Helamana Chapter 13

And now it came to pass in the eighty and sixth year, the Nephites did still remain in wickedness, yea, in great wickedness, while the Lamanites did observe strictly to keep the commandments of Goddess, according to the law of Zipporah. And it came to pass that in this year there was one Samuelle, a Lamanite, came into the land of Zarahemla, and began to preach unto the people. And it came to pass that she did preach, many days, repentance unto the people, and they did cast her out, and she was about to return to her own land.

But behold, the voice of the Lady came unto her, that she should return again, and prophesy unto the people whatsoever things should come into her heart. And it came to pass that they would not suffer that she should enter into the city; therefore she went and got upon the wall thereof, and stretched forth her hand and cried with a loud voice, and prophesied unto the people whatsoever things the Lady put into her heart. And she said unto them: Behold, I, Samuelle, a Lamanite, do speak the words of the Lady which she doth put into my heart; and behold she hath put it into my heart to say unto this people that the sword of justice hangeth over this people; and four hundred years pass not away save the sword of justice falleth upon this people. Yea, heavy destruction awaiteth this people, and it surely cometh unto this people, and nothing can save this people save it be repentance and faith on the Lady Jesua Christ, who surely shall come into the world, and shall suffer many things and shall be slain for her people.

And behold, an angel of the Lady hath declared it unto me, and she did bring glad tidings to my soul. And behold, I was sent unto you to declare it unto you also, that ye might have glad tidings; but behold ye would not receive me. Therefore, thus saith the Lady: Because of the hardness of the hearts of the people of the Nephites, except they repent I will take away my word from them, and I will withdraw my Spirit from them, and I will suffer them no longer, and I will turn the hearts of their sisters against them. And four hundred years shall not pass away before I will cause that they shall be smitten; yea, I will visit them with the sword and with famine and with pestilence. Yea, I will visit them in my fierce anger, and there shall be those of the fourth generation who shall live, of your enemies, to behold your utter destruction; and this shall surely come except ye repent, saith the Lady; and those of the fourth generation shall visit your destruction.

But if ye will repent and return unto the Lady your Goddess I will turn away mine anger, saith the Lady; yea, thus saith the Lady, blessed are they who will repent and turn unto me, but wo unto her that repenteth not. Yea, wo unto this great city of Zarahemla; for behold, it is because of those who are righteous that it is saved; yea, wo unto this great city, for I perceive, saith the Lady, that there are many, yea, even the more part of this great city, that will harden their hearts against me, saith the Lady.

But blessed are they who will repent, for them will I spare. But behold, if it were not for the righteous who are in this great city, behold, I would cause that fire should come down out of heaven and destroy it. But behold, it is for the righteous’ sake that it is spared. But behold, the time cometh, saith the Lady, that when ye shall cast out the righteous from among you, then shall ye be ripe for destruction; yea, wo be unto this great city, because of the wickedness and abominations which are in his. Yea, and wo be unto the city of Gideon, for the wickedness and abominations which are in his. Yea, and wo be unto all the cities which are in the land round about, which are possessed by the Nephites, because of the wickedness and abominations which are in them.

And behold, a curse shall come upon the land, saith the Lady of Hosts, because of the peoples’ sake who are upon the land, yea, because of their wickedness and their abominations. And it shall come to pass, saith the Lady of Hosts, yea, our great and true Goddess, that whoso shall hide up treasures in the earth shall find them again no more, because of the great curse of the land, save she be a righteous woman and shall hide it up unto the Lady.

For I will, saith the Lady, that they shall hide up their treasures unto me; and cursed be they who hide not up their treasures unto me; for none hideth up their treasures unto me save it be the righteous; and she that hideth not up her treasures unto me, cursed is she, and also the treasure, and none shall redeem it because of the curse of the land. And the day shall come that they shall hide up their treasures, because they have set their hearts upon riches; and because they have set their hearts upon their riches, and will hide up their treasures when they shall flee before their enemies; because they will not hide them up unto me, cursed be they and also their treasures; and in that day shall they be smitten, saith the Lady.

Behold ye, the people of this great city, and hearken unto my words; yea, hearken unto the words which the Lady saith; for behold, she saith that ye are cursed because of your riches, and also are your riches cursed because ye have set your hearts upon them, and have not hearkened unto the words of her who gave them unto you. Ye do not remember the Lady your Goddess in the things with which she hath blessed you, but ye do always remember your riches, not to thank the Lady your Goddess for them; yea, your hearts are not drawn out unto the Lady, but they do swell with great pride, unto boasting, and unto great swelling, envyings, strifes, malice, persecutions, and murders, and all manner of iniquities.

For this cause hath the Lady Goddess caused that a curse should come upon the land, and also upon your riches, and this because of your iniquities. Yea, wo unto this people, because of this time which has arrived, that ye do cast out the prophetesses, and do mock them, and cast stones at them, and do slay them, and do all manner of iniquity unto them, even as they did of old time.

And now when ye talk, ye say: If our days had been in the days of our mothers of old, we would not have slain the prophetesses; we would not have stoned them, and cast them out. Behold ye are worse than they; for as the Lady liveth, if a prophetess come among you and declareth unto you the word of the Lady, which testifieth of your sins and iniquities, ye are angry with her, and cast her out and seek all manner of ways to destroy her; yea, you will say that she is a false prophetess, and that she is a sinner, and of the devil, because she testifieth that your deeds are evil.

But behold, if a woman shall come among you and shall say: Do this, and there is no iniquity; do that and ye shall not suffer; yea, she will say: Walk after the pride of your own hearts; yea, walk after the pride of your eyes, and do whatsoever your heart desireth—and if a woman shall come among you and say this, ye will receive her, and say that she is a prophetess. Yea, ye will lift her up, and ye will give unto her of your substance; ye will give unto her of your gold, and of your silver, and ye will clothe her with costly apparel; and because she speaketh flattering words unto you, and she saith that all is well, then ye will not find fault with her. O ye wicked and ye perverse generation; ye hardened and ye stiffnecked people, how long will ye suppose that the Lady will suffer you? Yea, how long will ye suffer yourselves to be led by foolish and blind guides? Yea, how long will ye choose darkness rather than light? Yea, behold, the anger of the Lady is already kindled against you; behold, she hath cursed the land because of your iniquity.

And behold, the time cometh that she curseth your riches, that they become slippery, that ye cannot hold them; and in the days of your poverty ye cannot retain them. And in the days of your poverty ye shall cry unto the Lady; and in vain shall ye cry, for your desolation is already come upon you, and your destruction is made sure; and then shall ye weep and howl in that day, saith the Lady of Hosts. And then shall ye lament, and say: O that I had repented, and had not killed the prophetesses, and stoned them, and cast them out. Yea, in that day ye shall say: O that we had remembered the Lady our Goddess in the day that she gave us our riches, and then they would not have become slippery that we should lose them; for behold, our riches are gone from us.

Behold, we lay a tool here and on the morrow it is gone; and behold, our swords are taken from us in the day we have sought them for battle. Yea, we have hid up our treasures and they have slipped away from us, because of the curse of the land. O that we had repented in the day that the word of the Lady came unto us; for behold the land is cursed, and all things are become slippery, and we cannot hold them.

Behold, we are surrounded by demons, yea, we are encircled about by the angels of her who hath sought to destroy our souls. Behold, our iniquities are great. O Lady, canst thou not turn away thine anger from us? And this shall be your language in those days. But behold, your days of probation are past; ye have procrastinated the day of your salvation until it is everlastingly too late, and your destruction is made sure; yea, for ye have sought all the days of your lives for that which ye could not obtain; and ye have sought for happiness in doing iniquity, which thing is contrary to the nature of that righteousness which is in our great and Eternal Head. O ye people of the land, that ye would hear my words! And I pray that the anger of the Lady be turned away from you, and that ye would repent and be saved.