1 Nephi 4

Back to Jerusalem

I, Nephi, told my brothers: 'Let’s go back up to Jerusalem. We need to trust God and do what he asks. Think about it—God is stronger than the whole earth. So he’s definitely stronger than Laban and his fifty guards. He’s stronger than tens of thousands.' 'So let’s go! Let’s be brave like Moses was. Remember how he spoke to the Red Sea and it split apart? Our ancestors walked through on dry ground while Pharaoh’s army drowned behind them.' 'You know that really happened. You also know an angel spoke to you. So why are you still doubting? Let’s go. God can save us just like he saved our ancestors. He can deal with Laban like he dealt with the Egyptians.'

My words didn’t calm them down. They were still angry and kept complaining. But they followed me anyway, and we walked until we reached the walls of Jerusalem.

Nephi Enters the City Alone

Night had fallen. I told them to hide outside the walls. Once they were hidden, I slipped into the city alone and headed toward Laban’s house. The Spirit was leading me, though I had no idea what I was supposed to do.

I kept walking. Near Laban’s house, I saw a man sprawled on the ground in front of me, completely drunk. When I got closer, I realized it was Laban himself. I saw his sword and pulled it from its sheath. The handle was pure gold, beautifully crafted. The blade was made from the finest steel.

A Terrible Choice

Then the Spirit pressed on me: I should kill Laban. But my heart recoiled. 'I’ve never killed anyone,' I thought. I pulled back, not wanting to do it. The Spirit spoke again: 'Look, God has delivered him into your hands. This man tried to kill you. He refused to listen to God’s commands. He stole your property.' The Spirit said once more: 'Kill him. God has delivered him into your hands.' 'God allows the wicked to die so his good purposes can move forward. Better for one man to die than for an entire nation to drift away and be lost.'

Hearing this, I remembered what God had told me in the wilderness: 'If your children keep my commandments, they will thrive in the promised land.' I realized they couldn’t keep God’s commandments—they couldn’t follow the law of Moses—without having the law itself. And the law was engraved on those brass plates. I understood now: God had put Laban in my hands so I could get those records, just as he commanded.

So I obeyed the Spirit’s voice. I grabbed Laban by the hair and cut off his head with his own sword.

Getting the Brass Plates

After I killed him, I took off his clothes and put them on myself—everything. I strapped on his armor. Then I walked to Laban’s treasury. On the way, I ran into Laban’s servant who had the keys. Speaking in Laban’s voice, I ordered him to come with me into the treasury. He thought I was Laban. After all, I was wearing Laban’s clothes and carrying his sword.

He started talking to me about the Jewish elders, knowing that Laban had been out drinking with them that night. I kept talking as if I were Laban. I told him I needed to take the brass plates to my older brothers waiting outside the walls. 'Follow me,' I said. He assumed I meant the church leaders and that I really was Laban, the man I had just killed. So he followed. As we walked to where my brothers were waiting outside the walls, he kept chatting about the Jewish elders.

Escape from Jerusalem

When Laman saw me coming, he panicked. So did Lemuel and Sam. They ran—they thought Laban had killed me and was coming for them next. I shouted after them. When they heard my voice, they stopped running.

But when Laban’s servant saw my brothers, he started trembling. He was about to run back to Jerusalem. Now I was a big, strong man, and God had given me extra strength. I grabbed the servant before he could escape. I told him: 'Listen to me. As surely as God lives, and as I live—if you listen to us, we’ll spare your life.' I swore an oath: 'Don’t be afraid. You’ll be free like us if you come with us into the wilderness.' 'Look, God commanded us to do this. Shouldn’t we obey God’s commands? Come to the wilderness with us, to my father. You’ll have a place with our family.'

My words gave Zoram courage—that was the servant’s name. He promised to come with us to our father in the wilderness. He swore he would stay with us from then on. We wanted him to stay with us so the Jews wouldn’t find out we had fled. Otherwise they might hunt us down. Once Zoram swore that oath to us, we stopped worrying about him. So we took the brass plates and Laban’s servant and headed into the wilderness, back to our father’s tent.