3 Nephi 7

The Government Falls Apart

They did not choose a king to rule over the land. But in the thirtieth year, they killed the Chief Judge of the land. The people were divided against each other. They separated into tribes. Each person went with their family, relatives, and friends. This destroyed the government of the land. Each tribe chose a chief or a leader. This is how they became tribes with leaders. Each man had a large family and many relatives and friends. So their tribes became very big.

All this happened, and there were no wars yet among them. All this evil had come upon the people because they gave themselves to the power of Satan. The government was destroyed because of the secret group of friends and relatives who murdered the prophets. They caused a big fight in the land. Almost all the people had become wicked. There were only a few good people left among them. Six years had passed since most of the people had turned away from doing right. They were like a dog that returns to its vomit or like a pig that goes back to rolling in the mud.

Jacob and His Wicked Group

This secret group that had brought so much evil upon the people gathered together. They chose a man named Jacob to be their head. They called him their king. So he became a king over this wicked group. He was one of the main men who spoke against the prophets who taught about Jesus.

They were not as strong in number as the tribes of people who were united together. Each tribe had set up their own laws according to their leader. But they were enemies of each other. They were not good people. Yet they were united in hating those who had made a plan to destroy the government. Jacob saw that their enemies were more in number than they were. He was the king of the group. So he told his people to run away to the far north part of the land. He told them to build a kingdom there. He said they would wait until other people joined them. He promised them that many people would leave their tribes to join. Then they would be strong enough to fight against the tribes of the people. They did what he said. They ran so fast that no one could stop them until they had gone out of reach of the people. This ended the thirtieth year. This is what was happening with the people of Nephi.

In the thirty-first year, they were divided into tribes. Every man went with their family, relatives, and friends. But they made an agreement that they would not go to war with each other. Still, they were not united about their laws and their government. Their chiefs and leaders set up the laws the way they wanted them. But they made very strict laws that one tribe should not go against another. So they had some peace in the land. But their hearts were turned away from the Lord their God. They threw stones at the prophets and drove them away.

Nephi Teaches with Power

Nephi had been visited by angels and also by the voice of the Lord. He had seen angels. He saw them with his own eyes. He had been given power to know about the work of Christ. He saw with his own eyes how quickly the people turned from doing right to doing wickedness and evil. He was sad because their hearts were hard and their minds were blind. So in that same year, he went out among them. He began to teach boldly about repentance. He taught them that their sins could be forgiven through faith in the Lord Jesus Christ. He taught them many things. Not all of them can be written. Even part of them would not fit in this book. So they are not written here. Nephi taught with power and great authority.

They were angry with him because he had greater power than they did. It was not possible for them to not believe his words. His faith in the Lord Jesus Christ was so great that angels came to him every day. In the name of Jesus, he cast out devils and evil spirits. He even raised his brother from the dead after his brother had been killed by the people with stones. The people saw it and saw what happened. They were angry with him because of his power. He also did many more miracles where the people could see, in the name of Jesus.

The thirty-first year passed away. Only a few people were changed and became believers in the Lord. But as many as were changed told the people that they had been visited by the power and Spirit of God, which was in Jesus Christ. That is who they believed in. As many as had devils cast out from them and were healed of their sicknesses and diseases told the people that they had been helped by the Spirit of God and had been healed. They showed signs and did some miracles among the people.

Many Are Baptized

The thirty-second year also passed away. At the start of the thirty-third year, Nephi called out to the people. He preached to them about repentance and the forgiveness of sins.

I want you to remember that everyone who repented was baptized with water. So Nephi chose men for this work. All who came to them would be baptized with water. This was a witness and a sign before God and to the people that they had repented and received forgiveness of their sins. Many people at the start of this year were baptized because they repented. Most of the year passed away this way.