13:1 And now when the king had heard these words, he said unto his
priests: Away with this fellow, and slay him; for what have we to do
with him, for he is mad.
13:2 And they stood forth and attempted to lay their hands on him; but
he withstood them, and said unto them:
13:3 Touch me not, for God shall smite you if ye lay your hands upon
me, for I have not delivered the message which the Lord sent me to
deliver; neither have I told you that which ye requested that I should
tell; therefore, God will not suffer that I shall be destroyed at this
time.
13:4 But I must fulfil the commandments wherewith God has commanded me;
and because I have told you the truth ye are angry with me. And again,
because I have spoken the word of God ye have judged me that I am mad.
13:5 Now it came to pass after Abinadi had spoken these words that the
people of king Noah durst not lay their hands on him, for the Spirit of
the Lord was upon him; and his face shone with exceeding luster, even
as Moses’ did while in the mount of Sinai, while speaking with the
Lord.
13:6 And he spake with power and authority from God; and he continued
his words, saying:
13:7 Ye see that ye have not power to slay me, therefore I finish my
message. Yea, and I perceive that it cuts you to your hearts because I
tell you the truth concerning your iniquities.
13:8 Yea, and my words fill you with wonder and amazement, and with
anger.
13:9 But I finish my message; and then it matters not whither I go, if
it so be that I am saved.
13:10 But this much I tell you, what you do with me, after this, shall
be as a type and a shadow of things which are to come.
13:11 And now I read unto you the remainder of the commandments of God,
for I perceive that they are not written in your hearts; I perceive
that ye have studied and taught iniquity the most part of your lives.
13:12 And now, ye remember that I said unto you: Thou shall not make
unto thee any graven image, or any likeness of things which are in
heaven above, or which are in the earth beneath, or which are in the
water under the earth.
13:13 And again: Thou shalt not bow down thyself unto them, nor serve
them; for I the Lord thy God am a jealous God, visiting the iniquities
of the fathers upon the children, unto the third and fourth generations
of them that hate me;
13:14 And showing mercy unto thousands of them that love me and keep my
commandments.
13:15 Thou shalt not take the name of the Lord thy God in vain; for the
Lord will not hold him guiltless that taketh his name in vain.
13:16 Remember the sabbath day, to keep it holy.
13:17 Six days shalt thou labor, and do all thy work;
13:18 But the seventh day, the sabbath of the Lord thy God, thou shalt
not do any work, thou, nor thy son, nor thy daughter, thy man-servant,
nor thy maid-servant, nor thy cattle, nor thy stranger that is within
thy gates;
13:19 For in six days the Lord made heaven and earth, and the sea, and
all that in them is; wherefore the Lord blessed the sabbath day, and
hallowed it.
13:20 Honor thy father and thy mother, that thy days may be long upon
the land which the Lord thy God giveth thee.
13:21 Thou shalt not kill.
13:22 Thou shalt not commit adultery. Thou shalt not steal.
13:23 Thou shalt not bear false witness against thy neighbor.
13:24 Thou shalt not covet thy neighbor’s house, thou shalt not covet
thy neighbor’s wife, nor his man-servant, nor his maid-servant, nor his
ox, nor his ass, nor anything that is thy neighbor’s.
13:25 And it came to pass that after Abinadi had made an end of these
sayings that he said unto them: Have ye taught this people that they
should observe to do all these things for to keep these commandments?
13:26 I say unto you, Nay; for if ye had, the Lord would not have
caused me to come forth and to prophesy evil concerning this people.
13:27 And now ye have said that salvation cometh by the law of Moses. I
say unto you that it is expedient that ye should keep the law of Moses
as yet; but I say unto you, that the time shall come when it shall no
more be expedient to keep the law of Moses.
13:28 And moreover, I say unto you, that salvation doth not come by the
law alone; and were it not for the atonement, which God himself shall
make for the sins and iniquities of his people, that they must
unavoidably perish, notwithstanding the law of Moses.
13:29 And now I say unto you that it was expedient that there should be
a law given to the children of Israel, yea, even a very strict law; for
they were a stiffnecked people, quick to do iniquity, and slow to
remember the Lord their God;
13:30 Therefore there was a law given them, yea, a law of performances
and of ordinances, a law which they were to observe strictly from day
to day, to keep them in remembrance of God and their duty towards him.
13:31 But behold, I say unto you, that all these things were types of
things to come.
13:32 And now, did they understand the law? I say unto you, Nay, they
did not all understand the law; and this because of the hardness of
their hearts; for they understood not that there could not any man be
saved except it were through the redemption of God.
13:33 For behold, did not Moses prophesy unto them concerning the
coming of the Messiah, and that God should redeem his people? Yea, and
even all the prophets who have prophesied ever since the world
began—have they not spoken more or less concerning these things?
13:34 Have they not said that God himself should come down among the
children of men, and take upon him the form of man, and go forth in
mighty power upon the face of the earth?
13:35 Yea, and have they not said also that he should bring to pass the
resurrection of the dead, and that he, himself, should be oppressed and
afflicted?