2 Nephi

1 For behold, the Lord, the Lord of hosts, doth take away from Jerusalem and from Judah the stay and the staff, the whole staff of bread, and the whole stay of water,
2 the mighty man, and the man of war, the judge, and the prophet, and the prudent, and the ancient,
3 the captain of fifty, and the honorable man, and the counsellor, and the cunning artificer, and the eloquent orator.
4 And I will give children unto them to be their princes, and babes shall rule over them.
5 And the people shall be oppressed, every one by another, and every one by his neighbor: the child shall behave himself proudly against the ancient, and the base against the honorable.
6 When a man shall take hold of his brother of the house of his father, and shall say, Thou hast clothing, be thou our ruler, and let not this ruin come under thy hand:
7 in that day shall he swear, saying, I will not be a healer; for in my house there is neither bread or clothing: make me not a ruler of the people.
8 For Jerusalem is ruined, and Judah is fallen: because their tongues are their doings have been against the Lord, to provoke the eyes of his glory.
9 The shew of their countenance doth witness against them, and doth declare their sin to be even as Sodom, and they cannot hide it. Wo unto their souls! for they have rewarded evil unto themselves.
10 Say unto the righteous, that it is well with them: for they shall eat the fruit of their doings.
11 Wo unto the wicked! for they shall perish: for the reward of their hands shall be upon them.
12 And my people, children are their oppressors, and women rule over them. O my people, they which lead thee cause thee to err, and destroy the ways of thy paths.
13 The Lord standeth up to plead, and standeth to judge the people.
14 The Lord will enter into judgment with the ancients of his people, with the princes thereof: for ye have eaten up the vineyard, and the spoil of the poor in your houses.
15 What mean ye? Ye beat my people to pieces, and grind the faces of the poor, saith the Lord God of hosts.
16 Moreover the Lord saith, Because the daughters of Zion are haughty, and walk with stretched necks and wanton eyes, walking and mincing as they go,, and making a tinkling with their feet:
17 therefore the Lord will smite with a scab the crown of the head of the daughters of Zion, and the Lord will discover their secret parts.
18 In that day the Lord will take away the bravery of tinkling ornaments, and cauls, and round tires like the moon,
19 the chains, and the bracelets, and mufflers,
20 the bonnets, and the ornaments of the legs, and the head-bands, and the tablets, and the ear-rings,
21 the rings, and nose-jewels,
22 the changeable suits of apparel, and the mantles, and the wimples, and the crisping-pins,
23 the glasses, and the fine linen, and hoods, and the vails.
24 And it shall come to pass, instead of sweet smell, there shall be stink; and instead of a girdle, a rent; and instead of well set hair, baldness; and instead of a stomacher, a girding of sack cloth: burning instead of beauty.
25 Thy men shall fall by the sword, and thy mighty in the war.
26 And her gates shall lament and mourn; and she shall be desolate, and shall sit upon the ground.

1 The word that Isaiah, the son of Amoz, saw concerning Judah and Jerusalem:
2 And it shall come to pass in the last days, when the mountain of the Lord’s house shall be established in the top of the mountains, and shall be exalted above the hills, and all nations shall flow into it,
3 and many people shall go and say, Come ye, and let us go up to the mountain of the Lord, to the house of the God of Jacob; and he will teach us of his ways, and we will walk in his paths: for out of Zion shall go forth the law, and the word of the Lord from Jerusalem.
4 And he shall judge among the nations, and shall rebuke many people: and they shall beat their swords, plough-shares, and their spears into pruning hooks: nation shall not lift up sword against nation, neither shall they learn war any more.
5 O house of Jocob, come ye and let us walk in the light of the Lord; yea, come, for ye have all gone astray, every one to his wicked ways.
6 Therefore, O Lord, thou hast forsaken thy people, the house of Jacob, because they be replenished from the east, and hearken unto soothsayers like the Philistines, and they please themselves in the children of strangers.
7 Their land also is full of silver and gold, neither is there any end of their treasures; their land is also full of horses, neither is there any end of their chariots:
8 their land also is full of idols; they worship the work of their own hands, –that which their own fingers have made:
9 and the mean man boweth down, and the great man humbleth himself not: therefore forgive him not.
10 O ye wicked ones, enter into the rock, and hide thee in the dust, for the fear of the Lord, and the glory of his majesty shall smite thee.
11 And it shall come to pass that the lofty looks of man shall be humbled, and the haughtiness of men shall be bowed down, and the Lord alone shall be exalted in that day.
12 For the day of the Lord of hosts soon cometh upon all nations; yea, upon every one; yea, upon the proud and lofty, and upon every one which is lifted up; and he shall be brought low:
13 yea, and the day of the Lord shall come upon all the cedars of Lebanon, for they are high and lifted up; and upon all the oaks of Bashan,
14 and upon all the high mountains, and upon all the hills, and upon all the nations which are lifted up, and upon every people,
15 and upon every high tower, and upon every fenced wall,
16 and upon all the ships of the sea, and upon all the ships of Tarshish, and upon all pleasant pictures.
17 And the loftiness of man shall be bowed down, and the haughtiness of men shall be made low: and the Lord alone shall be exalted in that day.
18 And the idols he shall utterly abolish.
19 And they shall go into the holes of the rocks, and into the caves of the earth, for the fear of the Lord shall come upon them; and the glory of his majesty shall smite them, when he ariseth to shake terribly the earth.
20 In that day a man shall cast his idols of silver and his idols of gold, which he hath made for himself to worship, to the moles and to the bats;
21 to go into the clefts of the rocks, and into the tops of the ragged rocks, for the fear of the Lord shall come upon them, and the majesty of his glory shall smite them when he ariseth to shake terribly the earth.
22 Cease ye from man, whose breath is in his nostrils: for wherein is he to be accounted of?

1 And now Jacob spake many more things to my people at that time; nevertheless, only these things have I caused to be written: for the things which I have written, sufficeth me.
2 And now I, Nephi, write more of the words of Isaiah: for my soul delighteth in his words. For I will liken his words unto my people; and I will send them forth unto all my children: for he verily saw my Redeemer, even as I have seen him.
3 And my brother Jacob also hath seen him as I have seen him; wherefore, I will send their words forth unto my children, to prove unto them that my words are true. Wherefore, by the words of three, God hath said, I will establish my word. Nevertheless, God sendeth more witnesses; and he proveth all his words.
4 Behold, my soul delighteth in proving unto my people the truth of the coming of Christ: for, this end hath the law of Moses been given; and all things which have been given of God from the beginning of the world, unto man, are the typifying of him.
5 And also, my soul delighteth in the covenants of the Lord which he hath made to our fathers; yea, my soul delighteth in his grace, and his justice, and power, and mercy, in the great and eternal plan of deliverance from death.
6 And my soul delighteth in proving unto my people, that save Christ should come, all men must perish.
7 For if there be no Christ, there be no God; and if there be no God, we are not, for there could have been no creation. –But there is a God, and he is Christ; and he cometh in the fulness of his own time.
8 And now, I write some of the words of Isaiah, that whoso of my people which shall see these words, may lift up their hearts and rejoice for all men. Now, these are the words; and ye may liken them unto you, and unto all men.

1 And now, I, Jacob, speak unto you again, my beloved brethren, concerning this righteous branch of which I have spoken.
2 For behold, the promises which we have obtained, are promises unto us according to the flesh; wherefore, as it hath been shown unto me that many of our children shall perish in the flesh, because of unbelief, neverthelass, God will be merciful unto many; and our children shall be restored, that they may come to that which will give them the true knowledge of their Redeemer.
3 Wherefore, as I said unto you, it must needs be expedient that Christ, (for in the last night the Angel spake unto me that this should be his name,) should come among the Jews, among they which are the more wicked part of the world; and they shall crucify him: For thus it behooveth our God; and there is none other nation on earth that would crucify their God.
4 For should the mighty miracles be wrought among other nations, they would repent, and know that he be their God;
5 but because of priest-crafts and iniquities, they at Jerusalem will stiffen their necks against him, that he be crucified.
6 Wherefore, because of their iniquities, destructions, famines, pestilences, and bloodsheds, shall come upon them; and they which shall not be destroyed, shall be scattered among all nations.
7 But behold, thus saith the Lord God: When the day cometh that they shall believe in me, that I am Christ, they have I covenanted with their fathers that they shall be restored in the flesh, upon the earth, unto the lands of their inheritance.
8 And it shall come to pass that they shall be gathered in from their long dispersion, from the isles of the sea, and from the four parts of the earth; and the nation of the Gentiles shall be great in the eyes of me, saith God, in carrying them forth to the lands of their inheritance.
9 Yea, the kings of the Gentiles shall be nursing fathers unto them, and their queens shall become nursing mothers, wherefore, the promises of the Lord are great unto the Gentiles: for he hath spoken it, and who can dispute.
10 But behold, This land, saith God, shall be a land of thine inheritance; and the Gentiles shall be blessed upon the land.
11 And this land shall be a land of liberty unto the Gentiles; and there shall be no kings upon the land, which shall raise up unto the Gentiles.
12 And I will fortify this land against all other nations;
13 and he that fighteth against Zion, shall perish, saith God:
14 for he that raiseth up a king against me, shall perish. For I the Lord, the King of Heaven, will be their king; and I will be a light unto them forever, that hear my words.
15 Wherefore, for this cause, that my covenants may be fulfilled, which I have made unto the children of men, that I will do unto them while they are in the flesh, I must needs destroy the secret works of darkness, and of murders of abomination;
16 wherefore, he that fighteth against Zion, both Jew and Gentile, both bond and free, both male and female, shall perish: for they are they which are the whore of all the earth; for they which are not for me, are against me, saith our God.
17 For I will fulfill my promises which I have made unto the children of men, that I will do unto them while they are in the flesh.
18 Wherefore, my beloved brethren, thus saith our God: I will afflict thy seed by the hand of the Gentiles; nevertheless, I will soften the hearts of the Gentiles, that they shall be like unto a father to them; wherefore, the Gentiles shall be blessed and numbered among the House of Israel.
19 Wherefore, I will consecrate this land unto thy seed and they which shall be numbered among thy seed, forever, for the land of their inheritance: For it is a choice land, saith God unto me, above all other lands; wherefore, I will have all men that dwell thereon, that they shall worship me, saith God.
20 And now, my beloved brethren, seeing that our merciful God hath given us so great knowledge concerning these things, let us remember him, and lay aside our sins, and not hang our heads, for we are not cast off; nevertheless, we have been driven out of the land of our inheritance; but we have been led to a better land: for the Lord hath made the sea our path, and we are upon an isle of the sea. But great is the promises of the Lord unto they which are upon the isles of the sea;
21 wherefore, as it sayeth isles, there must needs be more than this; and they are inhabited also by our brethren.
22 For behold, the Lord God hath led away from time to time from the House of Israel, according to his will and pleasure. And now, behold, the Lord remembereth all they which have been broken off; wherefore, he remembereth us also.
23 Therefore cheer up your hearts, and remember that ye are free to act for yourselves: to choose the way of everlasting death, or the way of eternal life.
24 Wherefore, my beloved brethren, reconcile yourselves to the will of God, and not to the will of the Devil and the flesh; and remember that after ye are reconciled unto God, that it is only in and through the grace of God that ye are saved.
25 Wherefore, may God raise you from death, by the power of the resurrection; and also from everlasting death, by the power of the atonement, that ye may be received into the Eternal Kingdom of God, that ye may praise him through Grace Divine. Amen.

1 And now, my beloved brethren, I have read these things that ye might know concerning the covenants of the Lord; that he hath covenanted with all the House of Israel;
2 that he hath spoken unto the Jews, by the mouth of his holy prophets, even from the beginning down, from generation to generation, until the time cometh that they shall be restored to the true Church and fold of God; when they shall be gathered home to the lands of their inheritance, and shall be established in all their lands of promise.
3 Behold, my beloved brethren, I speak unto these things that ye may rejoice, and lift up your heads forever, because of the blessings which the Lord God shall bestow upon your children.
4 For I know that thou hast searched much, many of you, to know of things to come; wherefore I know that ye know that our flesh must waste away and die; nevertheless, in our bodies, we shall see God.
5 Yea, and I know that ye know, that in the body he shall shew himself unto they at Jerusalem, from whence we came; for it is expedient that it should be among them; for it behoveth the Great Creator that he suffereth himself to become subject unto man, in the flesh, and die for all men, that all men might become subject unto him.
6 For as death hath passed upon all men, to fulfil the merciful plan of the Great Creator, there must needs be a power of resurrection, and the resurrection must needs come unto man by reason of the fall; and the fall came by reason of transgression; and because man became fallen, they were cut off from the presence of the Lord;
7 wherefore it must needs be an infinite atonement; save it should be an infinite atonement, this corruption could not put on corruption. Wherefore, the first judgment which came upon man, must needs have remained to an endless duration. And if so, this flesh must have laid down to rot and to crumble to its mother earth, to rise no more.
8 O the wisdom of God! his mercy and grace! For behold, if the flesh should rise no more, our spirits must become subject to that Angel which fell from before the presence of the Eternal God, and became the Devil, to rise no more.
9 And our spirits must have become like unto him, and we become Devils, Angels to a Devil, to be shut out from the presence of our God, and to remain with the father of lies, in misery, like unto himself; yea, to that being who beguiled our first parents; who transformeth himself nigh unto an angel of light, and stirreth up the children of men unto secret combinations of murder, and all manner of secret works of darkness.
10 O how great the goodness of our God, who prepareth a way for our escape from the grasp of this awful monster; yea, that monster, death and hell, which I call the death of the body, and also the death of the spirit.
11 And because of the way of deliverance of our God, the Holy One of Israel, this death, of which I have spoken, which is the temporal, shall deliver up its dead; which death is the grave.
12 And this death of which I have spoken, which is the spiritual death is hell; wherefore, death and hell must deliver up its dead, and hell must deliver up its captive spirits, and the grave must deliver up its captive bodies, and the bodies and the spirits of men will be restored, one to the other: and it is by the power of the resurrection of the Holy One of Israel.
13 O how great the plan of our God! For on the other hand, the paradise of God must deliver up the spirits of the righteous, and the grave deliver up the body of the righteous; and the spirit and the body is restored to itself again, and all men become incorruptible, and immortal, and they are living souls, having a perfect knowledge like unto us, in the flesh; save it be that our knowledge shall be perfect;
14 wherefore, we shall have a perfect knowledge of all our guilt, and our uncleanness, and our nakedness; and the righteous shall have a perfect knowledge of their enjoyment, and their righteousness, being clothed with purity, yea, even with the robe of righteousness.
15 And it shall come to pass, that when all men shall have passed from this first death unto life, inasmuch as they have become immortal, they must appear before the judgment seat, and then they must be judged according to the holy judgment of God.
16 And assuredly, as the Lord liveth, for the Lord God hath spoken it, and it is his eternal word, which cannot pass away, that they which are righteous, shall be righteous still, and they which are filthy, shall be filthy still; wherefore, they which are filthy, are the Devil and his angels; and they shall go away into everlasting fire, prepared for them; and their torment is a lake of fire and brimstone, whose flames ascendeth up forever and ever, and hath no end.
17 O the greatness and the justice of our God! For he executeth all his words, and they have gone forth out of his mouth, and his law must be fulfilled.
18 But, behold, the righteous, the saints of the Holy One of Israel, they which have believed in the Holy One of Israel; they which have endured the crosses of the world, and despised the shame of it; they shall inherit the Kingdom of God, which was prepared for them from the foundation of the world: and their joy shall be full forever.
19 O the greatness of the mercy of our God, the Holy One of Israel! For he delivereth his saints from that awful monster, the Devil, and death and hell, and that lake of fire and brimstone, which is endless torment.
20 O how great the holiness of our God! For he knoweth all things, and there is not any thing, save he know it.
21 And he cometh into the world that he may save all men, if they will hearken unto his voice: for behold, he suffereth the pains of all men; yea, the pains of every living creature, both men women and children, which belong to the family of Adam.
22 –And he suffereth this, that the resurrection might pass upon all men, that all might stand before him, at the great and judgment day.
23 And he commandeth all men that they must repent, and be baptised in his name, having perfect faith in the Holy One of Israel, or they cannot be saved in the Kingdom of God.
24 And if they will not repent and believe in his name, and be baptised in his name, and endure to the end, they must be damned; for the Lord God, the Holy One of Israel, hath spoken it;
25 wherefore he hath given a law; and where there is no law given, there is no punishment; and where there is no punishment, there is no condemnation; and where there is no condemnation, the mercies of the Holy One of Israel hath claim upon them, because of the atonement: for they are delivered by the power of him:
26 for the atonement satisfieth the demands of his justice upon all those who have not the law given to them, that they are delivered from that awful monster, death and hell, and the Devil, and the lake of fire and brimstone, which is endless torment; and they are restored to that God who gave them breath, which is the Holy One of Israel.
27 But wo unto him that hath the law given; yea, that hath all the commandments of God, like unto us, and that transgresseth them, and that wasteth the days of his probation: for awful is his state!
28 O that cunning plan of the evil one! O the vainness, and the frailties, and the foolish of men! When they are learned, they think they are wise, and they hearken not unto the counsel of God, for they set it aside, supposing they know of themselves. Wherefore, their wisdom if foolishness, and it profiteth them not. Wherefore they shall perish.
29 But to be learned is good, if it so be that they hearken unto the counsels of God.
30 But wo unto the rich, which are rich as to the things of the world. For because that they are rich, they despise the poor, and they persecute the meek, and their hearts are upon their treasures; wherefore their treasure is their God. And behold, their treasure shall perish with them also.
31 And wo unto the deaf, that will not hear: for they shall perish.
32 Wo unto the blind, that will not see: for they shall perish also.
33 Wo unto the uncircumcised of heart: for a knowledge of their iniquities shall smite them at the last day.
34 Wo unto the liar: for he shall be thrust down to hell.
35 Wo unto the murderer, who deliberately killeth: for he shall die.
36 Wo unto them who commit whoredoms: for they shall be thrust down to hell.
37 Yea, wo unto they that worship Idols: for the Devil of all Devil’s delighteth in them.
38 And, in fine, wo unto all they that die in their sins: for they shall return to God, and behold his face, and remain in their sins.
39 O, my beloved brethren, remember the awfulness in transgressing against that holy God, and also the awfulness of yielding to the enticing of that cunning one. Remember, to be carnally minded, is death, and to be spiritually minded, is life eternal.
40 O, my beloved brethren, give ear to my words. Remember the greatness of the Holy One of Israel. Do not say that I have spoken hard things against you: for if ye do, ye will revile against the truth: for I have spoken the words of your Maker. I know that the words of truth are hard against all uncleanness; but the righteous fear it not, for they love the truth, and are not shaken.
41 O then, my beloved brethren, come unto the Lord, the Holy One. Remember that his paths are righteousness. Behold, the way for man is narrow, but it lieth in a straight course before him, and the keeper of the gate is the Holy One of Israel: and he employeth no servant there; and there is none other way, save it be by the gate, for he cannot be deceived; for the Lord God is his name.
42 And whoso knocketh, to him will he open, and the wise, and the learned, and they that are rich, which are puffed up because of their learning, and their wisdom, and their riches; yea, they are they, whom he despiseth; and save they shall cast these things away, and consider themselves fools before God, and come down in the depths of humility, he will not open unto them.
43 But the things of the wise and the prudent, shall be hid from them forever; yea, that happiness which is prepared for the Saints.
44 O my beloved brethren, remember my words: Behold, I take off my garments, and I shake them before you: I pray the God of my salvation that he view me with his All-searching eye; wherefore, ye shall know at the last day, when all men shall be judged of their works, that the God of Israel did witness that I shook your iniquities from my soul, and that I stand with brightness before him, and am rid of your blood.
45 O my beloved brethren, turn away from your sins; shake off the chains of him that would bind you fast; come unto that God which is the rock of your salvation.
46 Prepare your souls for that glorious day, when justice shall be administered unto the righteous; even the day of judgment, that ye may not shrink with awful fear; that ye may not remember your awful guilt in perfectness, and be constrained to exclaim, Holy, holy are thy judgments, O Lord God Almighty. But I know my guilt; I transgressed thy law, and my transgressions are mine; and the Devil hath obtained me, that I am prey to his awful misery.
47 But behold, my brethren, is it expedient that I should awake you to an awful reality of these things? Would I harrow up your souls, if your minds were pure? Would I be plain unto you according to the plainness of the truths, if ye were freed from sin?
48 Behold, if ye were holy, I would speak unto you of holiness; but as ye are not holy, and ye look upon me as a teacher, it must needs be expedient that I teach you the consequences of sin.
49 Behold, my soul abhorreth sin, and my heart delighteth in righteousness; and I will praise the holy name of my God.
50 Come. my brethren, every one that thirsteth, come ye to the waters; and he that hath no money, come buy and eat; yea, come buy wine and milk without money and without price.
51 Wherefore, do not spend money for that which is of no worth, nor your labor for that which cannot satisfy. Hearken diligently unto me, and remember the words which I have spoken; and come unto the Holy One of Israel, and feast upon that which perisheth not, neither can be corrupted, and let your soul delight in fatness.
52 Behold, my beloved brethren, remember the words of your God; pray unto him continually by day, and give thanks unto his holy name at night. Let your hearts rejoice,
53 and behold how great the covenants of the Lord, and how great his condescentions unto the children of men; and because of his greatness, and his grace and mercy, he hath promised unto us that our seed shall not utterly be destroyed, according to the flesh, but that he would preserve them; and in future generations, they shall become a righteous branch unto the House of Israel.
54 And now, my brethren, I would speak unto you more; but on the morrow I will declare unto you the remainder of my words. Amen.

1 Hearken unto me, ye that follow after righteousness: Look unto the rock from whence ye are hewn, and the hole of the pit from whence ye are digged.
2 Look unto Abraham, your father; and unto Sarah, she that bare you: for I called him alone, and blessed him.
3 For the Lord shall comfort Zion: he will comfort all her waste places; and he will make her wilderness like Eden, and her desert like the garden of the Lord. Joy and gladness shall be found therein, thanksgiving and the voice of melody.
4 Hearken unto me my people; and give ear unto me, O my nation: for a law shall proceed from me, and I will make my judgment to rest for a light thing of the people.
5 My righteousness is near; my salvation is gone forth, and mine arm shall judge the people. The isles shall wait upon me, and on mine arm shall they trust.
6 Lift up your eyes to the heavens, and look upon the earth beneath: for the heavens shall vanish away like smoke, and the earth shall wax old like a garment; and they that dwell therein, shall die in like manner. But my salvation shall be forever; and my righteousness shall not be abolished.
7 Hearken unto me, ye that know righteousness, the people in whose heart I have written my law; fear ye not the reproach of men; neither be ye afraid of their revilings:
8 for the moth shall eat them up like a garment, and the worm shall eat them like wool. But my righteousness shall be forever; and my salvation from generation to generation.
9 Awake, awake! Put on strength O arm of the Lord: awake as in the ancient days. Art thou not it that hath cut Rahab, and wounded the dragon?
10 Art thou not it which hath dried the sea, the waters of the great deep; that hath made the depths of the sea a way for the ransomed to pass over?
11 Therefore, the redeemed of the Lord shall return, and come with singing unto Zion; and everlasting joy and holiness shall be upon their heads; and they shall obtain gladness and joy: sorrowing and mourning shall flee away.
12 I am he; yea, I am he that comforteth you: Behold, who art thou, that thou shouldst be afraid of man, which shall die, and of the Son of man, which shall be made like unto grass;
13 and forgetest the Lord thy maker, that hath stretched forth the heavens, and laid the foundations of the earth; and hast feared continually every day, because of the fury of the oppressor, as if he were ready to destroy? And where is the fury of the oppressor?
14 The captive exile hasteneth, that he may be loosed, and that he should not die in the pit, nor that his bread should fail.
15 –But I am the Lord thy God, whose waves roared: the Lord of Hosts is my name.
16 And I have put my words in thy mouth, and hath covered thee in the shadow of mine hand, that I may plant the heavens and lay the foundations of the earth, and say unto Zion, Behold, thou art my people.
17 Awake, awake, stand up, O Jerusalem, which hast drunk at the hand of the Lord the cup of his fury; thou hast drunken the dregs of the cup of trembling rung out;
18 and none to guide her among all the sons she hath brought forth; neither that taketh her by the hand, of all the sons she hath brought up.
19 These two sons are come unto thee; who shall be sorry for thee? thy desolation and destruction, and the famine and the sword: And by whom shall I comfort thee?
20 Thy sons have fainted, save these two: they lie at the heads of all the streets, as a wild bull in a net: they are full of the fury of the Lord, the rebuke of thy God.
21 Therefore hear now this, thou afflicted, and drunken, and not with wine:
22 thus saith thy Lord, The Lord and thy God pleadeth the cause of his people, Behold, I have taken out of thine hand the cup of trembling, the dregs of the cup of my fury; thou shalt no more drink it again.
23 But I will put it into the hand of them that afflict thee; which I said to thy soul, Bow down, that we may go over: and thou hast laid thy body as the ground, and as the street, to them that went over.
24 Awake, awake, put on thy strength, O Zion; put on thy beautiful garments, O Jerusalem, the holy city: for henceforth there shall no more come into thee, the uncircumcised and the unclean.
25 Shake thyself from the dust; arise, sit down, O Jerusalem: loose thyself from the bands of thy neck, O captive daughter of Zion.

1 Yea, for thus saith the Lord: Have I put thee away, or have I cast thee off forever? For thus saith the Lord: Where is the bill of your mother’s divorcement? To whom have I put thee away, or to which of my creditors have I sold you? Yea, to whom have I sold you? Behold, for your iniquities have ye sold yourselves, and for your transgressions is your mother put away;
2 wherefore, when I come, there was no man; when I called, yea, there was none to answer. O House of Israel, is my hand shortened at all that it cannot redeem, or have I no power to deliver? Behold, at my rebuke, I dry up the sea, I make their rivers a wilderness and their fish to stink, because the waters are dried up; and they die because of thirst.
3 I clothe the heavens with blackness, and I make sackcloth their covering.
4 The Lord God hath given me the tongue of the learned, that I should know how to speak a word in season unto thee, O House of Israel. When ye are weary, he waketh morning by morning. He waketh mine ear to hear as the learned.
5 The Lord God hath appointed mine ear, and I was not rebellious, neither turned away back.
6 I gave my back to the smiter, and my cheeks to them that plucked off the hair. I hid not my face from shame and spitting,
7 for the Lord God will help me: therefore shall I not be confounded. Therefore have I set my face like a flint, and I know that I shall not be ashamed;
8 and the Lord is near, and he justifieth me. Who will contend with me? let us stand together. Who is mine adversary? let him come near me, and I will smite him with the strength of my mouth:
9 for the Lord God will help me. And all they which shall condemn me, behold, all they shall wax old as a garment, and the moth shall eat them up.
10 Who is among you that feareth the Lord; that obeyeth the voice of his servant; that walketh in darkness, and hath no light?
11 Behold, all ye that kindleth fire, that compass yourselves about with sparks: walk in the light of your fire, and in the sparks which ye have kindled. This shall ye have of mine hand: Ye shall lie down in sorrow.

1 The words of Jacob, the brother of Nephi, which he spake unto the people of Nephi:
2 Behold, my beloved brethren, that I, Jacob, having been called of God, and ordained after the manner of his holy order, and having been consecrated by my brother, Nephi, unto whom ye look as a king or a protector, and on whom ye depend for safety, behold, ye know that I have spoken unto you exceeding many things;
3 nevertheless, I speak unto you again: for I am desirous for the welfare of your souls. Yea, mine anxiety is great for you; and ye yourselves know that it ever has been. For I have exhorted you with all diligence; and I have taught you the words of my father; and I have spoken unto you concerning all things which are written from the creation of the world.
4 And now, behold, I would speak unto you concerning things which are, and which are to come; wherefore, I will read you the words of Isaiah. And they are the words which my brother hath desired me that I should speak unto you. And I speak them unto you for your sakes, that ye may learn and glorify the name of your God.
5 And now, the words which I shall read, are they which Isaiah spake concerning all the House of Israel; wherefore, they may be likened unto you: for ye are of the House of Israel. And there are many things which have been spoken by Isaiah, which may be likened unto you, because that ye are of the House of Israel.
6 And now, these are the words: Thus saith the Lord God: Behold, I will lift up my hand to the Gentiles, and set up my standard to the people; and they shall bring thy sons in their arms, and thy daughters shall be carried upon their shoulders.
7 And kings shall be thy nursing fathers, and their queens thy nursing mothers: they shall bow down to thee with their faces towards the earth, and lick up the dust of thy feet; and thou shalt know that I am the Lord: for they shall not be ashamed that wait for me.
8 And now I, Jacob, would speak somewhat concerning these words: For behold, the Lord hath shewn me that they which were at Jerusalem, from whence we came, have been slain and carried away captive;
9 nevertheless, the Lord hath shewn unto me, that the Lord God, the Holy One of Israel, should manifest himself unto them in the flesh; and after that he should manifest himself, they should scourge him and crucify him, according to the words of the angel, which spake it unto me.
10 And after that they have hardened their hearts and stiffened their necks against the Holy One of Israel, behold, the judgments of the Holy One of Israel shall come upon them. And the day cometh that they shall be smitten and afflicted.
11 Wherefore, after they are driven to and fro, for thus saith the angel, many shall be afflicted in the flesh and shall not be suffered to perish, because of the prayers of the faithful: wherefore, they shall be scattered, and smitten, and hated; nevertheless, the Lord will be merciful unto them, that when they shall come to the knowledge of their Redeemer, they shall be gathered together again to the land of their inheritance.
12 And blessed are the Gentiles, they of whom the prophet hath written: for behold, if it so be that they shall repent and fight not against Zion, and do not unite themselves to that great and abominable church, they shall be saved: for the Lord God will fulfill his covenants which he hath made unto his children; and for this cause, the prophet hath written these things.
13 Wherefore, they that fight against Zion and the covenant people of the Lord, shall lick up the dust of their feet; and the people of the Lord shall not be ashamed. For the people of the Lord are they which wait for him: for they still wait for the coming of the Messiah.
14 And behold, according to the words of the prophet, the Messiah will set himself again the second time, to recover them; wherefore, he will manifest himself unto them in power and great glory, unto the destruction of their enemies, when that day cometh when they shall believe in him; and none will he destroy that believeth in him.
15 And they that believe not in him, shall be destroyed, both by fire, and by tempest, and by earthquakes, and by bloodshed, and by pestilence, and by famine. And they shall know that the Lord is God, the Holy One of Israel:
16 for shall the prey be taken from the mighty, or the lawful captive delivered?
17 But thus saith the Lord: Even the captives of the mighty shall be taken away, and the prey of the terrible shall be delivered: for the Mighty God shall deliver his covenant people. For thus saith the Lord: I will contend with them that contendeth with thee,
18 and I will feed them that oppress thee, with their own flesh; and they shall be drunken with their own blood, as with sweet wine; and all flesh shall know that I the Lord am thy saviour and thy Redeemer, the Mighty One of Jacob.

1 Behold, it came to pass that I, Nephi, did cry much unto the Lord my God, because of the anger of my brethren.
2 But behold, their anger did increase against me, insomuch that they did seek to take away my life.
3 Yea, they did murmur against me, saying: Our younger brother thinketh to rule over us; and we have had much trial because of him; wherefore, now let us slay him, that we may not be afflicted more because of his words. For behold, we will not that he shall be our ruler: for it belongeth unto us, which are the elder brethren, to rule over this people.
4 Now I do not write upon these plates, all the words which they murmured against me. But it sufficeth me to say, that they seek to take away my life.
5 And it came to pass that the Lord did warn me, that I, Nephi, should depart from them, and flee into the wilderness, and all they which would go with me.
6 Wherefore, it came to pass that I, Nephi, did take my family, and also Zoram and his family, and Sam, mine elder brother, and his family, and Jacob and Joseph, my younger brethren, and also my sisters, and all they which would go with me. And all they which would go with me, were they which believed in the warnings and the revelations of God; Wherefore, they did hearken unto my words.
7 And we did take our tents and whatsoever things were possible for us, and did journey in the wilderness for the space of many days. And after that we had journied for the space of many days, we did pitch our tents.
8 And my people would that we should call the name of the place Nephi; wherefore, we did call it Nephi.
9 And all they which were with me, did take it upon them to call themselves the people of Nephi.
10 And we did observe to keep the judgments, and the statues, and the commandments of the Lord, in all things, according to the law of Moses.
11 And the Lord was with us; and we did prosper exceedingly: for we did sow seed, and we did reap again in abundance. And we began to raise flocks, and herds, and animals of every kind.
12 And I, Nephi, had also brought the records which were engraven upon the plates of brass; and also the ball, or compass, which was prepared for my father, by the hand of the Lord, according to that which is written.
13 And it came to pass that we began to prosper exceedingly, and to multiply in the land.
14 And I, Nephi, did take the sword of Laban, and after the manner of it did make many swords, lest by any means the people which were now called Lamanites, should come upon us and destroy us: for I knew their hatred towards me and my children, and they which were called my people.
15 And I did teach my people, that they should build buildings; and that they should work in all manner of wood, and of iron, and of copper, and of brass, and of steel, and of gold, and of silver, and of precious ores which were in great abundance.
16 And I, Nephi, did build a temple; and I did construct it after the manner of the temple of Solomon, save it were not built of so many precious things: for they were not to be found upon the land; wherefore, it could not be built like unto Solomon’s temple. But the manner of the construction was like unto the temple of Solomon; and the workmanship thereof was exceeding fine.
17 And it came to pass that I, Nephi, did cause my people that they should be industrious, and that they should labor with their hands.
18 And it came to pass that they would that I should be their King. But I, Nephi, was desirous that they should have no King; nevertheless, I did do for them according to that which was in my power.
19 And behold, the words of the Lord had been fulfilled unto my brethren, which he spake concerning them, that I should be their ruler and their teacher; wherefore, I had been their ruler and their teacher, according to the commandments of the Lord, until the time that they sought to take away my life.
20 Wherefore, the word of the Lord was fulfilled which he spake unto me, saying: That inasmuch as they will not hearken unto thy words, they shall be cut off from his presence.
21 And he had caused the cursing to come upon them, yea, even a sore cursing, because of their iniquity. For behold, they had hardened their hearts against him, that they had become like unto a flint; wherefore, as they were white, and exceeding fair and delightsome, that they might not be enticing unto my people, therefore the Lord God did cause a skin of blackness to come upon them.
22 And thus saith the Lord God, I will cause that they shall be loathsome unto thy people, save they shall repent of their iniquities.
23 And cursed shall be the seed of him that mixeth with their seed: for they shall be cursed even with the same cursing. And the Lord spake it, and it was done.
24 And because of their cursing which was upon them, they did become and idle people, full of mischief and subtlety, and did seek in the wilderness for beasts of prey.
25 And the Lord God said unto me, they shall be a scourge unto thy seed, to stir them up in remembrance of me, and inasmuch as they will not remember me, and hearken unto my words, they shall scourge them even unto destruction.
26 And it came to pass that I, Nephi, did consecrate Jacob and Joseph, that they should be priests and teachers over the land of my people.
27 And it came to pass that we lived after the manner of happiness.
28 And thirty years had passed away from the time we left Jerusalem.
29 And I, Nephi, had kept the record upon my plates, which I had made of my people thus far.
30 And it came to pass that the Lord God said unto me, Make other plates; and thou shalt engraven many things upon them which are good in my sight, for the profit of thy people.
31 Wherefore, I, Nephi, to be obedient to the commandments of the Lord, went and made these plates upon which I have engraven these things.
32 And I engravened that which is pleasing unto God. And if my people be pleased with the things of God, they be pleased with mine engravings which are upon these plates.
33 And if my people desire to know the more particular part of the history of my people, they must search mine other plates.
34 And if it sufficeth me to say, that forty years had passed away, and we had already had wars and contentions with our brethren.

1 And now, I, Nephi, speak concerning the prophecies of which my father hath spoken, concerning Joseph, who was carried into Egypt:
2 For behold, he truly prophesied concerning all his seed. And the prophecies which he wrote, there are not many greater. And he prophesied concerning us, and our future generations: and they are written upon the plates of brass.
3 Wherefore, after my father had made an end of the speaking concerning the prophecies of Joseph, he called the children of Laman, his sons, and his daughters, and sayeth unto them, Behold, my sons, and my daughters, which are the sons and the daughters of my first born. I would that ye should give ear unto my words:
4 for the Lord God hath said, That inasmuch as ye shall keep my commandments, ye shall prosper in the land; and inasmuch as ye will not keep my commandments, ye shall be cut off from my presence.
5 But behold, my sons and my daughters, I cannot go down to my grave, save I should leave a blessing upon you: For behold, I know that if ye are brought up in the right way that ye should go, ye will not depart from it.
6 Wherefore, if ye are cursed, behold, I leave my blessing upon you, that the cursing may be taken from you, and be answered upon the heads of your parents.
7 Wherefore, because of my blessing, the Lord God will not suffer that ye shall perish; wherefore, he will be merciful unto you, and unto your seed, forever.
8 And it came to pass that after my father had made an end of speaking to the sons and daughters of Laman, he caused the sons and daughters of Lemuel to be brought before him.
9 And he spake unto them, saying: Behold, my sons and my daughters, which are the sons and the daughters of my second son; behold, I leave unto you the same blessing which I left unto the sons and daughters of Laman; wherefore, thou shalt not utterly be destroyed; but in the end, thy seed shall be blessed.
10 And it came to pass that when my father had made an end of speaking unto them, behold, it came to pass that he spake unto the sons of Ishmael, yea, and even all his household.
11 And after that he had made an end of speaking unto them, he spake unto Sam, saying: Blessed art thou, and thy seed: for thou shalt inherit the land, like unto thy brother, Nephi. And thy seed shall be numbered with his seed; and thou shalt be even like unto thy brother, and thy seed like unto his seed; And thou shalt be blessed in all thy days.
12 And it came to pass that after Lehi had spake unto all his household, according to the feelings of his heart, and the spirit of the Lord which was in him, he waxed old. And it came to pass that he died, and was buried.
13 And it came to pass that not many days after his death, Laman and Lemuel, and the sons Ishmael, were angry with me, because of the admonitions of the Lord:
14 for I, Nephi, was constrained to speak unto them according to the word. For I had spake many things unto them, and also my father, before his death; many of which sayings, are written upon mine other plates: for a more history part are written upon mine other plates.
15 And upon these I write the things of my soul, and many of the Scriptures which are engraven upon the plates of brass: For my soul deliteth in the Scriptures; and my heart pondereth them, and writeth them for the learning and the profit of my children.
16 Behold, my soul delighteth in the things of the Lord; and my heart pondereth continually upon the things which I have seen and heard.
17 Nevertheless, notwithstanding the great goodness of the Lord, in shewing me his great and marvelous works, my heart exclaimeth, O wretched man that I am; yea, my heart sorroweth, because of my flesh. My soul grieveth, because of mine iniquities.
18 I am encompassed about, because of the temptations and the sins which doth so easily beset me.
19 And when I desire to rejoice, my heart groaneth because of my sins; nevertheless, I know in whom I have trusted.
20 My God hath been my support; he hath led me through mine afflictions in the wilderness; and he hath preserved me upon the waters of the great deep.
21 He hath filled me with his love, even unto the consuming of my flesh.
22 He hath confounded mine enemies, unto the causing of them to quake before me.
23 Behold, he hath heard my cry by day, and he hath given me knowledge by visions in the night time.
24 And by day have I waxed bold in mighty prayer before him; yea, my voice have I sent upon high; and angels came down and ministered unto me.
25 And upon the wings of his spirit hath my body been carried away upon exceeding high mountains. And mine eyes hath beheld great things; yea, even too great for man; therefore I was bidden that I should not write them.
26 O then, if I have seen so great things; if the Lord in his condescension unto the children of men, hath visited men in so much mercy, why should my heart weep, and my soul linger in the valley of sorrow, and my flesh wasteth away, and my strength slacken, because of mine afflictions?
27 And why should I yield to sin, because of my flesh? Yea, why should I give away to temptations, that the evil one have place in my heart, to destroy my peace and afflict my soul? Why am I angry because of mine enemy?
28 Awake, my soul! No longer droop in sin. Rejoice O my heart, and give place no more for the enemy of my soul.
29 Do not anger again, because of mine enemies. Do not slacken my strength, because of mine afflictions.
30 Rejoice, O my heart, and cry unto the Lord, and say, O Lord, I will praise thee forever; yea, my soul will rejoice in thee, my God, and the rock of my salvation.
31 O Lord, wilt thou redeem my soul? Wilt thou deliver me out of the hands of mine enemies? Wilt thou make me that I may shake at the appearance of sin?
32 May the gates of hell be shut continually before me, because that my heart is broken and my spirit is contrite? O Lord, wilt thou shut the gates of thy righteousness before me, that I may walk in the path of the low valley, that I may be strict in the plain road?
33 O Lord, wilt thou encircle me around in the robe of thy righteousness? O Lord, wilt thou make a way for mine escape before mine enemies? Wilt thou make my path straight before me? Wilt thou not place a stumbling block in my way? But that thou wouldst clear my way before me, and hedge not up my way, but the ways of mine enemy.
34 O Lord, I have trusted in thee, and I will trust in thee forever. I will not put my trust in the arm of flesh; for I know that cursed is he that putteth his trust in the arm of flesh. Yea, cursed is he that putteth his trust in man, or maketh flesh his arm.
35 Yea, I know that God will give liberally to him that asketh. Yea, my God will give me, if I ask not amiss; therefore I will lift up my voice unto thee; yea, I will cry unto thee, my God, the rock of my righteousness. Behold, my voice shall forever ascend up unto thee, my rock and mine everlasting God. Amen.