[color-box]For comparison purposes, the original Book of Mormon text is supplied (italicized and indented) after each Modern Book of Mormon verse.[/color-box]
1 I, Nephi, had good parents, and my father taught me everything he knew. I have had a lot of difficult times in my life, but have still been blessed by the Lord. Because I know first-hand how good and mysterious God is, I have decided to write down everything that has happened to me in my life.
1 I, Nephi, having been born of goodly parents, therefore I was taught somewhat in all the learning of my father; and having seen many afflictions in the course of my days, nevertheless, having been highly favored of the Lord in all my days; yea, having had a great knowledge of the goodness and the mysteries of God, therefore I make a record of my proceedings in my days.
2 I write this in my father’s language, which comes from Jewish knowledge and the Egyptian language.
2 Yea, I make a record in the language of my father, which consists of the learning of the Jews and the language of the Egyptians.
3 And I know that what I write is true, and I write it with my own hand. I’m writing it from my own knowledge.
3 And I know that the record which I make is true; and I make it with mine own hand; and I make it according to my knowledge.
4 In the first year that Zedekiah, king of Judah, ruled, many prophets came to Jerusalem, saying that the people needed to repent or else the great city of Jerusalem would be destroyed. (My father, Lehi, lived in Jerusalem his whole life.)
4 For it came to pass in the commencement of the first year of the reign of Zedekiah, king of Judah, (my father, Lehi, having dwelt at Jerusalem in all his days); and in that same year there came many prophets, prophesying unto the people that they must repent, or the great city Jerusalem must be destroyed.
5 My father, Lehi, went and prayed to the Lord with all of his heart for the sake of the people of Jerusalem.
5 Wherefore it came to pass that my father, Lehi, as he went forth prayed unto the Lord, yea, even with all his heart, in behalf of his people.
6 As he prayed to the Lord, a column of fire came down onto a rock in front of him. He saw and heard a lot of things, and those things scared him.
6 And it came to pass as he prayed unto the Lord, there came a pillar of fire and dwelt upon a rock before him; and he saw and heard much; and because of the things which he saw and heard he did quake and tremble exceedingly.
7 Being overwhelmed by the Spirit and with what he had seen, he went back to his house in Jerusalem and fell into bed.
7 And it came to pass that he returned to his own house at Jerusalem; and he cast himself upon his bed, being overcome with the Spirit and the things which he had seen.
8 In bed he had a vision and saw the sky open. He thought he saw God sitting on his throne, surrounded by an infinite number of angels that were singing and praising God.
8 And being thus overcome with the Spirit, he was carried away in a vision, even that he saw the heavens open, and he thought he saw God sitting upon his throne, surrounded with numberless concourses of angels in the attitude of singing and praising their God.
9 He saw one person in particular coming down out of heaven, and that person glowed like the sun in the middle of the day.
9 And it came to pass that he saw One descending out of the midst of heaven, and he beheld that his luster was above that of the sun at noon-day.
10 And he also saw twelve others coming after him, and they glowed brighter than the stars in the night sky.
10 And he also saw twelve others following him, and their brightness did exceed that of the stars in the firmament.
11 They come down to earth, and the first person came and stood in front of my father. He gave him a book, and asked him to read.
11 And they came down and went forth upon the face of the earth; and the first came and stood before my father, and gave unto him a book, and bade him that he should read.
12 As he read, he was filled with the Spirit of the Lord.
12 And it came to pass that as he read, he was filled with the Spirit of the Lord.
13 He read and said, “How terrible it will be for you, Jerusalem! I’ve seen your sins!” My father read a lot of things about Jerusalem, including that it and the people who lived there would be destroyed. Many of the people would be killed by the sword, and many others would be carried away as slaves into Babylon.
13 And he read, saying: Wo, wo, unto Jerusalem, for I have seen thine abominations! Yea, and many things did my father read concerning Jerusalem—that it should be destroyed, and the inhabitants thereof; many should perish by the sword, and many should be carried away captive into Babylon.
14 After my father had read and seen a lot of great things, he cried out to the Lord and said many things, like “The things you do are great and wonderful, Lord God Almighty! Your throne is in the sky, and your power, goodness, and mercy are for everyone on earth. Because you have mercy, you will not let those that come to you be destroyed.
14 And it came to pass that when my father had read and seen many great and marvelous things, he did exclaim many things unto the Lord; such as: Great and marvelous are thy works, O Lord God Almighty! Thy throne is high in the heavens, and thy power, and goodness, and mercy are over all the inhabitants of the earth; and, because thou art merciful, thou wilt not suffer those who come unto thee that they shall perish!
15 That was the kind of thing my father said because of what he had seen and what the Lord had shown to him. He praised God with a happy soul and full heart.
15 And after this manner was the language of my father in the praising of his God; for his soul did rejoice, and his whole heart was filled, because of the things which he had seen, yea, which the Lord had shown unto him.
16 I, Nephi, won’t wrote down everything that my father wrote. He has written a lot of different things that he’s seen in visions and dreams. He also has written a lot the things that he told to us, his kids, but I won’t wrote those either.
16 And now I, Nephi, do not make a full account of the things which my father hath written, for he hath written many things which he saw in visions and in dreams; and he also hath written many things which he prophesied and spake unto his children, of which I shall not make a full account.
17 I will, though, write down what has happened to me in my life. I’m writing a shortened version of what my father wrote. I’m writing this on plates that I have made with my own hands. After I’ve written a shortened version of what my father said and did, I’ll write what happened in my own life.
17 But I shall make an account of my proceedings in my days. Behold, I make an abridgment of the record of my father, upon plates which I have made with mine own hands; wherefore, after I have abridged the record of my father then will I make an account of mine own life.
18 After the Lord had shown my father so many great things about the destruction of Jerusalem, my father went to the people in Jerusalem and started to prophesy, telling them about what he had seen and heard.
18 Therefore, I would that ye should know, that after the Lord had shown so many marvelous things unto my father, Lehi, yea, concerning the destruction of Jerusalem, behold he went forth among the people, and began to prophesy and to declare unto them concerning the things which he had both seen and heard.
19 But the Jews made fun of him for the things he said. He said how bad and sinful the people were. He told them the things that he had seen and heard, along with the things he had read in the book. He talked about the time when the Messiah would come, and he talked about how the world would be saved.
19 And it came to pass that the Jews did mock him because of the things which he testified of them; for he truly testified of their wickedness and their abominations; and he testified that the things which he saw and heard, and also the things which he read in the book, manifested plainly of the coming of a Messiah, and also the redemption of the world.
20 They Jews were angry with my father when they heard these things, just as they had been angry with the ancient prophets, who they had thrown out, stoned, and killed. They tried to kill my father. But I, Nephi, will show you that the Lord takes care of the people who are faithful. He makes them strong enough to be free.
20 And when the Jews heard these things they were angry with him; yea, even as with the prophets of old, whom they had cast out, and stoned, and slain; and they also sought his life, that they might take it away. But behold, I, Nephi, will show unto you that the tender mercies of the Lord are over all those whom he hath chosen, because of their faith, to make them mighty even unto the power of deliverance.