Nephi's Efforts to Save His Brethren--Nephi, Commanded of the Lord,
Flees into the Wilderness--His Company--His Sisters--Carries Plates of
Brass and other Records--The Liahona and Sword of Laban with
Him--Nephi called a Liar and a Robber--Searches the Scriptures--Two
Sets of Plates--Character of Records on Each--Plates made for a
Special Purpose--Found by Mormon--Wisdom of God Greater than Cunning
of Devil--The Prophet Joseph Delivered from a Snare.
For many years Nephi had done all in his power to sustain the
influence of his father with his brothers. In company with his father
he had labored steadily to induce them to live righteously and to obey
the commandments of God. He had exhausted every means to induce them
to dwell in union, peace and love. There was nothing more he could do,
except to become a victim to their blind and cruel rage. But this, in
the providence of the Lord, was not required of him. The Lord had
another work for Nephi, so he warned him to flee into the wilderness,
and leave his wicked brothers and associates to themselves. Those who
accompanied Nephi in this flight were all who believed in the warnings
and revelations of God. They accepted the word of the Lord as it came
to him concerning this departure. The record informs us that they were
his own family, Zoram and his family, Sam and his family, his brothers
Jacob and Joseph and his sisters and others. The names of his sisters
are not given, and we are not told how many there were, or who the
others were who accompanied him. With their tents and everything which
it was possible for them to carry, they took their journey into the
wilderness. Nephi was careful to have all the records of his people
with him. He had the plates of brass which were obtained from Laban,
and his father, and his father Lehi's record, and the records he had
kept himself, and also the ball or compass, which was prepared of the
Lord for Lehi, and the sword of Laban.
We are not informed what the feelings of Laman and Lemuel were
respecting Nephi's keeping possession of the brass plates, the record
of Lehi and the ball or compass which the Lord had prepared for Lehi;
but it is not too much to suppose that while they kept no records
themselves upon plates, and therefore placed no value upon them, they
were angry at Nephi for taking these with him. They probably accused
him of robbing them; for, about five centuries after this, we find
(_Alma xx. 13_) that the tradition among their descendants was that
Nephi was not only a liar, but had robbed their fathers. Nephi,
himself, was very particular about keeping records. He taught his
people to value the written word. He doubtless devised means of giving
them copies of that which had been written, for in the days of his
brother Jacob the sudden and awful death of a teacher of false
doctrine who had led many astray, caused the people, as we are told
(_Jacob vii. 23_), to search the scriptures. We conclude from this
that copies of the writings upon the brass plates must have been
accessible to them.
By the command of the Lord, Nephi made two sets of plates, on which to
keep the records of his people. The first set of these plates
contained in great fullness and detail the history of the people of
Nephi. Upon them Nephi engraved the record of his father Lehi, and the
genealogy of Lehi, his prophecies and many of his own prophecies and
the most part of all their proceedings in the wilderness. Upon them
were engraved by him with more detail and particularity the things
which transpired before he made the second set of plates. Upon these
first plates also an account was given of the wars, contentions and
destructions of the people, during Nephi's lifetime, and he commanded
his people that they should continue to do this after he was gone,
including an account of the reign of the kings, and that the plates
should be handed down from one generation to another, or from one
prophet to another, until the Lord should command otherwise.
It was from these plates, called the plates of Nephi, that the Prophet
Mormon made his abridgment which the Prophet Joseph first translated.
It will be remembered that while the Prophet was translating the Book
of Mormon he was teased by Martin Harris to let him have some of the
manuscript. Joseph did so. The Lord was so displeased with him for
letting these writings go out of his hands, that he deprived him of
his gift, and the work of translating was suspended for a number of
months. While in Martin Harris' possession, the manuscripts were
stolen and were not recovered. Those who obtained them had a deep
design in view. But the Lord thwarted them. He gave Joseph a
commandment not to attempt to translate a second time that which he
had lost, but to translate the record which he would find upon the
second set of plates, called also the plates of Nephi. The revelation
respecting this is to be found in the Book of Doctrine and Covenants,
Section x.
Nephi informs us that he had been commanded of the Lord to make these
second plates for a special and wise purpose; but he did not know what
that purpose was, farther than there should be an account engraved
thereon of the ministry of his people and the more plain and precious
parts of the prophecies, so that they might be kept for the
instruction of his people. These plates were handed down from Nephi to
Amaleki, covering a period of about four hundred years from the time
that Lehi left Jerusalem. When Amaleki finished his writing, the
plates, which were small, were full; and as he had no children, he
gave them to the king, whose name was Benjamin. This king kept them
with the other, and larger plates of Nephi, which contained the record
of kings, and which had been handed down from generation to
generation. They were kept from that time forth with the other records
upon plates, which in the lapse of centuries became very numerous,
until they came into the hands of the Prophet Mormon. Mormon made his
abridgment sometime after the year 384 of the Christian era, which was
upwards of five centuries after the death of this King Benjamin. After
he had made his abridgment from the large plates of Nephi, down to the
days of King Benjamin, he found, in searching among the records, these
small plates of Nephi. Their contents pleased him. They were full of
revelations, and prophecies concerning the coming of Christ and many
other great events. He knew that many events therein predicted had
been fulfilled, and also that those predictions which went beyond his
day would most assuredly come to pass; therefore, they were precious
to him, and he knew they would be also to posterity. But, in addition
to these reasons for selecting them, he was moved upon by the Spirit
of the Lord to embody them with his record. The promptings of the
Spirit to him were that there was a wise purpose in this, though it
does not appear that he fully knew what that purpose was. But the
purpose became plain when the Lord gave again to the Prophet Joseph
the gift and privilege of translating. He was commanded to translate
the record engraved upon these plates, to supply the place of that
translation which had been stolen. Thus Joseph was told not to
translate over again that which he had translated, and Satan's plan to
entrap him was defeated. For the Lord, foreseeing what would take
place, had inspired Nephi and Mormon to do as they did: the one to
prepare the plates and engrave upon them and to command those who
followed him to do so also; and the other to embody them with his
record to afterwards come into the hands of the Prophet Joseph; and
the results are that we have in the Book of Mormon a body of
revelations and prophecies that are exceedingly precious and which
throw a flood of light upon the doctrines of Christ and those mighty
events which are to take place in the last days.