1 Nephi 17
1 And it came to pass that we did again take our journey in the wilderness;
and we did travel nearly eastward from that time forth. And we did travel
and wade through much affliction in the wilderness; and our women did bear
children in the wilderness.
2 And so great were the blessings of the Lord upon us, that while we did
live upon raw meat in the wilderness, our women did give plenty of suck for
their children, and were strong, yea, even like unto the men; and they began
to bear their journeyings without murmurings.
3 And thus we see that the commandments of God must be fulfilled. And if
it so be that the children of men keep the commandments of God he doth
nourish them, and strengthen them, and provide means whereby they can
accomplish the thing which he has commanded them; wherefore, he did
provide means for us while we did sojourn in the wilderness.
4 And we did sojourn for the space of many years, yea, even eight years in
the wilderness.
5 And we did come to the land which we called Bountiful, because of its
much fruit and also wild honey; and all these things were prepared of the
Lord that we might not perish. And we beheld the sea, which we called
Irreantum, which, being interpreted, is many waters.
6 And it came to pass that we did pitch our tents by the seashore; and
notwithstanding we had suffered many afflictions and much difficulty, yea,
even so much that we cannot write them all, we were exceedingly rejoiced
when we came to the seashore; and we called the place Bountiful, because of
its much fruit.
7 And it came to pass that after I, Nephi, had been in the land of Bountiful
for the space of many days, the voice of the Lord came unto me, saying:
Arise, and get thee into the mountain. And it came to pass that I arose and
went up into the mountain, and cried unto the Lord.
8 And it came to pass that the Lord spake unto me, saying: Thou shalt
construct a ship, after the manner which I shall show thee, that I may carry
thy people across these waters.
9 And I said: Lord, whither shall I go that I may find ore to molten, that I
may make tools to construct the ship after the manner which thou hast shown
unto me?
10 And it came to pass that the Lord told me whither I should go to find
ore, that I might make tools.
11 And it came to pass that I, Nephi, did make a bellows wherewith to blow
the fire, of the skins of beasts; and after I had made a bellows, that I might
have wherewith to blow the fire, I did smite two stones together that I might
make fire.
12 For the Lord had not hitherto suffered that we should make much fire, as
we journeyed in the wilderness; for he said: I will make thy food become
sweet, that ye cook it not;
13 And I will also be your light in the wilderness; and I will prepare the way
before you, if it so be that ye shall keep my commandments; wherefore,
inasmuch as ye shall keep my commandments ye shall be led towards the
promised land; and ye shall know that it is by me that ye are led.
14 Yea, and the Lord said also that: After ye have arrived in the promised
land, ye shall know that I, the Lord, am God; and that I, the Lord, did deliver
you from destruction; yea, that I did bring you out of the land of Jerusalem.
15 Wherefore, I, Nephi, did strive to keep the commandments of the Lord,
and I did exhort my brethren to faithfulness and diligence.
16 And it came to pass that I did make tools of the ore which I did molten
out of the rock.
17 And when my brethren saw that I was about to build a ship, they began
to murmur against me, saying: Our brother is a fool, for he thinketh that he
can build a ship; yea, and he also thinketh that he can cross these great
waters.
18 And thus my brethren did complain against me, and were desirous that
they might not labor, for they did not believe that I could build a ship; neither
would they believe that I was instructed of the Lord.
19 And now it came to pass that I, Nephi, was exceedingly sorrowful
because of the hardness of their hearts; and now when they saw that I began
to be sorrowful they were glad in their hearts, insomuch that they did rejoice
over me, saying: We knew that ye could not construct a ship, for we knew
that ye were lacking in judgment; wherefore, thou canst not accomplish so
great a work.
20 And thou art like unto our father, led away by the foolish imaginations of
his heart; yea, he hath led us out of the land of Jerusalem, and we have
wandered in the wilderness for these many years; and our women have toiled,
being big with child; and they have borne children in the wilderness and
suffered all things, save it were death; and it would have been better that they
had died before they came out of Jerusalem than to have suffered these
afflictions.
21 Behold, these many years we have suffered in the wilderness, which time
we might have enjoyed our possessions and the land of our inheritance; yea,
and we might have been happy.
22 And we know that the people who were in the land of Jerusalem were a
righteous people; for they kept the statutes and judgments of the Lord, and
all his commandments, according to the law of Moses; wherefore, we know
that they are a righteous people; and our father hath judged them, and hath
led us away because we would hearken unto his words; yea, and our brother
is like unto him. And after this manner of language did my brethren murmur
and complain against us.
23 And it came to pass that I, Nephi, spake unto them, saying: Do ye believe
that our fathers, who were the children of Israel, would have been led away
out of the hands of the Egyptians if they had not hearkened unto the words
of the Lord?
24 Yea, do ye suppose that they would have been led out of bondage, if the
Lord had not commanded Moses that he should lead them out of bondage?
25 Now ye know that the children of Israel were in bondage; and ye know
that they were laden with tasks, which were grievous to be borne; wherefore,
ye know that it must needs be a good thing for them, that they should be
brought out of bondage.
26 Now ye know that Moses was commanded of the Lord to do that great
work; and ye know that by his word the waters of the Red Sea were divided
hither and thither, and they passed through on dry ground.
27 But ye know that the Egyptians were drowned in the Red Sea, who were
the armies of Pharaoh.
28 And ye also know that they were fed with manna in the wilderness.
29 Yea, and ye also know that Moses, by his word according to the power
of God which was in him, smote the rock, and there came forth water, that
the children of Israel might quench their thirst.
30 And notwithstanding they being led, the Lord their God, their Redeemer,
going before them, leading them by day and giving light unto them by night,
and doing all things for them which were expedient for man to receive, they
hardened their hearts and blinded their minds, and reviled against Moses and
against the true and living God.
31 And it came to pass that according to his word he did destroy them; and
according to his word he did lead them; and according to his word he did do
all things for them; and there was not any thing done save it were by his
word.
32 And after they had crossed the river Jordan he did make them mighty
unto the driving out of the children of the land, yea, unto the scattering them
to destruction.
33 And now, do ye suppose that the children of this land, who were in the
land of promise, who were driven out by our fathers, do ye suppose that they
were righteous? Behold, I say unto you, Nay.
34 Do ye suppose that our fathers would have been more choice than they if
they had been righteous? I say unto you, Nay.
35 Behold, the Lord esteemeth all flesh in one; he that is righteous is favored
of God. But behold, this people had rejected every word of God, and they
were ripe in iniquity; and the fulness of the wrath of God was upon them; and
the Lord did curse the land against them, and bless it unto our fathers; yea,
he did curse it against them unto their destruction, and he did bless it unto
our fathers unto their obtaining power over it.
36 Behold, the Lord hath created the earth that it should be inhabited; and
he hath created his children that they should possess it.
37 And he raiseth up a righteous nation, and destroyeth the nations of the
wicked.
38 And he leadeth away the righteous into precious lands, and the wicked he
destroyeth, and curseth the land unto them for their sakes.
39 He ruleth high in the heavens, for it is his throne, and this earth is his
footstool.
40 And he loveth those who will have him to be their God. $ Behold, he
loved our fathers, and he covenanted with them, yea, even Abraham, Isaac,
and Jacob; and he remembered the covenants which he had made; wherefore,
he did bring them out of the land of Egypt.
41 And he did straiten them in the wilderness with his rod; for they hardened
their hearts, even as ye have; and the Lord straitened them because of their
iniquity. He sent fiery flying serpents among them; and after they were bitten
he prepared a way that they might be healed; and the labor which they had to
perform was to look; and because of the simpleness of the way, or the
easiness of it, there were many who perished.
42 And they did harden their hearts from time to time, and they did revile
against Moses, and also against God; nevertheless, ye know that they were
led forth by his matchless power into the land of promise.
43 And now, after all these things, the time has come that they have become
wicked, yea, nearly unto ripeness; and I know not but they are at this day
about to be destroyed; for I know that the day must surely come that they
must be destroyed, save a few only, who shall be led away into captivity.
44 Wherefore, the Lord commanded my father that he should depart into the
wilderness; and the Jews also sought to take away his life; yea, and ye also
have sought to take away his life; wherefore, ye are murderers in your hearts
and ye are like unto them.
45 Ye are swift to do iniquity but slow to remember the Lord your God. Ye
have seen an angel, and he spake unto you; yea, ye have heard his voice from
time to time; and he hath spoken unto you in a still small voice, but ye were
past feeling, that ye could not feel his words; wherefore, he has spoken unto
you like unto the voice of thunder, which did cause the earth to shake as if it
were to divide asunder.
46 And ye also know that by the power of his almighty word he can cause
the earth that it shall pass away; yea, and ye know that by his word he can
cause the rough places to be made smooth, and smooth places shall be
broken up. O, then, why is it, that ye can be so hard in your hearts?
47 Behold, my soul is rent with anguish because of you, and my heart is
pained; I fear lest ye shall be cast off forever. $ Behold, I am full of the Spirit
of God, insomuch that my frame has no strength.
48 And now it came to pass that when I had spoken these words, they were
angry with me, and were desirous to throw me into the depths of the sea; and
as they came forth to lay their hands upon me I spake unto them, saying: In
the name of the Almighty God, I command you that ye touch me not, for I
am filled with the power of God, even unto the consuming of my flesh; and
whoso shall lay his hands upon me shall wither even as a dried reed; and he
shall be as naught before the power of God, for God shall smite him.
49 And it came to pass that I, Nephi, said unto them that they should
murmur no more against their father; neither should they withhold their labor
from me, for God had commanded me that I should build a ship.
50 And I said unto them: If God had commanded me to do all things I could
do them. If he should command me that I should say unto this water, be
thou earth, it should be earth; and if I should say it, it would be done.
51 And now, if the Lord has such great power, and has wrought so many
miracles among the children of men, how is it that he cannot instruct me, that
I should build a ship?
52 And it came to pass that I, Nephi, said many things unto my brethren,
insomuch that they were confounded and could not contend against me;
neither durst they lay their hands upon me nor touch me with their fingers,
even for the space of many days.
Now they durst not do this lest they should wither before me, so powerful
was the Spirit of God; and thus it had wrought upon them.
53 And it came to pass that the Lord said unto me: Stretch forth thine hand
again unto thy brethren, and they shall not wither before thee, but I will
shock them, saith the Lord, and this will I do, that they may know that I am
the Lord their God.
54 And it came to pass that I stretched forth my hand unto my brethren, and
they did not wither before me; but the Lord did shake them, even according
to the word which he had spoken.
55 And now, they said: We know of a surety that the Lord is with thee, for
we know that it is the power of the Lord that has shaken us. And they fell
down before me, and were about to worship me, but I would not suffer them,
saying: I am thy brother, yea, even thy younger brother; wherefore, worship
the Lord thy God, and honor thy father and thy mother, that thy days may be
long in the land which the Lord thy God shall give thee.