1
And it came to pass that we did finish our journeying into the west unto the lands of my forefathers.
2
And behold, we did make our residence among that of my relatives for a time until the rumors from Jerusalem did trickle down, and we were forced to depart again into the wilderness.
3
And it came to pass that YHVH did fulfil His promise and did take me by the hand even unto a valley.
4
And behold, this valley was the same where I had found Zenos preaching even many years prior.
5
And behold, here we did settle. And YHVH did prosper us insomuch that the inhabitants of Jerusalem could not find us.
6
And I did gather my sons and did teach them again all that they must do to attain that Life Eternal.
7
And then did Nephi come in unto me and explain with great joy that he had experimented upon my words. And behold, YHVH did take him by the hand and did guide him even unto the very veil of Heaven.
8
Then did Nephi cast it down, and this he did proclaim with great joy, for he had partaken of the fullness.
9
And I did then proclaim unto him: Blessed are you, Nephi! For you hast not been hard in your heart like the people of Jerusalem. For you have called upon the name of YHVH, and He did come unto you, and you did partake of the words of Eternal Life!
10
And behold, we did rejoice together, and did sing praises unto our Elohim, and we were blessed.
11
And it came to pass that after Nephi had thus born his testimony, even the witness of Elohim, behold I was visited of my father in a dream.
12
And we did sit and did converse one with another as two men, even face to face.
13
And behold, he did tell me of certain plates which my cousin, Laban did keep in store. That the writings on them were that of his father and our father’s father. Even unto the seventh generation.
14
And behold, on them were all the writings of that great prophet Isaiah. And he did tell me that I must go back to Jerusalem to retrieve these plates. That if I was to press on without them, behold my seed should straightway dwindle in unbelief.
15
And behold, I did tell Zenos that if I did return unto Jerusalem, behold I should be slain. Thus, I had been commanded to never return.
16
And Zenos did tell me to pray unto the father about this question, and that he too would pray.
17
And then did we together raise our voices in prayer, even as one voice. And yet, we were not near.
18
And behold, that Yehoshua did come unto us and did comfort us. And behold, He did speak unto us, and these are His words: Behold Lehi, be still Zenos, For I have heard your cries. And my bosom does swell within me because of your great desire to follow me.
19
Lehi, my son, I have commanded you never to return unto Jerusalem. For, if you did, you would surely die.
20
Nevertheless, I will provide a way that you might retrieve the plates of your fathers. For behold, I would never give unto any of my children a command that they could not fulfill. Therefore, I provide a way.
21
Now, behold Lehi, go you unto your sons, even Laman, Lemuel, Samuel, and Nephi, and say unto them that I command them to go and retrieve the plates of your fathers. And this I do that all righteousness might be fulfilled.
22
Now behold, my heart became troubled for my sons. For behold, Jerusalem was a dangerous place. Nevertheless, I did place all of my trust in YHVH my Elohim. For never had he failed me nor forsaken me.
23
And behold, I did go forth to speak unto my sons the words which the Mashiach had commanded. And I did tell them of the plates and of Laban.
24
And behold, my heart became somewhat more troubled, for Laman and Lemuel and Sam did begin to murmur against me. Nevertheless, Nephi, my youngest, did withstand.
25
And he did bear witness unto me and, placing all his trust in YHVH, did speak these words unto me: Behold, father, I will trust in YHVH Elohim withersoever he commands me to go. For I know that YHVH gives no commandment save He shall prepare a way for them that they may accomplish that thing!
26
And my heart became exceedingly glad for my son, Nephi. For behold, with such faith, I know nothing may forestall him.
27
And I did lay my hands upon him, and thus, being overcome with the spirit, blessed him, leaving unto him the blessings of our fathers.
28
And behold, he did go in unto his brethren and did speak unto them all the words which YHVH did place into his heart. And thus were his brothers convinced to place their trust in YHVH, that they might fulfill His grand design.
29
Behold, I do not make mention of their traveling’s in Jerusalem, for behold it is written in another place. And the spirit does whisper unto me to write somewhat concerning that which happened in the city of Jerusalem. For behold, I do perceive that it will be of great value to those of you who shall read it.
30
Behold, the Jews in my time and in times past have come up continually in the pride of their hearts. And this thing is not unique to them. Nevertheless, they are condemned more for it because of the greatness of the blessings which they have been given.
31
And they did come up in their pride so much that they deemed themselves greater than any other nation. Behold, they did tread upon those who needed them most. And they frustrated the works of the Creator because they did deem themselves as greater than others.
32
Is it not written, oh Jerusalem, that the least shall be greatest, and the greatest shall be least? Nevertheless, they did turn from their Elohim because of their great pride.
33
Now, do not suppose that this should only happen to the Jews. For behold, I have seen your day, and I have seen the days of my posterity. And I do perceive that this same great sickness that showed to be the destruction of the Jews shall also prove the destruction of you, my posterity. And it shall also prove the destruction of the great church in that day.
34
For behold, the Jews did take what authority they had been given and did claim all authority, even down to the last senine.
35
And they did preach in the streets that none shall be saved lest they give to the church of their substance.
36
And behold, the priests did amass a great wealth because of this, and in so doing, there was a great schism between that of the people and the priests. And this division did cause somewhat of strife’s between the people and their leaders.
37
Nevertheless, their leaders did proclaim that Elohim had set them above the people that the priests may do a great work that could not be done otherwise.
38
And behold, they might give some part of it unto the poor and the needy. Nevertheless, the more part did go unto themselves and unto strange nations. For great was the desire of the priests to win over the hearts of strangers and their many things.
39
And behold, the strangers did come in unto them like a lover. And behold, great became the city of Jerusalem because of it. For, the strangers did buy from her many great and marvelous treasures. And thus, there began to be to be more divisions in the land. For there were many who sold their wares for a great price unto the strangers.
40
Therefore, did the Jews become even more puffed up for their many great things and their money.
41
And behold, the many nations of strangers did love her, therefore, she loved herself. And she forgot almost entirely the name of her Elohim. Nevertheless, they did praise Him all the day long because of their things.
42
And behold, they did adopt the rites of the Assyrians, and did drink of the cup of the Hittites. And they did partake of the fruit of Babylon and Samaria. And they did commit the sins of Sodom, even that they did lust after the power of their Elohim. And, all the while proclaiming that they were blessed of Elohim above all other nations.
43
And the priests did whisper unto them sweet things, insomuch that they did become lax in their worship. And behold, her many lovers did make blissful promises unto her, and the people did wax cold, and they did take up the oaths and the creeds of her lovers.
44
And this, I see, was their destruction. For they did commit adultery and did forsake their Elohim for strangers. And behold, did these strangers love her? Behold, they did not, for who could love an one who had been so unfaithful. Therefore, they did destroy her, and mighty was her fall.
45
Now behold, marvel not at her, nor mourn, for behold, is there a single nation that, if Elohim came unto her, and did raise her, and clothe her, behold, is there any nation that could be entirely immutable from this same wickedness? Behold, I say to you, there is not!
46
And behold, if there be any nation who does consider themselves as impervious to the same fall that has occurred in Jerusalem, behold, thus says YHVH: If they consider themselves as such, you shall know that they are ripe for destruction already. And lest she repent, speedy shall be her downfall.
47
And behold, once she has fallen, what then? For had she not supposed herself to be immutable from destruction? Yea, I say unto you, that the walls of that great nation and the towers and the spires, the monoliths and temples are all as dust unto YHVH.
48
For YHVH is the beginning and the end, the Aleph and the Tav. And behold, He does have all things before Him. Therefore, oh nation, your greatness is as dust to Him already.
49
All your towers and battlements and siege machines, your empires, your kings, and your idols, they do blow in the wind before Him.
50
What then of your supposed greatness?
51
Were you so great that you could withstand the creeping destruction of time? Were you so great that you could withstand where other nations, empires, and religions could not? Behold, I say unto you that you are not!
52
Behold, despite that you see yourselves and immovable now, thus says YHVH Elohim, you cannot withstand. The reaper of the sheaves does come, and your great empire will be but dust, for dust we are, and dust we shall be.
53
And when this does happen, what then? Should new empires rise up out of your dust, will these new empires and new religions regard you but at all?
54
For behold, they will but use you as a study, and they shall look at your dust and shall proclaim themselves better then you, because they shall not make your mistakes.
55
They shall proclaim this, then dust.
56
For all passes away, for such is the nature of this world fallen. All things must perish. What then, oh people? What then is meaning?
57
Behold, I say unto you, there is One who is to come, and I suppose that the world will not hear of Him.
58
Nevertheless, He shall come, and blameless He shall be, for He shall be without spot and without blemish.
59
And He shall live his life, going from grace to grace, truth to truth, and He shall live His life in such a way as to be considered perfect. And behold, even the mountains will bow before Him, so great and so sinless will He be.
60
Yet, despite that even nature shall bow down to worship Him, yet His own people will not. For they shall reject Him, stripe Him, and cast Him out. Insomuch that, in the end, they shall even kill Him. He who is without sin or blemish.
61
Yet, after all this, still will He love them. Still would He desire above all else to give His life for them. And, in the end, He shall. For He shall give it up for the sake of all.
62
Nevertheless, behold, yet shall He take it up again, and thus shall He have completed the atonement for the sake of all living. And thus, having become the final living sacrifice. And this shall He do that all who might come unto Him may be saved.
63
And behold, though the heavens and the earth shall pass away, behold, His atonement shall not.
64
Yea, all who shall be saved because of this sacrifice shall pass away no longer, for they shall be one with the Mashiach. And behold, though nations and empires shall perish and become as dust, behold, never shall they pass away, for they have become as one, as the Father and the Mother are one.
65
And behold, dust they shall be no longer, but kings and queens, priests and priestess unto the most High Elohim! And so great shall they be that they shall endure forever.
66
Nevertheless, behold, it shall come to pass that there will be those who shall not take part in this new covenant. And behold, they shall be as dust even as the nations.
67
And these are they who are sorcerers, and who love to make a lie. These are they who shall reject the witness of the spirit even after having received it.
68
And behold, these are they who shall have the devil to be theirs, and yea, they shall have their reward. For they shall all be as one, cast out with him, and endless shall be their torment.
69
And behold, there is yet another degree or order, and this is the order terrestrial, for they shall be as the moon.
70
And behold, these are they who did not receive the witness of the spirit while yet in the flesh. These are they who were not valiant in their testimony. These are they who were righteous but received not the fullness from the Father.
71
And behold, these shall even partake of this new covenant, yet, to a lesser degree.
72
And behold, these are the orders or degrees of glory. And they are that Elohim may save the works of His hand. And behold, many more are there, yet these are those that we now aspire to.
73
And now, behold, I do speak somewhat more concerning these nations which are to come. For I do perceive that many there will be that shall read this record. Yet, there shall be many who shall reject it, even from among my own posterity.
74
For behold, they will say, we know that father Lehi wrote these things, but certainly these words are not for us.
75
And thus, they shall go forward and will continue to sin against their very Elohim, even unto destruction. And this thing must be, for the natural man is an enemy of Elohim.
76
Therefore, whatsoever YHVH speaks, thus shall weak men not seek to do. But he shall run from it, yet always, knowing in his heart of his wicked ways. Yet shall he shut up his own heart.
77
Thus, the saying that men’s hearts shall wax cold, for so hardened are they that they do forsake the very creator in them, and they do seek only that which will get them gain and will satisfy their lusts.
78
And behold, notwithstanding all of this, behold, YHVH does stretch forth His hand still.