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1 And it came to pass that after the space of two years, that Abinadi came among them in disguise, that they knew him not, and began again to prophesy among them, saying, Thus hath the Lord commanded me saying: Abinadi, go and prophesy unto this my people, for they have hardened their hearts against my words; they have repented not of their evil doings; therefore, I will visit them in my anger, yea, in my fierce anger will I visit them in their iniquities and abominations;
2 yea, wo be unto this generation. And the Lord said unto me, Stretch forth thy hand, and prophesying, saying, Thus saith the Lord: It shall come to pass that this generation, because of their iniquities, shall be brought into bondage, and shall be smitten on the cheek; yea, and shall be driven by men, and shall be slain; and the vultures of the air, and the dogs, yea, and the wild beasts, shall devour their flesh.
3 And it shall come to pass that the life of king Noah shall be valued even as a garment in a hot furnace; for he shall know that I am the Lord.
4 And it shall come to pass that I will smite this my people, with sore afflictions; yea, with famine and with pestilence; and I will cause that ye shall howl all the day long.
5 Yea, and I will cause that they shall have burdens lashed upon their backs; and they shall be driven before, like a dumb ass.
6 And it shall come to pass that I will send forth hail among them, and it shall smite them; and they shall also be smitten with the east wind; and insects shall pester their land also, and devour their grain.
7 And they shall be smitten with a great pestilence; and all this will I do, because of their iniquities and abominations.
8 And it shall come to pass that except they repent, I will utterly destroy them from off the face of the earth; yet they shall leave a record behind them, and I will preserve them for other nations which shall possess the land; yea, even this will I do, that I may discover the abominations, of this people to other nations. And many things did Abinadi prophesy against this people.
9 And it came to pass that they were angry with him; and they took him and carried him bound before the king, and saith unto the king, Behold, we have brought a man before thee which has prophesied evil concerning thy people, and saith that God will destroy them;
10 and he also prophesieth evil concerning thy life, and saith that thy life shall be as a garment in a furnace of fire.
11 And again: He saith that thou shalt be as a stalk, even as a dry stalk of the field, which is ran over by the beasts and trodden under foot.
12 And again; He saith thou shalt be as the blossoms of a thistle, which when it is fully ripe, if the wind bloweth, it is driven forth upon the face of the land; and he pretendeth the Lord hath spoken it. And he saith all this shall come upon thee, except thou repent; and this because of thine iniquities.
13 And now, O king, what great evil hast thou done, or what great sins has thy people committed, that we should be condemned of God, or judged of this man?
14 And now, O king, behold, we are guiltless, and thou, O king hast not sinned; therefore, this man hast lied concerning you, and he hath prophesied in vain.
15 And behold, we are strong, we shall not come into bondage, or be taken captive by our enemies; yea, and thou hast prospered in the land, and thou shalt also prosper.
16 Behold, here is the man, we deliver him into thy hands; thou mayest do with him as seemeth thee good.
17 And it came to pass that king Noah caused that Abinadi should be cast into prison; and he commanded that the priests should gather themselves together, that he might hold a council with them what he should do with him.
18 And it came to pass that they saith unto the king, Bring him hither, that we may question him. And the king commanded that he should be brought before them.
19 And they began to question him, that they might cross him, that thereby they might have wherewith to accuse him; but he answered them boldly, and withstood all their questions, yea, to their astonishment: for he did withstand them in all their questions, and did confound them in all their words.
20 And it came to pass that one of them saith unto him, What meaneth the words which are written, and which have been taught by our fathers, saying:
21 How beautiful upon the mountains are the feet of Him that bringeth good tidings; that publisheth peace; that bringeth good tidings of good; that publisheth salvation; that sayeth unto Zion, Thy God reigneth;
22 thy watchmen shall lift up the voice with the voice; together shall they sing, for they shall see eye to eye, when the Lord shall bring again Zion.
23 Break forth into joy; sing together ye waste places of Jerusalem: for the Lord hath comforted his people; he hath redeemed Jerusalem.
24 The Lord hath made bare his holy arm in the eyes of all the nations; and all the ends of the earth shall see the salvation of our God.
25 And now Abinadi saith unto them, Are you priests? and pretend to teach this people, and to understand the spirit of prophesying, and yet desireth to know of me what these things mean?
26 I say unto you, Wo be unto you for perverting the ways of the Lord. For if ye understand these things, ye have not taught them; therefore, ye have perverted the ways of the Lord.
27 Ye have not applied your hearts to understanding; therefore, ye have not been wise. Therefore, what teacheth thou this people?
28 And they said, We teach the law of Moses.
29 And again, He saith unto them, if ye teach the law of Moses, why do ye not keep it? Why do ye set your hearts upon riches? Why do ye commit whoredoms, and spend your strength with harlots, yea, and cause this people to commit sin, that the Lord hath caused to send me to prophesy against this people, yea, even a great evil against this people?
30 Knowest thou not that I speak the truth? Yea, thou knowest that I speak the truth; and you had ought to tremble before God.
31 And it shall come to pass, that ye shall be smitten for thine iniquities: for ye had said that ye teach the law of Moses. And what knowest thou concerning the law of Moses? Doth salvation come by the law of Moses? What sayest thou?
32 And they answered and said, that salvation did come by the law of Moses.
33 But now Abinadi saith unto them, I know if ye keep the commandments of God, ye shall be saved; yea, if ye keep the commandments which the Lord delivered unto Moses in the mount of Sinai, saying:
34 I am the Lord thy God, which have brought thee out of the land of Egypt, out of the house of bondage.
35 Thou shalt have no other God before me.
36 Thou shalt not make unto thee any graven image, or any likeness of any thing in the heaven above, or the things which is in the earth beneath.
37 Now Abinadi saith unto them, Have ye done all this? I say unto you, Nay, ye have not. And have ye taught this people that they should do all these things? I say unto you, Nay, ye have not.

1 And now it came to pass that Zeniff conferred the kingdom upon Noah, one of his sons; therefore Noah began to reign in his stead; and he did not walk in the ways of his father.
2 For behold, he did not keep the commandments of God, but he did walk after the desires of his own heart. And he had many wives and concubines. And he did cause his people to commit sin, and do that which was abominable in the sight of the Lord. Yea, and they did commit whoredoms, and all manner of wickedness.
3 And he laid a tax of one fifth part of all they possessed; and a fifth part of their gold and of their silver, and a fifth part of their ziff, and of their copper, and of their brass and their iron; and a fifth part of their fatlings; and also, a fifth part of all their grain.
4 And all this did he take, to support himself, and his wives, and his concubines, and also, his priests, and their wives, and their concubines; thus he had changed the affairs of the kingdom.
5 For he put down all the priests that had been consecrated by his father, and consecrated new ones in their stead, such as were lifted up in pride of their hearts.
6 Yea, and thus were they supported in their laziness, and in their idolatry, and in their whoredoms, by the taxes which king Noah had put upon his people; thus did the people labor exceedingly, to support iniquity.
7 Yea, and they also became idolatrous, because they were deceived by the vain and flattering words of the king and priests; for they did speak flattering things unto them.
8 And it came to pass that king Noah built many elegant and spacious buildings; and he ornamented them with fine work of wood, and of all manner of precious things, of gold, and of silver, and of iron, and of brass, and of ziff, and of copper;
9 and he also built him a spacious palace, and a throne in the midst thereof, all of which was of fine wood, and was ornamented with gold and silver, and with precious things.
10 And he also caused that his workmen should work all manner of fine work within the walls of the temple, of fine wood, and of copper, and of brass;
11 and the seats which was set apart for the high priests, which was above all the other seats, he did ornament with pure gold; and he caused a breastwork to be built before them, that they might rest their bodies and their arms upon, while they should speak lying and vain words to his people.
12 And it came to pass that he built a tower near the temple; yea, a very high tower, even so high that he could stand upon the top thereof and overlook the land of Shilom, and also the land of Shemlon, which was possessed by the Lamanites; and he could even look over all the land round about.
13 And it came to pass that he caused many buildings to be built in the land of Shilom; and he caused a great tower to be built on the hill north of the land of Shilom, which had been a resort for the children of Nephi, at the time they fled out of the land; and thus he did do with the riches which he obtained by the taxation of his people.
14 And it came to pass that he placed his heart upon his riches, and he spent his time in riotous living with his wives and his concubines; and so did also his priests spend their time with harlots.
15 And it came to pass that he planted vineyards round about in the land; and he built wine presses, and made wine in abundance; and therefore he became a wine bidder, and also his people.
16 And it came to pass that the Lamanites began to come in upon his people, upon small numbers, and to slay them in their fields, and while they were tending their flocks.
17 And king Noah sent guards round about the land to keep them off; but he did not send a sufficient number, and the Lamanites came upon them and killed them, and drove many of their flocks out of the land: thus the Lamanites began to destroy them and to exercise their hatred upon them.
18 And it came to pass that king Noah sent his armies against them, and they were driven back, or they drove them back for a time; therefore, they returned rejoicing in their spoil.
19 And now, because of this great victory, they were lifted up in the pride of their hearts; they did boast in their own strength, saying, That their fifty could stand against thousands of the Lamanites; and thus they did boast, and did delight in blood, and the shedding of the blood. of their brethren, and this because of the wickedness of their king and priests.
20 And it came to pass that there was a man among them, whose name was Abinadi; and he went forth among them, and began to prophesy, saying, Behold, thus saith the Lord, and thus hath he commanded me, saying, Go forth and say unto this people, thus saith the Lord: Wo be unto this people, for I have seen their abominations, and their wickedness, and their whoredoms; and except they repent, I will visit them in mine anger.
21 And except they repent, and turn to the Lord their God, behold, I will deliver them into the hands of their enemies; yea, and they shall be brought into bondage; and they shall be afflicted by the hand of their enemies.
22 And it shall come to pass that they shall know that I am the Lord their God, and am a jealous God, visiting the iniquities of my people.
23 And it shall come to pass that except this people repent, and turn unto the Lord their God, they shall be brought into bondage; and none shall deliver them, except it be the Lord the Almighty God.
24 Yea, and it shall come to pass that when they shall cry unto me, I will be slow to hear their cries; yea, and I will suffer them that they be smitten by their enemies.
25 And except they repent in sackcloth and ashes, and cry mightily to the Lord their God, I will not hear their prayers, neither will I deliver them out of their afflictions; and thus saith the Lord, and thus hath he commanded me.
26 Now it came to pass that when Abinadi had spoken these words unto them, they were wroth with him, and sought to take away his life; but the Lord delivered him out of their hands.
27 Now when king Noah had heard of the words which Abinadi had spake unto the people, he was also wroth; and he saith, Who is Abinadi, that I and my people should be judged of him? or who is the Lord, that shall bring upon my people such great affliction?
28 I command you to bring Abinadi hither, that I may slay him: for he hath said these things, that he might stir up my people to anger, one with another, and to raise contentions among my people; therefore, I will slay him.
29 Now the eyes of the people were blinded; therefore, they hardened their hearts against the words of Abinadi, and they sought from that time forward to take him. And king Noah hardened his heart against the word of the Lord; and he did not repent his evil doings.

1 And it came to pass that we again began to establish the kingdom; and we again began to possess the land in peace. And I caused that there should be weapons of war made, of every kind, that thereby I might have weapons for my people, against the time the Lamanites should come up again to war against my people.
2 And I set guards round about the land, that the Lamanites might not come upon us again unawares, and destroy us; and thus I did guard my people, and my flocks, and keep them from falling into the hands of our enemies.
3 And it came to pass that we did inherit the land of our fathers, for many years; yea, for the space of twenty and two years.
4 And I did cause that the men should till the ground, and raise all manner of grain, and all manner of fruit, of every kind.
5 And I did cause that the women should spin, and toil, and work, and work all manner of fine linen; yea, and cloth of every kind, that we might clothe our nakedness; and thus we did prosper in the land; thus we did have continual peace in the land, for the space of twenty and two years.
6 And it came to pass king Laman died, and his son began to reign in his stead. And he began to stir his people up in rebellion against my people; therefore, they began to prepare for war, and to come up to battle against my people.
7 But I having sent my spies out round about the land of Shemlon, that I might discover their preparations, that I might guard against them, that they might not come upon my people and destroy them.
8 And it came to pass that they came up upon the north of the land of Shilom, with their numerous hosts, men armed with bows, and with arrows, and with swords, and with cimeters, and with stones, and with slings; and they had their heads shaved, that they were naked; and they were girded about with a leathern girdle about their loins.
9 And it came to pass that I caused that the women and children of my people should be hid in the wilderness; and I also caused that all my old men that could bear arms, and also all my young men that were able to bear arms, should gather themselves together, to go to battle against the Lamanites; and I did place them in their ranks, every man according to his age.
10 And it came to pass that we did go up to battle against the Lamanites. And I, even I, in my old age, did go up to battle against the Lamanites. And it came to pass that we did go up in the strength of the Lord, to battle.
11 Now, the Lamanites knew nothing concerning the Lord, nor the strength of the Lord; therefore, they depended upon their own strength. Yet they were a strong people, as to the strength of men:
12 they were a wild and ferocious, and a bloodthirsty people, believing in the tradition of their fathers, which is this: Believing that they were driven out of the land of Jerusalem. because of the iniquities of their fathers, and that they were wronged in the wilderness by their brethren; and they were also wronged, while crossing the sea.
13 And again: That they were wronged while in the land of their first inheritance, after they had crossed the sea; and all this, because that Nephi was more faithful in keeping the commandments of the Lord; therefore he was favored of the Lord, for the Lord heard his prayers and answered them, and he took the lead of their journey in the wilderness.
14 And his brethren were wroth with him, because they understood not the dealings of the Lord; they were also wroth with him upon the waters, because they hardened their hearts against the Lord.
15 And again: They were wroth with him, when they had arriven to the promised land, because they said that he had taken the ruling of the people out of their hands; and they sought to kill him.
16 And again: They were wroth with him, because he departed into the wilderness as the Lord commanded him, and took the records which were engraven on the plates of brass; for they said he robbed them.
17 And thus they have taught their children, that they should hate them, and that they should murder them, and that they should rob and plunder them, and do all they could to destroy them; therefore, they have an eternal hatred towards the children of Nephi.
18 For this very cause hath king Laman, by his cunning and lying craftiness, and his far promises, hath deceived me, that I have brought this, my people, up into this land, that they may destroy them; yea, and we have suffered this many years in the land.
19 And now, I, Zeniff, after having told all these things unto my people concerning the Lamanites, I did stimulate them to go to battle with their might, putting their trust in the Lord; therefore, we did contend with them, face to face.
20 And it came to pass that we did drive them again out of our land; and we slew them with a great slaughter, even so many that we did not number them.
21 And it came to pass that we returned again to our own land, and my people again began to tend their flocks, and to till their ground.
22 And now, I being old, did confer the kingdom upon one of my sons; therefore, I say no more. And may the Lord bless my people. Amen.

1 I, Zeniff, having been taught in all the language of the Nephites, and having had a knowledge of the land of Nephi, or the land of our father’s first inheritance, and I having been sent as a spy among the Lamanites, that I might spy out their forces, that our army might come upon them and destroy them; but when I saw that which was good among them, I was desirous that they should not be destroyed;
2 therefore, I contended with my brethren in the wilderness: for I would that our ruler should make a treaty with them. But he being an austere and a bloodthirsty man, commanded that I should be slain; but I was rescued, by the shedding of much blood: for father fought against father, and brother against brother, until the greatest number of our army was destroyed in the wilderness; and we returned, those of us that were spared, to the land of Zarahemla, to relate that tale to their wives, and their children.
3 And yet, I being over zealous to inherit the land of our fathers, collected as many as were desirous to go up to possess the land, and started again on our journey into the wilderness, to go up to the land; but we were smitten with famine and sore afflictions: for we were slow to remember the Lord our God.
4 Nevertheless, after many days wandering in the wilderness, we pitched our tents in the place where our brethren were slain, which was near the land of our fathers.
5 And it came to pass that I went again with four of my men, into the city, in unto the king, that I might know of the disposition of the king, and that I might know if I might go in with my people, and possess the land in peace.
6 And I went in unto the king, and he covenanted me, that I might possess the land of Lehi-Nephi, and the land of Shilom.
7 And he also commanded that his people should depart out of the land, and I and my people went into the land, that we might possess it.
8 And we began to build buildings, and to repair the walls of the city of Shilom.
9 And we began to till the ground, yea, even with all manner of seeds, with seeds of corn, and of wheat, and of barley, and with peas, and with sheum, and with seeds of all manner of fruits: and we did begin to multiply and prosper in the land.
10 Now, it was the cunning and the craftiness of king Laman, to bring my people into bondage, that he yielded up the land, that we might possess it.
11 Therefore, it came to pass that after we had dwelt in the land for the space of twelve years, that king Laman began to grow uneasy, lest by any means my people should wax strong in the land, and that they could not overpower them and bring them into bondage.
12 Now, they were a lazy, and an idolatrous people; therefore, they were desirous to bring us into bondage, that they might glut themselves with the labors of our hands; yea, that they might feast themselves upon the flocks of our fields.
13 Therefore, it came to pass that king Laman began to stir up his people, that they should contend with my people; therefore, there began to be wars and contentions in the land.
14 For, in the thirteeneth year of my reign in the land of Nephi, away on the south of the land of Shilom, when my people were watering and feeding their flocks, and tilling their lands, a numerous host of Lamanites came upon them, and began to slay them, and to take of their flocks, and the corn of their fields.
15 Yea, and it came to pass that they fled, all that were not overtaken, even into the city of Nephi, and did call upon me for protection.
16 And it came to pass that I did arm them with bows, and with arrows, with swords, and with cimeters, and with clubs, and with slings, and with all manner of weapons which we could invent, and I and my people did go forth against the Lamanites, to battle;
17 yea, in the strength of the Lord did we go forth to battle against the Lamanites: for I and my people did cry mightily to the Lord, that he would deliver us out of the hands of our enemies, for we were awakened to a remembrance of the deliverance of our fathers.
18 And God did hear our cries, and did answer our prayers; and we did go forth in his might. Yea, we did go forth against the Lamanites; and in one day and a night, we did slay three thousand and forty three; we did slay them, even until we had driven them out of our land.
19 And I, myself, with mine own hands, did help to bury their dead. And behold, to our great sorrow and lamentation, two hundred and seventy nine of our brethren were slain.

1 And it came to pass that after king Limhi had made an end of speaking to his people, for he spake many things unto them, and only a few of them have I written in this book, he told his people all the things concerning their brethren which were in the land of Zarahemla;
2 and he caused that Ammon should stand up before the multitude, and rehearse unto them all that had happened unto their brethren, from the time that Zeniff went up out of the land, even until the time that he, himself came out of the land.
3 And he also rehearsed unto them the last words which king Benjamin had taught them, and explained them to the people of king Limhi, so that they might understand all the words he spake.
4 And it came to pass that after he had done all this, that the king Limhi dismissed the multitude, and caused that they should return, every one unto his own house.
5 And it came to pass that he caused that the plates which contained the record of his people, from the time before Ammon, that he might read them.
6 Now, as soon as Ammon had read the record, the king inquired of him to know if he could interpret languages. And Ammon told him that he could not.
7 And the king saith unto him, I being grieved for the afflictions of my people, I caused that forty and three of my people should take a journey into the wilderness, that thereby they might find the land of Zarahemla; that we might appeal unto our brethren to deliver us out of bondage;
8 and they were lost in the wilderness, for the space of many days, yet they were diligent, and found not the land of Zarahemla, but returned to this land, having travelled in a land among many waters; having discovered a land which was covered with ruins of buildings of every kind; having discovered a land which had been peopled with a people, which were as numerous as the hosts of Israel.
9 And for a testimony that the things that they have said is true, they have brought twenty four plates, which are filled with engravings; and they are of pure gold.
10 And behold, also, they have brought breastplates, which are large; and they are of brass, and of copper, and are perfectly sound.
11 And again: They have brought swords, the hilts thereof hath perished, and the blades thereof were cankered with rust; and there is no one in the land that is able to interpret the language of the engravings that are on the plates. Therefore, I said unto thee, Canst thou translate?
12 And I say unto you again, Knowest thou of any one that can translate? for I am desirous that these records should be translated into our language. For, perhaps they will give us a knowledge of a remnant of the people which have been destroyed, from whence these records came; or, perhaps they will give us a knowledge of this very people which hath been destroyed; and I am desirous to know the cause of their destruction.
13 Now, Ammon saith unto him, I can assuredly tell thee, O king, of a man that can translate the records: for he hath wherewith that he can look, and translate all records that are of ancient date; and it is a gift from God. And the things are called interpreters; and no man can look in them, except he be commanded, lest he should look for that he had not ought, and he should perish. And whosoever is commanded to look in them, the same is called seer.
14 And behold, the king of the people which is in the land of Zarahemla, is the man that is commanded to do these things, and which hath this high gift from God.
15 And the king saith, That a seer is greater than a prophet.
16 And Ammon saith, That a seer is a revelator, and a prophet also; and a gift which is greater, can no man have, except he should possess the power of God, which no man can; yet a man may have great power given him from God.
17 But a seer can know of things which has past, and also of things which is to come; and by them shall all things be revealed, or rather, shall secret things be made manifest, and hidden things shall come to light, and things which is not known, shall be made known by them; and also, things shall be made known by them, which otherwise could not be known.
18 Thus God hath provided a means that man, through faith, might work mighty miracles; therefore, he becometh a great benefit to his fellow beings.
19 And now, when Ammon had made an end of speaking these words, the king rejoiced exceedingly, and gave thanks to God, saying, Doubtless, a great mystery is contained within these plates; and these interpreters was doubtless prepared for the purpose of unfolding all such mysteries to the children of men.
20 O how marvellous are the works of the Lord, and how long doth he suffer with his people; yea, and how blind and impenetrable are the understandings of the children of men: for they shall not seek wisdom, neither do they desire that she should rule over them.
21 Yea, they are as a wild flock, which fleeth from the shepherd, and scattereth, and are driven, and are devoured by the beasts of the forest.

1 And now, it came to pass that after king Mosiah had had continual peace, for the space of three years, he was desirous to know concerning the people which went up to dwell in the land of Lehi-Nephi, or in the city of Lehi-Nephi: for his people had heard nothing from them, from the time they left the land of Zarahemla; therefore, they wearied him with their teasings.
2 And it came to pass that king Mosiah granted that sixteen of their strong men might go up to the land of Lehi-Nephi, to inquire concerning their children.
3 And it came to pass that on the morrow, they started to go up, having with them one Ammon, he being a strong and mighty man, and a descendant of Zarahemla; and he was also their leader.
4 And now, they knew not the course they should travel in the wilderness, to go up to the land of Lehi-Nephi; therefore, they wandered many days in the wilderness, even forty days, did they wander.
5 And when they had wandered forty days, they came to a hill, which is north of the land of Shilom, and there they pitched their tents.
6 And Ammon took three of his brethren, and their names were Amaleki, Helem, and Hem, and they went down into the land of Nephi;
7 and behold, they met the king of the people, which was in the land of Nephi, and in the land of Shilom; and they were surrounded by the king’s guard, and was taken, and was bound, and was committed to prison.
8 And it came to pass hem they had been in prison two days, they were again brought before the king, and their bands were loosed; and they stood before the king, and was permitted or rather commanded that they should answer the questions which he should ask them.
9 And he saith unto them, Behold, I am Limhi, the son of Noah, which was the son of Zeniff, which came up out of the land of Zarahemla to inherit this land, which was the land of their fathers, which was made a king by the voice of the people.
10 And now, I desire to know the cause whereby ye were so bold as to come near the walls of the city, when I, myself, was with my guards, without the gate?
11 And now, for this cause have I suffered that ye should be preserved, that I might inquire of you, or else I should have caused that my guards should have put you to death. Ye are permitted to speak.
12 And now, when Ammon saw that he was permitted to speak, he went forth and bowed himself before the king; and rising again, he said, O king, I am very thankful before God this day, that I am yet alive, and am permitted to speak; and I will endeavor to speak with boldness:
13 for I am assured that if ye had known me, ye would not have suffered that I should have wore these bands. For I am Ammon, and am a descendant of Zarahemla, and have come up out of the land of Zarahemla, to inquire concerning our brethren, which Zeniff brought up out of that land.
14 And now, it came to pass that after Limhi had heard the words of Ammon, he was exceeding glad, and said, Now, I know of a surety that my brethren which was in the land of Zarahemla, are yet alive. And now, I will rejoice; and on the morrow, I will cause that my people shall rejoice also.
15 For behold, we are in bondage to the Lamanites, and are taxed with a tax which is grievous to be borne. And now, behold, our brethren will deliver us out of our bondage, or out of the hands of the Lamanites, and we will be their slaves: for it is better that we be slaves to the Nephites, than to pay tribute to the king of the Lamanites.
16 And now, king Limhi commanded his guards that they should no more bind Ammon, nor his brethren, but caused that they should go to the hill which was north of Shilom, and bring their brethren into the city, that thereby they might eat, and drink, and rest, themselves from the labors of their journey; for they had suffered many things: they had suffered hunger, thirst, and fatigue.
17 And now, it came to pass on the morrow, that king Limhi sent a proclamation among all his people, that thereby they might gather themselves together to the temple, to hear that the words which he should speak unto them.
18 And it came to pass that when they had gathered themselves together, that he spake unto them in this wise, saying, O ye, my people, lift up your heads and be comforted: for behold, the time is at hand, or is not far distant, when we shall no longer be in subjection to our enemies, notwithstanding our many strugglings, which have been in vain; yet I trust there remaineth an effectual struggle to be made.
19 Therefore, lift up your heads, and rejoice, and put your trust in God, in that God who was the God of Abraham, and Isaac, and Jacob; and also, that God who brought the Children of Israel out of the land of Egypt, and caused that they should walk through the Red Sea on dry ground, and fed them with manna, that they might not perish in the wilderness; and many more things did he do for them.
20 And again: That same God hath brought our fathers out of the land of Jerusalem, and hath kept and preserved his people, even until now. And behold, it is because of our iniquities and abominations, that has brought us into bondage.
21 And ye all are witnesses this day, that Zeniff, who was made king over this people, he being over zealous to inherit the land of his fathers, therefore being deceived by the cunning and craftiness of king Laman, who having entered into a treaty with king Zeniff, and having yielded up into his hands the possessions of a part of the land, or even the city of Lehi-Nephi, and the city of Shilom, and the land round about;
22 and all this he done, for the sole purpose of bringing this people into subjection, or is bondage. And behold, we at this time do pay tribute to the king of the Lamanites, to the amount of one half of our corn, and our barley, and even all our grain of every kind, and one half of the increase of our flocks, and our herds; and even one half of all we have or possess. the king of the Lamanites doth exact of us, or our lives.
23 And now, is not this grievous to be borne? And is not this, our afflictions great? Now behold, how great reason have we to mourn.
24 Yea, I say unto you, great are the reasons which we have to mourn: for behold, how many of our brethren have been slain, and their blood hath been spilt in vain, and all because of iniquity.
25 For if this people had not fallen into transgression, the Lord would not have suffered that this great evil should come upon them. But behold, they would not hearken unto his words; but there arose contentions among them, even so much that they did shed blood among themselves.
26 And a Prophet of the Lord have they slain; yea, a chose man of God, who told them of their wickedness and abominations, and prophesied of many things which is to come, yea, even the coming of Christ.
27 And because he saith unto them, That Christ was the God, the Father of all things, and saith that he should take upon him the image of man, and it should be the image after which man was created after the image of God, and that God should come down among the children of men, and take upon him flesh and blood, and go forth upon the face of the earth;
28 and now, because he said this, they put him to death; and many more things did they do, which brought down the wrath of God upon them. Therefore, who wondereth that they are in bondage, and that they are smitten with sore afflictions?
29 For behold, the Lord hath said, I will not succor my people in the day of their transgression; but I will hedge up their ways, that they prosper not, and their doing shall be as a stumbling block before them.
30 And again, He saith, If my people shall sow filthiness, they shall reap the chaff thereof, in the whirlwind; and the effects thereof is poison,
31 And again: He saith, If my people shall sow filthiness, they shall reap the east wind, which bringeth immediate destruction.
32 And now, behold, the promise of the Lord is fulfilled; and ye are smitten, and afflicted.
33 But if ye will turn to the Lord with full purpose of heart, and put your trust in him, and serve him will all diligence of mind; and if ye do this, he will, according to his own will and pleasure, deliver you out of bondage.

1 And now, king Benjamin thought it was expedient, after having finished speaking to the people, that he should take the names of all those who had entered into a covenant with God, to keep his commandments.
2 And it came to pass that there was not one soul, except it were little children, but what had entered into the covenant, and had taken upon them the name of Christ.
3 And again: It came to pass that when king Benjamin had made an end of all these things, and had consecrated his son Mosiah, to be a ruler and a king over his people, and had given him all the charges concerning the kingdom, and also had appointed priests to teach the people, that thereby they might hear and know the commandments of God, and to stir them up in remembrance of the oath which they had made, he dismissed the multitude, and they returned, every one according to their families, to their own houses.
4 And Mosiah began to reign in his father’s stead. And he began to reign in the thirtieth year of his age, making in the whole, about four hundred and seventy-six years from the time that Lehi left Jerusalem.
5 And king Benjamin lived three years, and he died.
6 And it came to pass that king Mosiah did walk in the ways of the Lord, and did observe his judgments, and his statutes, and did keep his commandments in all things whatsoever he commanded him.
7 And king Mosiah did cause his people that they should till the earth. And he also, himself did till the earth, that thereby he might not become burthensome to his people, that he might do according to that which his father had done, in all things. And there was no contention among all his people, for the space of three years.

1 And now, it came to pass that when king Benjamin had thus spoken to his people, he sent among them, desiring to know of his people, if they believed the words which he had spoken unto them.
2 And if they all cried with one voice, saying, Yea, we believe all the words which thou hast spoken unto us; and also, we know of their surety and truth, because of the Spirit of the Lord Omnipotent, which hath wrought a mighty change in us, or in our hearts, that we have no more disposition to do evil, but to do good continually.
3 And we, ourselves, also, through the infinite goodness of God, and the manifestations of his Spirit, have great views of that which is to come; and were it expedient, we could prophesy of all things.
4 And it is the faith which we have had on the things which our king hath spoken unto us, and hath brought us to this great knowledge, whereby we do rejoice with such exceeding great joy;
5 and we are willing to enter into a covenant with our God, to do his will, and to be obedient to his commandments in all things, that he shall command us, all the remainder of our days, that we may not bring upon ourselves a never ending torment, as has been spoken by the Angel, that we may not drink out of the cup of the wrath of God.
6 And now, these are the words which king Benjamin desired of them; and therefore he said unto them, Ye have spoken the words that I desired; and the covenant which ye have made, is a righteous covenant .
7 And now, because of the covenant which ye have made, ye shall be called the children of Christ, his sons, and daughters: for behold, this day he hath spiritually begotten you; for ye say that your hearts are changed, through faith on his name; therefore, ye are born of him, and have become his sons, and daughters.
8 And under this head, ye are made free; and there is no other head whereby ye can be made free. There is no other name given, whereby salvation cometh; therefore, I would that ye should take upon you the name of Christ, all you that have entered into the covenant with God, that ye should be obedient unto the end of your lives.
9 And it shall come to pass that whosoever doeth this, shall be found at the right hand of God, for he shall know the name by which he is called: for he shall be called by the name of Christ.
10 And now, it shall come to pass that whosoever shall not take upon them the name of Christ, must be called by some other name; therefore, he findeth himself on the left hand of God.
11 And I would that ye should remember also, that this is the name that I said I should give you, that never should be blotted out, except it be through transgression; therefore, take heed that ye do not transgress, that the name be not blotted out of your hearts. I say unto you, I would that ye should remember to retain the name written always in your hearts,
12 that ye are not found on the left hand of God, but that ye hear and know the voice by which ye shall be called, and also, the name by which he shall call you:
13 for, how knoweth a man the master which he hath not served, and which is a stranger unto him, and is far from the thought and intents of his heart?
14 And again: Doth a man take an ass which belongeth to his neighbor, and keep him? I say unto you, Nay; he will not even suffer that he shall feed among his flocks, but will drive him away, and cast him out. I say unto you, that even so shall it be among you, if ye know not the name by which ye are called.
15 Therefore, I would that ye should be steadfast and immovable, always abounding in good works, that Christ, the Lord God Omnipotent, may seal you his, that you may be brought to Heaven, that ye may have everlasting salvation and eternal life, through the wisdom, and power, and justice, and mercy of Him, who created all things, in Heaven and in Earth, who is God above all. Amen.

1 And now, it came to pass that when king Benjamin had made an end of speaking the words which had been delivered unto him by the Angel of the Lord, that he cast his eyes round about on the multitude, and behold, they had fell to the earth, for the fear of the Lord had come upon them;
2 and they had viewed themselves in their own carnal state, even less than the dust of the earth. And they all cried aloud with one voice saying, O have mercy, and apply the atoning blood of Christ, that we may receive forgiveness of our sins, and our hearts may be purified: for we believe in Jesus Christ, the Son of God, who created Heaven and earth, and all things, who shall come down among the children of men.
3 And it came to pass that after they had spoken these words, the spirit of the Lord came upon them, and they were filled with joy, having received a remission of their sins, and having peace of conscience, because of the exceeding faith which they had in Jesus Christ which should come, according to the words which king Benjamin had spoken unto them.
4 And king Benjamin again opened his mouth, and began to speak unto them, saying, My friends and my brethren, my kindred and my people, I would again call your attention, that ye may hear and understand the remainder of my words which I shall speak unto you:
5 for behold, that if the knowledge of the goodness of God at this time, hath awakened you to a sense of your nothingness, and your worthless and fallen state;
6 I say unto you, that if ye have come to a knowledge of the goodness of God, and his matchless power, and his wisdom, and his patience, and his long suffering towards the children of men, and also, the atonement which hath been prepared from the foundation of the world, that thereby salvation might come to him that should put his trust in the Lord, and should be diligent in keeping his commandments, and continue in the faith even unto the end of his life; I mean the life of the mortal body;
7 I say, that this is the man that receiveth salvation, through the atonement which was prepared from the foundation of the world, for all mankind, which ever was ever since the fall of Adam, or which is or which ever shall be, even unto the end of the world;
8 and this is the means whereby salvation cometh. And there is none other salvation, save this which hath been spoken of; neither is there any conditions whereby man can be saved, except the conditions which I have told you.
9 Believe in God; believe that he is, and that he created all things, both in Heaven and in Earth; believe that he hath all wisdom, and all power, both in Heaven and in Earth; believe that man doth not comprehend all the things which the Lord can comprehend.
10 And again: Believe that ye must repent of your sins and forsake them, and humble yourselves before God, and ask in sincerity of the heart that he would forgive you: and now, if you believe all these things, see that ye do them.
11 And again I say unto you, as I have said before, that as ye have come to the knowledge of the glory of God, or if ye have known of his goodness, and have tasted of his love, and have received a remission of your sins, which causeth such exceeding great joy in your souls, even so I would that ye should remember, and always retain in remembrance, the greatness of God, and your own nothingness, and his goodness and long suffering towards you unworthy creatures, and humble yourselves even in the depths of humility, calling on the name of the Lord daily, and standing steadfastly in the faith of that which is to come, which was spoken by the mouth of the Angel;
12 and behold, I say unto you that if ye do this, ye shall always rejoice, and be filled with the love of God, and always retain a remission of your sins; and ye shall grow in the knowledge of the glory of Him that created you, or in the knowledge of that which is just and true.
13 And ye will not have a mind to injure one another, but to live peaceably, and to render to every man according to that which is his due.
14 And ye will not suffer your children, that they go hungry, or naked; neither will ye suffer that they transgress the laws of God, and fight and quarrel one with another, and serve the Devil, which is the master of sin, or which is the evil spirit which hath been spoken of by our fathers; he being an enemy to all righteousness;
15 but ye will teach them to walk in the ways of truth and soberness; ye will teach them to love one another;
16 and also, ye yourselves will succor those that stand in need of your succor; ye will administer of your substance unto him that standeth in need; and ye will not suffer that the beggar putteth up his petition to you in vain, and turn out to perish.
17 Perhaps thou shalt say, The man hath brought upon himself his misery, therefore I will stay my hand, and will not give unto him of my food, nor impart unto him of my substance, that he may not suffer, for his punishments are just.
18 But I say unto you, O man, whosoever doeth this, the same hath great cause to repent; and except he repenteth of that which he done, he perisheth forever, and hath no interest in the kingdom of God.
19 For behold, are we not all beggars? Do we not all depend upon the same being, even God, for all substance which we have; for both food, and raiment, and for gold, and for silver, and for all riches which we have of every kind?
20 And behold, even at this time, ye have been calling on his name, and begging for a remission of your sins. And hath he suffered that ye have begged in vain? Nay; he hath poured out his spirit upon, and hath caused that your hearts should be filled with joy, and hath caused that your mouths should be stopped, that ye should not find utterance, so exceeding great was your joy.
21 And now, if God, who hath created you, on whom you are dependant for your lives, and for all that ye have and are, doth grant unto you whatsoever ye ask that is right, in faith, believing that ye shall receive, O then, how had ye ought to impart of the substance that ye have, one to another?
22 And if ye judge the man who putteth up his petition to you for your substance, that he perish not, and condemn him, how much more just will be your condemnation, for withholding your substance, which doth not belong to you, but to God, to whom also, your life belongeth; and yet ye put up no petition, or repenteth not of the thing which thou hast done.
23 I say unto you, Wo be unto that man, for his substance shall perish with him, and now, I say these things unto those which are rich, as pertaining to the things of the world.
24 And again, I say unto the poor, ye that have not and yet hath sufficient, that ye remain from day to day; I mean all you that deny the beggar, because ye have not; I would that ye say in your hearts, that I give not because I have not; but if I had, I would give.
25 And now, if ye say this in pour hearts, ye remain guiltless, otherwise ye are condemned, and your condemnation is just; for ye covet that which ye have not received.
26 And now, for the sake of these things which I have spoken unto you; that is, for the sake of retaining a remission of your sins from day to day, that ye may walk guiltless before God, I would that ye should impart of your substance to the poor, every man according to that which he hath, such as feeding the hungry, clothing the naked, visiting the sick, and administering to their relief, both spiritually and temporally, according to their wants,
27 and see that all these things are done in wisdom and order: for it is not requisite that a man should run faster than what he hath strength. And again: It is expedient that he should be diligent, that thereby he might win the prize; therefore, all things must be done in order.
28 And I would that ye should remember, that whosoever among you that borroweth of his neighbor, should return the thing that he borroweth, according as he doth agree, or else thou shalt commit sin also.
29 And finally, I cannot tell you all the things whereby ye may commit sin: for there are divers ways and means, even so many, that I cannot number them.
30 But this much I can tell you, that if ye do not watch yourselves, and your thoughts, and your words, and your deeds, and observe to keep the commandments of God, and continue in the faith of what ye have heard concerning the coming of our Lord, even unto the ends of your lives, ye must perish. And now, O man, remember, and perish not.

1 And again my brethren, I would call your attention, for I have somewhat more to speak unto you for behold, I have things to tell you, concerning that which is to come;
2 and the things which I shall tell you, are made known unto me, by an Angel from God. And he said unto me, Awake; and I awoke, and beheld, he stood before me.
3 And he said unto me, Awake, and hear the words which I shall tell thee: for behold, I am come to declare unto you the glad tidings of great joy.
4 For the Lord hath heard the prayers, and hath judged of thy righteousness, and hath sent me to declare unto thee that thou mayest rejoice; and that thou mayest declare unto thy people, that they may also be filled with joy.
5 For behold, the time cometh, and is not far distant, that with power, the Lord omnipotent who reigneth, which was, and is from all eternity to all eternity, shall come down from Heaven, among the children of men, and shall dwell in a tabernacle of clay, and shall go forth amongst men, working mighty miracles, such as healing the sick, raising the dead, causing the lame to walk, the blind to receive their sight, and the deaf to hear, and curing all manner of diseases;
6 and he shall cast out Devils, or the evil spirits which dwelleth in the hearts of the children of men.
7 And lo, he shall suffer temptations, and pain of body, hunger, thirst, and fatigue, even more than man can suffer, except it be unto death: for behold, blood cometh from every pore, so great shall be his anguish for the wickedness and the abominations of his people.
8 And he shall be called Jesus Christ, the Son of God, the Father of Heaven and Earth, the creator of all things, from the beginning; and his mother shall be called Mary.
9 And lo, he cometh unto his own, that salvation might come unto the children of men, even through faith on his name; and even after all this, they shall consider him a man, and say that he hath a Devil , and shall scourge him, and shall crucify him.
10 And he shall rise the third day from the dead; and behold, he standeth to judge the world. And behold, all these things are done, that a righteous judgment might come upon the children of men.
11 For behold, and also his blood atoneth for the sins of those who have fallen by the transgression of them, or who have ignorantly sinned.
12 But wo, we unto him who knoweth that he rebelleth against God: for salvation cometh to none such, except it be through repentance and faith on the Lord Jesus Christ.
13 And the Lord God hath sent his Holy Prophets among all the children of men, to declare these things to every kindred, nation, and tongue, that thereby whosoever should believe that Christ should come, the same might receive remission of their sins, and rejoice with exceeding great joy, even as though he had already come among them.
14 Yet the Lord saw that his people were a stiffnecked people, and he appointed unto them a law, even the law of Moses.
15 And many signs, and wonders, and types, and shadows shewed he unto them, concerning his coming; and also Holy Prophets spake unto them concerning his coming; and yet they hardened their hearts, and understood not that the law of Moses availeth nothing, except it were through the atonement of his blood;
16 and even if it were possible that little children could sin, they could not be saved; but I say unto you, they are blessed: for behold, as in Adam, or by nature they fall, even so the blood of Christ atoneth for their sins.
17 And moreover, I say unto you, that there shall be no other names given, nor no other way nor means whereby salvation can come unto the children of men, only in and through the name of Christ, the Lord Omnipotent.
18 For behold, he judgeth, and his judgment is just, and the infant perisheth not, that dieth in his infancy; but men drinketh damnation to their own souls, except they humble themselves, and become as little children, and believeth that salvation was, and is, and is to come, in and through the atoning blood of Christ, the Lord Omnipotent:
19 for the natural man is an enemy of God, and has been, from the fall of Adam, and will be, forever and ever; but if he yieldeth to the enticings of the Holy Spirit, and putteth off the natural man, and becometh a saint, through the atonement of Christ, the Lord, and becometh as a child, submissive, meek, humble, patient, full of love willing to submit to all things which the Lord seeth fit to inflict upon him, even as a child doth submit to his father.
20 And moreover, I say unto you, that the time shall come, when the knowledge of a Saviour shall spread throughout every nation, kindred, tongue, and people.
21 And behold, when that time cometh, none shall be found blameless before God, except it be little children, only through repentance and faith on the name of the Lord God Omnipotent;
22 and even at this time, when thou shalt have taught thy people the things which the Lord thy God hath commanded thee, even then are they found no more blameless in the sight of God, only according to the words which I have spoken unto thee.
23 And now, I have spoken the words which the Lord God hath commanded me.
24 And thus saith the Lord: They shall stand as a bright testimony against this people, at the judgment day; whereof, they shall be judged, every man, according to his works, whether they be good, or whether they be evil;
25 and if they be evil, they are consigned to an awful view of their own guilt and abominations, which doth cause them to shrink from the presence of the Lord, into a state of misery and endless torment, from whence they can no more return; therefore, they have drunk damnation to their own souls.
26 Therefore, they have drunk out of the cup of the wrath of God, which justice could no more deny unto them, than it could deny that Adam should fall, because of his partaking of the forbidden fruit; therefore, mercy could have a claim on them no more forever.
27 And their torment is as a lake of fire and brimstone, whose flames are unquenchable, and whose smoke ascendeth up forever and ever. Thus saith the Lord commanded me. Amen