0 SABoM 3 Nephi 6

Behold, that great city Moronihah have I [Jesus] covered with earth, and the inhabitants thereof. 3 Nephi 9:5 9:5

Trivia: At what age did Jesus say the nine mortal disciples would die?

The Third Book of Nephi

CHAPTER 6

CHAPTER 6 The Nephites return to their lands--They prosper and wax great--Satan stirs the people up--Inspired men preach to the Nephites--Lawyers and judges kill some of the preachers--They are brought before a judge--The evil judges covenant with the devil to destroy the people of the Lord.(26-30 CE) Previous chapter | Next chapter

Evil lawyers and their kindreds
AbsurditySciencePlagiarism 6:1-30

1 And now it came to pass that the people of the Nephites did all return to their own lands in the twenty and sixth year, every man, with his family, his flocks and his herds, his horses and his cattle, and all things whatsoever did belong unto them.

A few chapters ago, the Nephites gathered in Zarahemla to defend themselves against the Gadianton robbers.

2 It came to pass that they had not eaten up all their provisions; therefore they did take with them all that they had not devoured, of all their grain of every kind, and their gold, and their silver, and all their precious things, and they did return to their own lands and their possessions, both on the north and on the south, both on the land northward and on the land southward.

3 And they granted unto those robbers who had entered into a covenant to keep the peace of the land, who were desirous to remain Lamanites, lands, according to their numbers, that they might have, with their labors, wherewith to subsist upon; and thus they did establish peace in all the land.

Now that the robbers have been defeated, converted, or condemned and executed, the Nephites return to the land northward and the land southward with all of their horses and cattle. [1]

4 And they began again to prosper and to wax great; and the twenty and sixth and seventh years passed away, and there was great order in the land; and they had formed their laws according to equity and justice.

5 And now there was nothing in all the land to hinder the people from prospering continually, except they should fall into transgression.

6 And now it was Gidgiddoni, and the judge, Lachoneus, and those who had been appointed leaders, who had established this great peace in the land.

The Nephites prospered and waxed great, enjoying a couple three years of continuous peace.

7 It came to pass that there were many cities built anew, and there were many old cities repaired.

8 And there were many highways cast up, and many roads made, which led from city to city, and from land to land, and from place to place.

9 And thus passed away the twenty and eighth year, and the people had continual peace.

They built many new cities and roads and repaired the ones that were damaged in the robbers wars.

10 But it came to pass in the twenty and ninth year there began to be some disputings among the people; and some were lifted up unto pride and boastings because of their exceedingly great riches, yea, even unto great persecutions;

11 For there were many merchants in the land, and also many lawyers, and many officers.

But then there was trouble again. There were disputings, and boastings, and great persecutions among merchants, lawyers, and many offices.

12 And the people began to be distinguished by ranks, according to their riches and their chances for learning, yea, some were ignorant because of their poverty, and others did receive great learning because of their riches.

13 Some were lifted up in pride, and others were exceedingly humble; some did return railing for railing, while others would receive railing and persecution and all manner of afflictions, and would not turn and revile again, but were humble and penitent before God.

The poor got poorer while the rich got richer.

14 And thus there became a great inequality in all the land, insomuch that the church began to be broken up; yea, insomuch that in the thirtieth year the church was broken up in all the land save it were among a few of the Lamanites who were converted unto the true faith; and they would not depart from it, for they were firm, and steadfast, and immovable, willing with all diligence to keep the commandments of the Lord.

The inequality got so severe that the church broke apart, leaving only a few faithful Lamanites to keep the commandments of the Lord.

15 Now the cause of this iniquity of the people was this -- Satan had great power, unto the stirring up of the people to do all manner of iniquity, and to the puffing them up with pride, tempting them to seek for power, and authority, and riches, and the vain things of the world.

16 And thus Satan did lead away the hearts of the people to do all manner of iniquity; therefore they had enjoyed peace but a few years.

Everyone was stirred up by Satan for the space of a long time to do all kinds of hellish things.

17 And thus, in the commencement of the thirtieth year -- the people having been delivered up for the space of a long time to be carried about by the temptations of the devil whithersoever he desired to carry them, and to do whatsoever iniquity he desired they should -- and thus in the commencement of this, the thirtieth year, they were in a state of awful wickedness.

18 Now they did not sin ignorantly, for they knew the will of God concerning them, for it had been taught unto them; therefore they did wilfully rebel against God.

He puffed them up with pride, led away their hearts, and carried them about to wherever he wanted to carry them, getting them to do whatever he wanted them to do.

19 And now it was in the days of Lachoneus, the son of Lachoneus, for Lachoneus did fill the seat of his father and did govern the people that year.

This all happened in the days of Lachoneus, the son of Lachoneus.

20 And there began to be men inspired from heaven and sent forth, standing among the people in all the land, preaching and testifying boldly of the sins and iniquities of the people, and testifying unto them concerning the redemption which the Lord would make for his people, or in other words, the resurrection of Christ; and they did testify boldly of his death and sufferings.

But luckily there began to be men inspired from heaven preaching and testifying to them about all kinds of things.

In other words, the resurrection of Christ, and such like.

21 Now there were many of the people who were exceedingly angry because of those who testified of these things; and those who were angry were chiefly the chief judges, and they who had been high priests and lawyers; yea, all those who were lawyers were angry with those who testified of these things.

22 Now there was no lawyer nor judge nor high priest that could have power to condemn any one to death save their condemnation was signed by the governor of the land.

Many of the people were exceedingly angry at the preachers, especially the judges and lawyers.

All the lawyers were angry with the people who testified of the things pertaining to Christ.

23 Now there were many of those who testified of the things pertaining to Christ who testified boldly, who were taken and put to death secretly by the judges, that the knowledge of their death came not unto the governor of the land until after their death.

Some of the preachers were secretly killed by the judges.

24 Now behold, this was contrary to the laws of the land, that any man should be put to death except they had power from the governor of the land --

25 Therefore a complaint came up unto the land of Zarahemla, to the governor of the land, against these judges who had condemned the prophets of the Lord unto death, not according to the law.

26 Now it came to pass that they were taken and brought up before the judge to be judged of the crime which they had done, according to the law which had been given by the people.

So the judges that secretly executed the preachers were brought before a judge.

27 Now it came to pass that those judges had many friends and kindreds; and the remainder, yea, even almost all the lawyers and the high priests, did gather themselves together, and unite with the kindreds of those judges who were to be tried according to the law.

28 And they did enter into a covenant one with another, yea, even into that covenant which was given by them of old, which covenant was given and administered by the devil, to combine against all righteousness.

29 Therefore they did combine against the people of the Lord, and enter into a covenant to destroy them, and to deliver those who were guilty of murder from the grasp of justice, which was about to be administered according to the law.

30 And they did set at defiance the law and the rights of their country; and they did covenant one with another to destroy the governor, and to establish a king over the land, that the land should no more be at liberty but should be subject unto kings.

But those judges had many friends and kindreds, who covenanted with devil the to destroy the people of the Lord.

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