Page:Book of Mormon (1830, bookofmormonacco1830smit).pdf/14

10 children of men, save he shall prepare a way for them that they may accomplish the thing which he dommandeth them.

And it came to pass that when my father had heard these words, he was exceeding glad, for he knew that I had been blessed of the Lord. And I, Nephi, and my brethren, took our journey in the wilderness with our tents, to go up to the land of Jerusalem.

And it came to pass that when we had come up to the land of Jerusalem, I and my brethren did consult one with another; and we cast lots which of us should go unto the house of Laban. And it came to pass that the lot fell upon Laman; and Laman went unto the house of Laban, and he talked with him as he sat in his house. And he desired of Laban the records which were engraven upon the plates of brass, which contained the genealogy of my father.

And behold, it came to pass that Laban was angry, and thrust him out from his presence; and he would not that he should have the records. Wherefore he said unto him, behold thou art a robber, and I will slay thee. But Laman fled out of his presence, and told the things which Laban had done, unto us. And we began to be exceeding sorrowful, and my brethren were about to return unto my father in the wilderness. But behold I said unto them, that as the Lord liveth, and as we live, we will not go down unto our father in the wilderness, until we have accomplished the thing which the Lord hath commanded us. Wherefore let us be faithful in keeping the commandments of the Lord; therefore let us go down to the land of our father's inheritence, for behold he left gold and silver, and all manner of riches. And all this he hath done, because of the commandments of the Lord: for he knowing that Jerusalem must be destroyed, because of the wickedness of the people.

For behold, they have rejected the words of the prophets—Wherefore if my father should dwell in the land after that he hath been commanded to flee out of the land, behold he would also perish. Wherefore it must needs be that he flee out of the land. And behold, it is wisdom in God that we should obtain these records, that we might preserve unto our children the language of our fathers; and also that we may preserve unto them the words which have been spoken by the mouth of all the hold prophets, which have been delivered unto them by the spirit and power of God, since the world began, even down unto this present time.