The Book of Mormon Part 131

Ether 8:15 15 And it came to pa.s.s that thus they did agree with Akish. And Akish did administer unto them the oaths which were given by them of old who also sought power, which had been handed down even from Cain, who was a murderer from the beginning.

Ether 8:16 16 And they were kept up by the power of the devil to administer these oaths unto the people, to keep them in darkness, to help such as sought power to gain power, and to murder, and to plunder, and to lie, and to commit all manner of wickedness and wh.o.r.edoms.

Ether 8:17 17 And it was the daughter of Jared who put it into his heart to search up these things of old; and Jared put it into the heart of Akish; wherefore, Akish administered it unto his kindred and friends, leading them away by fair promises to do whatsoever thing he desired.

Ether 8:18 18 And it came to pa.s.s that they formed a secret combination, even as they of old; which combination is most abominable and wicked above all, in the sight of G.o.d;

Ether 8:19 19 For the Lord worketh not in secret combinations, neither doth he will that man should shed blood, but in all things hath forbidden it, from the beginning of man.

Ether 8:20 20 And now I, Moroni, do not write the manner of their oaths and combinations, for it hath been made known unto me that they are had among all people, and they are had among the Lamanites.

Ether 8:21 21 And they have caused the destruction of this people of whom I am now speaking, and also the destruction of the people of Nephi.

Ether 8:22 22 And whatsoever nation shall uphold such secret combinations, to get power and gain, until they shall spread over the nation, behold, they shall be destroyed; for the Lord will not suffer that the blood of his saints, which shall be shed by them, shall always cry unto him from the ground for vengeance upon them and yet he avenge them not.

Ether 8:23 23 Wherefore, O ye Gentiles, it is wisdom in G.o.d that these things should be shown unto you, that thereby ye may repent of your sins, and suffer not that these murderous combinations shall get above you, which are built up to get power and gain--and the work, yea, even the work of destruction come upon you, yea, even the sword of the justice of the Eternal G.o.d shall fall upon you, to your overthrow and destruction if ye shall suffer these things to be.

Ether 8:24 24 Wherefore, the Lord commandeth you, when ye shall see these things come among you that ye shall awake to a sense of your awful situation, because of this secret combination which shall be among you; or wo be unto it, because of the blood of them who have been slain; for they cry from the dust for vengeance upon it, and also upon those who built it up.

Ether 8:25 25 For it cometh to pa.s.s that whoso buildeth it up seeketh to overthrow the freedom of all lands, nations, and countries; and it bringeth to pa.s.s the destruction of all people, for it is built up by the devil, who is the father of all lies; even that same liar who beguiled our first parents, yea, even that same liar who hath caused man to commit murder from the beginning; who hath hardened the hearts of men that they have murdered the prophets, and stoned them, and cast them out from the beginning.

Ether 8:26 26 Wherefore, I, Moroni, am commanded to write these things that evil may be done away, and that the time may come that Satan may have no power upon the hearts of the children of men, but that they may be persuaded to do good continually, that they may come unto the fountain of all righteousness and be saved.

Ether 9 Chapter 9

Ether 9:1 1 And now I, Moroni, proceed with my record. Therefore, behold, it came to pa.s.s that because of the secret combinations of Akish and his friends, behold, they did overthrow the kingdom of Omer.

Ether 9:2 2 Nevertheless, the Lord was merciful unto Omer, and also to his sons and to his daughters who did not seek his destruction.

Ether 9:3 3 And the Lord warned Omer in a dream that he should depart out of the land; wherefore Omer departed out of the land with his family, and traveled many days, and came over and pa.s.sed by the hill of s.h.i.+m, and came over by the place where the Nephites were destroyed, and from thence eastward, and came to a place which was called Ablom, by the seash.o.r.e, and there he pitched his tent, and also his sons and his daughters, and all his household, save it were Jared and his family.

Ether 9:4 4 And it came to pa.s.s that Jared was anointed king over the people, by the hand of wickedness; and he gave unto Akish his daughter to wife.

Ether 9:5 5 And it came to pa.s.s that Akish sought the life of his father-in-law; and he applied unto those whom he had sworn by the oath of the ancients, and they obtained the head of his father-in-law, as he sat upon his throne, giving audience to his people.

Ether 9:6 6 For so great had been the spreading of this wicked and secret society that it had corrupted the hearts of all the people; therefore Jared was murdered upon his throne, and Akish reigned in his stead.

Ether 9:7 7 And it came to pa.s.s that Akish began to be jealous of his son, therefore he shut him up in prison, and kept him upon little or no food until he had suffered death.

Ether 9:8 8 And now the brother of him that suffered death, (and his name was Nimrah) was angry with his father because of that which his father had done unto his brother.

Ether 9:9 9 And it came to pa.s.s that Nimrah gathered together a small number of men, and fled out of the land, and came over and dwelt with Omer.

Ether 9:10 10 And it came to pa.s.s that Akish begat other sons, and they won the hearts of the people, notwithstanding they had sworn unto him to do all manner of iniquity according to that which he desired.

Ether 9:11 11 Now the people of Akish were desirous for gain, even as Akish was desirous for power; wherefore, the sons of Akish did offer them money, by which means they drew away the more part of the people after them.

Ether 9:12 12 And there began to be a war between the sons of Akish and Akish, which lasted for the s.p.a.ce of many years, yea, unto the destruction of nearly all the people of the kingdom, yea, even all, save it were thirty souls, and they who fled with the house of Omer.

Ether 9:13 13 Wherefore, Omer was restored again to the land of his inheritance.

Ether 9:14 14 And it came to pa.s.s that Omer began to be old; nevertheless, in his old age he begat Emer; and he anointed Emer to be king to reign in his stead.

Ether 9:15 15 And after that he had anointed Emer to be king he saw peace in the land for the s.p.a.ce of two years, and he died, having seen exceedingly many days, which were full of sorrow. And it came to pa.s.s that Emer did reign in his stead, and did fill the steps of his father.

Ether 9:16 16 And the Lord began again to take the curse from off the land, and the house of Emer did prosper exceedingly under the reign of Emer; and in the s.p.a.ce of sixty and two years they had become exceedingly strong, insomuch that they became exceedingly rich--

Ether 9:17 17 Having all manner of fruit, and of grain, and of silks, and of fine linen, and of gold, and of silver, and of precious things;

Ether 9:18 18 And also all manner of cattle, of oxen, and cows, and of sheep, and of swine, and of goats, and also many other kinds of animals which were useful for the food of man.

Ether 9:19 19 And they also had horses, and a.s.ses, and there were elephants and cureloms and c.u.moms; all of which were useful unto man, and more especially the elephants and cureloms and c.u.moms.

Ether 9:20 20 And thus the Lord did pour out his blessings upon this land, which was choice above all other lands; and he commanded that whoso should possess the land should possess it unto the Lord, or they should be destroyed when they were ripened in iniquity; for upon such, saith the Lord: I will pour out the fulness of my wrath.

Ether 9:21 21 And Emer did execute judgment in righteousness all his days, and he begat many sons and daughters; and he begat Coriantum, and he anointed Coriantum to reign in his stead.

Ether 9:22 22 And after he had anointed Coriantum to reign in his stead he lived four years, and he saw peace in the land; yea, and he even saw the Son of Righteousness, and did rejoice and glory in his day; and he died in peace.

Ether 9:23 23 And it came to pa.s.s that Coriantum did walk in the steps of his father, and did build many mighty cities, and did administer that which was good unto his people in all his days. And it came to pa.s.s that he had no children even until he was exceedingly old.

Ether 9:24 24 And it came to pa.s.s that his wife died, being an hundred and two years old. And it came to pa.s.s that Coriantum took to wife, in his old age, a young maid, and begat sons and daughters; wherefore he lived until he was an hundred and forty and two years old.

Ether 9:25 25 And it came to pa.s.s that he begat Com, and Com reigned in his stead; and he reigned forty and nine years, and he begat Heth; and he also begat other sons and daughters.

Ether 9:26 26 And the people had spread again over all the face of the land, and there began again to be an exceedingly great wickedness upon the face of the land, and Heth began to embrace the secret plans again of old, to destroy his father.

Ether 9:27 27 And it came to pa.s.s that he did dethrone his father, for he slew him with his own sword; and he did reign in his stead.

Ether 9:28 28 And there came prophets in the land again, crying repentance unto them--that they must prepare the way of the Lord or there should come a curse upon the face of the land; yea, even there should be a great famine, in which they should be destroyed if they did not repent.

Ether 9:29 29 But the people believed not the words of the prophets, but they cast them out; and some of them they cast into pits and left them to perish. And it came to pa.s.s that they did all these things according to the commandment of the king, Heth.

Ether 9:30 30 And it came to pa.s.s that there began to be a great dearth upon the land, and the inhabitants began to be destroyed exceedingly fast because of the dearth, for there was no rain upon the face of the earth.

Ether 9:31 31 And there came forth poisonous serpents also upon the face of the land, and did poison many people. And it came to pa.s.s that their flocks began to flee before the poisonous serpents, towards the land southward, which was called by the Nephites Zarahemla.

Ether 9:32 32 And it came to pa.s.s that there were many of them which did perish by the way; nevertheless, there were some which fled into the land southward.

Ether 9:33 33 And it came to pa.s.s that the Lord did cause the serpents that they should pursue them no more, but that they should hedge up the way that the people could not pa.s.s, that whoso should attempt to pa.s.s might fall by the poisonous serpents.

Ether 9:34 34 And it came to pa.s.s that the people did follow the course of the beasts, and did devour the carca.s.ses of them which fell by the way, until they had devoured them all. Now when the people saw that they must perish they began to repent of their iniquities and cry unto the Lord.

Ether 9:35 35 And it came to pa.s.s that when they had humbled themselves sufficiently before the Lord he did send rain upon the face of the earth; and the people began to revive again, and there began to be fruit in the north countries, and in all the countries round about. And the Lord did show forth his power unto them in preserving them from famine.

Ether 10 Chapter 10

Ether 10:1 1 And it came to pa.s.s that Shez, who was a descendant of Heth--for Heth had perished by the famine, and all his household save it were Shez--wherefore, Shez began to build up again a broken people.