Latter Day Saints; United States -- Description and travel
The only remaining thing worthy of note in this second Book of Nephi, is
the prediction of the ultimate conversion of the Indians, who are a part of
the lost tribes of Israel, or descendants of Nephi, to Christianity,
through the influence of Mormonism, and that soon after this event they
would change their colour, and become "a white and delightsome people." The
period occupied by the events related in this Book of Nephi, is fifty five
years.
The next book in course is the Book of Jacob, one of the younger brothers
of Nephi; which contains five chapters. This book gives an account of the
ordaining of Jacob by Nephi, to be priest over the people, and the
particulars of Nephi's death. It also relates the circumstance of Jacob's
confounding a man who rose up among them and sought to overthrow the
doctrine of Christ; and contains a specimen of Jacob's preaching. One of
the arguments by which he endeavoured to reclaim the Nephites from certain
prevailing sins, was that if they did not repent, the curse of God would
light upon them and they would become as dark coloured as the Lamanites.
Sundry efforts were made by the benevolent Nephites "to reclaim and restore
the Lamanites to the knowledge of the truth." But it was all to no purpose.
They continued to delight in wars and bloodshed, and cherished an eternal
hatred against their brethren. To ward off their incursions, the people of
Nephi had to fortify and protect their land with a strong military force.
Jacob, who had brought up his son Enos "in the nurture and admonition of
the Lord," when he saw his own decease approaching, gave him the plates and
left him successor in office over the people of Nephi.
The Book of Enos is short, as is also the two following books of Jarom and
Omni, containing little except an account of the transmission of the plates
from one generation to another till the time of king Benjamin, about 320
years after the flight of Lehi from Jerusalem. During the latter part of
this period, many wars took place between the people of Nephi and the
Lamanites; so that Mosiah, then king, was warned to emigrate into a new
region, or district of the wilderness--into a land called Zarahemla. After
reaching there they discovered that the people of Zarahemla were also Jews
who came from Jerusalem at the time that Zedekiah, king of Judah, was
carried away captive into Babylon, and that they were also brought by the
hand of the Lord across the great waters. The Lamanites at this period are
described as "a wild, ferocious, and blood-thirsty people, wandering about
in the wilderness with a short skin girded about their loins, and their
heads shaven, and their skill was in the bow and the scimitar and the axe.
And many of them did eat nothing save it was raw meat."
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
Reviews
Reviews
No reviews yet
Be the first to share your thoughts on this work.
Elsewhere in the archive
Join the Discussion
Join the discussion
Sign in to leave a comment or review.
Sign InorCreate an account