lamanites, and the wickedness and abominations of the Nephites, according to the record of Helaman and his sons, even down to the coming of Christ, which is called the book of Helaman, and so forth.

CHAPTER 1

Pahoran the second becomes chief judge and is murdered by Kishkumen—Pacumeni fills the judgment seat—Coriantumr leads the Lamanite armies, takes Zarahemla, and slays Pacumeni—Moronihah defeats the Lamanites and retakes Zarahemla, and Coriantumr is slain. About 52–50 B.C.

1 In the fortieth year Pahoran died, and three of his many sons—Pahoran, Paanchi, and Pacumeni—caused a serious contention among the people about which of them should have the judgment-seat.

5 Pahoran was elected to be chief judge over the Nephites.

6 When Pacumeni lost the vote, he united with the majority, but Paanchi and his supporters were very angry, so he was about to persuade his people to rebel against their brethren.

8 But he was taken, judged according to the voice of the people, and condemned to death, because he had caused a rebellion and tried to destroy the liberty of the people.

9 But his supporters were angry, so they sent Kishkumen to the judgment-seat, where he murdered Pahoran.

10 He was pursued by the servants of Pahoran, but no one could catch him.

11 He went to those who sent him, and they all entered into a covenant, swearing by their everlasting Maker that they would tell no one that Kishkumen had murdered Pahoran.

12 So Kishkumen’s identity was hidden, because he was disguised when he murdered Pahoran. Kishkumen and his band mingled secretly with the people, but if they were found they were condemned to death.

13 In the fortieth year, Pacumeni was elected chief judge, replacing his brother Pahoran.

14 In the forty-first year the Lamanites gathered an innumerable army, heavily armed and shielded.

15 They came to battle the Nephites, led by a large and mighty man named Coriantumr, a descendant of Zarahemla and a dissenter from the Nephites.

16 The king of the Lamanites, Tubaloth, the son of Ammoron, supposed that Coriantumr could conquer the Nephites with his strength and great wisdom.

17 So he stirred the Lamanites up to anger and sent Coriantumr and his armies to battle the Nephites at Zarahemla.

18 Because of so much contention in the government, they did not keep sufficient guards in the land of Zarahemla, supposing that the Lamanites dared not invade the great city Zarahemla in the heart of their lands.

19 But Coriantumr marched his great armies with such speed that the Nephites had no time to gather their armies, so Coriantumr took the city, killing every one who opposed them.

21 Pacumeni fled from Coriantumr, but he was caught and killed.

22 When Coriantumr saw that he had taken Zarahemla, and that the Nephites had fled, or were killed, or imprisoned, he took courage from conquering the strongest place in all the land, so he went out against other cities.

23 He quickly left Zarahemla and marched with a large army toward the city of Bountiful, determined to cut his way to the northern lands with the sword.

24 He had supposed that the greatest Nephite strength was in the center of the land, Zarahemla, so afterward he marched hastily without organizing the armies, except in small groups that killed Nephites.

25 But Coriantumr did not know that Moronihah, the Nephite general, had placed their strong armies in the border cities, supposing that Coriantumr would not dare to come into the center of the land. So Coriantumr succeeded in taking Zarahemla, but then he was not cautious in attacking the other Nephite cities, where their strength was greater.

28 When Moronihah discovered what Coriantumr had done, immediately he sent an army to stop them before they reached Bountiful. And they did stop them before they reached Bountiful, and fought them so they began to retreat back toward Zarahemla.

30 But Moronihah stopped them in their retreat, so now the Lamanites were surrounded by the Nephites and fought a very bloody battle where many were killed, including Coriantumr.

33 The Lamanites surrendered, and Moronihah took Zarahemla again, and ordered the Lamanite prisoners to leave the land in peace—and the forty-first year ended.

CHAPTER 2

Helaman, the son of Helaman, becomes chief judge—Gadianton leads the band of Kishkumen—Helaman’s servant slays Kishkumen, and the Gadianton band flees into the wilderness. About 50–49 B.C.

1 In the forty-second year, after Moronihah had established peace, there was no one to fill the judgment-seat, so again there was a contention about who it should be.

2 Helaman, the son of Helaman, was elected to the judgment-seat.

3 But Kishkumen, who had murdered Pahoran, planned to destroy Helaman also, supported by his band, who had entered into a covenant that no one would know his wickedness.

4 The leader of the band of Kishkumen was Gadianton, who was exceedingly expert in many words and in his craft to do the secret work of murder and robbery.

5 So he flattered them and Kishkumen that if they would place him in the judgment-seat, he would give power and authority to everyone in his band. So Kishkumen went to destroy Helaman.

6 As he went toward the judgment-seat to destroy Helaman, one of Helaman’s servants was out in disguise by night and learned of the plans to destroy Helaman. He met Kishkumen and gave him a particular sign, so Kishkumen revealed his plans and asked him to lead the way to the judgment-seat to murder Helaman.

8 When Helaman’s servant learned Kishkumen’s plan and the secret plans and combination of his band to murder, rob, and gain power, the servant said to Kishkumen, Let us go to the judgment-seat.

9 This pleased Kishkumen because he thought he would succeed in his plan, but as they walked toward the judgment-seat, the servant of Helaman stabbed Kishkumen in the heart, and he fell dead without a groan. And he ran and told Helaman all he had seen, heard, and done.

10 Helaman sent men to take this band of robbers and secret murderers, to be executed according to the law.

11 When Kishkumen did not return, Gadianton was afraid he might be destroyed, so he took his band and fled out of the land by a secret way, so Helaman could not find them.

12 We will speak more of this Gadianton later. The forty-second year ended.

13 In the end of this entire book of Nephi, which I am abridging, you will see that this Gadianton caused the overthrow and almost the entire destruction of the Nephites.

CHAPTER 3

Many Nephites migrate to the land northward—They build houses of cement and keep many records—Tens of thousands are converted and baptized—The word of God leads men to salvation—Nephi the son of Helaman fills the judgment seat. About 49–39 B.C.

1 In the forty-third year there was no contention among the Nephites except for a little pride in the church, which caused some dissensions that were settled by the end of the year.

2 And there was no contention among the people in the forty-fourth and forty-fifth years.

3 In the forty-sixth year there was much contention and many dissensions, and a great many left Zarahemla and went into the land northward.

4 They traveled a great distance and came to large bodies of water and many rivers.

5 And they spread throughout the land, wherever the land had not been stripped of timber because of the many previous inhabitants.

6 No part of the land was desolate except for timber, but because of the greatness of the destruction of the people who had inhabited the land before it was called desolate.

7 Since there was little timber in the land, the people became exceedingly expert in the working of cement, so they built and lived in houses of cement.

8 They multiplied and spread from the land southward to the land northward, and began to cover the whole earth, from the south to the north sea, from the west to the east sea.

9 The people in the land northward lived in tents and in houses of cement, and they allowed every tree to grow so that in time they might have timber to build their houses, cities, temples, synagogues, sanctuaries, and all manner of their buildings.

10 Because timber was exceedingly scarce in the land northward, much was shipped in.

11 This enabled the people in the land northward to build many cities of wood and cement.

12 Many of the people of Ammon, who were Lamanites by birth, went into this land.

13 There are many records kept by many of these people about themselves, which are detailed and very large.

14 But my writings cannot contain a hundredth part of the proceedings of this people, the Lamanites and Nephites, and their wars, contentions, dissensions, preaching, prophecies, shipping,  and their building of ships, temples, synagogues, and sanctuaries, and their righteousness, wickedness, murders, robbing, plundering, and all manner of abominations and whoredoms.

15 Many books and records of every kind have been kept, chiefly by the Nephites.

16 And they have been handed down from one generation to another by the Nephites, until they have fallen into transgression and have been murdered, plundered, hunted, driven forth, killed, and scattered over the land, and mixed with the Lamanites until they are no more called the Nephites, becoming wicked, wild, and ferocious—becoming Lamanites.

17 Now I return again to my account, so what I have spoken had passed after there had been great contentions, disturbances, wars, and dissensions among the people of Nephi.

18 The forty-sixth year of the reign of the judges ended.

19 There was still great contention in the land in the forty-seventh and forty-eighth years.

20 But Helaman filled the judgment-seat with justice and kept the laws and commandments of God; and he did what was right in the sight of God continually; and he walked after the ways of his father, so he prospered in the land.

21 He had two sons, the eldest Nephi and the youngest Lehi. And they began to grow up in the Lord.

22 In the end of the forty-eighth year, the wars and contentions began to stop among the Nephites in a small degree.

23 In the forty-ninth year there was continual peace in the land, except for the secret combinations that Gadianton the robber had established in the more settled parts of the land, which at that time were not known to the government, so they were not destroyed out of the land.

24 There was great prosperity in the church, so thousands joined the church and were baptized to repentance.

25 The high priests and teachers were astonished at the prosperity of the church and the greatness of the blessings poured out on the people.

26 The work of the Lord succeeded in baptizing tens of thousands into the church of God.

27 So we see that the Lord is merciful to all who will sincerely call on his holy name.

28 And the gate of heaven is open to all who will believe on the name of Jesus Christ, who is the Son of God.

29 We see that anyone may grasp the word of God, which is quick and powerful, and will cut up all the tricks and snares of the devil, and lead the man of Christ in an exact and narrow course across that everlasting pit of misery prepared to trap the wicked, and instead to land their immortal souls at the right hand of God in the kingdom of heaven, to sit down with Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob, and with all our holy fathers, never to leave.

31 There was continual peace and great joy in Zarahemla and in all the land of the Nephites for the forty-ninth and fiftieth years.

33 In the fifty-first year there was peace also, except for the pride that began to enter into the church—or, rather, into the hearts of the people who professed to belong to the church of God.

34 In their pride they persecuted many of their brethren, which was a great evil, causing the humble to wade through much affliction.

35 But they fasted and prayed often, and grew stronger in their humility, and firmer in the faith of Christ, so their souls were filled with joy and consolation, and their hearts were purified and sanctified, which came because of giving their hearts to God.

36 The fifty-second year ended in peace, except for the great pride of the people, which came from their great riches and prosperity, and it grew on them day by day.

37 In the fifty-third year Helaman died, and his eldest son Nephi began to reign in his place. He filled the judgment-seat with justice and kept the commandments of God, and walked in the ways of his father.

CHAPTER 4

Nephite dissenters and the Lamanites join forces and take the land of Zarahemla—The Nephites’ defeats come because of their wickedness—The Church dwindles, and the people become weak like the Lamanites. About 38–30 B.C.

1 In the fifty-fourth year there were many dissensions in the church, and also a contention among the people to the point of bloodshed.

2 The rebellious people were killed and driven out of the land, and they went to the king of the Lamanites.

3 They tried to stir up the Lamanites to war against the Nephites, but the Lamanites were very afraid, so they would not listen to the dissenters.

4 In the fifty-sixth year there were more dissenters who went from the Nephites to the Lamanites, and they succeeded with the others in stirring them up to anger against the Nephites; and all that year they prepared for war.

5 In the fifty-seventh year they came to battle against the Nephites, beginning the work of death so that in the fifty-eighth year they succeeded in taking Zarahemla and all the lands up to the land Bountiful.

6 The Nephite armies of Moronihah were driven into the land Bountiful, and there they fortified against the Lamanites to defend their north country on a line from the west to the east sea, a day’s journey.

8 So the Nephite dissenters, with a numerous army of the Lamanites, obtained all the southern lands of the Nephites. This in the fifty-eighth and ninth years.

9 In the sixtieth year Moronihah succeeded with his armies in regaining many parts of the land that the Lamanites had taken.

10 In the sixty-first year they succeeded in regaining half of all their lands.

11 This great loss of the Nephites, and great slaughter, would not have happened except for their wickedness, and it was also among those who professed to belong to the church of God.

12 This all happened because of the pride of their hearts, because of their exceeding riches and oppression of the poor, withholding their food from the hungry, their clothing from the naked, and hitting their humble brethren on the cheek, mocking sacred things, denying the spirit of prophecy and revelation, murdering, plundering, lying, stealing, committing adultery, creating great contentions, and leaving the land of Nephi to be among the Lamanites.

13 Because of their great wickedness and boasting of their own strength, they were left in their own strength, so they did not prosper but were afflicted and beaten, and driven before the Lamanites, until they had lost almost all their lands.

14 But Moronihah preached many things to the people, and also Nephi and Lehi, the sons of Helaman, and they prophesied many things concerning their iniquities, what would happen to them if they did not repent of their sins.

15 And they did repent, and when they repented they began to prosper.

16 When Moronihah saw that they repented, he led them from city to city until they had regained one-half of their property and lands.

17 And the sixty-first year ended.

18 In the sixty-second year Moronihah could not regain anymore lands from the Lamanites.

19 So they abandoned their plans to regain the remainder of their lands because the Lamanites were so numerous that they could not be overpowered. So Moronihah used all his armies to maintain the lands he had taken.

20 Because of the great numbers of Lamanites, the Nephites were in great fear that they would be overpowered, trampled, killed, and destroyed.

21 They began to remember the prophecies of Alma, and words of Mosiah, and they saw that they had been a proud people, and that they had ignored the commandments of God;

22 And that they had altered and trampled under their feet the laws God had commanded Mosiah to give them; and they saw that their laws had become corrupted, and that they had become a wicked people, so that they were wicked just like the Lamanites.

23 Because of their iniquity the church had begun to weaken, and they began to disbelieve in the spirit of prophecy and revelation, and the judgments of God stared them in the face.

24 They saw that they had become weak, like their brethren, the Lamanites, and that the Spirit of the Lord did not preserve them anymore but had withdrawn from them because the Spirit of the Lord does not stay in unholy temples.

25 So the Lord stopped preserving them by his miraculous and matchless power because they had fallen into a state of unbelief and awful wickedness; and they saw that the Lamanites were exceedingly more numerous than they, and unless they would come close to the Lord their God, they must unavoidably perish.

26 They saw that the strength of the Lamanites was as great as their strength, even man for man. So they had fallen into this great transgression and thus become weak in the space of not many years.

CHAPTER 5

Nephi and Lehi devote themselves to preaching—Their names invite them to pattern their lives after their forebears—Christ redeems those who repent—Nephi and Lehi make many converts and are imprisoned, and fire encircles them—A cloud of darkness overshadows three hundred people—The earth shakes, and a voice commands men to repent—Nephi and Lehi converse with angels, and the multitude is encircled by fire. About 30 B.C.

2 Because Nephite laws and governments were established by the voice of the people, and the majority chose evil, the laws became corrupted, and they were ripening for destruction. They were a proud people, so they could not be governed by the law or justice.

4 Nephi became weary because of their iniquity, so he gave up the judgment-seat and preached the word of God the rest of his life, along with his brother Lehi. And the Nephites elected a man named Cezoram to the judgment-seat.

5 Nephi and Lehi remembered the words of their father Helaman, who said, my sons, I want you to remember to keep the commandments of God, and to teach the people these words. I have given to you the names of our first parents who came out of Jerusalem so that your names will remind you of them and remind you of their good works.

7 I want you to do good so it may be said and written of you as it was said and written of them.

8 I want you to do these things not to boast but that you may store up for yourselves a treasure in heaven that is eternal and won’t fade away, so you can have that precious gift of eternal life, which we have reason to believe has been given to our fathers.

9 Remember the words king Benjamin spoke to his people, that there is no way man can be saved except through the atoning blood of Jesus Christ, who will come and redeem the world.

10 And remember the words Amulek spoke to Zeezrom in the city of Ammonihah, when he said that the Lord surely would come to redeem his people, not in their sins but from their sins.

11 He has power from the Father to redeem them from their sins because of repentance, so he has sent his angels to declare the conditions of repentance, which brings the power of the Redeemer to the salvation of their souls.

12 Remember, my sons, that you must build your foundation on the rock of Christ our Redeemer, who is the Son of God, so when the devil will beat you with his mighty winds and arrows, when his hail and mighty storm will beat on you, it will have no power to drag you down to the pit of endless misery because of the rock on which you are built, which is a sure foundation, where men cannot fall if they are built on it.

13 And Helaman taught them many things that are not written, and many that are written.

14 They remembered his words, so they went out, keeping the commandments of God, to teach the word of God among all the people of Nephi, beginning at the city Bountiful, then Gid, then Mulek, until they had taught among all the people of Nephi who were in the south, and then into the land of Zarahemla, among the Lamanites.

17 They preached with great power, so they stopped the strength of many of those dissenters who had gone over from the Nephites, so they confessed their sins and were baptized to repentance and immediately returned to the Nephites to try to repair the wrongs they had done.

18 Nephi and Lehi preached to the Lamanites with great power and authority, so they were given by God what they should speak. This greatly astonished the Lamanites, convincing eight thousand around the land of Zarahemla to be baptized to repentance, and to be convinced of the wickedness of the traditions of their fathers.

20 Nephi and Lehi went toward the land of Nephi, but they were taken by an army of Lamanites and put in prison, the same prison where the servants of Limhi put Ammon and his brethren.

22 After they had been in prison many days without food, they went into the prison to kill them.

23 Nephi and Lehi were encircled with fire, so the Lamanites dared not touch them. But Nephi and Lehi were not burned.

24 When they saw that they were encircled by fire, and that it did not burn them, their hearts took courage.

25 They saw that the Lamanites dared not touch them or come near them but stood still, struck dumb with amazement.

26 Nephi and Lehi began to speak to them, saying, Fear not, it is God who has shown you this marvelous thing, showing you that you cannot lay your hands on us to kill us.

27 Then the ground shook terribly, and the walls of the prison shook like they were about to fall to the ground, but they did not fall. Those in the prison were Lamanites and Nephite dissenters.

28 They were overshadowed with a cloud of darkness, and an awful solemn fear came upon them.

29 Above the cloud of darkness, a voice spoke, saying: Repent, repent, and stop trying to destroy my servants, whom I have sent to you to declare good news.

30 They heard that this voice was not a voice of thunder and not violently loud but a still voice of perfect mildness, like a whisper piercing their soul, but also shaking the earth and making the prison walls tremble. The cloud of darkness did not disperse, and the voice came again, saying, Repent, repent, for the kingdom of heaven is at hand, and try no more to destroy my servants. And the earth shook again, and the walls trembled.

33 The voice came a third time and spoke marvelous words that cannot be spoken by man; and the walls trembled again, and the ground shook like it would split.

34 Because of the cloud of darkness, the Lamanites could not run, and they could not move because of fear.

35 One of them had been born a Nephite but had dissented from the church of God.

36 Through the cloud of darkness he saw the faces of Nephi and Lehi, and they shone exceedingly, like the faces of angels. He saw that they lifted their eyes to heaven and appeared to be talking to some being they could see.

37 This man cried out to the multitude, to turn and look. And they were given power to look and see the faces of Nephi and Lehi.

38 And they said to the man, what does all this mean, and who are they talking to?

39 The man’s name was Aminadab, who said, they’re talking with the angels of God.

40 The Lamanites said to him, What can we do so this cloud of darkness will be removed?

41 Aminadab said, You must repent and cry out to the voice until you have faith in Christ, who was taught to you by Alma, Amulek, and Zeezrom, and when you do this, the cloud of darkness will be removed from you.

42 They all began to cry to the voice of him who had shaken the earth, until the cloud of darkness was dispersed.

43 When they looked around and saw that the cloud of darkness was dispersed, they saw that they were each encircled by a pillar of fire.

44 Nephi and Lehi were in the middle of them, and they were encircled by flaming fire, but it did not harm them, nor did it affect the walls of the prison; and they were filled with that joy that is unspeakable and full of glory.

45 The Holy Spirit of God came down from heaven and entered their hearts, and they were filled with fire and could speak marvelous words.

46 And a voice spoke, a pleasant voice, like a whisper, saying, Peace be to you because of your faith in my Well Beloved, who was from the foundation of the world.

48 When they heard this they looked up to see where the voice came from, and they saw the heavens open, and angels came down from heaven and ministered to them.

49 About three hundred souls saw and heard these things, and they were told to go and not doubt.

50 So they went and ministered to the people, declaring throughout the nearby regions all the things they had heard and seen, so that most of the Lamanites were convinced by them, because of the greatness of the evidences which they had received.

51 And those convinced laid down their weapons of war, and also their hatred and the tradition of their fathers.

52 And they gave to the Nephites their lands.

CHAPTER 6

The righteous Lamanites preach to the wicked Nephites—Both peoples prosper during an era of peace and plenty—Lucifer, the author of sin, stirs up the hearts of the wicked and the Gadianton robbers in murder and wickedness—The robbers take over the Nephite government. About 29–23 B.C.

1 All this happened in the sixty-second year, and most of the Lamanites became a righteous people, more righteous than the Nephites, because of their firmness and steadiness in the faith.

2 Many of the Nephites became hardened and wicked, so they rejected the word of God and all the preaching and prophesying that came among them.

3 The people of the church had great joy because of the conversion of the Lamanites and the church of God that had been established among them. They fellowshipped and greatly rejoiced with each other.

4 Many of the Lamanites came to the land of Zarahemla and told the Nephites about their conversion, and exhorted them to faith and repentance.

5 Many preached with great power and authority, which brought them to the depths of humility, to be humble followers of God and the Lamb.

6 Many of the Lamanites went into the land northward to preach to the people, and also Nephi and Lehi. And the sixty-third year ended.

7 There was peace in all the land, so the Nephites and Lamanites went wherever they wanted. They all had free interaction with each other, and to buy and sell as they wished.

9 Both Lamanites and Nephites became very wealthy with an abundance of gold, silver, and all kinds of precious metals, both in the land south and in the land north.

10 The land south was called Lehi, and the land north was called Mulek, which was after the son of Zedekiah. The Lord brought Mulek into the land north and Lehi into the land south.

11 In both lands there was much gold, silver, and precious metal of every kind, and there were also expert workmen, who refined and worked all kinds of metal, so they became rich.

12 In both lands they raised grain in abundance, raised many flocks and herds, and prospered greatly. They multiplied and grew exceedingly strong.

13 Their women toiled and spun, and made all manner of fine cloth for clothing. The sixty-fourth year ended in peace.

14 In the sixty-fifth year they also had great joy and peace, with much preaching and many prophecies.

15 In the sixty-sixth year Cezoram was murdered by an unknown hand as he sat on the judgment-seat. In the same year, his son, who had been elected by the people, was also murdered.

16 In the sixty-seventh year the people began to grow exceedingly wicked again.

17 The Lord had blessed them so long with the riches of the world that they had not been stirred up to anger, wars, or bloodshed, so they began to set their hearts on riches and to get profit so they could be higher than each other; so they began to commit secret murders, and to rob and plunder, to get gain.

18 Those murderers and plunderers were a band who had been formed by Kishkumen and Gadianton—called Gadianton’s robbers and murderers—and the band was numerous among the Nephites and the more wicked part of the Lamanites.

19 They were the ones who murdered Cezoram and his son while in the judgment-seat, and they were not found.

20 When the Lamanites found that there were robbers among them, they were exceedingly sorrowful, and they used every means in their power to destroy them from the land.

21 But Satan stirred up the hearts of most of the Nephites, so they united with the bands of robbers and entered into their covenants and oaths that they would protect each other in all difficult circumstances, so they would not suffer for their murders, plundering, and stealing.

22 They had their secret signs and words, so they could know those who had entered into the covenant, so that no brother should be injured by another in the covenant for his wickedness.

23 So they could murder, plunder, steal, and commit whoredoms and all manner of wickedness, contrary to the laws of their country and their God.

24 If anyone belonging to their band revealed to the world their wickedness and abominations, they would be tried not according to the laws of the country but according to the laws of their wickedness, which had been given by Gadianton and Kishkumen.

25 It is these secret oaths and covenants that Alma commanded his son should not go out to the world, so they would not bring the people down to destruction.

26 Those secret oaths and covenants did not come to Gadianton from the records delivered to Helaman but were put into the heart of Gadianton by that same being who tempted our first parents to partake of the forbidden fruit, that same being who plotted with Cain that if he would murder his brother Abel, it would be hidden from the world. And he plotted with Cain and his followers from that time on.

28 It is that same being who put it into the hearts of the people to build a tower sufficiently high to get to heaven, the same being who deceived the people who came from that tower to this land, and who spread the works of darkness and abominations over all the land until he dragged the people down to an entire destruction and everlasting hell.

29 It is that same being who put it into the heart of Gadianton to carry on the work of darkness and secret murder, and he has brought it from the beginning of man down to this time.

30 He is the author of all sin, and carries on his works of darkness and secret murder, and hands down their plots, oaths, covenants, and plans of awful wickedness, from generation to generation as much as he can get hold on the hearts of men.

31 He got great hold on the hearts of the Nephites, so they became exceedingly wicked, most of them turning away from the way of righteousness and trampling the commandments of God under their feet. They turned to their own ways and built idols of gold and silver for themselves.

32 All these iniquities came to them in the space of not many years, so that most of it happened in the sixty-seventh year.

33 In the sixty-eighth year they grew in their iniquities, to the great sorrow of the righteous.

34 The Nephites began to weaken in unbelief, and grow in wickedness and abominations, while the Lamanites began to grow exceedingly in the knowledge of their God. They began to keep his commandments and to walk in truth and uprightness before him.

35 And the Spirit of the Lord began to withdraw from the Nephites because of the wickedness and hardness of their hearts.

36 The Lord began to pour out his Spirit on the Lamanites because of their willingness to believe in his words.

37 The Lamanites hunted the band of Gadianton robbers, and they preached the word of God among the more wicked part of them, so the band of robbers was utterly destroyed from among the Lamanites.

38 But the Nephites built up and supported the robbers, beginning with the more wicked part of them, until they had spread over all the land of the Nephites, and had seduced most of the righteous until they came to believe in their works and share in their spoils, and to join with them in their secret murders and combinations.

39 So they obtained the sole management of the government, and trampled under their feet—and hit and turned their backs on—the poor and the humble followers of God.

40 They were in an awful state and ripening for an everlasting destruction. The sixty-eighth year ended.

The Prophecy of Nephi, the Son of Helaman—God threatens the people of Nephi that he will visit them in his anger, to their utter destruction except they repent of their wickedness. God strikes the people of Nephi with pestilence; they repent and turn to him. Samuel, a Lamanite, prophesies to the Nephites.

Comprising chapters 7 through 16.

CHAPTER 7

Nephi is rejected in the north and returns to Zarahemla—He prays on his garden tower and then calls on the people to repent or perish. About 23–21 B.C.

1 In the sixty-ninth year Nephi returned to Zarahemla from the north, where he had preached the word of God and prophesied many things. But they rejected his words, so he could not stay with them but returned to the land of his birth.

4 He saw the people in a state of awful wickedness, and that the Gadianton robbers had filled the judgment-seats, taken power and authority of the land, laid aside the commandments of God, withheld justice from people, condemned the righteous because of their righteousness, let the guilty and wicked go unpunished because of their money, and held office at the head of government in order to do as they wished, to get gain and glory of the world, and to more easily commit adultery, steal, and kill.

6 This great iniquity grew among the Nephites in a period of not many years, and when Nephi saw it, his heart was swollen with sorrow, and he exclaimed in the agony of his soul:

7 I wish I could have lived when my father Nephi first came out of the land of Jerusalem, that I could have joyed with him in the promised land when his people were easy to be persuaded, firm to keep the commandments of God, and slow to be led to do iniquity. And they were quick to listen to the words of the Lord.

8 If I could have lived then, my soul would have had joy in the righteousness of my brethren.

9 But I submit to these being my days, and that my soul will be filled with sorrow because of the wickedness of my brethren.

10 Nephi bowed himself on a tower in his garden, which was by the road that led to the chief market in Zarahemla.

11 When some men passed by and saw Nephi pouring out his soul to God on the tower, they ran and told the people what they had seen, and the people came together in crowds to learn the cause of such great mourning for the wickedness of the people.

12 When Nephi arose he saw the many people gathered, and he said, why have you gathered here? So I would tell you about your iniquities?

14 Because I am on my tower to pour out my soul to my God because of the exceeding sorrow of my heart, which is because of your iniquities!

15 And because of my mourning you have gathered and marvel. You need to marvel because you have given your hearts to the great power of the devil.

16 How could you have surrendered to the temptation of him who is trying to hurl your souls down to everlasting misery?

17 Repent, repent! Why will you die? Turn to the Lord your God. Why has he forsaken you? He is angry because you have hardened your hearts and will not listen to the voice of the good shepherd.

19 So unless you repent, instead of gathering you he will scatter you to become meat for dogs and wild beasts.

20 How could you have forgotten your God in the very day he has delivered you?

21 It’s because you want to get profit, be praised of men, and get gold and silver. You’ve set your hearts on the riches and vain things of this world, for which you murder, plunder, steal, testify falsely against your neighbor, and do all manner of iniquity.

22 So you will be miserable unless you repent. If you do not repent, this great city and all the great cities in our land, will be taken away so you will have no place in them because the Lord will not give you strength, as he has done before, to withstand your enemies.

23 The Lord says, I will not share my power with the wicked, or to one person more than the other, except with those who repent of their sins and listen to my words.

24 My brethren, it will be better for the Lamanites than for you except you will repent. They are more righteous than you because they have not sinned against the great knowledge you have received. So the Lord will be merciful to them and lengthen out their days and increase their seed, while you will be utterly destroyed except you repent.

25 You will be cursed because of that great evil among you, that you have united yourselves to the secret Gadianton band!

26 You will be miserable because of the pride you have allowed to enter your hearts, lifting you up beyond what is good because of your exceedingly great riches!

27 Curses to you because of your wickedness and abominations!

28 And unless you repent you will perish, your lands will be taken from you, and you will be destroyed from the face of the earth.

29 I do not say these things of my own knowledge, but I know these things are true because the Lord God has told me, so I testify that they will happen.

CHAPTER 8

Corrupt judges seek to incite the people against Nephi—Abraham, Moses, Zenos, Zenock, Ezias, Isaiah, Jeremiah, Lehi, and Nephi all testified of Christ—By inspiration Nephi announces the murder of the chief judge. About 23–21 B.C.

1 After Nephi spoke, men who were judges and belonged to the Gadianton band were angry, and loudly they said to the people, Why do you not take this man, so he may be condemned for the crime he has done?

2 Why do you allow this man to speak evil against this people and our law?

3 Nephi had spoken about the corruptness of their law and many things that cannot be written, but he said nothing contrary to the commandments of God.

4 Those judges were angry with him because he spoke plainly about their secret works of darkness, but they dared not take him because they feared the people would cry out against them.

5 So the judges cried to the people, saying, Why do you allow this man to criticize us? He condemns all this people to destruction and says that our great cities will be taken from us.

6 We know this is impossible because we are powerful, and our cities great, so our enemies cannot have power over us.

7 They stirred up the people to anger against Nephi, and raised contentions among them. Some said, Let this man alone because he is a good man, and the judgments he prophecies about us will surely happen unless we repent. He has spoken truly about our iniquities, which are many, so he knows what will happen to us because of our iniquities.

9 If he had not been a prophet, he could not have testified about those things.

10 Because of their fear, those people who wanted to destroy Nephi were compelled not to take him, so he began to speak to them again, seeing that he had gained favor in the eyes of some, and that the remainder were afraid.

11 He was compelled to speak more to them, saying, My brethren, have you not read that God gave power to one man, Moses, to strike the waters of the Red Sea, and they separated so that the Israelites, our fathers, came through on dry ground, and the waters closed on the armies of the Egyptians and swallowed them up?

12 So if God gave this man such power, why would you argue among yourselves and say that he has given me no power to know about the judgments that will come on you unless you repent?

13 You not only deny my words, but you deny all the words spoken by our fathers, and the words spoken by Moses, who was given such great power, including the words he spoke about the coming of the Messiah.

14 Did he not bear record that the Son of God would come? Just as he lifted up the brass serpent in the wilderness, so Christ will be lifted up when he comes.

15 As many as would look on that serpent lived, just as those who look on the Son of God with faith and humility will have eternal life.

16 Not only Moses testified of these things but also all the holy prophets, from his days to the days of Abraham.

17 Abraham saw his coming and was filled with joy.

18 Not only Abraham knew of these things, but there were many before Abraham who were called by the order of the Son of God so that thousands of years before his coming, the people could be shown his coming and that redemption would come to them.

19 Since Abraham many prophets have testified these things, including the prophet Zenos, who was killed for testifying boldly; and also Zenock, Ezias, Isaiah, and Jeremiah. Jeremiah testified of the destruction of Jerusalem, and we know that Jerusalem was destroyed according to his words, so why would the Son of God not also come according to his prophecy?

21 Will you argue about Jerusalem being destroyed? Will you say that the sons of Zedekiah were not all killed, except Mulek? But you see that the descendants of Zedekiah are here with us, and they were driven out of the land of Jerusalem.

22 And our father Lehi was driven out of Jerusalem because he testified of these things. Nephi also testified of these things, and almost all of our fathers have testified of the coming of Christ, and have looked forward to and rejoiced in his day that is to come.

23 He is God, and he is with them, and he showed himself to them, so they were redeemed by him; and they gave him glory, because of what is to come.

24 You know these things and cannot deny them unless you lie, but you have lied because you have rejected all these things despite the many evidences you have received. So you have sinned, denying all things in heaven and earth as a witness that they are true.

25 You have rejected the truth and rebelled against your holy God, and even now, instead of storing up for yourselves treasures in heaven, where nothing spoils, and where nothing unclean can come, you are piling up for yourselves punishment in the day of judgment.

26 Even now you are ripening for everlasting destruction because of your murders, fornication, and wickedness, and it will come soon unless you repent.

27 Destruction is at your doors. Go to the judgment-seat, and you will see that your judge is murdered, lying in his blood, murdered by his brother who wants the judgment-seat.

28 They both belong to your secret band, founded by Gadianton and the evil one who seeks to destroy the souls of men.

CHAPTER 9

Messengers find the chief judge dead at the judgment seat—They are imprisoned and later released—By inspiration Nephi identifies Seantum as the murderer—Nephi is accepted by some as a prophet. About 23–21 B.C.

1 Then five men ran to the judgment-seat, and as they went they said, Now we will know for sure whether this man is a prophet and God commanded him to prophesy such marvelous things to us. We do not believe he is a prophet, but if he spoke the truth about the chief judge, that he is dead, then will we believe the truth of the other words he has spoken.

3 They ran to the judgment-seat, and the chief judge had fallen to the ground in his blood.

4 When they saw this they were astonished exceedingly, so they fell to the ground because they had not believed Nephi’s words about the chief judge.

5 But now they believed, and fear came over them about all the judgments Nephi had said would come on the people, so they shook and fell to the ground.

6 When the judge’s brother murdered him, he fled, and the servants ran and told the people, raising the cry of murder among them.

7 The people gathered at the judgment-seat, and they were astonished to see the five men who had fallen to the earth.

8 The people knew nothing about the crowd who had gathered at the garden of Nephi, so they said, These are the men who have murdered the judge, and God has struck them so they could not run from us.

9 They bound them and threw them in prison. And a proclamation was sent out that the judge was killed, and the murderers had been taken to prison.

10 The next day the people gathered to mourn and fast at the burial of the great chief judge who had been killed.

11 The judges who were at the garden of Nephi and heard his words were also gathered at the burial.

12 And they asked the people, Where are the five who were sent to see if the chief judge was dead? And they answered, we do not know about these five you sent, but we put five in prison who are the murderers.

13 The judges had the five brought to them, and they were the five who were sent. The judges asked what had happened, and the five told them, saying, We ran to the judgment-seat, and when we saw everything just as Nephi had prophesied, we were so astonished that we fell down, and when we recovered, they put us in prison.

15 We do not know who murdered the judge, only that we ran as you asked, and he was dead according to the words of Nephi.

16 The judges spoke to the people, speaking out against Nephi, saying, We know that Nephi must have agreed with someone to kill the judge so he could prophesy about it and convert us to his faith, so he could make himself a great man and prophet, chosen of God.

17 We will find Nephi’s man, and he will confess his guilt and tell us the true murderer of the judge.

18 The five were freed on the day of the burial, and they condemned what the judges had said against Nephi, and argued with them until they stopped them.

19 But the judges still took Nephi to the crowd, tied up, and questioned him in various ways so he would contradict himself, so they could accuse him to death.

20 They said, you are a conspirator. Who is the man that did the murder? If you admit your agreement with him, we will give you money and your life.

21 But Nephi said, You are fools, with closed hearts, and blind and proud. How long do you think the Lord your God will allow you to continue in these sins?

22 You should begin to howl and mourn because of the great destruction that is waiting on you unless you repent.

23 You say that I have agreed with a man to murder our chief judge. But this is because I have prophesied to you about this murder as a sign to show you that I knew of the wickedness among you, and you are only angry about that and want to hide it by destroying me.

25 Now I will show you another sign, and see if you will use this to destroy me.

26 Go to the house of Seantum, the brother of the chief judge, and say to him, Has Nephi, the pretended prophet who prophesies so much evil about this people, supported you to murder the chief judge, your brother?

28 And he will say, No.

29 You will say, Have you murdered your brother?

30 And he will become afraid and not know what to say. He will deny it, and pretend to be astonished, and say he is innocent.

31 But you will examine him and find blood on the skirts of his cloak. And you will say, Where does this blood come from? It is not the blood of your brother?

33 Then he will tremble and become pale, like he was dead.

34 You will say, Because of the fear and paleness on your face, we know that you are guilty.

35 Then he will be more afraid and will confess and stop denying that he did this murder.

36 And he will say that I, Nephi, know nothing about all this unless it was given to me by the power of God. And then you will know that I am an honest man, sent to you from God.

37 They went and did what Nephi had said, which was proven true, because Seantum denied but then confessed.

38 So he was proven to be the murderer, so the five were set free, as well as Nephi.

39 Some of the Nephites believed in the words of Nephi, and some believed because of the testimony of the five, who had been converted while they were in prison. So now there were some among the people who said that Nephi was a prophet.

41 Others said, He is a god, or else he could not know all things. He has told us the thoughts of our hearts, and other things, even showing us the truth about the true murderer of our chief judge.

CHAPTER 10

The Lord gives Nephi the sealing power—He is empowered to bind and loose on earth and in heaven—He commands the people to repent or perish—The Spirit carries him from multitude to multitude. About 21–20 B.C.

1 A division was created among the people, so they went their ways, leaving Nephi alone.

2 Nephi went toward his house, pondering on the things the Lord had shown him.

3 He was deeply discouraged because of the wickedness of the Nephites, their secret works of darkness, their murders, their plundering, and all manner of iniquities. As he was pondering this in his heart, a voice came to him, saying,

4 Nephi, you are blessed for the things you have done because I have seen how you have tirelessly declared the word I have given you to this people. You have not feared them or thought of yourself but have searched for my will and to keep my commandments.

5 And because you have done this without tiring, I will bless you forever, and I will make you mighty in word and deed, in faith and works, so that all things will be done according to your word because you would not ask anything against my will.

6 You are Nephi, and I am God. In the presence of my angels, I say that you will have power over this people and will strike the earth with famine, disease, and destruction, according to the wickedness of this people.

7 I give you power that whatever you seal on earth will be sealed in heaven, and whatever you release on earth will be released in heaven, and thus you will have power among this people.

8 If you say to a temple that it will be torn in two, it will be done.

9 If you say to a mountain, fall down and become smooth, it will be done.

10 And if you say that God will strike this people, it will happen.

11 I command you to go and tell people that the Lord God Almighty says, Unless you repent you will be struck and destroyed.

12 After the Lord spoke, Nephi did not continue to his house but visited the people scattered throughout the land and began to declare the word of the Lord about their destruction if they did not repent.

13 Despite the great miracle Nephi had done in telling them about the death of the chief judge, they hardened their hearts and did not listen to the words of the Lord.

14 So Nephi repeated God’s words, Unless you repent, you well be struck and destroyed.

15 But they still hardened their hearts and would not listen to his words, and attacked him verbally and tried to put him in prison.

16 But they could not take him, because the power of God was with him, and the Spirit carried him away.

17 He went in the Spirit, from multitude to multitude, declaring the word of God, until he had declared it to all, or had sent it forth among all the people.

18 But they would not listen to his words, and there began to be contentions and divisions among them, and they began to kill each other with the sword. The seventy-first year ended.

CHAPTER 11

Nephi persuades the Lord to replace their war with a famine—Many people perish—They repent, and Nephi importunes the Lord for rain—Nephi and Lehi receive many revelations—The Gadianton robbers entrench themselves in the land. About 20–6 B.C.

1 In the seventy-second year the contentions increased, so there were wars throughout the land of the Nephites.

2 It was the secret band of robbers who caused the wickedness and destruction. The war lasted all year, and in the seventy-third year.

3 In that year Nephi cried to the Lord, saying, O Lord, do not allow this people to be destroyed by the sword, but instead cause a famine in the land, to stir them up in remembrance of the Lord their God, and perhaps they will repent and turn to you.

5 So there was a great famine among all the Nephites, and in the seventy-fourth year the famine continued, and the destruction stopped by the sword but became terrible by famine.

6 In the seventy-fifth year the earth continued to be dry and yielded no grain; and the whole earth was afflicted among the Lamanites and Nephites, so they perished by thousands in the more wicked parts of the land.

7 When the people saw they were about to perish by famine, they began to remember the Lord their God, and they began to remember the words of Nephi.

8 The people pled with their judges and leaders, that they would say to Nephi, We know you are a man of God, so cry to the Lord our God that he will stop this famine, so what you have said about our destruction will not happen.

9 The judges said this to Nephi, and when he saw that the people had repented and were sincerely humble, he cried again to the Lord, saying,

10 O Lord, these people have repented and swept away the Gadianton band so they have become extinct, and they have hidden their secret plans in the ground.

11 Lord, because of their humility, will you turn away your anger and allow the destruction of these wicked men to be enough?

12 O Lord, will you turn away your anger and stop this famine?

13 O Lord, will you listen to me and do as I have asked, and send rain on the earth, that she may bring forth her fruit and grain?

14 O Lord, you listened when I asked for a famine instead of destruction by sword, and I know that now you will listen to my words because you said, If this people repent I will spare them.

15 O Lord, you see they have repented because of the famine and destruction.

16 So now will you turn away your anger and see if they will serve you? If so, O Lord, you can bless them according to your words.

17 In the seventy-sixth year the Lord turned away his anger from the people and caused rain to fall on the earth, so that fruit and grain grew.

18 The people in all the land rejoiced and glorified God, and they stopped trying to destroy Nephi, and regarded him as a great prophet and man of God, having great power and authority from God.

19 Lehi, his brother, was not a bit behind him in things of righteousness.

20 The people of Nephi began to prosper again, and to build up their desolate places, and to multiply and spread until they covered all the land.

21 The seventy-sixth year ended in peace. The seventy-seventh year began in peace, and the church spread throughout the land; and most of the people, both Nephites and Lamanites, belonged to the church; and they had great peace in the land. The seventy-seventh year ended.

22 They had peace in the seventy-eighth year, except a few contentions about the points of doctrine taught by the prophets.

23 In the seventy-ninth year there began to be much contention. But Nephi and Lehi and many of their brethren knew about the true doctrine, having many revelations daily, so they preached to the people and put an end to their contention in that year.

24 Years before there were Nephite dissenters who had gone over to the Lamanites and taken on themselves the name of Lamanites. In the eightieth year they stirred up some of the real descendants of the Lamanites to anger and war with their brethren.

25 They murdered and plundered, and then they would retreat into the mountains and the wilderness and secret places, hiding themselves so they could not be found, growing in numbers daily with dissenters joining them.

26 In not many years, they became a great band of robbers, and they searched out all the secret plans of Gadianton, so they became Gadianton robbers.

27 These robbers caused great destruction among the Nephites and Lamanites.

28 They needed to stop this work of destruction, so they sent an army of strong men into the wilderness and the mountains to search out and destroy this band of robbers.

29 But the army was driven back, and so ended the eightieth year.

30 In the eighty-first year again they went against this band of robbers and destroyed many, but they also suffered much loss.

31 And again the army was forced out of the wilderness and mountains because of the exceeding greatness of the numbers of the robbers who infested those places.

32 The robbers increased and grew strong, so they defied the whole armies of the Nephites and Lamanites, causing great fear in the people everywhere.

33 In many parts of the land they caused great destruction, killed many, and carried others away captive into the wilderness, especially their women and children.

34 This great evil, which was caused by the iniquity of the people, stirred them up again in remembrance of the Lord their God. The eighty-first year ended.

36 In the eighty-second year again they began to forget the Lord their God, and in the eighty-third year they began to grow strong in iniquity. And in the eighty-fourth year they did not repent.

37 In the eighty-fifth year they grew stronger in their pride and wickedness, so they were ripening again for destruction.

CHAPTER 12

Men are unstable and foolish and quick to do evil—The Lord chastens His people—The nothingness of men is compared with the power of God—In the day of judgment, men will gain everlasting life or everlasting damnation. About 6 B.C.

1 So we see how false and unsteady men can be, and we see that the Lord in his infinite goodness blesses and prospers those who put their trust in him.

2 We see that God prospers his people in the increase of their fields, flocks, herds, gold, silver, and precious things of every kind; in sparing their lives and delivering them out of the hands of their enemies; in softening the hearts of their enemies that they did not declare wars against them; and in doing all things for the welfare and happiness of his people. And we see that right when God prospers his people is the time they harden their hearts and forget the Lord their God, and trample under their feet the Holy One, and this because of their ease and great prosperity.

3 We see that unless the Lord chastens his people with many afflictions, and visits them with death and terror, and with famine and all manner of diseases, they will not remember him.

4 O how foolish, vain, evil, devilish, quick to do iniquity, and slow to do good are men. How quick they are to listen to the words of the evil one and to set their hearts on the vain things of the world!

5 How quick they are to be lifted up in pride, how quick to boast and do all manner of iniquity, and how slow to remember the Lord their God and to listen to his directions, how slow to walk in wisdom’s paths!

6 They do not desire that the Lord their God, who has created them, would rule and reign over them. Despite his great goodness and mercy toward them, they ignore his direction and refuse him as their guide.

7 How great is the nothingness of men, even less than the dust of the earth because the dust of the earth moves here and there at the command of our great and everlasting God.

9 And at his voice the hills and mountains tremble and quake. By the power of his voice they are broken up and become smooth, like a valley.

11 By the power of his voice the whole earth shakes, and the foundations rock, even to the very center.

13 If he says to the earth, Move, it is moved.

14 If he says to the earth, Reverse your rotation so the day is lengthened out for many hours, it is done.

15 According to his word the earth goes backward, and it appears to man that the sun stands still because it is the earth that moves, not the sun.

16 If he says to the oceans, Be dried up, it is done.

17 If he says to this mountain, Rise up, fall on that city and bury it, it is done.

18 If a man hides up a treasure in the earth, and the Lord says, Let it be cursed so that nobody finds it forever because of the wickedness of him who hid it up, it will be cursed.

20 And if the Lord says to a man, Because of your iniquities, you will be cursed forever, it will be done.

21 If the Lord says, Because of your iniquities you will be cut off from my presence, it will be so.

22 Such a man is cursed and cannot be saved, so repentance has been declared so that men might be saved.

23 Blessed are they who will repent and listen to the voice of the Lord their God, for these are the ones who will be saved.

24 I pray that God will grant in his great power that men will be brought to repentance and good works, that they will be restored to grace for grace according to their works.

25 I desire that all men be saved, but we read that in the great and last day there are some who will be cast out from the presence of the Lord, who will be committed to a state of endless misery, fulfilling the words that say, Whoever has done good will have everlasting life, and whoever has done evil will have everlasting damnation. And thus it is. Amen.

The prophecy of Samuel, the Lamanite, to the Nephites.

Comprising chapters 13 through 15.

CHAPTER 13

Samuel the Lamanite prophesies the destruction of the Nephites unless they repent—They and their riches are cursed—They reject and stone the prophets, are encircled about by demons, and seek for happiness in doing iniquity. About 6 B.C.

1 In the eighty-sixth year, the Nephites remained in great wickedness, while the Lamanites strictly observed to keep the commandments of God according to the law of Moses.

2 In this year Samuel, a Lamanite, came into Zarahemla and began to preach to the people. Many days he preached repentance, and they cast him out, and he was about to return to his own land.

3 But the voice of the Lord said to him that he should return and prophesy to the people whatever things would come into his heart.

4 They would not allow him to enter the city, so he got up on the wall, stretched out his hand, and cried with a loud voice to prophesy to the people whatever things the Lord put in his heart.

5 He said, I, Samuel, a Lamanite, speak the words of the Lord that he puts in my heart, and he has told me to say that the sword of justice hangs over this people; and four hundred years will not pass before the sword of justice falls on them.

6 Heavy destruction surely comes to this people, and nothing can save them except repentance and faith on the Lord Jesus Christ, who surely will come into the world and will suffer many things and be killed for his people.

7 An angel of the Lord has declared it to me, bringing good news to my soul. I was sent to declare it to you, that you might have good news, but you would not receive me.

8 The Lord says, Because of the hardness of the hearts of the Nephites, unless they repent I will take my word from them and withdraw my Spirit from them. I will support them no longer and will turn the hearts of their brethren against them.

9 Four hundred years will not pass away before I will cause that they will be knocked down with the sword, famine, and pestilence.

10 I will visit them in my fierce anger, and there will be those of the fourth generation of your enemies who will live to see your utter destruction. This will surely happen unless you repent.

11 But the Lord says, if you repent and return to the Lord your God I will turn away my anger, and blessed are they who will repent and turn to me, but curses to him that does not.

12 Curses to this great city Zarahemla because I see that most of the people will harden their hearts against me. It is only because of those who are righteous that it is saved for now.

13 Blessed are they who repent, because I will spare them. If it were not for the righteous who are in this city, I would bring down fire out of heaven and destroy it.

14 It is because of the righteous that it is spared, but the time is coming that you will cast out the righteous from among you, and then you will be ripe for destruction. Curses to this great city because of her wickedness.

15 Cursed be the city of Gideon because of the wickedness in her.

16 Cursed be all the cities in nearby Nephite lands because of the wickedness in them.

17 A curse will come on the land, says the Lord of Hosts, because of the wickedness of the people.

18 So if someone hides up treasures in the earth, they will never find them, except for those who are righteous and hide up treasures to the Lord.

19 God says, I want people to hide their treasures to me, and cursed be those who do not. Only the righteous hide their treasures to me, and curses will come to those who do not hide their treasures to me.

20 Because they have set their hearts on riches, they will hide their treasures when they flee from their enemies, but they and their treasures will be cursed because they will not hide them to me.

21 Listen to me and the words of the Lord, who says that you and your riches are cursed because you have set your heart on them and not listened to the words of him who gave them to you.

22 You do not remember the many ways the Lord your God has blessed you, but you always remember your riches, not to thank the Lord your God for them—because your hearts are not focused on him—but so you can swell with great pride, boasting, envy, conflict, malice, persecution, murder, and all manner of iniquities.

23 It is because of your wickedness that the Lord God caused a curse to come on the land and your riches.

24 This people are cursed because the time has arrived that you cast out the prophets, mock them, cast stones at them, kill them, and treat them badly in all ways, just like in times past.

25 You say to yourselves, if we had lived in different times, we would not have stoned, cast out, and killed the prophets.

26 But you are worse than those in different times because if a prophet teaches you the word of the Lord and testifies of your sins, you are angry with him, cast him out, and look for ways to destroy him, while you say that he is a false prophet, a sinner, and of the devil because he tells you that your deeds are evil.

27 But if a man says, Do this and there is no sin, do that and you will not suffer, live in the pride of your own hearts and do whatever your heart desires, you will receive him and say he is a prophet.

28 You will lift him up and give him your possessions—your gold, silver, and expensive clothing—because he speaks flattering words to you, and he says that all is well, so you will not find fault with him.

29 O you wicked and corrupt generation, you hardened and proud, how long do you suppose that the Lord will allow you to continue? How long will you allow yourselves to be led by foolish and blind guides? How long will you choose darkness rather than light?

30 The anger of the Lord is already building against you. He has cursed the land because of your wickedness.

31 And the time comes that he will curse your riches, that they become slippery, that you cannot hold them. And in the days of your poverty you cannot keep them.

32 In the days of your poverty you will cry to the Lord but in vain because your desolation is already come, and your destruction is certain, and then you will weep and howl, says the Lord of Hosts. And then will you weep and say,

33 I wish I had repented, and not killed the prophets, stoned them, and cast them out. You will say, We wish we had remembered the Lord our God in the time he gave us riches, and then they would not have become slippery so we lost them, because our riches are gone.

34 We lay a tool here, and the next day it is gone; and our swords are taken from us in the day we have needed them for battle.

35 We have hid up our treasures, but they have slipped away because of the curse of the land.

36 We wish we had repented in the day the word of the Lord came because the land is cursed, and all things have become slippery, and we cannot hold them.

37 We are surrounded by demons, encircled by the angels of him who has wanted to destroy our souls. Our sins are great. O Lord, can you turn away your anger from us? This will be your language in those days.

38 But your days of probation are past. You have put off the day of your salvation until it is everlastingly too late, and your destruction is made certain because you have looked all your lives for that which you could not obtain, which is to find happiness while doing wickedness, which is contrary to the nature of the righteousness that is in our great and Eternal Head.

39 O how I desire that you would hear my words! And I pray that the anger of the Lord will turn away from you, and that you would repent and be saved.

CHAPTER 14

Samuel predicts light during the night and a new star at Christ’s birth—Christ redeems men from temporal and spiritual death—The signs of His death include three days of darkness, the rending of the rocks, and great upheavals of nature. About 6 B.C.

1 Samuel the Lamanite prophesied a great many more things that cannot be written.

2 He said to them, I give to you a sign, that after five years the Son of God will come to redeem all those who will believe on his name.

3 I give you this sign of his coming: in the night before he comes there will be great lights in heaven, so there will be no darkness, and it will seem like day.

4 So one day and a night and a day will seem like one day without night, and this will be your sign. You will know the sunrise, and when the sun sets, so you will know for a certainty that there will be two days and a night with no darkness, and it will be the night before he is born.

5 A new star will appear, unlike any you have seen before, and this will be another sign.

6 And there will be many other signs and wonders in heaven.

7 You will all be amazed and fall to the ground.

8 And whoever will believe on the Son of God will have everlasting life.

9 By his angel the Lord has commanded me to come and prophesy and tell you these things. And he said to me, Cry to this people, repent and prepare the way of the Lord.

10 Because I am a Lamanite, and have spoken to you the words of the Lord, and because it was hard against you, you are angry and want to destroy me, and have cast me out from among you.

11 You will hear my words, and that is why I have come on the walls of this city, so you can hear and know the judgments of God that await you because of your iniquities, and also so you can know the conditions of repentance, and so you can know about the coming of Jesus Christ, the Son of God, the Father of heaven and earth, the Creator of all things from the beginning, and so you can know the signs of his coming so you can believe on his name.

13 If you believe on his name, you will repent of all your sins so you can have a remission of them through his virtues.

14 Another sign I give to you, a sign of his death.

15 It is necessary that he die for salvation to come, to make possible the resurrection of the dead, so men may be brought into the presence of the Lord.

16 His death makes the resurrection possible and redeems all mankind from that first spiritual death, because by the fall of Adam all mankind are cut off from the presence of the Lord and are considered as dead, both in the world and spiritually.

17 The resurrection of Christ redeems all mankind and brings them back into the presence of the Lord.

18 It creates the possibility of repentance, so that whoever repents is not cut down and cast into the fire, but whoever does not repent is cut down and cast into the fire, and then they die a second spiritual death because they are cut off again from righteous things.

19 So repent, repent, for fear that by knowing these things and not doing them you will allow yourselves to be condemned and descend into this second death.

20 I spoke to you about a sign of his death, which means that on that day the sun, moon, and stars will be darkened and give no light; and there will be no light in the land from the time of his death for three days, until he will rise again from the dead.

21 At the time he dies there will be thunder and lightning for many hours. The earth will shake and tremble, and the solid rocks above and beneath the ground will be broken up.

22 They will be torn apart and forever after will be found in seams, cracks, and broken fragments on the whole earth, both above the surface and beneath.

23 There will be great storms, and many mountains will be laid low like a valley, and many places now called valleys will become very high mountains.

24 Many highways will be broken up, and many cities will become desolate.

25 Many graves will be opened and will release many dead, and many saints will appear to many.

26 This was spoken to me by the angel, and he said there would be thunder and lightning for many hours.

27 While the thunder and lightning and storm lasted, darkness would cover the whole earth for three days.

28 And the angel said that many will see greater things than these, and that these signs and wonders would happen so there would be no reason for unbelief among men.

29 And all this happens for the purpose that whoever will believe can be saved, and whoever will not believe, a righteous judgment will come on them, and if they are condemned they bring on themselves their own condemnation.

30 Now remember, my brethren, that whoever perishes does this to himself, and whoever does evil does it to himself because you are free; you are permitted to act for yourselves because God has given you knowledge and made you free.

31 He has given you the power to know good from evil, and he has given to you that you can choose life or death; and you can do good and be restored to that which is good, or you can do evil, and have that which is evil restored to you.

CHAPTER 15

The Lord chastened the Nephites because He loved them—Converted Lamanites are firm and steadfast in the faith—The Lord will be merciful to the Lamanites in the latter days. About 6 B.C.

1 My beloved brethren, I declare that unless you repent, your houses will be made desolate.

2 Except you repent, your women will have great reason to mourn in the day they give birth because you will attempt to flee and there will be no safe place; and curses to them who are pregnant because they will be heavy and cannot flee, so they will be walked on and left to perish.

3 Curses to people who are called Nephites unless they repent when they see all these signs and wonders that will be shown, because they have been a chosen people of the Lord. He loved the people of Nephi and has corrected them in the days of their wickedness because he loves them.

4 God has hated the Lamanites because their deeds have been evil continually, and this because of the tradition of their fathers. But salvation has come to them through the preaching of the Nephites, so the Lord has prolonged their days.

5 You see that most Lamanites are doing their duty and keeping God’s commandments according to the law of Moses.

6 Most Lamanites are diligently trying to bring the rest of their brethren to a knowledge of the truth, so many join their numbers daily.

7 You have seen yourselves that as many of them who are brought to a knowledge of the truth, and know of the wicked traditions of their fathers, and are led to believe the holy scriptures, are led to faith on the Lord and repentance, which brings them a change of heart.

8 You know that those who have come to this change are firm in the faith and doing what makes them free.

9 You know they have buried their weapons of war, and they fear to sin by using them again. They would allow themselves to be crushed and killed by their enemies but still not lift their swords against them, all because of their faith in Christ.

10 Because of the diligence of their beliefs once they are enlightened, the Lord will bless them and prolong their days, in spite of their past sins.

11 Even if they weaken in unbelief the Lord will prolong their days until the time comes for our brethren, the Lamanites, to be restored to a knowledge of the truth, which has been prophesied by our fathers, and by the prophet Zenos and many other prophets.

12 In the latter times the promises of the Lord have been extended to our brethren, the Lamanites; and even though they will be driven and hunted across the earth, and will be afflicted and scattered without a safe place, the Lord will be merciful to them.

13 All this is according to the prophecy that they will again be brought to a knowledge of their Redeemer and true shepherd, and numbered among his sheep.

14 It will be better for them than for you except you repent because if mighty works had been shown to them like you have seen, they never would have weakened in unbelief, which they did only because of the traditions of their fathers.

16 The Lord said, I will not utterly destroy them, but I will cause them to return to me in the day of my wisdom.

17 The Lord says about the Nephites, If they will not repent and do my will, I will destroy them because of their unbelief even though I have done many mighty works among them.

CHAPTER 16

The Nephites who believe Samuel are baptized by Nephi—Samuel cannot be slain with the arrows and stones of the unrepentant Nephites—Some harden their hearts, and others see angels—The unbelievers say it is not reasonable to believe in Christ and His coming in Jerusalem. About 6–1 B.C.

1 Many people heard the words of Samuel the Lamanite, which he spoke on the walls of the city. Those who believed on his word found Nephi and confessed to him their sins, desiring to be baptized in the Lord.

2 Those who did not believe in Samuel’s words were angry, and they threw stones at him on the wall and shot arrows at him, but the Spirit of the Lord was with him so they could not hit him.

3 When they saw that they could not hit him, many more believed his words, so they went away to Nephi to be baptized.

4 Nephi was baptizing, prophesying, preaching, and crying repentance to the people, showing signs and wonders, and working miracles so they could know that the Christ must come soon.

5 He told them about things that would happen soon, so that when they did happen, they would remember that those things were prophesied, so they would believe in God’s power.

6 Most of them did not believe in the words of Samuel, so when they saw that they could not hit him with their stones and arrows, they said to their captains, Take this man and bind him because he has a devil whose power prevents our hitting him. So bind him and take him away.

7 When they went to take him, he jumped from the wall and ran out of their lands to his own country, and began to preach and prophesy among his own people.

8 He was never heard of again among the Nephites.

9 The eighty-sixth and -seventh years ended, with most of the people remaining in their pride and wickedness, and fewer people living rightly before God.

11 It was the same in the eighty-eighth and -ninth years, with the people beginning to harden in their wickedness and live more contrary to the commandments of God.

13 In the ninetieth year, great signs were given to the people, and wonders, and the words of the prophets began to be fulfilled.

14 Angels appeared to wise men and declared joyful events to them. So in this year the scriptures began to be fulfilled.

15 But the people began to harden their hearts, except for the most believing ones, and they began to depend on their own strength and wisdom, saying,

16 Some things the prophets may have guessed right among so many, but we know that all these great and marvelous works cannot happen.

17 They began to reason and contend among themselves, saying, It is not reasonable that such a being as a Christ will come. If he did, and he were the Son of God, the Father of heaven and earth, as it has been said, why would he not show himself to us as well as to them in Jerusalem?

20 We know this is a wicked tradition handed down to us by our fathers so we would believe in some great and marvelous thing that would happen, not among us but in a land far distant and unknown to us, so they can keep us in ignorance because we cannot see with our own eyes that they are true.

21 By the clever arts of the evil one, they will work some great mystery we cannot understand, keeping us servants to their words and to them because we depend on them to teach us the word; and if we believe them, they keep us in ignorance all the days of our lives.

22 The people imagined many more foolish things, and they were disturbed because Satan stirred them up continually to sin. He spread rumors and contentions through all the land, to harden the hearts of the people against anything good and against the things to come.

23 Despite the signs and wonders among the people of the Lord, and the many miracles they did, Satan took hold of the hearts of the people everywhere.

24 The ninetieth year ended, as did the book of Helaman and his sons.