3 Nephi 7

In the 30th year after the birth of Jesus Christ the renegade judges murdered Governor Lachoneus, but were unsuccessful at enthroning a king. The governor’s murder incited conflict among the people and destroyed the government. The people were divided against each other into tribes of family, friends, and secret alliances. Each tribe had its own leader, but there was no leader of the land because there were so many tribes with so many different leaders.

The people let themselves be led by the power of Satan. The secret conspiracies of tribes, who’d murdered the prophets, now destroyed law and order. Except for a few righteous men the people had almost entirely lapsed into sinfulness. Only six years after their great victory over the robbers, the people had turned away from righteousness, like a dog eating his own vomit, or a pig wallowing in the mire.

The main conspirators gathered together and followed a leader named Jacob3, who they called their king. This man Jacob had been one of the people most vocal in his opposition to the prophets of Jesus Christ.

Though the majority of the people lapsed into unrighteousness themselves, they were united in their hatred of these conspirators who had toppled the government. When Jacob saw a growing threat to his power he fled into the north, where he established a kingdom of dissenting renegade Nephites.

In the 31st year after the birth of Jesus Christ the divided tribes of people were too disorganized and fractured to form a central government, but they did agree not to fight with each other. They managed to arrange a fragile peace by establishing defined territorial boundaries with each other. But meanwhile, the prophets of God were stoned and cast out.

Nephi grieved for his people. He’d been visited by angels, heard the voice of God, and seen the power of Jesus Christ’s ministry. He’d watched helplessly as his people had fallen from righteousness into wickedness and abomination. He went out and spoke strongly about repentance and the remission of sins through faith in Jesus Christ. Nephi ministered to his people with such power and authority that it was impossible to disbelieve in what he said. His faith in God was so great that angels spoke to him every day. In the name of Jesus Christ he cast out devils and unclean spirits. When his brother was stoned to death for speaking out against sinfulness, Nephi raised him from the dead.

When the people saw the power of the miracles that he performed in the name of Jesus Christ, many of them grew angry with him. Very few of those who witnessed these miracles were restored to God. But those who did became convinced of the power of God, and were supported in their belief in Jesus Christ. Those who were healed by the Spirit of God were then able to perform miracles themselves. All of those who repented were baptized with water by Nephi ,or his ordained ministers, and received remission from their sins.

In the 33rd year after the birth of Jesus Christ many people repented and were baptized.