[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]

Lehi prophesies about the promised land and gives his sons some final advice before he dies.

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1 After I, Nephi, had finished teaching my brothers, our father, Lehi, also talked to them a lot. He reminded them about the great things the Lord had done for them while bringing them out of Jerusalem.

1 And now it came to pass that after I, Nephi, had made an end of teaching my brethren, our father, Lehi, also spake many things unto them, and rehearsed unto them, how great things the Lord had done for them in bringing them out of the land of Jerusalem.

2 And he talked to them about their rebellions on the water and God’s mercy in sparing their lives instead of drowning them in the sea.

2 And he spake unto them concerning their rebellions upon the waters, and the mercies of God in sparing their lives, that they were not swallowed up in the sea.

3 And he also spoke to them about the promised land, which they had been given, and about how merciful the Lord was in warning us that we should leave Jerusalem.

3 And he also spake unto them concerning the land of promise, which they had obtained—how merciful the Lord had been in warning us that we should flee out of the land of Jerusalem.

4 He said, I have had a vision, and I know that Jerusalem has been destroyed. If we had stayed there, we also would have died.

4 For, behold, said he, I have seen a vision, in which I know that Jerusalem is destroyed; and had we remained in Jerusalem we should also have perished.

5. He said, But, in spite of our sufferings, we have secured a promised land, a land that is better than all other lands; a land that the Lord God has covenanted with me should remain for my descendants to inherit. Yes, the Lord has covenanted this land to me and my children forever, and also to all of the people that the Lord will lead out of other countries.

5 But, said he, notwithstanding our afflictions, we have obtained a land of promise, a land which is choice above all other lands; a land which the Lord God hath covenanted with me should be a land for the inheritance of my seed. Yea, the Lord hath covenanted this land unto me, and to my children forever, and also all those who should be led out of other countries by the hand of the Lord.

6 As a result, I, Lehi, prophesy according to the impressions of the Spirit that I feel, that no one will come to this land unless the Lord’s hand has led them here.

6 Wherefore, I, Lehi, prophesy according to the workings of the Spirit which is in me, that there shall none come into this land save they shall be brought by the hand of the Lord.

7 This land is made sacred to those he will bring. If they serve him according to the commands that he has given, it will be a land of liberty to them, and they will never be taken into slavery. If they do, it will because of their sinfulness. If sinfulness is common, the land will be cursed. But for the righteous, it will be blessed forever.

7 Wherefore, this land is consecrated unto him whom he shall bring. And if it so be that they shall serve him according to the commandments which he hath given, it shall be a land of liberty unto them; wherefore, they shall never be brought down into captivity; if so, it shall be because of iniquity; for if iniquity shall abound cursed shall be the land for their sakes, but unto the righteous it shall be blessed forever.

8 It is wise that this land is still unknown by other nations, because many nations would overrun the land to the point that there would be no place for an inheritance.

8 And behold, it is wisdom that this land should be kept as yet from the knowledge of other nations; for behold, many nations would overrun the land, that there would be no place for an inheritance.

9 I, Lehi, have secured a promse that as long as those who the Lord God brings out of Jerusalem will keep his commandments, they will succeed in this land. They will also be kept from all other nations so that they can own this land all by themselves. And if they keep his commandments, they will be blessed in this land, and no one will harass them or take away the land they inherited, and they will forever live safely.

9 Wherefore, I, Lehi, have obtained a promise, that inasmuch as those whom the Lord God shall bring out of the land of Jerusalem shall keep his commandments, they shall prosper upon the face of this land; and they shall be kept from all other nations, that they may possess this land unto themselves. And if it so be that they shall keep his commandments they shall be blessed upon the face of this land, and there shall be none to molest them, nor to take away the land of their inheritance; and they shall dwell safely forever.

10 But when the time comes they they degenerate into disbelief, after having been given so many blessings from the Lord—things like knowing about the creation of the earth and all men, knowing about the Lord’s great and marvelous creations from the creation of the world, having power given to them to do everything through faith, having all of the commandments from the beginning, and having been brought by his infinite goodness to this precious promised land—and if they reject the Holy One of Israel, the true Messiah, their Redeemer and their God, then God will judge them accordingly.

10 But behold, when the time cometh that they shall dwindle in unbelief, after they have received so great blessings from the hand of the Lord—having a knowledge of the creation of the earth, and all men, knowing the great and marvelous works of the Lord from the creation of the world; having power given them to do all things by faith; having all the commandments from the beginning, and having been brought by his infinite goodness into this precious land of promise—behold, I say, if the day shall come that they will reject the Holy One of Israel, the true Messiah, their Redeemer and their God, behold, the judgments of him that is just shall rest upon them.

11 He will bring other nations to them and will give those nations power. He will take away the lands they possess, and he will cause them to be scattered and beaten.

11 Yea, he will bring other nations unto them, and he will give unto them power, and he will take away from them the lands of their possessions, and he will cause them to be scattered and smitten.

12 As the generations pass, there will experience slaughter and serious problems. My sons, I want you to remember, and I want you to listen to my words.

12 Yea, as one generation passeth to another there shall be bloodsheds, and great visitations among them; wherefore, my sons, I would that ye would remember; yea, I would that ye would hearken unto my words.

13 If only you would wake up from your deep sleep, the sleep of hell, and shake off the terrible chains that bind you. These are the chains of that bind humanity, that carry people away as prisoners down to the eternal pit of misery and sorrow.

13 O that ye would awake; awake from a deep sleep, yea, even from the sleep of hell, and shake off the awful chains by which ye are bound, which are the chains which bind the children of men, that they are carried away captive down to the eternal gulf of misery and woe.

14 Wake up! Shake the dust off of you and hear the words of a shaky parent that you will soon put into a cold and silent grave, a place from which no traveler can return. In just a few more days, I will die, just as everything else dies.

14 Awake! and arise from the dust, and hear the words of a trembling parent, whose limbs ye must soon lay down in the cold and silent grave, from whence no traveler can return; a few more days and I go the way of all the earth.

15 But the Lord has saved my soul from hell. I have seen his glory, and I am surrounded eternally by the arms of his love.

15 But behold, the Lord hath redeemed my soul from hell; I have beheld his glory, and I am encircled about eternally in the arms of his love.

16 And I wish you would remember to follow the Lord’s laws and judgments. This is what my soul has been worrying about from the beginning.

16 And I desire that ye should remember to observe the statutes and the judgments of the Lord; behold, this hath been the anxiety of my soul from the beginning.

17 My heart has been weighed down with sorrow from time to time because I have feared that due to the hardness of your hearts, the Lord your God would unleash his anger on you and you would be cut off and obliterated forever.

17 My heart hath been weighed down with sorrow from time to time, for I have feared, lest for the hardness of your hearts the Lord your God should come out in the fulness of his wrath upon you, that ye be cut off and destroyed forever;

18 Or that you would be cursed for many generations and experience war, famine, and hatred, and be led by the devil’s desire and slavery.

18 Or, that a cursing should come upon you for the space of many generations; and ye are visited by sword, and by famine, and are hated, and are led according to the will and captivity of the devil.

19 Oh, my sons, I wish that these things wouldn’t happen to you and that you would be the Lord’s special and preferred people. But his will be done; his ways are always righteous.

19 O my sons, that these things might not come upon you, but that ye might be a choice and a favored people of the Lord. But behold, his will be done; for his ways are righteousness forever.

20 And he has said, If you keep my commandments, you will flourish in this land. But if you do not keep my commandments, you will be removed from my presence.

20 And he hath said that: Inasmuch as ye shall keep my commandments ye shall prosper in the land; but inasmuch as ye will not keep my commandments ye shall be cut off from my presence.

21 Shake the dust off of yourselves, my sons, and be men. Do this so that my soul will be happy for you, so that my heart can leave with world happily because of you, and so that I won’t die grief-stricken and heartbroken. Be united in everything, in your minds and in your hearts, so that you aren’t taken into slavery.

21 And now that my soul might have joy in you, and that my heart might leave this world with gladness because of you, that I might not be brought down with grief and sorrow to the grave, arise from the dust, my sons, and be men, and be determined in one mind and in one heart, united in all things, that ye may not come down into captivity;

22 Do these things so that you won’t be cursed with a terrible curse, and also so that you won’t incur God’s wrath and be destroyed eternally in body and soul.

22 That ye may not be cursed with a sore cursing; and also, that ye may not incur the displeasure of a just God upon you, unto the destruction, yea, the eternal destruction of both soul and body.

23 Wake up, my sons. Put on the armor of righteousness. Shake off the chains that bind you, come out of obscurity, and shake the dust off of yourselves.

23 Awake, my sons; put on the armor of righteousness. Shake off the chains with which ye are bound, and come forth out of obscurity, and arise from the dust.

24 Stop rebelling against your brother. His visions have been glorious, and he has kept the commandments since we left Jerusalem. He has been an instrument in God’s hands that helped bring this people to the promised land. If it weren’t for him, we would have died from starvation in the wilderness. And still you tried to kill him. You have caused him a lot of sadness.

24 Rebel no more against your brother, whose views have been glorious, and who hath kept the commandments from the time that we left Jerusalem; and who hath been an instrument in the hands of God, in bringing us forth into the land of promise; for were it not for him, we must have perished with hunger in the wilderness; nevertheless, ye sought to take away his life; yea, and he hath suffered much sorrow because of you.

25 And I’m afraid that he will suffer again because of you. You have accused him of wanting power and authority over you, but I know this hasn’t been the case. He has wanted God’s glory and your own eternal welfare.

25 And I exceedingly fear and tremble because of you, lest he shall suffer again; for behold, ye have accused him that he sought power and authority over you; but I know that he hath not sought for power nor authority over you, but he hath sought the glory of God, and your own eternal welfare.

26 And you have complained because he has been honest with you. You say that he has been harsh and angry with you, but his harshness was the harshness of the power of God’s word, which was in him. What you call anger was the truth, according to God, and he couldn’t help but boldly demonstrate to you your sins.

26 And ye have murmured because he hath been plain unto you. Ye say that he hath used sharpness; ye say that he hath been angry with you; but behold, his sharpness was the sharpness of the power of the word of God, which was in him; and that which ye call anger was the truth, according to that which is in God, which he could not restrain, manifesting boldly concerning your iniquities.

27 It must be that God’s power is with him, because he commanded you and you obeyed. But he wasn’t the one that spoke; it was the Spirit of the Lord, which was in him, that opened his mouth and would not let him shut it.

27 And it must needs be that the power of God must be with him, even unto his commanding you that ye must obey. But behold, it was not he, but it was the Spirit of the Lord which was in him, which opened his mouth to utterance that he could not shut it.

28 And now Laman, my son, and also Lemuel and Sam and my sons who are Ishamel’s sons, if you will listen to Nephi, you won’t be destroyed. And if you listen to him, I will leave with you my first blessing.

28 And now my son, Laman, and also Lemuel and Sam, and also my sons who are the sons of Ishmael, behold, if ye will hearken unto the voice of Nephi ye shall not perish. And if ye will hearken unto him I leave unto you a blessing, yea, even my first blessing.

29 But if you won’t listen to him, I’ll take away my first blessing and give it to him.

29 But if ye will not hearken unto him I take away my first blessing, yea, even my blessing, and it shall rest upon him.

30 And now, Zoram, I’m talking to you. You are Laban’s servant, but you you have been brought out of Jerusalem, and I know that you are Nephi’s true friend and will be forever.

30 And now, Zoram, I speak unto you: Behold, thou art the servant of Laban; nevertheless, thou hast been brought out of the land of Jerusalem, and I know that thou art a true friend unto my son, Nephi, forever.

31 Because you have been faithful, your descendants will be blessed with his descendants, and they will flourish in this land for a long time. Nothing except their own wickedness will harm or disturb their success in this land.

31 Wherefore, because thou hast been faithful thy seed shall be blessed with his seed, that they dwell in prosperity long upon the face of this land; and nothing, save it shall be iniquity among them, shall harm or disturb their prosperity upon the face of this land forever.

32 As a result, if you keep the Lord’s commandments, the Lord has consecrated this land for your your descendants and my son’s descendants.

32 Wherefore, if ye shall keep the commandments of the Lord, the Lord hath consecrated this land for the security of thy seed with the seed of my son.