Nephi Makes More Plates and Quotes from the Brass Ones

Soon after arriving in the promised land, the Lord commanded me to make large plates. Upon those plates, I transcribed my father’s record of our journey in the wilderness, of his prophecies, and many of my prophecies. While making my first set of plates, I didn’t know that several years later the Lord would tell me to make this second set (the smaller ones). My first set contains my father’s record, his genealogy and a detailed account of our wilderness journey.

On this second set, the Lord told me to write a plain and precious record of the ministry and prophecies to my people. This record was to be for their instruction, and for other wise purposes known to Him. I made a detailed record of my people’s warfare on my first set of plates (the larger ones). I have told my people that after I am gone, they should hand down all my plates, from one generation to another, from one prophet to another, until the Lord commands otherwise.

For now, I am writing this sacred history, and at a later time I will tell you how the Lord commanded me to make this second set of plates, upon which I now write this more sacred history. My first set of plates, containing our detailed history, is also sacred. If I make mistakes, like those who have written before me, I forgive myself, not because others have also made mistakes, but because like others, I, too, am weak in the flesh.

Some consider what I write to be of great worth, both temporally and spiritually, while others do not value it at all. Some do not even value the very God of Israel and His counsel. But according to what the angel said, the God of Israel will be born 600 years from the time my family left Jerusalem. And because of their iniquity, the worldly will judge Him to be of no value. They will whip and strike Him, and even spit on Him. He will allow this because of His loving kindness and long-suffering toward all people.

The God of Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob, who led the children of Israel out of Egypt and preserved them in the wilderness, will yield Himself as a mortal man into the hands of wicked men, to be “lifted up,” according to the words of Zenock. To be “crucified,” according to the words of Neum, and to be “buried in a sepulcher,” according to the words of Zenos, who also spoke of three days of darkness that would be a sign of His death, given to the house of Israel throughout the world.

Zenos the prophet said, “The Lord God will surely visit all the house of Israel at the time of His death and resurrection. He will visit some with His voice because of their righteousness, to their great joy and salvation. And He will visit others with His power—with thunder, lightning, storms, fire, thick darkness, by opening the earth, and by raising mountains. The rocks of the earth will break up, and because of the groaning of the earth, the Spirit of God will come upon many kings on other continents, who will exclaim, ‘The God of nature suffers.’

“The people of Jerusalem will be scourged by all nations for crucifying the God of Israel, and for rejecting His signs, wonders, power and glory. They will be defamed and hated among all nations. They will wander and perish for despising the Holy One of Israel and for turning their hearts away from Him.” Zenos continues, “However, when the day comes that the Jews no longer turn their hearts away from the Holy One of Israel, He will remember the covenants that He made to their forefathers. He will remember all the people who are of the house of Israel and gather them together from all over the earth. Then all the people of the earth in every nation will see the salvation of the Lord and be blessed.”

And I, Nephi, write these things to persuade my people to always remember their Lord and Redeemer. I write these things to all the house of Israel, that my record might come to them as well.

Now I grieve in the spirit, to the point of growing weak, for those who are in Jerusalem. But the Lord has shown mercy on me. He has saved me from perishing in Jerusalem and has shown me its destruction, just as He showed the prophets of old. Surely the Lord showed the prophets of old everything about Jerusalem and about us and our descendants. It is very important for us to have their prophecies that are written on the brass plates. I taught my brothers these things, and I read them many things from the brass plates so they would understand how the Lord has dealt with His people in other lands and in times past.

I read many things to them written by Moses, and especially by Isaiah, to persuade them to believe in the Lord their Redeemer. I applied all the scriptures to our lives so that we could profit and learn from them.

Before reading some of Isaiah’s words I said, “Listen, you who are a branch of the house of Israel, which has been broken off and carried across the sea. Listen to the words of Isaiah, written for all of Israel’s descendants. Apply Isaiah’s words to your lives so that you may have hope in your Redeemer along with the rest of the house of Israel, for the reason Isaiah wrote was to give us hope!”