3 Nephi 1

The ninety-first year had passed. It was now six hundred years since Lehi left Jerusalem. Lachoneus was the chief judge and governor over the land. Nephi, the son of Helaman, departed from the land of Zarahemla. He gave charge to his eldest son Nephi concerning the brass plates, all the records, and all the sacred things from the time Lehi left Jerusalem. Then he left the land, and no one knows where he went. His son Nephi kept the records in his place. In the beginning of the ninety-second year, the prophecies began to be fulfilled more fully. Greater signs and miracles were performed among the people. But some began to say that the time had passed for the words spoken by Samuel the Lamanite to be fulfilled. They began to rejoice over their brethren, saying: The time is past, and Samuel’s words are not fulfilled. Your joy and faith concerning this have been pointless. They made a great uproar throughout the land. The people who believed began to be very sorrowful, afraid that the prophecies might not come to pass. But they watched steadfastly for that day and night and day which would be as one day without night, so they might know their faith had not been in vain. The unbelievers set apart a day when all those who believed should be put to death unless the sign given by Samuel the prophet came to pass. When Nephi, the son of Nephi, saw this wickedness of his people, his heart was exceedingly sorrowful. He went out and bowed down upon the earth, and cried mightily to his God for his people, those who were about to be destroyed because of their faith in the tradition of their fathers. He cried mightily to the Lord all that day. The voice of the Lord came to him, saying: Lift up your head and be of good cheer. The time is at hand. On this night the sign will be given, and on the morrow I come into the world to show that I will fulfill all that I have caused to be spoken by my holy prophets. I come to my own, to fulfill all things which I have made known to the children of men from the foundation of the world, and to do the will of both the Father and of the Son—of the Father because of me, and of the Son because of my flesh. The time is at hand, and this night the sign will be given. The words that came to Nephi were fulfilled as they had been spoken. At the going down of the sun there was no darkness. The people began to be astonished because there was no darkness when the night came. Many who had not believed the prophets’ words fell to the earth and became as if they were dead, for they knew that the great plan of destruction they had laid for those who believed had been frustrated. The sign that had been given was already at hand. They began to know that the Son of God must shortly appear. All the people upon the face of the whole earth from the west to the east, both in the land north and in the land south, were so exceedingly astonished that they fell to the earth. They knew that the prophets had testified of these things for many years, and that the sign which had been given was already at hand. They began to fear because of their iniquity and their unbelief. There was no darkness in all that night, but it was as light as though it was mid-day. The sun did rise in the morning again, according to its proper order. They knew that it was the day the Lord should be born, because of the sign which had been given. All things had come to pass, every detail, according to the words of the prophets. A new star also appeared, according to the word. From this time forth, Satan began sending lies among the people to harden their hearts, so they might not believe in those signs and wonders which they had seen. But notwithstanding these lies and deceivings, the greater part of the people believed and were converted to the Lord. Nephi went forth among the people, and also many others, baptizing unto repentance, in which there was a great remission of sins. Thus the people began again to have peace in the land. There were no contentions, except for a few who began to preach, trying to prove by the scriptures that it was no longer necessary to observe the law of Moses. In this thing they did err, having not understood the scriptures. But they soon became converted and were convinced of the error they were in, for it was made known to them that the law was not yet fulfilled, and that it must be fulfilled completely. They were told that not one jot or tittle would pass away until it should all be fulfilled. Therefore, in this same year they were brought to a knowledge of their error and confessed their faults. Thus the ninety-second year passed away, bringing glad tidings to the people because of the signs which came to pass, according to the words of the prophecy of all the holy prophets. The ninety-third year also passed away in peace, except for the Gadianton robbers, who dwelt upon the mountains and infested the land. So strong were their holds and their secret places that the people could not overpower them. Therefore they committed many murders and did much slaughter among the people. In the ninety-fourth year they began to increase greatly, because many Nephite dissenters fled to them, which caused much sorrow to those Nephites who remained in the land. There was also much sorrow among the Lamanites, for they had many children who grew up and became strong in years, and they became independent and were led away by some who were Zoramites, through their lies and flattering words, to join those Gadianton robbers. Thus the Lamanites were also afflicted, and began to decrease in their faith and righteousness because of the wickedness of the rising generation.