2 Nephi
25 verses
Now I speak to you, Joseph, my youngest son. You were born in the wilderness during my hardships; during the time of my greatest sorrow, your mother gave birth to you.
And now I speak unto you, Joseph, my last-born. Thou wast born in the wilderness of mine afflictions; yea, in the days of my greatest sorrow did thy mother bear thee.
May the Lord also dedicate this land to you, which is a very precious land, for your inheritance and the inheritance of your descendants with your brothers, for your security forever, if you keep the commandments of the Holy One of Israel.
And may the Lord consecrate also unto thee this land, which is a most precious land, for thine inheritance and the inheritance of thy seed with thy brethren, for thy security forever, if it so be that ye shall keep the commandments of the Holy One of Israel.
Joseph, my youngest son, whom I brought out of the wilderness of my hardships, may the Lord bless you forever, for your descendants will not be completely destroyed.
And now, Joseph, my last-born, whom I have brought out of the wilderness of mine afflictions, may the Lord bless thee forever, for thy seed shall not utterly be destroyed.
You are the fruit of my lineage, and I am a descendant of Joseph, who was taken captive into Egypt. The Lord made great covenants with Joseph.
For behold, thou art the fruit of my loins; and I am a descendant of Joseph who was carried captive into Egypt. And great were the covenants of the Lord which he made unto Joseph.
Joseph truly saw our day. He received a promise from the Lord that from his descendants, the Lord God would raise up a righteous branch for the house of Israel—not the Messiah, but a branch that would be separated, yet still remembered in the Lord’s covenants so that the Messiah would be revealed to them in the last days, with power, to bring them out of darkness into light, out of hidden darkness and captivity into freedom.
Wherefore, Joseph truly saw our day. And he obtained a promise of the Lord, that out of the fruit of his loins the Lord God would raise up a righteous branch unto the house of Israel; not the Messiah, but a branch which was to be broken off, nevertheless, to be remembered in the covenants of the Lord that the Messiah should be made manifest unto them in the latter days, in the spirit of power, unto the bringing of them out of darkness unto light—yea, out of hidden darkness and out of captivity unto freedom.
Joseph truly testified, saying: The Lord my God will raise up a seer, who will be a choice seer for the descendants of my family.
For Joseph truly testified, saying: A seer shall the Lord my God raise up, who shall be a choice seer unto the fruit of my loins.
Joseph truly said: The Lord said to me, "I will raise up a choice seer from your descendants, and he will be highly esteemed among them. I will give him a commandment to do a work for your descendants, his brothers, which will be of great value to them, bringing them to the knowledge of the covenants I have made with your fathers.
Yea, Joseph truly said: Thus saith the Lord unto me: A choice seer will I raise up out of the fruit of thy loins; and he shall be esteemed highly among the fruit of thy loins. And unto him will I give commandment that he shall do a work for the fruit of thy loins, his brethren, which shall be of great worth unto them, even to the bringing of them to the knowledge of the covenants which I have made with thy fathers.
I will give him a commandment that he will do no other work except the work I command him to do. I will make him great in my eyes, because he will do my work.
And I will give unto him a commandment that he shall do none other work, save the work which I shall command him. And I will make him great in mine eyes; for he shall do my work.
He will be great like Moses, whom I said I would raise up to deliver my people, O house of Israel.
And he shall be great like unto Moses, whom I have said I would raise up unto you, to deliver my people, O house of Israel.
I will raise up Moses to deliver your people out of the land of Egypt.
And Moses will I raise up, to deliver thy people out of the land of Egypt.
I will raise up a seer from your descendants, and I will give him power to bring my word to your descendants—not only to bring forth my word, says the Lord, but also to convince them of my word, which will have already gone out among them.
But a seer will I raise up out of the fruit of thy loins; and unto him will I give power to bring forth my word unto the seed of thy loins—and not to the bringing forth my word only, saith the Lord, but to the convincing them of my word, which shall have already gone forth among them.
The descendants of your family will write, and the descendants of Judah will write. What is written by your descendants and what is written by the descendants of Judah will come together to confound false doctrines, end arguments, establish peace among your descendants, and bring them to the knowledge of their ancestors in the last days, as well as to the knowledge of my covenants, says the Lord.
Wherefore, the fruit of thy loins shall write; and the fruit of the loins of Judah shall write; and that which shall be written by the fruit of thy loins, and also that which shall be written by the fruit of the loins of Judah, shall grow together, unto the confounding of false doctrines and laying down of contentions, and establishing peace among the fruit of thy loins, and bringing them to the knowledge of their fathers in the latter days, and also to the knowledge of my covenants, saith the Lord.
He will be made strong out of weakness in the day when my work begins among all my people, to restore you, O house of Israel, says the Lord.
And out of weakness he shall be made strong, in that day when my work shall commence among all my people, unto the restoring thee, O house of Israel, saith the Lord.
Joseph prophesied, saying: The Lord will bless that seer, and those who try to destroy him will be confused; because this promise, which I have received from the Lord about my descendants, will be fulfilled. I am certain this promise will come to pass.
And thus prophesied Joseph, saying: Behold, that seer will the Lord bless; and they that seek to destroy him shall be confounded; for this promise, which I have obtained of the Lord, of the fruit of my loins, shall be fulfilled. Behold, I am sure of the fulfilling of this promise;
His name will be called after mine, and it will also be after his father’s name. He will be like me, because the work that the Lord will accomplish through him, by the power of the Lord, will bring my people to salvation.
And his name shall be called after me; and it shall be after the name of his father. And he shall be like unto me; for the thing, which the Lord shall bring forth by his hand, by the power of the Lord shall bring my people unto salvation.
Joseph prophesied: I am as certain of this as I am of the promise given to Moses, because the Lord has told me, "I will preserve your descendants forever.
Yea, thus prophesied Joseph: I am sure of this thing, even as I am sure of the promise of Moses; for the Lord hath said unto me, I will preserve thy seed forever.
And the Lord has said: I will raise up a Moses, and I will give him power with a rod, and I will give him judgment in writing. But I will not loosen his tongue so that he will speak much, because I will not make him powerful in speaking. Instead, I will write my law to him with my own hand, and I will provide a spokesman for him.
And the Lord hath said: I will raise up a Moses; and I will give power unto him in a rod; and I will give judgment unto him in writing. Yet I will not loose his tongue, that he shall speak much, for I will not make him mighty in speaking. But I will write unto him my law, by the finger of mine own hand; and I will make a spokesman for him.
And the Lord also said to me: I will raise up someone from your descendants, and I will make a spokesman for him. I will give him the ability to write the record of your descendants for your descendants, and the spokesman from your descendants will declare it.
And the Lord said unto me also: I will raise up unto the fruit of thy loins; and I will make for him a spokesman. And I, behold, I will give unto him that he shall write the writing of the fruit of thy loins, unto the fruit of thy loins; and the spokesman of thy loins shall declare it.
The words he writes will be the ones that, in my wisdom, should be given to your descendants. It will be as if your descendants are calling to them from the dust, because I know their faith.
And the words which he shall write shall be the words which are expedient in my wisdom should go forth unto the fruit of thy loins. And it shall be as if the fruit of thy loins had cried unto them from the dust; for I know their faith.
They will cry from the dust, calling their brothers to repentance, even after many generations have passed. Their message will go out, expressed in simple words.
And they shall cry from the dust; yea, even repentance unto their brethren, even after many generations have gone by them. And it shall come to pass that their cry shall go, even according to the simpleness of their words.
Because of their faith, their words will come from me to their brothers, who are your descendants; and I will make the weakness of their words strong in their faith, so they will remember the covenant I made with your fathers.
Because of their faith their words shall proceed forth out of my mouth unto their brethren who are the fruit of thy loins; and the weakness of their words will I make strong in their faith, unto the remembering of my covenant which I made unto thy fathers.
And now, my son Joseph, this is how my father long ago prophesied.
And now, behold, my son Joseph, after this manner did my father of old prophesy.
Because of this covenant, you are blessed; your descendants will not be destroyed, for they will listen to the words of the book.
Wherefore, because of this covenant thou art blessed; for thy seed shall not be destroyed, for they shall hearken unto the words of the book.
One mighty person will rise among them, who will do much good through both words and actions, serving as an instrument in God's hands with great faith to perform mighty miracles and accomplish what is great in God's eyes, bringing about much restoration for the house of Israel and for your brothers’ descendants.
And there shall rise up one mighty among them, who shall do much good, both in word and in deed, being an instrument in the hands of God, with exceeding faith, to work mighty wonders, and do that thing which is great in the sight of God, unto the bringing to pass much restoration unto the house of Israel, and unto the seed of thy brethren.
Now, you are blessed, Joseph. You are young, so listen to the words of your brother Nephi, and what I have said will happen to you. Remember the words of your dying father. Amen.
And now, blessed art thou, Joseph. Behold, thou art little; wherefore hearken unto the words of thy brother, Nephi, and it shall be done unto thee even according to the words which I have spoken. Remember the words of thy dying father. Amen.