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01 - Book of Mormon - Joseph Smith Jr · Sacred Texts Archive

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The Book of Mormon, translated by Joseph Smith. First Nephi, Chapter one.
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I Nephi, having been born of goodly parents, Therefore I was taught
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somewhat in all the learning of my father, and having seen many afflictions in
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the course of my days. Nevertheless, having been highly favored of the Lord
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in all my days, Yea, having had a great knowledge of the goodness
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and the mysteries of God. Therefore I make a record of my proceedings in
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my days. Yea, I make a record in the language of my father,
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which consists of the learning of the Jews and the language of the Egyptians.
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And I know that the record which I make is true, and I
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make it with mine own hand, and I make it according to my knowledge.
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For it came to pass in the commencement of the first year of the
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reign of Zedekiah, King of Judah, my father Lehi, having dwelt at
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Jerusalem in all his days, and in that same year there came many prophets
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prophesying unto the people that they must repent or the great city Jerusalem must be
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destroyed. Wherefore he came to pass that my father Lehi, as he went
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forth prayed unto the Lord Yea even with all his heart in behalf of his
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people. And he came to pass as he prayed unto the Lord, there
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came a pillar of fire, and dwelt upon a rock before him, and
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he saw and heard much. And because of the things which he saw and
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heard, he did quake and tremble exceedingly. And he came to pass that
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he returned to his own house at Jerusalem, and he cast himself upon his
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bed, being overcome with the spirit and the things which he had seen.
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And being thus overcome with the spirit, he was carried away in a vision,
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even that he saw the heavens open, and he thought he saw God
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sitting upon his throne, surrounded with numberless concourses of angels in the attitude of
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singing and praising their God. And came to pass that he saw one descending
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out of the midst of heaven, and he beheld that his luster was above
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that of the sun at noonday. And he also saw twelve others following him,
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and their brightness did exceed that of the stars in the firmament. And
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they came down and went forth upon the face of the earth. And the
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first came and stood before my father and gave unto him a book, and
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bade him that he should read. And he came to pass that as he
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read, he was filled with the spirit of the Lord. And he read
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saying, woe well unto Jerusalem, for I have seen thine abominations. Yea.
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And many things did my father read concerning Jerusalem, that it should be
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destroyed, and the inhabitants thereof many should perish by the sword, and many
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should be carried away captive into Babylon. And he came to pass that when
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my father had read and seen many great and marvelous things, he did exclaim
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many things unto the Lord, such as great and marvelous are thy works,
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O, Lord, God Almighty, Thy throne is high in the heavens,
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and thy power and goodness and mercy are over all the inhabitants of the earth.
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And because thou art merciful, thou wilt not suffer those who come unto
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thee that they shall perish. And after this manner was the language of my
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father in the praising of his God. For his soul did rejoice, and
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his whole heart was filled because of the things which he had seen Yea,
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which the Lord had shown unto him. And now I, Nephi, do
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not make a full account of the things which my father hath written. For
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he hath written many things which he saw in visions and in dreams. And
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he also hath written many things which he prophesied and spake unto his children,
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of which I shall not make a full account. But I shall make an
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account of my proceedings in my days. Behold, I make an abridgment of
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the record of my father upon plates which I have made with mine own hands.
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Wherefore, after I have abridged the record of my father, then will
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I make an account of mine own life. Therefore I would that ye should
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know that after the Lord had shown so many marvelous things unto my father Lehi
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yea concerning the destruction of Jerusalem. Behold, he went forth among the people
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and began to prophesy and to declare unto them concerning the things which he had
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both seen and heard. And it came to pass that the Jews did mock
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him because of the things which he testified of them. For he truly testified
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of their wickedness and their abominations, and he testified that the things which he
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saw and heard, and also the things which he read in the book manifested
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plainly of the coming of the Messiah, and also the redemption of the world.
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And when the Jews heard these things, they were angry with him,
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yea, even as with the prophets of old, whom they had cast out
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and stoned and slain. And they also sought his life that they might take
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it away. But behold, I Nephi will show unto you that the tender
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mercies of the Lord are over all those whom he hath chosen because of their
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faith, to make them mighty, even unto the power of deliverance. First
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Nephi chapter two. For behold, he came to pass that the Lord spake
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unto my father, yea, even in a dream, and said unto him,
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blessed art thou Lehi, because of the things which thou hast done,
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and because thou hast been faithful and declared unto this people the things which I
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commanded thee Behold, they seek to take away thy life. And he came
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to pass that the Lord commanded my father even in a dream, that he
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should take his family and depart into the wilderness. And he came to pass
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that he was obedient unto the word of the Lord. Wherefore he did as
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the Lord commanded him. And he came to pass that he departed into the
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wilderness. And he left his house and the land of his inheritance, and
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his gold and his silver, and his precious things, and took nothing with
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him save it were his family, and provisions and tents, and departed into
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the wilderness. And he came down by the borders near the shore of the
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Red Sea. And he traveled in the wilderness and the borders which are nearer
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the Red Sea. And he did travel in the wilderness with his family,
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which consisted of my mother Soria, and my elder brothers, who were Layman,
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Lemuel and Sam. And he came to pass that when he had traveled
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three days in the wilderness, he pitched his tent in a valley by the
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side of a river of water. And he came to pass that he built
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an altar of stones and made an offering unto the Lord, and gave thanks
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unto the Lord our God. And came to pass that he called the name
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of the river Layman, and it emptied into the Red Sea. And the
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valley was in the borders near the mouth thereof. And when my father saw
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that the waters of the river emptied into the fountain of the Red Sea,
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he spake unto Layman sang Oh, that thou mightest be like unto this river,
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continually running into the fountain of all righteousness. And he also spake unto
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Lemuel, Oh, that thou mightest be like unto this valley, firm and
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steadfast and immovable in keeping the commandments of the Lord. Now this he spake
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because of the stiff neckedness of Layman and Lemuel. For behold, they did
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murmur in many things against their father, because he was a visionary man,
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and had led them out of the land of Jerusalem, to leave the land
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of their inheritance, and their gold and their silver, and their precious things,
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to perish in the wilderness. And this they said he had done because
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of the foolish imaginations of his heart. And thus Layman and Lemuel, being
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the eldest, did murmur against their father. And they did murmur because because
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they knew not the dealings of that God who had created them. Neither did
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they believe that Jerusalem, that great city, could be destroyed. According to
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the words of the prophets, and they were like unto the Jews who were
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at Jerusalem, who sought to take away the life of my father. And
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it came to pass that my father did speak unto them in the valley of
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Lemuel, with power being filled with the spirit, until their frames did shake
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before him, and he did confound them that they durst not utter against him.
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Wherefore they did as he commanded them, and my father dwelt in a
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tent. And it came to pass that I Nephi, being exceedingly young,
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nevertheless being large in stature, and also having great desires to know of the
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mysteries of God. Wherefore I did cry unto the Lord, and behold,
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he did visit me and did soften my heart that I did believe all the
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words which had been spoken by my father. Wherefore I did not rebel against
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him, like unto my brothers. And I spake unto Sam, making known
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unto him the things which the Lord had manifested unto me by his Holy Spirit.
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And came to pass that he believed in my words. But behold,
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Laymen and Lemuel would not hearken unto my words. And being grieved because of
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the hardness of their hearts. I cried unto the Lord for them. And
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it came to pass that the Lord spake unto me, saying, blessed art
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Thou, Nephi, because of thy faith, For thou hast sought me diligently,
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with lowliness of heart. And inasmuch as ye shall keep my commandments,
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ye shall prosper, and shall be led to a land of promise, YEA
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even a land which I have prepared for you. YEA a land which is
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choice above all other lands. And inasmuch as thy brethren shall rebel against thee,
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they shall be cut off from the presence of the Lord. And inasmuch
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as thou shalt keep my commandments, thou shalt be made a ruler and a
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teacher over thy brethren. For behold, in that day that they shall rebel
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against me, I will curse them even with a sore curse, and they
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shall have no power over Thy seed, except they shall rebel against me also,
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And if it so be that they rebel against me, they shall be
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a scourge unto Thy seed, to stir them up in the ways of remembrance.
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First Nephi chapter three. And it came to pass that I Nephi returned
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from speaking with the Lord to the tent of my father, and he came
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to pass that he spake unto me, saying, behold, I have dreamed
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a dream in which the Lord Hath commanded me that thou and thy brethren shall
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return to Jerusalem. For behold, Laban hath the record of the Jews,
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and also a genealogy of my forefathers, and they are engraven upon plates of
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brass. Wherefore, the Lord Hath commanded me that thou and thy brothers should
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go unto the house of Laban and seek the records, and bring them down
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hither into the wilderness. And now behold thy brother's murmur, saying it is
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a hard thing which I have required of them. But behold, I have
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not required it of them, but it is a commandment of the Lord.
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Therefore, go, my son, and thou shalt be favored of the Lord,
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because thou hast not murmured. And he came to pass that I Nephi
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said, unto my father, I will go and do the things which the
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Lord Hath commanded, For I know that the Lord giveth no commandments unto the
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children of men, save he shall prepare a way for them, that they
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may accomplish the thing which he commandeth them. And he came to pass that
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when my father had heard these words, he was exceedingly glad, for he
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knew that I had been blessed of the Lord. And I, Nephi and
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my brethren took our journey in the wilderness with our tents, to go up
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to the land of Jerusalem. And he came to pass that when we had
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gone up to the land of Jerusalem, I and my brethren did consult one
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with another, and we cast lots, who of us should go in unto
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the house of Laban. And he came to pass that the lot fell upon
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Layman, and Layman went in unto the house of Laban. And he talked
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with him as he sat in his house, and he desired of Laban the
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records which were engraven upon the plates of brass, which contained the genealogy of
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my father. And behold, it came to pass that Laban was angry and
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thrust him out from his presence. And he would not that he should have
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the records. Wherefore he set unto him. Behold, thou art a robber,
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and I will slay thee. But layman fled out of his presence and
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told the things which Laban had done unto us, And we began to be
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exceedingly sorrowful. And my brethren were about to return unto my father in the
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wilderness. But behold, I set on them that as the Lord liveth and
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as we live, we will not go down unto our father and the wilderness
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until we have accomplished the thing which the Lord hath commanded us. Wherefore,
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let us be faithful in keeping the commandments of the Lord. Therefore, let
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us go down to the land of our father's inheritance. For behold, he
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left gold and silver and all manner of riches, and all this he hath
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done because of the commandments of the Lord. For he knew that Jerusalem must
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be destroyed because of the wickedness of the people. For behold, they have
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rejected the words of the prophets. Wherefore, if my father should dwell in
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the land after he hath been commanded to flee out of the land, behold,
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he would also perish. Wherefore it must needs be that he flee out
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of the land. And behold, it is wisdom and God that we should
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obtain these records that we may preserve unto our children the language of our fathers,
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and also that we may preserve unto them the words which have been spoken
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by the mouth of all the holy prophets which have been delivered unto them by
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the spirit and power of God. Since the world began even down unto this
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present time. And it came to pass that after this manner of language,
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did I persuade my brethren that they might be faithful in keeping the commandments of
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God. And it came to pass that we went down to the land of
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our inheritance, and we did gather together our gold and our silver, and
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our precious things. And after we had gathered these things together, we went
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up again unto the house of Laban. And he came to pass that we
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went in unto Laban and desired him that he would give unto us the records
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which were engraven upon the plates of brass, for which we would give unto
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him our gold and our silver, and all our precious things. And it
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came to pass that when Laban saw our property, and that it was exceedingly
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great, he did lust after it insomuch that he thrungt us out and sent
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his servants to slay us, that he might obtain our property. And he
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came to pass that we did flee before the servants of Laban, and we
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were obliged to leave behind our property, and it fell into the hands of
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Laban. And it came to pass that we fled into the wilderness, and
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the servants of Laban did not overtake us, and we hid ourselves in the
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cavity of a rock. And he came to pass that Layman was angry with
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me, and also with my father, and also was Lemuel, for he
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hearkened unto the words of Layman. Wherefore Layman and Lemuel did speak many hard
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words unto us their younger brothers, and they did smite us, even with
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a rod. And he came to pass, as they smote us with a
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rod, Behold, an angel of the Lord came and stood before them,
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and he spake unto them, saying, why do ye smite your younger brother
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with a rod? Know ye not that the Lord hath chosen him to be
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a ruler over you, and this because of your iniquities. Behold, ye
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shall go up to Jerusalem again, and the Lord will deliver Laban into your
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hands. And after the angel had spoken unto us, he departed, And
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after the angel had departed, Layman and Lemuel again began to murmur, saying,
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how is it possible that the Lord will deliver Laban into our hands?
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Behold, he is a mighty man, and he can command fifty yea,
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even he can slay fifty. Then why not us first Nephi chapter four,
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And it came to pass that I spake unto my brethren, saying, let
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us go up again unto Jerusalem, and let us be faithful in keeping the
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commandments of the Lord. For behold, he is mightier than all the earth.
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Then why not mightier than Laban and his fifty yea, or even than
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his tens of thousands. Therefore, let us go up, let us be
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strong like unto Moses. For he truly spake unto the waters of the Red
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Sea. And they divided hither and thither, and our fathers came through out
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of captivity on dry ground, and the armies of Pharaoh did follow and were
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drowned in the waters of the red sea. Now behold, ye know that
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this is true. And ye also now that an angel hath spoken unto you.
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Wherefore can ye doubt let us go up. The Lord is able to
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deliver us even as our fathers, and to destroy Laban, even as the
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Egyptians. Now, when I had spoken these words, they were yet wroth,
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and did still continue to murmur. Nevertheless, they did follow me up
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until we came without the walls of Jerusalem. And it was by night,
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and I caused that they should hide themselves without the walls. And after they
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had hid themselves, I Nephi, crept into the city and went forth towards
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the house of Laban. And I was led by the spirit, not knowing
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beforehand the things which I should do. Nevertheless, I went forth, And
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as I came near unto the house of Laban, I beheld a man,
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and he had fallen to the earth before me, for he was drunken with
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wine. And when I came to him, I found that it was Laban.
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And I beheld his sword, and I drew it forth from the sheath
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thereof, And the hilt thereof was of pure gold, and the workmanship thereof
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was exceedingly fine. And I saw that the blade thereof was of the most
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precious steel. And he came to pass that I was constrained by the spirit
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that I should kill Laban, But I said in my heart, never at
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any time have I shed the blood of man. And I shrunk and would
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that I might not slay him. And the spirit set unto me again.
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Behold, the Lord hath delivered him into thy hands. Yea. And I
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also knew that he had sought to take away mine own life. Yea.
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And he would not hearken unto the commandments of the Lord. And he also
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had taken away our property. And he came to pass that the spirit set
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unto me again slay him, for the Lord hath delivered him into thy hands.
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Behold, the Lord slayeth the wicked to bring forth his righteous purposes.
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It is better that one man should perish than that a nation should dwindle and
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perish an unbelief. And now, when I Nephi had heard these words,
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I remembered the words of the Lord, which he spake unto me in the
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wilderness, saying that inasmuch as thy seed shall keep my commandments, they shall
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prosper in the land of promise. Yea. And I also thought that they
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could not keep the commandments of the Lord according to the Law of Moses,
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save they should have the law and I also knew that the law was engraven
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upon the plates of brass. And again I knew that the Lord had delivered
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Laban into my hands for this cause, that I might obtain the records according
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to his commandments. Therefore I did obey the voice of the Spirit and took
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Laban by them hair of the head, and I smote off his head with
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his own sword. And after I had smitten off his head with his own
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sword, I took the garments of Laban and put them upon mine own body,
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yea even every whit, and I did gird on his armor about my
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loins. And after I had done this, I went forth unto the treasury
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of Laban. And as I went forth towards the treasury of Laban, behold
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I saw the servant of Laban who had the keys of the treasury. And
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I commanded him in the voice of Laban, that he should go with me
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into the treasury. And he supposed me to be his master Laban, for
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he beheld the garments and also the sword girded about my loins. And he
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spake unto me concerning the elders of the Jews. He knowing that his master
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Laban had been out by night among them, and I spake unto him as
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if it had been Laban. And I also spake unto him that I should
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carry the engravings which were upon the plates of brass, to my elder brethren,
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who were without the walls. And I also bade him that he should
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follow me. And he supposing that I spake of the brethren of the church,
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and that I was truly that Laban whom I had slain, wherefore he
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did follow me. And he spake unto me many times concerning the elders of
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the Jews. As I went forth unto my brethren who were without the walls.
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And he came to pass that when Layman saw me, he was exceedingly
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frightened, and also Lemuel and Sam, and they fled from before my presence,
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for they supposed it was Laban and that he had slain me and had
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sought to take away their lives also. And he came to pass that I
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called after them, and they did hear me. Wherefore they did cease to
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flee from my presence. And he came to pass that when the servant of
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Laban beheld my brethren, he began to tremble and was about to flee from
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before me and return to the city of Jerusalem. And now I Nephi,
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being a man large in stature, and also having received much strength of the
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Lord. Therefore I did seize upon the servant of Laban and held him that
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he should not flee. And he came to pass that I spake with him
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that if he would hearken unto my words, as the Lord liveth and as
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I live, even so that if he would hearken unto our words, we
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would spare his life. And I spake unto him, even with an oath,
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that he need not fear that he should be a free man like unto
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us, if he would go down in the wilderness with us. And I
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also spake unto him, saying, surely the Lord hath commanded us to do
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this thing, and shall we not be diligent in keeping the commandments of the
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Lord. Therefore, if thou wilt go down into the wilderness to my father,
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thou shalt have place with us. And he came to pass that Zaram
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did take courage at the words which I spake. Now, Zorim was the
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name of the servant, and he promised that he would go down unto the
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wilderness, unto all father Yea. And he also made an oath unto us
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that he would tarry with us from that time forth. Now we were desirous
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that he should tarry with us for this cause, that the Jews might not
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know concerning our flight into the wilderness, lest they should pursue us and destroy
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us. And he came to pass that when Zaram had made an oath unto
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us, our fears did cease concerning him. And he came to pass that
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we took the plates of brass and the servant of Laban, and departed into
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the wilderness, and journeyed unto the tent of our father. End of First
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Nephi, Chapters one through four.