2 Nephi
30 verses
Jacob, I’m speaking to you. You are my firstborn during my trials in the wilderness. In your childhood, you have suffered afflictions and much sorrow because of the harshness of your brothers.
And now, Jacob, I speak unto you: Thou art my first-born in the days of my tribulation in the wilderness. And behold, in thy childhood thou hast suffered afflictions and much sorrow, because of the rudeness of thy brethren.
Jacob, my firstborn in the wilderness, you know the greatness of God, and he will turn your afflictions to your benefit.
Nevertheless, Jacob, my first-born in the wilderness, thou knowest the greatness of God; and he shall consecrate thine afflictions for thy gain.
Your soul will be blessed, and you will live safely with your brother Nephi. Your days will be spent serving your God. I know that you are redeemed because of the righteousness of your Redeemer, for you have seen that in the fullness of time he will come to bring salvation to people.
Wherefore, thy soul shall be blessed, and thou shalt dwell safely with thy brother, Nephi; and thy days shall be spent in the service of thy God. Wherefore, I know that thou art redeemed, because of the righteousness of thy Redeemer; for thou hast beheld that in the fulness of time he cometh to bring salvation unto men.
You have seen his glory in your youth; you are blessed just like those to whom he will minister in person, because the Spirit is the same yesterday, today, and forever. The way has been prepared since the fall of man, and salvation is free.
And thou hast beheld in thy youth his glory; wherefore, thou art blessed even as they unto whom he shall minister in the flesh; for the Spirit is the same, yesterday, today, and forever. And the way is prepared from the fall of man, and salvation is free.
People are taught enough to know good from evil. The law is given to them, but no one is justified by the law; instead, people are condemned by it. By the temporal law, they are cut off, and by the spiritual law, they lose what is good and become miserable forever.
And men are instructed sufficiently that they know good from evil. And the law is given unto men. And by the law no flesh is justified; or, by the law men are cut off. Yea, by the temporal law they were cut off; and also, by the spiritual law they perish from that which is good, and become miserable forever.
Redemption comes through the Holy Messiah, because he is full of grace and truth.
Wherefore, redemption cometh in and through the Holy Messiah; for he is full of grace and truth.
He offers himself as a sacrifice for sin to fulfill the law for all who have a broken heart and a contrite spirit; and for no one else can the ends of the law be fulfilled.
Behold, he offereth himself a sacrifice for sin, to answer the ends of the law, unto all those who have a broken heart and a contrite spirit; and unto none else can the ends of the law be answered.
It is so important to make these things known to the people of the earth, so they understand that no one can live in God’s presence except through the merits, mercy, and grace of the Holy Messiah, who gives up his life in the flesh and takes it up again by the power of the Spirit, so he can bring about the resurrection of the dead, being the first to rise.
Wherefore, how great the importance to make these things known unto the inhabitants of the earth, that they may know that there is no flesh that can dwell in the presence of God, save it be through the merits, and mercy, and grace of the Holy Messiah, who layeth down his life according to the flesh, and taketh it again by the power of the Spirit, that he may bring to pass the resurrection of the dead, being the first that should rise.
He is the first-fruits to God, because he will intercede for all the children of men; and those who believe in him will be saved.
Wherefore, he is the first-fruits unto God, inasmuch as he shall make intercession for all the children of men; and they that believe in him shall be saved.
Because of the intercession made for everyone, all people come to God and stand in his presence to be judged by him according to the truth and holiness that are in him. The purposes of the law given by the Holy One lead to the punishment that is set, and that punishment is in opposition to the happiness that is also set, to fulfill the purposes of the atonement.
And because of the intercession for all, all men come unto God; wherefore, they stand in the presence of him to be judged of him according to the truth and holiness which is in him. Wherefore, the ends of the law which the Holy One hath given, unto the inflicting of the punishment which is affixed, which punishment that is affixed is in opposition to that of the happiness which is affixed, to answer the ends of the atonement—
There has to be opposition in all things. If not, my firstborn in the wilderness, righteousness couldn’t happen, nor wickedness, nor holiness or misery, nor good or bad. So, everything would have to be combined into one; and if it were all one thing, it would remain dead, having no life or death, no corruption or incorruption, no happiness or misery, no feeling or lack of feeling.
For it must needs be, that there is an opposition in all things. If not so, my first-born in the wilderness, righteousness could not be brought to pass, neither wickedness, neither holiness nor misery, neither good nor bad. Wherefore, all things must needs be a compound in one; wherefore, if it should be one body it must needs remain as dead, having no life neither death, nor corruption nor incorruption, happiness nor misery, neither sense nor insensibility.
So, it would have been created for nothing; there would have been no purpose in its creation. This would destroy the wisdom of God, his eternal purposes, and also his power, mercy, and justice.
Wherefore, it must needs have been created for a thing of naught; wherefore there would have been no purpose in the end of its creation. Wherefore, this thing must needs destroy the wisdom of God and his eternal purposes, and also the power, and the mercy, and the justice of God.
If you say there is no law, you must also say there is no sin. If you say there is no sin, you must also say there is no righteousness. If there is no righteousness, there is no happiness. If there is no righteousness or happiness, there is no punishment or misery. If these things don’t exist, there is no God. If there is no God, we do not exist, nor does the earth, because there could have been no creation—nothing to act or to be acted upon. So, everything would have disappeared.
And if ye shall say there is no law, ye shall also say there is no sin. If ye shall say there is no sin, ye shall also say there is no righteousness. And if there be no righteousness there be no happiness. And if there be no righteousness nor happiness there be no punishment nor misery. And if these things are not there is no God. And if there is no God we are not, neither the earth; for there could have been no creation of things, neither to act nor to be acted upon; wherefore, all things must have vanished away.
Now, my sons, I am telling you these things for your benefit and learning; because there is a God, and he has created everything—the heavens and the earth, and everything in them, both things that act and things that are acted upon.
And now, my sons, I speak unto you these things for your profit and learning; for there is a God, and he hath created all things, both the heavens and the earth, and all things that in them are, both things to act and things to be acted upon.
To accomplish his eternal purposes for humanity, after he created our first parents, the animals of the field, the birds of the air, and everything else that was created, there had to be opposition—such as the forbidden fruit in opposition to the tree of life, one being sweet and the other bitter.
And to bring about his eternal purposes in the end of man, after he had created our first parents, and the beasts of the field and the fowls of the air, and in fine, all things which are created, it must needs be that there was an opposition; even the forbidden fruit in opposition to the tree of life; the one being sweet and the other bitter.
So the Lord God gave people the ability to act for themselves. People couldn’t act for themselves unless they were influenced by one side or the other.
Wherefore, the Lord God gave unto man that he should act for himself. Wherefore, man could not act for himself save it should be that he was enticed by the one or the other.
I, Lehi, based on what I have read, believe that an angel of God, as it is written, fell from heaven and became a devil because he sought what was evil before God.
And I, Lehi, according to the things which I have read, must needs suppose that an angel of God, according to that which is written, had fallen from heaven; wherefore, he became a devil, having sought that which was evil before God.
Because he had fallen from heaven and had become miserable forever, he also wanted all people to be miserable. So he spoke to Eve—the same serpent, who is the devil and the father of all lies—and said, "Eat the forbidden fruit, and you will not die, but you will be like God, knowing good and evil.
And because he had fallen from heaven, and had become miserable forever, he sought also the misery of all mankind. Wherefore, he said unto Eve, yea, even that old serpent, who is the devil, who is the father of all lies, wherefore he said: Partake of the forbidden fruit, and ye shall not die, but ye shall be as God, knowing good and evil.
After Adam and Eve ate the forbidden fruit, they were sent out of the Garden of Eden to work the land.
And after Adam and Eve had partaken of the forbidden fruit they were driven out of the garden of Eden, to till the earth.
They have had children—the family of the entire earth.
And they have brought forth children; yea, even the family of all the earth.
The days of the children of men were extended according to God's will so they could repent while in the flesh. Their condition became a time of probation, and their lives were lengthened according to the commandments the Lord God gave to them. He commanded that everyone must repent, because He showed everyone that they were lost due to the transgression of their parents.
And the days of the children of men were prolonged, according to the will of God, that they might repent while in the flesh; wherefore, their state became a state of probation, and their time was lengthened, according to the commandments which the Lord God gave unto the children of men. For he gave commandment that all men must repent; for he showed unto all men that they were lost, because of the transgression of their parents.
If Adam had not sinned, he would not have fallen and would have stayed in the garden of Eden. Everything that was created would have stayed in the same state as when it was first made; they would have remained like that forever, without end.
And now, behold, if Adam had not transgressed he would not have fallen, but he would have remained in the garden of Eden. And all things which were created must have remained in the same state in which they were after they were created; and they must have remained forever, and had no end.
And they would have had no children; they would have remained in a state of innocence, having no joy because they knew no misery, doing no good because they knew no sin.
And they would have had no children; wherefore they would have remained in a state of innocence, having no joy, for they knew no misery; doing no good, for they knew no sin.
All things have been done in the wisdom of the one who knows everything.
But behold, all things have been done in the wisdom of him who knoweth all things.
Adam fell so that people could exist, and people exist so they can have joy.
Adam fell that men might be; and men are, that they might have joy.
The Messiah comes in the fullness of time to redeem the children of men from the fall. Because they are redeemed from the fall, they have become free forever, knowing good from evil, to act for themselves and not to be acted upon, except by the punishment of the law at the great and last day, according to the commandments God has given.
And the Messiah cometh in the fulness of time, that he may redeem the children of men from the fall. And because that they are redeemed from the fall they have become free forever, knowing good from evil; to act for themselves and not to be acted upon, save it be by the punishment of the law at the great and last day, according to the commandments which God hath given.
People are free in their physical lives, and everything necessary for them has been given to them. They are free to choose liberty and eternal life through the great Mediator of all people, or to choose captivity and death according to the captivity and power of the devil, because he seeks to make everyone as miserable as he is.
Wherefore, men are free according to the flesh; and all things are given them which are expedient unto man. And they are free to choose liberty and eternal life, through the great Mediator of all men, or to choose captivity and death, according to the captivity and power of the devil; for he seeketh that all men might be miserable like unto himself.
Now, my sons, I want you to look to the great Mediator, listen to his great commandments, be faithful to his words, and choose eternal life according to the will of his Holy Spirit.
And now, my sons, I would that ye should look to the great Mediator, and hearken unto his great commandments; and be faithful unto his words, and choose eternal life, according to the will of his Holy Spirit;
And do not choose eternal death, following the desires of the flesh and the evil within it, which gives the spirit of the devil power to capture you, to bring you down to hell, so that he can rule over you in his own kingdom.
And not choose eternal death, according to the will of the flesh and the evil which is therein, which giveth the spirit of the devil power to captivate, to bring you down to hell, that he may reign over you in his own kingdom.
I have spoken these few words to all of you, my sons, in the last days of my life; and I have chosen the better part, as the prophet said. My only purpose is your everlasting well-being. Amen.
I have spoken these few words unto you all, my sons, in the last days of my probation; and I have chosen the good part, according to the words of the prophet. And I have none other object save it be the everlasting welfare of your souls. Amen.