THE SECOND BOOK OF SAMUEL (THE LAMANITE)

1And it came to pass that my father was the Chief High Priest of the People of Corianton. Now, the people whom Corianton discovered in the wilderness were not united in any way, and they did often go up to battle against their neighbors. But Corianton taught them to be unified and to love one another. And they became a great people, a people who loved peace. And behold, they did make him to be a king unto them.

2But when the people of Corianton joined with the Nem, and became Nem, they no longer raised up kings unto themselves, but adopted the ways and customs of the Nem. And from that day, Corianton became the High Priest of the Nem of Corianton, and so also his children after him. Wherefore, my father, Alma, the son of Corianton, had the people also chosen to be High priest unto them.

3Now, at the time in which I had returned unto my own people, my father had grown old and he was exceedingly frail of body. Wherefore, he did ask the people to seek the guidance of the Spirit in the choosing of one to sit in the seat of the High Priest in his stead. For he was tired and knew that he would soon go the way of the world. Wherefore, he asked the Council of Corianton to meet and to choose a new High Priest for the city.

4But behold, they forestalled him. For, the Spirit constrained them to patience. Wherefore, they told my father that the Spirit would have none as Chief High Priest but him. And this thing did displease my father, for it was hard for him to believe that the Council could be so deaf to the Spirit. For he believed that the Council, if they had ears to hear, would hear exactly as he did. Now, in this his judgment was flawed.

5And is it not often so? Do we all not believe that because we see a thing that every other person who looks upon it shall perceive the same thing? But behold, it is not so. For each person sees from their own place and we must be careful not to allow our own vision to dictate the sight of another. Let each stand in his lot and endure the gifts he shall have received from the Spirit. And let not one man judge another in matters of perception. For, we have not all things before us. Nay, we see not the end from the beginning. Wherefore, how may we judge?

6But behold, my father did judge. For, had the Spirit not told him that his time had come? And if the Spirit spoke thus to him, then why not to the Council? And he continued to press the Council for someone to replace him. For, he knew not that I would return. And indeed, he feared to hope that I would ever be seen again in my own city.

7But behold, when I had returned and the noise of my return had died down somewhat, the Council announced that they had once again imposed upon the Spirit to ascertain who might be called upon to fill the seat of the Chief of the High Priests. And behold, they did choose me to fill that seat.

8Now was my father’s joy returned to him. For, he knew that the Lord is with me and that the Council could still feel the guidance of the Spirit. And this did fill my father with great joy. For he did often wonder if the people would continue to follow the way of peace. And in this decision the people did demonstrate that the Spirit did still strive with them.

9But my father did also learn a great thing in that day. For, he had judged the Council, and wronged them in his heart. This lesson have I carried with me since that day. And behold, I would that you also remember these things. For, if I judge another because of my own knowledge and my own understanding, how much more shall I be judged by that One who does have all things before Him? How flawed shall my judgment appear to me then, when I, too, shall see the end from the beginning, and also my error!

10Wherefore, I was called to sit in the seat of my father as the Chief of the High Priests of Corianton, but behold, I am doubtful that I could ever truly fill the seat as my father did. For my father was a man who lived day to day in the presence of the Spirit. And he did teach me to seek the face of my Creator. Yea, and he did teach me while yet a small child to seek the Lord upon the Way. Wherefore, I wonder if I can ever really teach as he did. Nevertheless, it became my desire to fill the high seat as he had done.

11And behold, I hope that I may say that I have done so. For, in the years of my stewardship, the people of Corianton have continued to strive with all their might to follow the council of the Spirit and of the prophets. And surely, we have not been found guilty of that which the Nephites did. For, we have always received the prophets of God and never have we sought to cast them out from among our presence.

12Yea, and on occasion, the people have begun to puff themselves up in pride. For, one thing that is certain is that when a people seek to follow the Lord, He does assuredly bless them and prosper them abundantly. And with abundance does often come pride. And we have at times been guilty of pride. But as often as the Lord has sent among us prophets to warn us of our pride, the people of Corianton have always received them and blessed them.

13And behold, when they have taught us to repent of our growing pride, we have undertaken to repent. And when they have taught us to render service unto our fellow sufferer, we have undertaken to serve. And when they have taught us to give of our abundance, we have undertaken to give of all our surplus to those who have not. Wherefore, I hope to say that the people of Corianton have lived the precepts of God. At least, we have undertaken to strive to do so.

14And during the time of my stewardship, I did strive to keep the people in remembrance of all the doings of our forefathers. Wherefore, I did travel often to Mentina to make copies of the records kept there. And especially to take counsel with Oug, the High Priest of the Nem of Mentina. And behold, he did assist me in creating a library of all the books kept in Mentina for the use of the people of my city.

15And behold, I did set aside a beautiful place where this library could be kept safe. And the place was some distance away from the city. For, it seemed to me expedient for my people to travel to the place of safekeeping to make copies of the works. In this, I thought, the people by their sacrifice to obtain the records might find in them greater worth. And this proved to be so. For, as the people made pilgrimage to the place where the records were kept, and they did sacrifice of themselves to do it. And their sacrifice was accepted by the Lord, and they were blessed.

16Now, the place that I set aside for the safekeeping of the records is called Cumorah, and I named it thus by the commandment of God. For, the Spirit did speak to me in a vision of a hill by such a name which would hold the records of the people until the day of restoration. Wherefore, I did call the place after this strange name, and it was so known among all the people of Corianton.

17And the place was very well suited for this purpose. For, there was in the hill which I called Cumorah, a deep cavity of rock. And it formed a corridor and a great room. And there was no spring or issue of water in the cavity. Wherefore, the place was safe and dry. And behold, it was large enough to hold all of the books, the plates and the scrolls that the Spirit saw fit to cause me to deposit there.

18And behold, the books do number a great many indeed. And they do profit my people greatly for the store of knowledge contained in them. Knowledge of the grandfathers that does sustain my people in a remembrance of all that the Lord has taught His people from the time He did drive Lehi and his family into the wilderness. Yea, and even from before that time.

19Now, this place is sacred to the Nem of Corianton. For it contains the sacred writings of our fathers. And in the cavity are found copies of the Brass Plates, which Lehi, our father, brought with him from the land of Jerusalem. And these are the plates that Nephi, his son, obtained at great cost to himself.

20For behold, the Spirit did constrain Nephi to take the blood of a man in order that the people might not dwindle in unbelief. How great a cost was this to the boy Nephi! For never before had he done any man to death, and yet, the Spirit did constrain him to do that which repelled him the most. For, Laban had stolen all that Lehi and his family possessed and still Nephi did not adjudge him worthy of death. Yea, and Laban had sought to take away his life, and the life of his brethren, and yet, Nephi did not judge him. But, Laban did pronounce a kind of spiritual death upon all the descendents of Lehi. In this, the Lord did judge him, and He delivered him into the hands of the boy, and He did command the boy to take away his life. How hard a commandment must that have been for the tender heart of Nephi!

21But it is sometimes so. The Lord knows our hearts, and sometimes He does command us to do hard things. And behold, sometimes we cannot see the rightness of the commands until after we have either obeyed His will or abandoned Him and sought our own understanding.

22And behold, Cumorah did hold all the writings of the Nephites up unto the time that Hagoth took his journey into the wilderness, and also unto the time that Corianton left his father’s city. And the records of the house of Hagoth are had in part also in the cavity of Cumorah.

23But this is not all. The books written by the Brother of Jared are also safely kept in Cumorah against the day when all the Lord’s teachings may be restored to the people. For the day shall come, after that the Lord has tested and tried the remnant of the children of Israel left in this land, that He will cause even Cumorah to give up her treasure. Yea, He will lead a prophet by the hand and even the words and works of the Brother of Jared shall be had again among the people.

24And the words and works of the Brother of Jared were so great that even in my day, I do not allow all to read of them, and no copies are made of them. Nevertheless, I do know that in a day appointed of the Lord, some small portion of his words shall be made known and shall be had among men. And this shall be a great benefit to the children of men. Yea, and it shall also be to the testing and the trying of the children of Israel that are left in this land in the last days. I know this, for I have seen those days upon the Way, and the Spirit has born record of it.

25Now, the cavity of Cumorah does also contain all the records of the Nem of Corianton. For, it is our custom that every house should keep a record of their doings. Wherefore, in all our cities and in all our villages, there are set apart historians to keep the records of the people. And all these records are kept in the cities themselves, but also are copies kept safe in Cumorah.

26But I say unto you, this is not all. For from time to time, it has been the pleasure of the Lord to send unto us teachers from afar off. Yea, men and women who are great in Spirit and in wisdom have been guided by the Lord unto us from time to time. And oft times we know naught of the land from which they come, but we do receive them and succor them. And we have made it our custom to sit at their feet and learn from them all that they might teach us. And behold, we do record their words also and keep them.