                        Mormon

      An abridgment of the Book of Mormon. Verse
   references such as ¹·⁵ indicate the original
     source of the text, but donʼt imply a full
                      quotation.


# Introduction

         Abridged from Joseph Smith—History

¹·¹I, Joseph Smith, write this history to put all
inquirers after truth in possession of the facts.

¹·⁵There was in the place where I lived an unusual ex-
citement on the subject of religion. ⁶The clergy pro-
moted this scene of religious feeling in order to
have everybody converted, let them join what sect
they pleased. Yet when the converts began to file
off, some to one party and some to another, it was
seen that the seemingly good feelings of both the
priests and the converts were more pretended than re-
al, lost in a strife of words: priest contending
against priest, convert against convert.

¹·⁷I was at this time fourteen years old. ⁸My mind
was called up to serious reflection and great uneasi-
ness. My feelings were deep and often poignant, but
still I kept myself aloof from all the parties,
though I attended their meetings as often as occa-
sion would permit. So great were the confusion and
strife among the different denominations that it was
impossible for a person as young as I was to come to
any certain conclusion who was right and who was
wrong.

¹·¹⁰In the midst of this war of words and tumult of
opinions, I often said to myself, “What is to be
done? If any of these parties is right, which is it,
and how will I know?”

¹·¹¹One day I was reading James 1:5, which reads, “If
any of you lacks wisdom, let him ask God, who gives
generously to all without reproach, and it will be
given to him.” ¹²This passage entered with great
force into every feeling of my heart. I reflected on
it again and again, knowing that if any person needed
wisdom from God, I did; for the different sects un-
derstood the same passages of scripture so different-
ly as to destroy all confidence in settling the ques-
tion by an appeal to the Bible.

¹·¹³At length I came to the determination to “ask
God.” ¹⁴So, in accordance with my determination, I re-
tired to the woods to make the attempt. It was the
first time in my life that I had made the attempt to
pray vocally.

¹·¹⁵Having looked around me, and finding myself a-
lone, I kneeled down and began to offer up the
desires of my heart to God. I had scarcely done so
when ¹⁶I saw a pillar of light over my head. ¹⁷When
the light rested upon me, I saw two personages. One
of them said to me, “Joseph, this is my beloved son.
Hear him.”

¹·¹⁸I asked the personages which of all the sects was
right, and which I should join. ¹⁹I was answered that
I must join none of them.

—

¹·²¹A few days after I had this vision, I was with
one of the preachers who was very active in the reli-
gious excitement. I gave him an account of the vi-
sion which I had had. He treated my communication
with contempt, saying that there were no such things
as visions or revelations in these days.

¹·²²I soon found that my story had excited a great
deal of prejudice against me among the professors of
religion. They excited the public mind against me and
created a bitter persecution. This was common among
all the sects, ²³and it often caused me great sor-
row.

¹·²⁴However, it was nevertheless a fact that I had
seen a vision, and all the persecution under heaven
could not make it otherwise. ²⁵I said in my heart,
“Why persecute me for telling the truth? For I have
seen a vision. I know it, and I know that God knows
it, and I can not deny it.”

—

¹·²⁷I continued to pursue my common vocations in
life, all the time being ²⁸persecuted by those who
ought to have been my friends and to have treated me
kindly. If they supposed me to be deluded, they ought
to have endeavored to reclaim me in a proper and af-
fectionate manner. I was left to mingling with all
kinds of society, and frequently fell into many fool-
ish errors. In making this confession, no one need
suppose me guilty of any great sins, but I was guilty
of levity and sometimes associated with jovial compa-
ny.

¹·²⁹In consequence of these things, I often felt
condemned for my weaknesses and imperfections. One
evening, I committed myself to prayer and supplica-
tion to God for forgiveness of my sins and follies.
³⁰While I was calling upon God, a light appeared in
my room, and immediately a personage appeared.

¹·³³He called me by name, said that he was a messen-
ger from God, and that his name was Moroni. ³⁴He said
that there was a book, written upon gold plates, giv-
ing an account of the former inhabitants of this con-
tinent. ⁴²The vision was opened to my mind so that I
could see the place where the plates were deposited.
⁴⁶He added a caution, telling me that Satan would try
to tempt me to get the plates for the purposes of get-
ting rich. This he forbid me, saying that I must on-
ly get the plates to glorify God. ⁵³The messenger in-
formed me that the time for bringing forth the plates
would arrive in four years.

—

¹·⁵⁴I went at the end of each year to the place where
the plates were deposited. Each time I found the mes-
senger there, and received instruction from him.

¹·⁵⁹At length, the time arrived for obtaining the
plates. Having gone as usual at the end of another
year to the place where they were deposited, the same
messenger delivered them to me. ⁶⁷I commenced to
translate the Book of Mormon:

# 1 Nephi

¹·¹I, Nephi, am making a record of my proceedings dur-
ing my lifetime.

¹·⁴In the first year of the reign of Zedekiah, king
of Judah, ¹⁸God showed my father, Lehi, many things
about the destruction of Jerusalem. He went among the
people, and declared to them what he had seen. ²⁰When
the people heard these things, they were angry with
him, and sought his life.

²·²God commanded my father in a dream to take his fam-
ily, and depart into the wilderness. ⁴He left his
house, land, gold, silver, and precious things, and
took nothing with him, except his family, provisions,
and tents, and departed into the wilderness.

²·¹¹Laman and Lemuel, my older brothers, grumbled
against their father because he had led them out of
Jerusalem, leaving their land, gold, silver, and pre-
cious things. They said he had done this because of
the foolish imaginations of his heart. ¹³They also
didnʼt believe that Jerusalem could be destroyed.

²·¹⁶I believed all that my father had spoken. There-
fore, I didnʼt rebel against him like my brothers.

—

³·²My father said to me, ³“Laban has the record of
the Jews, and itʼs engraved on brass plates. ⁴There-
fore, God has commanded me that you and your brothers
should return to Jerusalem, go to Labanʼs house, seek
the records, and bring them here into the wilder-
ness.”

³·⁷I said to my father, “Iʼll do what God has
commanded, for I know that God only gives command-
ments if he prepares a way to accomplish them.”

³·¹⁹I said to my brothers, “Itʼs wisdom in God that
we should obtain these records, that we can preserve
for our children ²⁰the words spoken by all the holy
prophets.”

—

³·²³We went up to the house of Laban. ⁴·³⁸My brothers
and I took the brass plates, departed into the wil-
derness, and journeyed to our fatherʼs tent.

⁵·¹After we returned to our father, he was filled
with joy, and also my mother was very glad. ²¹We had
obtained the records which God had commanded us, and
found that they had great value to us because we
could preserve the commandments of God for our chil-
dren.

—

⁷·⁶As we journeyed in the wilderness, Laman and Lem-
uel ¹⁶were angry with me and tried to take away my
life, ¹⁹but some of our company plead with them, and
they stopped trying to take away my life. ²¹I for-
gave them all that they had done, and we traveled
again on our journey.

—

¹⁷·⁵We came to the land which we called Bountiful, be-
cause it had much fruit and wild honey. God had pre-
pared all these things that we might not perish. ⁶We
pitched our tents by the seashore and rejoiced great-
ly.

¹⁷·⁷God said to me, Nephi, ⁸“Construct a ship after
the manner that I will show you, that I may carry
your people across these waters.”

¹⁷·¹⁷When my brothers saw that I was about to build a
ship, they began to grumble against me, “Our brother
is a fool for he thinks that he can build a ship, and
cross these great waters.”

¹⁷·¹⁹I was deeply grieved because of the hardness of
their hearts. When they saw this, they were glad, say-
ing, “We knew that you couldnʼt construct a ship, and
that you lacked judgment. ²⁰Youʼre like our father,
led away by the foolish imaginations of his heart. He
has led us out of the land of Jerusalem, and weʼve
wandered in the wilderness all these years.”

—

¹⁸·⁴After I had finished the ship, my brothers saw
that it was good, and they humbled themselves again
before God. ⁶We prepared many provisions, went into
the ship with our wives and children, ⁸and put forth
into the sea.

¹⁸·²³After we had sailed for many days we arrived at
the promised land.

—

¹⁹·¹I made plates of ore on which to engrave the rec-
ord of my people, ⁵to keep the more sacred things for
instructing my people.

¹⁹·⁷The things which some men esteem to be of great
worth, both to the body and soul, others set at
naught. ⁹The world, because of their iniquity, will
judge Jesus to be a thing of naught.

²²·²³All churches which are built up to make a prof-
it, and to get power, and to become popular in the
eyes of the world, must be brought low in the dust.

²²·³¹If you are obedient to the commandments, and en-
dure to the end, you will be saved at the last day.

# 2 Nephi

⁴·¹³Not many days after Lehiʼs death, Laman and Lem-
uel were angry with me, ⁵·²so they sought to take a-
way my life. ⁵God warned me to depart from them, and
flee into the wilderness along with all those who
would go with me. ⁶Therefore, I took my family, and
Sam, my older brother, and Jacob and Joseph, my young-
er brothers, and also my sisters, and their fami-
lies. All those who went with me were those who be-
lieved in the warnings and revelations of God.

⁵·⁷We journeyed in the wilderness for many days, and
pitched our tents. ¹⁰We were careful to keep the com-
mandments of God in all things. ¹¹We prospered great-
ly, for we sowed seed, reaped in abundance, and
raised flocks, herds, and animals of every kind.

⁵·¹⁴I made many swords so that our enemies wouldnʼt
come upon us and destroy us.

—

⁶·¹The words of Jacob, the brother of Nephi:

⁹·²⁷Woe to him who has all the commandments of God,
and transgresses them, and wastes the days of his pro-
bation.

⁹·²⁸Oh the vanity, and foolishness of men! When they
are learned they think they are wise, and they donʼt
listen to Godʼs counsel, for they set it aside, sup-
posing they know of themselves, therefore, their wis-
dom is foolishness and it does not profit them. ²⁹But
to be learned is good if they listen to Godʼs
counsels.

⁹·³⁰Woe to the rich who despise the poor, persecute
the meek, and whose hearts are on their treasures;
therefore, their treasure is their God.

⁹·³⁴Woe to the liar, ³⁵to the murderer who kills de-
liberately, ³⁶and to those who commit fornication.

⁹·³⁹Remember, the mind set on the flesh is death, and
the mind set on the spirit is eternal life. ⁴⁵Turn a-
way from your sins. ⁴⁶Prepare your souls for the day
of judgment.

⁹·⁵¹Donʼt spend money on what has no value, nor your
labor on what cannot satisfy.

¹⁰·²³Cheer up your hearts, and remember that you are
free to act for yourselves: to choose the way of ev-
erlasting death or the way of eternal life. ²⁴There-
fore, reconcile yourselves to the will of God, and
not to the will of the flesh.

—

¹¹·¹Jacob spoke many more things to my people, but I,
Nephi, have only written these.

²⁵·²³We labor diligently to write, to persuade our
children, and also our brothers, to believe in
Christ, and to be reconciled to God. ²⁶We talk of
Christ, we rejoice in Christ, we preach of Christ, we
prophesy of Christ.

²⁶·²¹There are many churches built up which cause en-
vy, strife, and malice. ²²The devil leads them by the
neck with a flaxen cord until he binds them with his
strong cords forever.

²⁶·²³God doesnʼt work in darkness. ²⁵Does he say to
anyone, “Depart from me”? No. ²⁶Has he commanded any-
one to depart from the houses of worship? No.

²⁶·²⁹He commands that there shall be no priest-
crafts, which are when men preach and set themselves
up as a light to the world, to make a profit, and get
praise of the world. ³⁰God has forbidden this. There-
fore, he has commanded that all men should have love,
and except they have love they are nothing.

²⁶·³²God has commanded men not to murder, lie, steal,
envy, take his name in vain, have malice, contend
with one another, or commit fornication. ³³None of
these iniquities come from God, for he does good a-
mong the children of men.

²⁸·³One church will say to the other, “Behold, I, I
am Godʼs.” And the other churches will say, “I, I am
Godʼs.” Thus will every one say that has built up
churches, and not to God. ⁴They will contend with one
another, and their priests will contend with one an-
other.

²⁸·⁸Many will say, “Eat, drink, and be merry, never-
theless fear God. He will justify in committing a lit-
tle sin. Lie a little, take advantage of one because
of his words, dig a pit for your neighbor. There is
no harm in this. Do all these things, for tomorrow we
die. If we are guilty, God will beat us with a few
lashes, and at last we will be saved.”

²⁸·¹²Because of pride their churches have become cor-
rupted. ¹³They rob the poor because of their fine
sanctuaries and their fine clothing. They persecute
the meek and the poor in heart, because in their
pride they have become arrogant.

²⁸·¹⁶Woe to those who turn aside the just for noth-
ing, and revile against what is good and say that it
has no worth! ²⁹Woe to him who says, “We have re-
ceived the word of God, and we need no more of the
word of God, for we have enough!”

²⁸·³⁰God says, “To him who receives I will give more.
From them who say, ‘We have enough,’ will be taken a-
way whatever they have.

²⁹·³“Some will say, ‘We have a Bible, and there can-
not be any more Bible.’ ¹⁰Because you have a Bible
you donʼt need to suppose that it contains all my
words. ¹¹For I command all men to write the words
which I speak to them.”

—

³⁰·¹⁷There is nothing secret that will not be
revealed.

³²·⁸Know that you must pray, for the evil spirit
teaches a man that he must not pray.

# Jacob

¹·²Nephi gave me, Jacob, a commandment to write a few
of the most precious things. ¹⁵The people began to
grow hard in their hearts, and to indulge somewhat in
wickedness, ¹⁷therefore I gave them these words:

—

²·¹²Many of you have begun to search for gold, sil-
ver, and precious ores, ¹³and providence has smiled
on you most pleasingly, that you have obtained many
riches. Because some of you have obtained more abun-
dantly than others, you are lifted up in the pride of
your hearts because of the costliness of your appar-
el, and persecute others because you suppose that you
are better than they. ¹⁴Do you suppose that God
justifies you in this thing? No, but he condemns you,
and if you persist, his judgments will speedily come
to you.

²·¹⁷Think of others like yourselves, be familiar with
all, and free with your possessions, that they may be
rich like you. ¹⁸But before you seek for riches, seek
for the kingdom of God. ¹⁹After you have obtained a
hope in Christ you will obtain riches, if you seek
them, and you will seek them with the intent to do
good: to clothe the naked, to feed the hungry, to lib-
erate the captive, and to administer relief to the
sick and the afflicted. ²¹Donʼt you suppose that one
being is as precious in Godʼs sight as the other?

²·³⁵You have broken your tender wivesʼ hearts, and
lost your childrenʼs confidence, because of your bad
examples before them. The sobbing of their hearts
ascends up to God against you.

⁴·⁸Donʼt despise Godʼs revelations. ¹⁰Donʼt seek to
counsel God, but to take counsel from him. For you
know that he counsels in wisdom, justice, and great
mercy.

⁶·¹²Be wise; what more can I say?

# Zeniff

     Abridged from chapters 11-23 of the Book of
                        Mosiah

¹¹·¹Zeniff conferred the kingdom on Noah, one of his
sons. ²Noah didnʼt keep Godʼs commandments, but
followed the desires of his own heart. ³He imposed a
tax of one fifth of all the people possessed ⁴to sup-
port himself, and his priests.

¹¹·²⁰There was a man named Abinadi who went among the
people saying, “God says, ‘Woe to this people, for I
have seen their abominations, their wickedness, and
their fornication. ²¹Unless they repent they will be
brought into bondage.’”

¹¹·²⁷When king Noah heard of Abinadiʼs words, he was
angry. He said, “Who is Abinadi that he should judge
me and my people, or who is God to bring such great
affliction on my people? ²⁸Bring Abinadi here so I
can kill him.”

¹²·⁹They took him and carried him bound before the
king. ²⁹Abinadi said to the priests, “Why do you set
your hearts on riches? Why do you spend your strength
with prostitutes?

¹³·⁴“Youʼre angry with me because Iʼve told you the
truth. ¹⁵·²⁶But fear and tremble before God, for he
redeems none who have wilfully rebelled against him,
who have known his commandments and refused to keep
them.”

¹⁷·¹The king commanded the priests to take Abinadi
and cause him to be put to death.

—

¹⁷·²There was a young man among the priests whose
name was Alma, and he believed Abinadiʼs words, there-
fore he began to plead with the king to let Abinadi
depart in peace. ³But the king was more angry and
sent his servants after Alma to kill him. ⁴But he
fled from them and hid. Being concealed for many
days, he wrote all the words which Abinadi had spo-
ken.

—

¹⁷·⁷The king said, “Abinadi, ⁸you will be put to
death unless you take back all the evil youʼve spo-
ken about me and my people.”

¹⁷·⁹Abinadi said, “I will not take back what Iʼve spo-
ken, for it is true. ¹⁰It will stand as a testimony
against you at the last day.”

¹⁷·¹¹King Noah was about to release him, for he
feared that Godʼs judgments would come upon him.
¹²But the priests said, “He has reviled the king.”
Therefore, the king was incited to anger against him,
and delivered him to be killed.

¹⁷·²⁰Abinadi suffered death by fire because he would
not deny the commandments of God, having sealed the
truth of his words with his death.

—

¹⁸·¹Alma, who had fled from king Noahʼs servants, be-
gan to teach Abinadiʼs words. ³Many believed his
words.

¹⁸·³¹These things were done in the borders of the
land, that the king might not know. ³²But they were
made known to the king. ³³He said that Alma was in-
citing the people to rebellion against him, there-
fore he sent his army to destroy them.

²³·¹Now Alma, having been warned by God, told his peo-
ple, therefore they gathered together their flocks
and their grain, and ³they fled eight daysʼ journey
into the wilderness.

²³·⁴They came to a beautiful and pleasant land, ⁵and
began to till the ground, and build buildings. They
were industrious, and worked very hard.

—

²³·⁶The people wanted Alma to be their king, for his
people loved him. ⁷But he said to them, “Itʼs not ex-
pedient for us to have a king. ⁹Remember the iniqui-
ty of king Noah and his priests. ¹²King Noah
oppressed you, and you were in bondage to him and his
priests. ¹³Because you have been delivered out of the
hands of king Noah and his people, I ask you not to
trust any man to be a king over you.”

²³·¹⁵Thus did Alma teach his people that every man
should love his neighbor as himself, and that there
should be no contention among them.

# Mosiah

¹·²King Benjamin had three sons, and he caused them
to be taught so that they might become men of under-
standing. ³He also taught them about the records
which were engraved on the brass plates: “My sons,
⁴it wasnʼt possible for our father, Lehi, to remem-
ber all these things; but he could read these
engravings, and teach them to his children, that they
could teach them to their children, even down to the
present time.”

—

¹·⁹King Benjamin grew old, and saw that he must very
soon go the way of all the earth. ¹⁸Therefore, he
proclaimed to all the people to gather themselves to-
gether to hear his words.

²·⁵When they arrived, they pitched their tents on eve-
ry side, every family being separate from one anoth-
er.

²·⁸King Benjamin caused his words to be written and
sent to those who could not hear him, that they might
also receive his words. ⁹These are the words which he
spoke:

—

²·¹⁰I have not commanded you to come here to fear me,
or to think that I am more than a mortal man. ¹¹But I
am like you, subject to all kinds of infirmities in
body and mind; yet the people have chosen me, and God
has allowed me to be a king; to serve you with all
the might, mind and strength which he has granted me.

²·¹²I have been allowed to spend my days in your ser-
vice, and have not sought gold, or silver, or any
kind of riches from you. ¹³Neither have I allowed you
to be confined in dungeons, or to make slaves of one
another, or to murder, or steal, or commit adultery.
¹⁴And even I, myself, have labored with my own hands
that I might serve you, and that you should not be
burdened with taxes.

²·¹⁵Yet, I have not done this to boast. ¹⁷I tell you
so you may learn wisdom; that you may learn that when
you serve your fellow beings you are only serving
God.

²·¹⁸If I, whom you call your king, labor to serve
you, then shouldnʼt you labor to serve one another?
¹⁹If I, whom you call your king, merit any thanks
from you, O how you should thank your heavenly king!

²·⁴¹Consider the blessed and happy state of those who
keep Godʼs commandments. They are blessed in all
things, both temporal and spiritual, and if they re-
main faithful to the end they are received into heav-
en to dwell with God in never-ending happiness.

³·¹⁹The natural man is an enemy to God, and will be
forever, unless he puts off the natural man and be-
comes like a child: submissive, meek, humble, pa-
tient, full of love, willing to submit to all things,
even as a child submits to his father.

⁴·⁹Believe in God. Believe that he is, and that he
created all things. Believe that he has all wisdom.
Believe that man does not comprehend all that God can
comprehend. ¹⁰Believe that you must repent of your
sins and forsake them, and humble yourselves before
God. Ask in sincerity of heart that he would forgive
you. And now, if you believe all these things see
that you do them.

⁴·¹¹Humble yourselves, calling on God daily. ¹²If you
do this you will always rejoice, ¹³and you will not
have a mind to injure one another, but to live at
peace, and to repay every man what he is due. ¹⁴You
will not allow your children to go hungry, or naked,
or to transgress Godʼs laws and fight and quarrel
with one another. ¹⁵But you will teach them to walk
in the ways of sober truth, to love one another, and
to serve one another.

⁴·¹⁶You will help those who need your help. You will
give of your possessions to him who stands in need.
You wonʼt allow the beggar to petition you in vain,
and turn him away to perish. ¹⁷Perhaps you will say,
“The man has brought his misery on himself, there-
fore I wonʼt give him of my food, or of my posses-
sions, for his punishments are just.” ¹⁸Whoever does
this has great cause to repent. Unless he repents he
perishes forever, and has no part in the kingdom of
God. ¹⁹For arenʼt we all beggars? Donʼt we all de-
pend on God for all our possessions, for food and
clothing, for gold and silver, and for all our rich-
es of every kind?

⁴·²²If you judge the man who petitions you for your
possessions, that he perish not, and condemn him, how
much more just will be your condemnation for with-
holding your possessions, which donʼt belong to you
but to God. ²³Woe to that man, for his possessions
will perish with him. I speak to those who are rich
in the things of this world.

⁴·²⁴I say to the poor, you who only have enough to re-
main from day to day; I mean all you who deny the beg-
gar, because you have not. Say in your hearts: “I
donʼt give because I donʼt have, but if I had I would
give.” ²⁵If you say this in your hearts you remain
guiltless. Otherwise you are condemned, for you cov-
et what you have not received.

⁴·²⁶To retain forgiveness of your sins, share your
possessions with the poor, every man according to
what he has, such as feeding the hungry, clothing the
naked, visiting the sick and helping them, both spir-
itually and temporally, according to their needs.
²⁷And see that all this is done in wisdom and order;
for it is not necessary for a man to run faster than
he has strength. It is expedient for him to be dili-
gent, that he might win the prize. Therefore, all
things must be done in order.

⁴·²⁸Remember that whoever borrows from his neighbor
should return the thing, as he has agreed, or else
you will sin; and perhaps you will cause your neigh-
bor to sin also.

⁴·³⁰If you donʼt watch yourselves, and your thoughts,
and your words, and your deeds, and observe Godʼs com-
mandments, even until the end of your lives, you must
perish.

⁵·¹³How does a man know the master whom he has not
served, and who is a stranger to him, and is far from
the thoughts and intents of his heart?

—

⁶·⁴Mosiah began to reign in his fatherʼs place.
²⁵·¹He gathered all the people together, and ⁵read
the records of Zeniff to them. ⁶He also read the ac-
count of Alma and his people. ¹⁵Alma also spoke to
them, preaching repentance and faith on God.

—

²⁸·¹⁰King Mosiah had no one to confer the kingdom on,
for none of his sons would accept the kingdom.
¹¹Therefore, he took the records ²⁰and conferred them
on Alma, who was the son of Alma, and commanded him
to keep and preserve them, and also to keep a record
of the people, handing them down from one generation
to the next.

²⁹·⁴King Mosiah wrote to the people, ⁵“You want to
have a king. ⁶He to whom the kingdom rightly belongs
has declined. ⁷If I appoint another in his place, I
fear there would arise contentions which would cause
wars, which would destroy the souls of many people.

²⁹·¹⁰“Let us be wise and anticipate these things, and
do what will make for peace. ¹¹Therefore, I will be
your king for the rest of my life. Nevertheless, let
us appoint judges to judge this people according to
our law, and we will newly arrange the affairs of
this people.

²⁹·¹⁶“Because all men are not just, it is not expedi-
ent to have a king or kings to rule over you. ¹⁷For
behold how much iniquity one wicked king causes, and
what great destruction!

²⁹·²¹“You can only dethrone an iniquitous king
through much contention and bloodshed. ²²For he has
his friends in iniquity, and he keeps his guards a-
round him, and he tears up the laws of those who have
reigned in righteousness before him, and he tramples
Godʼs commandments under his feet, ²³and he enacts
laws according to his own wickedness, and he destroys
whoever doesnʼt obey his laws.

²⁹·²⁵“Therefore, choose judges by the voice of the
people, that you may be judged according to the laws
which have been given by our fathers. ²⁶Observe this
and make it your law: do your business by the voice
of the people.”

²⁹·³⁷The people were convinced of the truth of his
words, ³⁸therefore they relinquished their desire for
a king.

—

²⁹·⁴⁰The people loved Mosiah, for they didnʼt consid-
er him a tyrant who was seeking for that money which
corrupts the soul, for he hadnʼt exacted riches from
them, neither had he delighted in shedding blood, but
he had established peace in the land, and had grant-
ed to his people that they should be delivered from
all kinds of bondage, therefore they esteemed him be-
yond measure.

²⁹·⁴¹They appointed judges to judge them according to
the law. ⁴²Alma was appointed to be the first chief
judge.

²⁹·⁴⁷Thus ended the reign of the kings over the peo-
ple.

# Alma

¹·²In the first year of Almaʼs reign in the judgment
seat, there was a man named Nehor ³who was preaching
that every priest and teacher should become popular,
and should not labor with his hands, but be supported
by the people.

¹·⁷As he was preaching, Nehor began to contend sharp-
ly with a man ⁸named Gideon. ⁹Nehor drew his sword
and killed Gideon.

¹·¹⁰Nehor was brought before Alma to be judged. ¹²Al-
ma said to him, ¹⁴“You are condemned to die accord-
ing to the law.”

¹·¹⁵Nehor suffered a shameful death, ¹⁶yet this did
not stop priestcraft from spreading through the land,
for there were many who loved the vain things of the
world.

—

¹·²¹There was a strict law among the people of the
church that no one should persecute those who did not
belong to the church. ²⁷They imparted of their pos-
sessions to the poor, the needy, the sick, and the af-
flicted. They didnʼt wear expensive clothing, yet
they were neat and comely.

¹·²⁹Because of the steadiness of the church they be-
came very rich, having an abundance of everything
they needed. ³⁰In their prosperous circumstances,
they didnʼt send away any who were naked, hungry, or
sick. They didnʼt set their hearts on riches, there-
fore they were generous to all.

—

⁴·⁶The people of the church began to grow proud be-
cause of the great riches they had obtained by their
diligence. They were lifted up in pride, for they be-
gan to wear very expensive clothing. ⁷Now this caused
Alma much affliction.

⁴·⁹There began to be great contentions among the peo-
ple of the church. There was envy, strife, malice,
persecution, and pride.

⁴·¹⁵Alma, seeing the afflictions, persecutions, and
inequality, began to be very sorrowful. ¹⁶He selected
a wise man and ¹⁸delivered the judgment seat to him.
¹⁹He did this so that he might go out among his peo-
ple to remind them of their duty, and to tear down
all the pride, craftiness, and contention among them.
²⁰And thus, Alma delivered up the judgment seat, and
confined himself wholly to the priesthood of God.

—

⁵·²Alma said to the people of the church, ¹⁴“I ask
you, have you experienced a mighty change in your
hearts? ¹⁵Do you look forward and view this mortal
body raised in immortality to stand before God to be
judged according to the deeds which have been done in
the mortal body?

⁵·¹⁷“Do you imagine that you can lie to God in that
day, and say, ‘God, our works have been righteous,’
and that he will save you?

⁵·²⁶“If you have experienced a change of heart, can
you feel so now? ²⁷Have you walked, keeping your-
selves blameless before God? Could you say, if you
were called to die at this time, that you have been
sufficiently humble? ²⁸Are you stripped of pride? If
not, you are not prepared to meet God.

⁵·³⁰“Is there one among you who mocks his brother, or
heaps persecutions on him? ³¹Woe to such a one, for
he is not prepared, and must repent!

⁵·⁵⁷“All of you who desire to follow the voice of the
good shepherd, come out from the wicked, be sepa-
rate, and donʼt touch their unclean things.

⁷·²“If I hadnʼt given the judgment seat to another,
to reign in my place, I could not have come at this
time.

⁷·¹⁵“Lay aside every sin which so easily entangles
you, which binds you down to destruction. Show God
that you are willing to repent of your sins. ²³Be hum-
ble, submissive, gentle, open to reason, full of pa-
tience and long-suffering; exercising self-control in
all things; diligent in keeping the commandments of
God at all times; asking for whatever you need, both
spiritual and temporal; always thanking God for what-
ever you receive.”

—

⁸·⁶Alma came to a city called Ammonihah. ¹⁹As he
entered the city he said to a man, “Will you give a
humble servant of God something to eat?”

⁸·²¹The man was named Amulek. He brought bread and
meat, and placed them before Alma. ²⁷Alma stayed with
Amulek for many days before he began to preach to the
people.

—

⁸·³⁰Alma and Amulek went out among the people to de-
clare Godʼs words. ¹²·⁹Alma began to explain things
to them saying, “God only imparts to the children of
men according to the attention and diligence which
they give him. ¹⁰Therefore, he who hardens his heart
receives the lesser portion of the word, and he who
will not harden his heart receives the greater por-
tion of the word.

¹²·¹²“All men must die and be brought before God to
be judged according to our works. ¹⁴For our words,
our works, and our thoughts will condemn us.

¹²·²⁴“We see that death comes to mankind. Neverthe-
less there was a space granted to man in which he
might repent; therefore this life became a probation-
ary state; a time to prepare to meet God. ³⁷Because
we know these things, let us repent, and not harden
our hearts.

¹³·²⁷“I wish, from the innermost part of my heart,
that you would listen to my words, and cast off your
sins, and not procrastinate the day of your repent-
ance, ²⁸but that you would humble yourselves before
God, and watch and pray continually that you may not
be tempted above what you can bear, becoming humble,
meek, submissive, patient, full of love and all long-
suffering; ²⁹having faith in God; having hope that
you will receive eternal life; always having the love
of God in your hearts.”

¹³·³¹Alma spoke many more words to the people which
are not written in this book.

¹⁴·¹After he had spoken to the people, many of them
believed his words, and began to repent, and to
search the scriptures.

¹⁵·¹⁶Amulek had left all his gold, silver, and pre-
cious things, being rejected by those who were once
his friends and also by his father and his relatives.
¹⁸Alma, seeing all these things, took Amulek to his
own house, and ministered to him in his tribula-
tions.

—

²⁹·²I, Alma, would declare repentance to everyone,
that they should repent and come to God, that there
might be less sorrow on the earth. ³But I sin in my
wish, for I should be content with what God has al-
lotted me. ⁸For God grants to all nations, of their
own nation and language, people to teach what he sees
fit that they should have.

—

³⁰·⁶A man named Korihor began to preach against the
coming of Christ. ⁷Now there was no law against a
manʼs belief. ⁹If a man desired to serve God, it was
his privilege, but if he did not believe in him there
was no law to punish him.

³⁰·¹²Korihor preached, ¹⁴“These things which you call
prophecies are foolish traditions of your fathers.
¹⁵You canʼt know of things you donʼt see. ¹⁶You say
that you see a remission of your sins, but itʼs the
effect of a frenzied mind. This derangement of your
minds comes because of the traditions of your fathers
which lead you away to believe in things which are
not so.” ¹⁷And he told them that whatever a man did
was no crime.

³⁰·³¹He reviled against Alma and the priests, accus-
ing them of leading away the people after the silly
traditions of their fathers, to glut on the labors of
the people.

³⁰·³²Alma said to him, “You know that we donʼt glut
ourselves on the labors of this people. Iʼve labored
with my own hands for my support. ³³Notwithstanding
the many labors Iʼve performed in the church, Iʼve
never received as much as one penny for my labor; nei-
ther have any of my brothers.”

—

³¹·¹Alma received news that one Zoram was leading the
people to bow down to idols. ⁵As preaching the word
had a great tendency to lead the people to do what
was just—it had had a more powerful effect on the
minds of the people than the sword, or anything else
which had happened to them—therefore Alma thought it
was expedient to try the power of the word of God.
⁷Therefore, he went among the Zoramites to preach the
word to them.

³²·²After much labor, they began to have success a-
mong the poor, for they were cast out of the syna-
gogues because of their coarse clothing. ⁵One of them
said, “They cast us out of our synagogues and we have
no place to worship God. What shall we do?”

³²·⁷Alma said to them, ¹⁰“Do you suppose that you can
only worship God in your synagogues? ¹¹Do you sup-
pose that you must only worship God once per week?

³²·²²“God is merciful to all who believe his word.
²³He imparts his word to men and women. This is not
all, little children often have words given to them
which confound the wise and the learned.

³²·²⁸“We will compare the word to a seed. If you make
room to plant a seed in your heart, you will begin to
say within yourselves, ‘Itʼs a good seed, for it
begins to enlighten my understanding.’ ³³Because you
have tried the experiment, and planted the seed,
³⁴you know that the word has sprouted up, that your
understanding begins to be enlightened, and your mind
begins to expand. ³⁷As the tree begins to grow, you
will say, ‘Letʼs nourish it carefully, that it may
bear fruit.’ ³⁸But if you neglect the tree, and donʼt
think about its nourishment, it withers away. ³⁹Now,
this isnʼt because the seed was not good, or because
its fruit would not be desirable, but itʼs because
you wonʼt nourish the tree.

³³·²“Youʼve said that you couldnʼt worship God be-
cause youʼre cast out of your synagogues, but youʼre
greatly mistaken. ³Do you remember what Zenos, the
prophet of old, said about prayer? ⁴He said, ‘You are
merciful, O God, for you have heard my prayer, even
when I was in the wilderness, ⁵and when I cried to
you in my field. ⁶And again, when I turned to my
house, you heard my prayer. ⁸You are merciful to your
children when they cry to you, to be heard by you and
not by men, and you will hear them.’”

³⁴·¹After Alma had spoken, Amulek taught them, ²⁰“Cry
to God when youʼre in your fields, over all your
flocks. ²¹Cry to him in your houses, over all your
household, both morning, midday, and evening. ²⁴Cry
to him over the crops of your fields, that you may
prosper in them. ²⁵Cry over the flocks of your
fields, that they may increase. ²⁶You must pour out
your souls in your secret places, and in your wilder-
ness.

³⁴·²⁸“Donʼt suppose that this is all; if you turn a-
way the needy, and the naked, and donʼt visit the
sick and afflicted, your prayer is empty, and brings
you nothing, and you are hypocrites.

³⁴·³²“This life is the time for men to labor. ³³Donʼt
procrastinate the day of your repentance. ⁴⁰Have pa-
tience, and bear all kinds of affliction. Donʼt re-
vile against those who cast you out because of your
great poverty, lest you become sinners like them.”

—

³⁵·¹⁶Alma gathered his sons together:

³⁷·¹My son Helaman, take the records which have been
entrusted to me, ²and keep a record of this people.
⁶You may suppose that this is foolishness, but by
small and simple things are great things brought to
pass. ⁸These things have enlarged the memory of this
people, and convinced many of the error of their
ways.

³⁷·³⁵In your youth, learn wisdom and to keep the com-
mandments of God. ⁴⁷Be sober. My son, farewell.

—

³⁸·¹My son Shiblon, ¹⁰be diligent and temperate in
all things. ¹¹Donʼt be lifted up in pride. Donʼt
boast in your own wisdom, or in your much strength.
¹²Use boldness, but not overbearance. Bridle all your
passions, that you may be filled with love. Refrain
from idleness.

³⁸·¹⁴Donʼt say, “God, I thank you that weʼre better
than our brothers.” Rather say, “God, forgive my un-
worthiness, and remember my brothers in mercy.”

³⁸·¹⁵Be sober. My son, farewell.

—

³⁹·¹My son Corianton, ²this is what I have against
you: you went on boasting in your strength and your
wisdom, ³and you went after a prostitute. ⁵Donʼt you
know that these things are an abomination to God?

³⁹·⁹Repent and forsake your sins, and donʼt go after
the lusts of your eyes anymore. ¹¹Donʼt allow your-
self to be led away by any vain or foolish thing.
¹⁴Donʼt seek after riches or the vain things of this
world, for you canʼt carry them with you.

⁴¹·¹⁴Be merciful to your brothers. Deal justly, judge
righteously, and do good continually. ¹⁵For what you
send out will return to you again.

⁴²·²⁷Whoever will come may partake of the waters of
life freely, and whoever will not come is not com-
pelled to come.

⁴²·³¹My son, declare the word with truth and sober-
ness.

# Helaman

³·³⁷In the fifty-third year of the reign of the
judges, Nephi, the son of Helaman, the son of
Helaman, began to reign in the judgment seat.

⁴·¹⁸In the sixty-second year of the reign of the
judges, ⁵·¹Nephi delivered the judgment seat to
Cezoram, ⁴for Nephi was weary because of the iniqui-
ty of the people. He gave up the judgment seat to
preach the word of God for the rest of his life, and
his brother Lehi also. ⁵For they remembered what
their father Helaman had said to them:

⁵·⁶“My sons, declare these words to the people: ¹²Re-
member that it is upon the rock of Christ that you
must build your foundation; that when the devil sends
forth his mighty winds, when all his hail and his
mighty storm beats upon you, it will have no power to
drag you down to the gulf of misery and endless woe
because of the rock on which you are built.”

—

⁶·¹⁵In the sixty-sixth year of the reign of the
judges, Cezoram was murdered. His son, who had been
appointed by the people in his place, was also
murdered.

⁶·¹⁶The people grew very wicked. ¹⁷For God had bless-
ed them so long with the riches of the world that
they began to set their hearts on their riches. They
began to seek for profit that they might be lifted up
one above another. Therefore they began to murder,
rob, and plunder, to get money.

⁶·¹⁸Those murderers and plunderers were a band formed
by Gadianton. ²²They had signs and secret words to
recognize a brother who had entered into the cove-
nant, that whatever wickedness he did he should not
be injured by those who belonged to his band. ²³Thus
they might murder, plunder, steal, and commit forni-
cation and all kinds of wickedness, contrary to the
laws of their country and the laws of God.

—

⁷·⁴Nephi saw the people in a state of awful wicked-
ness, and the Gadianton robbers filling the judgment
seats, having usurped the authority of the land; ⁵let-
ting the guilty go unpunished because of their mon-
ey; being held in office to get money and glory of
the world, that they might more easily commit adul-
tery, steal, and kill.

⁷·⁶This great iniquity had come upon the people in on-
ly a few years.

⁷·¹³Nephi said to the people, ²⁰“How could you have
forgotten God? ²¹Behold, itʼs to get money, and to be
praised of men. ²⁶Woe will come to you because of
that pride which you have allowed to enter your
hearts, which has lifted you up because of your very
great riches!

⁸·²⁵“You have rejected the truth, and rebelled
against God. Instead of storing up for yourselves
treasures in heaven, where nothing destroys, you are
accumulating for yourselves anger for the day of judg-
ment.”

¹⁰·¹⁸They would not listen to his words.

¹²·¹Thus we can see the unsteadiness of the hearts of
the children of men. ²At the very time when God
prospers his people, doing all things for their wel-
fare and happiness, then is the time that they hard-
en their hearts and forget God because of their ease
and very great prosperity.

¹²·⁴How foolish, vain, and quick to do iniquity, and
how slow to do good, are the children of men. How
quick to set their hearts on the vain things of the
world! ⁵How quick to be lifted up in pride; how quick
to boast; and how slow to remember God, to listen to
his guidance, and to walk in wisdomʼs paths!

¹²·⁶They neglect Godʼs guidance, and will not have
him as their guide. ²³Blessed are they who will re-
pent and listen to the voice of God.

—

¹³·²There was one Samuel who came into the land and
preached repentance to the people. ⁴They wouldnʼt let
him enter the city, so he got on the city wall, and
⁵said to them, ⁸“God says, ‘Because of the hardness
of the hearts of the people, unless they repent I
will take away my word from them. ¹⁰Your enemies of
the fourth generation will live to see your utter de-
struction.’

¹³·²¹“Your riches are cursed because youʼve set your
hearts on them, and havenʼt listened to the words of
him who gave them to you. ²²You donʼt remember God in
the things with which he has blessed you, but you al-
ways remember your riches, not to thank God for them.
Your hearts swell with great pride unto boasting, en-
vy, strife, malice, persecution, murder, and all man-
ner of iniquity.

¹³·²⁴“Woe to you because you drive out the prophets,
mock them, throw stones at them, and kill them, just
as they did long ago. ²⁵And now you say, ‘If we had
lived in the time of our fathers, we would not have
killed the prophets. We would not have stoned them
and driven them out.’

¹³·²⁶“Youʼre worse than they. If a prophet comes to
you and declares your sins and iniquities, youʼre an-
gry with him, and look for ways to destroy him.
Youʼll say that heʼs a false prophet because he
testifies that your deeds are evil.

¹³·²⁷“But if a man comes to you and says, ‘Do this
and there is no iniquity. Walk after the pride of
your eyes, and do whatever your heart desires,’
youʼll say that heʼs a prophet. ²⁸Youʼll dress him in
expensive clothing because he speaks flattering words
and says that all is well.

¹⁴·³⁰“Remember that you are free. You are permitted
to act for yourselves. ³¹God has allowed you to know
good from evil, and to choose life or death. You can
do good and have good restored to you, or you can do
evil and have evil restored to you.”

—

¹⁶·¹Many heard the words of Samuel, believed him, and
confessed their sins. ²But those who didnʼt believe
Samuel were angry with him. They threw stones and
shot arrows at him as he stood on the wall, but they
couldnʼt hit him.

¹⁶·⁷He jumped down from the wall, fled out of their
land, ⁸and was never heard from again.

# 3 Nephi

²·¹⁰The people still remained in wickedness. ¹¹The
Gadianton robbers had become so numerous, and killed
so many of the people, that all the people ¹²were com-
pelled, for the safety of their lives and their wom-
en and their children, to take up arms against those
Gadianton robbers to maintain their liberty.

⁶·⁴The people began again to prosper, and there was
great order in the land. ⁵There was nothing to hin-
der the people from prospering continually, except if
they fell into transgression.

⁶·¹⁰There began to be some disputes among the peo-
ple, and some were lifted up in pride and boasting be-
cause of their very great riches, even to great per-
secutions. ¹²The people began to be distinguished by
rank, according to their riches and their chances for
learning. Some were ignorant because of their pover-
ty, and others received great learning because of
their riches. ¹⁴And thus there arose a great inequal-
ity in the land, so the church began to be broken up.

⁶·¹⁵Now the cause of the iniquity was this: the peo-
ple were puffing up with pride, seeking for power, au-
thority, riches, and the vain things of the world.
¹⁸They did not sin ignorantly, because Godʼs will had
been taught to them, therefore they wilfully rebelled
against God.

—

⁷·¹⁴The people divided into tribes, every man accord-
ing to his family. They had come to an agreement that
they would not go to war with one another, or tres-
pass against one another, so in some degree they had
peace in the land. Nevertheless, their hearts were
turned from God, and they stoned the prophets and
cast them out.

⁷·¹⁷Nephi preached many things to the people. ¹⁸They
were angry with him. ²¹Only a few were converted to
God.

—

¹¹·¹A great multitude were gathered together ²talking
about Jesus Christ. ³While they were talking with one
another, they heard a voice as if it came from heav-
en. ⁸They looked up and saw a man descending out of
heaven. He came down and stood among them. ⁹He
reached out his hand and spoke to the people, say-
ing, ¹⁰“I am Jesus Christ, whom the prophets testi-
fied would come into the world.”

¹¹·¹²When Jesus said these words the whole multitude
fell to the ground, for they remembered that it had
been prophesied that Christ would show himself to
them.

¹¹·¹⁸Jesus commanded Nephi to come forward, ²²and
called others, and said to them, ²⁸“There shall be no
disputes among you, as there have been until now.
²⁹For he that has the spirit of contention is not of
me, but is of the devil, who is the father of conten-
tion, and he stirs up the hearts of men to contend
with anger, one with another.”

¹²·¹When Jesus had spoken these words to Nephi and
those who had been called, he said to the multitude:

—

¹²·³Blessed are the poor in spirit who come to me,
for the kingdom of heaven is theirs. ⁴Blessed are all
those who mourn, for they will be comforted. ⁵Bless-
ed are the meek, for they will inherit the earth.
⁶Blessed are all those who hunger and thirst for
righteousness, for they will be filled with the holy
spirit. ⁷Blessed are the merciful, for they will re-
ceive mercy. ⁸Blessed are all the pure in heart, for
they will see God. ⁹Blessed are all the peacemakers,
for they will be called sons of God. ¹⁰Blessed are
all those who are persecuted because of my name, for
the kingdom of heaven is theirs. ¹¹Blessed are you
when people insult you and persecute you, and false-
ly say all kinds of evil against you because of me,
¹²for you will have great joy and be glad, for your
reward in heaven will be great; for in the same way
they persecuted the prophets who were before you.

¹²·¹⁵Do people light a lamp and put it under a bas-
ket? No, but on a stand, and it gives light to every-
one in the house. ¹⁶Therefore, let your light shine
before this people so that they may see your good
works and glorify God who is in heaven.

¹²·¹⁹You have the commandments. ²⁰Unless you keep my
commandments, you will never enter into the kingdom
of heaven.

¹²·²¹Itʼs written that you shall not murder, and who-
ever murders will be subject to Godʼs judgment. ²²But
I tell you that everyone who is angry with his broth-
er will be subject to his judgment. And whoever says,
“You fool,” will be subject to hell fire. ²³There-
fore, if you want to come to me, and remember that
your brother has something against you, ²⁴go to your
brother, first be reconciled to him, then come to me
with full purpose of heart, and I will receive you.

¹²·²⁷Itʼs written that you shall not commit adul-
tery. ²⁸But I tell you that everyone who looks at a
woman with lust for her has already committed adul-
tery in his heart.

¹²·²⁹Allow none of these things to enter your heart,
³⁰for itʼs better to deny yourselves these things
than to be thrown into hell.

¹²·³³Itʼs written that you shall not break your oath
but shall fulfill your oaths to God. ³⁴But I tell
you, make no oath at all, ³⁷but let your statement be
“Yes” or “No”. Anything more than this is evil.

¹²·³⁸Itʼs written, an eye for an eye, and a tooth for
a tooth. ³⁹But I tell you, donʼt resist an evil per-
son. Instead, if someone slaps you on the right
cheek, turn to him the other also. ⁴⁰If someone wants
to sue you and take your shirt, let him have your
coat also. ⁴¹If someone forces you to go one mile, go
with him two. ⁴²Give to him who asks you, and donʼt
turn away from him who wants to borrow from you.

¹²·⁴³Itʼs written, “Love your neighbor and hate your
enemy.” ⁴⁴But I tell you, love your enemies, bless
those who curse you, do good to those who hate you,
and pray for those who mistreat you and persecute you
⁴⁵that you may be sons of God. For he makes his sun
rise on the evil and the good.

¹³·¹You should give to the poor, but beware of prac-
ticing your righteousness before men to be seen by
them. ²So when you give to the poor, donʼt sound a
trumpet before you, as the hypocrites do, to be
praised by men. They have their reward. ³But when you
give to the poor, donʼt let your left hand know what
your right hand is doing, ⁴so that your giving may be
in secret.

¹³·⁵When you pray, donʼt do as the hypocrites, for
they love to pray to be seen by men. They have their
reward. ⁶But when you pray, go into your room, shut
your door, and pray to God who is in secret. ⁷When
you pray, donʼt use meaningless repetition like the
pagans, for they think that they will be heard for
their many words.

¹³·¹⁶When you fast, donʼt look gloomy like the
hypocrites, for they disfigure their faces to show
men that theyʼre fasting. They have their reward.
¹⁷But when you fast, anoint your head, and wash your
face ¹⁸so that your fasting is not obvious to men,
but to God, who is in secret.

¹³·¹⁹Donʼt store up for yourselves treasures on
earth, where moth and rust destroy, and thieves break
in and steal. ²⁰But store up for yourselves treasures
in heaven, where neither moth nor rust destroys, and
where thieves do not break in and steal. ²¹For where
your treasure is, there your heart will be also.

¹³·²⁴No one can serve two masters, for either heʼll
hate the one and love the other, or heʼll be devoted
to the one and despise the other. You canʼt serve God
and money.

¹⁴·¹Donʼt judge, so that you wonʼt be judged. ²For in
the way you judge, you will be judged; and with the
measure you use, it will be measured to you. ³Why do
you look at the speck in your brotherʼs eye but donʼt
notice the log in your own eye? ¹²Therefore, whatev-
er you want others to do to you, do also to them.

¹⁴·¹⁵Beware of false prophets who come to you in
sheepʼs clothing, but inwardly are ravenous wolves.
¹⁶You will recognize them by their fruits. Are grapes
gathered from thornbushes, or figs from thistles?
¹⁷Likewise, every good tree bears good fruit, but a
bad tree bears bad fruit. ¹⁸A good tree cannot bear
bad fruit, nor can a bad tree bear good fruit. ²⁰So
youʼll recognize them by their fruits.

¹⁴·²⁴Everyone who hears these words of mine and acts
on them will be like a wise man who built his house
on the rock. ²⁵The rain fell, the floods came, and
the winds blew and beat against that house. Yet it
did not fall, because its foundation was on the rock.

¹⁴·²⁶Everyone who hears these words of mine and does-
nʼt act on them, will be like a foolish man who built
his house on the sand. ²⁷The rain fell, the floods
came, and the winds blew and beat against that house,
and it fell.

¹⁵·⁹Turn to me, and endure to the end, and you will
live. For to him who endures to the end, I will give
eternal life. ¹⁰Iʼve given you the commandments,
therefore keep my commandments.

¹⁷·²I can see that youʼre weak, that you canʼt under-
stand everything Iʼm speaking to you. ³Therefore, go
to your homes, ponder on what Iʼve said, and ask God
that you may understand.

¹⁸·¹⁸You must watch and pray always to avoid tempta-
tion. ²¹Pray to God in your families that your wives
and your children may be blessed. ²²Meet together of-
ten, and forbid no man from coming to you when you
meet together, ²³but pray for them, and donʼt cast
them out.

—

¹⁸·³⁶When Jesus finished these sayings, ³⁹he depart-
ed from them.

# Mormon

⁸·¹I, Moroni, finish the record of my father, Mormon.
I only have a few things to write, which things my fa-
ther commanded me.

⁸·³Our enemies killed my father, and I alone remain
to write the sad tale of the destruction of my peo-
ple. I donʼt know whether they will kill me. ⁵All my
relatives have been killed in battle, and I have no
friends, and nowhere to go.

⁸·¹²Whoever receives this record, and doesnʼt con-
demn it because of its imperfections, will know of
greater things than these; ¹⁹for one who judges rash-
ly will be judged rashly again; for his wages will be
according to his works. ²⁰The scripture says, “God
says, ‘Man shall not strike, neither shall he judge,
for judgment is mine, and vengeance is mine also, and
I will repay.’”

⁸·²²For the eternal purposes of God will roll on un-
til all his promises are fulfilled.

—

⁸·³¹Many will say, “Do this or do that, and it does-
nʼt matter, for God will uphold them at the last
day.” But woe to them, for they are in the gall of
bitterness and in the bonds of iniquity. ³²Churches
will be built up that will say, “Come to me and for
your money you will be forgiven of your sins.” ³³You
wicked and perverse and stubborn people.

⁸·³⁶I know that you walk in the pride of your hearts,
to wearing very fine clothing, to envying, strife,
malice, persecution, and all manner of iniquity.
³⁷For you love money, your possessions, your fine
clothing, and adorning your churches more than you
love the poor and the needy, the sick and the af-
flicted. ³⁹Why do you adorn yourselves with what has
no life and yet allow the hungry, the needy, the na-
ked, the sick, and the afflicted to pass by you, and
not notice them?

⁹·²⁷Donʼt doubt, but believe, and come to God with
all your heart, and work out your own salvation with
fear and trembling before him. ²⁸Be wise during your
probation. Strip yourselves of all impurity. Donʼt
ask so that you may spend it on your pleasures, but
ask with an unwavering firmness that you will yield
to no temptation, but serve the true and living God.

⁹·³¹Donʼt condemn me or my father because of our im-
perfections, neither those who have written before
us. Rather, give thanks to God that he has revealed
our imperfections to you, that you may learn to be
wiser than we have been.

# Moroni

⁷·¹I, Moroni, write some of the words of my father
Mormon:

—

⁷·²I, Mormon, speak to you. ⁵I remember Godʼs word,
which says you will recognize them by their works,
for if their works are good then they are also good.
⁶For God has said, an evil man cannot do what is
good. For if he offers a gift, or prays to God, un-
less he does it with real intent he gains nothing,
⁷for it is not counted to him as righteousness. ⁸For
if an evil man gives a gift, he does it reluctantly,
therefore itʼs counted to him the same as if he had
retained the gift, therefore heʼs counted evil be-
fore God.

⁷·⁹Likewise, itʼs counted evil to a man if he prays
without real intent of heart. He gains nothing, for
God receives none such. ¹⁰Therefore, an evil man can-
not do what is good. ¹¹A bitter spring cannot pour
out good water, neither can a good spring pour out
bitter water.

⁷·¹³That which is of God invites and entices to do
good continually. Therefore, everything which invites
and entices to do good, to love God, and to serve
him, is inspired of God. ¹⁴Be on guard that you donʼt
judge what is evil to be of God, or what is good and
of God to be of the devil. ¹⁸See that you donʼt judge
unjustly, for with the same judgment that you judge
you will also be judged.

—

⁷·⁴⁴If a man doesnʼt have love he is nothing. ⁴⁵Love
is patient, is kind, doesnʼt envy, isnʼt arrogant, is-
nʼt self-seeking, isnʼt irritable, keeps no record of
wrongs, doesnʼt rejoice in unrighteousness but
rejoices in the truth, bears all things, believes all
things, hopes all things, and endures all things.

⁷·⁴⁶Therefore, love never ends. Hold fast to love,
which is the greatest of all, for all things must
end, ⁴⁷but love endures forever, and whoever
possesses it at the last day, it will go well with
him.

—

¹⁰·¹Now I, Moroni, ³exhort you that when you read
these things, you should remember how merciful God
has been to the children of men, and ponder it in
your hearts.

¹⁰·⁸Donʼt deny the gifts of God, for they are many,
and they come from the same God. There are different
ways that these gifts are administered, but itʼs the
same God who works all things in all men, and theyʼre
given to profit men. ⁹To one is given that he may
teach a message of wisdom, ¹⁰to another teaching a
message of knowledge, ¹¹to another very great faith,
to another the gifts of healing, ¹²to another work-
ing mighty miracles, ¹³to another prophesy about all
things, ¹⁴to another seeing angels and ministering
spirits, ¹⁵to another all kinds of tongues, ¹⁶and to
another the interpretation of languages. ¹⁷All these
gifts come from God to every man individually, as he
wills.

¹⁰·²¹Unless you have love, faith, and hope, you can-
not be saved. ²²If you donʼt have hope you must be in
despair, and despair comes because of iniquity.

¹⁰·³⁴I say to all, farewell. I soon go to rest in
Godʼs paradise.