# Jacob 4

*Paraphrase*

### Writing on Metal Plates

I’ve spent years teaching my people, but I can only record a fraction of what I’ve said. Engraving words onto metal plates is hard, slow work. Still, we know that what we carve here will last. Anything written on other materials will decay and disappear. But these few words on metal plates will give our children—and the family we love—some knowledge of us and their ancestors. That brings us joy. We work hard at this engraving, hoping our loved ones and children will receive these words with grateful hearts and learn about their first parents with joy—not sorrow or contempt.

### Our Hope in Christ

We wrote these things so they would know: we knew about Christ. We hoped in his glory hundreds of years before he came. And it wasn’t just us—all the holy prophets before us had that same hope. They believed in Christ and worshiped the Father in his name. We do the same. That’s why we keep the law of Moses—it points our souls to him. It makes us righteous, the same way Abraham was counted righteous in the wilderness when he obeyed God’s command to offer his son Isaac, which was a picture of God and his only Son. So we search the prophets. We have many revelations and the Spirit of prophecy. With all these witnesses, our hope grows and our faith becomes unshakable—so much so that we can command in Jesus’ name and the trees obey us, or the mountains, or the waves of the sea. Still, the Lord shows us our weakness. He does this so we’ll know that any power we have to do these things comes from his grace and his great kindness to humanity.

### The Mysteries of God

The works of the Lord are astounding and beyond explanation. The depths of his mysteries are unsearchable. It’s impossible for anyone to figure out all his ways on their own. No one knows his ways unless he reveals them. So don’t dismiss what God reveals. By the power of his word, humanity appeared on the earth. That same earth was created by the power of his word. If God could speak and the world came into being, if he could speak and humanity was created, then why wouldn’t he be able to command the earth or anything on it to do whatever he wants?

So don’t try to counsel the Lord. Take counsel from him instead. You know he acts in wisdom, justice, and great mercy over all his works. Be reconciled to him through the atonement of Christ, his only Son. That’s how you receive a resurrection—by the power of the resurrection that’s in Christ—and are presented to God as the first fruits of Christ, with faith and a bright hope of glory in him, even before he appears in the flesh. Don’t be surprised that I’m telling you these things. Why shouldn’t we talk about Christ’s atonement and gain perfect knowledge of him? It’s just as important as knowing about the resurrection and the world to come. Anyone who prophesies should make it understandable. The Spirit speaks truth and never lies. It tells things as they really are and as they really will be. These truths are made plain to us for the salvation of our souls. And we’re not the only witnesses—God spoke these same things to the prophets long ago.

### The Jews Will Stumble

But the Jews were stubborn. They rejected plain words, killed the prophets, and went searching for things they couldn’t understand. Their blindness came from looking past the mark. Because of that, they had to stumble. God took away his plainness from them and gave them complicated things they couldn’t grasp—because that’s what they wanted. And since they wanted it, God let them have it, so they would stumble. The Spirit is leading me to prophesy now. I can feel by the Spirit’s working in me that when the Jews stumble, they’ll reject the stone they could have built on—the stone that would have given them a safe foundation. But according to scripture, that stone will become the great, final, and only sure foundation the Jews can ever build on. So here’s the question: how could they possibly build on that foundation after rejecting it? How could it ever become the cornerstone for them? I’m going to unfold this mystery for you—if I can stay steady in the Spirit and not stumble because I’m too anxious about you.

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*Source: [The Book of Mormon](https://bookofmormon.com/paraphrase/jacob/4)*
