22:1 And now it came to pass that after I, Nephi, had read these things
which were engraven upon the plates of brass, my brethren came unto me
and said unto me: What meaneth these things which ye have read? Behold,
are they to be understood according to things which are spiritual,
which shall come to pass according to the spirit and not the flesh?
22:2 And I, Nephi, said unto them: Behold they were manifest unto the
prophet by the voice of the Spirit; for by the Spirit are all things
made known unto the prophets, which shall come upon the children of men
according to the flesh.
22:3 Wherefore, the things of which I have read are things pertaining
to things both temporal and spiritual; for it appears that the house of
Israel, sooner or later, will be scattered upon all the face of the
earth, and also among all nations.
22:4 And behold, there are many who are already lost from the knowledge
of those who are at Jerusalem. Yea, the more part of all the tribes
have been led away; and they are scattered to and fro upon the isles of
the sea; and whither they are none of us knoweth, save that we know
that they have been led away.
22:5 And since they have been led away, these things have been
prophesied concerning them, and also concerning all those who shall
hereafter be scattered and be confounded, because of the Holy One of
Israel; for against him will they harden their hearts; wherefore, they
shall be scattered among all nations and shall be hated of all men.
22:6 Nevertheless, after they shall be nursed by the Gentiles, and the
Lord has lifted up his hand upon the Gentiles and set them up for a
standard, and their children have been carried in their arms, and their
daughters have been carried upon their shoulders, behold these things
of which are spoken are temporal; for thus are the covenants of the
Lord with our fathers; and it meaneth us in the days to come, and also
all our brethren who are of the house of Israel.
22:7 And it meaneth that the time cometh that after all the house of
Israel have been scattered and confounded, that the Lord God will raise
up a mighty nation among the Gentiles, yea, even upon the face of this
land; and by them shall our seed be scattered.
22:8 And after our seed is scattered the Lord God will proceed to do a
marvelous work among the Gentiles, which shall be of great worth unto
our seed; wherefore, it is likened unto their being nourished by the
Gentiles and being carried in their arms and upon their shoulders.
22:9 And it shall also be of worth unto the Gentiles; and not only unto
the Gentiles but unto all the house of Israel, unto the making known of
the covenants of the Father of heaven unto Abraham, saying: In thy seed
shall all the kindreds of the earth be blessed.
22:10 And I would, my brethren, that ye should know that all the
kindreds of the earth cannot be blessed unless he shall make bare his
arm in the eyes of the nations.
22:11 Wherefore, the Lord God will proceed to make bare his arm in the
eyes of all the nations, in bringing about his covenants and his gospel
unto those who are of the house of Israel.
22:12 Wherefore, he will bring them again out of captivity, and they
shall be gathered together to the lands of their inheritance; and they
shall be brought out of obscurity and out of darkness; and they shall
know that the Lord is their Savior and their Redeemer, the Mighty One
of Israel.
22:13 And the blood of that great and abominable church, which is the
whore of all the earth, shall turn upon their own heads; for they shall
war among themselves, and the sword of their own hands shall fall upon
their own heads, and they shall be drunken with their own blood.
22:14 And every nation which shall war against thee, O house of Israel,
shall be turned one against another, and they shall fall into the pit
which they digged to ensnare the people of the Lord. And all that fight
against Zion shall be destroyed, and that great whore, who hath
perverted the right ways of the Lord, yea, that great and abominable
church, shall tumble to the dust and great shall be the fall of it.
22:15 For behold, saith the prophet, the time cometh speedily that
Satan shall have no more power over the hearts of the children of men;
for the day soon cometh that all the proud and they who do wickedly
shall be as stubble; and the day cometh that they must be burned.
22:16 For the time soon cometh that the fulness of the wrath of God
shall be poured out upon all the children of men; for he will not
suffer that the wicked shall destroy the righteous.
22:17 Wherefore, he will preserve the righteous by his power, even if
it so be that the fulness of his wrath must come, and the righteous be
preserved, even unto the destruction of their enemies by fire.
Wherefore, the righteous need not fear; for thus saith the prophet,
they shall be saved, even if it so be as by fire.
22:18 Behold, my brethren, I say unto you, that these things must
shortly come; yea, even blood, and fire, and vapor of smoke must come;
and it must needs be upon the face of this earth; and it cometh unto
men according to the flesh if it so be that they will harden their
hearts against the Holy One of Israel.
22:19 For behold, the righteous shall not perish; for the time surely
must come that all they who fight against Zion shall be cut off.
22:20 And the Lord will surely prepare a way for his people, unto the
fulfilling of the words of Moses, which he spake, saying: A prophet
shall the Lord your God raise up unto you, like unto me; him shall ye
hear in all things whatsoever he shall say unto you. And it shall come
to pass that all those who will not hear that prophet shall be cut off
from among the people.
22:21 And now I, Nephi, declare unto you, that this prophet of whom
Moses spake was the Holy One of Israel; wherefore, he shall execute
judgment in righteousness.
22:22 And the righteous need not fear, for they are those who shall not
be confounded. But it is the kingdom of the devil, which shall be built
up among the children of men, which kingdom is established among them
which are in the flesh—
22:23 For the time speedily shall come that all churches which are
built up to get gain, and all those who are built up to get power over
the flesh, and those who are built up to become popular in the eyes of
the world, and those who seek the lusts of the flesh and the things of
the world, and to do all manner of iniquity; yea, in fine, all those
who belong to the kingdom of the devil are they who need fear, and
tremble, and quake; they are those who must be brought low in the dust;
they are those who must be consumed as stubble; and this is according
to the words of the prophet.
22:24 And the time cometh speedily that the righteous must be led up as
calves of the stall, and the Holy One of Israel must reign in dominion,
and might, and power, and great glory.
22:25 And he gathereth his children from the four quarters of the
earth; and he numbereth his sheep, and they know him; and there shall
be one fold and one shepherd; and he shall feed his sheep, and in him
they shall find pasture.
22:26 And because of the righteousness of his people, Satan has no
power; wherefore, he cannot be loosed for the space of many years; for
he hath no power over the hearts of the people, for they dwell in
righteousness, and the Holy One of Israel reigneth.
22:27 And now behold, I, Nephi, say unto you that all these things must
come according to the flesh.
22:28 But, behold, all nations, kindreds, tongues, and people shall
dwell safely in the Holy One of Israel if it so be that they will
repent.
22:29 And now I, Nephi, make an end; for I durst not speak further as
yet concerning these things.
22:30 Wherefore, my brethren, I would that ye should consider that the
things which have been written upon the plates of brass are true; and
they testify that a man must be obedient to the commandments of God.
22:31 Wherefore, ye need not suppose that I and my father are the only
ones that have testified, and also taught them. Wherefore, if ye shall
be obedient to the commandments, and endure to the end, ye shall be
saved at the last day. And thus it is. Amen.