Library
Jacob 3


Chapter 3

The pure in heart receive the pleasing word of God—Lamanite righteousness exceeds that of the Nephites—Jacob warns against fornication, lasciviousness, and every sin. About 544–421 B.C.

But behold, I, Jacob, would speak unto you that are pure in heart. Look unto God with firmness of mind, and pray unto him with exceeding faith, and he will console you in your afflictions, and he will plead your cause, and send down justice upon those who seek your destruction.

O all ye that are pure in heart, lift up your heads and receive the pleasing word of God, and feast upon his love; for ye may, if your minds are firm, forever.

But, wo, wo, unto you that are not pure in heart, that are filthy this day before God; for except ye repent the land is cursed for your sakes; and the Lamanites, which are not filthy like unto you, nevertheless they are cursed with a sore cursing, shall scourge you even unto destruction.

And the time speedily cometh, that except ye repent they shall possess the land of your inheritance, and the Lord God will lead away the righteous out from among you.

Behold, the Lamanites your brethren, whom ye hate because of their filthiness and the cursing which hath come upon their skins, are more righteous than you; for they have not forgotten the commandment of the Lord, which was given unto our father—that they should have save it were one wife, and concubines they should have none, and there should not be whoredoms committed among them.

And now, this commandment they observe to keep; wherefore, because of this observance, in keeping this commandment, the Lord God will not destroy them, but will be merciful unto them; and one day they shall become a blessed people.

Behold, their husbands love their wives, and their wives love their husbands; and their husbands and their wives love their children; and their unbelief and their hatred towards you is because of the iniquity of their fathers; wherefore, how much better are you than they, in the sight of your great Creator?

O my brethren, I fear that unless ye shall repent of your sins that their skins will be whiter than yours, when ye shall be brought with them before the throne of God.

Wherefore, a commandment I give unto you, which is the word of God, that ye revile no more against them because of the darkness of their skins; neither shall ye revile against them because of their filthiness; but ye shall remember your own filthiness, and remember that their filthiness came because of their fathers.

10 Wherefore, ye shall remember your children, how that ye have grieved their hearts because of the example that ye have set before them; and also, remember that ye may, because of your filthiness, bring your children unto destruction, and their sins be heaped upon your heads at the last day.

11 O my brethren, hearken unto my words; arouse the faculties of your souls; shake yourselves that ye may awake from the slumber of death; and loose yourselves from the pains of hell that ye may not become angels to the devil, to be cast into that lake of fire and brimstone which is the second death.

12 And now I, Jacob, spake many more things unto the people of Nephi, warning them against fornication and lasciviousness, and every kind of sin, telling them the awful consequences of them.

13 And a hundredth part of the proceedings of this people, which now began to be numerous, cannot be written upon these plates; but many of their proceedings are written upon the larger plates, and their wars, and their contentions, and the reigns of their kings.

14 These plates are called the plates of Jacob, and they were made by the hand of Nephi. And I make an end of speaking these words.

      • affliction (noun)

        Pain; problems.

      • arouse (verb)

        To start to use; to activate.

      • awake (verb)

        To realize the importance of something; to start to act.

      • B.C. (noun)

        Before the birth of Christ.

      • because of (conjunction)

        By reason of; through.

      • before God (adverb phrase)

        In the sight of God; as defined by God.

      • before (preposition)

        In front of.

      • behold (interjection, archaic)

        Look! See! In fact.

      • blessed (adjective)

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

      • brother, brethren (noun)

        Peer; neighbor; relative; kinsman.

      • cometh (verb, archaic)

        Comes.

      • commandment (noun)

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

      • commandment (noun)

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

      • contention (noun)

        Disputes; disagreements (sometimes leading to violence).

      • curse (verb)

        To condemn; to cause something bad to happen to.

      • day (noun)

        Period; time.

      • destroy (verb)

        To kill; to thwart.

      • 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.

      • even unto (adverb)

        To the point of; up until.

      • exceed (verb)

        To be more or greater than.

      • exceeding (adjective)

        Great; extreme.

      • except (conjunction)

        Unless.

      • faith (noun)

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

      • fathers (noun)

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

      • feast (verb)

        To enjoy; to eat with relish.

      • filthiness (noun)

        Being dirty; being morally impure.

      • filthy (adjective)

        Dirty; morally corrupt; guilty.

      • firm (adjective)

        Unchanging; constant.

      • for (conjunction)

        Because.

      • 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.

      • hatred (noun)

        Intense dislike; loathing.

      • heart (noun)

        A person’s thoughts, desires, and feelings.

      • hell (noun)

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

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

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

      • iniquity (noun)

        Wickedness; evil.

      • Jacob (proper noun)

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

      • keep (verb)

        To follow; to obey; to live according to.

      • 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.

      • 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.

      • make an end (verb phrase)

        Finish; stop.

      • may (verb)

        Can; could.

      • merciful (adjective)

        Kind; forgiving.

      • 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.

      • O (interjection, archaic)

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

      • plates (noun)

        Books or other records made from thin sheets of metal.

      • pleasing (adjective)

        Joyful to the righteous; pleasing to God.

      • pray (verb)

        To speak to God, out loud or silently.

      • proceedings (noun)

        Acts; doings.

      • reign (noun)

        The period during which a king or judge rules over a people.

      • 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.

      • righteousness (noun)

        Goodness; morality; obedience to God’s commandments.

      • save it were (adverb phrase)

        Except for.

      • seek, sought (verb)

        To strive for; to try to obtain or make happen.

      • shall, should (verb)

        Will, would.

      • should (verb)

        May; must; ought to.

      • sin (noun)

        An evil act; disobedience to God’s commandments.

      • sin (noun)

        Evil acts; disobedience to God’s commandments.

      • sin (noun)

        An evil act; disobedience to God’s commandments.

      • sore (adjective)

        Painful; grievous.

      • 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)

        Spoke.

      • speedily (adverb)

        Quickly.

      • that (conjunction)

        In order that; so that.

      • that (conjunction)

        Who.

      • throne (noun)

        A seat on which God or an earthy ruler sits.

      • unbelief (noun)

        Absence or lack of belief or faith.

      • unto (preposition)

        To.

      • unto (preposition)

        To.

      • unto (preposition)

        To.

      • unto (preposition)

        To.

      • like unto (preposition)

        Like; the same as.

      • unto (preposition)

        To.

      • war (noun)

        Extended fight between large groups of people.

      • wherefore (adverb)

        So you see; therefore.

      • wherefore (adverb)

        So.

      • would (verb)

        Desire to; want to; would like to.

      • with (preposition)

        Through; by means of.

      • wo unto (interjection)

        Bad things will happen to; cursed is.

      • word (noun)

        Message; teachings.

      • word (noun)

        Command; instruction.

      • ye (pronoun, archaic)

        You.