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Words of Nephi and Isaiah
composed ca. 569 bc
Now it came to pass that I, Nephi, did teach my brethren these things. And it came to pass that I did read many things to them, which were engraven upon the Plates of Brass, that they might know concerning the doings of the Lord in other lands, among people of old.
And I did read many things unto them which were written in the book of Moses, but that I might more fully persuade them to believe in the Lord their redeemer, I did read unto them that which was written by the prophet Isaiah. For I did liken all scriptures unto us, that it might be for our profit and learning. Wherefore I spake unto them, saying:
Hear ye the words of the prophet, ye who are a remnant
Of the House of Israel, a branch who have been broken
Off, hear ye the words of the prophet! Which were written unto
All the House of Israel, and liken them unto yourselves, that ye
May have hope as well as your brethren from whom ye
Have been broken off. For after this manner has the prophet written:
Hearken and hear this, O House of Jacob, who are called
By the name of Israel, and are come forth out of the waters of Judah,
Who swear by the name of the Lord, and make mention of
The god of Israel, Yet they swear not in truth nor in righteousness!
Nevertheless, they call themselves of the holy city, but they do not stay
Themselves upon the god of Israel, who is the lord of hosts,
Yea, the Lord of Hosts is his name! Behold, I have declared
The former things from the beginning, and they went forth
Out of my mouth and I showed them. I did show them suddenly.
And I did it because I knew that thou art obstinate,
And thy neck is an iron sinew, and thy brow brass!
And I have even from the beginning declared to thee, before it came to pass
I showed them thee, and I showed them for fear lest thou shouldst say:
Mine idol hath done them, and my graven image,
And my molten image hath commanded them.
Thou hast seen and heard all this, and will ye not declare them? And
That I have showed thee new things from this time, even hidden things,
And thou didst not know them. They are created now, and not
From the beginning, even before the day when thou heardest them not
They were declared unto thee, lest thou shouldst say – Behold I knew them.
Yea, And thou heardest not! Yea, thou knewest not! Yea, from that time
Thine ear was not opened, for I knew that thou wouldst deal
Very treacherously, and wast called a transgressor from the womb!
Nevertheless, for my name’s sake will I defer mine anger. And for
My praise will I refrain from thee, that I cut thee not off. For, behold,
I have refined thee, I have chosen thee in the furnace of affliction.
For mine own sake, yea, for mine own sake will I do this, for
I will not suffer my name to be polluted, and I will not give my glory unto
Another. Hearken unto me, O Jacob, and Israel my called, for I am he!
I am the first, and I am also the last. Mine hand hath
Also laid the foundation of the earth, and my right hand
Hath spanned the heavens. I call unto them and they stand up together.
All ye, assemble yourselves, and hear! Who among them hath declared
These things unto them? The Lord hath loved him, yea, and he will fulfill
His word which he hath declared by them, and he will do his pleasure
On Babylon, and his arm shall come upon the Chaldeans.
Also, saith the Lord: I the Lord, yea, I have spoken.
Yea, I have called him to declare. I have brought him,
And he shall make his way prosperous. Come ye near unto me.
I have not spoken in secret. From the beginning, from the time that it was
Declared, have I spoken, and the Lord God and his spirit hath sent me.
And thus saith the Lord, thy redeemer, the Holy One of Israel:
I have sent him, The Lord thy god who teacheth thee to profit,
Who leadeth thee by the way thou shouldst go, hath done it.
O that thou hadst hearkened to my commandments – then had
Thy peace been as a river, and thy righteousness as the waves of the sea. Thy seed also had been as the sand
The offspring of thy bowels like the gravel thereof,
His name should not have been cut off nor destroyed from before me.
Go ye forth of Babylon, flee ye from the Chaldeans, with a voice of singing
Declare ye, tell this, utter to the end of the earth! Say ye:
The Lord hath redeemed his servant Jacob!
And they thirsted not! He led them through the deserts.
He caused the waters to flow out of the rock, for them he clave the rock
Also and the waters gushed out. And notwithstanding he hath done all
This, and greater also, there is no peace, saith the Lord, unto the wicked.
And again: Hearken, O ye House of Israel, all ye that are broken off and
Are driven out because of the wickedness of the pastors
Of my people, yea, all ye that are broken off, that are scattered abroad,
Who are of my people, O House of Israel. Listen, O isles, unto me,
And hearken ye people from far! The Lord hath called me from the womb!
From the bowels of my mother hath he made mention of my name.
And he hath made my mouth like a sharp sword. In the shadow of
His hand hath he hid me, and made me a polished shaft. In his quiver
Hath he hid me. And said unto me: Thou art my servant, O Israel,
In whom I will be glorified. Then I said: I have labored in vain,
I have spent my strength for naught and in vain!
Surely my judgment is with the Lord, and my work with my god.
And now, saith the Lord that formed me from the womb, that I should be
His servant, to bring Jacob again to him; though Israel be not gathered,
Yet shall I be glorious in the eyes of the Lord, and my god shall be
My strength. And he said: It is a light thing that thou shouldst be
My servant to raise up the tribes of Jacob, and to restore the preserved
Of Israel. I will also give thee for a light to the gentiles,
That thou mayest be my salvation unto the ends of the earth.
Thus saith the Lord, the redeemer of Israel, his Holy One,
To him whom man despiseth, to him whom the nations abhorreth,
To servant of rulers: Kings shall see and arise, princes also shall worship,
Because of the Lord that is faithful.
Thus saith the Lord: In an acceptable time have I heard thee,
O isles of the sea, and in a day of salvation have I helped thee, and
I will preserve thee, and give thee my servant for a covenant of the people,
To establish the earth, to cause to inherit the desolate heritages.
That thou mayest say to the prisoners: Go forth!
To them that sit in darkness: Show yourselves.
They shall feed in the ways, and their pastures shall be in all high places.
They shall not hunger nor thirst, neither shall the heat nor
The sun smite them. For he that hath mercy on them shall lead them,
Even by the springs of water shall he guide them.
And I will make all my mountains a way, and my highways
Shall be exalted. And then, O House of Israel, behold, these shall
Come from far! And lo, these from the north and from the west,
And these from the land of Sinim. Sing, O heavens! And
Be joyful, O earth! For the feet of those who are in the east shall be
Established, and break forth into singing, O mountains!
For they shall be smitten no more. For the Lord hath comforted his people,
And will have mercy upon his afflicted. But, behold, Zion hath said:
The Lord hath forsaken me, and my lord hath forgotten me!
But he will show that he hath not. For can a woman forget
Her sucking child, that she should not have compassion on the son
Of her womb? Yea, they may forget; yet will I not forget thee,
O House of Israel. Behold, I have graven thee upon the palms of my hands!
Thy walls are continually before me. Thy children shall make haste
Against thy destroyers, and they that made thee waste shall go forth of thee.
Lift up thine eyes round about and behold! All these gather
Themselves together, and they shall come to thee. And as I live,
Saith the Lord, thou shalt surely clothe thee with them all, as with
An ornament, and bind them on even as a bride.
For thy waste and thy desolate places, and the land of thy destruction,
Shall even now be too narrow by reason of the inhabitants
And they that swallowed thee up shall be far away.
The children whom thou shalt have, after thou hast lost the first,
Shall again in thine ears say: The place is too strait for me!
Give place to me that I may dwell.
Then shalt thou say in thine heart: Who hath begotten me these, seeing I
Have lost my children, and am desolate, a captive, and removing to
And fro? And who hath brought up these? Behold, I was left alone.
These, where have they been?
Thus saith the Lord God: Behold, I will lift up mine hand to
The gentiles, and set up my standard to the people, and they shall bring
Thy sons in their arms, and thy daughters shall be carried
Upon their shoulders. And kings shall be thy nursing fathers, and
Their queens thy nursing mothers.
They shall bow down to thee with their face towards the earth,
And lick up the dust of thy feet! And thou shalt know that I am the Lord.
For they shall not be ashamed that wait for me. For shall the prey
Be taken from the mighty, or the lawful captives delivered?
But thus saith the Lord, even the captives of the mighty shall be
Taken away, and the prey of the terrible shall be delivered, for I will
Contend with him that contendeth with thee, and I will save thy children.
And I will feed them that oppress thee, with their own flesh!
They shall be drunken with their own blood, as with sweet wine
And all flesh shall know that I, the Lord, am thy savior
And thy redeemer, the Mighty One of Jacob.
And now it came to pass that after I, Nephi, had read these things which were engraven upon the Plates of Brass, my brethren came unto me and said unto me:
What meaneth these things which ye have read?
Behold, are they to be understood according to things which are spiritual,
Which shall come to pass according to the spirit and not the flesh?
And I, Nephi, said unto them:
Behold they were manifest unto the prophet by the voice of the spirit.
For by the spirit are all things made known unto the prophets,
Which shall come upon the children of men according to the flesh.
Wherefore, the things of which I have read are things pertaining to things
Both temporal and spiritual; for it appears that the House of Israel, sooner
Or later, will be scattered upon all the face of the earth, and also among
All nations. And behold, there are many who are already lost
From the knowledge of those who are at Jerusalem. Yea, the more part
Of all the tribes have been led away; and they are scattered to and fro
Upon the isles of the sea; and whither they are none of us knoweth, save
That we know that they have been led away.
And since they have been led away, these things have been
Prophesied concerning them, and also concerning all those who shall
Hereafter be scattered and be confounded, because of the Holy One
Of Israel. For against him will they harden their hearts; wherefore,
They shall be scattered among all nations and shall be hated of all men.
Nevertheless, after they shall be nursed by the gentiles!
And the Lord has lifted up his hand upon the gentiles
And set them up for a standard, and their children have been carried
In their arms, and their daughters have been carried upon their shoulders,
Behold these things of which are spoken are temporal.
For thus are the covenants of the Lord with our fathers.
And it meaneth us in the days to come, and also all our brethren
Who are of the House of Israel.
And it meaneth that the time cometh that after all
The House of Israel have been scattered and confounded, that
The Lord God will raise up a mighty nation among the gentiles, yea,
Even upon the face of this land. And by them shall our seed be scattered.
And after our seed is scattered the Lord God will proceed to do
A marvelous work among the gentiles, which shall be of great worth unto
Our seed. Wherefore, it is likened unto their being
Nourished by the gentiles, and being carried in their arms
And upon their shoulders. And it shall also be of worth unto the gentiles.
And not only unto the gentiles but unto all the House of Israel, unto
The making known of the covenants of the Father of Heaven unto
Abraham, saying: In thy seed shall all the kindreds of the earth be blessed.
And I would, my brethren, that ye should know that all the kindreds
Of the earth cannot be blessed unless he shall make bare his arm in the eyes
Of the nations. Wherefore, the Lord God will proceed to make bare
His arm in the eyes of all the nations, in bringing about his covenants
And his gospel unto those who are of the House of Israel.
Wherefore, he will bring them again out of captivity, and they shall be
Gathered together to the lands of their first inheritance, and they shall be
Brought out of obscurity and out of darkness, and they shall know
That the Lord is their savior and their redeemer, the Mighty One
Of Israel. And the blood of that great and abominable church, which is
The whore of all the earth, shall turn upon their own heads!
For they shall war among themselves, and the sword of their own
Hands shall fall upon their own heads, and they shall be drunken with
Their own blood. And every nation which shall war against thee,
O House of Israel, shall be turned
One against another, and they shall fall into the pit which they digged
To ensnare the people of the Lord. And all that fight against Zion
Shall be destroyed! And that great whore, who hath perverted
The right ways of the Lord, Yea, that great and abominable church,
Shall tumble to the dust and great shall be the fall of it.
For behold, saith the prophet, the time cometh speedily that Satan
Shall have no more power over the hearts of the children of men.
For the day soon cometh that all the proud and they who do wickedly
Shall be as stubble, and the day cometh that they must be burned.
For the time soon cometh that the fullness of the wrath of God shall be
Poured out upon all the children of men, for he will not suffer
That the wicked shall destroy the righteous.
Wherefore, he will preserve the righteous by his power!
Even if it so be that the fullness of his wrath must come, and the righteous
Be preserved, even unto the destruction of their enemies by fire.
Wherefore, the righteous need not fear.
For thus saith the prophet, they shall be saved, even if it so be by fire.
Behold, my brethren, I say unto you, that these things must shortly come.
Yea, even blood, and fire, and vapor of smoke must come.
And it must needs be upon the face of this earth, and it cometh unto men
According to the flesh, if it so be that they will
Harden their hearts against the Holy One of Israel.
For behold, the righteous shall not perish, for the time surely must come
That all they who fight against Zion shall be cut off.
And the Lord will surely prepare a way for his people, unto the fulfilling
Of the words of Moses, which he spake, saying:
A prophet shall the Lord your god raise up unto you, like unto me.
Him shall ye hear in all things whatsoever he shall say unto you.
And it shall come to pass that all those who will not hear
That prophet shall be cut off from among the people.
And now I, Nephi, declare unto you, that this prophet of whom Moses spake was the Holy One of Israel. Wherefore, he shall execute judgment in righteousness. And the righteous need not fear, for they are those who shall not be confounded. But it is the Kingdom of the Devil, which shall be built up among the children of men, which kingdom is established among them which are in the flesh:
For the time speedily shall come that all churches which are built up
To get gain, and all those who are built up to get power over the flesh,
And those who are built up to become popular in the eyes of the world,
And those who seek the lusts of the flesh
And the things of the world, and to do
All manner of iniquity, yea, in fine, all those who belong to
The Kingdom of the Devil are they who need fear, and tremble,
And quake! They are those who must be brought low in the dust.
They are those who must be consumed as stubble,
And this is according to the words of the prophet.
And the time cometh speedily that the righteous must be led up
As calves of the stall, and the Holy One of Israel
Must reign in dominion, and might, and power, and great glory!
And he gathereth his children from the four quarters of the earth
And he numbereth his sheep, and they know him
And there shall be one fold and one shepherd!
And he shall feed his sheep, and in him they shall find pasture.
And because of the righteousness of his people, Satan has no power.
Wherefore, he cannot be loosed for the space of many years, for
He hath no power over the hearts of the people,
For they dwell in righteousness, and the Holy One of Israel reigneth.
And now behold, I, Nephi, say unto you that all these things must come according to the flesh. But, behold, all nations, kindreds, tongues, and people shall dwell safely in the Holy One of Israel if it so be that they will repent. And now I, Nephi, make an end. For I durst not speak further as yet concerning these things.
Wherefore, my brethren, I would that ye should consider that the things which have been written upon the Plates of Brass are true! And they testify that a man must be obedient to the commandments of God. Wherefore, ye need not suppose that I and my father are the only ones that have testified, and also taught them. Wherefore, if ye shall be obedient to the commandments, and endure to the end, ye shall be saved at the last day. And thus it is. Amen.
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