The Book of Mormon

Jacob 5:3

Back to chapter
~544–420 BC

1830 Edition

for behold, thus saith the Lord, I will liken thee, O House of Israel, like unto a tame olive tree, which a man took and nourished in his vineyard; and it grew, and waxed old, and began to decay.

Influences

Luke 13:19 (KJV)
It is like a grain of mustard seed, which a man took, and cast into his garden; and it grew, and waxed a great tree; and the fowls of the air lodged in the branches of it.

Changes

fFor behold, thus saith the Lord, I will liken thee, O Hhouse of Israel, like unto a tame olive tree, which a man took and nourished in his vineyard; and it grew, and waxed old, and began to decay.

Simple English

The Lord says: I will compare you to a tame olive tree. A man took it and took care of it in his vineyard. It grew and got old. Then it began to rot.

Paraphrase

The Lord says: I’ll compare you, Israel, to an olive tree—a cultivated one that someone planted in his vineyard. It grew tall, aged, and started to die.