Helaman
39 verses
In the eighty-sixth year, the Nephites still remained in wickedness, in great wickedness, while the Lamanites strictly kept the commandments of God according to the law of Moses.
And now it came to pass in the eighty and sixth year, the Nephites did still remain in wickedness, yea in great wickedness, while the Lamanites did observe strictly to keep the commandments of God, according to the law of Moses.
In that year, a man named Samuel, a Lamanite, came into the land of Zarahemla and began to preach to the people. He preached repentance to them for many days, but they cast him out, and he was about to return to his own land.
And it came to pass that in this year there was one Samuel, a Lamanite, came into the land of Zarahemla, and began to preach unto the people. And it came to pass that he did preach, many days, repentance unto the people, and they did cast him out, and he was about to return to his own land.
The voice of the Lord came to him, telling him to return and prophesy to the people whatever things would come into his heart.
But behold, the voice of the Lord came unto him, that he should return again, and prophesy unto the people whatsoever things should come into his heart.
They wouldn’t allow him to enter the city, so he went and climbed up on the wall, stretched out his hand, and called out loudly, prophesying to the people whatever the Lord put into his heart.
And it came to pass that they would not suffer that he should enter into the city; therefore he went and got upon the wall thereof, and stretched forth his hand and cried with a loud voice, and prophesied unto the people whatsoever things the Lord put into his heart.
He said to them: I, Samuel, a Lamanite, am speaking the words of the Lord, which He puts into my heart; and He has told me to say to this people that the sword of justice is hanging over them, and in less than four hundred years, the sword of justice will fall on this people.
And he said unto them: Behold, I, Samuel, a Lamanite, do speak the words of the Lord which he doth put into my heart; and behold he hath put it into my heart to say unto this people that the sword of justice hangeth over this people; and four hundred years pass not away save the sword of justice falleth upon this people.
Terrible destruction is coming to this people, and nothing can save them except repentance and faith in the Lord Jesus Christ, who will definitely come into the world, suffer many things, and be killed for his people.
Yea, heavy destruction awaiteth this people, and it surely cometh unto this people, and nothing can save this people save it be repentance and faith on the Lord Jesus Christ, who surely shall come into the world, and shall suffer many things and shall be slain for his people.
An angel of the Lord has told me this, and he brought good news to my soul. I was sent to share it with you as well, so you could have this good news; but you would not accept me.
And behold, an angel of the Lord hath declared it unto me, and he did bring glad tidings to my soul. And behold, I was sent unto you to declare it unto you also, that ye might have glad tidings; but behold ye would not receive me.
Therefore, the Lord says: Because the people of the Nephites have hard hearts, unless they repent I will take my word away from them, I will withdraw my Spirit from them, I will no longer support them, and I will turn the hearts of their brothers against them.
Therefore, thus saith the Lord: Because of the hardness of the hearts of the people of the Nephites, except they repent I will take away my word from them, and I will withdraw my Spirit from them, and I will suffer them no longer, and I will turn the hearts of their brethren against them.
Four hundred years will not pass before I cause them to be struck; I will visit them with the sword, with famine, and with disease.
And four hundred years shall not pass away before I will cause that they shall be smitten; yea, I will visit them with the sword and with famine and with pestilence.
I will visit them in my fierce anger, and some of your enemies from the fourth generation will live to see your complete destruction. This will definitely happen unless you repent, says the Lord, and those of the fourth generation will bring about your destruction.
Yea, I will visit them in my fierce anger, and there shall be those of the fourth generation who shall live, of your enemies, to behold your utter destruction; and this shall surely come except ye repent, saith the Lord; and those of the fourth generation shall visit your destruction.
If you will repent and return to the Lord your God, I will turn away my anger, says the Lord. Blessed are those who repent and turn to me, but sorrow awaits those who do not repent.
But if ye will repent and return unto the Lord your God I will turn away mine anger, saith the Lord; yea, thus saith the Lord, blessed are they who will repent and turn unto me, but wo unto him that repenteth not.
Destruction is coming to this great city of Zarahemla; it is only saved because of the righteous people here. Destruction is coming to this great city, for I see, says the Lord, that many—actually, most—of the people in this city will harden their hearts against me, says the Lord.
Yea, wo unto this great city of Zarahemla; for behold, it is because of those who are righteous that it is saved; yea, wo unto this great city, for I perceive, saith the Lord, that there are many, yea, even the more part of this great city, that will harden their hearts against me, saith the Lord.
But those who repent are blessed, and I will spare them. If it weren’t for the righteous people in this great city, I would send fire down from heaven to destroy it.
But blessed are they who will repent, for them will I spare. But behold, if it were not for the righteous who are in this great city, behold, I would cause that fire should come down out of heaven and destroy it.
It is spared for the sake of the righteous. The Lord says the time will come when you cast out the righteous from among you; then you will be ready for destruction. Woe to this great city because of the wickedness and abominations in it.
But behold, it is for the righteous’ sake that it is spared. But behold, the time cometh, saith the Lord, that when ye shall cast out the righteous from among you, then shall ye be ripe for destruction; yea, wo be unto this great city, because of the wickedness and abominations which are in her.
And sorrow will come to the city of Gideon because of the wickedness and abominations found there.
Yea, and wo be unto the city of Gideon, for the wickedness and abominations which are in her.
And sorrow will come to all the cities in the land around, which are possessed by the Nephites, because of the wickedness and abominations found in them.
Yea, and wo be unto all the cities which are in the land round about, which are possessed by the Nephites, because of the wickedness and abominations which are in them.
A curse will come upon the land, says the Lord of Hosts, because of the people who live on it, because of their wickedness and their abominations.
And behold, a curse shall come upon the land, saith the Lord of Hosts, because of the people’s sake who are upon the land, yea, because of their wickedness and their abominations.
The Lord of Hosts, our great and true God, says that anyone who hides treasures in the earth will not find them again because of the great curse on the land, unless he is a righteous person and hides them for the Lord.
And it shall come to pass, saith the Lord of Hosts, yea, our great and true God, that whoso shall hide up treasures in the earth shall find them again no more, because of the great curse of the land, save he be a righteous man and shall hide it up unto the Lord.
I want them to store their treasures for me, says the Lord; and those who do not store their treasures for me are cursed. Only the righteous store their treasures for me. Anyone who does not store his treasures for me is cursed, along with his treasure, and no one will recover it because of the curse on the land.
For I will, saith the Lord, that they shall hide up their treasures unto me; and cursed be they who hide not up their treasures unto me; for none hideth up their treasures unto me save it be the righteous; and he that hideth not up his treasures unto me, cursed is he, and also the treasure, and none shall redeem it because of the curse of the land.
The day will come when they will hide their treasures, because they have set their hearts on riches. Because they are focused on their riches, they will hide their treasures as they flee from their enemies. Since they do not dedicate their treasures to me, they and their treasures will be cursed, and on that day they will be struck down, says the Lord.
And the day shall come that they shall hide up their treasures, because they have set their hearts upon riches; and because they have set their hearts upon their riches, and will hide up their treasures when they shall flee before their enemies; because they will not hide them up unto me, cursed be they and also their treasures; and in that day shall they be smitten, saith the Lord.
People of this great city, listen to my words; listen to what the Lord says. He says you are cursed because of your riches, and your riches are also cursed because you have set your hearts on them and have not listened to the words of the one who gave them to you.
Behold ye, the people of this great city, and hearken unto my words; yea, hearken unto the words which the Lord saith; for behold, he saith that ye are cursed because of your riches, and also are your riches cursed because ye have set your hearts upon them, and have not hearkened unto the words of him who gave them unto you.
You don’t remember the Lord your God in the things he has blessed you with, but you always remember your riches, without thanking the Lord your God for them. Your hearts aren’t drawn to the Lord, but instead they swell with great pride, boasting, envy, conflict, malice, persecution, murder, and all kinds of wickedness.
Ye do not remember the Lord your God in the things with which he hath blessed you, but ye do always remember your riches, not to thank the Lord your God for them; yea, your hearts are 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 reason, the Lord God has brought a curse on the land and on your riches, and it's because of your sins.
For this cause hath the Lord God caused that a curse should come upon the land, and also upon your riches, and this because of your iniquities.
Woe to this people because of this time that has come, that you cast out the prophets, mock them, stone them, kill them, and do all kinds of evil to them, just as people did in the past.
Yea, wo unto this people, because of this time which has arrived, that ye do cast out the prophets, and do mock them, and cast stones at them, and do slay them, and do all manner of iniquity unto them, even as they did of old time.
Now when you talk, you say, "If we had lived in the days of our ancestors, we would not have killed the prophets; we would not have stoned them or cast them out.
And now when ye talk, ye say: If our days had been in the days of our fathers of old, we would not have slain the prophets; we would not have stoned them, and cast them out.
You are worse than they are; for as the Lord lives, if a prophet comes among you and declares the word of the Lord, testifying of your sins and wrongdoings, you get angry with him, cast him out, and look for every way to destroy him. You say he is a false prophet, a sinner, and of the devil, because he testifies that your actions are evil.
Behold ye are worse than they; for as the Lord liveth, if a prophet come among you and declareth unto you the word of the Lord, which testifieth of your sins and iniquities, ye are angry with him, and cast him out and seek all manner of ways to destroy him; yea, you will say that he is a false prophet, and that he is a sinner, and of the devil, because he testifieth that your deeds are evil.
If someone comes among you and says, “Do this, and there is no sin; do that and you won’t suffer; follow the pride of your own hearts; follow the pride of your eyes, and do whatever you want”—if someone says this, you accept him and say he is a prophet.
But behold, if a man shall come among you and shall say: Do this, and there is no iniquity; do that and ye shall not suffer; yea, he will say: Walk after the pride of your own hearts; yea, walk after the pride of your eyes, and do whatsoever your heart desireth—and if a man shall come among you and say this, ye will receive him, and say that he is a prophet.
You will lift him up and give him your possessions; you will give him your gold and silver, and you will clothe him in expensive clothing. Because he speaks flattering words to you and says that all is well, you will not find fault with him.
Yea, ye will lift him up, and ye will give unto him of your substance; ye will give unto him of your gold, and of your silver, and ye will clothe him with costly apparel; and because he speaketh flattering words unto you, and he saith that all is well, then ye will not find fault with him.
You wicked and perverse generation, you hardened and stubborn people, how long do you think the Lord will allow you to continue? How long will you let yourselves be led by foolish and blind guides? How long will you choose darkness instead of light?
O ye wicked and ye perverse generation; ye hardened and ye stiffnecked people, how long will ye suppose that the Lord will suffer you? Yea, how long will ye suffer yourselves to be led by foolish and blind guides? Yea, how long will ye choose darkness rather than light?
The anger of the Lord is already kindled against you; he has cursed the land because of your iniquity.
Yea, behold, the anger of the Lord is already kindled against you; behold, he hath cursed the land because of your iniquity.
The time is coming when he will curse your riches, and they will become slippery so you can’t hold onto them; and in your days of poverty, you won’t be able to keep them.
And behold, the time cometh that he curseth your riches, that they become slippery, that ye cannot hold them; and in the days of your poverty ye cannot retain them.
In the days of your poverty, you will cry to the Lord, but your cries will be in vain, because your desolation has already come upon you and your destruction is certain. Then you will weep and howl in that day, says the Lord of Hosts. Then you will mourn and say:
And in the days of your poverty ye shall cry unto the Lord; and in vain shall ye cry, for your desolation is already come upon you, and your destruction is made sure; and then shall ye weep and howl in that day, saith the Lord of Hosts. And then shall ye lament, and say:
If only I had repented and had not killed the prophets, or stoned them, or cast them out. In that day you will say, “If only we had remembered the Lord our God when he gave us our riches, then they wouldn’t have become slippery so that we lost them; because now our riches are gone from us. ”
O that I had repented, and had not killed the prophets, and stoned them, and cast them out. Yea, in that day ye shall say: O that we had remembered the Lord our God in the day that he gave us our riches, and then they would not have become slippery that we should lose them; for behold, our riches are gone from us.
We lay a tool here, and the next day it’s gone; and our swords are taken from us on the day we need them for battle.
Behold, we lay a tool here and on the morrow it is gone; and behold, our swords are taken from us in the day we have sought them for battle.
We have hidden our treasures, but they have slipped away from us because of the curse on the land.
Yea, we have hid up our treasures and they have slipped away from us, because of the curse of the land.
If only we had repented when the word of the Lord came to us; now the land is cursed, everything has become slippery, and we can’t hold onto anything.
O that we had repented in the day that the word of the Lord came unto us; for behold the land is cursed, and all things are become slippery, and we cannot hold them.
We are surrounded by demons; we are encircled by the angels of the one who has tried to destroy our souls. Our sins are great. O Lord, can you not turn your anger away from us? This will be your language in those days.
Behold, we are surrounded by demons, yea, we are encircled about by the angels of him who hath sought to destroy our souls. Behold, our iniquities are great. O Lord, canst thou not turn away thine anger from us? And this shall be your language in those days.
Your days of probation are over; you have put off the day of your salvation until it is forever too late, and your destruction is certain. You have spent your lives seeking things you could not obtain, and you have looked for happiness in doing evil, which is completely opposed to the righteousness found in our great and Eternal Head.
But behold, your days of probation are past; ye have procrastinated the day of your salvation until it is everlastingly too late, and your destruction is made sure; yea, for ye have sought all the days of your lives for that which ye could not obtain; and ye have sought for happiness in doing iniquity, which thing is contrary to the nature of that righteousness which is in our great and Eternal Head.
People of this land, I wish you would listen to my words. I pray that the Lord’s anger will turn away from you, and that you will repent and be saved.
O ye people of the land, that ye would hear my words! And I pray that the anger of the Lord be turned away from you, and that ye would repent and be saved.