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2 Nephi 10


Chapter 10

Jacob explains that the Jews will crucify their God—They will be scattered until they begin to believe in Him—America will be a land of liberty where no king will rule—Reconcile yourselves to God and gain salvation through His grace. About 559–545 B.C.

And now I, Jacob, speak unto you again, my beloved brethren, concerning this righteous branch of which I have spoken.

For behold, the promises which we have obtained are promises unto us according to the flesh; wherefore, as it has been shown unto me that many of our children shall perish in the flesh because of unbelief, nevertheless, God will be merciful unto many; and our children shall be restored, that they may come to that which will give them the true knowledge of their Redeemer.

Wherefore, as I said unto you, it must needs be expedient that Christfor in the last night the angel spake unto me that this should be his name—should come among the Jews, among those who are the more wicked part of the world; and they shall crucify him—for thus it behooveth our God, and there is none other nation on earth that would crucify their God.

For should the mighty miracles be wrought among other nations they would repent, and know that he be their God.

But because of priestcrafts and iniquities, they at Jerusalem will stiffen their necks against him, that he be crucified.

Wherefore, because of their iniquities, destructions, famines, pestilences, and bloodshed shall come upon them; and they who shall not be destroyed shall be scattered among all nations.

But behold, thus saith the Lord God: When the day cometh that they shall believe in me, that I am Christ, then have I covenanted with their fathers that they shall be restored in the flesh, upon the earth, unto the lands of their inheritance.

And it shall come to pass that they shall be gathered in from their long dispersion, from the isles of the sea, and from the four parts of the earth; and the nations of the Gentiles shall be great in the eyes of me, saith God, in carrying them forth to the lands of their inheritance.

Yea, the kings of the Gentiles shall be nursing fathers unto them, and their queens shall become nursing mothers; wherefore, the promises of the Lord are great unto the Gentiles, for he hath spoken it, and who can dispute?

10 But behold, this land, said God, shall be a land of thine inheritance, and the Gentiles shall be blessed upon the land.

11 And this land shall be a land of liberty unto the Gentiles, and there shall be no kings upon the land, who shall raise up unto the Gentiles.

12 And I will fortify this land against all other nations.

13 And he that fighteth against Zion shall perish, saith God.

14 For he that raiseth up a king against me shall perish, for I, the Lord, the king of heaven, will be their king, and I will be a light unto them forever, that hear my words.

15 Wherefore, for this cause, that my covenants may be fulfilled which I have made unto the children of men, that I will do unto them while they are in the flesh, I must needs destroy the secret works of darkness, and of murders, and of abominations.

16 Wherefore, he that fighteth against Zion, both Jew and Gentile, both bond and free, both male and female, shall perish; for they are they who are the whore of all the earth; for they who are not for me are against me, saith our God.

17 For I will fulfil my promises which I have made unto the children of men, that I will do unto them while they are in the flesh

18 Wherefore, my beloved brethren, thus saith our God: I will afflict thy seed by the hand of the Gentiles; nevertheless, I will soften the hearts of the Gentiles, that they shall be like unto a father to them; wherefore, the Gentiles shall be blessed and numbered among the house of Israel.

19 Wherefore, I will consecrate this land unto thy seed, and them who shall be numbered among thy seed, forever, for the land of their inheritance; for it is a choice land, saith God unto me, above all other lands, wherefore I will have all men that dwell thereon that they shall worship me, saith God.

20 And now, my beloved brethren, seeing that our merciful God has given us so great knowledge concerning these things, let us remember him, and lay aside our sins, and not hang down our heads, for we are not cast off; nevertheless, we have been driven out of the land of our inheritance; but we have been led to a better land, for the Lord has made the sea our path, and we are upon an isle of the sea.

21 But great are the promises of the Lord unto them who are upon the isles of the sea; wherefore as it says isles, there must needs be more than this, and they are inhabited also by our brethren.

22 For behold, the Lord God has led away from time to time from the house of Israel, according to his will and pleasure. And now behold, the Lord remembereth all them who have been broken off, wherefore he remembereth us also.

23 Therefore, cheer up your hearts, and remember that ye are free to act for yourselves—to choose the way of everlasting death or the way of eternal life.

24 Wherefore, my beloved brethren, reconcile yourselves to the will of God, and not to the will of the devil and the flesh; and remember, after ye are reconciled unto God, that it is only in and through the grace of God that ye are saved.

25 Wherefore, may God raise you from death by the power of the resurrection, and also from everlasting death by the power of the atonement, that ye may be received into the eternal kingdom of God, that ye may praise him through grace divine. Amen.

      • abomination (noun)

        Something that is loathsome, offensive, sinful, or sacrilegious.

      • above (adjective)

        More than.

      • according to (preposition)

        In a way that agrees with.

      • according to (adverb)

        Concerning; with respect to.

      • afflicted (adjective)

        Suffering grief or pain.

      • amen (interjection)

        Let it be so! Often said at the end of religious speeches and prayers.

      • angel (noun)

        Messenger from God. Some are spirits of people who have lived or will later live on the earth. Others are people who have been resurrected.

      • as (adverb)

        Like.

      • Atonement (noun)

        Jesus Christ’s suffering and death, which saves us from death and, if we repent, from the consequences of our sins.

      • B.C. (noun)

        Before the birth of Christ.

      • be blessed (verb phrase)

        Receive help, protection, favors, or gifts from God.

      • because of (conjunction)

        By reason of; through.

      • behold (interjection, archaic)

        Look! See! In fact.

      • beloved (adjective)

        Dear; well-loved.

      • brother, brethren (noun)

        Peer; neighbor; relative; kinsman.

      • cast out, cast off, cast away (verb)

        To throw out; to chase away.

      • cause (adverb phrase)

        Reason.

      • children of men (noun)

        All people.

      • choice (adjective)

        Of high quality; special.

      • Christ (noun)

        A title for Jesus Christ. The titles Christ and Messiah both mean a king or priest sent by God to save the world.

      • cometh (verb, archaic)

        Comes.

      • concerning (preposition)

        About.

      • concerning (preposition)

        About.

      • consecrate (verb)

        To dedicate; to make special; to set apart for a sacred purpose.

      • covenant (noun)

        A promise God makes to a person or group if they will obey Him.

      • covenant (verb)

        To make a solemn promise or treaty with someone. Covenants generally involve commitments on both sides.

      • day (noun)

        Period; time.

      • destroy (verb)

        To kill; to thwart.

      • destroy (verb)

        To ruin something; to cause something to cease to exist.

      • destruction (noun)

        The tearing down or complete ruin of something.

      • devil (noun)

        Satan (also called Lucifer), a spiritual being who rebelled against God and opposes Him. Satan deceives people and tempt them to sin.

      • divine (adjective)

        Coming from God.

      • dwell (verb)

        To live; to reside.

      • eternal (adjective)

        Lasting forever.

      • everlasting (adjective)

        Lasting forever.

      • expedient (adjective)

        Necessary; appropriate.

      • fathers (noun)

        Ancestors (one’s parents, their parents, theirs, and so on).

      • flesh (noun)

        The mortal body.

      • the flesh (noun)

        Mortal life; conditions of mortality.

      • for behold (conjunction)

        Therefore; so you see.

      • for (conjunction)

        Because.

      • for (conjunction)

        Because; because you see.

      • forth (adverb)

        Forward; away.

      • free (adjective)

        Having the ability to choose; not being forced.

      • gain (verb)

        To get; to receive; to earn.

      • Gentile (proper noun)

        Member of a nation or tribe other than Israel.

      • God (proper noun)

        God the Father or His Son, Jesus Christ. God the Father rules all things with perfect justice, mercy, and love. Jesus Christ often speaks and acts for His Father. He suffered so that we could be forgiven of our sins and be resurrected. The Father and Son are separate individuals but are united in purpose.

      • kingdom of God (noun)

        The place where the righteous live in the presence of God in the next life (sometimes called heaven).

      • grace (noun)

        Gifts given by God regardless of whether we deserve them.

      • hath (verb, archaic)

        Has.

      • heart (noun)

        A person’s thoughts, desires, and feelings.

      • heaven (noun)

        The place where God lives.

      • in the flesh (prepositional phrase)

        On earth; alive; among mortal people.

      • land or place of one’s inheritance (noun phrase)

        A land or place one has received from God or from one’s ancestors.

      • house of Israel (proper noun)

        God’s ancient covenant people, as described in the Bible (house means a nation or tribe); members of God’s Church.

      • Jacob (proper noun)

        Brother of Nephi; author of the third book of the Book of Mormon.

      • Jerusalem (proper noun)

        Capital of the ancient kingdom of Judah, located in modern Israel; site of key events of the Bible.

      • Jew (proper noun)

        Member of the tribe of Judah, one of the twelve tribes of Israel; people who lived in the land of Judah.

      • king (noun)

        Ruler or leader of a country. Kings are usually the son of the previous king.

      • lay aside (verb phrase)

        To set aside; to suspend; to abandon.

      • liberty (noun)

        Freedom; having choices; not being forced.

      • eternal life (noun)

        A state of immortality and joy; the kind of life that God lives.

      • Lord God (noun)

        A term of respect for God the Father or Jesus Christ.

      • Lord (noun)

        A term of respect for God the Father or Jesus Christ.

      • men (noun)

        People; humanity.

      • may (verb)

        Can; could.

      • merciful (adjective)

        Kind; forgiving.

      • must needs (verb)

        To must.

      • nation (noun)

        A large group of people who are related to each other or who have the same language, history, or government; the country where they live.

      • nevertheless (adverb)

        But still; in spite of this.

      • obtain (verb)

        To get.

      • perish (verb)

        To die; to be killed.

      • praise (verb)

        To speak of the greatness of someone or something.

      • receive (verb)

        To allow someone to enter.

      • Redeemer (proper noun)

        A title of Jesus Christ. A redeemer is someone who saves another person. Christ rescues us from death and the consequences of sin.

      • repent (verb)

        To feel sorrow for one’s sins, ask to be forgiven, and change one’s life.

      • restore (verb)

        To bring back.

      • resurrection (noun)

        Coming to life after being dead; the body and spirit coming together permanently; becoming immortal.

      • righteous (adjective)

        Good; virtuous; just; consistent with God’s law.

      • salvation (noun)

        Being saved by God from death and the effects of sin; being saved by God from enemies or other physical danger.

      • save (verb)

        To rescue from death and sin.

      • seed (noun)

        Posterity; descendants.

      • shall, should (verb)

        Will, would.

      • it shall came to pass (verb phrase)

        It will happened.

      • should the mighty miracles be wroght (phrase)

        If the great miracles were done.

      • sin (noun)

        An evil act; disobedience to God’s commandments.

      • soften the heart of (verb phrase)

        To overcome someone’s resistance, opposition, or hostility.

      • spake (verb, archaic)

        Spoke.

      • that (conjunction)

        In order that; so that.

      • that (conjunction)

        Who.

      • therefore (adverb)

        For this reason.

      • thereon (adverb)

        On it; on them.

      • thine (pronoun, archaic)

        Your, yours.

      • through (preposition)

        By means of; because of.

      • thus (adverb)

        In this way.

      • thy (pronoun, archaic)

        Your.

      • unbelief (noun)

        Absence or lack of belief or faith.

      • unto (preposition)

        To.

      • unto (preposition)

        To.

      • unto (preposition)

        To.

      • unto (preposition)

        For; to.

      • unto (preposition)

        To.

      • like unto (preposition)

        Like; the same as.

      • wherefore (adverb)

        So you see; therefore.

      • wherefore (adverb)

        So.

      • will (noun)

        Desire; intention; plan.

      • word (noun)

        Message; teachings.

      • works (noun)

        Actions; deeds.

      • world (noun)

        All human beings.

      • worship (verb)

        To honor, venerate, or praise God.

      • ye (pronoun, archaic)

        You.

      • yea (interjection, archaic)

        Indeed; yes. This is pronounced “yay.”

      • Zion (proper noun)

        The kingdom of God on earth.