| 13:1 And now it came to pass in the eighty and sixth
year, the Nephites did still remain in wickedness, yea,
in great wickedness, while the Lamanites did observe
strictly to keep the commandments of God, according to
the law of
Moses. |
|
| 13:2 And it came to pass that in this year there was
one Samuel, a Lamanite, came into the land of Zarahemla,
and began to preach unto the people. And it came to pass
that he did preach, many days, repentance unto the
people, and they did cast him out, and he was about to
return to his own land. |
|
| 13:3 But behold, the voice of the Lord came unto
him, that he should return again, and prophesy unto the
people whatsoever things should come into his heart. |
|
| 13:4 And it came to pass that they would not suffer
that he should enter into the city; therefore he went and
got upon the wall thereof, and stretched forth his hand
and cried with a loud voice, and prophesied unto the
people whatsoever things the Lord put into his heart. |
|
| 13:5 And he said unto them: Behold, I, Samuel, a
Lamanite, do speak the words of the Lord which he doth
put into my heart; and behold he hath put it into my
heart to say unto this people that the sword of justice
hangeth over this people; and four hundred years pass not
away save the sword of justice falleth upon this people. |
|
| 13:6 Yea, heavy destruction awaiteth this people,
and it surely cometh unto this people, and nothing can
save this people save it be repentance and faith on the
Lord Jesus Christ, who surely shall come into the world, and
shall suffer many things and shall be slain for his
people. |
|
| 13:7 And behold, an angel of the Lord hath declared
it unto me, and he did bring glad tidings to my soul. And
behold, I was sent unto you to declare it unto you also,
that ye might have glad tidings; but behold ye would not
receive me. |
|
| 13:8 Therefore, thus saith the Lord: Because of the
hardness of the hearts of the people of the Nephites,
except they repent I will take away my word from them,
and I will withdraw my Spirit from them, and I will
suffer them no longer, and I will turn the hearts of
their brethren against them. |
|
| 13:9 And four hundred years shall not pass away
before I will cause that they shall be smitten; yea, I
will visit them with the sword and with famine
and with pestilence. |
|
| 13:10 Yea, I will visit them in my fierce anger, and
there shall be those of the fourth generation who shall
live, of your enemies, to behold your utter destruction;
and this shall surely come except ye repent, saith the
Lord; and those of the fourth generation shall visit your
destruction. |
|
| 13:11 But if ye will repent and return unto the Lord
your God I will turn away mine anger, saith the Lord;
yea, thus saith the Lord, blessed are they who will
repent and turn unto me, but wo unto him that repenteth
not. |
|
| 13:12 Yea, wo unto this great city of Zarahemla; for
behold, it is because of those who are righteous that it
is saved; yea, wo unto this great city, for I perceive,
saith the Lord, that there are many, yea, even the more
part of this great city, that will harden their hearts
against me, saith the Lord. |
|
| 13:13 But blessed are they who will repent, for them
will I spare. But behold, if it were not for the
righteous who are in this great city, behold, I would
cause that fire should come down out of heaven and
destroy it. |
|
| 13:14 But behold, it is for the righteous' sake that
it is spared. But behold, the time cometh, saith the
Lord, that when ye shall cast out the righteous from
among you, then shall ye be ripe for destruction; yea, wo
be unto this great city, because of the wickedness and
abominations which are in her. |
|
| 13:15 Yea, and wo be unto the city of Gideon, for the
wickedness and abominations which are in her. |
|
| 13:16 Yea, and wo be unto all the cities which are in
the land round about, which are possessed by the
Nephites, because of the wickedness and abominations
which are in them. |
|
| 13:17 And behold, a curse shall come upon the land,
saith the Lord of Hosts, because of the peoples' sake who
are upon the land, yea, because of their wickedness and
their abominations. |
|
| 13:18 And it shall come to pass, saith the Lord of
Hosts, yea, our great and true God, that whoso shall hide
up treasures in the earth shall find them again no more,
because of the great curse of the land, save he be a
righteous man and shall hide it up unto the Lord. |
|
| 13:19 For I will, saith the Lord, that they shall
hide up their treasures unto me; and cursed be they who
hide not up their treasures unto me; for none hideth up
their treasures unto me save it be the righteous; and he
that hideth not up his treasures unto me, cursed is he,
and also the treasure, and none shall redeem it because
of the curse of the land. |
|
| 13:20 And the day shall come that they shall hide up
their treasures, because they have set their hearts upon
riches; and because they have set their hearts upon their
riches, and will hide up their treasures when they shall
flee before their enemies; because they will not hide
them up unto me, cursed be they and also their treasures;
and in that day shall they be smitten, saith the Lord. |
|
| 13:21 Behold ye, the people of this great city, and
hearken unto my words; yea, hearken unto the words which
the Lord saith; for behold, he saith that ye are cursed
because of your riches, and also are your riches cursed
because ye have set your hearts upon them, and have not
hearkened unto the words of him who gave them unto you. |
|
| 13:22 Ye do not remember the Lord your God in the
things with which he hath blessed you, but ye do always
remember your riches, not to thank the Lord your God for
them; yea, your hearts are not drawn out unto the Lord,
but they do swell with great pride, unto boasting, and
unto great swelling, envyings, strifes, malice,
persecutions, and murders, and all manner of iniquities. |
|
| 13:23 For this cause hath the Lord God caused that a
curse should come upon the land, and also upon your
riches, and this because of your iniquities. |
|
| 13:24 Yea, wo unto this people, because of this time
which has arrived, that ye do cast out the prophets, and
do mock them, and cast stones at them, and do slay them,
and do all manner of iniquity unto them, even as they did
of old time. |
|
| 13:25 And now when ye talk, ye say: 1If our
days had been in the days of our fathers of old, we would
not have slain the prophets; we would not have stoned
them, and cast them out. |
[1] Matthew 23:30: And say, If we had been in the
days of our fathers, we would not have been partakers
with them in the blood of the prophets. |
| 13:26 Behold ye are worse than they; for as the Lord
liveth, if a prophet come among you and declareth unto
you the word of the Lord, which testifieth of your sins
and iniquities, ye are angry with him, and cast him out
and seek all manner of ways to destroy him; yea, you will
say that he is a false prophet, and that he is a sinner,
and of the devil, because he testifieth that your deeds are
evil. |
|
| 13:27 But behold, if a man shall come among you and
shall say: Do this, and there is no iniquity; do that and
ye shall not suffer; yea, he will say: Walk after the
pride of your own hearts; yea, walk after the pride of
your eyes, and do whatsoever your heart desireth--and if
a man shall come among you and say this, ye will receive
him, and say that he is a prophet. |
|
| 13:28 Yea, ye will lift him up, and ye will give unto
him of your substance; ye will give unto him of your
gold, and of your silver, and ye will clothe him with
costly apparel; and because he speaketh flattering words
unto you, and he saith that all is well, then ye will not
find fault with him. |
|
| 13:29 O ye 1wicked and ye perverse generation; ye hardened
and ye stiffnecked people, how long will ye suppose that
the Lord will suffer you? Yea, how long will ye suffer
yourselves to be led by foolish and 2blind guides? Yea, how long will ye 3choose
darkness rather than light? |
[1] Matthew 17:17: ...O faithless and perverse
generation...
[2] Matthew 23:16: ...ye
blind guides...
[3] John 3:19: ...men loved darkness rather than
light... |
| 13:30 Yea, behold, the anger of the Lord is already
kindled against you; behold, he hath cursed the land
because of your iniquity. |
|
| 13:31 And behold, the time cometh that he curseth
your riches, that they become slippery, that ye cannot
hold them; and in the days of your poverty ye cannot
retain them. |
|
| 13:32 And in the days of your poverty ye shall cry
unto the Lord; and in vain shall ye cry, for your
desolation is already come upon you, and your destruction
is made sure; and then shall ye weep and howl in that
day, saith the Lord of Hosts. And then shall ye lament,
and say: |
|
| 13:33 O that I had repented, and had not killed the
prophets, and stoned them, and cast them out. Yea, in
that day ye shall say: O that we had remembered the Lord
our God in the day that he gave us our riches, and then
they would not have become slippery that we should lose
them; for behold, our riches are gone from us. |
|
| 13:34 Behold, we lay a tool here and on the morrow it
is gone; and behold, our swords are taken from
us in the day we have sought them for battle. |
|
| 13:35 Yea, we have hid up our treasures and they have
slipped away from us, because of the curse of the land. |
|
| 13:36 O that we had repented in the day that the word
of the Lord came unto us; for behold the land is cursed,
and all things are become slippery, and we cannot hold
them. |
|
| 13:37 Behold, we are surrounded by demons, yea, we are encircled about by the angels of
him who hath sought to destroy our souls. Behold, our
iniquities are great. O Lord, canst thou not turn away
thine anger from us? And this shall be your language in
those days. |
|
| 13:38 But behold, your days of probation are past; ye
have procrastinated the day of your salvation until it is
everlastingly too late, and your destruction is made
sure; yea, for ye have sought all the days of your lives
for that which ye could not obtain; and ye have sought
for happiness in doing iniquity, which thing is contrary
to the nature of that righteousness which is in our great
and Eternal Head. |
|
| 13:39 O ye people of the land, that ye would hear my
words! And I pray that the anger of the Lord be turned
away from you, and that ye would repent and be saved. |
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