pgs. 82 and 83...And the loftiness of man shall be bowed down, and the haughtiness of men shall be made low; and the Lord alone shall be exalted...

13 Yea, and the day of the Lord shall come upon all the cedars of Lebanon, for they are high and lifted up; and upon all the oaks of Bashan;
14 And upon all the high mountains, and upon all the hills, and upon all the nations which are lifted up, and upon every people;
15 And upon every high tower, and upon every fenced wall;
16 And upon all the ships of the sea, and upon all the ships of Tarshish, and upon all pleasant pictures.
17 And the loftiness of man shall be bowed down, and the haughtiness of men shall be made low; and the Lord alone shall be exalted in that day.
18 And the idols he shall utterly abolish.
19 And they shall go into the holes of the rocks, and into the caves of the earth, for the fear of the Lord shall come upon them and the glory of his majesty shall smite them, when he ariseth to shake terribly the earth.
20 In that day a man shall cast his idols of silver, and his idols of gold, which he hath made for himself to worship, to the moles and to the bats;
21 To go into the clefts of the rocks, and into the tops of the ragged rocks, for the fear of the Lord shall come upon them and the majesty of his glory shall smite them, when he ariseth to shake terribly the earth.
22 Cease ye from man, whose breath is in his nostrils; for wherein is he to be accounted of?

CHAPTER 13
Judah and Jerusalem shall be punished for their disobedience—The Lord pleads for and judges his people—The daughters of Zion are cursed and tormented for their worldliness—Compare Isaiah 3. Between 559 and 545 B.C.
1 For behold, the Lord, the Lord of Hosts, doth take away from Jerusalem, and from Judah, the stay and the staff, the whole staff of bread, and the whole stay of water—
2 The mighty man, and the man of war, the judge, and the prophet, and the prudent, and the ancient;
3 The captain of fifty, and the honorable man, and the counselor, and the cunning artificer, and the eloquent orator.
4 And I will give children unto them to be their princes, and babes shall rule over them.
5 And the people shall be oppressed, every one by another, and every one by his neighbor; the child shall behave himself proudly against the ancient, and the base against the honorable.
6 When a man shall take hold of his brother of the house of his father, and shall say: Thou hast clothing, be thou our ruler, and let not this ruin come under thy hand—
7 In that day shall he swear, saying: I will not be a healer; for in my house there is neither bread nor clothing; make me not a ruler of the people.
8 For Jerusalem is ruined, and Judah is fallen, because their tongues and their doings have been against the Lord, to provoke the eyes of his glory.
9 The show of their countenance doth witness against them, and doth declare their sin to be even as Sodom, and they cannot hide it. Wo unto their souls, for they have rewarded evil unto themselves!
10 Say unto the righteous that it is well with them; for they shall beat the fruit of their doings.
11 Wo unto the wicked, for they shall perish; for the reward of their hands shall be upon them!
12 And my people, children are their oppressors, and women rule over them. O my people, they who lead thee cause thee to err and destroy the way of thy paths.
13 The Lord standeth up to plead, and standeth to judge the people.
14 The Lord will enter into judgment with the ancients of his people and the princes thereof; for ye have eaten up the vineyard and the spoil of the poor in your houses.
15 What mean ye? Ye beat my people to pieces, and grind the faces of the poor, saith the Lord God of Hosts.
16 Moreover, the Lord saith: Because the daughters of Zion are haughty, and walk with stretched-forth necks and wanton eyes, walking and mincing as they go, and making a tinkling with their feet—
17 Therefore the Lord will smite with a scab the crown of the head of the daughters of Zion, and the Lord will discover their secret parts.
18 In that day the Lord will take away the bravery of their tinkling ornaments, and cauls, and round tires like the moon;
19 The chains and the bracelets, and the mufflers;
20 The bonnets, and the ornaments of the legs, and the headbands, and the tablets, and the ear-rings;
21 The rings, and nose jewels;
22 The changeable suits of apparel, and the mantles, and the wimples, and the crisping-pins;
23 The glasses, and the fine linen, and hoods, and the veils.
24 And it shall come to pass, instead of sweet smell there shall be stink; and instead of a girdle, a rent; and instead of well set hair, baldness; and instead of a stomacher, a girding of sackcloth; burning instead of beauty.
25 Thy men shall fall by the sword and thy mighty in the war.
26 And her gates shall lament and mourn; and she shall be desolate, and shall sit upon the ground.

I have to admit these verses seem like a lot of doom and gloom to me.  My husband and I were trying to decide if this is referring to the destruction that happened when Jerusalem fell to Babylon after Lehi's people escaped or if it still in the future.  I have to say that I hope it already occurred but my husband pointed out that Isaiah is known for "parallel teaching" which can refer to more than one time period.  So even if it did happen already that doesn't mean it won't happen again.  Which means all of us just need to stay close to the Spirit so we will be able to be safe if the wrath of the Lord finds it's way to the earth.

P.S.  Happy Valentine's Day everyone!!!

P.P.S.  I am blogging from my husbands laptop while on vacation for the next few days.  If things look different than usual or are posted later that's why.  Thanks for your patience!

pgs. 80 and 81...Now these are the words, and ye may liken them unto you and unto all men.

CHAPTER 11

Jacob saw his Redeemer—The law of Moses typifies Christ and proves he shall come. Between 559 and 545 B.C.

1 And now, ^aJacob spake many more things to my people at that time; nevertheless only these things have I caused to be ^bwritten, for the things which I have written sufficeth me.

2 And now I, Nephi, write ^amore of the words of ^bIsaiah, for my soul delighteth in his words. For I will liken his words unto my people, and I will send them forth unto all my children, for he verily ^csaw my ^dRedeemer, even as I have seen him.

3 And my brother, Jacob, also has ^aseen him as I have seen him; wherefore, I will send their words forth unto my children to prove unto them that my words are true. Wherefore, by the words of ^bthree, God hath said, I will establish my word. Nevertheless, God sendeth more ^cwitnesses, and he proveth all his words.

4 Behold, my soul delighteth in ^aproving unto my people the truth of the ^bcoming of Christ; for, for this end hath the ^claw of Moses been given; and all things which have been given of God from the beginning of the world, unto man, are the ^dtypifying of him.

5 And also my soul delighteth in the ^acovenants of the Lord which he hath made to our fathers; yea, my soul delighteth in his ^bgrace, and in his justice, and power, and mercy in the great and eternal plan of ^cdeliverance from death.

6 And my soul delighteth in proving unto my people that ^asave Christ should come all men must perish.

7 For if there be ^ano Christ there be no God; and if there be no God we are not, for there could have been no ^bcreation. But there is a God, and ^che is Christ, and he cometh in the fulness of his own time.

8 And now I write ^asome of the words of Isaiah, that whoso of my people shall see these words may lift up their hearts and rejoice for all men. Now these are the words, and ye may liken them unto you and unto all men.

CHAPTER 12

Isaiah sees the latter-day temple, gathering of Israel, and millennial judgment and peace—The proud and wicked shall be brought low at the Second Coming—Compare Isaiah 2. Between 559 and 545 B.C.

1 ^aThe word that Isaiah, the son of Amoz, saw concerning Judah and Jerusalem:

2 And it shall come to pass in the last days, ^awhen the ^bmountain of the Lord’s ^chouse shall be established in the top of the ^dmountains, and shall be exalted above the hills, and all nations shall flow unto it.

3 And many ^apeople shall go and say, Come ye, and let us go up to the ^bmountain of the Lord, to the ^chouse of the God of Jacob; and he will teach us of his ways, and we will ^dwalk in his paths; for out of Zion shall go forth the law, and the word of the Lord from Jerusalem.

4 And he shall ^ajudge among the nations, and shall rebuke many people: and they shall beat their swords into plow-shares, and their spears into pruning-hooks—nation shall not lift up sword against nation, neither shall they learn war any more.

5 O house of Jacob, come ye and let us walk in the light of the Lord; yea, come, for ye have all ^agone astray, every one to his ^bwicked ways.

6 Therefore, O Lord, thou hast forsaken thy people, the house of Jacob, because they be replenished from the east, and hearken unto ^asoothsayers like the ^bPhilistines, and they please themselves in the children of strangers.

7 Their land also is full of silver and gold, neither is there any end of their ^atreasures; their land is also full of horses, neither is there any end of their chariots.

8 Their land is also full of ^aidols; they worship the work of their own hands, that which their own fingers have made.

9 And the mean man ^aboweth ^bnot down, and the great man humbleth himself not, therefore, forgive him not.

10 O ye wicked ones, enter into the rock, and ^ahide thee in the dust, for the fear of the Lord and the glory of his majesty shall smite thee.

11 And it shall come to pass that the ^alofty looks of man shall be humbled, and the haughtiness of men shall be bowed down, and the Lord alone shall be exalted in that day.

12 For the ^aday of the Lord of Hosts soon cometh upon all nations, yea, upon every one; yea, upon the ^bproud and lofty, and upon every one who is lifted up, and he shall be brought low.


Did you know that Isaiah's name means "Jehovah is salvation?" After studying these pages and the previous Isaiah quotes it is no surprise, right? Isaiah lived about 100 years before Nephi and his people so I was thinking, quoting him then might be something like us quoting Joseph Smith now.

pgs. 78 and 79...it is only in and through the grace of God that ye are saved.

CHAPTER 10

Jews shall crucify their God—They shall be scattered until they begin to believe in him—America shall be a land of liberty where no king shall rule—Be reconciled to God and gain salvation through his grace. Between 559 and 545 B.C.

1 And now I, Jacob, speak unto you again, my beloved brethren, concerning this righteous ^abranch of which I have spoken.

2 For behold, the ^apromises which we have obtained are promises unto us according to the flesh; wherefore, as it has been shown unto me that many of our children shall perish in the flesh because of ^bunbelief, nevertheless, God will be merciful unto many; and our children shall be ^crestored, that they may come to that which will give them the true knowledge of their Redeemer.

3 Wherefore, as I said unto you, it must needs be expedient that Christ—for in the last night the ^aangel spake unto me that this should be his name—should ^bcome among the ^cJews, among those who are the more wicked part of the world; and they shall ^dcrucify him—for thus it behooveth our God, and there is none other nation on earth that would ^ecrucify their ^fGod.

4 For should the mighty ^amiracles be wrought among other nations they would repent, and know that he be their God.

5 But because of ^apriestcrafts and iniquities, they at Jerusalem will ^bstiffen their necks against him, that he be ^ccrucified.

6 Wherefore, because of their iniquities, destructions, famines, ^apestilences, and bloodshed shall come upon them; and they who shall not be destroyed shall be ^bscattered among all nations.

7 But behold, thus saith the ^aLord God: ^bWhen the day cometh that they shall believe in me, that I am Christ, then have I covenanted with their fathers that they shall be ^crestored in the flesh, upon the earth, unto the ^dlands of their inheritance.

8 And it shall come to pass that they shall be ^agathered in from their long dispersion, from the ^bisles of the sea, and from the four parts of the earth; and the nations of the Gentiles shall be great in the eyes of me, saith God, in ^ccarrying them forth to the lands of their inheritance.

9 ^aYea, the kings of the Gentiles shall be nursing fathers unto them, and their queens shall become nursing mothers; wherefore, the ^bpromises of the Lord are great unto the Gentiles, for he hath spoken it, and who can dispute?

10 But behold, this land, said God, shall be a land of thine inheritance, and the ^aGentiles shall be blessed upon the land.

11 And this land shall be a land of ^aliberty unto the Gentiles, and there shall be no ^bkings upon the land, who shall raise up unto the Gentiles.

12 And I will fortify this land ^aagainst all other nations.

13 And he that ^afighteth against Zion shall ^bperish, saith God.

14 For he that raiseth up a ^aking against me shall perish, for I, the Lord, the ^bking of heaven, will be their king, and I will be a ^clight unto them forever, that hear my words.

15 Wherefore, for this cause, that my ^acovenants may be fulfilled which I have made unto the children of men, that I will do unto them while they are in the flesh, I must needs destroy the ^bsecret works of ^cdarkness, and of murders, and of abominations.

16 Wherefore, he that ^afighteth against ^bZion, both Jew and Gentile, both bond and free, both male and female, ^cshall perish; for ^dthey are they who are the ^ewhore of all the earth; for ^fthey who are ^gnot for me are ^hagainst me, saith our God.

17 For I will ^afulfil my ^bpromises which I have made unto the children of men, that I will do unto them while they are in the flesh—

18 Wherefore, my beloved brethren, thus saith our God: I will afflict thy seed by the hand of the Gentiles; nevertheless, I will ^asoften the hearts of the ^bGentiles, that they shall be like unto a father to them; wherefore, the Gentiles shall be ^cblessed and ^dnumbered among the house of Israel.

19 Wherefore, I will ^aconsecrate this land unto thy seed, and them who shall be numbered among thy seed, forever, for the land of their inheritance; for it is a choice land, saith God unto me, above all other lands, wherefore I will have all men that dwell thereon that they shall worship me, saith God.

20 And now, my beloved brethren, seeing that our merciful God has given us so great knowledge concerning these things, let us remember him, and lay aside our sins, and not hang down our heads, for we are not cast off; nevertheless, we have been ^adriven out of the land of our inheritance; but we have been led to a ^bbetter land, for the Lord has made the sea our ^cpath, and we are upon an ^disle of the sea.

21 But great are the promises of the Lord unto them who are upon the ^aisles of the sea; wherefore as it says isles, there must needs be more than this, and they are inhabited also by our brethren.

22 For behold, the Lord God has ^aled away from time to time from the house of Israel, according to his will and pleasure. And now behold, the Lord remembereth all them who have been broken off, wherefore he remembereth us also.

23 Therefore, ^acheer up your hearts, and remember that ye are ^bfree to ^cact for yourselves—to ^dchoose the way of everlasting death or the way of eternal life.

24 Wherefore, my beloved brethren, ^areconcile yourselves to the ^bwill of God, and not to the will of the devil and the flesh; and remember, after ye are reconciled unto God, that it is only in and through the ^cgrace of God that ye are ^dsaved.

25 Wherefore, may God ^araise you from death by the power of the resurrection, and also from everlasting death by the power of the ^batonement, that ye may be received into the ^ceternal kingdom of God, that ye may praise him through grace divine. Amen.


Two things popped out to me from this chapter:

1. Verse 11 - Jacob prophesies that this land will have no kings. That prophesy has been true so far and that seems so miraculous. Is there any other place on earth that hasn't had a king as their political leader?

2. Verse 24 - Jacob asks his brethren (which, on a side note makes me wonder, was this a "priesthood session"?) to reconcile themselves with the will of God. I learned that the Latin translation of the word reconcile is: "re" - "again", "con" - "with", "cile" - "sit" so that means sit with again. So Jacob is basically admonishing them to make good choices so that they can sit with God again.

I also feel like I have to include this quote about verse 3. It is very humbling.

“This generation is as corrupt as the generation of the Jews that crucified Christ; and if He were here to-day, and should preach the same doctrine He did then, they would put Him to death” (Joseph Smith, Teachings of the Prophet Joseph Smith, p. 328).

pgs. 76 and 77...the way for man is narrow, but it lieth in a straight course before him, and the keeper of the gate is the Holy One of Israel.

34 Wo unto the ^aliar, for he shall be thrust down to ^bhell.

35 Wo unto the ^amurderer who deliberately ^bkilleth, for he shall ^cdie.

36 Wo unto them who commit ^awhoredoms, for they shall be thrust down to hell.

37 Yea, wo unto those that ^aworship idols, for the devil of all devils delighteth in them.

38 And, in fine, wo unto all those who die in their ^asins; for they shall ^breturn to God, and behold his face, and remain in their sins.

39 O, my beloved brethren, remember the awfulness in ^atransgressing against that Holy God, and also the awfulness of yielding to the enticings of that ^bcunning one. Remember, to be ^ccarnally-minded is ^ddeath, and to be ^espiritually-minded is ^flife ^geternal.

40 O, my beloved brethren, give ear to my words. Remember the greatness of the Holy One of Israel. Do not say that I have spoken hard things against you; for if ye do, ye will ^arevile against the ^btruth; for I have spoken the words of your Maker. I know that the words of truth are ^chard against all ^duncleanness; but the ^erighteous fear them not, for they love the truth and are not shaken.

41 O then, my beloved brethren, ^acome unto the Lord, the Holy One. Remember that his paths are righteous. Behold, the ^bway for man is ^cnarrow, but it lieth in a straight course before him, and the keeper of the ^dgate is the Holy One of Israel; and he employeth no servant there; and there is none other way save it be by the gate; for he cannot be deceived, for the Lord God is his name.

42 And whoso ^aknocketh, to him will he open; and the ^bwise, and the learned, and they that are rich, who are puffed up because of their ^clearning, and their ^dwisdom, and their riches—yea, they are they whom he despiseth; and save they shall cast these things away, and consider themselves ^efools before God, and come down in the depths of ^fhumility, he will not open unto them.

43 But the things of the wise and the ^aprudent shall be ^bhid from them forever—yea, that happiness which is prepared for the saints.

44 O, my beloved brethren, remember my words. Behold, I take off my garments, and I shake them before you; I pray the God of my salvation that he view me with his ^aall-searching eye; wherefore, ye shall know at the last day, when all men shall be judged of their works, that the God of Israel did witness that I ^bshook your iniquities from my soul, and that I stand with brightness before him, and am ^crid of your blood.

45 O, my beloved brethren, turn away from your sins; shake off the ^achains of him that would bind you fast; come unto that God who is the ^brock of your salvation.

46 Prepare your souls for that glorious day when ^ajustice shall be administered unto the righteous, even the day of ^bjudgment, that ye may not shrink with awful fear; that ye may not remember your awful ^cguilt in perfectness, and be constrained to exclaim: Holy, holy are thy judgments, O Lord God ^dAlmighty—but I know my guilt; I transgressed thy law, and my transgressions are mine; and the devil hath ^eobtained me, that I am a prey to his awful misery.

47 But behold, my brethren, is it expedient that I should awake you to an awful reality of these things? Would I harrow up your souls if your minds were pure? Would I be plain unto you according to the plainness of the truth if ye were freed from sin?

48 Behold, if ye were holy I would speak unto you of holiness; but as ye are not holy, and ye look upon me as a ^ateacher, it must needs be expedient that I ^bteach you the consequences of sin.

49 Behold, my soul abhorreth sin, and my heart ^adelighteth in righteousness; and I will ^bpraise the holy name of my God.

50 Come, my brethren, every one that ^athirsteth, come ye to the ^bwaters; and he that hath no ^cmoney, come buy and eat; yea, come buy wine and milk without money and without price.

51 Wherefore, do not spend money for that which is of no worth, nor your ^alabor for that which cannot ^bsatisfy. Hearken diligently unto me, and remember the words which I have spoken; and come unto the Holy One of Israel, and ^cfeast upon that which perisheth not, neither can be corrupted, and let your soul delight in fatness.

52 Behold, my beloved brethren, remember the words of your God; pray unto him continually by day, and give ^athanks unto his holy name by night. Let your hearts ^brejoice.

53 And behold how great the ^acovenants of the Lord, and how great his ^bcondescensions unto the children of men; and because of his greatness, and his ^cgrace and ^dmercy, he has promised unto us that our seed shall not utterly be destroyed, according to the flesh, but that he would ^epreserve them; and in future generations they shall become a righteous ^fbranch unto the house of Israel.

54 And now, my brethren, I would speak unto you more; but on the morrow I will declare unto you the remainder of my words. Amen.


These verses contain so much doctrine about the judgment day and how much we will need the Savior in that day. I'm so curious about the meaning of Jacob "shaking his garments" before his people in verse 44. I wonder if that had some cultural significance at the time and helped Jacob to emphasize how important this message was to him. The judgment of his people was clearly weighing heavily on his mind! I found this quote by John Taylor that helps us to understand the way our earthly actions will be judged. It really makes me want to make good choices with the way I use my time here on earth!

“Man sleeps the sleep of death, but the spirit lives where the record of his deeds is kept—that does not die—man cannot kill it; there is no decay associated with it, and it still retains in all its vividness the remembrance of that which transpired before the separation by death of the body and the ever-living spirit. Man sleeps for a time in the grave, and by-and-by he rises again from the dead and goes to judgment; and then the secret thoughts of all men are revealed before Him with whom we have to do; we cannot hide them; it would be in vain for a man to say then, I did not do so-and-so; the command would be, Unravel and read the record which he has made of himself, and let it testify in relation to these things, and all could gaze upon it. If a man has acted fraudulently against his neighbor—has committed murder, or adultery, or anything else, and wants to cover it up, that record will stare him in the face, he tells the story himself, and bears witness against himself. . . . It is not because somebody has seen things, or heard anything by which a man will be judged and condemned, but it is because that record that is written by the man himself in the tablets of his own mind—that record that cannot lie—will in that day be unfolded before God and angels, and those who shall sit as judges” (John Taylor, in Journal of Discourses, 11:78–79).

pgs. 74 and 75...O the greatness of the mercy of our God, the Holy One of Israel!

15 And it shall come to pass that when all men shall have passed from this first death unto life, insomuch as they have become immortal, they must appear before the ^ajudgment-seat of the Holy One of Israel; and then cometh the ^bjudgment, and then must they be judged according to the holy judgment of God.

16 And assuredly, as the Lord liveth, for the Lord God hath spoken it, and it is his eternal ^aword, which cannot ^bpass away, that they who are righteous shall be righteous still, and they who are ^cfilthy shall be ^dfilthy still; wherefore, they who are filthy are the ^edevil and his angels; and they shall go away into ^feverlasting fire, prepared for them; and their ^gtorment is as a ^hlake of fire and brimstone, whose flame ascendeth up forever and ever and has no end.

17 O the greatness and the ^ajustice of our God! For he executeth all his words, and they have gone forth out of his mouth, and his law must be ^bfulfilled.

18 But, behold, the ^arighteous, the ^bsaints of the Holy One of Israel, they who have believed in the Holy One of Israel, they who have endured the ^ccrosses of the world, and despised the shame of it, they shall ^dinherit the ^ekingdom of God, which was prepared for them ^ffrom the foundation of the world, and their ^gjoy shall be full ^hforever.

19 O the greatness of the mercy of our God, the Holy One of Israel! For he ^adelivereth his saints from that ^bawful monster the devil, and death, and ^chell, and that lake of fire and brimstone, which is endless torment.

20 O how great the ^aholiness of our God! For he ^bknoweth ^call things, and there is not anything save he knows it.

21 And he cometh into the world that he may ^asave all men if they will hearken unto his voice; for behold, he suffereth the pains of all men, yea, the ^bpains of every living creature, both men, women, and children, who belong to the family of ^cAdam.

22 And he suffereth this that the resurrection might pass upon all men, that all might stand before him at the great and judgment day.

23 And he commandeth all men that they must ^arepent, and be ^bbaptized in his name, having perfect ^cfaith in the Holy One of Israel, or they cannot be saved in the kingdom of God.

24 And if they will not repent and believe in his ^aname, and be baptized in his name, and ^bendure to the end, they must be ^cdamned; for the Lord God, the Holy One of Israel, has spoken it.

25 Wherefore, he has given a ^alaw; and where there is ^bno ^claw given there is no ^dpunishment; and where there is no punishment there is no condemnation; and where there is no condemnation the mercies of the Holy One of Israel have claim upon them, because of the atonement; for they are delivered by the power of him.

26 For the ^aatonement satisfieth the demands of his ^bjustice upon all those who ^chave not the ^dlaw given to them, that they are ^edelivered from that awful monster, death and ^fhell, and the devil, and the lake of fire and brimstone, which is endless torment; and they are restored to that God who gave them ^gbreath, which is the Holy One of Israel.

27 But wo unto him that has the ^alaw given, yea, that has all the commandments of God, like unto us, and that ^btransgresseth them, and that ^cwasteth the days of his ^dprobation, for awful is his state!

28 O that cunning ^aplan of the evil one! O the ^bvainness, and the frailties, and the ^cfoolishness of men! When they are ^dlearned they think they are ^ewise, and they ^fhearken not unto the ^gcounsel of God, for they set it aside, supposing they know of themselves, wherefore, their ^hwisdom is foolishness and it profiteth them not. And they shall perish.

29 But to be ^alearned is good if they ^bhearken unto the ^ccounsels of God.

30 But wo unto the ^arich, who are ^brich as to the things of the ^cworld. For because they are rich they despise the ^dpoor, and they persecute the meek, and their ^ehearts are upon their treasures; wherefore, their ^ftreasure is their god. And behold, their ^gtreasure shall perish with them also.

31 And wo unto the deaf that will not ^ahear; for they shall perish.

32 Wo unto the ^ablind that will not see; for they shall perish also.

33 Wo unto the ^auncircumcised of heart, for a knowledge of their iniquities shall smite them at the last day.

Whenever I read "wo unto" I always feel like I should pay a little extra attention! These last verses are the first half of a sermon by Jacob on the consequences we all face if we waste our time on the earth in wickedness. I can almost hear the pleading in his voice as I read this. It seems like he sincerely just wants all of the Nephites to be happy and to be able to live with God eternally.
P.S. I know you all have verse 28 memorized since it's a scripture mastery!!! ; )

pgs. 72 and 73...it must needs be an infinite atonement - save it should be an infinite atonement this corruption could not put on incorruption.

CHAPTER 9

Jews shall be gathered in all their lands of promise—Atonement ransoms man from the fall—The bodies of the dead shall come forth from the grave, and their spirits from hell and from paradise—They shall be judged—Atonement saves from death, hell, the devil, and endless torment—The righteous to be saved in the kingdom of God—Penalties for sins set forth—The Holy One of Israel is the keeper of the gate. Between 559 and 545 B.C.

1 And now, my beloved brethren, I have read these things that ye might know concerning the ^acovenants of the Lord that he has covenanted with all the house of Israel—

2 That he has spoken unto the Jews, by the mouth of his holy prophets, even from the beginning down, from generation to generation, until the time comes that they shall be ^arestored to the true church and fold of God; when they shall be ^bgathered home to the ^clands of their inheritance, and shall be established in all their lands of promise.

3 Behold, my beloved brethren, I speak unto you these things that ye may rejoice, and ^alift up your heads forever, because of the blessings which the Lord God shall bestow upon your children.

4 For I know that ye have searched much, many of you, to know of things to come; wherefore I know that ye know that our ^aflesh must waste away and die; nevertheless, in our ^bbodies we shall see God.

5 Yea, I know that ye know that in the body he shall show himself unto those at Jerusalem, from whence we came; for it is expedient that it should be among them; for it behooveth the great ^aCreator that he ^bsuffereth himself to become ^csubject unto man in the flesh, and ^ddie for ^eall men, that all men might become subject unto him.

6 For as ^adeath hath passed upon all men, to fulfil the merciful ^bplan of the great Creator, there must needs be a power of ^cresurrection, and the resurrection must needs come unto man by reason of the ^dfall; and the fall came by reason of ^etransgression; and because man became fallen they were ^fcut off from the ^gpresence of the Lord.

7 Wherefore, it must needs be an ^ainfinite ^batonement—save it should be an infinite atonement this corruption could not put on incorruption. Wherefore, the ^cfirst judgment which came upon man must needs have ^dremained to an endless duration. And if so, this flesh must have laid down to rot and to crumble to its mother earth, to rise no more.

8 O the ^awisdom of God, his ^bmercy and ^cgrace! For behold, if the ^dflesh should rise no more our spirits must become subject to that angel who ^efell from before the presence of the Eternal God, and became the ^fdevil, to rise no more.

9 And our spirits must have become ^alike unto him, and we become devils, ^bangels to a ^cdevil, to be ^dshut out from the presence of our God, and to remain with the father of ^elies, in misery, like unto himself; yea, to that being who ^fbeguiled our first parents, who ^gtransformeth himself nigh unto an ^hangel of light, and ⁱstirreth up the children of men unto ^jsecret combinations of murder and all manner of secret works of darkness.

10 O how great the ^agoodness of our God, who prepareth a way for our ^bescape from the grasp of this awful monster; yea, that monster, ^cdeath and ^dhell, which I call the death of the body, and also the death of the spirit.

11 And because of the way of ^adeliverance of our God, the Holy One of Israel, this ^bdeath, of which I have spoken, which is the temporal, shall deliver up its dead; which death is the grave.

12 And this ^adeath of which I have spoken, which is the spiritual death, shall deliver up its dead; which spiritual death is ^bhell; wherefore, death and hell must ^cdeliver up their dead, and hell must deliver up its ^dcaptive ^espirits, and the grave must deliver up its captive ^fbodies, and the bodies and the ^gspirits of men will be ^hrestored one to the other; and it is by the power of the resurrection of the Holy One of Israel.

13 O how great the ^aplan of our God! For on the other hand, the ^bparadise of God must deliver up the spirits of the righteous, and the grave deliver up the body of the righteous; and the spirit and the body is ^crestored to itself again, and all men become incorruptible, and ^dimmortal, and they are living souls, having a ^eperfect ^fknowledge like unto us in the flesh, save it be that our knowledge shall be perfect.

14 Wherefore, we shall have a ^aperfect ^bknowledge of all our ^cguilt, and our ^duncleanness, and our ^enakedness; and the righteous shall have a perfect knowledge of their enjoyment, and their ^frighteousness, being ^gclothed with ^hpurity, yea, even with the ⁱrobe of righteousness.


I read a commentary on this chapter that brought up a point I haven't considered before. The point was that those who read the Book of Mormon have an expanded knowledge of these Isaiah chapters that any who read the Bible would benefit from. I'm sure all Bible readers find the language in the book of Isaiah sort of hard to follow and would benefit from these chapters where Jacob is trying to explain Isaiah to his people. I would be fascinated to hear what a Bible Study group thought of these Book of Mormon chapters "overlap" with the Bible.


These next two quotes really sum up why death is important but why it would stop our eternal progress if the Atonement was not fulfilled.

“Death is just as important in the welfare of man as is birth. There is no greater blessing that can come than the blessing of birth. One third of the hosts of heaven, because of rebellion, were denied that privilege, and hence they have no bodies of flesh and bones, that great gift of God. “But who would like to live forever in this mundane world, filled with pain, decay, sorrow, and tribulation, and grow old and infirm and yet have to remain with all the vicissitudes of mortality? I think all of us would come to the conclusion, if that proposition were placed before us, that we would not like to have it. We would reject it. We would not want life of that nature. Life here in this world is short of necessity, and yet all that is required may be accomplished, but death is just as important in the plan of salvation as birth is. We have to die—it is essential—and death comes into the world ‘to fulfil the merciful plan of the great Creator.’” (Joseph Fielding Smith, Doctrines of Salvation, 1:116).

“The fall brought death. That is not a desirable condition. We do not want to be banished from the presence of God. We do not want to be subject forever to mortal conditions. We do not want to die and have our bodies turn to dust, and the spirits that possess these bodies by right, turned over to the realm of Satan and become subject to him. “But that was the condition; and if Christ had not come as the atoning sacrifice, in demand of the law of justice, to repair or to atone or to redeem us from the condition that Adam found himself in, and that we find ourselves in; then mortal death would have come; the body would have gone back to the dust from where it came; the spirit would have gone into the realms of Satan’s domain, and have been subject to him forever” (Smith, Doctrines of Salvation, 1:122).

pgs. 70 and 71...Awake, awake, stand up, O Jerusalem, which has drunk at the hand of the Lord the cup of his fury...

5 The Lord God hath opened mine ^aear, and I was not rebellious, neither turned away back.

6 I gave my back to the ^asmiter, and my cheeks to them that plucked off the hair. I hid not my face from ^bshame and spitting.

7 For the Lord God will help me, therefore shall I not be confounded. Therefore have I set my face like a flint, and I know that I shall not be ^aashamed.

8 And the Lord is near, and he ^ajustifieth me. Who will contend with me? Let us stand together. Who is mine adversary? Let him come near me, and I will ^bsmite him with the strength of my mouth.

9 For the Lord God will help me. And all they who shall ^acondemn me, behold, all they shall ^bwax old as a garment, and the moth shall eat them up.

10 Who is among you that feareth the Lord, that obeyeth the ^avoice of his servant, that ^bwalketh in darkness and hath no light?

11 Behold all ye that kindle fire, that compass yourselves about with sparks, walk in the light of ^ayour fire and in the sparks which ye have kindled. ^bThis shall ye have of mine hand—ye shall lie down in sorrow.

CHAPTER 8

In the last days, the Lord shall comfort Zion and gather Israel—The redeemed shall come to Zion amid great joy—Compare Isaiah 51 and 52:1-2. Between 559 and 545 B.C.

1 ^aHearken unto me, ye that follow after righteousness. Look unto the ^brock from whence ye are hewn, and to the hole of the pit from whence ye are digged.

2 Look unto Abraham, your ^afather, and unto ^bSarah, she that bare you; for I called him alone, and blessed him.

3 For the Lord shall ^acomfort ^bZion, he will comfort all her waste places; and he will make her ^cwilderness like ^dEden, and her desert like the garden of the Lord. Joy and gladness shall be found therein, thanksgiving and the voice of melody.

4 Hearken unto me, my people; and give ear unto me, O my nation; for a ^alaw shall proceed from me, and I will make my judgment to rest for a ^blight for the people.

5 My righteousness is near; my ^asalvation is gone forth, and mine arm shall ^bjudge the people. The ^cisles shall wait upon me, and on mine arm shall they trust.

6 Lift up your eyes to the ^aheavens, and look upon the earth beneath; for the heavens shall ^bvanish away like smoke, and the earth shall ^cwax old like a garment; and they that dwell therein shall die in like manner. But my salvation shall be forever, and my righteousness shall not be abolished.

7 Hearken unto me, ye that know righteousness, the people in whose heart I have written my law, ^afear ye not the ^breproach of men, neither be ye afraid of their ^crevilings.

8 For the ^amoth shall eat them up like a garment, and the worm shall eat them like wool. But my righteousness shall be forever, and my salvation from generation to generation.

9 ^aAwake, awake! Put on ^bstrength, O arm of the Lord; awake as in the ancient days. Art thou not he that hath cut ^cRahab, and wounded the ^ddragon?

10 Art thou not he who hath dried the sea, the waters of the great deep; that hath made the depths of the sea a ^away for the ransomed to pass over?

11 Therefore, the ^aredeemed of the Lord shall ^breturn, and come with ^csinging unto Zion; and everlasting joy and holiness shall be upon their heads; and they shall obtain gladness and joy; sorrow and ^dmourning shall flee away.

12 ^aI am he; yea, I am he that comforteth you. Behold, who art thou, that thou shouldst be ^bafraid of man, who shall die, and of the son of man, who shall be made like unto ^cgrass?

13 And ^aforgettest the Lord thy maker, that hath ^bstretched forth the heavens, and laid the foundations of the earth, and hast feared continually every day, because of the fury of the ^coppressor, as if he were ready to destroy? And where is the fury of the oppressor?

14 The ^acaptive exile hasteneth, that he may be loosed, and that he should not die in the pit, nor that his bread should fail.

15 But I am the Lord thy God, whose ^awaves roared; the Lord of Hosts is my name.

16 And I have ^aput my words in thy mouth, and have covered thee in the shadow of mine hand, that I may plant the heavens and lay the foundations of the earth, and say unto Zion: Behold, thou art my ^bpeople.

17 Awake, awake, stand up, O Jerusalem, which hast drunk at the hand of the Lord the ^acup of his ^bfury—thou hast drunken the dregs of the cup of trembling wrung out—

18 And none to guide her among all the sons she hath brought forth; neither that taketh her by the hand, of all the sons she hath brought up.

19 These two ^asons are come unto thee, who shall be sorry for thee—thy desolation and destruction, and the famine and the sword—and by whom shall I comfort thee?

20 Thy sons have fainted, save these two; they lie at the head of all the streets; as a wild bull in a net, they are full of the fury of the Lord, the rebuke of thy God.

21 Therefore hear now this, thou afflicted, and ^adrunken, and not with wine:

22 Thus saith thy Lord, the Lord and thy God ^apleadeth the cause of his people; behold, I have taken out of thine hand the cup of trembling, the dregs of the cup of my fury; thou shalt no more drink it again.

23 But ^aI will put it into the hand of them that afflict thee; who have said to thy soul: Bow down, that we may go over—and thou hast laid thy body as the ground and as the street to them that went over.

24 ^aAwake, awake, put on thy ^bstrength, O ^cZion; put on thy beautiful garments, O Jerusalem, the holy city; for henceforth there shall ^dno more come into thee the uncircumcised and the unclean.

25 Shake thyself from the dust; arise, sit down, O Jerusalem; loose thyself from the ^abands of thy neck, O captive daughter of Zion.


There is so much going on in these verses and on such a large scale that it feels like a lot to grasp. I wonder if the Nephites felt the same way when Jacob was teaching it to them. The main theme I take from these verses is that Christ suffered so intensely for all of us because He loves us and that His love never changes. Also He is always hoping we will turn to Him. What do you think?