1 AND now I, Mormon, make a ^arecord of the things which I have both seen and heard, and call it the ^bBook of Mormon.
 2 And about the time that ^aAmmaron hid up the records unto the Lord, he came unto me, (I being about ten years of age, and I began to be ^blearned somewhat after the manner of the learning of my people) and Ammaron said unto me: I perceive that thou art a ^csober child, and art quick to observe;
 3 Therefore, when ye are about twenty and four years old I would that ye should remember the things that ye have observed concerning this people; and when ye are of that age go to the ^aland Antum, unto a hill which shall be called ^bShim ; and there have I deposited unto the Lord all the sacred engravings concerning this people.
 4 And behold, ye shall take the ^aplates of Nephi unto yourself, and the remainder shall ye leave in the place where they are; and ye shall engrave on the plates of Nephi all the things that ye have observed concerning this people.
 5 And I, Mormon, being a descendant of ^aNephi , (and my father’s name was Mormon) I remembered the things which Ammaron commanded me.
 6 And it came to pass that I, being *eleven years old, was carried by my father into the land southward, even to the land of Zarahemla.
 7 The whole face of the land had become covered with buildings, and the people were as numerous almost, as it were the sand of the sea.
 8 And it came to pass in this year there began to be a war between the ^aNephites , who consisted of the Nephites and the Jacobites and the Josephites and the Zoramites; and this war was between the Nephites, and the Lamanites and the Lemuelites and the Ishmaelites.
 9 Now the ^aLamanites and the Lemuelites and the Ishmaelites were called Lamanites, and the two parties were Nephites and Lamanites.
 10 And it came to pass that the war began to be among them in the borders of Zarahemla, by the waters of Sidon.
 11 And it came to pass that the Nephites had gathered together a great number of men, even to exceed the number of thirty thousand. And it came to pass that they did have in this same year a number of ^abattles , in which the Nephites did beat the Lamanites and did slay many of them.
 12 And it came to pass that the Lamanites withdrew their design, and there was peace settled in the land; and peace did remain for the space of about four years, that there was no bloodshed.
 13 But wickedness did prevail upon the face of the whole land, insomuch that the Lord did take away his ^abeloved disciples, and the work of miracles and of healing did cease because of the iniquity of the people.
 14 And there were no ^agifts from the Lord, and the ^bHoly Ghost did not come upon any, because of their wickedness and ^cunbelief .
 15 And I, *being ^afifteen years of age and being somewhat of a ^bsober mind, therefore I was ^cvisited of the Lord, and ^dtasted and knew of the goodness of Jesus.
 16 And I did endeavor to preach unto this people, but my mouth was shut, and I was forbidden that I should preach unto them; for behold they had ^awilfully rebelled against their God; and the beloved disciples were ^btaken away out of the land, because of their iniquity.
 17 But I did remain among them, but I was forbidden to ^apreach unto them, because of the hardness of their hearts; and because of the hardness of their hearts the land was ^bcursed for their sake.
 18 And these Gadianton robbers, who were among the Lamanites, did infest the land, insomuch that the inhabitants thereof began to ^ahide up their ^btreasures in the earth; and they became slippery, because the Lord had cursed the land, that they could not hold them, nor retain them again.
 19 And it came to pass that there were ^asorceries , and witchcrafts, and magics; and the power of the evil one was wrought upon all the face of the land, even unto the fulfilling of all the words of Abinadi, and also ^bSamuel the Lamanite.

* Verse 6  [About A.D. 322]; Verse 15  [About A.D. 326].

 1 AND it came to pass in that same year there began to be a war again between the Nephites and the Lamanites. And notwithstanding I being ^ayoung , was large in stature; therefore the people of Nephi appointed me that I should be their leader, or the leader of their armies.
 2 Therefore it came to pass that *in my sixteenth year I did go forth at the head of an army of the Nephites, against the Lamanites; therefore three hundred and twenty and six years had passed away.
 3 And it came to pass that in the three hundred and twenty and seventh year the Lamanites did come upon us with ^aexceedingly great power, insomuch that they did frighten my armies; therefore they would not fight, and they began to retreat towards the ^bnorth countries.
 4 And it came to pass that we did come to the city of Angola, and we did take possession of the city, and make preparations to defend ourselves against the Lamanites. And it came to pass that we did ^afortify the city with our might; but notwithstanding all our fortifications the Lamanites did come upon us and did drive us out of the city.
 5 And they did also drive us forth out of the land of David.
 6 And we marched forth and came to the land of Joshua, which was in the borders west by the seashore.
 7 And it came to pass that we did gather in our people as fast as it were possible, that we might get them together in ^aone body.
 8 But behold, the land was ^afilled with ^brobbers and with Lamanites; and notwithstanding the great destruction which hung over my people, they did not repent of their evil doings; therefore there was blood and carnage spread throughout all the face of the land, both on the part of the Nephites and also on the part of the Lamanites; and it was one complete revolution throughout all the face of the land.
 9 And now, the Lamanites had a king, and his name was ^aAaron ; and he came against us with an army of forty and four thousand. And behold, I withstood him with forty and two thousand. And it came to pass that I beat him with my army that he fled before me. And behold, all this was done, and *three hundred and thirty years had passed away.
 10 And it came to pass that the Nephites began to repent of their iniquity, and began to cry even as had been prophesied by Samuel the prophet; for behold no man could ^akeep that which was his own, for the thieves, and the robbers, and the murderers, and the magic art, and the witchcraft which was in the land.
 11 Thus there began to be a ^amourning and a lamentation in all the land because of these things, and more especially among the people of Nephi.
 12 And it came to pass that when I, Mormon, saw their lamentation and their ^amourning and their sorrow before the Lord, my heart did begin to rejoice within me, knowing the mercies and the long-suffering of the Lord, therefore supposing that he would be merciful unto them that they would ^bagain become a righteous people.
 13 But behold this my joy was vain, for their ^asorrowing was not unto repentance, because of the goodness of God; but it was rather the ^bsorrowing of the ^cdamned , because the Lord would not always suffer them to take ^dhappiness in sin.
 14 And they did not come unto Jesus with broken ^ahearts and contrite spirits, but they did ^bcurse God, and wish to die. Nevertheless they would struggle with the sword for their lives.
 15 And it came to pass that my sorrow did return unto me again, and I saw that the ^aday of ^bgrace ^cwas passed with them, both temporally and spiritually; for I saw thousands of them hewn down in open ^drebellion against their God, and heaped up as ^edung upon the face of the land. And thus *three hundred and forty and four years had passed away.
 16 And it came to pass that in the three hundred and forty and fifth year the Nephites did begin to flee before the Lamanites; and they were pursued until they came even to the land of Jashon, before it was possible to stop them in their retreat.
 17 And now, the city of Jashon was near the ^aland where Ammaron had ^bdeposited the records unto the Lord, that they might not be destroyed. And behold I had gone according to the word of Ammaron, and taken the ^cplates of Nephi, and did make a record according to the words of Ammaron.
 18 And upon the plates of Nephi I did make a full account of all the wickedness and abominations; but upon ^athese plates I did forbear to make a full account of their wickedness and abominations, for behold, a continual scene of wickedness and abominations has been before mine eyes ever since I have been sufficient to behold the ways of man.
 19 And wo is me because of their wickedness; for my heart has been filled with sorrow because of their wickedness, all my days; nevertheless, I know that I shall be ^alifted up at the last day.
 20 And it came to pass that in this year the people of Nephi again were hunted and driven. And it came to pass that we were driven forth until we had come northward to the land which was called Shem.
 21 And it came to pass that we did ^afortify the city of Shem, and we did gather in our people as much as it were possible, that perhaps we might save them from destruction.
 22 And it came to pass in the *three hundred and forty and sixth year they began to come upon us again.
 23 And it came to pass that I did speak unto my people, and did urge them with great energy, that they would stand boldly before the Lamanites and ^afight for their ^bwives , and their children, and their houses, and their homes.
 24 And my words did arouse them somewhat to vigor, insomuch that they did not flee from before the Lamanites, but did stand with boldness against them.
 25 And it came to pass that we did contend with an army of thirty thousand against an army of fifty thousand. And it came to pass that we did stand before them with such firmness that they did flee from before us.
 26 And it came to pass that when they had fled we did pursue them with our armies, and did meet them again, and did ^abeat them; nevertheless the ^bstrength of the Lord was not with us; yea, we were left to ourselves, that the Spirit of the Lord did not abide in us; therefore we had become weak like unto our brethren.
 27 And my heart did sorrow because of this the great calamity of my people, because of their wickedness and their abominations. But behold, we did go forth against the Lamanites and the robbers of Gadianton, until we had again taken possession of the lands of our inheritance.
 28 And the *three hundred and forty and ninth year had passed away. And in the three hundred and fiftieth year we made a treaty with the Lamanites and the robbers of Gadianton, in which we did get the lands of our inheritance divided.
 29 And the Lamanites did give unto us the land ^anorthward , yea, even to the ^bnarrow passage which led into the land southward. And we did give unto the Lamanites all the land southward.

* Verse 2  [A.D. 327—328]; Verse 9  [A.D. 331]; Verse 15  [A.D. 345]; Verse 22  [A.D. 346]; Verse 28  [A.D. 350].

 1 AND it came to pass that the Lamanites did not come to battle again *until ten years more had passed away. And behold, I had employed my people, the Nephites, in preparing their lands and their arms against the time of battle.
 2 And it came to pass that the Lord did say unto me: Cry unto this people—Repent ye, and come unto me, and be ye baptized, and build up again my church, and ye shall be ^aspared .
 3 And I did cry unto this people, but it was ^ain vain; and they did ^bnot realize that it was the Lord that had spared them, and granted unto them a chance for repentance. And behold they did harden their hearts against the Lord their God.
 4 And it came to pass that after this tenth year had passed away, making, in the whole, three hundred and sixty years from the coming of Christ, the king of the Lamanites sent an epistle unto me, which gave unto me to know that they were preparing to come again to battle against us.
 5 And it came to pass that I did cause my people that they should gather themselves together at the land ^aDesolation , to a city which was in the borders, by the narrow pass which led into the land ^bsouthward .
 6 And there we did place our armies, that we might stop the armies of the Lamanites, that they might not get possession of any of our lands; therefore we did fortify against them with all our force.
 7 And it came to pass that in the three hundred and sixty and first year the Lamanites did come down to the ^acity of Desolation to battle against us; and it came to pass that in that year we did beat them, insomuch that they did return to their own lands again.
 8 And in the *three hundred and sixty and second year they did come down ^aagain to battle. And we did beat them again, and did slay a great number of them, and their dead were cast into the sea.
 9 And now, because of this great thing which my people, the Nephites, had done, they began to ^aboast in their own strength, and began to swear before the heavens that they would avenge themselves of the blood of their brethren who had been slain by their enemies.
 10 And they did ^aswear by the heavens, and also by the throne of God, that they ^bwould go up to battle against their enemies, and would cut them off from the face of the land.
 11 And it came to pass that I, Mormon, did utterly ^arefuse from this time forth to be a commander and a leader of this people, because of their wickedness and abomination.
 12 Behold, I had led them, notwithstanding their wickedness I had led them many times to battle, and had loved them, according to the ^alove of God which was in me, with all my heart; and my soul had been poured out in prayer unto my God all the day long for them; nevertheless, it was ^bwithout faith, because of the ^chardness of their hearts.
 13 And ^athrice have I delivered them out of the hands of their enemies, and they have repented not of their sins.
 14 And when they had sworn by all that had been ^aforbidden them by our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ, that they would go up unto their enemies to battle, and avenge themselves of the blood of their brethren, behold the voice of the Lord came unto me, saying:
 15 ^aVengeance is mine, and I will ^brepay ; and because this people repented not after I had delivered them, behold, they shall be cut off from the face of the earth.
 16 And it came to pass that I utterly refused to go up against mine enemies; and I did even as the Lord had commanded me; and I did stand as an idle witness to manifest unto the world the things which I saw and heard, according to the manifestations of the Spirit which had testified of things to come.
 17 Therefore I write ^aunto you, Gentiles, and also unto you, house of Israel, when the work shall commence, that ye shall be about to prepare to return to the land of your inheritance;
 18 Yea, behold, I write unto all the ends of the earth; yea, unto you, twelve tribes of Israel, who shall be ^ajudged according to your works by the twelve whom Jesus chose to be his disciples in the land of Jerusalem.
 19 And I write also unto the remnant of this people, who shall also be judged by the ^atwelve whom Jesus chose in this land; and they shall be judged by the other twelve whom Jesus chose in the land of Jerusalem.
 20 And these things doth the Spirit manifest unto me; therefore I write unto you all. And for this cause I write unto you, that ye may know that ye must all stand before the ^ajudgment -seat of Christ, yea, every soul who belongs to the whole human ^bfamily of Adam; and ye must stand to be judged of your works, whether they be good or evil;
 21 And also that ye may ^abelieve the gospel of Jesus Christ, which ye shall ^bhave among you; and also that the ^cJews , the covenant people of the Lord, shall have other ^dwitness besides him whom they saw and heard, that Jesus, whom they slew, was the ^every Christ and the very God.
 22 And I would that I could persuade ^aall ye ends of the earth to repent and prepare to stand before the judgment-seat of Christ.

* Verse 1  [A.D. 360]; Verse 8  [A.D. 362].

 1 AND now it came to pass that in the *three hundred and sixty and third year the Nephites did go up with their armies to ^abattle against the Lamanites, out of the land Desolation.
 2 And it came to pass that the armies of the Nephites were driven back again to the land of Desolation. And while they were yet weary, a fresh army of the Lamanites did come upon them; and they had a sore battle, insomuch that the Lamanites did take possession of the ^acity Desolation, and did slay many of the Nephites, and did take many prisoners.
 3 And the remainder did flee and join the inhabitants of the city Teancum. Now the city Teancum lay in the borders by the seashore; and it was also near the city ^aDesolation .
 4 And it was ^abecause the armies of the Nephites went up unto the Lamanites that they began to be smitten; for were it not for that, the Lamanites could have had no power over them.
 5 But, behold, the judgments of God will overtake the ^awicked ; and it is by the wicked that the wicked are ^bpunished ; for it is the wicked that stir up the hearts of the children of men unto bloodshed.
 6 And it came to pass that the Lamanites did make preparations to come against the city Teancum.
 7 And it came to pass in the three hundred and sixty and fourth year the Lamanites did come against the city Teancum, that they might take possession of the city Teancum also.
 8 And it came to pass that they were repulsed and driven back by the Nephites. And when the Nephites saw that they had driven the Lamanites they did again ^aboast of their own strength; and they went forth in their own might, and took possession again of the city Desolation.
 9 And now all these things had been done, and there had been thousands slain on both sides, both the Nephites and the Lamanites.
 10 And it came to pass that the three hundred and sixty and sixth year had passed away, and the Lamanites came again upon the Nephites to battle; and yet the Nephites repented not of the evil they had done, but persisted in their wickedness continually.
 11 And it is impossible for the tongue to describe, or for man to write a perfect description of the horrible scene of the blood and carnage which was among the people, both of the Nephites and of the Lamanites; and every heart was hardened, so that they ^adelighted in the shedding of blood continually.
 12 And there never had been so great ^awickedness among all the children of Lehi, nor even among all the house of Israel, according to the words of the Lord, as was among this people.
 13 And it came to pass that the Lamanites did take possession of the city Desolation, and this because their ^anumber did exceed the number of the Nephites.
 14 And they did also march forward against the city Teancum, and did drive the inhabitants forth out of her, and did take many prisoners both women and children, and did offer them up as ^asacrifices unto their idol gods.
 15 And it came to pass that in the three hundred and sixty and seventh year, the Nephites being angry because the Lamanites had sacrificed their women and their children, that they did go against the Lamanites with exceedingly great anger, insomuch that they did beat again the Lamanites, and drive them out of their lands.
 16 And the Lamanites did not come again against the Nephites until the three hundred and seventy and fifth year.
 17 And in this year they did come down against the Nephites with all their powers; and they were not numbered because of the greatness of their number.
 18 And ^afrom this time forth did the Nephites gain no power over the Lamanites, but began to be swept off by them even as a dew before the sun.
 19 And it came to pass that the Lamanites did come down against the ^acity Desolation; and there was an exceedingly sore battle fought in the land Desolation, in the which they did beat the Nephites.
 20 And they fled again from before them, and they came to the city Boaz; and there they did stand against the Lamanites with exceeding boldness, insomuch that the Lamanites did not beat them until they had come again the second time.
 21 And when they had come the second time, the Nephites were driven and slaughtered with an exceedingly great slaughter; their women and their ^achildren were again sacrificed unto idols.
 22 And it came to pass that the Nephites did again flee from before them, taking all the inhabitants with them, both in towns and villages.
 23 And now I, Mormon, seeing that the Lamanites were about to overthrow the land, therefore I did go to the hill ^aShim , and did take up all the ^brecords which Ammaron had hid up unto the Lord.

* Verse 1  [A.D. 363].

 1 AND it came to pass that I did go forth among the Nephites, and did repent of the ^aoath which I had made that I would no more assist them; and they gave me command again of their armies, for they looked upon me as though I could deliver them from their afflictions.
 2 But behold, I was ^awithout hope, for I knew the judgments of the Lord which should come upon them; for they repented not of their iniquities, but did struggle for their lives without calling upon that Being who created them.
 3 And it came to pass that the Lamanites did come against us as we had fled to the city of Jordan; but behold, they were driven back that they did not take the city at that time.
 4 And it came to pass that they came against us again, and we did maintain the city. And there were also other cities which were maintained by the Nephites, which strongholds did cut them off that they could not get into the country which lay before us, to destroy the inhabitants of our land.
 5 And it came to pass that whatsoever lands we had passed by, and the inhabitants thereof were not gathered in, were destroyed by the Lamanites, and their towns, and villages, and cities were burned with fire; and thus three hundred and seventy and nine years passed away.
 6 And it came to pass that in the three hundred and eightieth year the Lamanites did come again against us to battle, and we did stand against them boldly; but it was all in vain, for so ^agreat were their numbers that they did tread the people of the Nephites under their feet.
 7 And it came to pass that we did again take to flight, and those whose flight was swifter than the Lamanites’ did escape, and those whose flight did not exceed the Lamanites’ were swept down and destroyed.
 8 And now behold, I, Mormon, do not desire to harrow up the souls of men in casting before them such an awful scene of blood and carnage as was laid before mine eyes; but I, knowing that these things must surely be made known, and that all things which are hid must be ^arevealed upon the house-tops—
 9 And also that a knowledge of these things must ^acome unto the remnant of these people, and also unto the Gentiles, who the Lord hath said should ^bscatter this people, and this people should be counted as naught among them—therefore ^cI write a ^dsmall abridgment, daring not to give a full account of the things which I have seen, because of the commandment which I have received, and also that ye might not have too great sorrow because of the wickedness of this people.
 10 And now behold, this I speak unto their seed, and also to the Gentiles who have care for the house of Israel, that realize and know from whence their blessings come.
 11 For I know that such will sorrow for the calamity of the house of Israel; yea, they will sorrow for the destruction of this people; they will sorrow that this people had not repented that they might have been clasped in the arms of Jesus.
 12 Now ^athese things are ^bwritten unto the ^cremnant of the house of Jacob; and they are written after this manner, because it is known of God that wickedness will not bring them forth unto them; and they are to be ^dhid up unto the Lord that they may come forth in his own due time.
 13 And this is the commandment which I have received; and behold, they ^ashall come forth according to the commandment of the Lord, when he shall see fit, in his wisdom.
 14 And behold, they shall go unto the ^aunbelieving of the ^bJews ; and for this intent shall they go—that they may be ^cpersuaded that Jesus is the Christ, the Son of the living God; that the Father may bring about, through his most Beloved, his great and eternal purpose, in restoring the Jews, or all the house of Israel, to the ^dland of their inheritance, which the Lord their God hath given them, unto the fulfilling of his ^ecovenant ;
 15 And also that the seed of ^athis people may more fully believe his gospel, which shall ^bgo forth unto them from the Gentiles; for this people shall be ^cscattered , and shall ^dbecome a dark, a filthy, and a loathsome people, beyond the description of that which ever hath been amongst us, yea, even that which hath been among the Lamanites, and this because of their unbelief and idolatry.
 16 For behold, the Spirit of the Lord hath already ceased to ^astrive with their fathers; and they are without Christ and God in the world; and they are driven about as ^bchaff before the wind.
 17 They were once a delightsome people, and they had Christ for their ^ashepherd ; yea, they were led even by God the Father.
 18 But now, behold, they are ^aled about by Satan, even as chaff is driven before the wind, or as a vessel is tossed about upon the waves, without sail or anchor, or without anything wherewith to steer her; and even as she is, so are they.
 19 And behold, the Lord hath reserved their blessings, which they might have received in the land, for the ^aGentiles who shall possess the land.
 20 But behold, it shall come to pass that they shall be driven and scattered by the Gentiles; and after they have been driven and scattered by the Gentiles, behold, then will the Lord ^aremember the ^bcovenant which he made unto Abraham and unto all the house of Israel.
 21 And also the Lord will remember the ^aprayers of the righteous, which have been put up unto him for them.
 22 And then, O ye Gentiles, how can ye stand before the power of God, except ye shall repent and turn from your evil ways?
 23 Know ye not that ye are in the ^ahands of God? Know ye not that he hath all power, and at his great command the ^bearth shall be ^crolled together as a scroll?
 24 Therefore, repent ye, and humble yourselves before him, lest he shall come out in justice against you—lest a ^aremnant of the seed of Jacob shall go forth among you as a ^blion , and tear you in pieces, and there is none to deliver.

 1 AND now I finish my record concerning the ^adestruction of my people, the Nephites. And it came to pass that we did march forth before the Lamanites.
 2 And I, Mormon, wrote an epistle unto the king of the Lamanites, and desired of him that he would grant unto us that we might gather together our people unto the ^aland of ^bCumorah , by a hill which was called Cumorah, and there we could give them battle.
 3 And it came to pass that the king of the Lamanites did grant unto me the thing which I desired.
 4 And it came to pass that we did march forth to the land of Cumorah, and we did pitch our tents around about the hill Cumorah; and it was in a land of ^amany waters, rivers, and fountains; and here we had hope to gain advantage over the Lamanites.
 5 And *when ^athree hundred and eighty and four years had passed away, we had gathered in all the remainder of our people unto the land of Cumorah.
 6 And it came to pass that when we had gathered in all our people in one to the land of Cumorah, behold I, Mormon, began to be old; and knowing it to be the last struggle of my people, and having been commanded of the Lord that I should not suffer the records which had been handed down by our fathers, which were ^asacred , to fall into the hands of the Lamanites, (for the Lamanites would ^bdestroy them) therefore I made ^cthis record out of the plates of Nephi, and ^dhid up in the hill Cumorah all the records which had been entrusted to me by the hand of the Lord, save it were ^ethese few plates which I gave unto my son ^fMoroni .
 7 And it came to pass that my people, with their wives and their children, did now behold the ^aarmies of the Lamanites marching towards them; and with that awful ^bfear of death which fills the breasts of all the wicked, did they await to receive them.
 8 And it came to pass that they came to battle against us, and every soul was filled with terror because of the greatness of their numbers.
 9 And it came to pass that they did fall upon my people with the sword, and with the bow, and with the arrow, and with the ax, and with all manner of weapons of war.
 10 And it came to pass that my men were hewn down, yea, even my ^aten thousand who were with me, and I fell wounded in the midst; and they passed by me that they did not put an end to my life.
 11 And when they had gone through and hewn down ^aall my people save it were twenty and four of us, (among whom was my son Moroni) and we having survived the dead of our people, did behold on the morrow, when the Lamanites had returned unto their camps, from the top of the hill Cumorah, the ten thousand of my people who were hewn down, being led in the front by me.
 12 And we also beheld the ten thousand of my people who were led by my son Moroni.
 13 And behold, the ten thousand of Gidgiddonah had fallen, and he also in the midst.
 14 And Lamah had fallen with his ten thousand; and Gilgal had fallen with his ten thousand; and Limhah had fallen with his ten thousand; and Jeneum had fallen with his ten thousand; and Cumenihah, and Moronihah, and Antionum, and Shiblom, and Shem, and Josh, had fallen with their ten thousand each.
 15 And it came to pass that there were ten more who did fall by the sword, with their ten thousand each; yea, even ^aall my people, save it were those twenty and four who were with me, and also a ^bfew who had escaped into the south countries, and a few who had deserted over unto the Lamanites, had fallen; and their flesh, and bones, and blood lay upon the face of the earth, being left by the hands of those who slew them to molder upon the land, and to crumble and to return to their mother earth.
 16 And my soul was rent with ^aanguish , because of the slain of my people, and I cried:
 17 ^aO ye fair ones, how could ye have departed from the ways of the Lord! O ye fair ones, how could ye have rejected that Jesus, who stood with open arms to receive you!
 18 Behold, if ye had not done this, ye would not have fallen. But behold, ye are fallen, and I ^amourn your loss.
 19 O ye ^afair sons and daughters, ye fathers and mothers, ye husbands and wives, ye fair ones, how is it that ye could have ^bfallen !
 20 But behold, ye are gone, and my sorrows cannot bring your return.
 21 And the day soon cometh that your mortal must put on immortality, and these bodies which are now moldering in corruption must soon become ^aincorruptible bodies; and then ye must stand before the judgment-seat of Christ, to be judged according to your works; and if it so be that ye are righteous, then are ye blessed with your fathers who have gone before you.
 22 O that ye had repented before this great ^adestruction had come upon you. But behold, ye are gone, and the Father, yea, the Eternal Father of heaven, ^bknoweth your state; and he doeth with you according to his ^cjustice and ^dmercy .

* Verse 5  [A.D. 385].

 1 AND now, behold, I would speak somewhat unto the ^aremnant of this people who are spared, if it so be that God may give unto them my words, that they may know of the things of their fathers; yea, I speak unto you, ye remnant of the house of Israel; and these are the words which I speak:
 2 Know ye that ye are of the ^ahouse of Israel.
 3 Know ye that ye must come unto repentance, or ye cannot be saved.
 4 Know ye that ye must lay down your weapons of war, and delight no more in the shedding of blood, and take them not again, save it be that God shall ^acommand you.
 5 Know ye that ye must come to the ^aknowledge of your fathers, and repent of all your sins and iniquities, and ^bbelieve in Jesus Christ, that he is the Son of God, and that he was slain by the Jews, and by the power of the Father he hath risen again, whereby he hath gained the ^cvictory over the grave; and also in him is the sting of death swallowed up.
 6 And he bringeth to pass the ^aresurrection of the dead, whereby man must be raised to stand before his ^bjudgment -seat.
 7 And he hath brought to pass the ^aredemption of the ^bworld , whereby he that is found ^cguiltless before him at the judgment day hath it given unto him to ^ddwell in the presence of God in his kingdom, to sing ceaseless praises with the ^echoirs above, unto the Father, and unto the Son, and unto the Holy Ghost, which are ^fone God, in a state of ^ghappiness which hath no end.
 8 Therefore repent, and be baptized in the name of Jesus, and lay hold upon the ^agospel of Christ, which shall be set before you, not only in this record but also in the record which shall come unto the Gentiles ^bfrom the Jews, which record shall come from the Gentiles ^cunto you.
 9 For behold, ^athis is ^bwritten for the intent that ye may ^cbelieve that; and if ^dye believe that ye will believe this also; and if ye believe this ye will know concerning your fathers, and also the marvelous works which were wrought by the power of God among them.
 10 And ye will also know that ye are a ^aremnant of the seed of Jacob; therefore ye are numbered among the people of the first covenant; and if it so be that ye believe in Christ, and are baptized, first ^bwith water, then with fire and with the Holy Ghost, following the ^cexample of our Savior, according to that which he hath commanded us, it shall be well with you in the day of judgment. Amen.

 1 BEHOLD I, ^aMoroni , do finish the ^brecord of my father, Mormon. Behold, I have but few things to write, which things I have been commanded by my father.
 2 And now it came to pass that after the ^agreat and tremendous battle at Cumorah, behold, the Nephites who had escaped into the country southward were hunted by the ^bLamanites , until they were all destroyed.
 3 And my father also was killed by them, and I even ^aremain ^balone to write the sad tale of the destruction of my people. But behold, they are gone, and I fulfil the commandment of my father. And whether they will slay me, I know not.
 4 Therefore I will write and ^ahide up the records in the earth; and whither I go it mattereth not.
 5 Behold, my father hath made ^athis record, and he hath written the intent thereof. And behold, I would write it also if I had room upon the ^bplates , but I have not; and ore I have none, for I am alone. My father hath been slain in battle, and all my kinsfolk, and I have not friends nor whither to go; and ^chow long the Lord will suffer that I may live I know not.
 6 Behold, ^a*four hundred years have passed away since the coming of our Lord and Savior.
 7 And behold, the Lamanites have hunted my people, the Nephites, down from city to city and from place to place, even until they are no more; and great has been their ^afall ; yea, great and marvelous is the destruction of my people, the Nephites.
 8 And behold, it is the hand of the Lord which hath done it. And behold also, the Lamanites are at ^awar one with another; and the whole face of this land is one continual round of murder and bloodshed; and no one knoweth the end of the war.
 9 And now, behold, I say no more concerning them, for there are none save it be the Lamanites and ^arobbers that do exist upon the face of the land.
 10 And there are none that do know the true God save it be the ^adisciples of Jesus, who did tarry in the land until the wickedness of the people was so great that the Lord would not suffer them to ^bremain with the people; and whether they be upon the face of the land no man knoweth.
 11 But behold, my ^afather and I have seen ^bthem , and they have ministered unto us.
 12 And whoso receiveth ^athis record, and shall not condemn it because of the imperfections which are in it, the same shall know of ^bgreater things than these. Behold, I am Moroni; and were it possible, I would make all things known unto you.
 13 Behold, I make an end of speaking concerning this people. I am the son of Mormon, and my father was a ^adescendant of Nephi.
 14 And I am the same who ^ahideth up this record unto the Lord; the plates thereof are of no worth, because of the commandment of the Lord. For he truly saith that no one shall have them ^bto get gain; but the record thereof is of ^cgreat worth; and whoso shall bring it to light, him will the Lord bless.
 15 For none can have power to bring it to light save it be given him of God; for God wills that it shall be done with an ^aeye single to his glory, or the welfare of the ancient and long dispersed covenant people of the Lord.
 16 And blessed be ^ahe that shall bring this thing to light; for it shall be ^bbrought out of darkness unto light, according to the word of God; yea, it shall be brought out of the earth, and it shall shine forth out of darkness, and come unto the knowledge of the people; and it shall be done by the power of God.
 17 And if there be ^afaults they be the faults of a man. But behold, we know no fault; nevertheless God knoweth all things; therefore, he that ^bcondemneth , let him be aware lest he shall be in danger of hell fire.
 18 And he that saith: Show unto me, or ye shall be ^asmitten —let him beware lest he commandeth that which is forbidden of the Lord.
 19 For behold, the same that ^ajudgeth ^brashly shall be judged rashly again; for according to his works shall his wages be; therefore, he that smiteth shall be smitten again, of the Lord.
 20 Behold what the scripture says—man shall not ^asmite , neither shall he ^bjudge ; for judgment is mine, saith the Lord, and vengeance is mine also, and I will repay.
 21 And he that shall breathe out ^awrath and ^bstrifes against the work of the Lord, and against the ^ccovenant people of the Lord who are the house of Israel, and shall say: We will destroy the work of the Lord, and the Lord will not remember his covenant which he hath made unto the house of Israel—the same is in danger to be hewn down and cast into the fire;
 22 For the eternal ^apurposes of the Lord shall roll on, until all his promises shall be fulfilled.
 23 Search the prophecies of ^aIsaiah . Behold, I cannot write them. Yea, behold I say unto you, that those saints who have gone before me, who have possessed this land, shall ^bcry , yea, even from the dust will they cry unto the Lord; and as the Lord liveth he will remember the covenant which he hath made with them.
 24 And he knoweth their ^aprayers , that they were in behalf of their brethren. And he knoweth their faith, for in his name could they remove ^bmountains ; and in his name could they cause the earth to shake; and by the power of his word did they cause ^cprisons to tumble to the earth; yea, even the fiery furnace could not harm them, neither wild beasts nor poisonous serpents, because of the power of his word.
 25 And behold, their ^aprayers were also in behalf of him that the Lord should suffer to bring these things forth.
 26 And no one need say they shall not come, for they surely shall, for the Lord hath spoken it; for ^aout of the earth shall they come, by the hand of the Lord, and none can stay it; and it shall come in a day when it shall be said that ^bmiracles are done away; and it shall come even as if one should speak ^cfrom the dead.
 27 And it shall come in a day when the ^ablood of saints shall cry unto the Lord, because of secret ^bcombinations and the works of darkness.
 28 Yea, it shall come in a day when the power of God shall be ^adenied , and ^bchurches become defiled and be ^clifted up in the pride of their hearts; yea, even in a day when leaders of churches and teachers shall rise in the pride of their hearts, even to the envying of them who belong to their churches.
 29 Yea, it shall come in a day when ^athere shall be heard of fires, and tempests, and ^bvapors of smoke in foreign lands;
 30 And there shall also be heard of ^awars , rumors of wars, and earthquakes in divers places.
 31 Yea, it shall come in a day when there shall be great ^apollutions upon the face of the earth; there shall be ^bmurders , and robbing, and lying, and deceivings, and whoredoms, and all manner of abominations; when there shall be many who will say, Do this, or do that, and it ^cmattereth not, for the Lord will ^duphold such at the last day. But wo unto such, for they are in the ^egall of bitterness and in the ^fbonds of iniquity.
 32 Yea, it shall come in a day when there shall be ^achurches built up that shall say: Come unto me, and for your money you shall be forgiven of your sins.
 33 O ye wicked and perverse and ^astiffnecked people, why have ye built up churches unto yourselves to get ^bgain ? Why have ye ^ctransfigured the holy word of God, that ye might bring ^ddamnation upon your souls? Behold, look ye unto the ^erevelations of God; for behold, the time cometh at that day when all these things must be fulfilled.
 34 Behold, the Lord hath shown unto me great and marvelous things concerning that which must shortly come, at that day when these things shall come forth among you.
 35 Behold, I speak unto you as if ye were present, and yet ye are not. But behold, Jesus Christ hath shown you unto me, and I know your doing.
 36 And I know that ye do ^awalk in the pride of your hearts; and there are none save a few only who do not ^blift themselves up in the pride of their hearts, unto the wearing of ^cvery fine apparel, unto envying, and strifes, and malice, and persecutions, and all manner of iniquities; and your churches, yea, even every one, have become polluted because of the pride of your hearts.
 37 For behold, ye do love ^amoney , and your substance, and your fine apparel, and the adorning of your churches, more than ye love the poor and the needy, the sick and the afflicted.
 38 O ye pollutions, ye hypocrites, ye teachers, who sell yourselves for that which will canker, why have ye polluted the holy church of God? Why are ye ^aashamed to take upon you the name of Christ? Why do ye not think that greater is the value of an endless happiness than that ^bmisery which never dies—because of the ^cpraise of the world?
 39 Why do ye adorn yourselves with that which hath no life, and yet suffer the hungry, and the needy, and the naked, and the sick and the afflicted to pass by you, and notice them not?
 40 Yea, why do ye build up your ^asecret abominations to get gain, and cause that widows should mourn before the Lord, and also orphans to mourn before the Lord, and also the blood of their fathers and their husbands to cry unto the Lord from the ground, for vengeance upon your heads?
 41 Behold, the sword of vengeance hangeth over you; and the time soon cometh that he avengeth the ^ablood of the saints upon you, for he will not suffer their cries any longer.

* Verse 6  [A.D. 401].

 1 AND now, I speak also concerning those who do not believe in Christ.
 2 Behold, will ye believe in the day of your visitation—behold, when the Lord shall come, yea, even that ^agreat day when the ^bearth shall be rolled together as a scroll, and the elements shall ^cmelt with fervent heat, yea, in that great day when ye shall be brought to stand before the Lamb of God—then will ye say that there is no God?
 3 Then will ye longer deny the Christ, or can ye behold the Lamb of God? Do ye suppose that ye shall dwell with him under a ^aconsciousness of your guilt? Do ye suppose that ye could be happy to dwell with that holy Being, when your souls are racked with a consciousness of guilt that ye have ever abused his laws?
 4 Behold, I say unto you that ye would be more miserable to dwell with a holy and just God, under a consciousness of your ^afilthiness before him, than ye would to dwell with the ^bdamned souls in ^chell .
 5 For behold, when ye shall be brought to see your ^anakedness before God, and also the glory of God, and the ^bholiness of Jesus Christ, it will kindle a flame of unquenchable fire upon you.
 6 O then ye ^aunbelieving , ^bturn ye unto the Lord; cry mightily unto the Father in the name of Jesus, that perhaps ye may be found spotless, ^cpure , fair, and white, having been cleansed by the blood of the ^dLamb , at that great and last day.
 7 And again I speak unto you who ^adeny the revelations of God, and say that they are done away, that there are no revelations, nor prophecies, nor gifts, nor healing, nor speaking with tongues, and the ^binterpretation of tongues;
 8 Behold I say unto you, he that denieth these things knoweth not the ^agospel of Christ; yea, he has not read the scriptures; if so, he does not ^bunderstand them.
 9 For do we not read that God is the ^asame ^byesterday , today, and forever, and in him there is no ^cvariableness neither shadow of changing?
 10 And now, if ye have imagined up unto yourselves a god who doth vary, and in whom there is shadow of changing, then have ye imagined up unto yourselves a god who is not a God of miracles.
 11 But behold, I will show unto you a God of ^amiracles , even the God of Abraham, and the God of Isaac, and the God of Jacob; and it is that same ^bGod who created the heavens and the earth, and all things that in them are.
 12 Behold, he created Adam, and by ^aAdam came the ^bfall of man. And because of the fall of man came Jesus Christ, even the Father and the Son; and because of Jesus Christ came the ^credemption of man.
 13 And because of the redemption of man, which came by Jesus Christ, they are brought back into the ^apresence of the Lord; yea, this is wherein all men are redeemed, because the death of Christ bringeth to pass the ^bresurrection , which bringeth to pass a redemption from an endless ^csleep , from which sleep all men shall be awakened by the power of God when the trump shall sound; and they shall come forth, both small and great, and all shall stand before his bar, being redeemed and loosed from this eternal ^dband of death, which death is a temporal death.
 14 And then cometh the ^ajudgment of the Holy One upon them; and then cometh the time that he that is ^bfilthy shall be filthy still; and he that is righteous shall be righteous still; he that is happy shall be happy still; and he that is unhappy shall be unhappy still.
 15 And now, O all ye that have imagined up unto yourselves a god who can do ^ano miracles, I would ask of you, have all these things passed, of which I have spoken? Has the end come yet? Behold I say unto you, Nay; and God has not ceased to be a God of miracles.
 16 Behold, are not the things that God hath wrought marvelous in our eyes? Yea, and who can comprehend the marvelous ^aworks of God?
 17 Who shall say that it was not a miracle that by his ^aword the heaven and the earth should be; and by the power of his word man was ^bcreated of the ^cdust of the earth; and by the power of his word have miracles been wrought?
 18 And who shall say that Jesus Christ did not do many mighty ^amiracles ? And there were many ^bmighty miracles wrought by the hands of the apostles.
 19 And if there were ^amiracles wrought then, why has God ceased to be a God of miracles and yet be an unchangeable Being? And behold, I say unto you he ^bchangeth not; if so he would cease to be God; and he ceaseth not to be God, and is a God of miracles.
 20 And the reason why he ceaseth to do ^amiracles among the children of men is because that they dwindle in unbelief, and depart from the right way, and know not the God in whom they should ^btrust .
 21 Behold, I say unto you that whoso believeth in Christ, doubting nothing, ^awhatsoever he shall ask the Father in the name of Christ it shall be granted him; and this ^bpromise is unto all, even unto the ends of the earth.
 22 For behold, thus said Jesus Christ, the Son of God, unto his disciples who should tarry, yea, and also to ^aall his disciples, in the hearing of the multitude: Go ye into all the world, and preach the gospel to every creature;
 23 And he that ^abelieveth and is baptized shall be saved, but he that believeth not shall be ^bdamned ;
 24 And ^athese signs shall follow them that believe—in my name shall they cast out ^bdevils ; they shall speak with new tongues; they shall take up serpents; and if they drink any deadly thing it shall not hurt them; they shall lay ^chands on the sick and they shall recover;
 25 And whosoever shall believe in my name, doubting nothing, unto him will I ^aconfirm all my words, even unto the ends of the earth.
 26 And now, behold, who can stand ^aagainst the works of the Lord? ^bWho can deny his sayings? Who will rise up against the almighty power of the Lord? Who will despise the works of the Lord? Who will despise the children of Christ? Behold, all ye who are ^cdespisers of the works of the Lord, for ye shall wonder and perish.
 27 O then despise not, and wonder not, but hearken unto the words of the Lord, and ask the Father in the name of Jesus for what things soever ye shall stand in need. ^aDoubt not, but be believing, and begin as in times of old, and ^bcome unto the Lord with all your ^cheart , and ^dwork out your own salvation with fear and trembling before him.
 28 Be ^awise in the days of your ^bprobation ; strip yourselves of all uncleanness; ask not, that ye may consume it on your ^clusts , but ask with a firmness unshaken, that ye will yield to no temptation, but that ye will serve the true and ^dliving God.
 29 See that ye are not baptized ^aunworthily ; see that ye partake not of the sacrament of Christ ^bunworthily ; but see that ye do all things in ^cworthiness , and do it in the name of Jesus Christ, the Son of the living God; and if ye do this, and endure to the end, ye will in nowise be cast out.
 30 Behold, I speak unto you as though I ^aspake from the dead; for I know that ye shall have my words.
 31 Condemn me not because of mine ^aimperfection , neither my father, because of his imperfection, neither them who have written before him; but rather give thanks unto God that he hath made manifest unto you our imperfections, that ye may learn to be more wise than we have been.
 32 And now, behold, we have written this record according to our knowledge, in the characters which are called among us the ^areformed Egyptian, being handed down and altered by us, according to our manner of speech.
 33 And if our plates had been ^asufficiently large we should have written in Hebrew; but the Hebrew hath been altered by us also; and if we could have written in Hebrew, behold, ye would have had no ^bimperfection in our record.
 34 But the Lord knoweth the things which we have written, and also that none other people knoweth our language; and because that none other people knoweth our language, therefore he hath prepared ^ameans for the interpretation thereof.
 35 And these things are written that we may rid our garments of the blood of our ^abrethren , who have dwindled in unbelief.
 36 And behold, these things which we have ^adesired concerning our brethren, yea, even their restoration to the knowledge of Christ, are according to the prayers of all the saints who have dwelt in the land.
 37 And may the Lord Jesus Christ grant that their prayers may be answered according to their faith; and may God the Father remember the covenant which he hath made with the house of Israel; and may he bless them forever, through faith on the name of Jesus Christ. Amen.