26:1 And after Christ shall have risen from the dead he shall show
himself unto you, my children, and my beloved brethren; and the words
which he shall speak unto you shall be the law which ye shall do.
26:2 For behold, I say unto you that I have beheld that many
generations shall pass away, and there shall be great wars and
contentions among my people.
26:3 And after the Messiah shall come there shall be signs given unto
my people of his birth, and also of his death and resurrection; and
great and terrible shall that day be unto the wicked, for they shall
perish; and they perish because they cast out the prophets, and the
saints, and stone them, and slay them; wherefore the cry of the blood
of the saints shall ascend up to God from the ground against them.
26:4 Wherefore, all those who are proud, and that do wickedly, the day
that cometh shall burn them up, saith the Lord of Hosts, for they shall
be as stubble.
26:5 And they that kill the prophets, and the saints, the depths of the
earth shall swallow them up, saith the Lord of Hosts; and mountains
shall cover them, and whirlwinds shall carry them away, and buildings
shall fall upon them and crush them to pieces and grind them to powder.
26:6 And they shall be visited with thunderings, and lightnings, and
earthquakes, and all manner of destructions, for the fire of the anger
of the Lord shall be kindled against them, and they shall be as
stubble, and the day that cometh shall consume them, saith the Lord of
Hosts.
26:7 O the pain, and the anguish of my soul for the loss of the slain
of my people! For I, Nephi, have seen it, and it well nigh consumeth me
before the presence of the Lord; but I must cry unto my God: Thy ways
are just.
26:8 But behold, the righteous that hearken unto the words of the
prophets, and destroy them not, but look forward unto Christ with
steadfastness for the signs which are given, notwithstanding all
persecution—behold, they are they which shall not perish.
26:9 But the Son of righteousness shall appear unto them; and he shall
heal them, and they shall have peace with him, until three generations
shall have passed away, and many of the fourth generation shall have
passed away in righteousness.
26:10 And when these things have passed away a speedy destruction
cometh unto my people; for, notwithstanding the pains of my soul, I
have seen it; wherefore, I know that it shall come to pass; and they
sell themselves for naught; for, for the reward of their pride and
their foolishness they shall reap destruction; for because they yield
unto the devil and choose works of darkness rather than light,
therefore they must go down to hell.
26:11 For the Spirit of the Lord will not always strive with man. And
when the Spirit ceaseth to strive with man then cometh speedy
destruction, and this grieveth my soul.
26:12 And as I spake concerning the convincing of the Jews, that Jesus
is the very Christ, it must needs be that the Gentiles be convinced
also that Jesus is the Christ, the Eternal God;
26:13 And that he manifesteth himself unto all those who believe in
him, by the power of the Holy Ghost; yea, unto every nation, kindred,
tongue, and people, working mighty miracles, signs, and wonders, among
the children of men according to their faith.
26:14 But behold, I prophesy unto you concerning the last days;
concerning the days when the Lord God shall bring these things forth
unto the children of men.
26:15 After my seed and the seed of my brethren shall have dwindled in
unbelief, and shall have been smitten by the Gentiles; yea, after the
Lord God shall have camped against them round about, and shall have
laid siege against them with a mount, and raised forts against them;
and after they shall have been brought down low in the dust, even that
they are not, yet the words of the righteous shall be written, and the
prayers of the faithful shall be heard, and all those who have dwindled
in unbelief shall not be forgotten.
26:16 For those who shall be destroyed shall speak unto them out of the
ground, and their speech shall be low out of the dust, and their voice
shall be as one that hath a familiar spirit; for the Lord God will give
unto him power, that he may whisper concerning them, even as it were
out of the ground; and their speech shall whisper out of the dust.
26:17 For thus saith the Lord God: They shall write the things which
shall be done among them, and they shall be written and sealed up in a
book, and those who have dwindled in unbelief shall not have them, for
they seek to destroy the things of God.
26:18 Wherefore, as those who have been destroyed have been destroyed
speedily; and the multitude of their terrible ones shall be as chaff
that passeth away—yea, thus saith the Lord God: It shall be at an
instant, suddenly—
26:19 And it shall come to pass, that those who have dwindled in
unbelief shall be smitten by the hand of the Gentiles.
26:20 And the Gentiles are lifted up in the pride of their eyes, and
have stumbled, because of the greatness of their stumbling block, that
they have built up many churches; nevertheless, they put down the power
and miracles of God, and preach up unto themselves their own wisdom and
their own learning, that they may get gain and grind upon the face of
the poor.
26:21 And there are many churches built up which cause envyings, and
strifes, and malice.
26:22 And there are also secret combinations, even as in times of old,
according to the combinations of the devil, for he is the founder of
all these things; yea, the founder of murder, and works of darkness;
yea, and he leadeth them by the neck with a flaxen cord, until he
bindeth them with his strong cords forever.
26:23 For behold, my beloved brethren, I say unto you that the Lord God
worketh not in darkness.
26:24 He doeth not anything save it be for the benefit of the world;
for he loveth the world, even that he layeth down his own life that he
may draw all men unto him. Wherefore, he commandeth none that they
shall not partake of his salvation.
26:25 Behold, doth he cry unto any, saying: Depart from me? Behold, I
say unto you, Nay; but he saith: Come unto me all ye ends of the earth,
buy milk and honey, without money and without price.
26:26 Behold, hath he commanded any that they should depart out of the
synagogues, or out of the houses of worship? Behold, I say unto you,
Nay.
26:27 Hath he commanded any that they should not partake of his
salvation? Behold I say unto you, Nay; but he hath given it free for
all men; and he hath commanded his people that they should persuade all
men to repentance.
26:28 Behold, hath the Lord commanded any that they should not partake
of his goodness? Behold I say unto you, Nay; but all men are privileged
the one like unto the other, and none are forbidden.
26:29 He commandeth that there shall be no priestcrafts; for, behold
priestcrafts are that men preach and set themselves up for a light unto
the world, that they may get gain and praise of the world; but they
seek not the welfare of Zion.
26:30 Behold, the Lord hath forbidden this thing; wherefore, the Lord
God hath given a commandment that all men should have charity, which
charity is love, and except they should have charity they were nothing.
Wherefore, if they should have charity they would not suffer the
laborer in Zion to perish.
26:31 But the laborer in Zion shall labor for Zion; for if they labor
for money they shall perish.
26:32 And again, the Lord God hath commanded that men should not
murder; that they should not lie; that they should not steal; that they
should not take the name of the Lord their God in vain; that they
should not envy; that they should not have malice; that they should not
contend one with another; that they should not commit whoredoms; and
that they should do none of these things; for whoso doeth them shall
perish.
26:33 For none of these iniquities come of the Lord; for he doeth that
which is good among the children of men; and he doeth nothing save it
be plain unto the children of men; and he inviteth them all to come
unto him and partake of his goodness; and he denieth none that come
unto him, black and white, bond and free, male and female; and he
remembereth the heathen; and all are alike unto God, both Jew and
Gentile.