THE SECOND BOOK OF SAMUEL (THE LAMANITE)

Samuel, the Lamanite wrote about his return to the Land Northward from his mission to Zarahemla and about his reception in Mentina. He returned to the city of Corianton and was called to fill the seat of his father as High Priest. He wrote about the visit of the risen Christ to the Nem of Corianton. He sang the tragic song of Corianton and Isabel. He wrote his final farewell and prophecy to his descendants. About 7-6 B.C.

3Now behold, I do continue to make my record. But now I am old and, whereas my first record I did write with the spirit of youth and having all my life ahead of me, this record I do make when I am old and coming to the end of my life. Yea, my first record I did dedicate to some of the works of my forefathers, that my children might remember them more as I did. This work I write so that my descendents might have record of my doings. For, I shall soon go the way of all the earth.

1Behold, I am Samuel, whom the Nephites call Samuel, the Lamanite, and I have written somewhat about some of my people. For, I would not that my descendents forget the history of their fathers, and I would assure the memory of these happenings.

2And I did write concerning my grandparents when I was but a youth. For it seemed to me that not much was remembered about Shi-Tugo and Hemen. And I desired that some record be contained of them in the histories that my own posterity might someday read. Wherefore, the first of my writings I did record many years ago.

4Now, Alma who was the prophet of God in Zarahemla took Zoreth, of the House of Mosiah, to wife, and they bore sons and daughters. And Corianton was the son of Alma and Zoreth, and he took to wife Isabel, who was said by all to be an harlot. But behold, she repented and was made holy by her faith in the living God. And Corianton and Isabel bore but one son and one daughter. And they called their son Alma, and their daughter they called Pa-Samentim. And this Alma took Pa-Cumenca, the daughter of Shi-Tugo and Hemen, of whom I have written, to wife and they had one son and one daughter. And I am the son of that Alma and that Pa-Cumenca.

5Wherefore, I do claim the lineage of my fathers, even of Nephi and Lehi of old, and also of Mulek and of Levi. And it was this same lineage whereby my forefathers of old were called to be priests and prophets unto the people. Therefore, when my God does command me to speak, I do open my mouth. And behold, when my God does command me to write, I do take up my stylus and I do write the things He commands me. And I make no excuse for the things that I write unto the generations of my own posterity, unto whom I know this record will come.

6Now behold, I will write somewhat about my own work and the small work with which the Lord did see fit to burden me during the days of my life.

7Behold, while I was laboring in the Way, the Lord did call out to me and did take me by the hand. And He did command me in a vision and a revelation to go down even unto the Land Southward and to testify against the Nephites, more principally against the inhabitants of the city of Zarahemla. And behold, I did not refuse my God, but I did take my journey into the Land Southward to do as He commanded me.

8And I am a Lamanite in appearance. For my mother descended from those Lamanites who covenanted with Moroni never to take up the sword again against the Nephites. And they became numbered among the Anti-Nephi-Lehies, who are now called the Ammonites. And my father is the son of Isabel who listened to the voice of the Savior when Alma, the prophet, did send his sons unto the Lamanites to preach the gospel of peace unto them.

9Wherefore, my skin is dark, as is my hair. And behold, I do appear in all ways as the Lamanites do appear, except in that my eyes are gray instead of brown. And when I went unto the people of Zarahemla, I was young and of goodly stature. Wherefore, the people hardly listened to my words because I was not aged and because I was a Lamanite.

10But, notwithstanding these difficulties, I did go down to the Land Southward as the Lord did command me and I did preach and prophesy against them even according to His word to me upon the Way. And the words of my prophesying are had in another book and in another place.

11It is enough for me to say that, when I had completed the work which the Lord had commanded me to do in Zarahemla, I did speedily return unto my own country and my own people. For, the Lord had also shown me in a dream what would befall the people of Zarahemla should they reject my words. And behold, except for a very few who were righteously awaiting the coming of the Lord, the people did reject my words, and they did become gross in their iniquity.

12And behold, when I had again returned into the Land Northward, I did stop for a time in the city of Mentina and I did preach all that the Lord had shown me to the people there, my brethren. And behold, the Nem believed my words and they did exercise much faith in God. And they did rejoice in the knowledge of the signs that would betoken His birth into the world.

13But I would have you know how beautiful it is to speak the words which the Lord has given unto they who believe in Him, and who wait upon Him. And how precious does the word become, and how it expands in the heart when taught to His little ones.

14And the Nem did cause that I should sit in the temple and teach the children all the things the Lord had spoken unto me. And they did sit at my feet and loved to hear the promises of the coming of the Christ.

15How different were my days in Mentina from my sojourn in Zarahemla. For in the Land Southward the people were puffed up with pride and they sought not the Christ nor did they await the day of His coming. And my words did stir them up to violence, and they did seek to take away my life.

16But behold, in Mentina the people did rejoice to hear of the coming of their Savior. Yea, instead of arrows and swords, my words were met with songs of joy and thanksgiving. And thus we see the difference between the Nem and the people of Zarahemla.

17How the words of peace do elevate a people! But when the people are puffed in their pride, they cannot hear the words nor feel the peace of the gospel. I would that all my posterity know of the pride of the Nephites and how that pride led to their destruction. For, Zarahemla was destroyed! But Mentina was elevated.

18Wherefore, all my descendents, read the history of your own relations and learn from them. Let not your hearts become puffed up. Be not filled with pride. Judge not in the manner of the Nephites, but let your judgment be guided by the Holy Ghost. For, they had much revelation and surely the Lord did teach them through His servants the prophets. But they would not listen, nor would they be instructed.

19And when a young man, and a Lamanite, I came to them with words of peace and of warning, the Nephites shot arrows and sought my life. But behold, the Nem upheld me. They, who were puffed up in the pride of their hearts, and whose hearts were set upon the things of the world, shot darts and arrows at me when I stood upon the wall of the city. But they whose hearts were set upon pleasing God and His Christ, did sit with me in the temple. Be you like unto the Nem. For if you become as the Nephites, your fate shall also be as theirs. You cannot please the world and also please God. You cannot think to heap up to yourselves the treasures of the world, for God cannot be bought with money.

20The Nephites cast stones at me and sought to destroy the work of God. But, I ask you, did their efforts prevent the birth of the Christ? Did their gold and their silver buy them one more day? I say unto you, It did not buy them anything. Wherefore, you who read this book, ponder these things in your hearts. For if you live your life measuring time by the heaping up of your gold and your silver, you shall not buy one day more than the Nephites did with all their riches.

1Now, after I had spent a season with the Nem in Mentina, and the time of cold having passed, I did return once again to my own country. Yea, I did travel across the plains and into the North Country. And I did come once again to the forests and the streams and lakes where I spent the years of my childhood. Yea, I did return again to the city of Corianton.

2And when I returned, as my father Alma did greet me, he did fall upon my neck and we wept together. For he did not ever think to see me again. And indeed, I did not ever think to see him. But, while passing the gates of the city, the heralds, discovering my name, began to advertise throughout the city that I had returned unto my own land and my own people, and my father did hear their cry and came running to meet me. And he did cry out my name and did immediately fall upon me and embraced me.

3And great was my joy at being received thus by all the people and more principally by my father. For great is the love that I feel for him and for all of my family.

4But the news that he gave me was not all good. For he told me of how my mother and sister had gone to visit the people of Mentina and how on the journey toward that city, they came upon an immense herd of cattle. And the cattle did begin to run before them and turned into them and they were killed.

5Now was my joy turned to sorrow, for I loved my mother and sister. And behold, they were of themselves great healers and teachers, and the people did also greatly mourn the loss of such elect ladies from among them. But I especially did suffer from their loss, for though I had returned unto my own people and unto my own city, yet did I feel alone because of the loss of my family.

6Yea, how low were my spirits in the days that followed. For, although the people did celebrate my return and many of my people did come to visit me to counsel with me, yet did I feel downcast because of my loneliness and because of my yearning for my mother and sister. Even did I consider doing as Alma had done when he discovered that his judgment of Corianton and Isabel was based not upon the Spirit but upon the rumors of men. Yea, I did consider taking myself off into the wilderness and ending my life there even as he did when Corianton and Isabel did abandon the Nephites and disappeared into the Land Northward never to return.

7For, Alma believed that he had sent them into the wilderness to their deaths and the knowledge that he had misjudged them did break his heart. Even so did I feel that my heart would break.

8But behold, the Lord would not that I should waste away in despair. Nay, He did lift up my head and lighten my heart. For He did speak to me upon the Way and I did see all that would befall my people. Then did I take courage, for, I knew that He would come to visit His people and I desired to be with them when He did.

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.

1Behold, I did make every effort, while I sat in the seat of the High Priest, to stay in contact with my brethren in the west. But, it became increasingly difficult to do so because of the encroachment of the Gadiantons in the land. For, many Nephites had also migrated to the Land Northward because of the Gadiantons in the south. But they did also build settlements and they did engage, as might be expected, in trade. Now, as this trade did increase, the smell of it did reach the noses of the Gadiantons of the south and they did begin to make their way even into the lands of the Nem.

2But, the people of Mentina did send men of renown to teach them the gospel of peace and to bring them into the fold of the Nem. And these men were great in stature and strong. And behold, they were also waxed great in the preaching of the word, insomuch as many of the Gadiantons that heard their preaching did turn from their evil and become part of the community of the Nem in the Land Northward.

3But many of them did not turn in their ways, but continued to conspire to take away that which the people labored to bring about through peace. These, the preachers sought out and destroyed. Wherefore, in all the histories of the descendents of Lehi there have not been such preachers in the land. Yea, and in all the records there have been none like unto them. For they did labor with all love to convert the Gadiantons. And their words were mighty to the convincing of many, and indeed, to the salvation of many. But they so loved their country and their brethren; yea, so much did they love the peace of the land and the tender hearts of the little ones, that they did take their lives into their hands as an offering unto the Lord and they did fight with their might to preserve the peace, and the right of every person to peace. Wherefore, unto those who would not repent, they were like the whirlwind. And in this way was the scourge of the Gadiantons kept back from our gates for many years.

4But behold, I say unto you, even their efforts were not enough to hold back the tide of iniquity that would befall all the people. For the Land Northward was rich and beautiful, and there was nothing rich and beautiful that the Gadiantons did not yearn to possess. And they made secret covenants one with another to destroy the people out of the Land Northward and to take of all its bounty unto themselves.

5Wherefore, did the Nem of the mountains remove themselves very early on in the history of their sojourn in the Land Northward, into fast places. Yea, they did leave their settlements wherein they first inhabited the land, and some of those settlements exist to this day, all intact as if the inhabitants left but for a season. Yea, so suddenly did they depart that one almost feels their presence still when walking down the abandoned streets of their fair settlements and villages.

6But their departure was wisdom in them. For, they did place deserts and high mountains between them and the Gadiantons, and they who did not thus, hardly escaped the coming tempest. And the deserts and mountains proved costly to conquer and the Gadiantons went elsewhere to despoil and plunder.

7Yea, and likewise did we, the people of Corianton, find that the Great Plains proved a bulwark between us and the Gadiantons. And we were preserved for many years from their encroachment. And we did trade with the Nem by routes

8But, notwithstanding our efforts, we knew that it might become increasingly difficult to maintain close contact with our brethren in the west. Wherefore, it seemed wise to me to provide entirely for ourselves and to maintain our self-sufficiency even while we worked to maintain trade with the Nem in the mountains. Wherefore, in all that we could, we sought to produce our own goods and to serve each other in our villages and in our cities.

9For, I did distrust any system that might bring the people of Corianton into any kind of bondage. For it is upon such things that the Gadiantons build their power. Wherefore, if we had the capacity to grow a kind of food that we favored, we strove to grow it in our own country. And if we had the capacity to make cloth of our own, we made cloth. And we built our homes out of materials close to home. And we raised our own cattle and horses, and the like.

10And when we had a surplus, we did trade with our brethren in the west. But we did not depend on them, nor did we try to develop a dependence on their part upon the things we did produce. In this way we did all work to maintain the peace and freedom of our land and of our society.

1Now, I did fill the seat of the Chief of the High Priests for many years, and behold, I did strive to do my duty to my people and to my God. And I did teach the gospel of peace to the best of my understanding, relying upon the Holy Ghost to guide me. And behold, the Nem of Corianton were diligent in keeping the commandments of God and we did strive to keep the Sabbaths and the festivals. And in all things, I did preserve the belief and the customs of my fathers alive in the hearts of the people.

2Notwithstanding, I did also strive to preserve the rights of all people to receive revelation and inspiration from God. For, for this cause has God striven always with men, so that they might come unto Him. Wherefore, I made no laws concerning the observance of rites, but did exhort all people to approach God honestly with all their hearts and minds. And behold, the Lord did bless and reward the people, and the gifts of the Spirit were had by us in great abundance.

3Now, I judge myself in this and hope that I do rightly. For, I perceive that my people were very happy, and they walked uprightly before the Lord. And they had for their needs in great abundance. Yea, there were never any poor among our people and in our cities and villages, so long as the want was known. For, as soon as any want was found among our people, the people themselves quickly provided for that want without need of commandment. And this was taken up as the great challenge of our whole people – that there should never be found any poor in any of our cities.

4And again I say that I judge myself in this thing and hope that I have always done rightly in my work in the seat of the Chief of the High Priests. And I measured myself in this. For, if the people, whom it was my responsibility to teach, did govern themselves in righteousness, then I could esteem that I had not taught them amiss.

5And I did take Hemina, the sister of my friend and fellow servant Oug, to wife, and she was a great and noble woman of high renown among her own people. Wherefore, when she consented to seal her fate with me, I did esteem myself blessed beyond all men. Yea, the Lord did greatly bless me in the day that Hemina consented to be my wife. And she also did measure herself against the love demonstrated by the people, for she did exert herself to be the mother of all and to care for all.

6And she brought to our hearth but one child and we did call his name Corianton after my own grandfather. And I did also teach him to likewise measure himself upon this rod as well. And behold, my own son did grow in this wisdom, even to the stature of a man. And he took to him Sabel, the daughter of Oug to wife. And such a man did he become that all the people of Corianton esteemed him equal to me in knowledge and wisdom, and in application. Yea, he did wax strong in body and wise in mind. Yet, he was also gentle in his disposition so that he did understand the worries and the hurts of all men. And he cared for his people and worked for them with all his might.

7Yea, if I may boast in anything, and I know the danger in such pride, I say unto you, I do boast in the goodness of my wife and of my son. And how I do bless the Lord for the gift He gave me to comfort me. For, I did not marry as a young man and I thought not to have any issue at all. But behold, the Lord did guide unto me the most elect of ladies, and she did bear a son of high renown, one who brought much honor to the name of the Lord. And what greater reward may a father receive of the Lord than that his child be found acceptable before his Creator?

8Nay, there is no other thing of worth in all the world than that a man may see his works reflected in the hearts of his children and of his people, and that the works that he sees are good. In this do I praise the name of the Lord and bless Him every day of my life. Yea, I shall always bless and praise the Lord.

9And when I became old, and my eyes did grow somewhat dim, the people of Corianton did call forth my son to occupy the seat of the Chief High Priest with me, to assist me in the work of the Lord. Behold, is this not blessing indeed? Look upon me, all you fathers who have children, and judge me as a father. Judge not in the pride of your hearts, but as one father does judge another. Did I well in life, think you? If we fathers may measure our lives in any way, let us do it through our families. For, if my children please the Lord, what more can I have done? Or what other success may I have obtained? Indeed, what other thing could be more precious? I say unto you, Let no other thing be used to judge the father, than that his children find favor with God.

1Now, it was while I labored as High Priest to the people of Corianton, before the year wherein my father returned unto our fathers, that the signs which I had prophesied unto the people of Zarahemla concerning the birth of the Christ were accomplished. And when my son Corianton and I did labor together in that capacity the signs of His death came, and the people were amazed and affrighted.

2But behold, the Spirit did whisper peace to our minds and to our souls so that we did patiently bear the day, the night, and the day of darkness. For, though the occurrence was frightful, still, the Spirit did sing a song of sweet redemption to our souls. And many dreamed dreams and saw visions. And even some few did receive commandments as to what should be done when the Lord did come to visit the people of Corianton.

3And He did come unto us, in accordance with the visions that I too had received when I was but a young man. For, we had gathered together to worship when the signs came. Yea, and all the people in the cities had gathered to Corianton. And all the people in the forests had gathered, and also from the lakes and rivers. And we were all together, a great concourse of people awaiting the coming of the Lord.

4And we did hear His voice from afar off and we did shout with joy when we heard it. For, it caused our hearts to leap. Yea, our hearts did leap within our breasts and nothing could have prevented us from crying out our joy when we heard His voice.

5But the voice was first a voice of warning unto all those who did wickedness. And from this we understood in our hearts that not all the wicked were destroyed. But behold, many were destroyed, even the most part, and that so that all might have one or many accounts to tell of the signs that preceded the coming of the Lord Jesus Christ. And the voice was as the voice of an angel, not of a trump, or of thunder. But it did pierce us to the core. And behold, the voice did also separate the good from the bad. For, those who feared the retribution of a just God, trembled and sought to hide themselves. Yea, and they were filled with great loathing to see Him. But those who did good works were filled with joy and they ran out into the streets and clearings to see what was about to befall. Yea, they welcomed their Lord with praise and singing.

6And in the day that He did come amongst us, and it was not long after the signs of His death had abated, we did according to the things we had been commanded in the visions and revelations that many had received during the days of darkness.

7Behold, we did greet Him as our King and our Great High Priest. And I did take Him by the hand and I did lead Him to the seat of the Chief of the High Priests. And I did place upon Him the robes of the High Priest and He did sit upon the seat. And behold, I did declare to all the people that this was the Christ, the Son of the Living God; He who was killed by His own; He who had paid the uttermost price for our redemption and who had sealed it with the sacrifice most dear. And the people did gather to the Temple of Mentina to see Him and to hear His words.

8And behold, my son Corianton did approach the seat and, bowing himself down before his Lord, he did wash His feet, hands, and head, and he did anoint Him with oil most precious. And when he had done this, the Lord did place His hands upon the head of Corianton and blessed him, and bid him arise.

9And behold, Sabel approached also the seat and bowed herself down before the Lord. _And she did break bread and blessed it_ , as she had been taught to do upon the Way. And she offered it to the Lord, and He did eat. _And she did pour out pure wine into a grail and blessed it_ , as she had been taught to do upon the Way. And she offered it to the Lord, and He did drink. And when this was done He took her by the hand and arose from the seat. And He said in the hearing of all the people gathered there:

10Behold, this is well, what these two have done unto me. For they did approach me upon the Way. Yea, they did seek my face and I did acknowledge them. And behold, I did teach them these things upon the Way when I did show myself unto them who sought me. Let them be an ensample unto all those who would come unto me and diligently seek me. Unto such shall I give my kingdom. Yea, of such shall I make up my jewels.

11And behold, when He had said these words, He did join the hands of Corianton, my son, and Sabel, and presented them together to the host, saying:

12These two have become First Man and First Woman. Surely, they shall always administer my sacraments together. For, the one is not without the other in me. Wherefore, I shall bless and sanctify all that they do.

13And unto the two, He said:

14Go now and do like as you did unto me also unto all this people, teaching them to do likewise unto every person.

15And they went straightway and ministered unto the people, teaching them the ordinance of these two sacraments. And when they had done this and returned again, He turned again unto me and said:

16Are there any sick and afflicted among you? Let them come up unto me and I will bless them. And by their faith, they shall be made whole.

17And we did cause that all those who were sick and afflicted to approach Him and He was pleased. For there were not so many who were sick and afflicted because of the many healers that worked their gifts among us. But there were some who had met with accidents who were halt and some who had complaints that they had borne for many years for which the Healers had no cure. But behold, these were not many.

18Now, when they had approached the Lord, He did lay hands on them and blessed them. And behold, they did arise and were free of their afflictions. And this was a great confirmation of what we had always believed about the Lord, that He is mighty to save both quick and dead. And we rejoiced in this affirmation.

19And when He had blessed all the sick and the afflicted, He turned again unto me and said:

20Suffer the little children to come unto me, for of such is the Kingdom of Heaven.

21And we did suffer all the parents to gather the little children and bring them to the Lord. And He did teach them many things that cannot be written. And He raised His hands into the air and He blessed all the little ones. Now when He had done this, a great light was seen in the sky above their heads and they were all enveloped in light. And it was to be seen within the light that angels descended and did minister to the children. And voices were heard that we did not understand, and songs were voiced that we did not know. And all the people marveled at this thing. And when the angels had again ascended and the light had gone away, behold, the countenances of the children shone still and they did prophecy.

1Now, after all these things had taken place, Jesus turned once again to me and said:

2Behold, the people of Corianton are Nem indeed. Great should be your joy and also your cause to give thanks and rejoice. For, you have listened to my voice and you have sought my face. Wherefore, I have manifested myself unto you at many times, and you are not surprised nor too much amazed by my appearance unto you this day. This thing does please me very much. Now I go unto the Nem of Mentina again to teach them. Continue faithful and I will visit you often to teach you also.

3And after He had said this, a cloud did descend from heaven and He was taken up in it and carried away with a great sound.

4And I, and all the people, did stand in amazement and in joy. Yea, we felt a joy that could not find expression. And we could not find it in ourselves to depart one from another for the space of many hours because of the Spirit that was in us. For, of a sudden, one person or another would burst forth in prophecy and we were loathe to be absent from such miracles.

Samuel commanded to choose the 12 among the Nem of Corianton, 6 men and 6 women. The priesthood of the Father and the Mother explained. Husband and wife should be unified in all things. How

5Now, in three days time the people had meant to meet to worship together because of the signs that had been shown in the heavens. And now that Jesus had visited them and manifested Himself unto them, they were all the more anxious to meet and offer oblations unto Him. And it was while we were thus met and employed that we looked and behold, Jesus stood in our midst. And when we had seen Him, all the people bowed down to the earth before Him. And He sat with us and taught us upon the bench, saying:

6Samuel, you who have been my mouthpiece in times past, be so now even unto this people. And take twelve of your people, of both men and women, and behold, I shall touch them and place upon them the priesthood. And they shall listen to my words and take them to the people. For the multitude gathered is great and my voice shall reach them all through my anointed ones. And all those who are of the Nem of Corianton who are not present must also hear my words. Wherefore, these whom you appoint and upon whom I lay this great charge, shall take other twelve from each city and region, to begin the spreading of my gospel to all the people.

7Then, when all the people have received of my word, let them all strive to obtain for themselves the anointing. And if they do this with singleness of heart, seeking my face, behold, I shall manifest myself unto them upon the Way. For I am the Way, the Truth and the Light. If anyone seeks me in this spirit, they shall find me.

8And I did all that the Lord commanded me, choosing out six men and six women who were known to me to be upright people with good intentions. And He took them one by one and touched them

9Upon you, my servant, I lay a certain charge and commission. And I give you authority to act in all things that the Spirit does manifest that I would do were I present to do them. Wherefore, be diligent in study, and also in fasting and in prayer. In this shall you know my doctrine. Yea, in this shall you know of me, through the whisperings of the Spirit, that which is my will and that which is not. And I give unto you power to command the elements as often as the Spirit dictates. Wherefore, pray always that you be not deceived and carried away in pride.

10Then, casting His eyes about, He taught us concerning this priesthood, saying:

11Behold, I do perceive your thoughts. Marvel not that I have given mine authority to women and men alike. Yea, this thing has been of concern to some since the day that Sabel received word from me of the ordinance she should perform when I came. Behold, I do confer the priesthood upon those men who would follow me and do the things they see me do. And unto such is made an ordination, that they may speak and act in my name, and be justified in so doing. But I do not confer such upon the women, for they have of my Mother in Heaven that which I cannot give. Wherefore, I do ordain them. But the priesthood they have already cannot be given, nor taken away, but by that person who gave it. Wherefore, if there be any woman who desires to follow me and do the things they see me do, they are authorized from the foundation of the world, and I do justify them.

12For, the daughters of Eve do sacrifice of themselves freely for the sake of all living. For this cause did Adam call her name Eve. For she is the Mother of all Living. She does give of herself, even to the laying down of her life, in order that man might be, and in order that the purposes of heaven may go forward. She is a Priestess and Queen unto the Most High God forever.

13Wherefore, if by the Spirit she is moved upon to take up emblems of my life and death, and bless them, and administer them to the people, what is that to you? She does it unto me. Wherefore, restrain her not at all.

14But behold, men received not such power by their creation and come into the world without the natural inclination to do good. Wherefore have I said, the natural man is an enemy to God. By the sweat of his face shall Adam earn his bread all the days of his life. And through constancy in service and in sacrifice shall he learn, order by order, line upon line, even precept on precept, to become like me and do the things they see me do. Wherefore, I confer priesthood upon men who would be my servants, and I give them authority to minister. But women are ministers from the foundation of the world.

15And when a man wishes to engage in the work of my Father which is in Heaven, you unto whom I have given this authority may confer it unto him and ordain him to that stewardship that I shall provide for him. That he may also take up his cross and learn by the application of the Law of the Gospel to give freely of himself, breaking his heart and humbling his spirit. For, this is the sacrifice which I will accept of him. Yea, he shall bend his own will and tame it, and do whatsoever I shall command him. And this he shall learn to do without coercion or compulsion, but freely of his own accord. This is the sacrifice of the heart and the spirit which I require of all those who would call themselves my servants.

16And that man shall attend to do his duty unto the people, administering the sacraments unto them, keeping my Holy House, and teaching the people. This is the work that I shall require of him. And behold, he shall do all this freely and shall not be compelled to do it in any way. For, though the priesthood appears to be that by which service is rendered unto others, it is a service unto me and unto my Father. Wherefore, let him do it with an eye single to the glory of God and not to his own. And if he do this, he shall attain to that state of happiness of which the prophets have spoken, both in this life as also in the life to come.

17And when a woman wishes to engage in the work of my Father which is in Heaven, in addition to that great work which the Mother has given unto her by virtue of her very creation, you, unto whom I have given my authority, may ordain her unto that stewardship that I shall provide for her. And she shall apply that great gift, which my Mother which is in Heaven has given her, to the ministering unto the people as the man does. She shall also bend her own will and do whatsoever I shall command her. But remember, whereas the stewardship that I shall provide for every man is a necessary thing for most men, in order that they might overcome the natural man, that which has been provided women by the Mother does already accomplish this end for them. Wherefore, priesthood, though a woman may officiate in the sacraments and in every holy ordinance, is not requisite for her salvation. Whereas, men must have this device in order to truly come unto me. And where the priesthood is not available for them, surely I shall provide another means whereby men may overcome that which prevents them from the Way.

18And these are the sacraments which I command you to administer unto my children:

19You shall bless your little ones, calling upon my name. For, in the day that I began the work of atonement for them, they were given to me by the Father and the Mother. Wherefore, ye are my children, notwithstanding, I am also my Father’s son.

20And you shall teach them my gospel and my commandments all the days of their youth, that they may not go up into my Holy House unprepared. Indeed, it is a great wrong that is done daily to little children, that they are expected to live by my law without instruction. Wherefore, let all your children be instructed in all the points of my gospel and of every ordinance before they enter into any of them, that their commitments and covenants be made of their own free will and clear understanding.

21And when a child reaches that age wherein they begin to understand my gospel, they shall be held accountable for that understanding. Wherefore, you shall take them and cleanse them every whit with water. And this may be done after the manner of Alma when he baptized the people in the Waters of Mormon, or it may be done after the manner of the purification of the Ammonites. For I will accept such baptism or such purification, and sanctify it unto you. And behold, if they do this, accepting this ordinance with understanding, then I shall baptize them with Fire and with the Holy Ghost.

22When a youth reaches that age of agency, wherein they may also beget children, let them be taken aside and blessed especially with that which the Spirit instructs. For they will need added guidance from the Spirit at that time. But let not this ordinance be trifled with and let only those of venerable age and experience administer this ordinance unto the people. For, in giving a blessing of guidance upon life experience, the Spirit speaks in language that only one with great experience may discern. Wherefore, let not the young undertake to give such blessings, for they shall be frustrated.

23And you shall administer the sacrament of my last supper, as you have seen administered unto me. And when you administer this sacrament, it shall be unto the people as an emblem that they do accept my commandments. And if they do this often and of their own free will, they shall be admitted into that covenant which I made with the Father and the Holy Ghost. Yea, they shall have place in that New and Everlasting Covenant of Heaven. But, if they do not accept my commandments, and strive to keep them, behold, they shall have no part in this covenant, but must return unto that covenant they had before and suffer eternal deaths. Nevertheless, they shall be saved in the end, for God does save all the works of His hands. But they shall not receive the all which God might have given them through this New and Everlasting Covenant, worlds without end, only that which they may receive of and through their own atonement.

24And when you bless the bread, take it up and break it. Do not cut the bread, but break it into pieces, for thus did my own people break my body. And when you bless the bread address the Father in my name and beseech Him to bless the bread as food unto your souls. Because it is my body and it was broken by my own. Declare to the Father that you do take upon yourselves my name, for this is the way in which you shall be admitted into Our covenant. Do this, that you may receive of me my spirit, that you may think and act as you see me think and act.

25And when you bless the wine, take it up in the vessel and pour it out into the chalice. For, the blood of my body did flow out of every pore when I did make an atonement for you. As also the blood and water of my body did flow out when I was lifted up on the cross. Wherefore, administer not the wine in the vessel but pour it out into the chalice.

26And when you take up the chalice, address the Father in my name and beseech Him to bless the wine as drink unto your souls. Declare unto the Father that you do verily take upon you my name and accept my portion of the covenant which I made with Him and also the Holy Ghost. Do this and you shall surely have my spirit to be with you, for you shall have taken upon yourselves that which I took upon myself by the power of the Holy Ghost.

27And when a man and a woman wish to be joined together, you shall do it in my name by that authority which I have given you. And let it be done in a solemn and holy manner, in a place made sacred. And let not any man or woman bind themselves together in my name, except they have individually gone up to my Holy House and received of me there the ordinances of the High Place. Then, having understanding, let them make covenants unto each other. Yea, they shall not make eternal covenants unto each other until they have made them unto their God. Then let them be sealed together in my name.

28And when they have received of the ordinances of the High Place, yea, the ordinances of my Holy House, then they shall administer unto each other the ordinance of the washing of the feet, which you have seen administered unto me in a manner most holy. Yea, the woman shall wash and anoint the feet, the hands and the crown of the head of her husband. And the man shall also do likewise unto his wife. Then shall they wear the robes of the priesthood together. Then shall they become Kings and Queens, Priests and Priestesses unto the Lord God forever. But until they do this, they shall be priests and priestesses and servants, but shall have no sovereignty. Wherefore, let them make this covenant together, that they may receive all that my Father has, worlds without end.

29And if they do this, receiving the ordinances and principles of the High Place, then shall the Holy Spirit of Promise seal them up unto me and I shall make of their covenant even an eternal covenant. And behold, though heaven and earth pass away, their covenant shall remain in full force and they shall be added upon in the eternities of heaven, even worlds without end.

30But behold, this is not all. Let those who have received my commission direct the teaching of my gospel. Yea, feed my sheep. And when my little ones have received all my word, then shall they be prepared to make covenants in the High Place. Let not anyone go up to my Holy House that has not learned my word and applied my doctrine.

31In your homes also ought you to learn and study my word. Yea, search the scriptures and find application of them in your daily walk. Do not as the priests of the Jews nor of the Nephites. For, many of them did set to memory my words and elaborate them in speech most pleasing. But behold, they did not find place in their hearts to exercise my word. It is not enough to sit at the feet of the prophets and hear my law. If you would please me, and my Father which is in Heaven, you must be doers of the word, not hearers only.

32And behold, if you do this, hungering and thirsting after righteousness, my word shall become a feast unto you, and you shall be filled, even to the overflowing of the cup. And the Holy Ghost shall be unto you as a constant companion. Wherefore, you cannot be deceived. Nay, even should some evil overtake this seat, you shall not be gainsaid because my word has filled your souls. And I say unto you, even if the prophets become as sounding brass, and even should my very elect become lost in a sea of confusion, yet shall you be filled with my Spirit and you shall see clearly by the power of the Holy Ghost.

1Now, Jesus did lay hands on the sick and they were healed. And He did lay His hands on the disconsolate and they were comforted. And He taught us words of peace and the ordinances of the gospel and our minds were enlightened and our spirits were quickened. But behold, the tenth part, nay, even the hundredth part of what He taught could not be contained in the books. Wherefore, all you who would know of the things which he taught, make yourselves clean, obtain the ordinances whereby you may learn the Law of the Gospel, and having taken upon yourselves His name, He shall baptize you with Fire and with the Holy Ghost. Then may your election be made sure and plain, and you shall find place upon that Way which does open up to the righteous, and you shall be elevated to the place wherein you may receive of His word from angels and even from His own mouth.

2For, when Jesus sat upon the high seat, behold, we looked up into heaven and saw angels. And even we did speak with them and they did minister to us. And we went into a place of peace, a place of holiness, a place of beauty, a place of stillness, a place of perfection, a place of God. And we did see all things more clearly. And the eyes of our spirits were opened. And the ears of our spirits were unstopped. And our tongues did speak with the words put into us by the Holy Ghost.

3Behold, this is the thing most desirable to us – that we might be so instructed in all of the things the Lord would have us do.

4Now, I continue with the words of Jesus. For, in some things He did teach us with great plainness and He also did command that I should write those things that would have some particular value unto they who might read this record in times of futurity. Yea, He did command that His prophecy be written and preserved for those of our descendents who might be led to find these writings and ponder them in their hearts. And He did prophesy unto us, saying:

5In the end of days, when all these my words have been corrupted, I shall bring about a great work. Yea, your descendents will remain faithful for many generations and they shall walk in my paths avoiding the pitfalls that are placed before them by the evil one. Be not dismayed that your descendents shall fall into corruption, for even in their darkest times, they shall preserve much light and much that is righteousness in me. And from out of your descendents shall I raise up a race of prophets, such as the world has never known, and they shall bring again Zion.

6But behold, it is wisdom in that the words of truth that I have spoken unto all the people of this fair land should come again into all the world. And I have chosen one race to do it. But that race shall have been dispersed into all the world and so great will be their drive to survive in any circumstance that they, having received a portion of my word, shall take it into all the world with great vigor.

7Notwithstanding they shall be mighty in spreading that portion of my word in all the world, this same drive will make them greedy in the obtaining of property and riches. This thing shall corrupt even my servants in the last days. And this pride shall insinuate itself into even my doctrine and my gospel in those perilous days. Nevertheless, because of their great ambition and their great drive to survive, I shall use them for my purposes, and I shall commence a restoration of all my words through them.

8But, now I do warn you and forewarn you, pride does cause my spirit to withdraw, yea, and even the Holy Ghost finds it difficult to move upon the heart of one who is puffed up with it. And this shall be a great vice among the men of my Church in the last days. Yea, they shall take of that portion of my authority which I shall give unto them, and they shall grasp it unto their bosoms. And, claiming that it is all the priesthood, they shall corrupt it. And even that portion of my authority which I shall share with them, line upon line, they shall make corruption of it and use it to compulsion. And in that day, when any of my daughters shall act in any righteous way by virtue of that authority or priesthood which they have received, the men shall persecute them for it. Yea, they shall not understand the nature of my authority and priesthood, and they shall use it to divide my saints. In that day, even mine own elect shall be deceived, for they shall become a great stumbling block to righteousness.

9Behold, I gave unto some prophets, and unto some I gave apostles, and still unto others I gave evangelists, and teachers. In all generations of time, have I given unto the Saints that measure of authority necessary for them to fulfill my design. Yea, I gave unto them that priesthood necessary for them to preach my word, to build my Church and to redeem the living and the dead.

10But behold, because the Gentiles shall have languished long in a dearth of my spirit, when a restoration of my gospel is delivered unto them, they altogether revel in that restoration. And ere they have received all, they shall become puffed up. And they shall immediately begin to divide my Church, and to cut it up into pieces. Yea, the men shall be divided from the women, and the children from their parents. Yea, and even they shall make division in the ministry, the young divided from the old. And with division comes great confusion. For a house divided against itself cannot stand.

11Wherefore, write this prophecy in a book and preserve it. And in the day of great tribulation, when even my own appointed prophets shall sit in confusion, I shall cause my words to come forth from the dust. Yea, out of the earth shall my words hiss, and though they make every attempt to cover them up again, yet shall my words be made known and their folly shall be uncovered. Behold, they who do still see with the eyes of the spirit shall read these records, and of this prophecy most especially, and they shall beseech me again, seeking my face. And when they do this, I shall show myself unto them with great power. Then shall the restoration proceed again unhindered by pride.

12And I shall call again that apostle whom I loved from old, and he shall come forth again and make a regulation of my Church. And behold, there are three of my apostles whom I have called from among the people of the Land Bountiful unto whom I have given power over death. They also shall I call up and send unto the righteous remnant from within my house. And these, being directed by my beloved apostle, shall make a great regulation and shall put in order my Holy House. And behold, all who read this record, as well the other works that I shall cause to be written and hid up in the earth until a certain time, shall see clearly how that by my spirit I did direct the people of this day in their sacred walk and their sacred talk. Yea, and they who read these things shall see that John and his fellow servants shall order my house in the way in which I have instructed you by my spirit.

13Then shall the saints once again approach me without persecution. Then the very elect shall no longer be deceived. Then shall my prophets sit no longer in stupor or in idleness of thought. But their building and their teaching shall once again be for the profit of both living and dead. Then shall my people turn again from their pride and their riches and embrace their God.

14And this shall be a sign unto you, Oh house of Israel – in the day when the holy incense is taken away from the ordinances of my Holy House, yea, and in the day when the dead sacrifice shall have been restored but shall have taken precedence over the living, yea, in the day when those whom I shall call to stretch forth the hand to steady the ark shall teach my children to follow their words and their doctrine, and not to seek the Spirit in all things, yea, in the day when the place of my daughters shall have been reduced to a place of compulsion and servitude unto the men, then shall the time be ripe for the fulfillment of my words. Yea, then shall I call forth my servants to do my will and regulate my Church. Then shall all things be brought again in order and my saints shall begin again to bring about Zion in this fair land.

15But behold, I would not that you judge the people of that time. For remember that it is for a good purpose in me that I shall give unto the Gentiles my gospel for a season. And it is for a good purpose in me that they shall spread a portion of my word unto this people into all the world. Wherefore, because they do stumble and ere, do not judge them. For great is their portion of the work, and I shall bring them unto a remembrance of my will. And in the day that they do hear again my voice from out of the earth, then shall I show myself unto them again from Heaven.

16And in that day shall the people be one. Yea, and they shall have all things in common, even as you have. And they shall call up their councils and the solemn assemblies in spirit, and my spirit shall guide them in all that they do. And every saint shall sit at the feet of the prophets and hear words of counsel and of peace. But they shall also come unto me upon the Way and see my face, and I shall instruct them. And in that day even these things shall not be enough for my people. For, even seeing my face, they shall submit all things to the confirmation of the Holy Ghost. And they shall surely be sealed unto me by the power of the Holy Ghost, who is the Holy Spirit of Promise.

17Now, I command you, Samuel, my servant, write these things in a book, even a book of remembrance unto your own posterity. For I shall cause them to whisper forth from the earth into their ears. And behold, they shall come forth from them and because of them, and for their benefit in the last days. Behold, I have spoken it, and I excuse not myself. Amen.

1Now, when Jesus had spoken these words, He retired from the multitude and took with Him those whom He commanded that I should call out from among the people to be His servants. And He did instruct us more fully in doctrine and in practice. And these things are written more plainly in the Book of the High Place. Wherefore, I shall not repeat them here. For behold, our method of writing, though it be not so cumbersome as that employed by our brethren in the Land Southward, it does, nevertheless take much metal, and metal is scarce here in the Land Northward. Wherefore, I shall not take up my stylus and write all the words which He did teach unto us privily.

2But behold, I would exhort you of my posterity that might be guided by the spirit unto the finding of these records – give heed to the words of the Savior. For He did surely prophecy of your day and your doing. Be diligent in seeking the guidance of the Holy Ghost. For through you shall the Lord do a great and mighty work.

3And now I proceed with my own account of the visit of the Christ unto the Nem of Corianton.

4For behold, Jesus did spend many days with us in our city, and He did praise in those things wherein we had followed His spirit, and He did chasten us in those things wherein we did follow our own counsel.

5And after He had taught us in every needful thing, He once again caused that I should call all the people together to hear Him. And behold, a greater multitude did gather in the city. And He did rise before the multitude and did

6Blessed are you, Nem. For, you do follow the promptings of the Holy Ghost in all your doings. And blessed shall you ever be, so long as you do this. For, how can you err, seeing that you are led continually by the Spirit. Wherefore, continue in this and you shall always have peace.

7Be merciful, be benevolent, seek not riches, but heap to yourselves treasures in heaven. Seek not to have dominion over others, but be filled with love and charity toward all people. Do not look upon yourselves as more fair, or more blessed than your neighbor, but seek always for your neighbor’s good. Lift up the hands that hang down, and comfort the widow and the fatherless, for this is true religion. Yea, love your neighbor as your own self. In other words, see your neighbor as he really is in relation to yourselves. For which of your neighbors is made of different stuff than I did make of you? Are you not all relations? Wherefore, love your neighbor as yourself in all things and it will be well both for you and your neighbor alike.

8Do not judge one another but in righteousness. And when you judge one another, let it be in love and in a sacred manner, looking only for the benefit and profit of him whom you must judge. And when you judge, see to it that he whom you have judged is edified. In this shall you edify yourselves also.

9But seek not judgment unto yourselves for worthiness. Go not unto your leaders to seek judgment of them. Come unto me and you shall be justified, for, there is not one among you, nor even among they unto whom I have given authority in any measure, who is mighty to save. Wherefore, how may they judge your worthiness? Declare unto me your intentions and seek me in all humility. This is judgment enough. For, if you seek my face, I shall not forsake you. And if, finding me upon the Way, how may any judge your intentions? For behold, I am the Way. Any who go into that holy place is justified in me.

10Behold, you whom I call to be my servants and unto whom I do give a portion of my authority, do not contrive to think to ascribe unto yourselves that measure of perfection necessary to make judgment of the worthiness of another. You may, by my authority judge actions or works, but never the man or the woman. I am He unto whom the Father has given all judgment. Wherefore, I give unto some the power to judge the works of men, but never the power to judge the man. Keep this saying in your hearts and you will do well.

11For, anything more than this comes of evil. Yea, anything more than this is compulsion. Behold, I will at times compel my saints to be humble, but you have not this right, nor this power. In the moment you take it up, you do sell your people into slavery.

12Now listen to my voice all you who would call yourselves mine, Zion cannot be established in any form of slavery. Yea, and when men do seek to compel, or in other words enslave, their fellowman, I am grieved in the Spirit. Yea, and the Holy Ghost withdraws. And when the Holy Ghost withdraws, the heavens are sealed. In this darkened state, you cannot seek my face nor be instructed of me. Wherefore, you must turn unto your leaders to determine your worthiness. But howbeit if your leaders are also in this state of darkness? How may you be justified?

13Wherefore, seek not to place yourselves higher than your neighbor. And if your calling seem to give you power over your neighbor, then behold, you have not understood your calling. And if your occupation seems to enlarge your station over that of your neighbor, behold, let this be a sign unto you that you have fallen into pride, not understanding the abundance wherewith I do bless the saints, nor the purpose for which I have so blessed you. Take of your abundance and enlarge the station and condition of your neighbor. Then shall you establish Zion in your own heart, and I shall surely reward you abundantly in my kingdom.

14And behold, if any people come up into your land and try to overcome the peace by evil means, take the matter up in your councils. And if the Holy Ghost constrains you to defend yourselves so as to preserve the peace of the land, then you shall take up your sword and defend yourselves. But you shall only do this after you have sued unto them for peace. For how know you that they do act as they do only out of ignorance of the gospel of peace.

15Wherefore, you shall do as my servants in Mentina have done. First preach my word unto your enemies. And if they embrace not my gospel, then pray for them and sue for peace. If they give peace, then you shall live peaceably with them. But if they reject my gospel and also to live in peace, and the Holy Ghost constrain you, you shall take up your sword and drive them from your land.

16But behold, you shall never take up your sword to destroy your enemy. For, howbeit he may some day repent. Or it may be that his children may repent. And how can you know the hearts of men? Wherefore, if you take up your sword to destroy your enemy, you may take away from me many who might some day be my own. Do not become my enemy!

17I see into the hearts of men. Yea, all things lay open before me. And behold, if I deem it necessary to destroy a people, I shall do it! But you can never have this power, for you know not the end from the beginning. Wherefore, I say again unto you, even should the Holy Ghost move you to war, seek not the destruction of your enemy. And when you have prevailed, and it becomes obvious that you shall prevail, cease the work of death and sue for peace. Yea, and take unto yourselves all those who would make peace with you, even if they have come unto you to make war in the first place.

18And behold, if your neighbor makes war upon you and you are constrained by the Spirit to defend yourselves, and you do not prevail, sue speedily for peace. Even if you become enslaved, you shall be more able to move the hearts of your enemies to the love of God if you are living. But if you are destroyed, how may God use you as an instrument for the conversion of your enemy? In all things seek the guidance of the Spirit and seek not to move the nations of men. For you know not the ways of God, nor His great plan for the nations of men. Wherefore, be a good neighbor to all men and be led by the Spirit in all things.

19Now, I go unto all the people left in the land to preach unto them also my gospel and to establish Zion among them. And behold, the face of this fair land shall be covered with the righteous for many generations. Wherefore, make friends of all those who would come unto you in this good time and rejoice in the righteousness of the Lord. For they also shall have all things in common and shall work righteousness. Wherefore, be not too isolated from the nations that I shall raise up among the people of this land.

20Walk righteously and follow me. Seek always the good of others and serve them. Love one another. Sustain and support each other. See to my work and hold to that truth which I have given you through the scriptures, the words of my anointed and through the gifts of the Holy Ghost. Most of all, my little flock, come unto me. Seek my face. Seek and you shall find me. Ask and you shall receive abundantly all that I see that you are in need of. Knock and I shall open the Way unto you. Amen.

21Now, when Jesus had said these words, behold, He was surrounded with a pillar of light and of smoke, and He was taken up from among us. And the heavens resounded with great songs of praise as it were from a great multitude of angels singing together. And many who heard them raised their voices also and joined the throng. And others clapped their hands together for joy. And so great was the sound that our hearts continued filled with it for many days.

22And so filled were our hearts with the things the Lord had taught us that we did have to screw ourselves up even to do the necessary things to make our livings. For, we were filled to brimming with the great and marvelous thing that had taken place. For, even though Jesus was taken up into heaven and we saw not His Person among us, we were filled with the Holy Ghost and we did seek the Lord upon that Way which He had provided for us. And behold, it was unto us as if He had not left us.

1Now, the words of the Savior made a great impact upon me. For behold, I have lived according to His words all the days of my life. And He did call me from time to time by His spirit which is in me to go unto the people and teach His word unto them. And even I did go by His command unto my brethren in the Land Southward to prophecy against them and also to give the signs of His coming into the world. Wherefore, I have not been ignorant of His teachings.

2Nevertheless, oft times all men become somewhat prideful in the things they think they know. And I did on occasion believe that I did know more about the things of the Lord than did my fellow man. And I was carried away in my pride insomuch that I believe that I did omit to secure the confirmation of the Holy Ghost in connection with many things. Yea, I have been remiss a very many times throughout my life because of the pride of my heart.

3And the words the Lord spoke unto my people were all the more sharp for me because I was able to see myself in the light of everything He said unto us. And my whole frame shudders at the thought that I might have been the means whereby some poor soul has rejected the words of peace because of my pride and high mindedness.

4Wherefore, the Spirit does move upon me to add somewhat upon this subject ere I give up this life. Howbeit, there may be some of my posterity who are like unto me in this respect. And it seems wise and expedient to me that I do it in the form of a song unto my own forefathers. Yea, I shall sing a song of Corianton and Isabel because their history bespeaks of pride and of the suffering that can come of it in the lives of men and women.

5Now, Corianton was my grandfather and he did leave the land of his birth and of his inheritance because of pride and of error. For, he was the son of a prophet of God, and he might have been the High Priest of Zarahemla had he remained in the land of his birth. But, because of a great wrong done unto him, born of pride and of error, he did take his sojourn into the wilderness of the north, never to return or to be seen again in the Land Southward.

6This same Corianton, when he was a young man, was sent by the prophet, his father, even that Alma of which much is written, to preach the gospel unto the Lamanites in the Land of Nephi and also unto the Zoramites, whose city lay between the Land of Zarahemla and the Land of Nephi. And he was obedient to the will of the Lord given him through his father, the prophet.

7Wherefore, he went with his brethren into the land of the Lamanites to preach unto them, and the mission was exceedingly hard for the youth. But he and his brethren, though they had many trials along the way, yea, for many of the Lamanites beat them and cast stones at them, yea, and many times the Lamanites sought to take away their lives; they did also enjoy the fruits of their labors, for some there were that believed on their words and embraced the truth, repenting of all their wickedness.

8Now, one of those who heard the sons of Alma and repented was a harlot whose name was Isabel. And she lived close unto the Lamanites and also unto the Nephites, for she lived in the borders between the two people. And she was known both unto the Lamanites and also the Nephites as the harlot Isabel.

9But behold, she did repent and was an harlot no more. Yea, from the day that the sons of Alma came unto her door to preach the gospel unto her, she gave up her profession and vowed to serve the Lord all the days of her life. And from that day also, she cast out the harlots from her house and cleaned it every whit. And the doors of the house she kept open for the aid of travelers and for the comfort of the needy, and she began to do a great work.

10But she was still known throughout all the land as the harlot Isabel, and the greater portion of the people knew not of her good works, but only remembered her for her wickedness in the days prior to her repentance.

11But behold, Corianton and the other sons of Alma came often to her home and she did minister to them. For they were often downtrodden and heavy with the work. And on other occasions they were wounded or sick, and she cared for them. And Corianton saw her kindness and her charity to the needy and he secretly loved her for her good works. And he was often seen in the vicinity of her house preaching to her neighbors in the cities round about the borders of the land.

12Now, it came to pass that a certain merchant, whose name was Saneth, and he was a wicked Nephite, came to the house of Isabel to demand of her by way of her former occupation. And when he discovered that she had repented and was no longer an harlot, he was wroth with her and he beat her with a rod. But she would not consent to minister unto him the wickedness that was in his heart because of the vow she had made unto the Lord. And she suffered herself to be beaten with a sore violence.

13And this same Saneth went his way, even unto the city of Zarahemla, and finding Alma, he did recount to him that he had seen his son Corianton consorting with the Harlot Isabel. And this thing troubled Alma greatly. And he did make inquiries as to the state of this Isabel and whether she was in truth an harlot. And behold, all the people of the land round about the border between the lands of the Nephites and the lands of the Lamanites did report that she was indeed an harlot. And Alma did believe the report of the people.

14And when he was satisfied that the report was true, he summoned his son Corianton to return from his mission. And when he had returned from his mission and did present himself before his father, his father did chasten him greatly for his folly with the harlot Isabel and did straitly accuse him of approaching nigh even unto that sin which the Lord hates, even the sin of fornication. And this he did because of the rumor that had reached him from the people round about where Corianton had preached.

15Now, Corianton did esteem his father to be the prophet of God. Wherefore, he did not correct his father, nor give any account of his doings. Rather, he humbly received the rebuke and chastening of his father with sorrow in his heart.

16And Alma believed that Corianton held his tongue out of a knowledge of his guilt. Wherefore, he felt justified in harshly chastening his son.

17And it came to pass that Corianton made preparations for Isabel, that she might come into the Land of Zarahemla where he thought she might find safety. And he made preparations that an agent of his own property might be empowered to make employment of his own substance to provide for her. And he did return again to preach the gospel unto the Zoramites. And again the mission was difficult but Alma and his brethren made good their mission and returned unto their own land. And the record of their efforts is given in another place.

18But behold, when Corianton returned unto his own property, he found that his agent had failed to provide for the woman Isabel and that she was not found in the place he had provided for her. And when he made inquiries as to where she had gone, he was told that she had departed from his house and had taken up her own residence.

19And when he came to the place where she had made her own residence, Corianton found her making her living by weaving mats and baskets. And behold, her workmanship was exceedingly fine. But, notwithstanding the workmanship of her hands was of the finest in the land, her circumstances were exceedingly poor because the Nephites did persecute her because she had been a harlot.

20And this was because the rumor had gone out from Zarahemla of the sharp words of Alma, the prophet, spoken unto Corianton when he first returned from the mission whereunto he had been sent. Yea, Alma’s words were spoken out of the pride of his heart. For, he was wroth that a son of his might commit the great sin while in the service of the Lord.

21Yet, Corianton sinned not at all and there is proof of it in his returning to preach unto the Zoramites over against the land of Nephi. Nevertheless, lest his descendents judge Alma too much, it was also pride in the heart of Corianton that prevented him from speaking out the truth unto his father. For, he knew that Alma was the prophet of God, and it was his belief that his father should have known of the Spirit what was true and what was not.

22For, how could he not know that his son was innocent of the sin with which the wicked did accuse him? Did he not take the matter to the Lord? And did the Spirit not whisper words of peace unto his soul? We know that he did, for he sent Corianton back into the service of the Lord. Yet, he could not take back the words he had spoken publicly, words which the people took to be spoken by the spirit of truth in him. Then did a people magnify the severity of the matter and they did not seek confirmation of it through the Holy Ghost.

23And in this thing did the Lord teach us all a great lesson. It is true that the Lord does call out prophets from among the people. But, let not any people begin in the belief that the calling out makes a man not a man. The prophet of God is given great gifts of the Spirit. Yea, he may speak with the tongues of angels and with them, and, if he has the gift of the seer, he may translate strange languages. And behold, the prophet leads and guides the people in the will and work of the Lord also. But, know this all you who read these things and ponder them in your hearts, the prophet is fallible. He is not perfect, and his counsels are not perfect. And, though we count ourselves blessed because the Lord does see fit to call and raise up unto us His prophets, it is because He does this that we feel constrained to subject all things unto the confirmation of the Holy Ghost, howbeit even the words of a prophet.

24Behold, the Lord has spoken it: Thou shalt have no other Gods before me. Wherefore, make not gods of your prophets! For they will be false gods and idols. For, even if they be called of God and appointed, yea, even if they be anointed by the very finger of God, they are yet simple men and you will have made unto yourselves gods that shall fall. For there are but few men unto whom the Lord has given power over death, and they are John his beloved apostle, and Nephi, Lehi, and Timothy, who were brothers and among the twelve He chose when He came to the people gathered about the temple in the Land Bountiful. But all others shall fall by the shaft of death, just as you and I must likewise fall. And when we fall, our bodies shall go back into the earth, as with all living things. And, notwithstanding our spirits live on, in accordance with that great covenant and plan by which this world was created, yet are we corruptible, and yet does the idol rust and the rot take us. Wherefore, when you make gods of the servants of God, you cast their ashes in His face. Will he hold you sinless in this?

25I say unto you, He will hold you accountable. For, has He not commanded each of us to pray always? And does this not also apply to every word that has proceeded out of the mouths of the prophets? For, I ask you, how know you that I ever lived? Now, I write this unto my own descendents. Wherefore, I desire that you have a remembrance of me and of my doing. But, how know you that these writings truly come to you from me, my children? No man may confirm it. It is only by the confirmation of the Holy Ghost that you may know that I truly wrote these things unto you. And behold, it is by that power which the Holy Ghost possesses that you may have all knowledge, for, it is by that power that the Christ did take upon Himself all things. And it is by that same power that He may give the same to us. Yea, it is by that power that all things may be brought to our remembrance, both those things which we sometime knew of our own conscience and experience, as well as all things known because of the experiences of others. Yea, even all that the Father has may be given to us by this same power.

26Wherefore, why seek we to make all things sure by the voice and word of men? There is but one way to know of a surety that a thing is true, whether spoken by a man or men, or by a prophet, or by an angel, or even by the very voice of Christ Himself! Yea, I make so bold as to say that I would gladly speak face to face with God, and hold myself blessed in every way. But behold, having thus communed in a most holy way, I would retire to my chamber, and bend my knee and my will, and ask most humbly that the Holy Ghost might confirm the thing unto my soul.

27Does this sound ill? To some it may speak of doubt. But, I shall importune the Lord in this thing, for He has commanded it. And I would rather He be importuned than that His anger be kindled against me.

28Yea, for behold, even the elect shall be deceived. Even the prophets of God may act and speak betimes as men and fathers sometimes do out of the earthy and carnal concerns of their hearts. Yea, what man does not feel strongly the needs and responsibilities of his stewardship? Do not expect them to be any different than yourselves, and, if the Lord does allow men to be fallible and to err, but to repent, so much more ought you to allow the same. Wherefore, the Lord has counseled us: Judge not. For with that same judgment wherewith thou judgest, thou shalt also be judged.

29Behold, I say unto you who shall receive these things and ponder them, You shall live in a time when men do seek to elevate the prophets unto that status wherein they may speak no error nor act in any mean thing. This is a great pitfall to the righteous. For, such men shall make regulations that begin to deny the right of every son or daughter of God to seek the confirmation of the Holy Ghost. Yea, in your day, if a man hears the words of some prophet and, seeking the confirmation of the Holy Ghost, fails to receive it, but receives instead a witness that the utterance is false or misguided, behold, he shall be brought up before the counsels and he shall be persecuted for having received such a witness. And they shall scourge him bitterly with their words and shall even cast him out from among them.

30Look you to your own day! For speedy destruction of all that you hold dear shall surely come to pass. For, of such pride generally were the Nephites in the Land Southward, and they did persecute and even put to death they who believed the signs of the coming of the Lord. And I ask you, how did they know that the Lord would indeed come? Yea, how did Nephi know? Behold, he heard the voice of God, by the power of that same Holy Ghost! Yea, and the voice said unto him: On the morrow come I into the world. Did he not seek confirmation of that voice? I say unto you, Yea! And when the people brought the believers together to be killed, Nephi did look up to the heavens with full confidence of heart that the Lord would surely come.

31And behold, we know that He did come to the people in the Land Southward. For we also have seen Him and can testify of Him. And even He did tell us of His visit unto our brethren in the Land Southward. And of that same Nephi whose faith and confidence was so abundantly rewarded, we know much, for he has been among us and we have heard of his own voice of the great revelations he has received. Yea, of this all our people do testify. But I would not have you believe our words. Nay, believe not the words written in this book if the Holy Ghost does not confirm them unto you. Yea, though my people do call me prophet, and they do revere me and follow my counsels, I would not have them do so but that they be moved upon by the Holy Ghost to do so.

32Wherefore, you also may call me prophet, and my words may touch your souls. Nevertheless, make not of me a lesser god, but seek the confirmation of the Holy Ghost in all things.

1And now I return to my song of Corianton and Isabel.

2Now, when Corianton returned unto Zarahemla, he found not that Isabel for whom he had previously left a stewardship of his own substance. For, so strait had been the persecution of her by the people that she had departed from out of the city and taken up a household of her own.

3Now, this was done without the knowledge of Alma, nor did he know of her existence in Zarahemla, for Corianton had not communicated unto his father his plans for her support. And behold, even had Alma truly believed the rumors voiced about her, he would not have conscienced her persecution. For, though he had the pride of a father, yet had he charity.

4But Corianton searched for her and found her. And behold, he found her in low circumstances. Yea, so low were her circumstances that, had Corianton not come back from the field of his service when he did, she would surely have died from want of the necessities of life. And, finding her thus, Corianton was wroth with his father, and also with the people of Zarahemla, and he took her speedily out of the land. Yea, he did take with him only her and a few belongings and they did depart into the Land Northward.

5Now, we know that Corianton and Isabel came into the Land Northward, even unto the place where this record is written, and they did unite the scattered people and build a city and a nation. And great has been their success, for we are daily proof of their doings. But Corianton mourned all the days of his life for the great loss he felt when he returned from the service of the Lord and found in his own country a wickedness greater than that which drove him into foreign lands and cities. Yea, he never again communicated with his father.

6But behold, Alma knew not of their success, for he heard not a word of them from the day they left into the Land Northward. And so bitter was his sorrow upon discovering the cause of their hasty flight into the wilderness, that his heart was broken. Wherefore, Alma gave up the seat of the High Priest, delivering up the records, and departed also into the wilderness. Now, he did not go into the wilderness to find his son, but rather, believing that his words had driven them out of the land, alone and unprepared, he knew in his heart that he had sent them to their deaths. Wherefore, he took not any provision at all, nay, not even an extra cloak, and he went barefooted into the wilderness and was not seen again.

7And some rumor has been voiced about, because of the strangeness of the circumstances surrounding his departure – that he was taken up unto the Lord as was Moses. But we know of no such thing. For, there are three from among the Nephites who were translated, and they are often with us still. Yet, they make no report of Alma or his doing. Wherefore, it is my belief that so great was his grieving, that he went into the wilderness to make peace with his God. And I believe he gave up the ghost there.

8For, God does preserve the life of man when He needs him to work in His vineyard. Yea, know this, if you would live long, make yourself indispensable to the Lord. For, He will preserve your life by the power of His outstretched hand. Yea, by that same power whereby He put forth His hand and made heaven and earth, He will prolong your life. And, if it so be that your desire be continually worthy, and you ask Him it with the kind of faith that the Three Nephite Disciples did, then shall He give unto you a portion of that same power, even power over death. But it is a terrible thing! Wherefore, be patient in all that whereunto the Lord does call you, even to labor and be diligent. But, unless you are strong in heart and can withstand much heartache, ask not that thing of the Lord. Perchance, you might receive of Him even according to your desire, not knowing what you ask of Him.

9For, unto some He has given that they shall tarry until He comes. Yea, and they taste not of death as we do. But behold, these few, who are like unto Enoch of old, and Moses, and His beloved apostle John, do labor yet in His vineyard. And we have record of their doing, either here or in the other worlds of the Lord’s creation. Yea, they are laboring still, preparing the hearts of the children of God, and also establishing Zion in all those places wherein God’s word is believed.

10But they cannot live as you and I live. Nay, they cannot marry and have peace. For, if they do take wife or husband, they shall watch them wither and die, while they change not. And they do not beget children, for their bodies are changed so that they are barren until their work for the Lord shall be completed. And consider how hard their lot would be if they were not barren. Behold, they would also watch their children wither and die, yet they change not at all. And they would be young and see their children age, and weaken, and die. Peace is not given unto them, only that peace which comes of the Lord, for they do daily converse with Him upon the Way.

11But as for Alma, we know nothing. Wherefore, it is my belief that he went into the wilderness out of grieving and died there of a broken heart.

12Now, think upon these things and ponder them in your hearts. For, would it not have been better for Alma had he sought to discern the truth of the matter of Corianton and Isabel? Yea, I do not sit in judgment of my ancestor, but I do ask the question. Was he not a great and inspired man? Yea, and his counsels for his nation were right and just, and guided by God. Would it not have been better to seek the Holy Ghost in th matter of his son?

13And would it not have been different for Corianton and Isabel had Corianton not stayed his tongue? For, though he knew more concerning the matter than his father appeared to, and esteeming his prophet above even the loving reproach of a son, he did not speak the truth to him, a truth that might have prevented much hardship and heartache. For, I believe that, having the word of his son, and a servant of God, over the rumoring tongue of a disappointed merchant, he would have sought the guidance of the Spirit in the matter.

14Wherefore, you fathers of sons, take this history of this great prophet of God and apply it to your own lives. Judge not your children by the rumors of men. Nay, judge not even by the thoughts of your own hearts. Be guided by the Spirit in all your doings with your children. For, are they not the children of God also? And if you offend His little ones, verily I say unto you, You shall also offend Him. And behold, who shall offend the Lord?

15And I speak unto you who are sons of fathers. Judge not your fathers by the wishes of your own hearts, but be guided by the Spirit in all your doings with your fathers.

16And I speak also to you who are called of God to be prophets unto your people. Judge not the people by your own understanding. For, it is as the arm of the flesh, weak and uncertain. Nay, judge not at all but give counsel by the gift and power of the Holy Ghost. For, if you do not, yea, if you follow the dictates of your conscience over the promptings of the Holy Ghost, you set yourself above even the Lord of Creation. For it is by the power of the Holy Ghost that He did make an atonement for you. Wherefore, do not think yourself gods because your people demand that you be so.

17And behold, I speak also unto all the people who would call themselves saints. Do not require godhood of your leaders, but godliness. For, it is not sin to require that your prophet be virtuous. Yea, if a prophet be virtuous, then you may with confidence pass over petty faults and differences. But, if you make of them gods to be worshiped, you do commit sin in the eyes of God. For, He shall crush all your idols into sand in the day you bow down to worship them. And if you worship, or in other words, if you esteem your prophets over the gifts of the Spirit, God shall do the same unto them as He did unto the idols of old. Yea, He shall crush them with the might of His Word, and with a two-edged sword. Yea, your idols shall fall, and great shall be the sound of their destruction. For they are but men and shall fall by the shaft, even as I do, even as you do.

18Wherefore, sin not. Honor your prophets, and all those whom God does see fit to call out to your service. Sit you down at their feet and hear the words of God and of angels. But bow not down to them. And when a man or woman shall raise themselves up before you and shall call themselves infallible, either by their callings or by their own strength, forsake them quickly! Give that person no reason to stand above you. Seek instead the Spirit. Yea, be guided by God on high by the power of the Holy Ghost, by that unspeakable gift of revelation. Yea, come upon the Way and sit at the feet of prophets, apostles, angels and God Himself. Bow not down to any feeble, unworthy, and fallible human being.

1Now behold, I am old and I go the way of the world. And all the doings of my people I have written in books also. And they shall also come down unto you in the due time of the Lord. Be grateful, my children, for the blessing the Lord has seen fit to bestow upon you. Do not judge the Lord your God. Wait upon His pleasure and do His will in all things, and all will be as well with you as it has been for me and for all the Nem of Corianton. Pray for the day when your God shall open all the books before you and read from them in the high places and on the high days. For in that day shall there be peace finally in all the land of your grandfathers.

2Behold, I leave this earth and go to my grandfathers. And I am exceedingly blessed, for, I have walked with them upon the Way since the days of my youth. Wherefore, it shall not be much different when I walk with them continually upon the Way than when I did visit with them during the days of my mortality.

3But behold, I do leave this one last prophecy unto you my own descendents. For I was once called Samuel the Lamanite, a prophet called to preach repentance unto the wicked Nephites in my day. And the Holy Ghost has come upon me to preach once again against the wickedness that will prevail in the Church and kingdom in the day when the Lord shall bring again my writings from out of the dust. Yea, thus does the Lord constrain me to declare unto my own descendents in the last days:

4When all that has been foretold by the prophets of old, as also by prophets whom the Lord shall raise up among you, and the nations do conspire to enslave the saints and compel them to wickedness, out of the place of fastness shall hiss a voice from out of the dust. And that voice shall speak of my times and the times of my fathers, and of their doing. And this voice shall remind the people of their obligations unto the Lord. Yea, out of the holy place shall a light begin to shine and it will go forth against the will of many. Yet shall it touch the hearts of the righteous and call them to a remembrance of the things which they have covenanted with the Lord their God.

5For they shall have promised a thing to the Lord for generations, a thing which they are unwilling to do. Look well into the covenants you make with the Lord, you children of God! Know whereof you speak. For, every oath and covenant you make with Him will be accounted to you to the very lowest denomination. Yea, do not bow your heads and say, yes, but that you mean to do the thing wherewith you do bind yourselves. For, God will not be mocked!

6And a hiss and a memory shall issue out of the fast place, and books shall be opened. And prophets and apostles shall say:

7What is this book and what is this writing? For we cannot read such things? Who is there who can make a translation of them? For we have no knowledge of this writing. and there shall be seers among you. Wherefore, despise not the work of God, for He will bring to pass a mighty work out of the hands of the weakest and most praiseless of His children. But in their weakness shall they show forth great faith, and in their diligence shall they weaken the bulwark of pride and of wickedness. Look not to the wisdom of the wise nor to the might of the mighty in that day.

9For in that day, the wise old men shall look steadfastly upon the prophets, and upon the wisdom of other wise old men. And they shall esteem their words more praiseworthy than the gifts of the Holy Ghost. Yea, in that day shall a man become one with the saints but receive no gift of the Holy Ghost. And it shall be better for them than for they unto whom the Lord Himself speaks. Behold, the Church shall be out of order and the kingdom of God shall grow but shall not prosper in the gifts of the Spirit.

10If you are wise, you shall look in those days for the records and remembrances of your fathers and your grandfathers. Howbeit, in their words you will find an ensign. Behold, we have made an experiment upon the covenants made in the High Place. Yea, seeing what would befall the Nephites in the Land Southward, we did come out of Babylon and we did gather together to establish Zion. And, behold my children, we did enjoy peace even when the Land Southward did reel to and fro under the wickedness that the Gadiantons did cause to come among the people.

8In that day shall the Lord assemble His saints. Yea, He shall make up His jewels,

11And are your days so unlike ours? Are your governments filled with corruption and wickedness? Do your rulers buy their seats of power and authority? Does one nation rise up against another for gain’s sake? Do the rich persecute the poor, and does the rich man withhold his substance? Behold, I see your day and I know the conditions in which you labor. Yea, and I also see that many of my own descendents, even the most part, walk in confusion in the daylight, and in complete blindness do they their secret works at night.

12You who would call yourselves saints, listen to my words. I am a voice that whispers out of the dust. I lived in this land in a day when the people had all things in common. And behold, when all things were in commotion and the hearts of men had waxed cold, yea, and when the Lord did call His fury down out of heaven to destroy the wickedness from off the face of the earth, behold, we did see the sign and were filled with joy. Yea, when all others quailed in the smoke and darkness of destruction, we did raise up a song of praise and of thanksgiving.

13You live in such perilous times. Yet may you also look up with joy and with thanksgiving. In faith you may take up that covenant which your forefathers made and again establish Zion in the land.

14But, if you heed not the warning voice that the Lord shall provide for you out of the dust, behold I say unto you, You shall be caught up in the pride of your hearts, and you shall not be found guiltless in your days. And when the wrath of the Lord is kindled against you, how may you beseech the Lord to stay His mighty hand? Yea, what excuse can you make? Shall you say unto the Lord:

15Of a surety we did know of the records you raised up unto us Lord, but we did ignore them and the warning contained in them. But see, Lord, how we worship you now. Wherefore, forgive us and stay the destruction.

16Behold, the hour shall have passed wherein the Lord might have forgiven such folly. When His anger is kindled, He shall not treat with you. Nay, you shall not even be able to plead your case, for the hour shall have passed.

17But when the Lord shall bring these things from out of the earth, the light of truth contained in them shall inspire the pure in heart. And they shall build a refuge place in the tops of the mountains. Then shall the remnant of the Lord’s house build cities of refuge in the everlasting hills and they shall be a resort whereunto, if man will covenant to take up the sword no more against his neighbor, he may find peace and safety there.

18And a light shall shine forth from the place of fastness and shall begin to take hold of the hearts of men. And they shall seek again the Holy Ghost and the face of their Savior. Then shall that light begin to spread until it covers all the land. And the pride of the hearts of men shall be extinguished, and they shall succor one another and seek not the things of the world.

19And behold, in that day shall the gifts of the Spirit be had by many and miracles shall once again abound. Yea, there shall be disease and suffering, but the saints shall exercise faith again and they shall lay hands on the sufferer, and if they have faith to be healed, behold, they shall be healed. And if they have not faith to be healed but have covenanted, then shall they who have the healing gifts nurture them and succor them.

20And the dead who fall in the service of the Lord shall rise again to do His work. And the lame shall walk, who walk in the Lord. And children shall sing again in prophecy to the Lord. Yea, your young men shall see visions again and your young women shall dream dreams.

21Wherefore, who would not wish to obtain these blessings? For, I cannot help but to ask the question: Shall my descendents look and yet not see the signs of the times? Or shall they be so wicked that they too shall be caught up in the pride of their hearts? Even that being so, I believe that there shall be those who are not so caught up, or who, being caught up, will not see through the obscurity and into the light. For, I have been commanded to write these things and to give this prophecy. And I ask then, for what purpose?

1Now I must say farewell to all my people. For, I am waxed greatly with age and my time is come. But I leave this record for a remembrance of my days and of my works. As I have said, I believe that my people do rightly. For, they do lift the hands that hang down and they do remember to do all that which the Lord did command us to do when He visited us in His power.

2I bless the Lord for all His doings and all His works. Worthy is the Lord our God and I shall praise Him all the days of my life. And I do exhort all my children and all my people to raise up their voices continually unto the Lord. And behold, I do believe that this is the ensign which shall shine forth through the darkness of their day, as also through the corruption and the smoke of darkness in the days that come.

3Pray always. Observe to keep the covenants of the High Place, even the Temple of the Lord God. Keep His commandments. Hold to His truth. Ascertain that truth through communion with the Holy Ghost. Walk upon the Way receiving revelation upon revelation. Seek the face of Jesus. Yea, and if you do, you shall surely find Him. Amen.

and seek for happiness in doing iniquity. About 6 B.C.

1And 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.

2And 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.

3But 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.

4And 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.

5And 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.

6Yea, 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.

7And 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.

8Therefore, 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.

9And 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.

10Yea, 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.

11But 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.

12Yea, 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.

13But 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.

14But 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.

15Yea, and wo be unto the city of Gideon, for the wickedness and abominations which are in her.

16Yea, 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.

17And behold, a curse shall come upon the land, saith the Lord of Hosts, because of the people’s sake who are upon the land, yea, because of their wickedness and their abominations.

18And 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.

19For 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.

20And 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.

21Behold 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.

22Ye 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.

23For 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.

24Yea, woe 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.

25And now when ye talk, ye say: If 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.

26Behold 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.

27But 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.

28Yea, 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.

29O ye wicked 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 blind guides? Yea, how long will ye choose darkness rather than light?

30Yea, behold, the anger of the Lord is already kindled against you; behold, he hath cursed the land because of your iniquity.

31And 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.

32And 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:

33O 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.

34Behold, 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.

35Yea, we have hid up our treasures and they have slipped away from us, because of the curse of the land.

36O 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.

37Behold, 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.

38But 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.

39O 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.

1And now it came to pass that Samuel, the Lamanite, did prophesy a great many more things which cannot be written.

2And behold, he said unto them: Behold, I give unto you a sign; for five years more cometh, and behold, then cometh the Son of God to redeem all those who shall believe on his name.

3And behold, this will I give unto you for a sign at the time of his coming; for behold, there shall be great lights in heaven, insomuch that in the night before he cometh there shall be no darkness, insomuch that it shall appear unto man as if it was day.

4Therefore, there shall be one day and a night and a day, as if it were one day and there were no night; and this shall be unto you for a sign; for ye shall know of the rising of the sun and also of its setting; therefore they shall know of a surety that there shall be two days and a night; nevertheless the night shall not be darkened; and it shall be the night before he is born.

5And behold, there shall a new star arise, such an one as ye never have beheld; and this also shall be a sign unto you.

6And behold this is not all, there shall be many signs and wonders in heaven.

7And it shall come to pass that ye shall all be amazed, and wonder, insomuch that ye shall fall to the earth.

8And it shall come to pass that whosoever shall believe on the Son of God, the same shall have everlasting life.

9And behold, thus hath the Lord commanded me, by his angel, that I should come and tell this thing unto you; yea, he hath commanded that I should prophesy these things unto you; yea, he hath said unto me: Cry unto this people, repent and prepare the way of the Lord.

10And now, because I am a Lamanite, and have spoken unto you the words which the Lord hath commanded me, and because it was hard against you, ye are angry with me and do seek to destroy me, and have cast me out from among you.

11And ye shall hear my words, for, for this intent have I come up upon the walls of this city, that ye might hear and know of the judgments of God which do await you because of your iniquities, and also that ye might know the conditions of repentance;

12And also that ye might know of the coming of Jesus Christ, the Son of God, the Father of heaven and of earth, the Creator of all things from the beginning; and that ye might know of the signs of his coming, to the intent that ye might believe on his name.

13And if ye believe on his name ye will repent of all your sins, that thereby ye may have a remission of them through his merits.

14And behold, again, another sign I give unto you, yea, a sign of his death.

15For behold, he surely must die that salvation may come; yea, it behooveth him and becometh expedient that he dieth, to bring to pass the resurrection of the dead, that thereby men may be brought into the presence of the Lord.

16Yea, behold, this death bringeth to pass the resurrection, and redeemeth all mankind from the first death—that spiritual death; for all mankind, by the fall of Adam being cut off from the presence of the Lord, are considered as dead, both as to things temporal and to things spiritual.

17But behold, the resurrection of Christ redeemeth mankind, yea, even all mankind, and bringeth them back into the presence of the Lord.

18Yea, and it bringeth to pass the condition of repentance, that whosoever repenteth the same is not hewn down and cast into the fire; but whosoever repenteth not is hewn down and cast into the fire; and there cometh upon them again a spiritual death, yea, a second death, for they are cut off again as to things pertaining to righteousness.

19Therefore repent ye, repent ye, lest by knowing these things and not doing them ye shall suffer yourselves to come under condemnation, and ye are brought down unto this second death.

20But behold, as I said unto you concerning another sign, a sign of his death, behold, in that day that he shall suffer death the sun shall be darkened and refuse to give his light unto you; and also the moon and the stars; and there shall be no light upon the face of this land, even from the time that he shall suffer death, for the space of three days, to the time that he shall rise again from the dead.

21Yea, at the time that he shall yield up the ghost there shall be thunderings and lightnings for the space of many hours, and the earth shall shake and tremble; and the rocks which are upon the face of this earth, which are both above the earth and beneath, which ye know at this time are solid, or the more part of it is one solid mass, shall be broken up;

22Yea, they shall be rent in twain, and shall ever after be found in seams and in cracks, and in broken fragments upon the face of the whole earth, yea, both above the earth and beneath.

23And behold, there shall be great tempests, and there shall be many mountains laid low, like unto a valley, and there shall be many places which are now called valleys which shall become mountains, whose height is great.

24And many highways shall be broken up, and many cities shall become desolate.

25And many graves shall be opened, and shall yield up many of their dead; and many saints shall appear unto many.

26And behold, thus hath the angel spoken unto me; for he said unto me that there should be thunderings and lightnings for the space of many hours.

27And he said unto me that while the thunder and the lightning lasted, and the tempest, that these things should be, and that darkness should cover the face of the whole earth for the space of three days.

28And the angel said unto me that many shall see greater things than these, to the intent that they might believe that these signs and these wonders should come to pass upon all the face of this land, to the intent that there should be no cause for unbelief among the children of men—

29And this to the intent that whosoever will believe might be saved, and that whosoever will not believe, a righteous judgment might come upon them; and also if they are condemned they bring upon themselves their own condemnation.

30And now remember, remember, my brethren, that whosoever perisheth, perisheth unto himself; and whosoever doeth iniquity, doeth it unto himself; for behold, ye are free; ye are permitted to act for yourselves; for behold, God hath given unto you a knowledge and he hath made you free.

31He hath given unto you that ye might know good from evil, and he hath given unto you that ye might choose life or death; and ye can do good and be restored unto that which is good, or have that which is good restored unto you; or ye can do evil, and have that which is evil restored unto you.

The Lord chastened the Nephites because He loved them—Converted Lamanites are firm and steadfast in the faith—The Lord will be merciful unto the Lamanites in the latter days. About 6 B.C.

1And now, my beloved brethren, behold, I declare unto you that except ye shall repent your houses shall be left unto you desolate.

2Yea, except ye repent, your women shall have great cause to mourn in the day that they shall give suck; for ye shall attempt to flee and there shall be no place for refuge; yea, and wo unto them which are with child, for they shall be heavy and cannot flee; therefore, they shall be trodden down and shall be left to perish.

3Yea, wo unto this people who are called the people of Nephi except they shall repent, when they shall see all these signs and wonders which shall be showed unto them; for behold, they have been a chosen people of the Lord; yea, the people of Nephi hath he loved, and also hath he chastened them; yea, in the days of their iniquities hath he chastened them because he loveth them.

4But behold my brethren, the Lamanites hath he hated because their deeds have been evil continually, and this because of the iniquity of the tradition of their fathers. But behold, salvation hath come unto them through the preaching of the Nephites; and for this intent hath the Lord prolonged their days.

5And I would that ye should behold that the more part of them are in the path of their duty, and they do walk circumspectly before God, and they do observe to keep his commandments and his statutes and his judgments according to the law of Moses.

6Yea, I say unto you, that the more part of them are doing this, and they are striving with unwearied diligence that they may bring the remainder of their brethren to the knowledge of the truth; therefore there are many who do add to their numbers daily.

7And behold, ye do know of yourselves, for ye have witnessed it, that as many of them as are brought to the knowledge of the truth, and to know of the wicked and abominable traditions of their fathers, and are led to believe the holy scriptures, yea, the prophecies of the holy prophets, which are written, which leadeth them to faith on the Lord, and unto repentance, which faith and repentance bringeth a change of heart unto them—

8Therefore, as many as have come to this, ye know of yourselves are firm and steadfast in the faith, and in the thing wherewith they have been made free.

9And ye know also that they have buried their weapons of war, and they fear to take them up lest by any means they should sin; yea, ye can see that they fear to sin—for behold they will suffer themselves that they be trodden down and slain by their enemies, and will not lift their swords against them, and this because of their faith in Christ.

10And now, because of their steadfastness when they do believe in that thing which they do believe, for because of their firmness when they are once enlightened, behold, the Lord shall bless them and prolong their days, notwithstanding their iniquity—

11Yea, even if they should dwindle in unbelief the Lord shall prolong their days, until the time shall come which hath been spoken of by our fathers, and also by the prophet Zenos, and many other prophets, concerning the restoration of our brethren, the Lamanites, again to the knowledge of the truth—

12Yea, I say unto you, that in the latter times the promises of the Lord have been extended to our brethren, the Lamanites; and notwithstanding the many afflictions which they shall have, and notwithstanding they shall be driven to and fro upon the face of the earth, and be hunted, and shall be smitten and scattered abroad, having no place for refuge, the Lord shall be merciful unto them.

16Therefore, saith the Lord: I will not utterly destroy them, but I will cause that in the day of my wisdom they shall return again unto me, saith the Lord.

17And now behold, saith the Lord, concerning the people of the Nephites: If they will not repent, and observe to do my will, I will utterly destroy them, saith the Lord, because of their unbelief notwithstanding the many mighty works which I have done among them; and as surely as the Lord liveth shall these things be, saith the Lord.

13And this is according to the prophecy, that they shall again be brought to the true knowledge, which is the knowledge of their Redeemer, and their great and true shepherd, and be numbered among his sheep.

14Therefore I say unto you, it shall be better for them than for you except ye repent.

15For behold, had the mighty works been shown unto them which have been shown unto you, yea, unto them who have dwindled in unbelief because of the traditions of their fathers, ye can see of yourselves that they never would again have dwindled in unbelief.