RCE Verse Results

71 "O remember, remember, my sons, the words which King Benjamin spake unto his people; Yea, remember that there is no other way nor means whereby man can be saved, Only through the atoning blood of Jesus Christ, which shall come; Yea, remember that He cometh to redeem the world.

72 "And remember also the words which Amulek spake unto Zeezrom in the City of Ammonihah; For he said unto him that the Lord surely should come to redeem His people; But that He should not come to redeem them in their sins, But to redeem them from their sins;

73 And He hath power given unto Him from the Father to redeem them from their sins because of repentance; Therefore, He hath sent His angels to declare the tidings of the conditions of repentance, Which bringeth unto the power of the Redeemer, unto the salvation of their souls.

74 "And now my sons, remember, remember that it is upon the Rock of our Redeemer, which is Christ, the Son of God, that ye must build your foundation; That when the devil shall send forth his mighty winds, yea, his shafts in the whirlwind,

75 Yea, when all his hail and his mighty storm shall beat upon you, It shall have no power over you to drag you down to the gulf of misery and endless wo, Because of the Rock upon which ye are built, which is a sure foundation, a foundation whereon if men buildeth, they cannot fall."

76 And it came to pass that these were the words which Helaman taught to his sons; Yea, he did teach them many things which are not written, and also many things which are written.

77 And they did remember his words; And therefore, they went forth - keeping the commandments of God - to teach the word of God among all the people of Nephi, Beginning at the City Bountiful, and from thenceforth to the City of Gid, and from the City of Gid to the City of Mulek;

78 And even from one city to another until they had gone forth among all the people of Nephi which were in the Land Southward; And from thence into the Land of Zarahemla, among the Lamanites.

79 And it came to pass that they did preach with great power, Insomuch that they did confound many of those dissenters which had gone over from the Nephites, Insomuch that they came forth and did confess their sins and were baptized unto repentance, And immediately returned to the Nephites to endeavor to repair unto them the wrongs which they had done.

80 And it came to pass that Nephi and Lehi did preach unto the Lamanites with such great power and authority - For they had power and authority given unto them that they might speak, And they also had what they should speak given unto them -

81 Therefore, they did speak unto the great astonishment of the Lamanites to the convincing them, Insomuch that there were eight thousand of the Lamanites which were in the Land of Zarahemla and round about baptized unto repentance, And were convinced of the wickedness of the traditions of their fathers.

82 And it came to pass that Nephi and Lehi did proceed from thence to go to the Land of Nephi.

83 And it came to pass that they were taken by an army of the Lamanites and cast into prison; Yea, even in that same prison in which Ammon and his brethren were cast by the servants of Limhi;

84 And after they had been cast into prison many days without food, Behold, they went forth into the prison to take them, that they might slay them.

85 And it came to pass that Nephi and Lehi were encircled about as if by fire, Even insomuch that they durst not lay their hands upon them for fear, lest they should be burned.

86 Nevertheless, Nephi and Lehi were not burned, And they were as standing in the midst of fire and were not burned;

87 And when they saw that they were encircled about with a pillar of fire and that it burned them not, Their hearts did take courage;

88 For they saw that the Lamanites durst not lay their hands upon them; Neither durst they come near unto them, but stood as if they were struck dumb with amazement.

89 And it came to pass that Nephi and Lehi did stand forth and began to speak unto them, saying: "Fear not! For behold, it is God that hath shown unto you this marvelous thing, In the which is shown unto you that ye cannot lay your hands on us to slay us."

90 And behold, when they had said these words, the earth shook exceedingly, And the walls of the prison did shake, as if they were about to tumble to the earth; But behold, they did not fall.

91 And behold, they that were in the prison were Lamanites and Nephites which were dissenters.

92 And it came to pass that they were overshadowed with a cloud of darkness, And an awful, solemn fear came upon them.

93 And it came to pass that there came a voice as if it were above the cloud of darkness, saying: "Repent ye, repent ye! And seek no more to destroy My servants which I have sent unto you to declare good tidings!"

94 And it came to pass when they heard this voice and beheld that it was not a voice of thunder - Neither was it a voice of a great tumultuous noise, But behold, it was a still voice of perfect mildness, as if it had been a whisper, And it did pierce even to the very soul -

95 And notwithstanding the mildness of the voice, Behold, the earth shook exceedingly, And the walls of the prison trembled again as if it were about to tumble to the earth; And behold, the cloud of darkness which had overshadowed them did not disperse.

96 And behold, the voice came again, saying: "Repent ye, repent ye! for the kingdom of heaven is at hand; And seek no more to destroy My servants!"

97 And it came to pass that the earth shook again and the walls trembled; And also again the third time the voice came and did speak unto them marvelous words which cannot be uttered by man; And the walls did tremble again and the earth shook as if it were about to divide asunder.

98 And it came to pass that the Lamanites could not flee because of the cloud of darkness which did overshadow them; Yea, and also they were immovable because of the fear which did come upon them.

99 Now there was one among them who was a Nephite by birth who had once belonged to the church of God but had dissented from them;

100 And it came to pass that he turned him about, And behold, he saw through the cloud of darkness the faces of Nephi and Lehi; And behold, they did shine exceedingly, even as the face of angels;

101 And he beheld that they did lift their eyes to heaven; And they were in the attitude as if talking or lifting their voices to some Being which they beheld.

102 And it came to pass that this man did cry unto the multitude that they might turn and look.

103 And behold, there was power given unto them that they did turn and look; And they did behold the faces of Nephi and Lehi.

104 And they said unto the man: "Behold, what doth all these things mean? And who is it with whom these men do converse?"

105 Now the man's name was Aminadab; And Aminadab saith unto them: "They do converse with the angels of God."

106 And it came to pass that the Lamanites said unto him: "What shall we do that this cloud of darkness may be removed from overshadowing us?"

107 And Aminadab saith unto them: "You must repent and cry unto the voice, even until ye shall have faith in Christ, which was taught unto you by Alma and Amulek and by Zeezrom; And when ye shall do this, the cloud of darkness shall be removed from overshadowing you."

108 And it came to pass that they all did begin to cry unto the voice of Him which had shook the earth; Yea, they did cry even until the cloud of darkness was dispersed.

109 And it came to pass that when they cast their eyes about and saw that the cloud of darkness was dispersed from overshadowing them, And behold, they saw that they were encircled about, yea, every soul, by a pillar of fire;

110 And Nephi and Lehi were in the midst of them - Yea, they were encircled about, Yea, they were as if in the midst of a flaming fire, yet it did harm them not, Neither did it take hold upon the walls of the prison - And they were filled with that joy which is unspeakable and full of glory;

111 And behold, the Holy Spirit of God did come down from heaven and did enter into their hearts, And they were filled as if with fire; And they could speak forth marvelous words.

112 And it came to pass that there came a voice unto them, yea, a pleasant voice, as if it were a whisper, saying: "Peace, peace be unto you because of your faith in My Well-Beloved which was from the foundation of the world."

113 And now when they heard this, they cast up their eyes as if to behold from whence the voice came; And behold, they saw the heavens open, And angels came down out of heaven and ministered unto them;

114 And there were about three hundred souls which saw and heard these things; And they were bid to go forth and marvel not, neither should they doubt.

115 And it came to pass that they did go forth and did minister unto the people, Declaring throughout all the regions round about all the things which they had heard and seen, Insomuch that the more part of the Lamanites were convinced of them because of the greatness of the evidences which they had received;

116 And as many as were convinced did lay down their weapons of war, and also their hatred, and the tradition of their fathers.

117 And it came to pass that they did yield up unto the Nephites the lands of their possession.

118 And it came to pass that when the sixty and second year of the reign of the judges had ended, all these things had happened; And the Lamanites had become, the more part of them, a righteous people, Insomuch that their righteousness did exceed that of the Nephites because of their firmness and their steadiness in the faith.

119 For behold, there were many of the Nephites which had become hardened and impenitent and grossly wicked, Insomuch that they did reject the word of God and all the preaching and prophesying which did come among them.

120 Nevertheless, the people of the church did have great joy because of the conversion of the Lamanites, Yea, because of the church of God which had been established among them;

121 And they did fellowship one with another and did rejoice one with another and did have great joy.

122 And it came to pass that many of the Lamanites did come down into the Land of Zarahemla, And did declare unto the people of the Nephites the manner of their conversion, And did exhort them to faith and repentance;

123 Yea, and many did preach with exceeding great power and authority, Unto the bringing down many of them into the depths of humility, to be the humble followers of God and of the Lamb.

124 And it came to pass that many of the Lamanites did go into the Land Northward; And also Nephi and Lehi went into the Land Northward to preach unto the people.

125 And thus ended the sixty and third year.

126 And behold, there was peace in all the land, Insomuch that the Nephites did go into whatsoever part of the land they would, whether among the Nephites or the Lamanites.

127 And it came to pass that the Lamanites did also go whithersoever they would, Whether it were among the Lamanites or among the Nephites; And thus they did have free intercourse one with another for to buy and to sell and to get gain, according to their desire.

128 And it came to pass that they became exceeding rich, both the Lamanites and the Nephites; And they did have an exceeding plenty of gold and of silver and of all manner of precious metals, Both in the Land South and in the Land North.

129 Now the Land South was called Lehi, And the Land North was called Mulek, which was after the son of Zedekiah; For the Lord did bring Mulek into the Land North and Lehi into the Land South.

130 And behold, there was all manner of gold in both these lands, and of silver and of precious ore of every kind; And there were also curious workmen which did work all kinds of ore and did refine it; And thus they did become rich.

131 They did raise grain in abundance, both in the north and in the south; And they did flourish exceedingly, both in the north and in the south;

132 And they did multiply and wax exceeding strong in the land; And they did raise many flocks and herds, yea, many fatlings.

133 Behold, their women did toil and spin and did make all manner of cloth of fine-twined linen and cloth of every kind to clothe their nakedness.

134 And thus the sixty and fourth year did pass away in peace.

135 And in the sixty and fifth year, they did also have great joy and peace, Yea, much preaching and many prophecies concerning that which was to come; And thus passed away the sixty and fifth year.

136 And it came to pass that in the sixty and sixth year of the reign of the judges, Behold, Cezoram was murdered by an unknown hand as he sat upon the judgment seat.

137 And it came to pass that in the same year, that his son which had been appointed by the people in his stead was also murdered; And thus ended the sixty and sixth year.

138 And in the commencement of the sixty and seventh year, the people began to grow exceeding wicked again;

139 For behold, the Lord had blessed them so long with the riches of the world, That they had not been stirred up to anger, to wars, nor to bloodsheds; Therefore, they began to set their hearts upon their riches;

140 Yea, they began to seek to get gain that they might be lifted up one above another; Therefore, they began to commit secret murders and to rob and to plunder, that they might get gain.

141 And now behold, those murderers and plunderers were a band which had been formed by Kishcumen and Gaddianton.

142 And now it had come to pass that there were many, even among the Nephites, of Gaddianton's band; But behold, they were more numerous among the more wicked part of the Lamanites;

143 And they were called Gaddianton's robbers and murderers; And it was they which did murder the chief judge Cezoram and his son while in the judgment seat; And behold, they were not found.

144 And now it came to pass that when the Lamanites found that there were robbers among them, They were exceeding sorrowful; And they did use every means whatsoever was in their power to destroy them off the face of the earth.

145 But behold, Satan did stir up the hearts of the more parts of the Nephites insomuch that they did unite with those bands of robbers, And did enter into their covenants and their oaths that they would protect and preserve one another in whatsoever difficult circumstances they should be placed, In that they should not suffer for their murders and their plunderings and their stealings.

146 And it came to pass that they did have their signs, yea, their secret signs and their secret words; And this that they might distinguish a brother who had entered into the covenant, That whatsoever wickedness his brother should do, he should not be injured by his brother, Nor by those who did belong to his band who had taken this covenant.

147 And thus they might murder and plunder and steal and commit whoredoms and all manner of wickedness contrary to the laws of their country, and also the laws of their God;

148 And whosoever of those which belonged to their band should reveal unto the world of their wickedness and their abominations should be tried - Not according to the laws of their country, But according to the laws of their wickedness which had been given by Gaddianton and Kishcumen.

149 Now behold, it is these secret oaths and covenants which Alma commanded his son should not go forth unto the world, Lest they should be a means of bringing down the people unto destruction.

150 Now behold, those secret oaths and covenants did not come forth unto Gaddianton from the records which were delivered unto Helaman;

151 But behold, they were put into the heart of Gaddianton by that same being who did entice our first parents to partake of the forbidden fruit - Yea, that same being who did plot with Cain, that if he would murder his brother Abel, it should not be known unto the world;

152 And he did plot with Cain and his followers from that time forth.

153 And also it is that same being who put it into the hearts of the people to build a tower sufficiently high that they might get to heaven.

154 And it was that same being which led on the people which came from that Tower into this land, Which spread the works of darkness and abominations over all the face of the land, until he dragged the people down to an entire destruction and to an everlasting hell.

155 Yea, it is that same being who put it into the heart of Gaddianton to still carry on the work of darkness and of secret murder; And he hath brought it forth from the beginning of man, even down to this time.

156 And behold, it is he which is the author of all sin; And behold, he doth carry on his works of darkness and secret murder, And doth hand down their plots and their oaths and their covenants and their plans of awful wickedness from generation to generation, According as he can get hold upon the hearts of the children of men.

157 And now behold, he had got great hold upon the hearts of the Nephites, Yea, insomuch that they had become exceeding wicked;

158 Yea, the more part of them had turned out of the way of righteousness, And did trample under their feet the commandments of God, And did turn unto their own ways, And did build up unto themselves idols of their gold and of their silver.

159 And it came to pass that all these iniquities did come unto them in the space of not many years, Insomuch that the more part of it had come unto them in the sixty and seventh year of the reign of the judges over the people of Nephi.

160 And they did grow in their iniquities in the sixty and eighth year also, to the great sorrow and lamentation of the righteous.

161 And thus we see that the Nephites did begin to dwindle in unbelief and grow in wickedness and abominations, While the Lamanites began to grow exceedingly in the knowledge of their God; Yea, they did begin to keep His statutes and commandments and to walk in truth and uprightness before Him.

162 And thus we see that the Spirit of the Lord began to withdraw from the Nephites because of the wickedness and the hardness of their hearts.

163 And thus we see that the Lord began to pour out His Spirit upon the Lamanites because of their easiness and willingness to believe in His word.

164 And it came to pass that the Lamanites did hunt the band of robbers of Gaddianton; And they did preach the word of God among the more wicked part of them, Insomuch that this band of robbers was utterly destroyed from among the Lamanites.

165 And it came to pass on the other hand, that the Nephites did build them up and support them, beginning at the more wicked part of them, Until they had overspread all the land of the Nephites and had seduced the more part of the righteous, Until they had come down to believe in their works and partake of their spoils and to join with them in their secret murders and combinations.

166 And thus they did obtain the sole management of the government, Insomuch that they did trample under their feet and smite and rend and turn their backs upon the poor and the meek and humble followers of God.

167 And thus we see that they were in an awful state and ripening for an everlasting destruction.

168 And it came to pass that thus ended the sixty and eighth year of the reign of the judges over the people of Nephi.