God Blesses Nephi

Then the people went their separate ways, leaving Nephi standing alone. He walked toward his home thinking of what the Lord had shown him. He was very sorry because of the Nephite wickedness, for they participated in all types of secret works of darkness, murder, and theft.

As Nephi was sorrowing, the Lord’s voice said to him, “Nephi, you are blessed for what you have done. I have seen how dedicated you have been in telling my words to this people. You have not been afraid of them or of losing your life. You have only wanted to do my will and keep my commandments. Because you have been so dedicated to me, I will bless you forever. I will make your faith, words, and actions mighty. Whatever you say will be done, for I know that you will not ask for anything that is against my will. I, God, tell you in the presence of my angels that you will have power over this people. You will smite the earth with drought, pestilence, and destruction according to their wickedness. I give you my power among this people. Whomever you bless will be blessed forever, and whomever you curse will be cursed forever. If you command a temple to split in two, it will be done. If you command a mountain to fall down and become a smooth valley, it will be done. If you say that God will smite this people, then I will. And now I command you to tell this people that the Lord God, who is Almighty, has said, ‘Unless you repent, you will be destroyed.’ ”

As soon as the Lord’s voice had come to Nephi, he went to the many groups of people scattered throughout the land, telling them what the Lord had told him—that if they did not repent, they would be destroyed. Even after seeing Nephi’s great miracle—telling of their chief judge’s murderer—they were still too proud and stubborn to listen. Nephi repeated the Lord’s warning to the people wherever he went, but the people just became angry with him and tried to throw him into prison. So much of God’s power was with Nephi that the Spirit carried him away from the crowds that wanted to put him into prison, and he freely walked away from them. Nephi went from crowd to crowd in the Spirit, telling them God’s word, until he had personally told or had sent His word among all of them. But no one would listen. Instead, they began to again fight among themselves, killing each other with swords. This is how 21 BC ended—the seventy-first year of the judges’ reign over the Nephites.