“Chapter 39: Nephi Receives Great Power,” Book of Mormon Stories (1997), 108–10
“Chapter 39,” Book of Mormon Stories, 108–10
Chapter 39
Nephi Receives Great Power
Nephi walked toward his home, thinking about what the Lord had shown him and about the wickedness of the Nephites. He was sad because of their wickedness.
The Lord spoke to Nephi and praised him for being obedient and working so hard to teach the gospel.
Nephi was given the power to do anything. The Lord knew he would use this power righteously.
The Lord told Nephi to warn the Nephites that if they did not repent, they would be destroyed. Nephi went immediately to warn the people.
The Nephites did not believe Nephi. They tried to throw him into prison, but the power of God protected him.
Nephi declared the word of God to all the Nephites.
But the people became even more wicked and began fighting each other.
Nephi prayed for a famine, hoping that a lack of food would humble the Nephites and help them repent.
The famine came. There was no rain, so the ground dried up and crops could not grow. The people stopped fighting.
The Nephites were hungry, and many of them died. Those who lived began to remember the Lord and what Nephi had taught them.
The people repented of their sins and then begged their judges to ask Nephi to end the famine. The judges went to Nephi.
When Nephi saw that the people had become humble and had repented, he asked the Lord to end the famine.
The Lord answered Nephi’s prayer, and it began to rain. Soon the crops were growing again. The people glorified God and knew that Nephi was a great prophet.
Most of the Nephites joined the Church. They became rich, and their cities grew. There was peace in the land.
Then some Nephites who had earlier joined the Lamanites attacked the Nephites.
The Nephites tried to defeat their enemies, who had become Gadianton robbers, but could not because they themselves had become wicked again.
When the Nephites were righteous, the Lord blessed them. When they were proud and forgot the Lord, he gave them problems to help them remember him.