Wicked Tribes Prevail, and Nephi is Hated

The conspirators were not successful in establishing a king over the land, but in that same year, 30, they murdered the chief judge of the land as he sat on the judgment seat.

The rest of the people divided into tribes according to families, relatives, and friends, but these tribes were not unified. This is how the government was destroyed.

Each tribe appointed a chief, and every man in each tribe had a large family, many relatives and friends. This is how many large tribes were established.

There were no wars as yet among the tribes, but all this degeneration was the result of the people yielding to Satan’s power. The government regulations had been destroyed because of the secret combinations of the friends and relatives of those who had murdered the prophets. Because there was so much contention in the land, nearly all the righteous people had become wicked, and only a few remained righteous. All this happened in less than six years.

Then this secret combination, which had brought on such great iniquity, assembled and selected a man named Jacob to be their king. Jacob had been one of the main voices against the prophets who testified of Jesus. This secret combination of wicked people was not as numerous as the people of the tribes. Although each tribal leader established his own laws, and the tribes were enemies with one another, they were united in their hatred of Jacob’s secret band.

Knowing this, Jacob commanded his people to go to the most northern parts of the land to build a kingdom. Jacob promised his people that soon many more dissenters would join them and make them strong enough to conquer the tribes.

By the end of 30, Jacob’s people had gone north. They had gone so quickly that the tribes were not able to cut off their escape. In 31, the various tribes agreed not to go to war with one another. However, they continued to keep their own separate laws. They all established very strict laws not to trespass against one another. By doing this, they had some peace in the land. Still, their hearts were turned away from the Lord, and they stoned the prophets and ran them out of their lands.

Nephi had been visited by angels. He had heard the Lord’s voice and had been given the power to know of Christ’s ministry. He had also seen the people’s quick return from righteousness to wickedness. Being grieved for the hardness of their hearts and blindness of their minds, Nephi went among the people in 31, boldly testifying of repentance and of the remission of sins through faith in the Lord Jesus Christ.

Nephi said and did many things among his people, ministering with power and great authority. All that Nephi did cannot be written in this book. To write only part of what he did would not be enough, so that history is not written here.

The people hated Nephi because his powerful witness was too great for them to deny. Nephi had such great faith in the Lord Jesus Christ that angels visited him each day. He cast out devils in the name of Jesus, and he even raised his brother, Timothy, who had been stoned to death by the people. As the people saw Nephi do this and many other miracles in the name of Jesus, they became more angry with him for being so powerful.

By the end of 31, there were few converts to the Lord, but those who were converted testified to the people that they had been visited by the power and Spirit of God, which was in Jesus Christ, in whom they believed. Those who had devils cast out of them and who were healed from sickness also testified that the Spirit of God had come upon them, and they showed signs and performed miracles among the people.

In the beginning of 33, Nephi continued to preach repentance and remission of sins. He ordained men to baptize, and all those who repented were baptized by them. (Now, I want to remind you that those who were baptized were immersed in water). Their baptisms were a witness and a testimony before God that they had repented and had received a remission of their sins.