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The Book of Mormon

By Joseph Smith

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4 Nephi

FOURTH NEPHI
THE BOOK OF NEPHI
WHO IS THE SON OF NEPHI--ONE OF THE DISCIPLES OF JESUS CHRIST
An account of the people of Nephi, according to his record.

4 Nephi 1:1
 1 And it came to pass that the thirty and fourth year passed
away, and also the thirty and fifth, and behold the disciples of
Jesus had formed a church of Christ in all the lands round about.

And as many as did come unto them, and did truly repent of their
sins, were baptized in the name of Jesus; and they did also
receive the Holy Ghost.

4 Nephi 1:2
 2 And it came to pass in the thirty and sixth year, the people
were all converted unto the Lord, upon all the face of the land,
both Nephites and Lamanites, and there were no contentions and
disputations among them, and every man did deal justly one with
another.

4 Nephi 1:3
 3 And they had all things common among them; therefore there
were not rich and poor, bond and free, but they were all made
free, and partakers of the heavenly gift.

4 Nephi 1:4
 4 And it came to pass that the thirty and seventh year passed
away also, and there still continued to be peace in the land.

4 Nephi 1:5
 5 And there were great and marvelous works wrought by the
disciples of Jesus, insomuch that they did heal the sick, and
raise the dead, and cause the lame to walk, and the blind to
receive their sight, and the deaf to hear; and all manner of
miracles did they work among the children of men; and in nothing
did they work miracles save it were in the name of Jesus.

4 Nephi 1:6
 6 And thus did the thirty and eighth year pass away, and also
the thirty and ninth, and forty and first, and the forty and
second, yea, even until forty and nine years had passed away, and
also the fifty and first, and the fifty and second; yea, and even
until fifty and nine years had passed away.

4 Nephi 1:7
 7 And the Lord did prosper them exceedingly in the land; yea,
insomuch that they did build cities again where there had been
cities burned.

4 Nephi 1:8
 8 Yea, even that great city Zarahemla did they cause to be built
again.

4 Nephi 1:9
 9 But there were many cities which had been sunk, and waters
came up in the stead thereof; therefore these cities could not be
renewed.

4 Nephi 1:10
 10 And now, behold, it came to pass that the people of Nephi did
wax strong, and did multiply exceedingly fast, and became an
exceedingly fair and delightsome people.

4 Nephi 1:11
 11 And they were married, and given in marriage, and were
blessed according to the multitude of the promises which the Lord
had made unto them.

4 Nephi 1:12
 12 And they did not walk any more after the performances and
ordinances of the law of Moses; but they did walk after the
commandments which they had received from their Lord and their
God, continuing in fasting and prayer, and in meeting together
oft both to pray and to hear the word of the Lord.

4 Nephi 1:13
 13 And it came to pass that there was no contention among all
the people, in all the land; but there were mighty miracles
wrought among the disciples of Jesus.

4 Nephi 1:14
 14 And it came to pass that the seventy and first year passed
away, and also the seventy and second year, yea, and in fine,
till the seventy and ninth year had passed away; yea, even an
hundred years had passed away, and the disciples of Jesus, whom
he had chosen, had all gone to the paradise of God, save it were
the three who should tarry; and there were other disciples
ordained in their stead; and also many of that generation had
passed away.

4 Nephi 1:15
 15 And it came to pass that there was no contention in the land,
because of the love of God which did dwell in the hearts of the
people.

4 Nephi 1:16
 16 And there were no envyings, nor strifes, nor tumults, nor
whoredoms, nor lyings, nor murders, nor any manner of
lasciviousness; and surely there could not be a happier people
among all the people who had been created by the hand of God.

4 Nephi 1:17
 17 There were no robbers, nor murderers, neither were there
Lamanites, nor any manner of -ites; but they were in one, the
children of Christ, and heirs to the kingdom of God.

4 Nephi 1:18
 18 And how blessed were they!  For the Lord did bless them in
all their doings; yea, even they were blessed and prospered until
an hundred and ten years had passed away; and the first
generation from Christ had passed away, and there was no
contention in all the land.

4 Nephi 1:19
 19 And it came to pass that Nephi, he that kept this last
record, (and he kept it upon the plates of Nephi) died, and his
son Amos kept it in his stead; and he kept it upon the plates of
Nephi also.

4 Nephi 1:20
 20 And he kept it eighty and four years, and there was still
peace in the land, save it were a small part of the people who
had revolted from the church and taken upon them the name of
Lamanites; therefore there began to be Lamanites again in the
land.

4 Nephi 1:21
 21 And it came to pass that Amos died also, (and it was an
hundred and ninety and four years from the coming of Christ) and
his son Amos kept the record in his stead; and he also kept it
upon the plates of Nephi; and it was also written in the book of
Nephi, which is this book.

4 Nephi 1:22
 22 And it came to pass that two hundred years had passed away;
and the second generation had all passed away save it were a few.

4 Nephi 1:23
 23 And now I, Mormon, would that ye should know that the people
had multiplied, insomuch that they were spread upon all the face
of the land, and that they had become exceedingly rich, because
of their prosperity in Christ.

4 Nephi 1:24
 24 And now, in this two hundred and first year there began to be
among them those who were lifted up in pride, such as the wearing
of costly apparel, and all manner of fine pearls, and of the fine
things of the world.

4 Nephi 1:25
 25 And from that time forth they did have their goods and their
substance no more common among them.

4 Nephi 1:26
 26 And they began to be divided into classes; and they began to
build up churches unto themselves to get gain, and began to deny
the true church of Christ.

4 Nephi 1:27
 27 And it came to pass that when two hundred and ten years had
passed away there were many churches in the land; yea, there were
many churches which professed to know the Christ, and yet they
did deny the more parts of his gospel, insomuch that they did
receive all manner of wickedness, and did administer that which
was sacred unto him to whom it had been forbidden because of
unworthiness.

4 Nephi 1:28
 28 And this church did multiply exceedingly because of iniquity,
and because of the power of Satan who did get hold upon their
hearts.

4 Nephi 1:29
 29 And again, there was another church which denied the Christ;
and they did persecute the true church of Christ, because of
their humility and their belief in Christ; and they did despise
them because of the many miracles which were wrought among them.

4 Nephi 1:30
 30 Therefore they did exercise power and authority over the
disciples of Jesus who did tarry with them, and they did cast
them into prison; but by the power of the word of God, which was
in them, the prisons were rent in twain, and they went forth
doing mighty miracles among them.

4 Nephi 1:31
 31 Nevertheless, and notwithstanding all these miracles, the
people did harden their hearts, and did seek to kill them, even
as the Jews at Jerusalem sought to kill Jesus, according to his
word.

4 Nephi 1:32
 32 And they did cast them into furnaces of fire, and they came
forth receiving no harm.

4 Nephi 1:33
 33 And they also cast them into dens of wild beasts, and they
did play with the wild beasts even as a child with a lamb; and
they did come forth from among them, receiving no harm.

4 Nephi 1:34
 34 Nevertheless, the people did harden their hearts, for they
were led by many priests and false prophets to build up many
churches, and to do all manner of iniquity.  And they did smite
upon the people of Jesus; but the people of Jesus did not smite
again.  And thus they did dwindle in unbelief and wickedness,
from year to year, even until two hundred and thirty years had
passed away.

4 Nephi 1:35
 35 And now it came to pass in this year, yea, in the two hundred
and thirty and first year, there was a great division among the
people.

4 Nephi 1:36
 36 And it came to pass that in this year there arose a people
who were called the Nephites, and they were true believers in
Christ; and among them there were those who were called by the
Lamanites--Jacobites, and Josephites, and Zoramites;

4 Nephi 1:37
 37 Therefore the true believers in Christ, and the true
worshipers of Christ, (among whom were the three disciples of
Jesus who should tarry) were called Nephites, and Jacobites, and
Josephites, and Zoramites.

4 Nephi 1:38
 38 And it came to pass that they who rejected the gospel were
called Lamanites, and Lemuelites, and Ishmaelites; and they did
not dwindle in unbelief, but they did wilfully rebel against the
gospel of Christ; and they did teach their children that they
should not believe, even as their fathers, from the beginning,
did dwindle.

4 Nephi 1:39
 39 And it was because of the wickedness and abomination of their
fathers, even as it was in the beginning.  And they were taught
to hate the children of God, even as the Lamanites were taught to
hate the children of Nephi from the beginning.

4 Nephi 1:40
 40 And it came to pass that two hundred and forty and four years
had passed away, and thus were the affairs of the people.  And
the more wicked part of the people did wax strong, and became
exceedingly more numerous than were the people of God.

4 Nephi 1:41
 41 And they did still continue to build up churches unto
themselves, and adorn them with all manner of precious things. 
And thus did two hundred and fifty years pass away, and also two
hundred and sixty years.

4 Nephi 1:42
 42 And it came to pass that the wicked part of the people began
again to build up the secret oaths and combinations of Gadianton.

4 Nephi 1:43
 43 And also the people who were called the people of Nephi began
to be proud in their hearts, because of their exceeding riches,
and become vain like unto their brethren, the Lamanites.

4 Nephi 1:44
 44 And from this time the disciples began to sorrow for the sins
of the world.

4 Nephi 1:45
 45 And it came to pass that when three hundred years had passed
away, both the people of Nephi and the Lamanites had become
exceedingly wicked one like unto another.

4 Nephi 1:46
 46 And it came to pass that the robbers of Gadianton did spread
over all the face of the land; and there were none that were
righteous save it were the disciples of Jesus.  And gold and
silver did they lay up in store in abundance, and did traffic in
all manner of traffic.

4 Nephi 1:47
 47 And it came to pass that after three hundred and five years
had passed away, (and the people did still remain in wickedness)
Amos died; and his brother, Ammaron, did keep the record in his
stead.

4 Nephi 1:48
 48 And it came to pass that when three hundred and twenty years
had passed away, Ammaron, being constrained by the Holy Ghost,
did hide up the records which were sacred--yea, even all the
sacred records which had been handed down from generation to
generation, which were sacred--even until the three hundred and
twentieth year from the coming of Christ.

4 Nephi 1:49
 49 And he did hide them up unto the Lord that they might come
again unto the remnant of the house of Jacob according to the
prophecies and the promises of the Lord.  And thus is the end of
the record of Ammaron.