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3 Nephi 12


Chapter 12

Jesus calls and commissions the twelve disciples—He delivers to the Nephites a discourse similar to the Sermon on the Mount—He speaks the Beatitudes—His teachings transcend and take precedence over the law of MosesMen are commanded to be perfect even as He and His Father are perfectCompare Matthew 5. About A.D. 34.

And it came to pass that when Jesus had spoken these words unto Nephi, and to those who had been called, (now the number of them who had been called, and received power and authority to baptize, was twelve) and behold, he stretched forth his hand unto the multitude, and cried unto them, saying: Blessed are ye if ye shall give heed unto the words of these twelve whom I have chosen from among you to minister unto you, and to be your servants; and unto them I have given power that they may baptize you with water; and after that ye are baptized with water, behold, I will baptize you with fire and with the Holy Ghost; therefore blessed are ye if ye shall believe in me and be baptized, after that ye have seen me and know that I am.

And again, more blessed are they who shall believe in your words because that ye shall testify that ye have seen me, and that ye know that I am. Yea, blessed are they who shall believe in your words, and come down into the depths of humility and be baptized, for they shall be visited with fire and with the Holy Ghost, and shall receive a remission of their sins.

Yea, blessed are the poor in spirit who come unto me, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven.

And again, blessed are all they that mourn, for they shall be comforted.

And blessed are the meek, for they shall inherit the earth.

And blessed are all they who do hunger and thirst after righteousness, for they shall be filled with the Holy Ghost.

And blessed are the merciful, for they shall obtain mercy.

And blessed are all the pure in heart, for they shall see God.

And blessed are all the peacemakers, for they shall be called the children of God.

10 And blessed are all they who are persecuted for my name’s sake, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven.

11 And blessed are ye when men shall revile you and persecute, and shall say all manner of evil against you falsely, for my sake;

12 For ye shall have great joy and be exceedingly glad, for great shall be your reward in heaven; for so persecuted they the prophets who were before you.

13 Verily, verily, I say unto you, I give unto you to be the salt of the earth; but if the salt shall lose its savor wherewith shall the earth be salted? The salt shall be thenceforth good for nothing, but to be cast out and to be trodden under foot of men.

14 Verily, verily, I say unto you, I give unto you to be the light of this people. A city that is set on a hill cannot be hid.

15 Behold, do men light a candle and put it under a bushel? Nay, but on a candlestick, and it giveth light to all that are in the house;

16 Therefore let your light so shine before this people, that they may see your good works and glorify your Father who is in heaven.

17 Think not that I am come to destroy the law or the prophets. I am not come to destroy but to fulfil;

18 For verily I say unto you, one jot nor one tittle hath not passed away from the law, but in me it hath all been fulfilled.

19 And behold, I have given you the law and the commandments of my Father, that ye shall believe in me, and that ye shall repent of your sins, and come unto me with a broken heart and a contrite spirit. Behold, ye have the commandments before you, and the law is fulfilled.

20 Therefore come unto me and be ye saved; for verily I say unto you, that except ye shall keep my commandments, which I have commanded you at this time, ye shall in no case enter into the kingdom of heaven.

21 Ye have heard that it hath been said by them of old time, and it is also written before you, that thou shalt not kill, and whosoever shall kill shall be in danger of the judgment of God;

22 But I say unto you, that whosoever is angry with his brother shall be in danger of his judgment. And whosoever shall say to his brother, Raca, shall be in danger of the council; and whosoever shall say, Thou fool, shall be in danger of hell fire.

23 Therefore, if ye shall come unto me, or shall desire to come unto me, and rememberest that thy brother hath aught against thee

24 Go thy way unto thy brother, and first be reconciled to thy brother, and then come unto me with full purpose of heart, and I will receive you.

25 Agree with thine adversary quickly while thou art in the way with him, lest at any time he shall get thee, and thou shalt be cast into prison.

26 Verily, verily, I say unto thee, thou shalt by no means come out thence until thou hast paid the uttermost senine. And while ye are in prison can ye pay even one senine? Verily, verily, I say unto you, Nay.

27 Behold, it is written by them of old time, that thou shalt not commit adultery;

28 But I say unto you, that whosoever looketh on a woman, to lust after her, hath committed adultery already in his heart.

29 Behold, I give unto you a commandment, that ye suffer none of these things to enter into your heart;

30 For it is better that ye should deny yourselves of these things, wherein ye will take up your cross, than that ye should be cast into hell.

31 It hath been written, that whosoever shall put away his wife, let him give her a writing of divorcement.

32 Verily, verily, I say unto you, that whosoever shall put away his wife, saving for the cause of fornication, causeth her to commit adultery; and whoso shall marry her who is divorced committeth adultery.

33 And again it is written, thou shalt not forswear thyself, but shalt perform unto the Lord thine oaths;

34 But verily, verily, I say unto you, swear not at all; neither by heaven, for it is God’s throne;

35 Nor by the earth, for it is his footstool;

36 Neither shalt thou swear by thy head, because thou canst not make one hair black or white;

37 But let your communication be Yea, yea; Nay, nay; for whatsoever cometh of more than these is evil.

38 And behold, it is written, an eye for an eye, and a tooth for a tooth;

39 But I say unto you, that ye shall not resist evil, but whosoever shall smite thee on thy right cheek, turn to him the other also;

40 And if any man will sue thee at the law and take away thy coat, let him have thy cloak also;

41 And whosoever shall compel thee to go a mile, go with him twain.

42 Give to him that asketh thee, and from him that would borrow of thee turn thou not away.

43 And behold it is written also, that thou shalt love thy neighbor and hate thine enemy;

44 But behold I say unto you, love your enemies, bless them that curse you, do good to them that hate you, and pray for them who despitefully use you and persecute you;

45 That ye may be the children of your Father who is in heaven; for he maketh his sun to rise on the evil and on the good.

46 Therefore those things which were of old time, which were under the law, in me are all fulfilled.

47 Old things are done away, and all things have become new.

48 Therefore I would that ye should be perfect even as I, or your Father who is in heaven is perfect.

      • B.C. (noun)

        Before the birth of Christ.

      • all manner of (adjective phrase)

        Every kind of.

      • all (pronoun)

        Everyone.

      • as (adverb)

        Like.

      • authority (noun)

        The power or right to give commands or act officially; the power or right to act on behalf of someone else.

      • baptize (verb)

        To perform the ordinance of baptism. In baptism a person is immersed in water to symbolize being cleansed from sin.

      • because that (conjunction)

        Because.

      • before (preposition)

        In front of.

      • behold (interjection, archaic)

        Look! See! In fact.

      • blessed (adjective)

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

      • broken heart (noun)

        Sorrow for one’s sins.

      • brother, brethren (noun)

        Peer; neighbor; relative; kinsman.

      • call (verb)

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

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

        To throw out; to chase away.

      • cause (adverb phrase)

        Reason.

      • chosen (adjective)

        Selected by God to serve in a certain way or to receive certain blessings.

      • it came to pass (verb phrase)

        It happened; it took place.

      • cometh (verb, archaic)

        Comes.

      • command (verb)

        To give a law, order, or binding instruction.

      • commandment (noun)

        Law; order; binding instruction (especially from God).

      • commandment (noun)

        Law; order; binding instruction (especially from God).

      • compare (verb)

        To take note of how things are alike or different.

      • compel (verb)

        To force.

      • contrite spirit (noun)

        A repentant attitude; sorrow for sins, along with the desire to change and to make amends.

      • cry (verb)

        To call; to shout; to exclaim.

      • deny yourselves of (verb phrase)

        Abstain; avoid completely; turn down.

      • desire (verb)

        To want; to wish; to long for.

      • twelve disciples, twelve ministers (proper noun)

        One of twelve leaders chosen by Jesus Christ to guide His Church in ancient America.

      • earth (noun)

        Ground.

      • enter (verb)

        To go into.

      • even unto (adverb)

        To the point of; up until.

      • even (adverb)

        In the same way.

      • evil (noun)

        Wickedness; unrighteousness; sin; breaking God’s laws.

      • exceedingly (adverb)

        Very; extremely.

      • except (conjunction)

        Unless.

      • Father (proper noun)

        God the Father. He created all life and is the Father of our spirits. He rules all things and is just, righteous, merciful, and loving. He is the father of Jesus Christ.

      • with fire (verb phrase)

        With the influence of the Holy Ghost; with the gift of the Holy Ghost received after baptism (see Matthew 3:11 in the Bible).

      • for (conjunction)

        Because.

      • for (conjunction)

        Because; because you see.

      • for (preposition)

        Because of.

      • giveth (verb, archaic)

        Gives.

      • glorify (verb)

        To honor; to praise.

      • 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.

      • hath (verb, archaic)

        Has.

      • have (verb)

        To receive; to get; to obtain.

      • heart (noun)

        A person’s thoughts, desires, and feelings.

      • heaven (noun)

        The place where God lives.

      • hell (noun)

        The torment we will feel after this life for our sins if we do not repent.

      • hide, hide up (verb)

        To conceal; to place out of sight.

      • Holy Ghost (proper noun)

        The Holy Ghost, also known as the Holy Spirit or the Spirit of the Lord. He is a divine spirit, one in purpose with God the Father and Jesus Christ. He speaks to our hearts and testifies of truth.

      • Jesus (proper noun)

        Personal name of Jesus Christ, the Son of God. The name means “Savior.”

      • keep (verb)

        To follow; to obey; to live according to.

      • law (noun)

        The law of Moses, which the people of Israel were required to live before the coming of Jesus Christ in mortality. It included animal sacrifices that symbolized the Atonement of Christ.

      • law of Moses (proper noun)

        Law given by God through Moses to the people of Israel. It included instructions on worship, personal righteousness, family and community relationships, care for the poor, and other subjects. Some parts of the law of Moses, such as animal sacrifice, were to be practiced only until the death of Jesus Christ.

      • Lord (noun)

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

      • men (noun)

        People; humanity.

      • may, might (verb)

        Can; could.

      • may, might (verb)

        Can; could.

      • mercy (noun)

        Kindness; forgiveness.

      • minister (verb)

        To teach; to serve.

      • Moses (proper noun)

        Prophet who led the children of Israel out of slavery in Egypt to the land of Israel, as recounted in the first part of the Bible.

      • mourn (verb)

        To feel sadness; to sorrow; to grieve.

      • multitude (noun)

        Crowd.

      • nay (adverb)

        No.

      • Nephi, grandson of Helaman (proper noun)

        Prophet and one of Christ’s twelve disciples; author of the book of Third Nephi.

      • none (pronoun)

        No one.

      • oath (noun)

        Solemn promise.

      • obtain (verb)

        To get.

      • over (preposition)

        Above in authority or power; having responsibility for.

      • perfect (adjective)

        Completely righteous and cleansed from sin.

      • persecute (verb)

        To hurt or harm someone because of their beliefs or their membership in a group.

      • pray (verb)

        To ask God for something; to speak to God, out loud or silently.

      • prophet (noun)

        A person sent by God to speak for Him.

      • receive (verb)

        To get; to have given to you.

      • receive (verb)

        To get or accept something from someone else.

      • remission (noun)

        Pardon; forgiveness; being freed from penalties.

      • repent (verb)

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

      • righteousness (noun)

        Goodness; morality; obedience to God’s commandments.

      • save (verb)

        To rescue from death and sin.

      • shall, should (verb)

        Will, would.

      • sin (noun)

        An evil act; disobedience to God’s commandments.

      • smite, smote, smitten (verb, archaic)

        Hit.

      • spirit (noun)

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

      • stretch forth (verb phrase)

        To reach out with.

      • suffer (verb, archaic)

        To allow; to permit.

      • testify (verb)

        To state that something is true.

      • that (conjunction)

        In order that; so that.

      • that (conjunction)

        Who.

      • thee (pronoun, archaic)

        You.

      • therefore (adverb)

        For this reason.

      • therefore (adverb)

        Now; so.

      • thine (pronoun, archaic)

        Your, yours.

      • thou art (phrase)

        You are.

      • thou hast (phrase, archaic)

        You have.

      • thou shalt (phrase, archaic)

        You will.

      • thou (pronoun, archaic)

        You.

      • throne (noun)

        A seat on which God or an earthy ruler sits.

      • thy (pronoun, archaic)

        Your.

      • thyself (pronoun, archaic)

        Yourself.

      • unto (preposition)

        To.

      • come unto (verb)

        To come to; to show willingness to follow or obey.

      • unto (preposition)

        To.

      • unto (preposition)

        To.

      • unto (preposition)

        For; to.

      • unto (preposition)

        To.

      • verily (adverb)

        Truly.

      • visit someone with fire and with the Holy Ghost (verb phrase)

        Send the Spirit to someone; give someone the gift of the Holy Ghost as part of baptism (see Matthew 3:11 in the Bible).

      • whatsoever (pronoun)

        Whatever.

      • whoso (pronoun)

        Anyone that; whoever; whosoever.

      • whosoever (pronoun)

        Whoever.

      • would (verb)

        Desire to; want to; would like to.

      • with (preposition)

        Through; by means of.

      • word (noun)

        Message; teachings.

      • works (noun)

        Actions; deeds.

      • would that ye should (verb)

        Want you to.

      • ye (pronoun, archaic)

        You.

      • yea (interjection, archaic)

        Indeed; yes. This is pronounced “yay.”