2 Nephi 5

I cried before God because of the anger of my brothers; but their anger only grew, as they plotted to kill me. They spoke out against me, saying that I sought to rule over them and that I was the source of their troubles. “Let us kill him,” they said, “and we will no longer be bothered by his lectures. Then we, as the older brothers, shall rightfully rule this people.”

God came and warned me that I should leave, and flee into the wilderness with those among us who still listened my words. So I gathered up my family, the families of Zoram, the families of my brothers Sam, Jacob, and Joseph, my sisters, and those who believed in the warnings and revelations of God. We packed up the possessions that we could carry and traveled for many days before we stopped and rested in a place we called Nephi. The people who came with me called themselves the people of Nephi, or Nephites.

Because we kept the commandments of Moses, God was with us and we prospered. We planted our seeds, raised flocks and herds of animals, and reaped abundance. I brought with us the brass plates from Jerusalem and the magic compass, Liahona, which God had given to my father to guide us in the wilderness. Our people multiplied and we thrived in the new land.

I knew that the Lamanites, as Laman’s people were now called, harbored great hatred towards me and my people, the Nephites. Because of this, it became necessary to undertake preparations for our defense against them. I still carried with me the sword of Laban, that I had used to kill Laban back in Jerusalem. Because I knew that the Lamanites might come to destroy us and try to steal our prosperity, I used Laban’s sword now as a model from which to fashion many similar swords.

I taught my people how to construct buildings and work with wood, iron, copper, brass, steel, gold and silver. The ores for these metals were found in great abundance. I built a temple fashioned after Solomon’s great temple and guided the Nephites to industry and hard work. We became great craftsmen. As our community took hold, the Nephites wanted me as their king, but I declined, arguing that no king was necessary. I promised to help them to the limits of my abilities.

For the Lamanites, the warnings of God were fulfilled, and they were cut off from him. Because of their wickedness and the hardness of their hearts against God, a great curse fell upon them. The Lamanites were physically transformed by God so that their appearance would not in any way be enticing to my Nephites. Where before they had been handsome, white people, their skin became dark and their features loathsome. They would remain this way, God said, until they repented of their sins. God further warned us that if any of the Nephites should marry and couple with any of the Lamanites, the children of such a union would be similarly cursed in appearance. Because of these curses which fell upon them, they became lazy, mischievous people who fed themselves on wild beasts of prey instead of growing plants for harvest or raising livestock.

God said to me, “Nephi, these Lamanites will be the enemy of your descendants, and a reminder of my covenants with you. If your descendants should ever forget me and my commandments, these Lamanites will destroy them.”

Thirty years had now passed since we left Jerusalem, and we Nephites had found great happiness in this promised land. My brothers Jacob and Joseph were blessed by me as priests and teachers of my people. In keeping with the word of God, I continued to keep a record of my people on the plates, and another record of God’s will for my descendants. [569 BC]

By the time forty years had passed, our first wars with the Lamanites began. [559 BC]