The Book of Mormon

2 Nephi 7:1

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~559–545 BC

1830 Edition

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;

Influences

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.

Changes

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;.

Simple English

The Lord says: Have I sent you away? Have I gotten rid of you forever? Where is the paper that says your mother was divorced? Who did I send you away to? Which of my lenders did I sell you to? Who did I sell you to? You sold yourselves because of the bad things you did. Your mother was sent away because you broke my rules.

Paraphrase

Here’s what the Lord asks: 'Did I abandon you? Did I throw you out forever? Where’s the divorce decree ending our relationship? To which creditor did I sell you off?' No—you sold yourselves through your own wrongdoing. Your rebellion drove you away.

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.