Yea, for thus saith the Lord: Have I put thee away, or have I cast thee off forever? For thus saith the Lord: Where is the bill of your mother’s divorcement? To whom have I put thee away, or to which of my creditors have I sold you? Yea, to whom have I sold you? Behold, for your iniquities have ye sold yourselves, and for your transgressions is your mother put away;
wherefore, when I come, there was no man; when I called, yea, there was none to answer. O House of Israel, is my hand shortened at all that it cannot redeem, or have I no power to deliver? Behold, at my rebuke, I dry up the sea, I make their rivers a wilderness and their fish to stink, because the waters are dried up; and they die because of thirst.
I clothe the heavens with blackness, and I make sackcloth their covering.
The Lord God hath given me the tongue of the learned, that I should know how to speak a word in season unto thee, O House of Israel. When ye are weary, he waketh morning by morning. He waketh mine ear to hear as the learned.
The Lord God hath appointed mine ear, and I was not rebellious, neither turned away back.
I gave my back to the smiter, and my cheeks to them that plucked off the hair. I hid not my face from shame and spitting,
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 ashamed;
and the Lord is near, and he justifieth me. Who will contend with me? let us stand together. Who is mine adversary? let him come near me, and I will smite him with the strength of my mouth:
for the Lord God will help me. And all they which shall condemn me, behold, all they shall wax old as a garment, and the moth shall eat them up.
Who is among you that feareth the Lord; that obeyeth the voice of his servant; that walketh in darkness, and hath no light?
Behold, all ye that kindleth fire, that compass yourselves about with sparks: walk in the light of your fire, and in the sparks which ye have kindled. This shall ye have of mine hand: Ye shall lie down in sorrow.
Influences
- 7:1 — Isaiah 50:1 (KJV)Thus saith the LORD, Where is the bill of your mother’s divorcement, whom I have put away? or which of my creditors is it to whom I have sold you? Behold, for your iniquities have ye sold yourselves, and for your transgressions is your mother put away.
- 7:2 — Isaiah 50:2 (KJV)Wherefore, when I came, was there no man? when I called, was there none to answer? Is my hand shortened at all, that it cannot redeem? or have I no power to deliver? behold, at my rebuke I dry up the sea, I make the rivers a wilderness: their fish stinketh, because there is no water, and dieth for thirst.
- 7:4 — Isaiah 50:4 (KJV)The Lord GOD hath given me the tongue of the learned, that I should know how to speak a word in season to him that is weary: he wakeneth morning by morning, he wakeneth mine ear to hear as the learned.
- 7:5 — Isaiah 50:5 (KJV)The Lord GOD hath opened mine ear, and I was not rebellious, neither turned away back.
- 7:6 — Isaiah 50:6 (KJV)I gave my back to the smiters, and my cheeks to them that plucked off the hair: I hid not my face from shame and spitting.
- 7:7 — Isaiah 50:7 (KJV)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 ashamed.
- 7:8 — Isaiah 50:8 (KJV)He is near that justifieth me; who will contend with me? let us stand together: who is mine adversary? let him come near to me.
- 7:9 — Isaiah 50:9 (KJV)Behold, the Lord GOD will help me; who is he that shall condemn me? lo, they all shall wax old as a garment; the moth shall eat them up.
- 7:10 — Isaiah 50:10 (KJV)Who is among you that feareth the LORD, that obeyeth the voice of his servant, that walketh in darkness, and hath no light? let him trust in the name of the LORD, and stay upon his God.
- 7:11 — Isaiah 50:11 (KJV)Behold, all ye that kindle a fire, that compass yourselves about with sparks: walk in the light of your fire, and in the sparks that ye have kindled. This shall ye have of mine hand; ye shall lie down in sorrow.
Notes
- 7:1-11
Chapters 7 and 8 of 2 Nephi reproduce material from Book of Isaiah (Isaiah 50–52:2), while an additional thirteen chapters (2 Nephi 12–24) quotes Isaiah 2–14—amounting to more than twenty-one total chapters of Isaiah within the Book of Mormon. Given that these records were reportedly engraved on small metal plates, a medium that would require significant effort and space (Jacob 4:1), this extensive duplication raises questions about purpose and necessity—especially since the Nephites already possessed Isaiah’s writings on the brass plates and the biblical text was independently preserved (as later evidenced by discoveries such as the Dead Sea Scrolls). Critics argue that this repetition, along with numerous phrases reflecting the King James Bible, suggests literary dependence rather than ancient origin. In contrast, Latter-day Saint scholars, including those from FAIR, contend that Isaiah was doctrinally central to Nephite theology. They emphasize that prophets like Nephi and Jacob not only quoted but interpreted Isaiah, indicating that these passages were intentionally preserved to teach covenant and messianic themes.