- 6Now I’m not providing my ancestors’ genealogy in this part of my record, and I’m not going to do so on these plates that I’m engraving since it’s provided in my father’s record; so it’s not included here. 2I’m content to say that we’re descended from Joseph. 3Moreover, I don’t care to provide a detailed account of all the events involving my father, since they won’t fit on these plates, because I need the space so I can write the things of God. 4My whole intent is to persuade people to come to the God of Abraham and the God of Isaac and the God of Jacob and be saved. 5Therefore I don’t write what’s pleasing to the world, but what’s pleasing to God and important for those who aren’t worldly. 6And so I’ll command my descendants not to fill these plates with things that aren’t valuable to mankind.
- 7Now I want you to know that after my father had finished prophesying about his descendants, the Lord spoke to him again, saying it wasn’t right for him to take his family into the wilderness alone, but that his sons were to marry suitable women so that they could raise up children to the Lord in the promised land. 2The Lord commanded him that my brothers and I were to return to the land of Jerusalem and bring Ishmael and his family back across the wilderness. 3So I went again with my brothers through the wilderness to go back up to Jerusalem. 4We went to Ishmael’s house and gained his confidence, then we told him the Lord’s words. 5And the Lord softened Ishmael’s heart and also his whole household’s, so that they went with us through the wilderness back down to our father’s tent.
- 6As we traveled in the wilderness, Laman, Lemuel, two of Ishmael’s daughters, and two of his sons and their families rebelled against me, Sam, their father Ishmael and his wife, and his three other daughters. 7They rebelled because they wanted to return to Jerusalem. 8Now I was troubled because of the hardness of their hearts, so I spoke to them, to Laman and Lemuel, saying: You are my older brothers. Why are you so hard in your hearts and blind in your minds that you need me, your younger brother, to speak to you and set an example for you? 9Why haven’t you listened to the Lord’s word? 10How can you forget you’ve seen an angel of the Lord? 11How have you forgotten the great things the Lord has done for us, in rescuing us from Laban and letting us obtain the record? 12And how have you forgotten the Lord can do everything for mankind according to His will, if they exercise faith in Him? So let’s be faithful to Him. 13And if we’re faithful to Him, we’ll reach the promised land. At some time in the future, you’ll know the Lord’s word concerning Jerusalem’s destruction will be fulfilled, since everything the Lord has said about Jerusalem’s destruction is certain to happen. 14The Spirit of the Lord will soon stop struggling with them, because they’ve rejected the prophets, thrown Jeremiah in prison, and tried to kill our father, driving him away. 15Because of this, I tell you that if you choose to return to Jerusalem, you’ll die with them as well. Now, if you want to make that choice, go back up there. But remember the words I tell you, that if you go, you’re sure to lose your lives too. This is what the Spirit of the Lord compels me to say to you.
- 16When I said this to my brothers, they got angry with me. And they took me by force because they were extremely angry. They tied me up with ropes in order to leave me in the wilderness to be eaten by wild animals as their plan to kill me. 17But I prayed to the Lord, saying: O Lord, according to my faith in You, please free me from my brothers! Give me strength so I can break these ropes that have me tied. 18When I said this, the ropes around my hands and feet came undone, and I stood in front of my brothers and spoke to them again. 19And they got angry with me again and started to attack me. But one of Ishmael’s daughters and her mother and one of Ishmael’s sons pled with my brothers, and it softened their hearts and they gave up their determined efforts to kill me. 20They regretted their wickedness, so they bowed down in front of me and begged me to forgive them for how they had treated me. 21And I freely forgave them all they had done and urged them to pray to the Lord their God for forgiveness. And they did so. After they had finished praying to the Lord, we traveled back to our father’s tent.
- 22We went down to our father’s tent, and after my brothers and I and Ishmael’s family arrived at my father’s tent, they gave thanks to the Lord God and offered sacrifice and burnt offerings to Him.
- 8And we had gathered all kinds of seeds: many kinds of both grains and fruit.
- 2While my father was there in the wilderness, he told us: I’ve had a dream, or in other words, I’ve seen a vision. 3Because of what I’ve seen, I have reason to praise the Lord about Nephi, and about Sam as well. I have reason to think they will be saved along with many of their descendants. 4But, Laman and Lemuel, I’m very concerned for you. Indeed, it seemed like I saw a dark and gloomy wilderness. 5And I saw a man dressed in a white robe who stood before me. 6He talked to me and said I should follow him. 7As I followed him, I saw I was in a dark and dreary wasteland. 8After I had traveled for many hours in darkness, I began to pray to the Lord to help me, because of His many tender mercies.
- 9After I had prayed to the Lord, I saw a large and spacious field. 10Then I saw a tree with fruit that would make people happy. 11I went and ate some of the fruit, discovering it was sweet beyond measure, better than all that I had ever tasted before. I noticed its fruit was white, brighter than I had ever seen.
- 12As I ate the fruit, it made my soul very joyful. So I began to wish my family would eat some of it too, since I knew it was better than all other fruit. 13As I looked around, trying to catch sight of my family, I saw a river. It ran beside the tree whose fruit I was eating. 14I looked to see where it came from and saw its source a little way off. At its source I saw your mother Sariah, Sam, and Nephi, standing there and looking lost. 15I waved to them and yelled for them to come over to me and eat some of the fruit, which was better than any other fruit. 16And they came over to me and also ate the fruit. 17And I wanted Laman and Lemuel to come and eat some of the fruit too. Therefore I looked toward the source of the river to try to locate them. 18I saw them, but they refused to come over to me and eat the fruit.
- 19Then I saw an iron railing extending along the riverbank, leading to the tree next to me. 20I also saw a straight and narrow path that ran along the iron railing all the way to the tree beside me. It also led by the source of the river to a large and spacious field, as big as the earth itself. 21And I saw innumerable throngs of people, many of them pressing forward so they could reach the path that led to the tree I was standing next to. 22They moved forward and started on the path leading to the tree. 23Then a great dark cloud came up and those who had started on the path lost their way, wandering off and becoming lost. 24And I saw others pressing forward. They came and caught hold of the end of the iron railing and moved forward through the dark clouds, clinging to the iron railing until they arrived and ate some of the fruit from the tree. 25After they had eaten fruit from the tree, they looked around as if ashamed.
- 26I also looked around and saw on the other side of the river an impressive and large building. It stood like it was in the air, high above the earth, 27and it was filled with people — old and young, male and female — and they wore expensive clothing. They appeared to mock and point their fingers at those who had come up and were eating the fruit. 28Those who had tasted the fruit were ashamed because of people scoffing at them, and they left, following forbidden paths and were lost.
- 29Now I don’t write all my father’s words. 30But to summarize, he saw other crowds coming forward. People came, grasped the end of the iron railing, and moved forward, continually holding firmly to the iron railing until they arrived, sat down, and ate some of the fruit from the tree. 31He also saw other crowds of people moving toward that impressive and large building. 32And many drowned in the deep river, and many disappeared from his view, wandering on unfamiliar roads. 33A large number of people entered the large building. After they entered the building, they pointed at and made fun of me, and those who were also eating the fruit, but we didn’t pay attention to them. 34My father said the following: All those who paid attention to the insults fell away. 35And my father said that Laman and Lemuel didn’t eat any of the fruit.
- 36After my father had recounted everything about his dream or vision — and there was a lot covered — he told us that because of what he had seen in the vision, he was very afraid for Laman and Lemuel; afraid they would be shut out from the Lord’s presence. 37He then urged them with all the feeling of a loving parent to listen to his words, because then the Lord might be merciful to them and not reject them. My father sincerely preached to them. 38After he had preached and prophesied to them about many things, he pleaded with them to keep the Lord’s commandments. Then he finished speaking to them. 9My father saw, heard, and said all these things as he occupied a tent in the valley of Lemuel, and much more that can’t be written on these plates.
- 2Since I’ve mentioned these plates, these aren’t the ones on which I’m making a complete account of my people’s history. The plates set aside for that purpose I’ve given the name of Nephi; so they’re called the plates of Nephi after my own name. Well, these plates are also called the plates of Nephi. 3Understand, the Lord commanded me to make these plates for the specific purpose of making a written account of my people’s ministry. 4On the other plates there’s a written account of the kings’ rule and my people’s wars and in-fighting. So these plates focus on telling you about our ministry, and the other plates focus on the kings’ rule and my people’s wars and arguments. 5I trust the Lord commanded me to make these plates for His wise purposes, but I can’t tell you His reasons. 6You see, the Lord knows all things from the beginning. Therefore He prepares in advance any needed response to accomplish all His plans for mankind, to fulfill all His words. That’s exactly how He works. Amen.
Chapter 2