9.17.2009

pgs. 506 and 507...and the people began to repent of their iniquity; and inasmuch as they did the Lord did have mercy on them.

14 And his brother did rise up in rebellion against him, by which he did bring him into acaptivity; and he did remain in captivity all his days; and he begat sons and daughters in captivity, and in his old age he begat Levi; and he died.
15 And it came to pass that Levi did serve in captivity after the death of his father, for the space of forty and two years. And he did make war against the king of the land, by which he did obtain unto himself the kingdom.
16 And after he had obtained unto himself the kingdom he did that which was right in the sight of the Lord; and the people did prosper in the land; and he did live to a good aold age, and begat sons and daughters; and he also begat Corom, whom he anointed king in his stead.
17 And it came to pass that Corom did that which was good in the sight of the Lord all his days; and he begat many sons and daughters; and after he had seen many days he did pass away, even like unto the rest of the earth; and Kish reigned in his stead.
18 And it came to pass that Kish passed away also, and Lib reigned in his stead.
19 And it came to pass that Lib also did that which was good in the sight of the Lord. And in the days of Lib the apoisonous serpents were destroyed. Wherefore they did go into the land southward, to hunt food for the people of the land, for the land was covered with animals of the forest. And Lib also himself became a great bhunter.
20 And they built a great city by the anarrow neck of land, by the place where the sea divides the land.
21 And they did preserve the land asouthward for a wilderness, to get game. And the whole face of the land northward was covered with inhabitants.
22 And they were exceedingly aindustrious, and they did buy and sell and btraffic one with another, that they might get gain.
23 And they did awork in all manner of bore, and they did make gold, and silver, and ciron, and dbrass, and all manner of metals; and they did dig it out of the earth; wherefore, they did cast up mighty heaps of earth to get ore, of gold, and of silver, and of iron, and of copper. And they did ework all manner of fine work.
24 And they did have asilks, and fine-twined blinen; and they did work all manner of ccloth, that they might clothe themselves from their nakedness.
25 And they did make all manner of tools to till the earth, both to plow and to sow, to reap and to hoe, and also to thrash.
26 And they did make all manner of tools with which they did work their beasts.
27 And they did make all manner of aweapons of war. And they did work all manner of work of exceedingly curious workmanship.
28 And never could be a people more blessed than were they, and more prospered by the hand of the Lord. And they were in a land that was choice above all lands, for the Lord had spoken it.
29 And it came to pass that Lib did live many years, and begat sons and daughters; and he also begat Hearthom.
30 And it came to pass that Hearthom reigned in the stead of his father. And when Hearthom had reigned twenty and four years, behold, the kingdom was taken away from him. And he served many years in acaptivity, yea, even all the remainder of his days.
31 And he begat Heth, and Heth lived in captivity all his days. And Heth begat Aaron, and Aaron dwelt in captivity all his days; and he begat Amnigaddah, and Amnigaddah also dwelt in captivity all his days; and he begat Coriantum, and Coriantum dwelt in captivity all his days; and he begat Com.
32 And it came to pass that Com drew away the half of the kingdom. And he reigned over the half of the kingdom forty and two years; and he went to battle against the king, Amgid, and they fought for the space of many years, during which time Com gained power over Amgid, and obtained power over the remainder of the kingdom.
33 And in the days of Com there began to be robbers in the land; and they adopted the old plans, and administered aoaths after the manner of the ancients, and sought again to destroy the kingdom.
34 Now Com did fight against them much; nevertheless, he did not prevail against them.
THE BOOK OF ETHER
CHAPTER 11
Wars, dissensions, and wickedness dominate Jaredite life—Their prophets predict the utter destruction of the Jaredites unless they repent—The people reject the words of the prophets.
1 And there came also in the days of Com many aprophets, and prophesied of the destruction of that great people except they should repent, and turn unto the Lord, and forsake their murders and wickedness.
2 And it came to pass that the prophets were arejected by the people, and they fled unto Com for protection, for the people sought to destroy them.
3 And they prophesied unto Com many things; and he was blessed in all the remainder of his days.
4 And he lived to a good old age, and begat Shiblom; and Shiblom reigned in his stead. And the brother of Shiblom rebelled against him, and there began to be an exceedingly great war in all the land.
5 And it came to pass that the brother of Shiblom caused that all the prophets who prophesied of the destruction of the people should be put to adeath;
6 And there was great calamity in all the land, for they had testified that a great curse should come upon the land, and also upon the people, and that there should be a great destruction among them, such an one as never had been upon the face of the earth, and their bones should become as aheaps of earth upon the face of the land except they should repent of their wickedness.
7 And they hearkened not unto the voice of the Lord, because of their wicked combinations; wherefore, there began to be wars and acontentions in all the land, and also many famines and pestilences, insomuch that there was a great destruction, such an one as never had been known upon the face of the earth; and all this came to pass in the days of Shiblom.
8 And the people began to repent of their iniquity; and inasmuch as they did the Lord did have amercy on them.
9 And it came to pass that Shiblom was slain, and Seth was brought into acaptivity, and did dwell in captivity all his days.
10 And it came to pass that Ahah, his son, did obtain the kingdom; and he did reign over the people all his days. And he did do all manner of iniquity in his days, by which he did cause the shedding of much blood; and few were his days.

The main lesson of the Book of Mormon is once again repeated in this reading. This lesson is that if you repent the Lord will have mercy on you and bless you. If you don't, He won't. It seems so simple and yet it is taught to us over and over and over through so many different generations and examples. It must be a really important message!