1 Verily I say unto you my friends, fear not, let your hearts be comforted; yea, rejoice evermore, and in everything give thanks;
98:1-141 Verily I say unto you my friends, fear not, let your hearts be comforted; yea, rejoice evermore, and in everything give thanks;
2 Waiting patiently on the Lord, for your prayers have entered into the ears of the Lord of Sabaoth, and are recorded with this seal and testament—the Lord hath sworn and decreed that they shall be granted.
3 Therefore, he giveth this promise unto you, with an immutable covenant that they shall be fulfilled; and all things wherewith you have been afflicted shall work together for your good, and to my name’s glory, saith the Lord.
4 And now, verily I say unto you concerning the laws of the land, it is my will that my people should observe to do all things whatsoever I command them.
5And that law of the land which is constitutional, supporting that principle of freedom in maintaining rights and privileges, belongs to all mankind, and is justifiable before me.
The law of the land is the constitutional. [1]
6 Therefore, , the Lord, justify you, and your brethren of my church, in befriending that law which is the constitutional law of the land;
So befriend the constitutional law of the land.
7 And as pertaining to law of man, whatsoever is more or less than this, cometh of evil.
Whatever is more or less than this is evil.
8 I, the Lord God, make you free, therefore ye are free indeed; and the law also maketh you free.
9 Nevertheless, when the wicked rule the people mourn.
10 Wherefore, honest men and wise men should be sought for diligently, and good men and wise men ye should observe to uphold; otherwise whatsoever is less than these cometh of evil.
11 And I give unto you a commandment, that ye shall forsake all evil and cleave unto all good, that ye shall live by every word which proceedeth forth out of the mouth of God.
12 For he will give unto the faithful line upon line, precept upon precept; and I will try you and prove you herewith.
13 And whoso layeth down his life in my cause, for my name’s sake, shall find it again, even life eternal.
14 Therefore, be not afraid of your enemies, for I have decreed in my heart, saith the Lord, that I will prove you in all things, whether you will abide in my covenant, even unto death, that you may be found worthy.
98:15-1815 For if ye will not abide in my covenant ye are not worthy of me.
16 Therefore, renounce war and proclaim peace, and seek diligently to turn the hearts of the children to their fathers, and the hearts of the fathers to the children;
17 And again, the hearts of the Jews unto the prophets, and the prophets unto the Jews; lest I come and smite the whole earth with a curse, and all flesh be consumed before me.
Renounce war and proclaim peace.
Or I will smite the whole earth with a curse and everything livng thing will die.
18 Let not your hearts be troubled; for in my Father’s house are many mansions, and I have prepared a place for you; and where my Father and I am, there ye shall be also.
98:19-2219 Behold, I, the Lord, am not well pleased with many who are in the church at Kirtland;
20 For they do not forsake their sins, and their wicked ways, the pride of their hearts, and their covetousness, and all their detestable things, and observe the words of wisdom and eternal life which I have given unto them.
I'm not well pleased with many members of the Kirtland church.
They do detestable things.
21 Verily I say unto you, that I, the Lord, will chasten them and will do whatsoever I list, if they do not repent and observe all things whatsoever I have said unto them.
I will chasten them and do whatever I list, if they don't obey me.
22 And again I say unto you, if ye observe to do whatsoever I command you, I, the Lord, will turn away all wrath and indignation from you, and the gates of hell shall not prevail against you.
98:23-2823 Now, I speak unto you concerning your families—if men will smite you, or your families, once, and ye bear it patiently and revile not against them, neither seek revenge, ye shall be rewarded;
If you are attacked once, bear it patiently and don't seek revenge.
24 But if ye bear it not patiently, it shall be accounted unto you as being meted out as a just measure unto you.
25 And again, if your enemy shall smite you the second time, and you revile not against your enemy, and bear it patiently, your reward shall be an hundred-fold.
If you're attacked again, don't revile your enemy.
26 And again, if he shall smite you the third time, and ye bear it patiently, your reward shall be doubled unto you four-fold;
If you're attacked a third time, bear it patiently.
27 And these three testimonies shall stand against your enemy if he repent not, and shall not be blotted out.
98:29-3228 And now, verily I say unto you, if that enemy shall escape my vengeance, that he be not brought into judgment before me, then ye shall see to it that ye warn him in my name, that he come no more upon you, neither upon your family, even your children’s children unto the third and fourth generation.
If that enemy escapes my vengeance, warn them in my name.
29 And then, if he shall come upon you or your children, or your children’s children unto the third and fourth generation, I have delivered thine enemy into thine hands;
If your enemy attacks you again (for the fourth time in your life or your 3rd or 4th generation descendants), I'll deliver them into your hands.
30 And then if thou wilt spare him, thou shalt be rewarded for thy righteousness; and also thy children and thy children’s children unto the third and fourth generation.
I'll reward you (and your descendants to the third or fourth generation) if you don't kill them all.
31 Nevertheless, thine enemy is in thine hands; and if thou rewardest him according to his works thou art justified; if he has sought thy life, and thy life is endangered by him, thine enemy is in thine hands and thou art justified.
But if your enemy is in your hands, go ahead and kill them.
32 Behold, this is the law I gave unto my servant Nephi, and thy fathers, Joseph, and Jacob, and Isaac, and Abraham, and all mine ancient prophets and apostles.
That's what Nephi, Joseph, Jacob, Isaac, and Abraham did - as did all of my ancient prophets and apostles.
98:29-3233 And again, this is the law that I gave unto mine ancients, that they should not go out unto battle against any nation, kindred, tongue, or people, save I, the Lord, commanded them.
But don't go to war unless I command you.
34 And if any nation, tongue, or people should proclaim war against them, they should first lift a standard of peace unto that people, nation, or tongue;
If someone proclaims war against you, first wage a peace flag.
35 And if that people did not accept the offering of peace, neither the second nor the third time, they should bring these testimonies before the Lord;
If they don't accept your flag the first, second, or third time, come talk to me about it.
36 Then I, the Lord, would give unto them a commandment, and justify them in going out to battle against that nation, tongue, or people.
I'll give you a commandment to go to war with them.
37 And I, the Lord, would fight their battles, and their children’s battles, and their children’s children’s, until they had avenged themselves on all their enemies, to the third and fourth generation.
I'll fight your battles, and your children's battles, and your children's children's battles, until you are avenged of your enemies (for three or four generations).
38 Behold, this is an ensample unto all people, saith the Lord your God, for justification before me.
39 And again, verily I say unto you, if after thine enemy has come upon thee the first time, he repent and come unto thee praying thy forgiveness, thou shalt forgive him, and shalt hold it no more as a testimony against thine enemy—
But like I was saying, if your enemy attacks you the first time, and they repent, forgive them.
40 And so on unto the second and third time; and as oft as thine enemy repenteth of the trespass wherewith he has trespassed against thee, thou shalt forgive him, until seventy times seven.
And so on to through the second and third time, even 490 times.
41 And if he trespass against thee and repent not the first time, nevertheless thou shalt forgive him.
So forgive them the first time, even it they don't repent.
42 And if he trespass against thee the second time, and repent not, nevertheless thou shalt forgive him.
And the second time.
43 And if he trespass against thee the third time, and repent not, thou shalt also forgive him.
And the third time.
44 But if he trespass against thee the fourth time thou shalt not forgive him, but shalt bring these testimonies before the Lord; and they shall not be blotted out until he repent and reward thee four-fold in all things wherewith he has trespassed against thee.
But if they do it a fourth time, don't forgive them.
Come tell me about it.
They won't be forgiven until they reward you with four times whatever they took from you.
45 And if he do this, thou shalt forgive him with all thine heart; and if he do not this, I, the Lord, will avenge thee of thine enemy an hundred-fold;
If they pay you back four times, forgive them.
If they don't, I'll make them pay 100 times as much.
46 And upon his children, and upon his children’s children of all them that hate me, unto the third and fourth generation.
And their descendants to the third and fourth generation.
47 But if the children shall repent, or the children’s children, and turn to the Lord their God, with all their hearts and with all their might, mind, and strength, and restore four-fold for all their trespasses wherewith they have trespassed, or wherewith their fathers have trespassed, or their fathers’ fathers, then thine indignation shall be turned away;
But if their children or grand children repent, and give you back four times what they took, don't be angry with them anymore.
48 And vengeance shall no more come upon them, saith the Lord thy God, and their trespasses shall never be brought any more as a testimony before the Lord against them. Amen.
Vengeance won't come on them anymore. Amen.
It's not clear (to me, at least) that this is an endorsement of the US constitution, but but I guess it's part of why the LDS church believes it was divinely inspired.
