19:1And it came to pass that the Lord commanded me,
wherefore I did make plates of ore that I might engraven upon them the record of my people.
And upon the plates which I made I did engraven the record of my father, and also our
journeyings in the wilderness, and the prophecies of my father; and also many of mine own
prophecies have I engraven upon them.
(19:1)
It's hard to keep track of all the plates in the Book of Mormon.
Then came the plates of Nephi: two separate sets of plates, both
confusingly named
by Nephi "the plates of Nephi." One for "the more part of the ministry" and the other "for the more part of the reign of the kings
and the wars and contentions."
And now, God tells Nephi to make another set. I guess you just can't have too many plates.
"And it came to pass that the Lord commanded me, wherefore I did make plates of ore."
(19:2-5) On his third set of plates, Nephi only included the "more plain and
precious parts," leaving out any unnecessary words, as you'd expect from someone engraving on plates of ore.
"The more part of all our proceedings in the wilderness are engraven upon those
first plates of which I have spoken; wherefore, the things which transpired before I made these plates are, of a truth, more particularly
made mention upon the first plates. And after I had made these plates by way of commandment, I, Nephi, received a commandment that the
ministry and the prophecies, the more plain and precious parts of them, should be written upon these plates; and that the
things which were written should be kept for the instruction of my people ... and also for other wise purposes,
which purposes are known unto the Lord. Wherefore, I, Nephi, did make a record upon the other plates ... and that these plates should be
handed down from one generation to another, or from one prophet to
another, until further commandments of the Lord. And an account of my making these plates shall be given hereafter."
(19:6a)
Nephi didn't write anything on the plates unless it was sacred.
"I do not write anything upon plates save it be that I think it be sacred."
(19:6b)
Nephi says that whatever he wrote on the plates was sacred. But he
admits that he might make some mistakes, just like they (the guys who
wrote the Bible) did. Not that he's making any excuses, of course. Is the Book of Mormon true?
"And now, if I do err, even did they err of old; not that I would excuse myself because of other men."
(19:8) Then Nephi starts in again with prophecy, repeating the same stuff
he's already told us several times before. (1 Nephi 10:4,
11:18,
13:40)
Jesus will be born 600 years after Lehi and his family left Jerusalem (and 592 years after Nephi wrote the prophecy
down in his little brass book.)
"And behold he cometh, according to the words of the angel, in six hundred years from the time my father left Jerusalem."
(19:10) But at least he does throw in a few new names. Zenock, Neum, and Zenos --
Old Testament prophets whose writings were removed by that great and abominable church founded by the devil. (You know, the Catholics.)
Anyway, Zenock, Neum, and Zenos knew all about Jesus. He'd be crucified, buried in a sepulchre, and after his death, there'd be
three days of darkness.
"According to the words of Zenock, and to be crucified, according to the words of Neum, and to be buried
in a sepulchre, according to the words of Zenos, which he spake concerning the three days of darkness, which should be a sign given of
his death unto those who should inhabit the isles of the sea, more especially given unto those who are of the house of Israel."
Three days of darkness? Yeah, that's what Zenos prophesied. The entire earth would be completely dark for three days after Jesus'
death (See 3 Nephi 8:20-22 and
Helaman 14:27 for the exciting details), as a sign to
Lehi's descendants in "the isles of the sea" (the Lamanites in America and Polynesia).
(19:11-12) Zenos prophesied further that mountains would be carried away
after Jesus died, along with lots of other nutty stuff. (See 3 Nephi 8 where
cities sunk, mountains were moved and dumped upon cities, etc.)
"For thus spake the prophet: The Lord God surely shall visit ... others with the thunderings and the lightnings of his power,
by tempest, by fire, and by smoke, and vapor of darkness, and by the opening of the earth, and by mountains which shall be carried up ...
saith the prophet Zenos. And the rocks of the earth must rend; and ... many of the kings of the isles of the sea shall be wrought upon
by the Spirit of God."
(19:13-14) Then Zenos explains how all kinds of bad stuff would happen to the
Jews because they "crucify the God of Israel." They'd be hated by all nations, wander in the flesh, etc.
"They shall be scourged by all people, because they crucify the God of
Israel ... and have despised the Holy One of Israel, they shall wander in the flesh, and perish, and
become a hiss and a byword, and be hated among all nations."
(19:17) every nation, and kindred, and tongue, and people. -- Revelation 14:6
(19:22-23) And finally, Nephi says he's going to swipe a couple of chapters from
the book of Isaiah as a bit of filler for his plates of brass.
"Now it came to pass that I, Nephi, did teach my brethren these things; And it came to pass that I did read many things to them,
which were engraven upon the plates of brass ... And ... I did read unto them that which was written by the prophet Isaiah."
19:2 And I knew not at the time when I made them that I should be
commanded of the Lord to make these plates; wherefore, the record of my father, and the
genealogy of his fathers, and the more part of all our proceedings in the wilderness are
engraven upon those first plates of which I have spoken; wherefore, the things which
transpired before I made these plates are, of a truth, more particularly made mention upon
the first plates.
19:3And after I had made these plates by way of commandment, I, Nephi,
received a commandment that the ministry and the prophecies, the more plain and precious
parts of them, should be written upon these plates; and that the things which were written
should be kept for the instruction of my people, who should possess the land, and also for
other wise purposes, which purposes are known unto the Lord.
19:4Wherefore, I, Nephi, did make a record upon the other plates, which
gives an account, or which gives a greater account of the wars and contentions and
destructions of my people. And this have I done, and commanded my people what they should
do after I was gone; and that these plates should be handed down from one generation to
another, or from one prophet to another, until further commandments of the Lord.
19:5 And an account of my making these plates shall be given hereafter; and
then, behold, I proceed according to that which I have spoken; and this I do that the more
sacred things may be kept for the knowledge of my people.
19:6 Nevertheless, I do not write anything
upon plates save it be that I think it be sacred. And now, if I do err, even did they err
of old; not that I would excuse myself because of other men, but because of the weakness
which is in me, according to the flesh, I would excuse myself.
19:7 For the things which some men esteem to be of great worth, both to the
body and soul, others set at naught and trample under their feet. Yea, even the very God
of Israel do men trample under their feet; I say, trample under their feet but I would
speak in other words -- they set him at naught, and hearken not to the voice of his
counsels.
19:8And behold he cometh, according to the words of the angel, in six
hundred years from the time my father left Jerusalem.
19:9 And the world, because of their iniquity, shall judge him to be a
thing of naught; wherefore they scourge him, and he suffereth it; and they smite him, and
he suffereth it. Yea, they spit upon him, and he suffereth it, because of his loving
kindness and his long-suffering towards the children of men.
19:10 And the God of our fathers, who were led out of Egypt, out of bondage,
and also were preserved in the wilderness by him, yea, the God of Abraham, and of Isaac,
and the God of Jacob, yieldeth himself, according to the words of the angel, as a man,
into the hands of wicked men, to be lifted up, according to the words of
Zenock, and to be crucified, according to the words of Neum, and to be buried in a sepulchre, according to
the words of Zenos, which he spake concerning the three days of darkness, which should be
a sign given of his death unto those who should inhabit the isles of the sea, more
especially given unto those who are of the house of Israel.
19:11For thus spake the prophet: The Lord God surely shall visit all the
house of Israel at that day, some with his voice, because of their righteousness, unto
their great joy and salvation, and others with the thunderings and the lightnings of his
power, by tempest, by fire, and by smoke, and vapor of darkness, and by the opening of
the earth, and by mountains which shall be carried up.
19:12 And all these things must surely come, saith the prophet Zenos. And
the rocks of the earth must rend; and because of the groanings of the earth, many of the
kings of the isles of the sea shall be wrought upon by the Spirit of God, to exclaim: The
God of nature suffers.
19:13 And as for those who are at Jerusalem,
saith the prophet, they shall be scourged by all people, because they crucify the God of
Israel, and turn their hearts aside, rejecting signs and wonders, and the power and glory
of the God of Israel.
19:14 And because they turn their hearts aside,
saith the prophet, and have despised the Holy One of Israel, they shall wander in the
flesh, and perish, and become a hiss and a byword, and be hated among all nations.
19:15 Nevertheless, when that day cometh, saith the prophet, that they no
more turn aside their hearts against the Holy One of Israel, then will he remember the
covenants which he made to their fathers.
19:16 Yea, then will he remember the isles of the sea; yea, and all the
people who are of the house of Israel, will I gather in, saith the Lord, according to the
words of the prophet Zenos, from the four quarters of the earth.
19:17 Yea, and all the earth shall see the salvation of the Lord, saith the
prophet; every nation, kindred, tongue and people shall be blessed.
19:18 And I, Nephi, have written these things unto my people, that perhaps
I might persuade them that they would remember the Lord their Redeemer.
19:19 Wherefore, I speak unto all the house of Israel, if it so be that
they should obtain these things.
19:20 For behold, I have workings in the spirit, which doth weary me even
that all my joints are weak, for those who are at Jerusalem; for had not the Lord been
merciful, to show unto me concerning them, even as he had prophets of old, I should have
perished also.
19:21 And he surely did show unto the prophets of old all things concerning
them; and also he did show unto many concerning us; wherefore, it must needs be that we
know concerning them for they are written upon the plates of brass.
19:22Now it came to pass that I, Nephi, did teach my
brethren these things; And it came to pass that I did read many
things to them, which were engraven upon the plates of brass, that they might know
concerning the doings of the Lord in other lands, among people of old.
19:23And I did read many things unto them which were written in the books
of Moses; but that I might more fully persuade them to believe in the Lord their Redeemer
I did read unto them that which was written by the prophet Isaiah; for I did liken all
scriptures unto us, that it might be for our profit and learning.
19:24 Wherefore I spake unto them, saying: Hear ye the words of the prophet,
ye who are a remnant of the house of Israel, a branch who have been broken off; hear ye the
words of the prophet, which were written unto all the house of Israel, and liken them unto
yourselves, that ye may have hope as well as your brethren from whom ye have been broken
off; for after this manner has the prophet written.
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