1
And behold, it came to pass that in that self-same year, we did come out again to preach unto the people of the city. Yea, even all of us. And behold, I did take my place again at the foot of the temple, my father and his brother with me.
2
And we did preach unto this people again. And I did deliver that same address which I had given previously. And behold, Zenos did give his address unto the people, and mighty were the words which spewed forth from his lips. And Zenock too did preach and did prophesy.
3
And behold, his words were as thunder against the mountainside, insomuch that many did quake and tremble before him.
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And there came one who was of the priesthood, and behold, I did know him, and his name was Enos, for he was mighty in the land.
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And behold, he was an angered, and did stand against us, and these were the words which he did speak: Behold, Lehi, who are you to come against this people and to speak a mean thing against them?
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For in this, you do break and sunder the very covenants which you made unto Elohim. And yea, you do bring against us your father, and even that great Zenock! How far you have fallen.
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For behold Lehi, behold Zenock. Were you both not mighty in the land even as I and your brethren? I say unto you that you were. Yea, so great that in due time you might have ascended and become even as the high priest.
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But behold, you did hear that vain and foolish doctrine that spread as it were a disease from the north. And you did set your hearts to it.
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And behold, because you have done this thing, you have forsaken your bonds and your oaths. Yea, you have been set on a course that you might be smitten and trodden underfoot even by those whom you once served.
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And behold, I must warn you, do not proceed. For in the day that you do, you shall surely die. Therefore, I say unto you, you who would have been my brothers, repent and turn from this course. There is room still in the house of your brethren.
11
And if you shall turn yourselves from this farcical preaching which you have taken yourselves to, you shall be rewarded again with your seat at the table, and all your sins shall be forgiven, and nothing shall be taken from you.
12
And behold, Zenock did speak. And he said: Who are you, Enos son of John, to say unto us that we have sinned? And who are your brethren that they may forgive us of this great sin you do say we have committed?
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Behold, I ask, who among you have condescended below all things? Who among you have taken upon themselves my sins that I may be forgiven? I say unto you, not a one!
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Not one among you or your brethren can offer any sort of forgiveness! What authority have you despite that which you have taken.
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I say unto you, that despite your great authority which you claim to have, none may forgive not even the uttermost shim!
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Behold, have you trod alone that great wine-press? Did you at any time stand in the house of your own people mocked and ridiculed? Yea, have you at any time been forsaken and cast out by they who should have been your disciples? I say unto you, you have not!
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Behold, I walked among you, and more, YHVH has shown you unto me, and I know your heart.
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Behold you who stand here are workers of iniquity. Yea, not a one here could forgive that shim, for you have all become fat off your own labor. Behold, you have glutted off that which you have earned from your whorish behavior. Therefore, you could forgive nothing!
19
I say unto you, oh people of Jerusalem. There shall come a day when there shall be a One. And He shall come among you, and He shall be like the homeless and the vagabond, the mute and the paralyzed.
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For you shall cast Him out, and He shall have no home on this earth. Yet, YHVH will prepare but a few souls that will hear his words.
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And He shall go forth, and his twelve with Him. And He will work miracles. For in Him shall the blind see and the deaf hear.
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And in Him shall the lame be made to walk, and the dead be made to rise.
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And behold, so great will be His coming that the very earth and the heavens shall quake. Yea, so great will He be that the stars shall shine with great joy and the earth sing with gladness.
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And all this, and yet greater even still is He. For behold, He shall descend below all things, yea, He will be taken by the hand and shall be led.
25
And He shall suffer all. Yea, and He shall see all and know all and do all, insomuch that He shall suffer even as no man has suffered. And his sweat will fall even as it will be, great drops of blood!
26
Yea, and after He shall begin His travail, He shall be taken and scourged and beaten and spit upon. And those that spit upon Him and do all this unto Him shall be like yourselves. And they shall not know that He is the Mashiach, the Son of the Living Elohim.
27
And they shall take Him and shall nail Him to the tree. Even so great is He, that as He perishes, He shall be held by the very One who sent him.
28
And behold, He shall be buried. But behold His glory!
29
For the grave could not keep Him, nor will the grave want Him. And at last, even death shall cast him out. And behold, He shall take up His body once more. And yea, it is not as you have seen. For they who you have seen take up their bodies again will only live but a short time and shall take up their graves again.
30
No! For I say unto you that He shall take up His body never to die again.
31
And the eternities shall wrap themselves around Him. And the earth will shake with joy, insomuch that the grave shall give up her righteous dead, for the grave could not keep them, so great will be their desire to follow their Master.
32
And behold, this great and last sacrifice shall reach unto all the ends of the earth. And behold, He whose sacrifice it is has power and authority alone to forgive my sins.
33
For, even yet this great event has not taken place. But behold, I say unto you that so great is the reach of this final sacrifice that it has all power already. For it traverses the eternities and the corridors of time.
34
And it does touch all to save. Yea, these present and those past and those yet to live. And that One, even that Mashiach does look upon the vistas of time and behold, all power and authority is His. And He does come unto every one. Both great and small, bond and free, male and female. For they are His and He is theirs.
35
Therefore, I say unto you, Enos, make not promises that you have no power to keep. For I have beheld this One, and He has sealed me His!
36
And it came to pass that Enos was exceedingly wroth. And the people were astonished insomuch that they did ignore the murmurings of Enos and did straightway begin to inquire about this Mashiach whom they knew not.
37
And behold, one did ask what the meaning of the tree upon which this Mashiach would hang.
38
And verily, Zenos did say: Behold, search your hearts, for you know the meaning of this tree. And the time is not so far distant that the tree which was in the temple was pulled out and taken and tied about with ropes and bindings.
39
And behold, it was taken from its place and cast where all men might behold it.
40
And now, Enos did come up further in his anger, and these are his words: Behold, you men, if you can even be called such. For I know that you are liars. For have you not read the holy texts which teach that the tree had become an idol and as an harlot? That all men did worship unrighteously that which had no life?
41
And if this is the same tree in which you describe, then surely this Mashiach is a liar and an idol also, for you did say that He will be sent by a liar and an idol.
42
And thus, I, Lehi, did come up in righteous indignation. And behold, I did contend with Enos, and these are the words which the spirit did put into my heart: Oh, you wicked and perverse and stiff-necked people, know you not the Elohim you proclaim to worship?
43
For I say unto you that only an one as wicked and perverse as you would commit a sin and proclaim it as did Sodom. Wherefore, I say unto you, that the time soon comes which shall burn as an oven. And all you who do take Her and beat Her and proclaim your word against Her shall be as stubble. For Elohim will not be mocked.
44
And Enos did say: Who are you, Lehi, to proclaim a certain destruction upon our heads? For is it us that did come against you and did lie and say a mean thing?
45
Behold, we did not! Wherefore, I say unto you, cease this speech lest I take hold upon you, and by the Law of Moses smite you.
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And I, Lehi, feared him not, and behold my words: You say that by the law you shall smite me, but I say unto you, you know not He who gave the Law. You claim a certain authority that you may do these things, but know you the Law and the Authority?
47
And behold, Enos did say: Claim you, Lehi, to be then Moses?
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And behold, I did say: Yea, I claim that I am like unto him. For my authority has come from the Bush, and yours has come from Pharaoh.
49
Then did Enos and all that were with him seek to lay hold upon me and my fathers.
50
And behold, Zenock did stretch forth his hand and did say: Come no closer and touch us not, for we are filled with the words of Eternal Life!
51
And many in the throng were frightened and did fear. Yet, some still did press forward to lay hold upon us. And behold, as many as did touch us did fall with a great flash. And verily, the people did fear us exceedingly.
52
And then did Zenos step forward and was filled with the Holy Spirit. And these were his words: Oh, you workers of iniquity! See not the very power of Elohim? Behold, you could come against us with your fifty each and none could harm us!
53
And if you harmed us to death, then that great Elohim of both Heaven and earth, quick and dead, would straightway reunite our spirits with our bodies. And thus, you can do us no harm.
54
And behold, these, how they sleep. For when they awake, behold there shall be one among them who will be as us. And he will go forth testifying of that which he saw. For verily, he has repented and become sealed unto the Mashiach.
55
And behold, it was according to Zenos’ words. And one who had sought to lay hold upon us did rise, and his countenance did shine with the testimony of Yehoshua. And behold, his name was Ishmael.
56
And Ishmael did turn unto the throng and did preach, saying: Behold, people of Jerusalem, listen to the words of these prophets.
57
For behold, when I had taken hold of one of their garments I was thrust before the throne of Elohim. And behold, I felt then as if I would surely be brought to a great and violent end.
58
For behold, I did see this Mashiach Yehoshua, and He did peer into my soul, and all of my wickedness’ were brought unto my remembrance. And I did weep and wail before Him, for great were my wrongdoings.
59
But after I had been doomed to a certain destruction, behold, that man, for He was in form a man, did take me by the hand and did kiss it, and did lead me.
60
And I beheld a tree. And behold, great was this tree. And an ember did I eat, and I was filled. And behold, once all had been forgiven, I was sent straightway here to deliver my message!