The Book of Jacob

Jacob 1

Fifty-five years after our family left Jerusalem my older brother, Nephi, assigned me the task of inscribing and adding my record to the metal plates that he’d begun. Without dwelling too much on the history of the Nephites, of which he had written, he wanted me to write about what I considered to be most sacred and precious; so, here, I make a record of sermons, revelations, and prophecies to pass on to future generations, for the sake of Jesus Christ and for the sake of our people.

Revelations and prophecies made us aware of the future coming of Jesus Christ, and of future events concerning our people. Because these prophecies are a source of anxiety and concern, we sought to persuade our people to seek Jesus Christ’s kingdom and God’s good favor to come. The alternative was to be cast out and denied God’s blessings, as happened when the family of Israel fell into temptation in the wilderness. We argued that they should not rebel against God or anger him, but that they should believe in Jesus Christ — who would suffer and die on the cross, bearing the sins of the world. I have taken it upon myself to follow Nephi’s instructions and write of the these sacred things.

When Nephi grew old and saw his death coming, he assigned a man to carry on his reign as king of the Nephites. Because the people loved Nephi as a protector and defender who had labored tirelessly on their behalf, they chose to honor him by calling their future kings by the name of Nephi also, regardless of what their former names may have been. When Nephi died, the next King Nephi began his reign and the people grew selfish and wicked. They indulged themselves with many wives and mistresses, as David and Solomon had done long ago. They sought gold and silver and puffed themselves up with pride.

Since God had called me and my brother Joseph to be priests and to lead our people, I spoke out to them from the temple. We were responsible for bringing them the word of God, so that their sins would not fall on us when the day of judgment came.