An account of the people of Nephi, according to his record.
4 Nephi 1:1 And it came to pass that the thirty and fourth year passed
away, and also the thirty and fifth, and behold the disciples of Jesus
had formed a church of Christ in all the lands round about. And as many
as did come unto them, and did truly repent of their sins, were
baptized in the name of Jesus; and they did also receive the Holy
Ghost.
4 Nephi 1:2 And it came to pass in the thirty and sixth year, the
people were all converted unto the Lord, upon all the face of the land,
both Nephites and Lamanites, and there were no contentions and
disputations among them, and every man did deal justly one with
another.
4 Nephi 1:3 And they had all things common among them; therefore there
were not rich and poor, bond and free, but they were all made free, and
partakers of the heavenly gift.
4 Nephi 1:4 And it came to pass that the thirty and seventh year passed
away also, and there still continued to be peace in the land.
4 Nephi 1:5 And there were great and marvelous works wrought by the
disciples of Jesus, insomuch that they did heal the sick, and raise the
dead, and cause the lame to walk, and the blind to receive their sight,
and the deaf to hear; and all manner of miracles did they work among
the children of men; and in nothing did they work miracles save it were
in the name of Jesus.
4 Nephi 1:6 And thus did the thirty and eighth year pass away, and also
the thirty and ninth, and forty and first, and the forty and second,
yea, even until forty and nine years had passed away, and also the
fifty and first, and the fifty and second; yea, and even until fifty
and nine years had passed away.
4 Nephi 1:7 And the Lord did prosper them exceedingly in the land; yea,
insomuch that they did build cities again where there had been cities
burned.
4 Nephi 1:8 Yea, even that great city Zarahemla did they cause to be
built again.
4 Nephi 1:9 But there were many cities which had been sunk, and waters
came up in the stead thereof; therefore these cities could not be
renewed.
4 Nephi 1:10 And now, behold, it came to pass that the people of Nephi
did wax strong, and did multiply exceedingly fast, and became an
exceedingly fair and delightsome people.
4 Nephi 1:11 And they were married, and given in marriage, and were
blessed according to the multitude of the promises which the Lord had
made unto them.
4 Nephi 1:12 And they did not walk any more after the performances and
ordinances of the law of Moses; but they did walk after the
commandments which they had received from their Lord and their God,
continuing in fasting and prayer, and in meeting together oft both to
pray and to hear the word of the Lord.
4 Nephi 1:13 And it came to pass that there was no contention among all
the people, in all the land; but there were mighty miracles wrought
among the disciples of Jesus.
4 Nephi 1:14 And it came to pass that the seventy and first year passed
away, and also the seventy and second year, yea, and in fine, till the
seventy and ninth year had passed away; yea, even an hundred years had
passed away, and the disciples of Jesus, whom he had chosen, had all
gone to the paradise of God, save it were the three who should tarry;
and there were other disciples ordained in their stead; and also many
of that generation had passed away.
4 Nephi 1:15 And it came to pass that there was no contention in the
land, because of the love of God which did dwell in the hearts of the
people.
4 Nephi 1:16 And there were no envyings, nor strifes, nor tumults, nor
whoredoms, nor lyings, nor murders, nor any manner of lasciviousness;
and surely there could not be a happier people among all the people who
had been created by the hand of God.
4 Nephi 1:17 There were no robbers, nor murderers, neither were there
Lamanites, nor any manner of —ites; but they were in one, the children
of Christ, and heirs to the kingdom of God.
4 Nephi 1:18 And how blessed were they! For the Lord did bless them in
all their doings; yea, even they were blessed and prospered until an
hundred and ten years had passed away; and the first generation from
Christ had passed away, and there was no contention in all the land.
4 Nephi 1:19 And it came to pass that Nephi, he that kept this last
record, (and he kept it upon the plates of Nephi) died, and his son
Amos kept it in his stead; and he kept it upon the plates of Nephi
also.
4 Nephi 1:20 And he kept it eighty and four years, and there was still
peace in the land, save it were a small part of the people who had
revolted from the church and taken upon them the name of Lamanites;
therefore there began to be Lamanites again in the land.
4 Nephi 1:21 And it came to pass that Amos died also, (and it was an
hundred and ninety and four years from the coming of Christ) and his
son Amos kept the record in his stead; and he also kept it upon the
plates of Nephi; and it was also written in the book of Nephi, which is
this book.
4 Nephi 1:22 And it came to pass that two hundred years had passed
away; and the second generation had all passed away save it were a few.
4 Nephi 1:23 And now I, Mormon, would that ye should know that the
people had multiplied, insomuch that they were spread upon all the face
of the land, and that they had become exceedingly rich, because of
their prosperity in Christ.
4 Nephi 1:24 And now, in this two hundred and first year there began to
be among them those who were lifted up in pride, such as the wearing of
costly apparel, and all manner of fine pearls, and of the fine things
of the world.
4 Nephi 1:25 And from that time forth they did have their goods and
their substance no more common among them.
4 Nephi 1:26 And they began to be divided into classes; and they began
to build up churches unto themselves to get gain, and began to deny the
true church of Christ.
4 Nephi 1:27 And it came to pass that when two hundred and ten years
had passed away there were many churches in the land; yea, there were
many churches which professed to know the Christ, and yet they did deny
the more parts of his gospel, insomuch that they did receive all manner
of wickedness, and did administer that which was sacred unto him to
whom it had been forbidden because of unworthiness.
4 Nephi 1:28 And this church did multiply exceedingly because of
iniquity, and because of the power of Satan who did get hold upon their
hearts.
4 Nephi 1:29 And again, there was another church which denied the
Christ; and they did persecute the true church of Christ, because of
their humility and their belief in Christ; and they did despise them
because of the many miracles which were wrought among them.
4 Nephi 1:30 Therefore they did exercise power and authority over the
disciples of Jesus who did tarry with them, and they did cast them into
prison; but by the power of the word of God, which was in them, the
prisons were rent in twain, and they went forth doing mighty miracles
among them.
4 Nephi 1:31 Nevertheless, and notwithstanding all these miracles, the
people did harden their hearts, and did seek to kill them, even as the
Jews at Jerusalem sought to kill Jesus, according to his word.
4 Nephi 1:32 And they did cast them into furnaces of fire, and they
came forth receiving no harm.
4 Nephi 1:33 And they also cast them into dens of wild beasts, and they
did play with the wild beasts even as a child with a lamb; and they did
come forth from among them, receiving no harm.
4 Nephi 1:34 Nevertheless, the people did harden their hearts, for they
were led by many priests and false prophets to build up many churches,
and to do all manner of iniquity. And they did smite upon the people of
Jesus; but the people of Jesus did not smite again. And thus they did
dwindle in unbelief and wickedness, from year to year, even until two
hundred and thirty years had passed away.
4 Nephi 1:35 And now it came to pass in this year, yea, in the two
hundred and thirty and first year, there was a great division among the
people.
4 Nephi 1:36 And it came to pass that in this year there arose a people
who were called the Nephites, and they were true believers in Christ;
and among them there were those who were called by the
Lamanites—Jacobites, and Josephites, and Zoramites;
4 Nephi 1:37 Therefore the true believers in Christ, and the true
worshipers of Christ, (among whom were the three disciples of Jesus who
should tarry) were called Nephites, and Jacobites, and Josephites, and
Zoramites.
4 Nephi 1:38 And it came to pass that they who rejected the gospel were
called Lamanites, and Lemuelites, and Ishmaelites; and they did not
dwindle in unbelief, but they did wilfully rebel against the gospel of
Christ; and they did teach their children that they should not believe,
even as their fathers, from the beginning, did dwindle.
4 Nephi 1:39 And it was because of the wickedness and abomination of
their fathers, even as it was in the beginning. And they were taught to
hate the children of God, even as the Lamanites were taught to hate the
children of Nephi from the beginning.
4 Nephi 1:40 And it came to pass that two hundred and forty and four
years had passed away, and thus were the affairs of the people. And the
more wicked part of the people did wax strong, and became exceedingly
more numerous than were the people of God.
4 Nephi 1:41 And they did still continue to build up churches unto
themselves, and adorn them with all manner of precious things. And thus
did two hundred and fifty years pass away, and also two hundred and
sixty years.
4 Nephi 1:42 And it came to pass that the wicked part of the people
began again to build up the secret oaths and combinations of Gadianton.
4 Nephi 1:43 And also the people who were called the people of Nephi
began to be proud in their hearts, because of their exceeding riches,
and become vain like unto their brethren, the Lamanites.
4 Nephi 1:44 And from this time the disciples began to sorrow for the
sins of the world.
4 Nephi 1:45 And it came to pass that when three hundred years had
passed away, both the people of Nephi and the Lamanites had become
exceedingly wicked one like unto another.
4 Nephi 1:46 And it came to pass that the robbers of Gadianton did
spread over all the face of the land; and there were none that were
righteous save it were the disciples of Jesus. And gold and silver did
they lay up in store in abundance, and did traffic in all manner of
traffic.
4 Nephi 1:47 And it came to pass that after three hundred and five
years had passed away, (and the people did still remain in wickedness)
Amos died; and his brother, Ammaron, did keep the record in his stead.
4 Nephi 1:48 And it came to pass that when three hundred and twenty
years had passed away, Ammaron, being constrained by the Holy Ghost,
did hide up the records which were sacred—yea, even all the sacred
records which had been handed down from generation to generation, which
were sacred—even until the three hundred and twentieth year from the
coming of Christ.
4 Nephi 1:49 And he did hide them up unto the Lord that they might come
again unto the remnant of the house of Jacob according to the
prophecies and the promises of the Lord. And thus is the end of the
record of Ammaron.