- 1And now I, Moroni, proceed to give an account of those ancient inhabitants who were destroyed by the hand of the Lord upon the face of this north country. 2And I take mine account from the twenty and four plates which were found by the people of Limhi, which is called The Book of Ether. 3And as I suppose that the first part of this record — which speaks concerning the creation of the world, and also of Adam, and an account from that time even to the great tower, and whatsoever things transpired among the children of men until that time — is had among the Jews, 4therefore I do not write those things which transpired from the days of Adam until that time; but they are had upon the plates, and whoso findeth them, the same will have power that he may get the full account. 5But behold, I give not the full account, but a part of the account I give, from the tower down until they were destroyed.
- 6And on this wise do I give the account: He that wrote this record was Ether, and he was a descendant of Coriantor. 7And Coriantor was the son of Moron, 8and Moron was the son of Ethem, 9and Ethem was the son of Ahah, 10and Ahah was the son of Seth, 11and Seth was the son of Shiblon, 12and Shiblon was the son of Com, 13and Com was the son of Coriantum, 14and Coriantum was the son of Amnigaddah, 15and Amnigaddah was the son of Aaron. 16And Aaron was a descendant of Heth, who was the son of Hearthom. 17And Hearthom was the son of Lib, 18and Lib was the son of Kish, 19and Kish was the son of Corom, 20and Corom was the son of Levi, 21and Levi was the son of Kim, 22and Kim was the son of Morionton. 23And Morionton was a descendant of Riplakish, 24and Riplakish was the son of Shez, 25and Shez was the son of Heth, 26and Heth was the son of Com, 27and Com was the son of Coriantum, 28and Coriantum was the son of Emer, 29and Emer was the son of Omer, 30and Omer was the son of Shule, 31and Shule was the son of Kib, 32and Kib was the son of Orihah, who was the son of Jared, 33which Jared came forth with his brother and their families, with some others and their families, from the great tower, at the time the Lord confounded the language of the people and sware in his wrath that they should be scattered upon all the face of the earth. And according to the word of the Lord, the people were scattered.
- 34And the brother of Jared being a large and a mighty man, and being a man highly favored of the Lord, for Jared his brother said unto him, Cry unto the Lord that he will not confound us that we may not understand our words. 35And it came to pass that the brother of Jared did cry unto the Lord, and the Lord had compassion upon Jared. Therefore, he did not confound the language of Jared, and Jared and his brother were not confounded. 36Then Jared said unto his brother, Cry again unto the Lord, and it may be that he will turn away his anger from them who are our friends, that he confound not their language. 37And it came to pass that the brother of Jared did cry unto the Lord, and the Lord had compassion upon their friends and their families also, that they were not confounded. 38And it came to pass that Jared spake again unto his brother, saying, Go and inquire of the Lord whether he will drive us out of the land. And if he will drive us out of the land, cry unto him, Whither shall we go? And who knoweth but the Lord will carry us forth into a land which is choice above all the earth. And if it so be, let us be faithful unto the Lord, that we may receive it for our inheritance. 39And it came to pass that the brother of Jared did cry unto the Lord according to that which had been spoken by the mouth of Jared. 40And it came to pass that the Lord did hear the brother of Jared and had compassion upon him, and said unto him, 41Go to and gather together thy flocks, both male and female of every kind, and also of the seed of the earth of every kind, and thy family, and also Jared thy brother and his family, and also thy friends and their families, and the friends of Jared and their families.
- 42And when thou hast done this, thou shalt go at the head of them down into the valley which is northward, and there will I meet thee, and I will go before thee into a land which is choice above all the land of the earth. 43And there will I bless thee and thy seed, and raise up unto me — of thy seed, and the seed of thy brother, and they who shall go with thee — a great nation. And there shall be none greater than the nation which I will raise up unto me of thy seed upon all the face of the earth. And this I will do unto thee because this long time which ye have cried unto me.
- 2And it came to pass that Jared, and his brother, and their families, and also the friends of Jared and his brother and their families, went down into the valley which was northward (and the name of the valley was Nimrod, being called after the mighty hunter) with their flocks which they had gathered together, male and female of every kind. 2And they did also lay snares and catch fowls of the air. And they did also prepare a vessel in the which they did carry with them the fish of the waters. 3And they did also carry with them Deseret, which (by interpretation) is a honey bee. And thus they did carry with them swarms of bees, and all manner of that which was upon the face of the land, seeds of every kind.
- 4And it came to pass that when they had come down into the valley of Nimrod, the Lord came down and talked with the brother of Jared. And he was in a cloud, and the brother of Jared saw him not. 5And it came to pass that the Lord commanded them that they should go forth into the wilderness, yea, into that quarter where there never had man been. And it came to pass that the Lord did go before them, and did talk with them as he stood in a cloud, and gave directions whither they should travel. 6And it came to pass that they did travel in the wilderness and did build barges in which they did cross many waters, being directed continually by the hand of the Lord. 7And the Lord would not suffer that they should stop beyond the sea in the wilderness, but he would that they should come forth even unto the land of promise, which was choice above all other lands, which the Lord God had preserved for a righteous people. 8And he had sworn in his wrath unto the brother of Jared that whoso should possess this land of promise, from that time henceforth and for ever should serve him, the true and only God, or they should be swept off when the fullness of his wrath should come upon them.
- 9And now we can behold the decrees of God concerning this land, that it is a land of promise, and whatsoever nation shall possess it shall serve God or they shall be swept off when the fullness of his wrath shall come upon them. And the fullness of his wrath cometh upon them when they are ripened in iniquity. 10For behold, this is a land which is choice above all other lands. Wherefore, he that doth possess it shall serve God or shall be swept off, for it is the everlasting decree of God. And it is not until the fullness of iniquity among the children of the land that they are swept off. 11And this cometh unto you, O ye gentiles, that ye may know the decrees of God, that ye may repent and not continue in your iniquities until the fullness be come, that ye may not bring down the fullness of the wrath of God upon you as the inhabitants of the land hath hitherto done. 12Behold, this is a choice land; and whatsoever nation shall possess it shall be free from bondage, and from captivity, and from all other nations under Heaven if they will but serve the God of the land, who is Jesus Christ, who has been manifested by the things which we have written.
- 13And now I proceed with my record. For behold, it came to pass that the Lord did bring Jared and his brethren forth, even to that great sea which divideth the lands. And as they came to the sea, they pitched their tents, and they called the name of the place Moriancumer. And they dwelt in tents upon the seashore for the space of four years. 14And it came to pass at the end of the four years that the Lord came again unto the brother of Jared, and stood in a cloud and talked with him. And for the space of three hours did the Lord talk with the brother of Jared, and chastened him because he remembered not to call upon the name of the Lord. 15And the brother of Jared repented of the evil which he had done and did call upon the name of the Lord for his brethren who were with him. And the Lord said unto him, I will forgive thee and thy brethren of their sins, but thou shalt not sin anymore. For ye shall remember that my spirit will not always strive with man. Wherefore, if ye will sin until ye are fully ripe, ye shall be cut off from the presence of the Lord. And these are my thoughts upon the land which I shall give you for your inheritance, for it shall be a land of choice above all other lands.
- 16And the Lord said, Go to work and build after the manner of barges which ye have hitherto built. And it came to pass that the brother of Jared did go to work, and also his brethren, and built barges after the manner which they had built, according to the instructions of the Lord. And they were small and they were light upon the water, even like unto the lightness of a fowl upon the water. 17And they were built after a manner that they were exceeding tight, even that they would hold water like unto a dish; and the bottom thereof was tight like unto a dish, and the sides thereof was tight like unto a dish, and the ends thereof were peaked, and the top thereof was tight like unto a dish, and the length thereof was the length of a tree, and the door thereof, when it was shut, was tight like unto a dish. 18And it came to pass that the brother of Jared cried unto the Lord, saying, O Lord, I have performed the work which thou hast commanded me and I have made the barges according as thou hast directed me. 19And behold, O Lord, in them there is no light. Whither shall we steer? And also we shall perish, for in them we cannot breathe save it is the air which is in them; therefore we shall perish. 20And the Lord said unto the brother of Jared, Behold, thou shalt make a hole in the top thereof, and also in the bottom thereof, and when thou shalt suffer for air, thou shalt unstop the hole thereof and receive air. And if it so be that the water come in upon thee, behold, ye shall stop the hole thereof, that ye may not perish in the flood.
- 21And it came to pass that the brother of Jared did so according as the Lord had commanded. 22And he cried again unto the Lord, saying, O Lord, behold, I have done even as thou hast commanded me and I have prepared the vessels for my people. And behold, there is no light in them. Behold, O Lord, wilt thou suffer that we shall cross this great water in darkness? 23And the Lord said unto the brother of Jared, What will ye that I should do that ye may have light in your vessels? For behold, ye cannot have windows, for they will be dashed in pieces. Neither shall ye take fire with you, for ye shall not go by the light of fire. 24For behold, ye shall be as a whale in the midst of the sea, for the mountain waves shall dash upon you. Nevertheless, I will bring you up again out of the depths of the sea, for the winds have gone forth out of my mouth, and also the rains and the floods have I sent forth. 25And behold, I prepare you against these things, for how be it, ye cannot cross this great deep save I prepare you against the waves of the sea, and the winds which have gone forth, and the floods which shall come. Therefore, what will ye that I should prepare for you, that ye may have light when ye are swallowed up in the depths of the sea?
- 3And it came to pass that the brother of Jared — now the number of the vessels which had been prepared was eight — therefore the brother of Jared went forth unto the mount which they called the mount Shelem because of its exceeding heighth, and did molten out of a rock sixteen small stones; and they were white and clear, even as transparent glass. And he did carry them in his hands up on the top of the mount, and cried again unto the Lord, saying, 2O Lord, thou hast said that we must be encompassed about by the floods. Now behold, O Lord, and do not be angry with thy servant because of his weakness before thee, for we know that thou art holy and dwellest in the Heavens, and that we are unworthy before thee — because of the Fall, our natures have become evil continually; nevertheless, O Lord, thou hast given us a commandment that we must call upon thee, that from thee we may receive according to our desires. 3Behold, O Lord, thou hast smitten us because of our iniquity and hath driven us forth, and for this many years we have been in the wilderness; nevertheless, thou hast been merciful unto us. O Lord, look upon me in pity, and turn away thine anger from this thy people, and suffer not that they shall go forth across this raging deep in darkness, but behold these things which I have molten out of the rock. 4And I know, O Lord, that thou hast all power and can do whatsoever thou wilt for the benefit of man. Therefore, touch these stones, O Lord, with thy finger, and prepare them that they may shine forth in darkness, and they shall shine forth unto us in the vessels which we have prepared, that we may have light while we shall cross the sea. 5Behold, O Lord, thou canst do this. We know that thou art able to shew forth great power which looks small unto the understanding of men.
- 6And it came to pass that when the brother of Jared had said these words, behold, the Lord stretched forth his hand and touched the stones one by one with his finger. And the veil was taken from off the eyes of the brother of Jared, and he saw the finger of the Lord; and it was as the finger of a man, like unto flesh and blood. And the brother of Jared fell down before the Lord, for he was struck with fear. 7And the Lord saw that the brother of Jared had fallen to the earth, and the Lord said unto him, Arise. Why hast thou fallen? 8And he saith unto the Lord, I saw the finger of the Lord, and I feared lest he should smite me, for I knew not that the Lord had flesh and blood. 9And the Lord said unto him, Because of thy faith, thou hast seen that I shall take upon me flesh and blood. And none of those now living have come before me with such exceeding faith as thou hast, for were it not so, ye could not have seen my finger. Sawest thou more than this? 10And he answered, Nay, Lord. Shew thyself unto me. 11And the Lord said unto him, Believest thou the words which I shall speak? 12And he answered, Yea, Lord. I know that thou speakest the truth, for thou art a God of truth and canst not lie.
- 13And when he had said these words, behold, the Lord shewed himself unto him and said, Because thou knowest these things, ye are redeemed from the Fall. Therefore, ye are brought back into my presence; therefore I shew myself unto you. 14Behold, I am he who was prepared from the foundation of the world to redeem my people. Behold, I am Jesus Christ. I am the Father and the Son. In me shall all mankind have life; and that eternally, even they who shall believe on my name. And they shall become my sons and my daughters. 15And to none of those now living whom I created have I appeared, for none have believed in me as thou hast. Seest thou that ye are created after mine own image? Yea, even all men were created in the beginning after mine own image. 16Behold, this body which ye now behold is the body of my spirit. And man have I created after the body of my spirit. And even as I appear unto thee to be in the spirit will I appear unto my people in the flesh.
- 17And now as I, Moroni, said I could not make a full account of these things which are written, therefore it sufficeth me to say that Jesus shewed himself unto this man in the spirit, even after the manner and in the likeness of the same body even as he shewed himself unto the Nephites. 18And he ministered unto him even as he ministered unto the Nephites, and all this that this man might know that he was God, because of the many great works which the Lord had shewed unto him. 19And because of the knowledge of this man, he could not be kept from beholding within the veil. And he saw the finger of Jesus, which when he saw, he fell with fear, for he knew that it was the finger of the Lord. And he had faith no longer, for he knew, nothing doubting. 20Wherefore, having this perfect knowledge of God, he could not be kept from within the veil. Therefore, he saw Jesus, and he did minister unto him.
- 21And it came to pass that the Lord said unto the brother of Jared, Behold, thou shalt not suffer these things which ye have seen and heard to go forth unto the world until the time cometh that I shall glorify my name in the flesh. Wherefore, ye shall treasure up the things which ye have seen and heard, and shew it to no man. 22And behold, when ye shall come unto me, ye shall write them and shall seal them up that no one can interpret them, for ye shall write them in a language that they cannot be read. 23And behold, these two stones will I give unto thee, and ye shall seal them up also with the things which ye shall write. 24For behold, the language which ye shall write I have confounded. Wherefore, I will cause, in mine own due time, that these stones shall magnify to the eyes of men these things which ye shall write. 25And when the Lord had said these words, he shewed unto the brother of Jared all the inhabitants of the earth which had been, and also all that would be. And the Lord withheld them not from his sight, even unto the ends of the earth. 26For the Lord had said unto him in times before that if he would believe in him, that he could shew unto him all things, it should be shewn unto him. Therefore, the Lord could not withhold anything from him, for he knew that the Lord could shew him all things.
- 27And the Lord said unto him, Write these things and seal them up, and I will shew them in mine own due time unto the children of men. 28And it came to pass that the Lord commanded him that he should seal up the two stones which he had received and shew them not until the Lord should shew them unto the children of men. 4And the Lord commanded the brother of Jared to go down out of the mount from the presence of the Lord and write the things which he had seen. And they were forbidden to come unto the children of men until after that he should be lifted up upon the cross. And for this cause did king Benjamin keep them, that they should not come unto the world until after Christ should shew himself unto his people. 2And after that Christ truly had shewed himself unto his people, he commanded that they should be made manifest.
- 3And now, after that they have all dwindled in unbelief and there is none save it be the Lamanites — and they have rejected the gospel of Christ — therefore I am commanded that I should hide them up again in the earth. 4Behold, I have written upon these plates the very things which the brother of Jared saw. And there never was greater things made manifest than that which was made manifest unto the brother of Jared. 5Wherefore, the Lord hath commanded me to write them, and I have written them. And he commanded me that I should seal them up. And he also hath commanded that I should seal up the interpretation thereof; wherefore, I have sealed up the interpreters according to the commandment of the Lord. 6For the Lord said unto me, They shall not go forth unto the gentiles until the day that they shall repent of their iniquity and become clean before the Lord. 7And in that day that they shall exercise faith in me, saith the Lord, even as the brother of Jared did, that they may become sanctified in me, then will I manifest unto them the things which the brother of Jared saw, even to the unfolding unto them all my revelations, saith Jesus Christ, the Son of God the Father of the heavens, and of the earth, and all things that in them are.
- 8And he that will contend against the word of the Lord, let him be accursed. And he that shall deny these things, let him be accursed. For unto them will I shew no greater things, saith Jesus Christ; for I am he who speaketh, 9and at my command the heavens are opened and are shut, and at my word the earth shall shake, and at my command the inhabitants thereof shall pass away, even so as by fire. 10And he that believeth not my words believeth not my disciples. And if it so be that I do not speak, judge ye, for ye shall know that it is I that speaketh at the last day. 11But he that believeth these things which I have spoken, him will I visit with the manifestations of my spirit. And he shall know and bear record, for because of my spirit, he shall know that these things are true, for it persuadeth men to do good. 12And whatsoever thing persuadeth men to do good is of me, for good cometh of none save it be of me. I am the same that leadeth men to all good.
- He that will not believe my words will not believe me, that I am. And he that will not believe me will not believe the Father who sent me. For behold, I am the Father. I am the light, and the life, and the truth of the world. 13Come unto me, O ye gentiles, and I will shew unto you the greater things, the knowledge which is hid up because of unbelief. 14Come unto me, O ye house of Israel, and it shall be made manifest unto you how great things the Father hath laid up for you from the foundation of the world; and it hath not come unto you because of unbelief. 15Behold, when ye shall rend that veil of unbelief which doth cause you to remain in your awful state of wickedness, and hardness of heart, and blindness of mind, then shall the great and marvelous things which have been hid up from the foundation of the world from you — yea, when ye shall call upon the Father in my name with a broken heart and a contrite spirit — then shall ye know that the Father hath remembered the covenant which he made unto your fathers, O house of Israel. 16And then shall my revelations which I have caused to be written by my servant John be unfolded in the eyes of all the people. Remember, when ye see these things, ye shall know that the time is at hand that they shall be made manifest in very deed. 17Therefore, when ye shall receive this record, ye may know that the work of the Father has commenced upon all the face of the land. 18Therefore, repent, all ye ends of the earth, and come unto me, and believe in my gospel, and be baptized in my name. For he that believeth and is baptized shall be saved, but he that believeth not shall be damned. And signs shall follow them that believe in my name. 19And blessed is he that is found faithful unto my name at the last day, for he shall be lifted up to dwell in the kingdom prepared for him from the foundation of the world. And behold, it is I that hath spoken it. Amen.
THE BOOK OF ETHER
Chapter 1