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2 Nephi 6


Chapter 6

Jacob recounts Jewish history: The Babylonian captivity and return; the ministry and crucifixion of the Holy One of Israel; the help received from the Gentiles; and the Jews’ latter-day restoration when they believe in the Messiah. About 559–545 B.C.

The words of Jacob, the brother of Nephi, which he spake unto the people of Nephi:

Behold, my beloved brethren, I, Jacob, having been called of God, and ordained after the manner of his holy order, and having been consecrated by my brother Nephi, unto whom ye look as a king or a protector, and on whom ye depend for safety, behold ye know that I have spoken unto you exceedingly many things.

Nevertheless, I speak unto you again; for I am desirous for the welfare of your souls. Yea, mine anxiety is great for you; and ye yourselves know that it ever has been. For I have exhorted you with all diligence; and I have taught you the words of my father; and I have spoken unto you concerning all things which are written, from the creation of the world.

And now, behold, I would speak unto you concerning things which are, and which are to come; wherefore, I will read you the words of Isaiah. And they are the words which my brother has desired that I should speak unto you. And I speak unto you for your sakes, that ye may learn and glorify the name of your God.

And now, the words which I shall read are they which Isaiah spake concerning all the house of Israel; wherefore, they may be likened unto you, for ye are of the house of Israel. And there are many things which have been spoken by Isaiah which may be likened unto you, because ye are of the house of Israel.

And now, these are the words: Thus saith the Lord God: Behold, I will lift up mine hand to the Gentiles, and set up my standard to the people; and they shall bring thy sons in their arms, and thy daughters shall be carried upon their shoulders.

And kings shall be thy nursing fathers, and their queens thy nursing mothers; they shall bow down to thee with their faces towards the earth, and lick up the dust of thy feet; and thou shalt know that I am the Lord; for they shall not be ashamed that wait for me.

And now I, Jacob, would speak somewhat concerning these words. For behold, the Lord has shown me that those who were at Jerusalem, from whence we came, have been slain and carried away captive.

Nevertheless, the Lord has shown unto me that they should return again. And he also has shown unto me that the Lord God, the Holy One of Israel, should manifest himself unto them in the flesh; and after he should manifest himself they should scourge him and crucify him, according to the words of the angel who spake it unto me.

10 And after they have hardened their hearts and stiffened their necks against the Holy One of Israel, behold, the judgments of the Holy One of Israel shall come upon them. And the day cometh that they shall be smitten and afflicted.

11 Wherefore, after they are driven to and fro, for thus saith the angel, many shall be afflicted in the flesh, and shall not be suffered to perish, because of the prayers of the faithful; they shall be scattered, and smitten, and hated; nevertheless, the Lord will be merciful unto them, that when they shall come to the knowledge of their Redeemer, they shall be gathered together again to the lands of their inheritance.

12 And blessed are the Gentiles, they of whom the prophet has written; for behold, if it so be that they shall repent and fight not against Zion, and do not unite themselves to that great and abominable church, they shall be saved; for the Lord God will fulfil his covenants which he has made unto his children; and for this cause the prophet has written these things.

13 Wherefore, they that fight against Zion and the covenant people of the Lord shall lick up the dust of their feet; and the people of the Lord shall not be ashamed. For the people of the Lord are they who wait for him; for they still wait for the coming of the Messiah.

14 And behold, according to the words of the prophet, the Messiah will set himself again the second time to recover them; wherefore, he will manifest himself unto them in power and great glory, unto the destruction of their enemies, when that day cometh when they shall believe in him; and none will he destroy that believe in him.

15 And they that believe not in him shall be destroyed, both by fire, and by tempest, and by earthquakes, and by bloodsheds, and by pestilence, and by famine. And they shall know that the Lord is God, the Holy One of Israel.

16 For shall the prey be taken from the mighty, or the lawful captive delivered?

17 But thus saith the Lord: Even the captives of the mighty shall be taken away, and the prey of the terrible shall be delivered; for the Mighty God shall deliver his covenant people. For thus saith the Lord: I will contend with them that contendeth with thee

18 And I will feed them that oppress thee, with their own flesh; and they shall be drunken with their own blood as with sweet wine; and all flesh shall know that I the Lord am thy Savior and thy Redeemer, the Mighty One of Jacob.

      • afflicted (adjective)

        Suffering grief or pain.

      • after the manner of (adverb phrase)

        Following the pattern or customs of; according to the principles of.

      • 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.

      • carry away captive (verb phrase)

        To take someone prisoner.

      • B.C. (noun)

        Before the birth of Christ.

      • because of (conjunction)

        By reason of; through.

      • behold (interjection, archaic)

        Look! See! In fact.

      • beloved (adjective)

        Dear; well-loved.

      • blessed (adjective)

        Having received help, protection, favors, or gifts from God.

      • bow, bow down (verb)

        To bend the head, kneel, or lie down on one’s belly as a courtesy to others, a sign of submission to a ruler, or as worship to God.

      • brother, brethren (noun)

        Peer; neighbor; relative; kinsman.

      • call (verb)

        To summon; to choose; to give a church responsibility to.

      • captivity (noun)

        Being a prisoner or slave.

      • cause (adverb phrase)

        Reason.

      • church (noun)

        Organization; gathering. (In Nephi’s vision this is not limited to religious organizations.)

      • cometh (verb, archaic)

        Comes.

      • concerning (preposition)

        About.

      • covenant (noun)

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

      • creation (noun)

        God’s making; being made by God.

      • crucifixion (noun)

        A method of putting criminals to death that was used during Christ’s ministry in Jerusalem. Victims were tied or nailed to a wooden crossbeam suspended on a post and left to die.

      • day (noun)

        Period; time.

      • deliver (verb)

        To help someone escape; to save someone; to set someone free.

      • desire (verb)

        To ask.

      • be desirous (verb)

        To desire; to want.

      • destroy (verb)

        To kill; to thwart.

      • destruction (noun)

        The tearing down or complete ruin of something.

      • earth (noun)

        Ground.

      • even (adverb)

        In fact.

      • exceedingly (adverb)

        Very; extremely.

      • exhort (verb)

        To urge; to try to persuade.

      • faithful (noun)

        People who have faith and are loyal to the teachings of the gospel.

      • flesh (noun)

        Living creature, especially a human being.

      • for behold (conjunction)

        Therefore; so you see.

      • for behold (conjunction)

        Because you see.

      • for (conjunction)

        Because.

      • for (conjunction)

        Because; because you see.

      • from (preposition)

        Starting from or with.

      • Gentile (proper noun)

        Member of a nation or tribe other than Israel.

      • glorify (verb)

        To honor; to praise.

      • glory (noun)

        Power; greatness; splendor; magnificence.

      • 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.

      • harden one’s heart (verb phrase)

        Make or become stubborn, wicked, or resistant to good influences.

      • Holy One of Israel (or Jacob) (proper noun)

        A title of Jesus Christ. (Israel and Jacob are names for God’s ancient covenant people, as described in the Bible.)

      • if it so be that (phrase)

        If.

      • in the flesh (prepositional phrase)

        On earth; alive; among mortal people.

      • 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.

      • judgment (noun)

        Punishment from God for evil acts.

      • king (noun)

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

      • latter-day (adjective)

        Having to do with modern times; the period before the Second Coming of Jesus Christ.

      • look to (verb phrase)

        To rely on; to go to for help.

      • 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.

      • manifest (verb)

        To appear; to show.

      • may (verb)

        Can; could.

      • merciful (adjective)

        Kind; forgiving.

      • Messiah (proper noun)

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

      • Mighty One of Israel (or Jacob) (proper noun)

        A title of Jesus Christ. (Mighty means “powerful.” Israel and Jacob are names for God’s ancient covenant people, as described in the Bible.)

      • ministry (noun)

        Acts in service to God and to other people.

      • mine (pronoun, archaic)

        My.

      • Nephi (proper noun)

        A prophet, fourth son of Lehi; author of the first two books of the Book of Mormon.

      • Nephites, people of Nephi (proper noun)

        A people of the Book of Mormon descended from Nephi and from those who followed him.

      • nevertheless (adverb)

        But still; in spite of this.

      • none (pronoun)

        No one.

      • ordain (verb)

        Appoint; give authority; perform a ceremony in which a priesthood holder lays his hands on a person’s head and gives that person authority.

      • perish (verb)

        To die; to be killed.

      • prophet (noun)

        A person sent by God to speak for Him.

      • 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.

      • save (verb)

        To rescue from death and sin.

      • Savior (adjective)

        A title for Jesus Christ (who saves us from death and sin).

      • shall, should (verb)

        Will, would.

      • shall, should (verb)

        Will, would.

      • should (verb)

        May; must; ought to.

      • slay (verb)

        To kill.

      • somewhat (adverb)

        Some amount.

      • soul (noun)

        Spirit; the part of us that exists before birth, that continues after death, and that has awareness and the ability to choose.

      • spake (verb, archaic)

        Said.

      • spake (verb, archaic)

        Spoke.

      • suffer (verb, archaic)

        To allow; to permit.

      • that (conjunction)

        In order that; so that.

      • that (conjunction)

        Who.

      • thee (pronoun, archaic)

        You.

      • thou shalt (phrase, archaic)

        You will.

      • thy (pronoun, archaic)

        Your.

      • unto (preposition)

        To.

      • unto (preposition)

        To.

      • unto (preposition)

        To.

      • unto (preposition)

        Sufficient for; resulting in.

      • unto (preposition)

        To; with.

      • welfare (noun)

        Well-being; benefit; good; advantage.

      • from whence (prepositional phrase)

        From which; from where.

      • wherefore (adverb)

        So you see; therefore.

      • wherefore (adverb)

        So.

      • would (verb)

        Desire to; want to; would like to.

      • with all diligence (adverb phrase)

        Conscientiously; with all one’s strength and effort.

      • with (preposition)

        Through; by means of.

      • word (noun)

        Message; teachings.

      • world (noun)

        The earth.

      • ye (pronoun, archaic)

        You.

      • yea (interjection, archaic)

        Indeed; yes. This is pronounced “yay.”

      • Zion (proper noun)

        The kingdom of God on earth.