- 2The words Jacob, Nephi’s brother, spoke to the Nephites following Nephi’s death. 2Now, my dear people, I come to the temple today to declare God’s word to you according to the responsibility I owe to God to honor my calling in all seriousness, and to avoid being accountable for your sins. 3You know I’ve been diligent up to now in performing my calling, but today I’m far more concerned and uneasy about your souls’ welfare than I’ve been before. 4You’ve obeyed the Lord’s word I’ve given you until now. 5But listen and with the help of the all-powerful Creator of heaven and earth, I will tell you about your thoughts, how you’re beginning to commit sin — one I find very abhorrent, and is also offensive to God. 6It weighs heavily on my soul and I am ashamed before God to need to confront you about the wickedness of your hearts. 7It also pains me to use such blunt language about you in front of your wives and children. Many of their feelings are very tender, chaste, and delicate before God, which pleases Him. 8I suppose they came here to listen to an encouraging and healing message from God.
- 9Therefore it weighs down my soul to be compelled by the strict commandment I’ve received from God to admonish you for your sins. This will reinjure those who are already wounded, instead of comforting and healing their injuries. The rest who are innocent, instead of being fed on good tidings from God, will hear condemnation that will break their hearts and trouble their minds. 10But despite the challenge of this, I must obey God’s strict commands and tell you about your wickedness and abominations in front of those pure in heart and broken-hearted, and under the piercing glance of Almighty God’s eye.
- 11I must tell you the truth and deliver God’s blunt message. I asked the Lord, and He answered me, saying: Jacob, go up to the temple tomorrow and deliver the message I’ll give you.
- 12Now, my people, this is the message to you: Many of you have begun to search for gold, silver, and all kinds of precious metals this promised land, which is for you and your descendants, has in generous amounts. 13God, in His foreknowledge and generosity, has blessed you and allowed you to become wealthy. Because some of you have acquired more than your brothers and sisters, you’re filled with pride to your core, are stubborn and arrogant, because of your expensive clothing, and you look down on those around you because you think you’re better than them.
- 14My friends, do you think God justifies you thinking and acting this way? I tell you: No; He condemns you. If you continue doing this, His judgments will crash down on you. 15I wish He would show you He can pierce you and with one glance of His eye strike you down to the dust! 16If only He would rescue you from this foolish sin and abomination! If only you would pay attention to His commandments and not let pride destroy your souls! 17Care for those around you like you care for yourselves and treat everyone like family and be generous with your money and possessions, so they can prosper like you. 18Before you ever try to be wealthy, seek God’s kingdom. 19And after you’ve obtained a hope in Christ, you’ll have wealth, if that’s your goal; and you will want it as the means to do good to others: to clothe the naked, feed the hungry, free the enslaved, and to help cure the sick and injured.
- 20My people, I’ve spoken to you about pride. Those of you who have reviled your neighbors, looking down on them because you were proud in your hearts for what God has given you, how can you explain this? 21Don’t you think such things are offensive to the One who created all mankind? Each person is as precious to Him as another. Mankind was made from the dust; and He has created everyone for the very same purpose: to keep His commandments to glorify Him forever. 22Now I’m done speaking to you about this pride. And if I didn’t have to speak to you about a worse sin, my heart would be very glad because of you. 23But God’s word weighs me down because of your more obscene sins. The Lord says: This people are beginning to increase in iniquity; they don’t understand the scriptures, trying instead to excuse themselves in committing whoredoms because of what’s written about David and his son Solomon. 24Indeed, David and Solomon had many wives and concubines — something offensive to Me, says the Lord.
- 25Therefore the Lord says: I led this people from the land of Jerusalem by My power so I could make from Joseph’s offspring a righteous branch that will follow Me. 26Therefore I won’t let this people do like others did in the past. 27So, my people, listen to me and hearken to the Lord’s word: No man among you is to have more than one wife — and he is not to have any concubines. 28I the Lord God delight in women’s chastity and prostitution is an abomination to Me — says the Lord of Hosts. 29Therefore this people must keep My commandments, says the Lord of Hosts, or the land will be cursed on their account.
- 30For in My Wisdom I will have covenant people, says the Lord of Hosts, whom I’ll command and lead, and they will hearken to this commandment to have only one wife. 31I the Lord have seen the sorrow and heard the sobbing of the daughters of My people in the land of Jerusalem, and elsewhere in My people’s lands, because of the wickedness and abominations of their husbands. 32The Lord of Hosts says: I won’t let the cries of the beautiful daughters of this people, whom I’ve led out of the land of Jerusalem, come up to Me against the men of My people, says the Lord of Hosts. 33They’re not to mislead the daughters of My people — because of their kind, gentle nature — and use their vulnerabilities to subjugate them. If they do this, I will chastise them, even destroy them if needed, because I’ve commanded them not to commit whoredoms like others did in the past, says the Lord of Hosts.
- 34Now, my brothers and sisters, you know these commandments were given to our father Lehi; so you are familiar with them. And you’ve come under great condemnation, since you’ve violated what you were taught. 35You’ve committed greater iniquity than the Lamanites, our brothers and sisters. You’ve broken the hearts of your tender wives and lost your children’s confidence because of your bad examples to them. The sobbing of their hearts goes up to God against you and many hearts are broken, cut with deep wounds. Because God’s word is clear, it condemns you, because of your disobedience.
- 3But I also want to speak to those who are pure in heart. Look to God with a firm mind and pray to Him with great faith. He’ll comfort you in your distress and plead your cause and send down justice upon those who seek to destroy you.
- 2All of you pure in heart: Look up, receive the pleasing word of God, and feast on His love, because if your minds are firm, it’s always available. 3But woe, woe to those of you that aren’t pure in heart, who are filthy before God today. Unless you repent, the land has been cursed because of you. And the Lamanites, who aren’t filthy like you are — even though afflicted with a bitter curse — will punish you and be allowed to destroy you. 4Unless you repent, the time will quickly come when they’ll take possession of your inherited land, and the Lord God will guide the righteous to leave you. 5You hate your brothers and sisters, the Lamanites, because of their filthiness and darkened countenances, but they’re more righteous than you. They haven’t forgotten the Lord’s commandment, given to our fathers, to have only one wife and no concubines, and forbidding whoredoms. 6They make a point of keeping this commandment. And so, because they stay obedient to this commandment, the Lord God won’t destroy them but will be merciful to them, and one day they’ll become a blessed people. 7Their husbands love their wives, their wives love their husbands, and their husbands and wives love their children. And their unbelief and hatred for you is due to the iniquity of their forefathers; so why do you think you’re better than them in the sight of your great Creator?
- 8My brothers, I’m afraid that unless you repent of your sins, their countenance will be more pure than yours when you and they are brought before God’s throne. 9Therefore I give you a commandment, which is God’s word, not to insult them anymore because their countenance is darkened. You must not speak disparagingly of them because of their filthiness, but remember your own filthiness and that theirs is due to their forefathers. 10Therefore you must remember your children, how you’ve injured their hearts because of your example. Remember that because of your filthiness you would be responsible for their sins and may cause your children’s destruction. When God judges you, you’ll be condemned for both your sins and theirs.
- 11My people, listen carefully to me. Awaken the power of your souls, shake yourselves so you can wake up from the slumber of death, and free yourselves from the pains of hell, so you don’t become angels to the accuser, to be thrown into that fiery lake that burns like lava, which is the second death. 14This concludes what I said following Nephi’s death. 12Now I Jacob spoke many more things to the Nephites, warning them against fornication and adultery, the inciting of lust, and every kind of sin, explaining to them their awful consequences. 13And not even one percent of the doings of this people, who are now becoming numerous, can be written on these plates; but many of their doings are written on the larger plates, including their wars, conflicts, and the rule of their kings. 14These plates are called the plates of Jacob, and they were made by Nephi himself.
Chapter 2