3 Nephi 8

We know that the following record is true, wrote Mormon, because it was kept by a very honest man. We know of his honesty because of the many miracles he performed in the name of Jesus Christ, and the certainty that no man can do miracles in the name of Jesus Christ except a man who has cleansed himself of every speck of sinfulness.

With the passing of the 33rd year after the birth of Jesus Christ the Nephite people began to look earnestly for the three days of unbroken darkness that Samuel the Lamanite prophet had foretold. In spite of the many signs that had already been fulfilled there was great doubt and debate among the Nephites concerning this prophesied event.

In the 34th year after the birth of Jesus Christ a great storm arose that was more terrible than any storm ever known. The thunder from this storm was so powerful that it shook the whole earth as if to tear it apart. The city of Zarahemla burst into flames. The city of Moroni sunk into the sea and the inhabitants drowned. The earth rose up and buried the city of Moronihah such that the place where the city had been, became a huge mountain. In the lands to the south the destruction was catastrophic. To the north the destruction was even greater.

The storms, whirlwinds, and earthquakes totally changed the face of the land. Highways and roads were broken up and ruined. Smooth places became rough. The great Nephite cities were sunk, burned, and shaken to pieces. The inhabitants were killed. Buildings fell to the ground and the cities were left desolate. Some cities were left standing but were greatly damaged. Most of the people were killed, and some were swept away by the whirlwinds, never to be seen again.

After three hours of these sustained storms and earthquakes everything became still, and the earth fell into total darkness. There was no light whatsoever. No candles, torches, or fires could even be lit. There was no sun, no moon, and no stars. There was only total darkness across the face of the land. For three days no light of any sort was seen. The survivors mourned, howled, and wept continuously because of the destruction that preceded the darkness and also because of the terrifying darkness itself.

“If only we had repented before this terrible day,” some were heard to say, “then our people would have been spared, and the great city of Zarahemla would not have burned.”

In another place the people cried out, “If only we had repented before this terrible day, and not killed the prophets, if only we hadn’t stoned them and cast them out, then our mothers, daughters, and children would have been spared. If only we’d done differently then the great city of Moronihah would not have been buried beneath a mountain.”

These are just samples of the great and terrible howlings of the surviving people.