The Book of Enos

Enos 1

My father Jacob was a good man, who taught me to read and write and to honor the name of God. I struggled to receive God’s blessing and be forgiven for my sins. One day, while out hunting in the forest, I considered deeply my father’s words about eternal life and the joy of saints. I kneeled down before God and cried out to him in prayer for my soul. I prayed all day long, and when night came I raised my voice to reach the heavens.

A voice came to me saying, “Enos, your sins are forgiven and you are blessed.” Because I knew that God couldn’t lie, my sense of guilt vanished.

“Dear God, how does this happen?” I asked.

“Because you have faith in Jesus Christ, whom you’ve neither seen or heard,” God replied. “Go in peace, Enos, because your faith has made you whole.”

Having heard God’s words, a desire stirred in me to help my Nephite brothers. I prayed more to God, on their behalf. Again, the voice of God came to me, saying, “To the degree that your brothers keep my commandments, I will visit them also. I’ve given them this holy land, but I stand ready to curse it if they fall into wickedness. I will come to your brothers; but when I do, I will bring sorrow upon them for their gross violations.”

After hearing these words, my faith was strengthened and I prayed further for the benefit of my brothers. Again, God’s voice came to me. “Because of your faith, I will grant your desires,” he said. My main desire had been the preservation of the Nephite records in the event that our people were destroyed by the Lamanites. Restoring them to the true faith was impossible at this time, as they had sworn to destroy us and our records. If the Lamanites destroyed us but this record survived, it could be revealed in the future and prove to be the salvation of the Lamanites’ descendants.

I cried out in thanks and relief, knowing that God was willing and able to preserve our records regardless of what became of us. He had told me, “Whatever you ask in faith, in the name of Jesus Christ, you will receive.” So I knew that our records would not perish, but would come forth to the Lamanites in God’s own time because God had promised this to me as he had to my fathers before me.

After I went among the Nephites and testified about these prophecies, our people went out among the Lamanites again. They tried tirelessly to restore them to the one true faith in God; but it was to no avail, because their hatred of us was so strong and they were led by their evil nature. They had become wild, ferocious, and bloodthirsty people who were filled with idolatry and filth. Skillfully using bows and arrows, axes, and swords, the Lamanites fed themselves by killing wild beasts and often eating them raw. They lived in tents instead of building homes, and wandered the wilderness in loin skins instead of wearing clothing. These wild brothers of ours continually sought to destroy us. During my years, we saw many wars between the Nephites and Lamanites.

The Nephites, on the other hand, farmed the land, raising grains and fruit. We raised up herds of cattle, goats, and horses. Even though there were many prophets among us, the Nephite people remained stubborn and difficult for me to understand. Without our harsh preaching, prophecies of wars and destruction, eternal damnation, and God’s judgments to keep them in line and in fear of God, they would have quickly destroyed themselves.

But I am old now. A hundred and seventy nine years have passed since my grandfather left Jerusalem, and I will soon die. It has been my honor and privilege to be a prophet of God and a preacher to my people, the Nephites. All my days I have rejoiced in the truth of Jesus Christ above all else in the world. When I pass, I go to rest with Jesus Christ, my Redeemer. I rejoice in the certainty that one day my mortal body will become immortal, when I stand before him. He will look on my face with pleasure and say, “Come, be with me and be blessed; I have prepared a place for you in my Father’s mansions.” [420 BC]