2 And also my mother, Sariah, was exceedingly glad, being comforted, for she truly had mourned because of us.

3 And she spake, saying: Now, had I known of a surety that the Lord had commanded my husband to flee into the wilderness, I would not have supposed that my sons had perished in the wilderness.

4 Yea, and I also would not have complained against my husband, but had known of a surety, as he knows, he truly being a visionary man, which is what I told him he was.

5 For behold the Lord has led us forth from that land, delivering us out of the hands of those who would destroy us, and we have inherited that which was in the hands of Laban;

6 And had the Lord not protected my sons they would be no more.

7 But he gave them power, that we might not perish, but that we might accomplish the thing which the Lord hath commanded us in the wilderness.

8 And after this manner of language did my mother speak concerning the complaints she had had against my father.

9 And it came to pass that my father spake unto them, saying, I know that I am a visionary man, in the which we all do rejoice exceedingly, for I have seen the things of God in a vision.

10 And this has not been because I merited it of myself, but because of the sacrifice offered have I been made to know these things.

11 And for this goodness of God do we render burnt offerings unto the Lord.

12 Therefore let us give thanks unto God that we did not tarry to perish in Jerusalem with our brethren of Israel.

13 But behold, I have obtained a land of promise from the God of Israel, in the which things I do rejoice. Therefore we shall give thanks unto the Lord God of our fathers.

14 Yea, and I, Lehi, know that the Lord delivered my sons and took the records out of the hands of Laban, which were engraven upon the plates of brass, and did bring them down again unto us, as it was from the beginning.

15 And it came to pass that we did search them, discovering even writings about us in the wilderness.

16 And this we beheld according to this method, for they did contain the manner of language of the five books of Moses.

17 Therefore, by giving this account did my father, Lehi, comfort my mother.

18 And we also discovered an account of the creation of our mother earth, and then of the coming of contentions upon the world after the creation of Adam and Eve, who as a similitude concerning us, being our first parents, journeyed in the wilderness until they obtained the city of peace.

19 Thus we did obtain the record of the Jews, from the beginning, even down to the commencement of the reign of Zedekiah, king of Judah; which contain the five books of Moses and also the prophecies of the holy prophets, including many prophecies which have been spoken by the mouth of Jeremiah.

20 And it came to pass that when we were at the tent of my father, Lehi, behold our joy was full as he found upon the plates of brass a genealogy of his fathers. And my mother was comforted.

21 Wherefore he knew, and was able to make known to her of a surety, that the Lord had commanded him, for he was a descendant of Joseph; yea, even that Joseph who was the son of Jacob, who also went into the wilderness, being sold into Egypt.

22 Yea, and she also knew of a surety that the Lord had protected and preserved her sons like unto Joseph,

23 And that her sons had been delivered out of the hands of Laban by the hand of the Lord who had given them his power,

24 Whereby they, like Joseph, might accomplish the thing which the Lord had commanded them: namely, preserving their father, Jacob, and all his household from perishing with famine of the word of the Lord¹ and this manner of language after which it speaks.

25 And it came to pass that they did rejoice exceedingly that they were also being led away from captivity, even as the children of Israel were led out of the land of Egypt and did offer sacrifice and burnt offerings unto the Lord, who had preserved them.

26 And they gave thanks unto the God of Israel: that same God, from everlasting to everlasting.

27 And after they had given thanks unto the God of Israel, my father, Lehi, did discover thus in the geneology of his fathers:

28 That being a descendant of Joseph, he had right to take the records which were engraven upon the plates of brass, which had been kept by Laban and his fathers, who were also descendants of Joseph.

29 And now when my father did search the plates of brass, he saw all things from the beginning.

30 And he beheld all things contained in the five books of Moses, from the account of the creation of the world;

31 And he was filled, even as Adam in that day that he was filled, and began to prophesy concerning all the families of the earth,² and Eve, his wife, heard all these things and was glad.³

32 And Adam and Eve, who were our first parents, blessed the name of God, and they made all things known unto their children.⁴

33 Yea, and also my father, through the Spirit, saw all things contained in the record of the Jews, from the beginning, even down to the commencement of the reign of Zedekiah, king of Judah;

34 And as he beheld the prophecies, he himself also began to prophesy concerning his seed.

35 And he beheld the holy seed of the prophets, heirs of the kingdom of God ⁵ from the beginning, even all those who have hearkened unto the words of the holy prophets who have prophesied concerning the coming of the Lord, and believed that the Lord would redeem his people, and have looked forward to that day for a remission of their sins.⁶

36 And he also prophesied concerning these plates of brass, that the writings they contain, even down to the commencement of the reign of Zedekiah, and also many prophecies, should go forth unto all nations, kindreds, tongues, and people, having been written unto all nations, kindreds, tongues and people, who are of the holy seed.

37 Wherefore, it came to pass that my father, Lehi, found that these plates should never perish, being a type and shadow of the geneology of his fathers and their covenant offspring.

38 Wherefore he knew that they should never be dimmed any more by time, in similitude of the descendants of Joseph,

39 Yea, even that Joseph who prophesied so many things concerning the seed of Jacob, his father.

40 And it came to pass that thus far I and my father had kept the commandments wherewith the Lord had commanded us, even as Joseph, who was sold into Egypt by his brethren because of his righteousness.

41 And we, as a figure of him, have obtained the records which the Lord has commanded us, that they might be preserved, even as Joseph was preserved.

42 And having searched them, we have found manifest the hand of the Lord, they being desirable, yea, even of great worth unto us, insomuch that we might, even like Joseph, preserve the commandments of the Lord, not only unto our children, but unto Joseph's father, Jacob, and all his household, that they might not perish.

43 Wherefore, it was wisdom in the Lord that we should carry these records with us, that we might not perish with famine of the word as we journeyed in the wilderness towards the land of promise.

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Endnotes