Alma 5 Triple Parallel in Script

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Now behold, I tell you, the Lord God sendeth an invitation unto all men to believe in the words of God which are delivered to them by the mouths of the holy prophets, as they go forth throughout all the land; for the arms of mercy are extended towards all men.

2 And according to the pattern that has been established, the word of God is delivered first in a land like unto Zarahemla, where those who profess to know the ways of God are want to dwell, but who nevertheless have gone astray.⁽¹⁾ And from thence the word is delivered unto all men.

3 And these are the words, even the words of God, which he doth speak through the holy prophets, that the people might believe them, saying: Repent, and I will receive you.

4 Yea, he saith: Come unto me and ye shall partake of the fruit of the tree of life, for according to your faith shall there be a mighty change wrought in your hearts; and this is the church that shall be established.

5 Yea, ye shall eat and drink of the bread and waters of life freely, even according to the true record born in heaven.⁽²⁾

6 Behold I say unto you that all this is true, according to the record of the bread and the waters of life. Therefore, Come, eat and drink, that your witness may be sure.

7 Yea, come unto me and bring forth works of righteousness, like unto your fathers, who were consecrated to be high priests to preach the word, whereby they oversaw the church of God, for if ye do this ye shall in no wise be hewn down and cast into the fire.

8 For behold, the time is at hand that whosoever bringeth forth not good fruit, or whosoever doeth not the works of righteousness, the same shall have cause to wail and mourn.

9 Therefore, that ye might be given power and authority from God to do these things, seek that this mighty change be wrought in your hearts through the power of God.

10 And behold, if ye are faithful, and humble yourselves and put your trust in the true and living God, bringing forth good fruit until the end, doing the works of righteousness, ye shall be saved, and shall not have cause to wail and mourn.

11 And now behold, O my brethren of the church--ye workers of iniquity, in the land which is called the land of Mormon where the church has been established--

12 Behold, I ask of you who have professed to have known the ways of righteousness, having entered the waters of Mormon, and yet are puffed up in the vain things of the world:

13 Have ye spiritually been born of God, being baptized with fire and with the Holy Ghost?

14 Have ye received his image in your countenances, putting off the vain things of the world?

15 Have ye experienced this mighty change in your hearts, so that you may know the ways of righteousness?

16 Though you have been delivered in times past, do ye continue to exercise faith in the redemption of him who created you?

17 Behold, I say unto you, nay, but ye have gone astray, for ye will not look forward with an eye of faith.

18 Therefore, ye are as sheep having no shepherd, notwithstanding the arm of the Lord is not shortened at all that it cannot redeem you out of the hands of a people likened to the people of king Noah.⁽³⁾

19 For thus saith the Lord God: I will save my flock, and they shall no more be a prey; and I will judge between cattle and cattle.

20 And I will set up one shepherd over them, and he shall feed them, even my servant David; he shall feed them, and he shall be their shepherd.

21 And I the Lord will be their God, and my servant David a prince among them; I the Lord have spoken it.⁽⁴⁾

22 And the good shepherd is Jesus Christ,⁽⁵⁾ of whom David bears record, even the word of God.

23 It is he to whom you must look forward with an eye of faith; and he it is by whom this mortal body will be raised in immortality, and this corruption be raised in incorruption.

24 He is the good shepherd who hath called after you to partake of his mercy, whereby ye may stand spotless before God when ye are judged.

25 And he is still calling after you, that through the power of God your deeds which are done in the mortal body might become perfected in him.

26 But ye will not hearken unto the voice of the Lord! Therefore are you again brought into bondage by the hands of foul oppressors.

27 Therefore, I say unto you that are in captivity, Behold, the good shepherd doth call you, saying, Come unto me;

28 Yea, and in his own name he doth call you, which is the name of Christ, that he might deliver you again out of bondage that you may be blessed.

29 And if ye will not hearken unto the voice of the good shepherd, to the name by which ye are called, by the power of his word, that your works may be the works of righteousness upon the face of the earth, behold, ye are not the sheep of the good shepherd, nor are you of the church of God which has been established throughout the land.

30 For do ye imagine to yourselves that ye can lie unto the Lord in this day, and say--Lord, our works have been righteous works upon the face of the earth, when ye are not the sheep of the good shepherd--and that he will save you?

31 For thus saith the Lord: I have made my church in these last days like unto a judge sitting on a hill, or in a high place, to judge the nations.

32 For it shall come to pass that the inhabitants of Zion shall judge all things pertaining to Zion. And liars and hypocrites shall be proved by them.⁽⁶⁾

33 And now behold, I say unto you, my brethren, you that profess belong to this church, yet ye are not the sheep of the good shepherd, Can ye imagine yourselves brought before the tribunal of God with your souls filled with guilt and remorse?

34 Yea, of what fold are ye? For ye have not sufficiently retained in remembrance the captivity of your fathers, therefore ye shall have a bright remembrance of all your guilt.

35 Yea, I say unto all you who deny this, Ye shall have a perfect remembrance of all your wickedness, for ye have not sufficiently retained in remembrance the mercy and long-suffering of the Lord towards your fathers.

36 And moreover, ye are liars, for ye have set at defiance your sufficient remembrance of God's deliverance of them.

37 Therefore by forfeiting the mercy of God, ye become children of the devil; for, having broken the commandments of God, your souls are consigned to hell.

38 Behold, I say unto you, that the devil is your shepherd, and ye cannot look up to God at that day with a pure heart unless he change your heart; yea, he must awaken you out of a deep sleep.

39 Yea, ye must awake unto God, that ye may have clean hands, or ye are of the fold of the devil.

40 And now behold, I say unto you who are in the midst of darkness, You can either look up, or you can deny this.

41 Therefore, will you not look up, that your souls may be illuminated by the light of the everlasting word, that you may have the image of God engraven upon your countenances? for I say unto you that whatsoever is good cometh from God.

42 And if you will hearken unto his word, God will engraven his image upon your souls.

43 Or, on the other hand, will ye consign yourselves to the everlasting destruction that doth await you, that ye remain encircled about by the bands of death, having the chains of hell engraven upon your countenances? for whatsoever is evil cometh from the devil.

44 Now therefore I ask of you, my brethren, can ye think of being saved from this destruction except ye bring forth good works through this grace?

45 Behold, I say unto you, Nay, ye can not--especially when you have yielded yourselves to become subjects to the devil rather than hearkening unto the voice of the good shepherd.

46 I say unto you, ye will know at that day that ye cannot be saved, for ye do follow your shepherd, the devil.

47 For again I ask, Are your bands of death from following him broken, and the chains of hell which encircle you about, are they loosed?

48 Behold, I say unto you, Nay, they are not loosed, and your souls do shrink, for there can no man be saved except his garments are washed white; for whosoever bringeth forth evil works, the same becometh a child of the devil, for he hearkeneth unto his voice.

49 Therefore, will ye not hearken unto the voice of the good shepherd in stead, that ye may sing redeeming love, yea, that your garments may be purified until they are cleansed from all stain, through the blood of him whom it has been spoken by our fathers?

50 Yea, I say unto you, will you not follow him who hath come to redeem his people from their sins, that ye may be saved?

51 And now I ask of you, my brethren, knowing these conditions--that all men do receive their wages of him whom they chose to follow--I ask of you, How will any of you feel, if ye shall stand before the bar of God?

52 Can ye be saved having your garments stained with blood and all manner of filthiness? Behold, I say unto you, Nay, but for your wages ye must receive death.

53 Yea, what grounds have ye to hope for salvation, being dead as to things pertaining unto righteousness? Behold, what will these things testify against you?

54 Yea, ye being dead unto righteousness, will they not testify that ye are murderers, for which cause ye must be shackled with the bands of death?

55 Yea, being guilty of all manner of wickedness, and being estranged from all good works, are ye not worthy of the chains of hell?

56 And now, my brethren, I would that ye should hear me, for I am commanded to stand and testify unto this people; yea I speak in the energy of my soul the things which have been spoken by our fathers concerning the things which are to come.⁽⁷⁾

57 For behold, I have spoken unto you plainly that ye cannot err, for I am called to speak after this manner, yea, I have spoken according to the commandments of God, according to the holy order of God, which is in Christ Jesus.

58 And this is not all, for do ye suppose that I know of myself the surety of these things? For behold, I testify unto you that I do know that these things whereof I have spoken are true.

59 Behold, I say unto you, the Lord God hath made manifest unto me a knowledge of them by his Holy Spirit; and this is the spirit of revelation which is in me.

60 For behold, I have fasted and prayed many days that I might know, of myself, that these things are true.

61 And moreover, behold, my brethren, I say unto you, I do not merely suppose as do ye, for I can tell you of a surety, for it has thus been revealed unto me, that the words which have been spoken by our fathers are true;

62 For they believed that the words which were delivered them by the mouths of the holy prophets were true; therefore, they have place to sit down in the kingdom of God, with our fathers, Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob, and also all the holy prophets, who spoke forth the words of God.

63 And this is the spirit of prophecy which is in me, even that I, like unto all the holy prophets, might also speak the words of God, that others might believe them.

64 And that thus believing, according to their faith, there might be a mighty change wrought in their hearts also, by the manifestation of the Spirit of God, that their garments also might be cleansed and made spotless, pure and white.

65 Therefore, behold I say unto you, that I know of myself that whatsoever I shall say unto you, concerning that which is to come, is all true, except ye make our Creator a liar from the beginning, or suppose that he is a liar from the beginning.

66 Yea, and I say unto you, that I know these things, according to the word that was preached unto our fathers;

67 Therefore ye have no grounds to suppose that such can have place in the kingdom of heaven, except a mighty change be wrought in their hearts, through the grace, and mercy, and truth of the Son--inasmuch as they humble themselves and put their trust in the true and living God;

68 And he is the Only Begotten of the Father, even Jesus Christ, who shall come to reign as King of kings and Lord of lords in the kingdom of heaven which shall come down to meet the kingdom of God which is set up on the earth.⁽⁸⁾

69 And behold, it is he that hath come to take away the sins of the world, that they who are faithful unto the end might not be cast out, but that they might be saved, he having atoned for the sins of every man who steadfastly believeth on his name, and they become the children of the kingdom of God.

70 And now behold, I say unto you that this is the order after which I am called, yea, to preach unto my beloved brethren of the church, yea, and every one that dwelleth in the land; yea, to preach unto all, both old and young, both bond and free; yea, I say unto you the aged, and also the middle aged, and the rising generation; yea, to cry unto them that they must repent and be born again.

71 Therefore, I ask of you, have ye spiritually been born of God? Have ye received his image in your countenances? Have ye experienced this mighty change in your hearts?

72 And if ye have experienced a change of heart, and if ye have felt to sing the song of redeeming love, I would ask, can ye feel so now?

73 Yea, thus saith the Spirit, Repent, all ye ends of the earth, and exercise faith in the redemption of him who created you, that ye may walk, keeping yourselves blameless before God;

74 Therefore I ask, do ye look forward with an eye of faith for the kingdom of heaven? for the time is soon at hand when this mortal body shall be raised in immortality, and this corruption be raised in incorruption.

75 And again I ask, what would ye say, if ye were called to die at this time? for then has the kingdom of heaven already come nigh unto you.⁽⁹⁾

76 Behold, standing before God to be judged according to the deeds which have been done in the mortal body, could ye say that ye have been sufficiently humble? That your garments have been cleansed and made white through the blood of Christ, the Son of God.

77 And it is he who cometh in his glory, in his might, majesty, power, and dominion to come down in judgment upon Idumea, or the world,⁽¹⁰⁾ for the kingdom of heaven is soon at hand.

78 Yea, my beloved brethren, I say unto you, that the Spirit saith: Behold the glory of the King of all the earth; and also the King of heaven, even he who hath come to redeem his people from their sins, shall very soon shine forth among all the children of men.

79 Yea whosoever hearkeneth unto the voice of the Lord, upon them shall the light shine, for the King of heaven cometh unto them, and they are redeemed.

80 Therefore, if ye are filled with pride, I say unto you, repent, for except ye repent, stripping yourselves of pride, and come down into the depths of humility that ye might come unto him, behold, ye are not prepared to meet God, that he may say unto you, Come unto me ye blessed, for behold, your works have been the works of righteousness.

81 Therefore the Spirit saith unto me, yea, crieth unto me with a mighty voice, saying: Go forth and say unto this people--Repent, for except ye repent ye can in nowise inherit eternal life in the kingdom of heaven.

82 Behold ye must prepare quickly; for the kingdom of heaven shall soon shine forth upon the face of the earth.

83 And again I say unto you, the Spirit saith: Behold, the ax is laid at the root of the tree, or, in other words, your works upon the face of the earth shall be weighed before the tribunal of God;

84 Therefore, if there is one among you who is not stripped of envy, or if there is one among you that doth make a mock of his brother, or that heapeth upon him persecutions, he is that tree that bringeth not forth good fruit;

85 And he cannot be saved, for such an one is not found guiltless, but his soul shall be filled with guilt and remorse, and he shall be hewn down and cast into the fire, yea, a fire which cannot be consumed, even an unquenchable fire.

86 For do ye imagine to yourselves that ye can lie unto the Lord in that day? Behold, I say unto you, Nay, but ye shall have a perfect remembrance of all your wickedness and of all your guilt.

87 Therefore, remember, remember. Yea, even wo unto all ye works of iniquity; repent, repent, for the Lord God, the Holy One, hath spoken it; yea, he hath spoken it.

88 And now my beloved brethren, I say unto you, can ye withstand these sayings, setting at defiance the commandments of God; yea, can ye lay aside these things, and trample the Holy One under your feet?

89 Therefore, choose ye this day, whom ye will serve, for behold, he sendeth an invitation unto all men.

90 For behold, I say unto you, ye can either be puffed up in the pride of your hearts, or you can be lifted up to God.

91 Yea, ye can either persist in the wearing of costly apparel and setting your hearts upon the vain things of the world, upon your riches, withholding your arms of mercy from your fellowmen, or you can come unto him who doth extend his arms of mercy toward you, that ye may have a pure heart and clean hands.

92 Yea, I say unto you, ye can either persist in supposing that ye are better one than another, looking down upon your fellowmen, or you can repent, and look up to God.

93 Yea, ye can either persist in the persecution of your brethren, rejecting them, or ye can have the image of God engraven upon your countenances because he has received you.

94 Yea, in fine, can ye think of being saved when you have yielded yourselves to become subjects to the devil? I say unto you, Ye know that ye cannot;

95 Therefore the Lord saith, Now is the time to humble yourselves, and come unto me, that ye may be saved, partaking of the fruit of the tree of life; and even ye shall walk after the holy order of God.

96 Yea, ye shall eat and drink of the bread and the waters of life freely, wherewith ye have been brought into this church, without which no man can be saved.

97 Yea, thus saith the Lord: Come unto me, that your garments may be washed white, ye having been sanctified by the Holy Spirit.

98 Yea, your garments must be purified until they are cleansed from all stain, for only then can you bring forth works of righteousness which are meet for repentance, even through the blood of him of whom it has been spoken by our fathers, who should come to redeem his people from their sins, that ye not be hewn down and cast into the fire.

99 And now I ask of you, my brethren that will persist in your ways if iniquity, How will any of you feel, standing before the bar of God, for behold, the time is at hand;

100 And whosoever of you bringeth forth not good fruit, turning your backs upon the poor, and the needy, having your garments stained with their blood, and in withholding your substance from them, filling yourselves with all manner of filthiness instead; behold, what will these things testify against you?

101 Behold, all ye that will persist in your wickedness, doing not the works of righteousness, will they not finally testify that ye are murderers, yea, and also that ye are guilty of all manner of wickedness?

102 Behold, my brethren, I say unto you that these are the same who have cause to wail and mourn; and they shall be hewn down and cast into the fire in the kingdom of the devil;

103 For do ye suppose that such an one can have place to sit down in the kingdom of God, with Abraham, with Isaac, and with Jacob, and also all the holy prophets, whose garments are spotless, pure and white, except he speedily repent, disavowing the vain things of the world, and ceasing his works of iniquity?

104 And now behold, I say unto all you that have professed to have known the ways of righteousness and who nevertheless have gone astray, and yet are desirous to follow the good shepherd;

105 For ye now see that such cannot have place in the kingdom of heaven, except ye make our Creator a liar, but that such shall be cast out, for they are the children of the kingdom of the devil;

106 Yea they are as sheep having no shepherd, except they repent and follow the voice of the good shepherd.

107 Behold, unto you I say, A shepherd hath called after you and is still calling after you, saying, Come ye out from the wicked, and be ye separate, and touch not their unclean things, that ye may experience a change of heart.

108 But ye will not hearken unto his voice! And wo unto you if ye have felt to sing the song of redeeming love and yet will not hearken, for behold, your names shall be blotted out, that the names of the wicked shall not be numbered among the names of the righteous.

109 Therefore, if ye have felt to sing the song of redeeming love, I would ask, can ye feel so now? For behold, I say unto you, that the good shepherd doth call you out from the wicked, yea, and in his own name he doth call you, which is the name of Christ; that the word of God may be fulfilled, which saith:

110 Behold, the time cometh, saith the Lamb of God, that I will work a great and a marvelous work among the children of men; a work which shall be everlasting, either on the one hand or on the other--either to the convincing of them unto peace and life eternal, or unto the deliverance of them to the hardness of their hearts and the blindness of their minds unto their being brought down into captivity, and also into destruction, both temporally and spiritually, according to the captivity of the devil.⁽¹¹⁾

111 Therefore are ye commanded to hearken unto the voice of the good shepherd, to the name by which ye are called, that ye may walk, keeping yourselves blameless before God; otherwise, ye are not the sheep of the good shepherd.

112 And the names of the wicked, who are called to die at this time, shall not be mingled with the names of my people, who are called by my name, saith the Lord.

113 Therefore if ye cannot say within yourselves, that ye have been sufficiently humble that your names be mingled among the names of righteous, then ye are not the sheep of the good shepherd; and I ask, Of what fold are ye?

114 Behold, can ye say that your garments have been cleansed and made white through the blood of Christ so that your names may be written in the book of life? for if ye cannot, behold, I say unto you, that the devil is your shepherd;

115 And ye are of his fold--except it be through him who hath come to redeem his people from their sins, for unto such will I grant an inheritance at my right hand, saith the Lord.

116 And now, my brethren, what have ye to say against this? Yea, who can deny this except those who are overcome with pride?

117 Behold, I say unto you, if ye speak against it, denying this because ye are not stripped of pride, then ye are liars and children of the devil, and ye are not prepared to meet God.

118 But it matters not, for while ye may lie, the word of God, on the other hand, must be fulfilled.

119 Therefore, I say unto you that ye must prepare quickly, for what shepherd is there among you having many sheep doth not watch over them, for the kingdom of heaven is soon at hand.

120 And whatsoever shepherd watcheth not over the flock, saying, There shall be peace, when there is no peace,⁽¹²⁾ behold, thus saith the Lord God, I will require the flock at his hand, and I will deliver my flock from his mouth,⁽¹³⁾ which speaketh visions of lies,⁽¹⁴⁾ and doth feed himself on the flock.

121 Therefore, thus saith the Lord GOD; Behold, I, even I, will both search my sheep, and seek them out.⁽¹⁵⁾

122 As a shepherd seeketh out his flock in the day that he is among his sheep that are scattered; so will I seek out my sheep, and will deliver them out of all places where they have been scattered in the cloudy and dark day,⁽¹⁶⁾ and I will bestow upon them whatsoever thing is good.

123 Therefore, my brethren, the shepherd doth watch over the sheep, that the wolves enter not and devour his flock. Behold, the wolves are whatsoever is evil, and such an one devoured of evil hath not eternal life.

124 Behold, I say, is there one among you who is not stripped of envy? Behold, such cometh from the devil; and if this wolf enter the flock doth not the shepherd drive him out? Yea, and at the last, if he can, he will destroy him.

125 And now I say unto you, that such an one is not prepared, bringing not forth good works, and he knoweth not when the time shall come;

126 And I would that he should prepare quickly by hearkening unto the voice of the good shepherd;

127 And the good shepherd doth call after you, for the hour is close at hand; and if you will hearken unto his voice he will bring you into his fold, that ye may bring forth good works, for ye do follow him, and ye are his sheep; yea, and only such an one is found guiltless.

128 And again I say unto you, Whosoever among you doth make a mock of his brother, or that heapeth upon him persecutions, bringing forth these evil works, the same is a ravenous wolf, having become a child of the devil.

129 And ye are commanded that ye suffer no ravenous wolf to enter among you, for wo unto such an one as hearkeneth unto his voice, because he is among you, and doth follow him; for he is not prepared, and the time is at hand that he must repent or he cannot be saved!

130 For whosoever doeth this must receive his wages of him; therefore, for his wages he receiveth death, as to things pertaining unto righteousness, being dead unto all good works.

131 Yea, even wo unto all ye workers of iniquity; repent, repent, that ye may not be destroyed, for the Lord God hath spoken it.

132 And now behold, my brethren, I would that ye should hear me, for I speak in the energy of my soul, yea I do command you, and the Lord sendeth this invitation unto all men.

133 For behold, I have spoken unto you plainly in the language of him who hath commanded me, that ye cannot err, for the arms of mercy are extended toward you.

134 Or, in other words, I have spoken according to the commandments of God, that ye observe to do the words which I have spoken unto you. And he saith: Repent, and I will receive you.

135 For I am called to speak the words which he saith after this manner, even by way of command unto you that belong to the church; and unto those who do not belong to the church I speak by way of invitation.

136 Yea, he saith: Come unto me and be baptized unto repentance according to the holy order of God, that ye also may be partakers of the fruit of the tree of life; yea, ye shall eat and drink of the bread and the waters of life freely; which is in me, even Christ Jesus.

137 Therefore my beloved brethren, I am commanded to stand and testify unto this people, that they must come unto him and bring forth works of righteousness, that they be not hewn down and cast into the fire.

138 For behold, the time is at hand that whosoever bringeth forth not good fruit, or whosoever doeth not the works of righteousness, the same have cause to wail and mourn.

139 And these are the things which have been spoken by our fathers concerning the things which are to come. Amen.

by Sterling D. Allan; Manti, Utah; August 18, 1995

Notes

1. Alma 5:37.

2. 1 John 5:7,8.

3. Doctrine and Covenants 133:67.

4. Ezekiel 34:20,22-24.

5. John 10:11.

6. Doctrine and Covenants 64:37-39.

7. From substructure chiasms of Alma 5:43-46.

8. Doctrine and Covenants 65:5,6.

9. R.E. "within yourselves," JST-Luke 17:21.

10. Doctrine and Covenants 1:36.

11. 1 Nephi 14:7.

12. Ezekiel 13:16.

13. Ezekiel 34:10.

14. Jeremiah 14:14.

15. Ezekiel 34:11.

16. Ezekiel 34:12.