Then said I, Woe is unto me, for I am undone because I am a man of unclean lips, and I dwell in the midst of a people of unclean lips; for mine eyes have seen the King, the Lord of Hosts.
And it came to pass in the days of Ahaz the son of Jotham, the son of Uzziah king of Judah, that Rezin king of Syria, and Pekah the son of Remaliah king of Israel, went up towards Jerusalem to war against it, but could not prevail against it.
And say unto him, Take heed and be quiet; fear not, neither be faint-hearted for the two tails of these smoking firebrands, for the fierce anger of Rezin with Syria, and of the son of Remaliah, because Syria, Ephraim, and the son of Remaliah have taken evil counsel against thee, saying, Let us go up against Judah and vex it, and let us make a breach therein for us, and set a king in the midst of it, yea, the son of Tabeal.
For before the child shall know to refuse the evil and choose the good, the land that thou abhorrest shall be forsaken of both her kings. ... The Lord shall bring upon thee, and upon thy people, and upon thy father’s house — days that have not come from the day that Ephraim departed from Judah — the king of Assyria. ... In the same day shall the Lord shave with a razor that is hired — by them beyond the river, by the king of Assyria — the head, and the hair of the feet; and it shall also consume the beard.
For behold, the child shall not have knowledge to cry, My father and my mother — before the riches of Damascus and the spoil of Samaria shall be taken away before the king of Assyria.
The Lord spake also unto me again, saying, Forasmuch as this people refuseth the waters of Shiloah that go softly, and rejoice in Rezin and Remaliah’s son, now therefore behold, the Lord bringeth up upon them the waters of the river, strong and many, even the king of Assyria and all his glory.
And they shall pass through it hardly bestead and hungry; and it shall come to pass that when they shall be hungry, they shall fret themselves, and curse their king and their God, and look upward.
For he saith, Are not my princes altogether kings?
Wherefore, it shall come to pass that when the Lord hath performed his whole work upon Mount Zion and upon Jerusalem, I will punish the fruit of the stout heart of the king of Assyria, and the glory of his high looks.
In the year that king Ahaz died was this burden.
And it shall come to pass in that day, that thou shalt take up this proverb against the king of Babylon, and say, How hath the oppressor ceased, the golden city ceased! ... It stirreth up the dead for thee, even all the chief ones of the earth; it hath raised up from their thrones all the kings of the nations.
All the kings of the nations, yea, all of them lie in glory, every one of them in his own house.
Now Nephi began to be old, and he saw that he must soon die; wherefore, he anointed a man to be a king and a ruler over his people. ... Now, according to the reigns of the kings, the people having loved Nephi exceedingly, he having been a great protector for them, having wielded the sword of Laban in their defense, and having labored in all his days for their welfare; wherefore, the people were desirous to retain in remembrance his name. ... And whoso should reign in his stead were called by the people, Second Nephi, and Third Nephi, etc., according to the reigns of the kings; and thus they were called by the people, let them be of whatsoever name they would.
But I, Jacob, shall not hereafter distinguish them by these names, but I shall call them Lamanites that seek to destroy the people of Nephi; and those who are friendly to Nephi I shall call Nephites, or the people of Nephi, according to the reigns of the kings.
And now it came to pass that the people of Nephi, under the reign of the second king, began to grow hard in their hearts and indulge themselves somewhat in wicked practices, such as like unto David of old, desiring many wives and concubines, and also Solomon, his son.
And a hundredth part of the proceedings of this people, which now began to be numerous, cannot be written upon these plates; but many of their proceedings are written upon the larger plates, and their wars, and their contentions, and the reigns of their kings.
But our kings and our leaders were mighty men in the faith of the Lord, and they taught the people the ways of the Lord.
But behold, my brethren, ye can go to the other plates of Nephi; for behold, upon them the record of our wars are engraven according to the writings of the kings, or that which they cause to be written.
And behold, the record of this people is engraven upon plates which is had by the kings, according to the generations.
Behold, I will speak unto you somewhat concerning Mosiah, who was made king over the land of Zarahemla.
Behold, it came to pass that Mosiah discovered that the people of Zarahemla came out from Jerusalem at the time that Zedekiah king of Judah was carried away captive into Babylon.
And it came to pass that the people of Zarahemla and of Mosiah did unite together, and Mosiah was appointed to be their king.
And behold, I have seen in the days of king Benjamin a serious war, and much bloodshed, between the Nephites and the Lamanites. ... But behold, the Nephites did obtain much advantage over them; yea, insomuch that king Benjamin did drive them out of the land of Zarahemla.
And it came to pass that I began to be old; and having no seed, and knowing king Benjamin to be a just man before the Lord; wherefore, I shall deliver up these plates unto him, exhorting all men to come unto God, the Holy One of Israel, and believe in prophesying, and in revelations, and in the ministering of angels, and in the gift of speaking with tongues, and in the gift of interpreting languages, and in all things which are good.
(Book of Mormon) Words of Mormon 1:2
For after I had made an abridgment from the plates of Nephi, down to the reign of this king Benjamin, of whom Amaleki spake, I searched among the records which had been delivered into my hands, and I found these plates, which contained this small account of the prophets, from Jacob down to the reign of this king Benjamin, and also many of the words of Nephi.