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The Book of Mormon

By Joseph Smith

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Enos

THE BOOK OF ENOS

Enos 1:1
 1 Behold, it came to pass that I, Enos, knowing my father that
he was a just man--for he taught me in his language, and also in
the nurture and admonition of the Lord--and blessed be the name
of my God for it--

Enos 1:2
 2 And I will tell you of the wrestle which I had before God,
before I received a remission of my sins.

Enos 1:3
 3 Behold, I went to hunt beasts in the forests; and the words
which I had often heard my father speak concerning eternal life,
and the joy of the saints, sunk deep into my heart.

Enos 1:4
 4 And my soul hungered; and I kneeled down before my Maker, and
I cried unto him in mighty prayer and supplication for mine own
soul; and all the day long did I cry unto him; yea, and when the
night came I did still raise my voice high that it reached the
heavens.

Enos 1:5
 5 And there came a voice unto me, saying: Enos, thy sins are
forgiven thee, and thou shalt be blessed.

Enos 1:6
 6 And I, Enos, knew that God could not lie; wherefore, my guilt
was swept away.

Enos 1:7
 7 And I said: Lord, how is it done?

Enos 1:8
 8 And he said unto me: Because of thy faith in Christ, whom thou
hast never before heard nor seen.  And many years pass away
before he shall manifest himself in the flesh; wherefore, go to,
thy faith hath made thee whole.

Enos 1:9
 9 Now, it came to pass that when I had heard these words I began
to feel a desire for the welfare of my brethren, the Nephites;
wherefore, I did pour out my whole soul unto God for them.

Enos 1:10
 10 And while I was thus struggling in the spirit, behold, the
voice of the Lord came into my mind again, saying: I will visit
thy brethren according to their diligence in keeping my
commandments.  I have given unto them this land, and it is a holy
land; and I curse it not save it be for the cause of iniquity;
wherefore, I will visit thy brethren according as I have said;
and their transgressions will I bring down with sorrow upon their
own heads.

Enos 1:11
 11 And after I, Enos, had heard these words, my faith began to
be unshaken in the Lord; and I prayed unto him with many long
strugglings for my brethren, the Lamanites.

Enos 1:12
 12 And it came to pass that after I had prayed and labored with
all diligence, the Lord said unto me: I will grant unto thee
according to thy desires, because of thy faith.

Enos 1:13
 13 And now behold, this was the desire which I desired of
him--that if it should so be, that my people, the Nephites,
should fall into transgression, and by any means be destroyed,
and the Lamanites should not be destroyed, that the Lord God
would preserve a record of my people, the Nephites; even if it so
be by the power of his holy arm, that it might be brought forth
at some future day unto the Lamanites, that, perhaps, they might
be brought unto salvation--

Enos 1:14
 14 For at the present our strugglings were vain in restoring
them to the true faith.  And they swore in their wrath that, if
it were possible, they would destroy our records and us, and also
all the traditions of our fathers.

Enos 1:15
 15 Wherefore, I knowing that the Lord God was able to preserve
our records, I cried unto him continually, for he had said unto
me: Whatsoever thing ye shall ask in faith, believing that ye
shall receive in the name of Christ, ye shall receive it.

Enos 1:16
 16 And I had faith, and I did cry unto God that he would
preserve the records; and he covenanted with me that he would
bring them forth unto the Lamanites in his own due time.

Enos 1:17
 17 And I, Enos, knew it would be according to the covenant which
he had made; wherefore my soul did rest.

Enos 1:18
 18 And the Lord said unto me: Thy fathers have also required of
me this thing; and it shall be done unto them according to their
faith; for their faith was like unto thine.

Enos 1:19
 19 And now it came to pass that I, Enos, went about among the
people of Nephi, prophesying of things to come, and testifying of
the things which I had heard and seen.

Enos 1:20
 20 And I bear record that the people of Nephi did seek
diligently to restore the Lamanites unto the true faith in God. 
But our labors were vain; their hatred was fixed, and they were
led by their evil nature that they became wild, and ferocious,
and a bloodthirsty people, full of idolatry and filthiness;
feeding upon beasts of prey; dwelling in tents, and wandering
about in the wilderness with a short skin girdle about their
loins and their heads shaven; and their skill was in the bow, and
in the cimeter, and the ax.  And many of them did eat nothing
save it was raw meat; and they were continually seeking to
destroy us.

Enos 1:21
 21 And it came to pass that the people of Nephi did till the
land, and raise all manner of grain, and of fruit, and flocks of
herds, and flocks of all manner of cattle of every kind, and
goats, and wild goats, and also many horses.

Enos 1:22
 22 And there were exceedingly many prophets among us.  And the
people were a stiffnecked people, hard to understand.

Enos 1:23
 23 And there was nothing save it was exceeding harshness,
preaching and prophesying of wars, and contentions, and
destructions, and continually reminding them of death, and the
duration of eternity, and the judgments and the power of God, and
all these things--stirring them up continually to keep them in
the fear of the Lord.  I say there was nothing short of these
things, and exceedingly great plainness of speech, would keep
them from going down speedily to destruction.  And after this
manner do I write concerning them.

Enos 1:24
 24 And I saw wars between the Nephites and Lamanites in the
course of my days.

Enos 1:25
 25 And it came to pass that I began to be old, and an hundred
and seventy and nine years had passed away from the time that our
father Lehi left Jerusalem.

Enos 1:26
 26 And I saw that I must soon go down to my grave, having been
wrought upon by the power of God that I must preach and prophesy
unto this people, and declare the word according to the truth
which is in Christ.  And I have declared it in all my days, and
have rejoiced in it above that of the world.

Enos 1:27
 27 And I soon go to the place of my rest, which is with my
Redeemer; for I know that in him I shall rest.  And I rejoice in
the day when my mortal shall put on immortality, and shall stand
before him; then shall I see his face with pleasure, and he will
say unto me: Come unto me, ye blessed, there is a place prepared
for you in the mansions of my Father.  Amen.