1 Nephi 1

I, Nephi, was born to good parents. I was taught about all the things my father knew. I have faced many troubles during my life, but the Lord has always done good things for me. Yes, I have known well how good God is and also about his mysteries. From this viewpoint, I am writing the story of my life. I write in my father's language which is based on Egyptian but consists of Jewish learning. My story is true. I am writing it by my own hand from my own knowledge.

My story begins in the kingdom of Judah and in the city Jerusalem, where my father Lehi had lived his whole life. The time was the first year of King Zedekiah's reign. That year, many prophets began telling the people to change their evil ways, or else Jerusalem would be destroyed. Because of this, one day while Lehi was out walking, he stopped to pray to God. He prayed with all his heart for his people. Then while he was praying, a pillar of fire came on a rock in front of him and stayed there. Lehi saw and heard many things that made him very afraid.

Afterward, he returned to his own house at Jerusalem. He threw himself on his bed, overcome by the Spirit and what he had seen.

First Nephi: My Reign and Service

My name is Nephi, and this is the true story of my father Lehi, my mother Sariah, and their sons (from oldest to youngest): Laman, Lemuel, Sam, and me. Lehi was a prophet of God who lived in the land of Jerusalem. He told the people to stop being evil, so they wanted to kill him. God warned him to leave Jerusalem. He and his family traveled three days into the wilderness; then I returned to Jerusalem with my brothers to get a book with the history of the Jews. It wasn't easy for us. We also met with Ishmael and his family, who left Jerusalem with us. My brothers and I each married one of Ishmael's daughters. Then we all left further into the wilderness with our families. This story tells some of the hard times that we had and also where we went until we reached the ocean at a place we called Bountiful. God told me to build a boat to cross the ocean. Laman and Lemuel didn't want to help, and they got angry at me. I convinced them, and we built a boat together. Then we all crossed the ocean to the land that God had promised us.

Mormon 2:13-15

But I was mistaken. Their sorrow was not the kind that led them to change and hope in God. Rather, they were sad that God condemned them instead of letting them be happy while doing wrong. They did not offer their hearts to Jesus but cursed God and wished to die. Still, they struggled with the sword for their lives. When I saw that their chance for help from God had passed for either earthly or eternal salvation, I became sad again. I saw thousands of them, in open rebellion against their God, cut down and heaped like dung on the earth. In this way, the year 344 ended.

Mormon 2:8-12

However, the land was filled with robbers and Lamanites. Despite the destruction that threatened my people, they did not repent of their evil doings. The result was blood and carnage all over the land among both Nephites and Lamanites. Everything was in revolution. During this time, Aaron, the Lamanite king, came against us with 44,000 soldiers. I defeated him with 42,000, and they ran from us. After this, the year 330 ended.

At this time, the Nephites began to mourn, just has Samuel had prophesied. No one could keep anything because of the thieves, murderers, and sorcerers. All through the land, the people cried, and especially among the Nephites. I, Mormon, was happy to see their sorrow before the Lord, because I thought it was genuine repentance. I know that the Lord is forgiving and patient, so I hoped that they would be blessed and become righteous again.

Mormon 2:1-7

In that same year, war began again between the Nephites and Lamanites. Though I was young, I was large in stature, so the Nephites appointed me to lead their armies. Therefore, while still 15 years old, I went out at the head of a Nephite army against the Lamanites.

In the next year, the 327^th since the sign of Christ's birth, the Lamanites attacked us with such extreme power that they frightened my armies into retreat toward the north. When we came to the city of Angola, we took possession of it and prepared to defend ourselves. We used all our strength to fortify the city, but the Lamanites still attacked and drove us out. Then they drove us out of the land of David. From there we marched to Joshua, in the western borders by the sea, and we gathered our people together in one place as fast as possible.

Mormon 1:13-19

Despite this, across the whole land, the people lived wickedly. Therefore, the Lord took away his three cherished disciples. Also, miracles and healing stopped. There were no gifts from the Lord. The Holy Ghost inspired no one. All this was because the people were wicked and did not believe God.

When I was 15 years old, still being of a serious mind, the Lord visited me. In this way, I personally experienced the goodness of Jesus. Therefore, I tried hard to preach to this people, but God did not let me. They had willingly rebelled against Him. Though his three disciples were taken away, I remained among the people. Still, I was forbidden to preach to them because of the hardness of their hearts. The land was also cursed for them because of their hardness.

During this time, the Gadianton robbers, who were among the Lamanites, infested the land again. Therefore, the people began to hide their treasures underground, but they couldn't find them again afterwards because the Lord had cursed the land. The people also practiced magic arts, and the evil one worked his power on all the land. Thus were fulfilled the words of Abinadi and Samuel the Lamanite.

Mormon 1:1-12

Now I, Mormon, start my record of the things that I myself have seen and heard. I call it the Book of Mormon. I am a descendant of Nephi, and my father's name was also Mormon.

About the time Ammaron hid the records for the Lord's purposes, he came to visit me. I was about ten years old at the time, and I had made good progress in my education. When he visited, Ammaron said to me, "I can tell that you are a serious child and that you are good at understanding the things that go on around you. Therefore, when you are about 24 years old, I want you to remember what you have observed in this society. At that age, go to the land Antum to a hill you'll find called Shim. That is where I have hidden for the Lord all the sacred histories about this people.

"Remember to take the plates of Nephi with you and leave the rest where they are. Then you must engrave on Nephi's plates everything you have observed about this people." I remembered what he told me to do.

When I was 11 years old, my father took me to the land southward, to Zarahemla. All the land had been covered with buildings, and the people were almost as numerous as the sand of the sea.

In that year, a war started between the Nephites and Lamanites. The Nephites consisted of the Nephites, Jacobites, Josephites, and Zoramites. The Lamanites consisted of Lamanites, Lemuelites, and Ishmaelites. The war started in the borders of Zarahemla, by the waters of Sidon. The Nephites gathered a large army of more than 30,000 men. They had some battles in which the Nephites won and also killed many Lamanites. Therefore the Lamanites gave up, and there was no more war for about four years.