1 Nephi 19

Two Sets of Plates

I, Nephi, did what the Lord commanded—I made metal plates to record my people’s story. On these plates I wrote about my father, our journey through the wilderness, and my father’s prophecies. I added many of my own prophecies too. When I first made those plates, I didn’t know the Lord would ask me to make this second set. So on the first plates I wrote about my father, our family history, and most of what happened in the wilderness—everything before I made these new plates. After I made this new set of plates as commanded, I received another instruction: write the spiritual teachings and prophecies here—the clearest and most precious parts. These writings would teach my descendants who would one day inherit this land. The Lord has other purposes for them too, which only he knows. So I made another record on the other plates that tells more about our wars, conflicts, and disasters. I commanded my people to continue this record after I’m gone, passing these plates from generation to generation, from prophet to prophet, until the Lord gives new instructions.

I’ll explain later how I made these plates. For now, I’ll continue with what I was saying, so the most sacred things can be preserved for my people’s knowledge. I only write what I consider sacred on these plates. If I make mistakes, well, people have always made mistakes. I’m not excusing myself by pointing to others—I’m just acknowledging my human weakness. What some people treasure for body and soul, others treat like garbage. People even trample the God of Israel underfoot—yes, trample him. To put it another way: they dismiss him completely and ignore his guidance.

The Coming Messiah

He will come, just as the angel said—six hundred years after my father left Jerusalem. The world in its wickedness will consider him worthless. They’ll whip him, and he’ll endure it. They’ll beat him, and he’ll endure it. They’ll spit on him, and he’ll endure it—all because of his loving kindness and incredible patience with humanity. The God of our ancestors—who rescued them from Egypt and kept them safe in the wilderness—the God of Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob, will surrender himself as a man to wicked people. Zenock said he’d be lifted up. Neum said he’d be crucified. Zenos said he’d be buried in a tomb and spoke of three days of darkness that would signal his death to those on the islands of the sea, especially to the house of Israel.

The prophet said: 'On that day, the Lord God will surely visit all of Israel’s house. Some will hear his voice and be saved with great joy because of their righteousness. Others will face his power through thunder and lightning, storms, fire, smoke, darkness, earthquakes, and mountains lifted into the air.' All this will happen, said the prophet Zenos. The earth’s rocks will split apart. When the earth groans, many island kings will be moved by God’s Spirit to cry out: 'The God of nature is suffering!'

The Scattering and Gathering

The prophet said those in Jerusalem will be punished by all nations because they crucified the God of Israel and turned away from him, rejecting his signs, wonders, power, and glory. Because they turned away, the prophet said, and despised Israel’s Holy One, they’ll wander as mortals and die. They’ll become a mockery, a proverb, hated by every nation.

But when the day comes that they stop turning away from Israel’s Holy One, he’ll remember the promises he made to their ancestors. Then he’ll remember the islands of the sea. 'I will gather all the house of Israel,' the Lord says through the prophet Zenos, 'from the four corners of the earth.' The whole earth will see the Lord’s salvation. Every nation, tribe, language, and people will be blessed.

Teaching from the Brass Plates

I’ve written these things for my people, hoping to persuade them to remember the Lord their Redeemer. So I speak to all the house of Israel, if they ever receive these writings. The Spirit has worked on me until I’m exhausted, until every joint aches, thinking about those in Jerusalem. If the Lord hadn’t been merciful enough to show me what would happen to them, like he showed the ancient prophets— He certainly showed the ancient prophets everything about them. He also showed many prophets about us. So we had to know about them, since it’s written on the brass plates.

I taught my brothers these things. I read to them from the brass plates so they’d know what the Lord had done in other lands among ancient peoples. I read them many things from the Book of Moses. But to better persuade them to believe in the Lord their Redeemer, I read them Isaiah’s writings. I applied all scriptures to our situation, so they’d profit us and teach us. So I said to them: 'Listen to the prophet’s words. You’re a remnant of Israel’s house, a branch broken off. Listen to what the prophet wrote for all of Israel and apply it to yourselves. Then you can have hope like your relatives you’ve been separated from. Here’s what the prophet wrote:'