Joseph Smith

“ And it came to pass that in this same year, behold, Nephi delivered up the judgment seat, to a man whose name was Cezoram. For as their laws and their governments were established by the voice of the people, and they which chose evil were more numerous than they which chose good, therefore they were ripening for destruction, for the laws had been corrupted; yea, and this was not all; they were a stiffnecked people, insomuch that they could not be governed by the law nor justice, save it were to their destruction. ”

“ And it came to pass as he was pondering, -- being much cast down because of the wickedness of the people of the Nephites, their secret works of darkness, and their murderings, and their plunderings, and all manner of iniquities -- and it came to pass as he was thus pondering in his heart, behold, a voice came unto him, saying: Blessed art thou, Nephi, for those things which thou hast done: for I have beheld how thou hast with unwearyingness declared the word which I have given unto thee, unto this people. ”

“ THE PROPHECY OF NEPHI, THE SON OF HELAMAN. God threatens the people of Nephi, that he will visit them in his anger, to their utter destruction, except they repent of their wickedness. God smiteth the people of Nephi with pestilence; they repent and turn unto him. ”

“ Yea, we have hid up our treasures, and they have slipped away from us, because of the curse of the land. O that we had repented in the day that the word of the Lord came upon us; for behold, the land is cursed, and all things are become slippery, and we cannot hold them. Behold we are surrounded by demons, yea, we are encircled about by the angels of him who hath sought to destroy our souls. ”

“ And thus, in the seventy and fourth year, the famine did continue, and the work of destruction did cease by the sword, but became sore by famine. And this work of destruction did also continue in the seventy and fifth year. For the earth was smitten, that it was dry, and did not yield forth grain in the season of grain; and the whole earth was smitten, even among the Lamanites as well as among the Nephites, so that they were smitten that they did perish by thousands, in the more wicked parts of the land. ”

“ Yea, why will he not shew himself in this land, as well as in the land of Jerusalem? But behold, we know that this is a wicked tradition, which has been handed down unto us by our fathers, to cause us that we should believe in some great and marvellous thing which should come to pass, but not among us, but in a land which is far distant, a land which we know not; therefore they can keep is in ignorance, for we cannot witness with our own eyes that they are true. ”

“ And may God grant, in his great fulness, that men might be brought unto repentance and good works, that they might be restored unto grace, for grace according to their works. And I would that all men might be saved. ”

“ And many highways shall be broken up, and many cities shall become desolate, and many graves shall be opened, and shall yield up many of their dead; and many saints shall appear unto many. And behold thus hath the angel spoken unto me; for he said unto me, That there should be thunderings and lightnings for the space of many hours; and he said unto me that while the thunder and the lightning lasted, and the tempest, that these things should be, and that darkness should cover the face of the whole earth, for the space of three days. ”

“ And behold, if the Lord shall say unto a man, Because of thine iniquities thou shalt be accursed forever, and it shall be done. And if the Lord shall say, Because of thine iniquities, thou shalt be cut off from my presence, and he will cause that it shall be so. -- And wo unto whom he shall say this, for it shall be unto him that will do iniquity, and he cannot be saved; therefore, for this cause, that men might be saved, hath repentance been declared. Therefore, blessed are they who will repent, and hearken unto the voice of the Lord their God ”

“ O ye wicked and ye perverse generation; ye hardened and stiffnecked people, how long will ye suppose that the Lord will suffer you; yea, how long will ye suffer yourselves to be lead by foolish and blind guides; yea, how long will ye choose darkness rather than light; yea, behold the anger of the Lord is already kindled against you; behold, he hath cursed the land, because of your iniquity; and behold, the time cometh that he curseth your riches, that it becometh slippery, that ye cannot hold them ”

“ Behold my brethren, have ye not read that God gave power unto one man, even Moses, to smite upon the waters of the Red Sea, and they parted hither and thither, insomuch that the Israelites, which were our fathers, came through upon dry ground, and the waters closed upon the armies of the Egyptians, and swallowed them up? ”

“ Thus we may see that the Lord is merciful unto all who will, in the sincerity of their hearts, call upon his holy name; yea, thus we see that the gate of heaven is open unto all, even to those who will believe on the name of Jesus Christ, which is the son of God ”

“ O remember, remember, my sons, the words which king Benjamin spake unto his people; yea, remember that there is no other way nor means whereby man can be saved, only through the atoning blood of Jesus Christ, which shall come ”

“ Ye do not remember the Lord your God in the things which he hath blessed you, but ye do always remember your riches, not to thank the Lord your God for them; yea, your heart is not drawn out unto the Lord, but they do swell with great pride, unto boasting, and unto great swelling, envyings, strifes, malice, persecutions, and murders, and all manner of iniquities: For this cause hath the Lord God caused that a curse should come upon the land, and also upon your riches ”

“ But behold, the resurrection of Christ redeemeth mankind, yea, even all mankind, and bringeth them back into the presence of the Lord; yea, it bringeth to pass the condition of repentance, that whosoever repenteth, the same is not hewn down and cast into the fire; but whosoever repenteth not, is hewn down and cast into the fire, and there cometh upon them again a spiritual death, yea, a second death, for they are cut off again as to things pertaining to righteousness ”

“ And behold, he doth carry on his works of darkness and secret murder, and doth hand down their plots, and their oaths, and their covenants, and their plans of awful wickedness, from generation to generation, according as he can get hold upon the hearts of the children of men. ”

“ And thus we see, that except the Lord doth chasten his people with many afflictions, yea, except he doth visit them with death, and with terror, and with famine, and with all manner of pestilence, they will not remember him. O how foolish, and how vain, and how evil, and devlish, and how quick to do iniquity, and how slow to do good, are the children of men ”

“ Behold, they do not desire that the Lord their God, who hath created them, should rule and reign over them, notwithstanding his great goodness and his mercy towards them; they do set at nought his counsels, and they will not that he should be their guide. ”

“ And behold, there shall be great tempests, and there shall be many mountains laid low, like unto a valley, and there shall be many places, which are now called valleys, which shall become mountains, whose height thereof is great. ”

“ And there were but little alteration in the affairs of the people, save it were the people began to be more hardened in iniquity, and do more and more of that which was contrary to the commandments of God, in the eighty and ninth year of the reign of the Judges. ”

“ And they will by the cunning and the mysterious arts of the evil one, work some great mystery, which we cannot understand, which will keep us down to be servants to their words, and also servants unto them, for we depend upon them for to teach us the word ”