Jacob shared much more with our people, but I’ve only written down these parts. What I’ve recorded is enough for me.
Why Nephi Loves Isaiah
Now I want to write more of Isaiah’s words. My soul loves what he wrote. I’ll apply his words to my people and send them to all my children. Isaiah truly saw the Redeemer, just as I have. My brother Jacob has also seen him, just as I have. So I’m sending out their words to my children to prove that what I say is true. God said he would establish his word through three witnesses. Still, he keeps sending more witnesses—he backs up everything he says.
My soul loves showing my people the truth about Christ’s coming. That’s what the law of Moses was given for. Everything God has ever given to people since the beginning of the world has pointed to Christ. And my soul loves the promises the Lord made to our ancestors. I love his grace, his justice, his power, his mercy—all woven into this great eternal plan to rescue us from death. My soul loves proving to my people that without Christ, everyone would be lost. If there’s no Christ, there’s no God. And if there’s no God, we don’t exist—because nothing could have been created. But there is a God, and he is Christ, and he will come when the time is right. Now I’m writing some of Isaiah’s words so that whoever among my people reads them can lift their hearts and celebrate for all humanity. Here are his words—you can apply them to yourselves and to everyone.
Influences
- 11:3 — 2 Corinthians 6:16 (KJV)And what agreement hath the temple of God with idols? for ye are the temple of the living God; as God hath said, I will dwell in them, and walk in them; and I will be their God, and they shall be my people.
Notes
- 11:1
The phrase, "sufficeth me" can be found in 2 Nephi 11:1; Jarom 1:2; Ether 3:17.
Other common phrases include "dwindled in unbelief" (2 Nephi 26:15; Helaman 15:11, Ether 4:3, D&C 3:18), "expedient that" (2 Nephi 9:15; Alma 34:9; Mosiah 13:27; D&C 9:3), "it must needs be" (1 Nephi 15:33; Alma 32:28; 3 Nephi 5:1; D&C 48:3), "save it were" (Helaman 3:23; 4 Nephi 1:5; D&C 18:35), "would that ye should" (Alma 38:5; Mosiah 1:3; Omni 1:2; D7C 46:7).
"After noticing that the same phrases of two or more words appear time after time throughout Joseph Smith's scriptures, we did a computer search to identify these groups of words and feel that they provide evidence that the Book of Mormon, the Inspired Version of the Bible, the Doctrine and Covenants and the Pearl of Great Price were all the product of one mind.... When we find a number of different Book of Mormon writers-e.g., Nephi, Jacob, Enos, Moroni and Mormon-all using many of the same unusual word combinations, we begin to suspect that all these books were actually written by one person."-Jerald and Sandra Tanner, Joseph Smith's Plagiarism of the Bible in the Book of Mormon, p. 39.