Nephites Are Cursed and the Lamanites Blessed

“My brothers and sisters, unless you repent, your houses will be destroyed. Your nursing women with small children will have a great reason to mourn, for there will be no place for them to hide. Your pregnant women will not be able to run, and will be trampled and left to die. You, the Nephites, will be cursed unless you repent when you see all these signs and wonders. For you have been the chosen people of the Lord, and He has chastised you because He loves you. The Lord hated what the Lamanites did according to their false traditions. But salvation has come to them through the preaching of your people. The Lord has spared them so that they would have time to be converted to the truth. Most of the Lamanites are now righteous, and they keep God’s commandments, statutes, and judgments according to the law of Moses. Most of them are doing everything they can to help their brethren know the truth. And because of their efforts, many of their brethren are converted each day. You have seen that after coming to know the truth, the Lamanites’ testimonies are firm. After realizing their false traditions, they believe the holy scriptures and prophecies written therein. You have seen the change that has come upon their hearts as they have been led by the prophecies to repent with faith in the Lord. You know that those Lamanites who have done this are firm in their faith in Christ, who has made them free.

“You know that they have buried their weapons, being afraid to sin again by fighting. They would rather be killed than fight, because of their faith in Christ. Because of their strong faith, the Lord will bless them and extend their lives, even though they were once terrible sinners. But even if they did not believe in the Lord, He would still let them live in the land until they are converted in the latter days. Our forefathers, the prophet Zenos, and many other prophets spoke about this latter-day conversion of the Lamanites.

“The Lord’s promises are made to the Lamanites in the last days, because in spite of the many difficulties they will have—being driven like cattle over the land, being hunted, killed, and scattered with no safe place to go—the Lord will show mercy on them. According to prophecy, they will once again know their Redeemer, their Great and True Shepherd, and be numbered among His people.

“It will be better for them than for you unless you repent, for if the Lamanites had seen the mighty works that you have seen, they would not stay ignorant under the curse of their forefathers’ false traditions, and they would never again falter in unbelief. The Lord says, ‘I will not completely destroy the Lamanites, but in the day of my wisdom I will cause them to return to me again. Now if the Nephites will not repent and do my will, as surely as I live, I will completely destroy them. I will do this if they will not believe and obey me after I have done so many mighty works among them.’ ”