The Book of Mormon Part 101

Helaman 11:12 12 O Lord, wilt thou turn away thine anger, yea, thy fierce anger, and cause that this famine may cease in this land.

Helaman 11:13 13 O Lord, wilt thou hearken unto me, and cause that it may be done according to my words, and send forth rain upon the face of the earth, that she may bring forth her fruit, and her grain in the season of grain.

Helaman 11:14 14 O Lord, thou didst hearken unto my words when I said, Let there be a famine, that the pestilence of the sword might cease; and I know that thou wilt, even at this time, hearken unto my words, for thou saidst that: If this people repent I will spare them.

Helaman 11:15 15 Yea, O Lord, and thou seest that they have repented, because of the famine and the pestilence and destruction which has come unto them.

Helaman 11:16 16 And now, O Lord, wilt thou turn away thine anger, and try again if they will serve thee? And if so, O Lord, thou canst bless them according to thy words which thou hast said.

Helaman 11:17 17 And it came to pa.s.s that in the seventy and sixth year the Lord did turn away his anger from the people, and caused that rain should fall upon the earth, insomuch that it did bring forth her fruit in the season of her fruit. And it came to pa.s.s that it did bring forth her grain in the season of her grain.

Helaman 11:18 18 And behold, the people did rejoice and glorify G.o.d, and the whole face of the land was filled with rejoicing; and they did no more seek to destroy Nephi, but they did esteem him as a great prophet, and a man of G.o.d, having great power and authority given unto him from G.o.d.

Helaman 11:19 19 And behold, Lehi, his brother, was not a whit behind him as to things pertaining to righteousness.

Helaman 11:20 20 And thus it did come to pa.s.s that the people of Nephi began to prosper again in the land, and began to build up their waste places, and began to multiply and spread, even until they did cover the whole face of the land, both on the northward and on the southward, from the sea west to the sea east.

Helaman 11:21 21 And it came to pa.s.s that the seventy and sixth year did end in peace. And the seventy and seventh year began in peace; and the church did spread throughout the face of all the land; and the more part of the people, both the Nephites and the Lamanites, did belong to the church; and they did have exceedingly great peace in the land; and thus ended the seventy and seventh year.

Helaman 11:22 22 And also they had peace in the seventy and eighth year, save it were a few contentions concerning the points of doctrine which had been laid down by the prophets.

Helaman 11:23 23 And in the seventy and ninth year there began to be much strife. But it came to pa.s.s that Nephi and Lehi, and many of their brethren who knew concerning the true points of doctrine, having many revelations daily, therefore they did preach unto the people, insomuch that they did put an end to their strife in that same year.

Helaman 11:24 24 And it came to pa.s.s that in the eightieth year of the reign of the judges over the people of Nephi, there were a certain number of the dissenters from the people of Nephi, who had some years before gone over unto the Lamanites, and taken upon themselves the name of Lamanites, and also a certain number who were real descendants of the Lamanites, being stirred up to anger by them, or by those dissenters, therefore they commenced a war with their brethren.

Helaman 11:25 25 And they did commit murder and plunder; and then they would retreat back into the mountains, and into the wilderness and secret places, hiding themselves that they could not be discovered, receiving daily an addition to their numbers, inasmuch as there were dissenters that went forth unto them.

Helaman 11:26 26 And thus in time, yea, even in the s.p.a.ce of not many years, they became an exceedingly great band of robbers; and they did search out all the secret plans of Gadianton; and thus they became robbers of Gadianton.

Helaman 11:27 27 Now behold, these robbers did make great havoc, yea, even great destruction among the people of Nephi, and also among the people of the Lamanites.

Helaman 11:28 28 And it came to pa.s.s that it was expedient that there should be a stop put to this work of destruction; therefore they sent an army of strong men into the wilderness and upon the mountains to search out this band of robbers, and to destroy them.

Helaman 11:29 29 But behold, it came to pa.s.s that in that same year they were driven back even into their own lands. And thus ended the eightieth year of the reign of the judges over the people of Nephi.

Helaman 11:30 30 And it came to pa.s.s in the commencement of the eighty and first year they did go forth again against this band of robbers, and did destroy many; and they were also visited with much destruction.

Helaman 11:31 31 And they were again obliged to return out of the wilderness and out of the mountains unto their own lands, because of the exceeding greatness of the numbers of those robbers who infested the mountains and the wilderness.

Helaman 11:32 32 And it came to pa.s.s that thus ended this year. And the robbers did still increase and wax strong, insomuch that they did defy the whole armies of the Nephites, and also of the Lamanites; and they did cause great fear to come unto the people upon all the face of the land.

Helaman 11:33 33 Yea, for they did visit many parts of the land, and did do great destruction unto them; yea, did kill many, and did carry away others captive into the wilderness, yea, and more especially their women and their children.

Helaman 11:34 34 Now this great evil, which came unto the people because of their iniquity, did stir them up again in remembrance of the Lord their G.o.d.

Helaman 11:35 35 And thus ended the eighty and first year of the reign of the judges.

Helaman 11:36 36 And in the eighty and second year they began again to forget the Lord their G.o.d. And in the eighty and third year they began to wax strong in iniquity. And in the eighty and fourth year they did not mend their ways.

Helaman 11:37 37 And it came to pa.s.s in the eighty and fifth year they did wax stronger and stronger in their pride, and in their wickedness; and thus they were ripening again for destruction.

Helaman 11:38 38 And thus ended the eighty and fifth year.

Helaman 12 Chapter 12

Helaman 12:1 1 And thus we can behold how false, and also the unsteadiness of the hearts of the children of men; yea, we can see that the Lord in his great infinite goodness doth bless and prosper those who put their trust in him.

Helaman 12:2 2 Yea, and we may see at the very time when he doth prosper his people, yea, in the increase of their fields, their flocks and their herds, and in gold, and in silver, and in all manner of precious things of every kind and art; sparing their lives, and delivering them out of the hands of their enemies; softening the hearts of their enemies that they should not declare wars against them; yea, and in fine, doing all things for the welfare and happiness of his people; yea, then is the time that they do harden their hearts, and do forget the Lord their G.o.d, and do trample under their feet the Holy One--yea, and this because of their ease, and their exceedingly great prosperity.

Helaman 12:3 3 And thus we see that except the Lord doth chasten his people with many afflictions, yea, except he doth visit them with death and with terror, and with famine and with all manner of pestilence, they will not remember him.

Helaman 12:4 4 O how foolish, and how vain, and how evil, and devilish, and how quick to do iniquity, and how slow to do good, are the children of men; yea, how quick to hearken unto the words of the evil one, and to set their hearts upon the vain things of the world!

Helaman 12:5 5 Yea, how quick to be lifted up in pride; yea, how quick to boast, and do all manner of that which is iniquity; and how slow are they to remember the Lord their G.o.d, and to give ear unto his counsels, yea, how slow to walk in wisdom's paths!

Helaman 12:6 6 Behold, they do not desire that the Lord their G.o.d, who hath created them, should rule and reign over them; notwithstanding his great goodness and his mercy towards them, they do set at naught his counsels, and they will not that he should be their guide.

Helaman 12:7 7 O how great is the nothingness of the children of men; yea, even they are less than the dust of the earth.

Helaman 12:8 8 For behold, the dust of the earth moveth hither and thither, to the dividing asunder, at the command of our great and everlasting G.o.d.

Helaman 12:9 9 Yea, behold at his voice do the hills and the mountains tremble and quake.

Helaman 12:10 10 And by the power of his voice they are broken up, and become smooth, yea, even like unto a valley.

Helaman 12:11 11 Yea, by the power of his voice doth the whole earth shake;

Helaman 12:12 12 Yea, by the power of his voice, do the foundations rock, even to the very center.

Helaman 12:13 13 Yea, and if he say unto the earth--Move--it is moved.

Helaman 12:14 14 Yea, if he say unto the earth--Thou shalt go back, that it lengthen out the day for many hours--it is done;

Helaman 12:15 15 And thus, according to his word the earth goeth back, and it appeareth unto man that the sun standeth still; yea, and behold, this is so; for surely it is the earth that moveth and not the sun.

Helaman 12:16 16 And behold, also, if he say unto the waters of the great deep--Be thou dried up--it is done.

Helaman 12:17 17 Behold, if he say unto this mountain--Be thou raised up, and come over and fall upon that city, that it be buried up--behold it is done.

Helaman 12:18 18 And behold, if a man hide up a treasure in the earth, and the Lord shall say--Let it be accursed, because of the iniquity of him who hath hid it up--behold, it shall be accursed.

Helaman 12:19 19 And if the Lord shall say--Be thou accursed, that no man shall find thee from this time henceforth and forever--behold, no man getteth it henceforth and forever.

Helaman 12:20 20 And behold, if the Lord shall say unto a man--Because of thine iniquities, thou shalt be accursed forever--it shall be done.

Helaman 12:21 21 And if the Lord shall say--Because of thine iniquities thou shalt be cut off from my presence--he will cause that it shall be so.

Helaman 12:22 22 And wo unto him to whom he shall say this, for it shall be unto him that will do iniquity, and he cannot be saved; therefore, for this cause, that men might be saved, hath repentance been declared.