| 12:1 And it came to pass that after the space of two
years that Abinadi came among them in disguise, that they
knew him not, and began to prophesy among them, saying:
Thus has the Lord commanded me, saying--Abinadi, go and
prophesy unto this my people, for they have hardened
their hearts against my words; they have repented not of
their evil doings; therefore, I will visit them in my
anger, yea, in my fierce anger will I visit them in their
iniquities and abominations. |
|
| 12:2 Yea, wo be unto this generation! And the Lord
said unto me: Stretch forth thy hand and prophesy,
saying: Thus saith the Lord, it shall come to pass that
this generation, because of their iniquities, shall be
brought into bondage, and shall be smitten on the cheek;
yea, and shall be driven by men, and shall be slain; and
the vultures of the air, and the dogs, yea, and the wild
beasts, shall devour their flesh. |
|
| 12:3 And it shall come to pass that the life of king
Noah shall be valued even as a garment in a hot furnace;
for he shall know that I am the Lord. |
|
| 12:4 And it shall come to pass that I will smite
this my people with sore afflictions, yea, with famine
and with pestilence; and I will cause that they shall
howl all the day long. |
|
| 12:5 Yea, and I will cause that they shall have
burdens lashed upon their backs; and they shall be driven
before like a dumb ass. |
|
| 12:6 And it shall come to pass that I will send
forth hail among them, and it shall smite them; and they
shall also be smitten with the east wind; and insects
shall pester their land also, and devour their grain. |
|
| 12:7 And they shall be smitten with a great
pestilence--and all this will I do because of their
iniquities and abominations. |
|
| 12:8 And it shall come to pass that except they
repent I will utterly destroy them from off the face of
the earth; yet they shall leave a record behind them, and
I will preserve them for other nations which shall
possess the land; yea, even this will I do that I may
discover the abominations of this people to other
nations. And many things did Abinadi prophesy against
this people. |
|
| 12:9 And it came to pass that they were angry with
him; and they took him and carried him bound before the
king, and said unto the king: Behold, we have brought a
man before thee who has prophesied evil concerning thy
people, and saith that God will destroy them. |
|
| 12:10 And he also prophesieth evil concerning thy
life, and saith that thy life shall be as a garment in a
furnace of fire. |
|
| 12:11 And again, he saith that thou shalt be as a
stalk, even as a dry stalk of the field, which is run
over by the beasts and trodden under foot. |
|
| 12:12 And again, he saith thou shalt be as the
blossoms of a thistle, which, when it is fully ripe, if
the wind bloweth, it is driven forth upon the face of the
land. And he pretendeth the Lord hath spoken it. And he
saith all this shall come upon thee except thou repent,
and this because of thine iniquities. |
|
| 12:13 And now, O king, what great evil hast thou
done, or what great sins have thy people committed, that
we should be condemned of God or judged of this man? |
|
| 12:14 And now, O king, behold, we are guiltless, and
thou, O king, hast not sinned; therefore, this man has
lied concerning you, and he has prophesied in vain. |
|
| 12:15 And behold, we are strong, we shall not come
into bondage, or be taken captive by our enemies; yea,
and thou hast prospered in the land, and thou shalt also
prosper. |
|
| 12:16 Behold, here is the man, we deliver him into
thy hands; thou mayest do with him as seemeth thee good. |
|
| 12:17 And it came to pass that king Noah caused that
Abinadi should be cast into prison; and he commanded that
the priests should gather themselves together that he
might hold a council with them what he should do with
him. |
|
| 12:18 And it came to pass that they said unto the
king: Bring him hither that we may question him; and the
king commanded that he should be brought before them. |
|
| 12:19 And they began to 1question him, that they might cross him, that
thereby they might have wherewith to accuse him; but he
answered them boldly, and withstood all their questions,
yea, to their astonishment; for he did withstand them in
all their questions, and did confound them in all their
words. |
[1] John 8:6: This they said, tempting him, that
they might have to accuse him... |
| 12:20 And it came to pass that one of them said unto
him: What meaneth the words which are written, and which
have been taught by our fathers, saying: |
|
| 12:21 How beautiful upon the mountains are the feet
of him that bringeth good tidings; that publisheth peace;
that bringeth good tidings of good; that publisheth
salvation; that saith unto Zion, Thy God reigneth; |
The following
section is quoted from Isaiah 52, which was not written
until fifty years after Lehi left Jerusalem. See the note
at I Nephi
20:1. 52:7
How beautiful upon the mountains are the feet of him that
bringeth good tidings, that publisheth peace; that
bringeth good tidings of good, that publisheth salvation;
that saith unto Zion, Thy God reigneth!
|
| 12:22 Thy watchmen shall lift up the voice; with the
voice together shall they sing; for they shall see eye to
eye when the Lord shall bring again Zion; |
52:8 Thy
watchmen shall lift up the voice; with the voice together
shall they sing: for they shall see eye to eye, when the
Lord shall bring again Zion. |
| 12:23 Break forth into joy; sing together ye waste
places of Jerusalem; for the Lord hath comforted his
people, he hath redeemed Jerusalem; |
52:9 Break
forth into joy, sing together, ye waste places of
Jerusalem: for the Lord hath comforted his people, he
hath redeemed Jerusalem. |
| 12:24 The Lord hath made bare his holy arm in the
eyes of all the nations, and all the ends of the earth
shall see the salvation of our God? |
52:10 The
Lord hath made bare his holy arm in the eyes of all the
nations; and all the ends of the earth shall see the
salvation of our God. |
| 12:25 And now Abinadi said unto them: Are you
priests, and pretend to teach this people, and to
understand the spirit of prophesying, and yet desire to
know of me what these things mean? |
|
| 12:26 I say unto you, wo be unto you for 1perverting the ways of the Lord! For if ye
understand these things ye have not taught them;
therefore, ye have perverted the ways of the Lord. |
[1] Acts 13:10 ...wilt thou
not cease to pervert the right ways of the Lord? |
| 12:27 Ye have not applied your hearts to
understanding; therefore, ye have not been wise.
Therefore, what teach ye this people? |
|
| 12:28 And they said: We teach the law of Moses. |
|
| 12:29 And again he said unto them: If ye teach the law of Moses why do ye not keep it? Why do ye set your
hearts upon riches? Why do ye commit whoredoms and spend
your strength with harlots, yea, and cause this people to
commit sin, that the Lord has cause to send me to
prophesy against this people, yea, even a great evil
against this people? |
|
| 12:30 Know ye not that I speak the truth? Yea, ye
know that I speak the truth; and you ought to tremble
before God. |
|
| 12:31 And it shall come to pass that ye shall be
smitten for your iniquities, for ye have said that ye
teach the law
of Moses. And what know ye
concerning the law of Moses? Doth salvation come by the
law of Moses? What say ye? |
|
| 12:32 And they answered and said that salvation did
come by the law
of Moses. |
|
| 12:33 But now Abinadi said unto them: I know if ye
keep the commandments of God ye shall be saved; yea, if
ye keep the commandments which the Lord delivered unto
Moses in the mount of Sinai, saying: |
|
| 12:34 I am the Lord thy God, who hath brought thee
out of the land of Egypt, out of the house of bondage. |
The following
section is quoted from Exodus 20. 20:2
I am the Lord thy God, which have brought thee out of the
land of Egypt, out of the house of bondage.
|
| 12:35 Thou shalt have no other God before me. |
20:3 Thou
shalt have no other gods before me. |
| 12:36 Thou shalt not make unto thee any graven image,
or any likeness of any thing in heaven above, or things
which are in the earth beneath. |
20:4 Thou
shalt not make unto thee any graven image, or any
likeness of any thing that is in heaven above, or that is
in the earth beneath, or that is in the water under the
earth. |
| 12:37 Now Abinadi said unto them, Have ye done all
this? I say unto you, Nay, ye have not. And have ye
taught this people that they should do all these things?
I say unto you, Nay, ye have not. |
|
