Page:PlainBookOfMormon.pdf/176

 Jacob is given charge of the plates... (compare Jacob, chapter 1)

In the year 545 BC, fifty-five years after Lehi's group had left Jerusalem, my older brother Nephi gave me, Jacob, a commandment regarding the small plates, upon which these words are engraved.

He told me to write only a few things on these small plates--things that I thought were most precious. He told me to include only a little history of his people, the people of Nephi. He said the history of his people should be engraved on his large plates.

Nephi told me to preserve all these plates and hand them down from generation to generation. He also told me to engrave any sacred preaching, great revelations and prophesying, and to engrave as much of this as possible for Christ and our people.

Because of our faith in the Lord and great concern for our people, we had been shown what would happen to them. We also had many revelations and the spirit of prophecy, and we knew about Christ and His kingdom that would come.

We worked very hard among our people to persuade them to come to Christ and to enjoy God's goodness, that they might someday enter into His rest. Otherwise, God would vow in His