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3 Nephi 9


Chapter 9

In the darkness, the voice of Christ proclaims the destruction of many people and cities for their wickedness—He also proclaims His divinity, announces that the law of Moses is fulfilled, and invites men to come unto Him and be saved. About A.D. 34.

And it came to pass that there was a voice heard among all the inhabitants of the earth, upon all the face of this land, crying:

Wo, wo, wo unto this people; wo unto the inhabitants of the whole earth except they shall repent; for the devil laugheth, and his angels rejoice, because of the slain of the fair sons and daughters of my people; and it is because of their iniquity and abominations that they are fallen!

Behold, that great city Zarahemla have I burned with fire, and the inhabitants thereof.

And behold, that great city Moroni have I caused to be sunk in the depths of the sea, and the inhabitants thereof to be drowned.

And behold, that great city Moronihah have I covered with earth, and the inhabitants thereof, to hide their iniquities and their abominations from before my face, that the blood of the prophets and the saints shall not come any more unto me against them.

And behold, the city of Gilgal have I caused to be sunk, and the inhabitants thereof to be buried up in the depths of the earth;

Yea, and the city of Onihah and the inhabitants thereof, and the city of Mocum and the inhabitants thereof, and the city of Jerusalem and the inhabitants thereof; and waters have I caused to come up in the stead thereof, to hide their wickedness and abominations from before my face, that the blood of the prophets and the saints shall not come up any more unto me against them.

And behold, the city of Gadiandi, and the city of Gadiomnah, and the city of Jacob, and the city of Gimgimno, all these have I caused to be sunk, and made hills and valleys in the places thereof; and the inhabitants thereof have I buried up in the depths of the earth, to hide their wickedness and abominations from before my face, that the blood of the prophets and the saints should not come up any more unto me against them.

And behold, that great city Jacobugath, which was inhabited by the people of king Jacob, have I caused to be burned with fire because of their sins and their wickedness, which was above all the wickedness of the whole earth, because of their secret murders and combinations; for it was they that did destroy the peace of my people and the government of the land; therefore I did cause them to be burned, to destroy them from before my face, that the blood of the prophets and the saints should not come up unto me any more against them.

10 And behold, the city of Laman, and the city of Josh, and the city of Gad, and the city of Kishkumen, have I caused to be burned with fire, and the inhabitants thereof, because of their wickedness in casting out the prophets, and stoning those whom I did send to declare unto them concerning their wickedness and their abominations.

11 And because they did cast them all out, that there were none righteous among them, I did send down fire and destroy them, that their wickedness and abominations might be hid from before my face, that the blood of the prophets and the saints whom I sent among them might not cry unto me from the ground against them.

12 And many great destructions have I caused to come upon this land, and upon this people, because of their wickedness and their abominations.

13 O all ye that are spared because ye were more righteous than they, will ye not now return unto me, and repent of your sins, and be converted, that I may heal you?

14 Yea, verily I say unto you, if ye will come unto me ye shall have eternal life. Behold, mine arm of mercy is extended towards you, and whosoever will come, him will I receive; and blessed are those who come unto me.

15 Behold, I am Jesus Christ the Son of God. I created the heavens and the earth, and all things that in them are. I was with the Father from the beginning. I am in the Father, and the Father in me; and in me hath the Father glorified his name.

16 I came unto my own, and my own received me not. And the scriptures concerning my coming are fulfilled.

17 And as many as have received me, to them have I given to become the sons of God; and even so will I to as many as shall believe on my name, for behold, by me redemption cometh, and in me is the law of Moses fulfilled.

18 I am the light and the life of the world. I am Alpha and Omega, the beginning and the end.

19 And ye shall offer up unto me no more the shedding of blood; yea, your sacrifices and your burnt offerings shall be done away, for I will accept none of your sacrifices and your burnt offerings.

20 And ye shall offer for a sacrifice unto me a broken heart and a contrite spirit. And whoso cometh unto me with a broken heart and a contrite spirit, him will I baptize with fire and with the Holy Ghost, even as the Lamanites, because of their faith in me at the time of their conversion, were baptized with fire and with the Holy Ghost, and they knew it not.

21 Behold, I have come unto the world to bring redemption unto the world, to save the world from sin.

22 Therefore, whoso repenteth and cometh unto me as a little child, him will I receive, for of such is the kingdom of God. Behold, for such I have laid down my life, and have taken it up again; therefore repent, and come unto me ye ends of the earth, and be saved.

      • B.C. (noun)

        Before the birth of Christ.

      • abomination (noun)

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

      • above (adjective)

        More than.

      • as (adverb)

        Like.

      • as many as (adjective phrase)

        All; each of.

      • because of (conjunction)

        By reason of; through.

      • before (preposition)

        In front of.

      • behold (interjection, archaic)

        Look! See! In fact.

      • believe on his name (verb phrase)

        Believe in Him.

      • blessed (adjective)

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

      • broken heart (noun)

        Sorrow for one’s sins.

      • 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.

      • it came to pass (verb phrase)

        It happened; it took place.

      • cometh (verb, archaic)

        Comes.

      • concerning (preposition)

        About.

      • concerning (preposition)

        About.

      • contrite spirit (noun)

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

      • create, created (verb)

        Make, made (by God).

      • cry (verb)

        To speak loudly.

      • declare (verb)

        To announce; to state energetically.

      • 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.

      • did, didst (verb, archaic)

        A term used before verbs to make them past tense.

      • be done away (verb)

        To cease; to be put to a stop.

      • drown (verb)

        Die from inhaling water into one’s lungs.

      • earth (noun)

        Ground.

      • ends of the earth (noun phrase)

        Everywhere on earth; the most remote places on earth.

      • even (adverb)

        In the same way.

      • except (conjunction)

        Unless.

      • faith (noun)

        Belief in God, willingness to follow His gospel, and trust in the impressions of the Holy Ghost.

      • 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 behold (conjunction)

        Because you see.

      • for (conjunction)

        Because.

      • for (conjunction)

        Because; because you see.

      • for (preposition)

        As; to be.

      • for (preposition)

        Because of.

      • from (preposition)

        Starting from or with.

      • give unto (verb)

        To allow; to give the right to.

      • glorify (verb)

        To honor; to praise.

      • kingdom of God (noun)

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

      • Son of God (proper noun)

        A title of Jesus Christ. He is Heavenly Father’s Firstborn Child in the spirit and His Only Child in the flesh.

      • hath (verb, archaic)

        Has.

      • have (verb)

        To receive; to get; to obtain.

      • heaven (noun)

        The sky; figuratively, the place where God lives.

      • 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.

      • inhabitant (noun)

        A person who lives in a certain place.

      • iniquity (noun)

        Wickedness; evil.

      • Jesus Christ (proper noun)

        The Son of God. He created the earth and rules it. He often speaks and acts for His Father. He suffered so that we could be forgiven of our sins and be resurrected.

      • king (noun)

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

      • Lamanites (proper noun)

        A people of the Book of Mormon, often enemies of the Nephites, who descended from Nephi’s brother Laman and of those who followed him.

      • 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.

      • eternal life (noun)

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

      • men (noun)

        People; humanity.

      • may, might (verb)

        Can; could.

      • may, might (verb)

        Can; could.

      • 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.

      • mine (pronoun, archaic)

        My.

      • none (pronoun)

        No one.

      • O (interjection, archaic)

        A word placed before the name of someone being addressed, often to show strong feeling.

      • offer (verb)

        To give something to God as part of a sacrifice.

      • offering (noun)

        A gift or sacrifice made to God as an act of worship.

      • proclaim (verb)

        To announce publicly.

      • prophet (noun)

        A person sent by God to speak for Him.

      • redemption (noun)

        To be rescued or saved, often through the payment of a ransom. Jesus Christ gave His life to free the world from death and the effects of sin.

      • rejoice (verb)

        To feel or express great joy.

      • repent (verb)

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

      • righteous (adjective)

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

      • sacrifice (noun)

        An animal killed and burnt or eaten, or other food, offered to God as an act of worship.

      • saints (noun)

        Members of Christ’s Church; individuals become holy through living the principles of the gospel.

      • save (verb)

        To rescue from death and sin.

      • scripture (noun)

        Sacred writings given by God or recording God’s dealings with His children.

      • send (verb)

        To cause someone to go to someone or someplace or to do something.

      • shall, should (verb)

        Will, would.

      • shall, should (verb)

        Will, would.

      • shedding of blood, shedding the blood of (verb phrase)

        Killing; attacking with a weapon to injure or kill.

      • sin (noun)

        An evil act; disobedience to God’s commandments.

      • sin (noun)

        An evil act; disobedience to God’s commandments.

      • spare (verb)

        To treat with leniency; not to kill; to save.

      • such (pronoun)

        Person or thing like that.

      • take it again, take it up again (verbal phrase)

        To resurrect oneself; to cause one’s own body to be alive again.

      • that (conjunction)

        In order that; so that.

      • that (conjunction)

        Who.

      • therefore (adverb)

        For this reason.

      • thereof (adverb)

        Of it; of him; of them.

      • unto (preposition)

        To.

      • come unto (verb)

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

      • unto (preposition)

        To.

      • unto (preposition)

        To.

      • valley (noun)

        An area of low land between hills or mountains.

      • verily (adverb)

        Truly.

      • whoso (pronoun)

        Anyone that; whoever; whosoever.

      • whosoever (pronoun)

        Whoever.

      • wickedness (noun)

        Evil; wrongdoing; disobedience to God’s commandments.

      • with (preposition)

        Through; by means of.

      • wo unto (interjection)

        Bad things will happen to; cursed is.

      • world (noun)

        All human beings.

      • ye (pronoun, archaic)

        You.

      • yea (interjection, archaic)

        Indeed; yes. This is pronounced “yay.”