| 3:1 And it came to pass that the Lamanites did not
come to battle again until ten years more had passed
away. And behold, I had employed my people, the Nephites,
in preparing their lands and their arms against the time
of battle. |
|
| 3:2 And it came to pass that the Lord did say unto
me: Cry unto this people--1Repent ye, and come unto me, and be ye baptized,
and build up again my church, and ye shall be spared. |
[1] Acts 2:38: ...Repent, and be baptized every
one of you in the name of Jesus Christ for the remission
of sins, and ye shall receive the gift of the Holy Ghost.
|
| 3:3 And I did cry unto this people, but it was in
vain; and they did not realize that it was the Lord that
had spared them, and granted unto them a chance for
repentance. And behold they did harden their hearts
against the Lord their God. |
|
| 3:4 And it came to pass that after this tenth year
had passed away, making, in the whole, three hundred and
sixty years from the coming of Christ, the king of the
Lamanites sent an epistle unto me, which gave unto me to
know that they were preparing to come again to battle
against us. |
|
| 3:5 And it came to pass that I did cause my people
that they should gather themselves together at the land
Desolation, to a city which was in the borders, by the
narrow pass which led into the land southward. |
|
| 3:6 And there we did place our armies, that we
might stop the armies of the Lamanites, that they might
not get possession of any of our lands; therefore we did
fortify against them with all our force. |
|
| 3:7 And it came to pass that in the three hundred
and sixty and first year the Lamanites did come down to
the city of Desolation to battle against us; and it came
to pass that in that year we did beat them, insomuch that
they did return to their own lands again. |
|
| 3:8 And in the three hundred and sixty and second
year they did come down again to battle. And we did beat
them again, and did slay a great number of them, and
their dead were cast into the sea. |
|
| 3:9 And now, because of this great thing which my
people, the Nephites, had done, they began to boast in
their own strength, and began to swear before the heavens
that they would avenge themselves of the blood of their
brethren who had been slain by their enemies. |
|
| 3:10 And they did swear by the heavens, and also by
the throne of God, that they would go up to battle
against their enemies, and would cut them off from the
face of the land. |
|
| 3:11 And it came to pass that I, Mormon, did utterly
refuse from this time forth to be a commander and a
leader of this people, because of their wickedness and
abomination. |
|
| 3:12 Behold, I had led them, notwithstanding their
wickedness I had led them many times to battle, and had
loved them, according to the love of God which was in me,
with all my heart; and my soul had been poured out in
prayer unto my God all the day long for them;
nevertheless, it was without faith, because of the
hardness of their hearts. |
|
| 3:13 And thrice have I delivered them out of the
hands of their enemies, and they have repented not of
their sins. |
|
| 3:14 And when they had sworn by all that had been
forbidden them by our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ, that
they would go up unto their enemies to battle, and avenge
themselves of the blood of their brethren, behold the
voice of the Lord came unto me, saying: |
|
| 3:15 1Vengeance is mine, and I will repay; and because
this people repented not after I had delivered them,
behold, they shall be cut off from the face of the earth.
|
Topic: New testament Paraphrases [1] Romans 12:19:
...Vengeance is mine; I will repay, saith the
Lord.
Romans 12:9 quotes Deuteronomy 32:35. See also Mormon 8:20.
|
| 3:16 And it came to pass that I utterly refused to
go up against mine enemies; and I did even as the Lord
had commanded me; and I did stand as an idle witness to
manifest unto the world the things which I saw and heard,
according to the manifestations of the Spirit which had
testified of things to come. |
|
| 3:17 Therefore I write unto you, Gentiles, and also
unto you, house of Israel, when the work shall commence,
that ye shall be about to prepare to return to the land
of your inheritance; |
|
| 3:18 Yea, behold, I write unto all the ends of the
earth; yea, unto you, twelve tribes of Israel, who shall
be judged according to your works by the twelve whom
Jesus chose to be his disciples in the land of Jerusalem.
|
|
| 3:19 And I write also unto the remnant of this
people, who shall also be judged by the twelve whom Jesus
chose in this land; and they shall be judged by the other
twelve whom Jesus chose in the land of Jerusalem. |
|
| 3:20 And these things doth the Spirit manifest unto
me; therefore I write unto you all. And for this cause I
write unto you, that ye may know that 1ye must
all stand before the judgment-seat of Christ, yea, every
soul who belongs to the whole human family of Adam; and
ye must stand to be judged of your works, whether they be
good or evil; |
[1] II Corinthians 5:10: For we must all appear
before the judgment seat of Christ; that every one may
receive the things done in his body,
according to that he hath done, whether it be good
or bad. |
| 3:21 And also that ye may believe the gospel of
Jesus Christ, which ye shall have among you; and also
that the Jews, the covenant people of the Lord, shall
have other witness besides him whom they saw and heard,
that Jesus, whom they slew, was the very Christ and the
very God. |
|
| 3:22 And I would that I could persuade all ye ends
of the earth to repent and prepare to 1stand
before the judgment-seat of Christ. |
[1] II Corinthians 5:10: For we must all
appear before the judgment seat of Christ... |
