1 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.
2 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.
3 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;
4 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.
5 And an account of my making these plates shall be given hereafter; and then behold, I proceed according to that which I have spoken; and this I do, that the more sacred things may be kept for the knowledge of my people.
6 Nevertheless, I do not write any thing 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.
7 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 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;
8 and behold, he cometh according to the words of the angel, in six hundred years from the time my father left Jerusalem:
9 And the world, because of their iniquity, shall judge him to be a thing of 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.
10 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.
11 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;
12 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.
13 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;
14 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;
15 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;
16 yea, 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;
17 yea, and all the earth shall see the salvation of the Lord, saith the prophet; every nation, kindred, tongue, and people, shall be blessed.
18 And I, Nephi, have written these things unto my people, that perhaps I might persuade them that they would remember the Lord their Redeemer;
19 wherefore, I speak unto all the House of Israel, if it so be that they should obtain these things.
20 For behold, I have workings in the spirit, which doth weary me, even that all my joints are weak, for they which are at Jerusalem; for had not the Lord been merciful, to shew unto me concerning them, even as he had prophets of old;
21 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.
22 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.
23 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.
24 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: