The Book of Mormon

2 Nephi 28:8

1830 Edition

And there shall also be many which shall say, eat, drink, and be merry; nevertheless, fear God, he will justify in committing a little sin; yea, lie a little, take the advantage of one because of his words, dig a pit for thy neighbor; there is no harm in this. And do all these things, for to-mrrow we die; and if it so be that we are guilty, God will beat us with a few stripes, and at last we shall be saved in the Kingdom of God.

Influences

Romans 3:8 (KJV)
Let us do evil, that good may come

Changes

And there shall also be many which shall say,: eEat, drink, and be merry; nevertheless, fear God, he will justify in committing a little sin; yea, lie a little, take the advantage of one because of his words, dig a pit for thy neighbor; there is no harm in this.; Aand do all these things, for to-morrow we die; and if it so be that we are guilty, God will beat us with a few stripes, and at last we shall be saved in the Kkingdom of God.

Simple English

Many will say: Eat, drink, and be happy. But respect God. He will let you do a little wrong. Yes, lie a little. Trick others with your words. Set a trap for your neighbor. There is no harm in this. Do all these things, because tomorrow we die. If we are wrong, God will punish us a little. In the end, we will be saved in God’s kingdom.

Paraphrase

Others will say, ‘Eat, drink, and enjoy life—but sure, fear God a little. He’ll overlook a small sin here and there. Go ahead: lie a little, take advantage of someone’s words, set a trap for your neighbor. What’s the harm? Do whatever you want, because tomorrow we die. And even if we’re guilty, God will slap us on the wrist, and in the end we’ll still make it into his kingdom.’