2 Nephi 3

My father Lehi next addressed his youngest son. “Joseph2, you were born in the days of my greatest sorrows while we traveled through the wilderness. May God bless you and your progeny forever, if you, too, keep the commandments of God. You are a descendant of Joseph1 who was sold off by his brothers and taken to Egypt as a slave. He was a prophet who saw our present time. Like us, Joseph of Egypt was promised many things by God. One of those promises was that his descendants would become a mighty branch of the family of Israel which would be broken off and remembered when the Messiah Jesus Christ becomes manifest in the world in the latter days. He promised that our descendants will be brought out of the darkness into the light, and out of captivity into freedom.

“Long ago our ancestor, Joseph of Egypt, declared that God had said to him, ‘Joseph, from your descendants I will raise up a great prophet, seer, and revelator. He will be highly regarded among your descendants. I will command him to do great work among your descendants by bringing to them the knowledge of the promises that I have made to your ancestors. Just as I will raise up and bring forth Moses to deliver your people out of the land of Egypt, so too will I raise up the great prophet of which I speak. He will not only bring forth my word, but convince people of its truth. In the latter days, he will bring knowledge of my covenants and expose false doctrines, bring peace among your descendants, and restore the entire family of Israel.’

“Joseph has prophesied,” said Lehi, “that, ‘The great prophet whom God will raise up in the latter days will be blessed by God, and will confound all those who oppose him. His name, like mine, will be Joseph, and Joseph will also be the name of his father. He will bring my people into salvation. I am as sure of this prophecy as I am sure of the prophecy of Moses, because God has promised to preserve my descendants forever.’

“ ‘I will bring forth a Moses,’ God said to Joseph of Egypt, ‘and give him a rod of power, and give him written commandments to follow. Likewise, in the last days I will bring forth the prophet Joseph who shall write the words of your descendants that are necessary to be heard.’ ”

Lehi continued his prophesying to my brother Joseph. “Because of these promises you are blessed and your descendants will not be destroyed, because they will listen to the words that the latter day prophet Joseph shall bring to them in a book. Among your descendants, this mighty one will rise up and be an instrument of God’s hand, who will work wonders towards bringing restoration to all the family of Israel, and to the descendants of your brothers.

“You are still young, Joseph; therefore, listen to the words of your brother Nephi. If you do this, all of my blessings will come true. Above all, remember the words of your dying father.”