FOURTH NEPHI
THE BOOK OF NEPHI,
WHICH WHO IS THE SON
OF NEPHI,--ONE OF THE
DISCIPLES OF JESUS CHRIST.
CHAPTER I.
An account of the people of Nephi, according to his
Rrecord.
AND it came to pass that the thirty and fourth year passed away, and also the thirty and fifth, and behold the disciples of Jesus had formed a church of Christ in all the lands round about. And as many as did come unto them, and did truly repent of their sins, were baptized in the name of Jesus; and they did also receive the Holy Ghost.
2 And it came to pass in the thirty and sixth year, the people were all
converted unto the Lord, upon all the face of the land, both Nephites and
Lamanites, and there was were no
contentions and disputations among them, and every man did deal justly one with
another;.
3 aAnd they had all things common
among them,; therefore there were
not rich and poor, bond and free, but they were all made free, and partakers of
the Hheavenly gift.
4 And it came to pass that the thirty and seventh year passed away also, and there still continued to be peace in the land.
5 And there were great and marvellous works wrought by the
disciples of Jesus, insomuch that they did heal the sick, and raise the dead,
and cause the lame to walk, and the blind to receive their sight, and the deaf
to hear; and all manner of miracles did they work among the children of men; and
in nothing did they work miracles save it were in the name of Jesus.
6 And thus did the thirty and eighth year pass away, and also the thirty and
ninth, and the forty and first, and the forty and
second;, yea, even until forty and
nine years had passed away, and also the fifty and first, and the fifty and
second; yea, and even until fifty and nine years had passed
away;.
7 aAnd the Lord did prosper them
exceedingly, in the land; yea, insomuch that they did
fill build cities again where there
had been cities burned;.
8 yYea, even that great city
Zarahemla did they cause to be built again.
9 But there were many cities which had been sunk, and waters came up in the stead thereof; therefore these cities could not be renewed.
10 And now, behold, it came to pass that the people of Nephi did wax strong, and did multiply exceedingly fast, and became an exceedingly fair and delightsome people.
11 And they were married, and given in marriage, and were blessed according to the multitude of the promises which the Lord had made unto them.
12 And they did not walk any more after the performances and ordinances of
the law of Moses,; but they did walk
after the commandments which they had received from their Lord and their God,
continuing in fasting and prayer, and in meeting together oft,
both to pray and to hear the word of the Lord.
13 And it came to pass that there was no contention among all the people, in
all the land,; but there were mighty
miracles wrought among the disciples of Jesus.
14 And it came to pass that the seventy and first year passed away, and also
the seventy and second year;, yea,
and in fine, till the seventy and ninth year had
passed away; yea, even an hundred years had passed away, and the disciples of
Jesus, whom he had chosen, had all gone to the paradise of God, save it were the
three which who should
tarry:; Aand there were other disciples ordained in their stead; and
also many of that generation which had passed away.
15 And it came to pass that there was no contention in the land, because of the love of God which did dwell in the hearts of the people.
16 And there were no envyings, nor strifes, nor tumults, nor whoredoms, nor
lyings, nor murders, nor no any
manner of lasciviousness:; and
surely there could not be a happier people among all the people
which who had been created by the
hand of God:.
17 There were no robbers, nor no murderers, neither were
there Lamanites, nor no any manner
of -Iites; but they were in one, the children of Christ, and
heirs to the kingdom of God:.
18 And now blessed were they,!
fFor the Lord did bless them
in all their doings; yea, even they were blessed and prospered,
until an hundred and ten years had passed away:; Aand the
first generation from Christ had passed away, and there was no contention in all
the land.
19 And it came to pass that Nephi, he that kept this last record, (and he
kept it upon the plates of Nephi,) died, and his son Amos kept
it in his stead; and he kept it upon the plates of Nephi
also;.
20 aAnd he kept it eighty and
four years, and there was still peace in the land, save it were a small part of
the people, which who had revolted from the church, and
took taken upon them the name of
Lamanites; therefore there began to be Lamanites again in the land.
21 And it came to pass that Amos died also, (and it was an hundred and ninety
and four years from the coming of Christ,) and his son Amos
kept the record in his stead; and he also kept it upon the plates of Nephi; and
it was also written in the book of Nephi, which is in this
book.
22 And it came to pass that two hundred years had passed
away:; Aand the second generation had all passed away save it were
a few.
23 And now I, Mormon, would that ye should know that the people had multiplied, insomuch that they were spread upon all the face of the land, and that they had become exceedingly rich, because of their prosperity in Christ.
24 And now, in this two hundred and first
year, there began to be among them those which
who were lifted up in pride, such as the wearing of
costly apparel, and all manner of fine pearls, and of the fine things of the
world.
25 And from that time forth they did have their goods and their substance no
more common among them,.
26 aAnd they began to be divided
into classes,; and they began to
build up churches unto themselves, to get gain, and began to
deny the true church of Christ.
27 And it came to pass that when two hundred and ten years had passed away
there were many churches in the land; yea, there were many churches which professed to know the Christ, and yet
they did deny the more parts of his gospel, insomuch that they did receive all
manner of wickedness, and did administer that which was sacred unto him to whom
it had been forbidden, because of unworthiness.
28 And this church did multiply exceedingly, because of
iniquity, and because of the power of sSatan which who
did get hold upon their hearts.
29 And again, there was another church which denied the Christ; and they did
persecute the true church of Christ, because of their humility,
and their belief in Christ; and they did despise them, because
of the many miracles which were wrought among them;.
30 tTherefore they did exercise
power and authority over the disciples of Jesus which who did tarry with them, and they did cast them into
prison; but by the power of the word of God, which was in them, the prisons were
rent in twain, and they went forth doing mighty miracles among them.
31 Nevertheless, and notwithstanding all these miracles, the people did harden their hearts, and did seek to kill
them, even as the Jews at Jerusalem sought to kill Jesus, according to his
word,.
32 aAnd they did cast them into
furnaces of fire, and they came forth receiving no harm;.
33 aAnd they also cast them into
dens of wild beasts, and they did play with the wild beasts even as a child with
a lamb; and they did come forth from among them, receiving no harm.
34 Nevertheless, the people did harden their hearts, for they were led by many priests and false prophets to build up many churches, and to do all manner of iniquity. And they did smite upon the people of Jesus; but the people of Jesus did not smite again. And thus they did dwindle in unbelief and wickedness, from year to year, even until two hundred and thirty years had passed away.
35 And now it came to pass in this year, yea, in the two hundred and thirty
and first year, there were was a great division among the people.
36 And it came to pass that in this year there arose a people which
was who were called the Nephites, and they
were true believers in Christ; and among them there were they which
was those who were called by the
Lamanites,--Jacobites, and
Josephites, and Zoramites;
37 tTherefore the true believers
in Christ, and the true worshippers of Christ, (among whom were
the three disciples of Jesus which who should tarry,) were called
Nephites, and Jacobites, and Josephites, and
Zoramites.
38 And it came to pass that they which who rejected the gospel, were called
Lamanites, and Lemuelites, and Ishmaelites; and they did not dwindle in
unbelief, but they did wilfully rebel against the gospel of Christ; and they did
teach their children that they should not believe, even as their fathers, from
the beginning, did dwindle.
39 And it was because of the wickedness and abominations of
their fathers, even as it was in the beginning. And they were taught to
hate the children of God, even as the Lamanites were taught to hate the children
of Nephi, from the beginning.
40 And it came to pass that two hundred and forty and four years had passed away, and thus were the affairs of the people. And the more wicked part of the people did wax strong, and became exceedingly more numerous than were the people of God.
41 And they did still continue to build up churches unto themselves, and adorn them with all manner of precious things. And thus did two hundred and fifty years pass away, and also two hundred and sixty years.
42 And it came to pass that the wicked part of the people began again to
build up the secret oaths and combinations of Gaddianton.
43 And also the people which who
were called the people of Nephi, began to be proud in their
hearts, because of their exceeding riches, and become vain,
like unto their brethren, the Lamanites.
44 And from this time, the disciples began to sorrow for the
sins of the world.
45 And it came to pass that when three hundred years had passed away, both
the people of Nephi and the Lamanites had become exceedingly wicked, one like unto another.
46 And it came to pass that the robbers of Gaddianton did
spread over all the face of the land; and there were none that were
righteous, save it were the disciples of Jesus. And gold
and silver did they lay up in store in abundance, and did traffic in all manner
of traffic.
47 And it came to pass that after three hundred and five years had passed
away, (and the people did still remain in wickedness,) Amos
died,; and his brother, Ammaron, did
keep the record, in his stead.
48 And it came to pass that when three hundred and twenty years had passed
away, Ammaron, being constrained by the Holy Ghost, did hide up the records
which were sacred;--yea, even all
the sacred records which had been handed down from generation to generation,
which were sacred,--even until the
three hundred and twentieth year from the coming of Christ.
49 And he did hide them up unto the Lord, that they might come again unto the remnant of the house of Jacob, according to the prophecies and the promises of the Lord. And thus is the end of the record of Ammaron.