Jacob 1:2
And he gave me, Jacob, a commandment that I should write a few of the things which I considered to be most precious upon these plates; that I should not touch, unless it were lightly, concerning the history of this people who are called the people of Nephi.
Jacob 1:3
For he said that the history of his people should be engraved upon his other plates, and that I should preserve these plates and hand them down to my seed, from generation to generation.
Jacob 1:4
And if there were preaching which was sacred, or revelation which was great, or prophesying, that I should engrave the heads of them upon these plates, and touch upon them as much as it were possible, for Christ's sake, and for the sake of our people.
Jacob 1:5
For because of faith and great anxiety, it truly had been made manifest to us concerning our people, what things should happen to them.
Jacob 1:6
And we also had many revelations, and the spirit of much prophecy; therefore, we knew of Christ and his kingdom, which should come.
Jacob 1:7
Therefore we labored diligently amongst our people, so that we might persuade them to come to Christ, and partake of the goodness of God, so that they might enter into His rest, in case by any means He should swear in His wrath they should not enter in, as in the provocation in the days of temptation while the children of Israel were in the wilderness.
Jacob 1:8
Therefore, we willed to God that we could persuade all men to not rebel against God, to provoke Him to anger, but that all men would believe in Christ, and view his death, and suffer his cross and bear the shame of the world; therefore, I, Jacob, take it upon myself to fulfill the commandment of my brother Nephi.
Jacob 1:9
Now Nephi began to be old, and he saw that he must soon die; therefore, he anointed a man to be a king and a ruler over his people now, according to the reigns of the kings.
Jacob 1:10
The people having loved Nephi exceedingly, he, having been a great protector for them, having wielded the sword of Laban in their defense, and having labored in all his days for their welfare -
Jacob 1:11
Therefore, the people were desirous to retain his name in remembrance. And whoever should reign in his stead were called by the people, second Nephi, third Nephi, and so forth, according to the reigns of the kings; and thus they were called by the people, let them be of whatever name they would.
Jacob 1:12
And it came to pass that Nephi died.
Jacob 1:13
Now the people who were not Lamanites were Nephites; nevertheless, they were called Nephites, Jacobites, Josephites, Zoramites, Lamanites, Lemuelites, and Ishmaelites.
Jacob 1:14
But I, Jacob, will not hereafter distinguish them by these names, but I will call them Lamanites who seek to destroy the people of Nephi, and those who are friendly to Nephi, I will call Nephites, or the people of Nephi, according to the reigns of the kings.
Jacob 1:15
And now it came to pass that the people of Nephi, under the reign of the second king, began to grow hard in their hearts, and indulge themselves somewhat in wicked practices, such as David of old desiring many wives and concubines, and also Solomon, his son.
Jacob 1:16
Indeed, and they also began to search for much gold and silver, and began to be lifted up somewhat in pride.
Jacob 1:17
Therefore I, Jacob, gave these words to them as I taught them in the temple, having first obtained my errand from the Lord.
Jacob 1:18
For I, Jacob, and my brother Joseph had been consecrated priests and teachers of this people, by the hand of Nephi.
Jacob 1:19
And we magnified our office to the Lord, taking the responsibility upon us, answering the sins of the people upon our own heads if we did not teach them the word of God with all diligence; therefore, by laboring with our might, their blood might not come upon our garments; otherwise their blood would come upon our garments, and we would not be found spotless at the Last Day.
Jacob 2:1
The words which Jacob, the brother of Nephi, spoke to the people of Nephi, after the death of Nephi:
Jacob 2:2
"Now, my beloved brethren, I, Jacob, according to the responsibility which I am under to God, to magnify my office with soberness, and so that I might rid my garments of your sins, I come up into the temple this day so that I might declare the word of God to you.
Jacob 2:3
And you yourselves know that I have hereto been diligent in the office of my calling; but this day, I am weighed down with much more desire and anxiety for the welfare of your souls than I have hereto been.
Jacob 2:4
For behold, as still, you have been obedient to the word of the Lord, which I have given to you.
Jacob 2:5
But behold, listen to me, and know that by the help of the All-Powerful Creator of heaven and earth, I can tell you concerning your thoughts, how you are beginning to labor in sin, which sin appears very abominable to me, indeed, and abominable to God.
Jacob 2:6
Indeed, it grieves my soul and causes me to shrink with shame before the presence of my Maker, that I must testify to you concerning the wickedness of your hearts.
Jacob 2:7
And it also grieves me that I must use so much boldness of speech concerning you, before your wives and your children, many of whose feelings are exceedingly tender and chaste and delicate before God, which thing is pleasing to God;
Jacob 2:8
And it supposes me that they have come up here to hear the pleasing word of God, indeed, the word which heals the wounded soul.
Jacob 2:9
Therefore, it burdens my soul that I should be constrained, because of the strict commandment which I have received from God, to admonish you according to your crimes, to enlarge the wounds of those who are already wounded, instead of consoling and healing their wounds; and those who have not been wounded, instead of feasting upon the pleasing word of God, have daggers placed to pierce their souls and wound their delicate minds.
Jacob 2:10
But notwithstanding the greatness of the task, I must do according to the strict commands of God, and tell you concerning your wickedness and abominations, in the presence of the pure in heart, and the broken heart, and under the glance of the piercing eye of the Almighty God.
Jacob 2:11
Therefore, I must tell you the truth according to the plainness of the word of God. For behold, as I inquired of the Lord, thus the word came to me, saying, 'Jacob, get up into the temple on the morrow, and declare the word which I will give to this people.'
Jacob 2:12
And now behold, my brethren, this is the word which I declare to you, that many of you have begun to search for gold, and for silver, and for all manner of precious ores, in which this land, which is a land of promise to you and to your seed, does abound most plentifully.
Jacob 2:13
And the hand of providence has smiled upon you most pleasingly, that you have obtained many riches; and because some of you have obtained more abundantly than that of your brethren, you are lifted up in the pride of your hearts, and wear stiff necks and high heads because of the costliness of your apparel, and persecute your brethren because you suppose that you are better than them.
Jacob 2:14
And now, my brethren, do you suppose that God justifies you in this thing? Behold, I say to you, 'No.' But He condemns you, and if you persist in these things, His judgements must speedily come to you.
Jacob 2:15
O that He would show you that He can pierce you, and with one glance of His eye, He can strike you to the dust!
Jacob 2:16
O that He would rid you from this iniquity and abomination. And, O that you would listen to the word of His commands, and not let this pride of your hearts destroy your souls!
Jacob 2:17
Think of your brethren like yourselves, and be familiar with all and free with your substance, so that they may be rich like you.
Jacob 2:18
But before you seek for riches, seek for the Kingdom of God.
Jacob 2:19
And after you have obtained a hope in Christ, you will obtain riches, if you seek them; and you will seek them for the intent to do good - to clothe the naked, and to feed the hungry, and to liberate the captive, and administer relief to the sick and the afflicted.
Jacob 2:20
And now, my brethren, I have spoken to you concerning pride; and those of you who have afflicted your neighbor, and persecuted him because you were proud in your hearts, of the things which God has given you, what do you say of it?
Jacob 2:21
Do you not suppose that such things are abominable to Him who created all flesh? And the one being is as precious in His sight as the other. And all flesh is of the dust; and He has created them for the selfsame end, that they should keep His commandments and glorify Him forever.
Jacob 2:22
And now I make an end of speaking to you concerning this pride. And were it not that I must speak to you concerning a grosser crime, my heart would rejoice exceedingly because of you.
Jacob 2:23
But the word of God burdens me because of your grosser crimes. For behold, thus the Lord: says, 'This people begins to grow in iniquity; they do not understand the Scriptures, for they seek to excuse themselves in committing whoredoms, because of the things which were written concerning David, and his son Solomon.
Jacob 2:24
Behold, David and Solomon truly had many wives and concubines, which thing was abominable before Me,' the Lord says.
Jacob 2:25
Therefore,' the Lord thus says, 'I have led this people forth out of the land of Jerusalem, by the power of My arm, so that I might raise up a righteous branch to Me from the fruit of the loins of Joseph.
Jacob 2:26
Therefore, I the Lord God will not allow that this people will do like those of old.'
Jacob 2:27
Therefore, my brethren, hear me, and listen to the word of the Lord, 'For no man among you will have except one wife; and he will have no concubines;
Jacob 2:28
For I, the Lord God, delight in the chastity of women. And whoredoms are an abomination before Me;' thus the Lord of hosts says.
Jacob 2:29
Therefore, this people will keep My commandments,' the Lord of hosts says, 'Or the land is cursed for their sakes.
Jacob 2:30
For if I will,' the Lord of hosts says, raise up seed to Me, I will command My people; otherwise they will listen to these things.
Jacob 2:31
For behold, I, the Lord, have seen the sorrow, and heard the mourning of the daughters of My people in the land of Jerusalem, indeed, and in all the lands of My people, because of the wickedness and abominations of their husbands.
Jacob 2:32
And I will not allow,' the Lord of hosts says, 'That the cries of the fair daughters of this people, which I have led out of the land of Jerusalem, will come up to Me against the men of My people,' the Lord of hosts says.
Jacob 2:33
For they will not lead away the daughters of My people captive because of their tenderness, except I will visit them with a sore curse, even to destruction; for they will not commit whoredoms, like those of old,' the Lord of hosts says.
Jacob 2:34
And now behold, my brethren, you know that these commandments were given to our father, Lehi; therefore, you have known them before; and you have come to great condemnation; for you have done these things which you should not have done.
Jacob 2:35
Behold, you have done greater iniquities than the Lamanites, our brethren. You have broken the hearts of your tender wives, and lost the confidence of your children, because of your bad examples before them; and the sobbing of their hearts ascends up to God against you. And because of the strictness of the word of God, which comes down against you, many hearts died, pierced with deep wounds.
Jacob 3:1
But behold, I, Jacob, would speak to you who are pure in heart. Look to God with firmness of mind, and pray to 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.
Jacob 3:2
O all you who are pure in heart, lift up your heads and receive the pleasing word of God, and feast upon His love; for you may, if your minds are firm, forever.
Jacob 3:3
But woe, woe to you who are not pure in heart, who are filthy this day before God; for unless you repent, the land is cursed for your sakes; and the Lamanites, which are not filthy like you, nevertheless they are cursed with a sore cursing, will scourge you even to destruction.
Jacob 3:4
And the time speedily comes, that unless you repent, they will possess the land of your inheritance, and the Lord God will lead the righteous away out from among you.
Jacob 3:5
Behold, the Lamanites, your brethren, whom you hate because of their filthiness and the cursing which has come upon their skins, are more righteous than you; for they have not forgotten the commandment of the Lord, which was given to our father - that they should have, except it were, one wife, and they should have no concubines, and there should not be whoredoms committed amongst them.
Jacob 3:6
And now, they observe to keep this commandment; therefore, because of this observance, in keeping this commandment, the Lord God will not destroy them, but will be merciful to them; and one day they will become a blessed people.
Jacob 3:7
Behold, their husbands love their wives, and their wives love their husbands; and their husbands and their wives love their children; and their disbelief and their hatred towards you is because of the iniquity of their fathers; therefore, how much better are you than they, in the sight of your great Creator?
Jacob 3:8
O my brethren, I fear that unless you will repent of your sins, that their skins will be whiter than yours, when you will be brought with them before the Throne of God.
Jacob 3:9
Therefore, I give a commandment to you, which is the word of God, that you no longer revile against them because of the darkness of their skins; neither will you revile against them because of their filthiness; but you will remember your own filthiness and remember that their filthiness came because of their fathers.
Jacob 3:10
Therefore, you will remember your children, how you have grieved their hearts because of the example that you have set before them; and also, remember that you may, because of your filthiness, bring your children to destruction, and their sins will be heaped upon your heads at the Last Day.
Jacob 3:11
O my brethren, listen to my words; arouse the faculties of your souls; shake yourselves so that you may awake from the slumber of death; and loose yourselves from the pains of Hell so that you may not become angels to the devil, to be cast into that lake of fire and brimstone which is the second death."
Jacob 3:12
And now I, Jacob, spoke many more things to the people of Nephi, warning them against fornication and lasciviousness, and every kind of sin, telling them the awful consequences of them.
Jacob 3:13
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.
Jacob 3:14
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.
Jacob 4:1
Now behold, it came to pass that I, Jacob, having ministered much to my people in word, (and I cannot write but a little of my words, because of the difficulty of engraving our words upon plates) and we know that the things which we write upon plates must remain;
Jacob 4:2
But whatsoever things we write upon anything, unless it is upon plates, must perish and vanish away; but we can write a few words upon plates, which will give our children, and also our beloved brethren, a small degree of knowledge concerning us, or concerning their fathers -
Jacob 4:3
Now we rejoice in this thing; and we labor diligently to engrave these words upon plates, hoping that our beloved brethren and our children will receive them with thankful hearts, and look upon them so that they may learn with joy and not with sorrow, neither with contempt, concerning their first parents.
Jacob 4:4
For this intent, we have written these things, so that they may know that we knew of Christ, and we had a hope of his glory many hundred years before his coming; and not only we ourselves had a hope of his glory, but also all the holy prophets who were before us.
Jacob 4:5
Behold, they believed in Christ and served the Father in his name, and we also serve the Father in his name. And for this intent, we keep the law of Moses, it points our souls to him; and for this cause, it is sanctified to us for righteousness, even as it was accounted to Abraham in the wilderness to be obedient to the commands of God in offering up his son Isaac, which is a similitude of God and His only begotten son.
Jacob 4:6
Therefore, we search the prophets, and we have many revelations and the Spirit of prophecy; and having all these witnesses, we obtain a hope, and our faith becomes unshaken, insomuch that we truly can command in the name of Jesus and the very trees obey us, or the mountains, or the waves of the sea.
Jacob 4:7
Nevertheless, the Lord God shows us our weakness so that we may know that it is by His grace, and His great condescensions to the children of men, that we have power to do these things.
Jacob 4:8
Behold, the works of the Lord are great and marvelous. How unsearchable are the depths of the mysteries of Him; and it is impossible that man should find out all His ways. And no man knows of His ways unless it is revealed to him; therefore, brethren, do not despise the revelations of God.
Jacob 4:9
For behold, by the power of His word, man came upon the face of the earth, which earth was created by the power of His word. Therefore, if God, being able to speak and the world was, and to speak and man was created, O then, why [is He] not able to command the earth, or the workmanship of His hands upon the face of it, according to His will and pleasure?
Jacob 4:10
Therefore, brethren, do not seek to counsel the Lord, but take counsel from His hand. For behold, you yourselves know that He counsels in wisdom, and in justice, and in great mercy, over all His works.
Jacob 4:11
Therefore, beloved brethren, be reconciled to Him through the atonement of Christ, His only begotten son, and you may obtain a resurrection, according to the power of the resurrection which is in Christ, and be presented as the first-fruits of Christ to God, having faith, and obtained a good hope of glory in him before he manifests himself in the flesh.
Jacob 4:12
And now, beloved, do not marvel that I tell you these things; for why not speak of the atonement of Christ, and attain to a perfect knowledge of him, as to attain to the knowledge of a resurrection and the world to come?
Jacob 4:13
Behold, my brethren, he who prophesies, let him prophesy to the understanding of men; for the [Holy] Spirit speaks the truth and does not lie. Therefore, it speaks of things as they really are, and of things as they really will be; therefore, these things are manifested to us plainly, for the salvation of our souls. But behold, we are not witnesses alone in these things; for God also spoke them to prophets of old.
Jacob 4:14
But behold, the Jews were a stiff-necked people; and they despised the words of plainness, and killed the prophets, and sought for things that they could not understand. Therefore, because of their blindness, which blindness came by looking beyond the mark, they must fall; for God has taken away His plainness from them, and delivered many things to them which they cannot understand, because they desired it. And because they desired it, God has done it, so that they may stumble.
Jacob 4:15
And now I, Jacob, am led on by the [Holy] Spirit to prophesying; for I perceive by the workings of the [Holy] Spirit which is in me, that by the stumbling of the Jews, they will reject the stone upon which they might build and have a safe foundation.
Jacob 4:16
But behold, according to the Scriptures, this stone will become the great, and the last, and the only sure foundation, upon which the Jews can build.
Jacob 4:17
And now, my beloved, how is it possible that these, after having rejected the sure foundation, can ever build upon it, so that it may become the head of their corner?
Jacob 4:18
Behold, my beloved brethren, I will unfold this mystery to you; if I do not, by any means, get shaken from my firmness in the [Holy] Spirit, and stumble because of my over anxiety for you.
Jacob 5:1
Behold, my brethren, do you not remember to have read the words of the prophet Zenos, which he spoke to the house of Israel, saying,
Jacob 5:2
"Listen, O you house of Israel, and hear the words of me, a prophet of the Lord.
Jacob 5:3
For behold,' the Lord thus says, 'I will liken you, O house of Israel, like a tame olive tree, which a man took and nourished in his vineyard; and it grew, and grew old, and began to decay.
Jacob 5:4
And it came to pass that the master of the vineyard went forth, and he saw that his olive tree began to decay; and he said, 'I will prune it, and dig about it, and nourish it, so that perhaps it may shoot forth young and tender branches, and it will not perish.'
Jacob 5:5
And it came to pass that he pruned it, and dug about it, and nourished it according to his word.
Jacob 5:6
And it came to pass that after many days, it began to put forth somewhat a little, young and tender branches; but behold, the main top began to perish.
Jacob 5:7
And it came to pass that the master of the vineyard saw it, and he said to his servant, 'It grieves me that I should lose this tree; therefore, go and pluck the branches from a wild olive tree, and bring them here to me; and we will pluck off those main branches which are beginning to wither away, and we will cast them into the fire so that they may be burned.'
Jacob 5:8
And behold,' the lord of the vineyard says, 'I take away many of these young and tender branches, and I will graft them wherever I will; and it does not matter that if it so is that the root of this tree will perish, I may preserve the fruit to myself; therefore, I will take these young and tender branches, and I will graft them wherever I will.
Jacob 5:9
Take the branches of the wild olive tree, and graft them in, in the stead; and these which I have plucked off, I will cast into the fire and burn them, so that they may not cumber the ground of my vineyard.'
Jacob 5:10
And it came to pass that the servant of the lord of the vineyard did according to the word of the lord of the vineyard, and grafted in the branches of the wild olive tree.
Jacob 5:11
And the lord of the vineyard caused that it should be dug about, and pruned, and nourished, saying to his servant, 'It grieves me that I should lose this tree; therefore, so that perhaps I might preserve the roots so that they do not perish, so that I might preserve them to myself, I have done this thing.
Jacob 5:12
Therefore, go your way; watch the tree, and nourish it, according to my words.
Jacob 5:13
And I will place these in the nethermost part of my vineyard, wherever I will, it does not matter to you; and I do it so that I may preserve the natural branches of the tree to myself; and also, so that I may lay up fruit to myself against the season; for it grieves me that I should lose this tree and the fruit.'
Jacob 5:14
And it came to pass that the lord of the vineyard went his way and hid the natural branches of the tame olive tree in the nethermost parts of the vineyard, some in one and some in another, according to his will and pleasure.
Jacob 5:15
And it came to pass that a long time passed away, and the lord of the vineyard said to his servant, 'Come, let us go down into the vineyard, so that we may labor in the vineyard.'
Jacob 5:16
And it came to pass that the lord of the vineyard, and also the servant, went down into the vineyard to labor. And it came to pass that the servant said to his master, 'Behold, look here; behold the tree.'
Jacob 5:17
And it came to pass that the lord of the vineyard looked and beheld the tree in which the wild olive branches had been grafted; and it had sprung forth and begun to bear fruit. And he beheld that it was good; and the fruit was like the natural fruit.
Jacob 5:18
And he said to the servant, 'Behold, the branches of the wild tree have taken hold of the moisture of the root, so that the root has brought forth much strength; and because of the much strength of the root, the wild branches have brought forth tame fruit. Now, if we had not grafted in these branches, the tree would have perished. And now, behold, I will lay up much fruit, which the tree has brought forth; and I will lay up the fruit against the season, to my own self.'
Jacob 5:19
And it came to pass that the lord of the vineyard said to the servant, 'Come, let us go to the nethermost part of the vineyard, and behold if the natural branches of the tree have not brought forth much fruit also, so that I may lay up of the fruit against the season, to my own self.'
Jacob 5:20
And it came to pass that they went forth where the master had hidden the natural branches of the tree, and he said to the servant, 'Behold these;' and he beheld the first that it had brought forth much fruit; and he beheld also that it was good. And he said to the servant, 'Take of the fruit, and lay it up against the season, so that I may preserve it to my own self; for behold,' he said, 'I have nourished it for this long time, and it has brought forth much fruit.'
Jacob 5:21
And it came to pass that the servant said to his master, 'How do you come here to plant this tree, or this branch of the tree? For behold, it was the poorest spot in all the land of your vineyard.'
Jacob 5:22
And the lord of the vineyard said to him, 'Do not counsel me; I knew that it was a poor spot of ground; therefore, I said to you, I have nourished it this long time, and you behold that it has brought forth much fruit.'
Jacob 5:23
And it came to pass that the lord of the vineyard said to his servant, 'Look here; behold I have planted another branch of the tree also; and you know that this spot of ground was poorer than the first. But, behold the tree. I have nourished it this long time, and it has brought forth much fruit; therefore, gather it, and lay it up against the season, so that I may preserve it to my own self.'
Jacob 5:24
And it came to pass that the lord of the vineyard said again to his servant, 'Look here, and behold another branch also, which I have planted; behold that I have nourished it also, and it has brought forth fruit.'
Jacob 5:25
And he said to the servant, 'Look here and behold the last. Behold, I have planted this in a good spot of ground; and I have nourished it this long time, and only a part of the tree has brought forth tame fruit, and the other part of the tree has brought forth wild fruit; behold, I have nourished this tree like the others.'
Jacob 5:26
And it came to pass that the lord of the vineyard said to the servant, 'Pluck off the branches that have not brought forth good fruit, and cast them into the fire.'
Jacob 5:27
But behold, the servant said to him, 'Let us prune it, and dig about it, and nourish it a little longer, so that perhaps it may bring forth good fruit to you, so that you can lay it up against the season.'
Jacob 5:28
And it came to pass that the lord of the vineyard and the servant of the lord of the vineyard nourished all the fruit of the vineyard.
Jacob 5:29
And it came to pass that a long time had passed away, and the lord of the vineyard said to his servant, 'Come, let us go down into the vineyard, so that we may labor again in the vineyard. For behold, the time draws near, and the end soon comes; therefore, I must lay up fruit against the season, to my own self.'
Jacob 5:30
And it came to pass that the lord of the vineyard and the servant went down into the vineyard; and they came to the tree whose natural branches had been broken off, and the wild branches had been grafted in; and behold all sorts of fruit cumbered the tree.
Jacob 5:31
And it came to pass that the lord of the vineyard tasted of the fruit, every sort according to its number. And the lord of the vineyard said, 'Behold, we have nourished this tree for this long time, and I have laid up much fruit to myself against the season.
Jacob 5:32
But behold, this time, it has brought forth much fruit, and there is none of it which is good. And behold, there are all kinds of bad fruit; and it profits me nothing, notwithstanding all our labor; and now it grieves me that I should lose this tree.'
Jacob 5:33
And the lord of the vineyard said to the servant, 'What will we do to the tree, so that I may preserve good fruit to my own self again?'
Jacob 5:34
And the servant said to his master, 'Behold, because you grafted in the branches of the wild olive tree, they have nourished the roots, so that they are alive, and they have not perished; therefore, you behold that they are still good.'
Jacob 5:35
And it came to pass that the lord of the vineyard said to his servant, 'The tree profits me nothing, and the roots profit me nothing so long as it will bring forth evil fruit.
Jacob 5:36
Nevertheless, I know that the roots are good, and for my own purpose, I have preserved them; and because of their great strength, they have hereto brought forth, from the wild branches, good fruit.
Jacob 5:37
But behold, the wild branches have grown and have overrun the roots; and because the wild branches have overcome the roots, it has brought forth much evil fruit; and because it has brought forth so much evil fruit, you behold that it begins to perish; and it will soon become ripened, so that it may be cast into the fire, unless we should do something for it to preserve it.'
Jacob 5:38
And it came to pass that the lord of the vineyard said to his servant, 'Let us go down into the nethermost parts of the vineyard, and behold if the natural branches have also brought forth evil fruit.'
Jacob 5:39
And it came to pass that they went down into the nethermost parts of the vineyard. And it came to pass that they beheld that the fruit of the natural branches had become corrupt also; indeed, the first and the second and also the last; and they had all become corrupt.
Jacob 5:40
And the wild fruit of the last had overcome that part of the tree which brought forth good fruit, even so that the branch had withered away and died.
Jacob 5:41
And it came to pass that the lord of the vineyard wept and said to the servant, 'What could I have done more for my vineyard?
Jacob 5:42
Behold, I knew that all the fruit of the vineyard, unless it were these, had become corrupted. And now these which have once brought forth good fruit have also become corrupted; and now all the trees of my vineyard are good for nothing unless it is to be hewn down and cast into the fire.
Jacob 5:43
And behold this last, whose branch has withered away, I planted in a good spot of ground; indeed, even that which was choice to me above all other parts of the land of my vineyard.
Jacob 5:44
And you beheld that I also cut down that which cumbered this spot of ground, so that I might plant this tree in the stead.
Jacob 5:45
And you beheld that a part brought forth good fruit, and a part brought forth wild fruit; and because I did not pluck the branches and cast them into the fire, behold, they have overcome the good branch so that it has withered away.
Jacob 5:46
And now, behold, notwithstanding all the care which we have taken of my vineyard, the trees have become corrupted, so that they bring forth no good fruit; and I had hoped to preserve these, to have laid up fruit against the season, to my own self. But behold, they have become like the wild olive tree, and they are of no worth but to be hewn down and cast into the fire; and it grieves me that I should lose them.
Jacob 5:47
But what could I have done more in my vineyard? Have I slackened my hand, so that I have not nourished it? No, I have nourished it, and I have dug about it, and I have pruned it, and I have dunged it; and I have stretched forth my hand almost all day long, and the end draws near. And it grieves me that I should hew down all the trees of my vineyard and cast them into the fire so that they should be burned. Who is it that has corrupted my vineyard?'
Jacob 5:48
And it came to pass that the servant said to his master, 'Is it not the loftiness of your vineyard - have the branches not overcome the roots which are good? And because the branches have overcome the roots, behold, they grew faster than the strength of the roots, taking strength to themselves. Behold, I say, is this not the cause that the trees of your vineyard have become corrupted?'
Jacob 5:49
And it came to pass that the lord of the vineyard said to the servant, 'Let us go and hew down the trees of the vineyard and cast them into the fire, so that they will not cumber the ground of my vineyard, for I have done all. What could I have done more for my vineyard?'
Jacob 5:50
But behold, the servant said to the lord of the vineyard, 'Spare it a little longer.'
Jacob 5:51
And the lord said, 'Indeed, I will spare it a little longer, for it grieves me that I should lose the trees of my vineyard.
Jacob 5:52
Therefore, let us take of the branches of these which I have planted in the nethermost parts of my vineyard, and let us graft them into the tree from where they came; and let us pluck those branches from the tree whose fruit is most bitter, and graft in the natural branches of the tree in their stead.
Jacob 5:53
And I will do this so that the tree may not perish, so that, perhaps, I may preserve the roots to myself for my own purpose.
Jacob 5:54
And behold, the roots of the natural branches of the tree, which I planted wherever I would, are still alive; therefore, so that I may preserve them also for my own purpose, I will take of the branches of this tree, and I will graft them into them. Indeed, I will graft the branches of their mother tree into them, so that I may preserve the roots also to my own self, so that when they will be sufficiently strong, perhaps they may bring forth good fruit to me, and I may still have glory in the fruit of my vineyard.'
Jacob 5:55
And it came to pass that they took from the natural tree which had become wild, and grafted into the natural trees, which also had become wild.
Jacob 5:56
And they also took of the natural trees which had become wild, and grafted into their mother tree.
Jacob 5:57
And the lord of the vineyard said to the servant, 'Do not pluck the wild branches from the trees, unless it is those which are most bitter; and you will graft in them according to that which I have said.
Jacob 5:58
And we will nourish the trees of the vineyard again, and we will trim up the branches; and we will pluck those branches from the trees which are ripened, that must perish, and cast them into the fire.
Jacob 5:59
And I do this so that, perhaps, the roots may take strength because of their goodness; and because of the change of the branches, so that the good may overcome the evil.
Jacob 5:60
And because I have preserved the natural branches and the roots, and I have grafted in the natural branches again into their mother tree, and have preserved the roots of their mother tree, so that, perhaps, the trees of my vineyard may bring forth again good fruit; and so that I may have joy again in the fruit of my vineyard, and perhaps, so that I may rejoice exceedingly that I have preserved the roots and the branches of the first fruit -
Jacob 5:61
Therefore, go, and call servants, so that we may labor diligently with our might in the vineyard, so that we may prepare the way, so that I may bring forth the natural fruit again, which natural fruit is good and the most precious above all other fruit.
Jacob 5:62
Therefore, let us go to and labor with our might this last time, for behold, the end draws near, and this is for the last time that I will prune my vineyard.
Jacob 5:63
Graft in the branches; begin at the last so that they may be first, and so that the first may be last, and dig about the trees, both old and young, the first and the last; and the last and the first, so that all may be nourished once again for the last time.
Jacob 5:64
Therefore, dig about them, and prune them, and dung them once more, for the last time, for the end draws near. And if it so is that these last grafts will grow, and bring forth the natural fruit, then will you prepare the way for them, so that they may grow.
Jacob 5:65
And as they begin to grow, you will clear away the branches which bring forth bitter fruit, according to the strength of the good and the size; and you will not clear away the bad all at once, in case the roots should be too strong for the graft, and the graft will perish, and I lose the trees of my vineyard.
Jacob 5:66
For it grieves me that I should lose the trees of my vineyard; therefore, you will clear away the bad accordingly as the good will grow, so that the root and the top may be equal in strength, until the good will overcome the bad, and the bad are hewn down and cast into the fire, so that they do not cumber the ground of my vineyard; and thus, I will sweep away the bad out of my vineyard.
Jacob 5:67
And I will graft in the branches of the natural tree again into the natural tree;
Jacob 5:68
And I will graft the branches of the natural tree into the natural branches of the tree; and I will thus bring them together again, so that they will bring forth the natural fruit, and they will be one.
Jacob 5:69
And the bad will be cast away, indeed, even out of all the land of my vineyard; for behold, I will prune only my vineyard this once.'
Jacob 5:70
And it came to pass that the lord of the vineyard sent his servant; and the servant went and did as the lord had commanded him, and brought other servants; and they were few.
Jacob 5:71
And the lord of the vineyard said to them, 'Go, and labor in the vineyard with your might. For behold, this is the last time that I will nourish my vineyard; for the end is near at hand, and the season speedily comes; and if you labor with your might with me, you will have joy in the fruit which I will lay up to myself against the time which will soon come.'
Jacob 5:72
And it came to pass that the servants went and labored with their might; and the lord of the vineyard labored with them also; and they obeyed the commandments of the lord of the vineyard in all things.
Jacob 5:73
And the natural fruit began to be in the vineyard again; and the natural branches began to grow and thrive exceedingly; and the wild branches began to be plucked off and cast away; and they kept the root and the top equal, according to the strength.
Jacob 5:74
And thus they labored with all diligence, according to the commandments of the lord of the vineyard, even until the bad had been cast away out of the vineyard, and the lord had preserved to himself so that the trees had become again the natural fruit; and they became like one body; and the fruits were equal; and the lord of the vineyard had preserved the natural fruit to himself, which was most precious to him from the beginning.
Jacob 5:75
And it came to pass that when the lord of the vineyard saw that his fruit was good, and that his vineyard was no longer corrupt, he called up his servants, and said to them, 'Behold, we have nourished my vineyard for this last time; and you behold that I have done according to my will; and I have preserved the natural fruit, so that it is good, even like as it was in the beginning. And you are blessed; for because you have been diligent in laboring with me in my vineyard, and have kept my commandments, and have brought the natural fruit to me again, so that my vineyard is no longer corrupted, and the bad is cast away, behold, you will have joy with me because of the fruit of my vineyard.
Jacob 5:76
For behold, for a long time, I will lay up of the fruit of my vineyard to my own self against the season, which speedily comes; and for the last time, I have nourished my vineyard, and pruned it, and dug about it, and dunged it; therefore, I will lay up [some] of the fruit to my own self, for a long time, according to that which I have spoken.
Jacob 5:77
And when the time comes that evil fruit will again come into my vineyard, then I will cause the good and the bad to be gathered; and I will preserve the good to myself, and I will cast away the bad into its own place. And then the season comes and the end; and I will cause my vineyard to be burned with fire.'
Jacob 6:1
And now, behold, my brethren, as I said to you that I would prophesy, behold, this is my prophecy - that the things which this prophet Zenos spoke, concerning the house of Israel, in which he likened them to a tame olive tree, must surely come to pass.
Jacob 6:2
And the day that He will set His hand again the second time to recover His people, is the day, indeed, even the last time, that the servants of the Lord will go forth in His power, to nourish and prune His vineyard; and after that, the end soon comes.
Jacob 6:3
And how blessed are those who have labored diligently in His vineyard; and how cursed are those who will be cast out into their own place! And the world will be burned with fire.
Jacob 6:4
And how merciful is our God to us, for He remembers the house of Israel, both roots and branches; and He stretches forth His hands to them all day long; and they are a stiff-necked and a gainsaying people; but as many who will not harden their hearts, will be saved in the Kingdom of God.
Jacob 6:5
Therefore, my beloved brethren, I beseech you in words of soberness so that you would repent, and come with full purpose of heart, and cleave to God as He cleaves to you. And while His arm of mercy is extended towards you in the light of the day, do not harden your hearts.
Jacob 6:6
Indeed, today, if you will hear His voice, do not harden your hearts; for why will you die?
Jacob 6:7
For behold, after you have been nourished by the good word of God all day long, will you bring forth evil fruit, so that you must be hewn down and cast into the fire?
Jacob 6:8
Behold, will you reject these words? Will you reject the words of the prophets; and will you reject all the words which have been spoken concerning Christ, after so many have spoken concerning him; and deny the good word of Christ, and the power of God, and the gift of the Holy Spirit, and quench the Holy Spirit, and make a mock of the great plan of redemption, which has been laid for you?
Jacob 6:9
Do you not know that if you will do these things, that the power of the redemption and the resurrection, which is in Christ, will bring you to stand with shame and awful guilt before the bar of God?
Jacob 6:10
And according to the power of justice, for justice cannot be denied, you must go away into that lake of fire and brimstone, whose flames are unquenchable, and whose smoke ascends up forever and ever, which lake of fire and brimstone is endless torment.
Jacob 6:11
O then, my beloved brethren, repent, and enter in at the straight gate, and continue in the way which is narrow, until you will obtain eternal life.
Jacob 6:12
O be wise; what more can I say?
Jacob 6:13
Finally, I command you farewell, until I will meet you before the pleasing bar of God, which bar strikes the wicked with awful dread and fear. Amen."
Jacob 7:1
And now it came to pass after some years had passed away, a man among the people of Nephi came, whose name was Sherem.
Jacob 7:2
And it came to pass that he began to preach amongst the people, and to declare to them that there should be no Christ. And he preached many things which were flattering to the people; and he did this so that he might overthrow the doctrine of Christ.
Jacob 7:3
And he labored diligently so that he might lead the hearts of the people away, insomuch that he did lead away many hearts; and he, knowing that I, Jacob, had faith in Christ who should come, he sought much opportunity so that he might come to me.
Jacob 7:4
And he was learned, so that he had a perfect knowledge of the language of the people; therefore, he could use much flattery, and much power of speech, according to the power of the devil.
Jacob 7:5
And he had hope to shake me from the faith, notwithstanding the many revelations and the many things which I had seen concerning these things; for I truly had seen angels, and they had ministered to me. And also, I had heard the voice of the Lord speaking to me in very word, from time to time; therefore, I could not be shaken.
Jacob 7:6
And it came to pass that he came to me, and he spoke to me on this wise, saying, "Brother Jacob, I have sought much opportunity so that I might speak to you; for I have heard and also know that you go about much, preaching that which you call the Gospel, or the doctrine of Christ.
Jacob 7:7
And you have led away much of this people so that they pervert the right way of God, and do not keep the law of Moses which is the right way; and convert the law of Moses into the worship of a being which you say will come many hundred years from now. And now behold, I, Sherem, declare to you that this is blasphemy; for no man knows of such things; for he cannot tell of things to come." And Sherem contended against me after this manner.
Jacob 7:8
But behold, the Lord God poured in his [Holy] Spirit into my soul, insomuch that I confounded him in all his words.
Jacob 7:9
And I said to him, "Do you deny the Christ who will come?" And he said, "If there should be a Christ, I would not deny him; but I know that there is no Christ, neither has been, nor ever will be."
Jacob 7:10
And I said to him, "Do you believe the Scriptures?" And he said, "Indeed."
Jacob 7:11
And I said to him, "Then you do not understand them; for they truly testify of Christ. Behold, I say to you that none of the prophets have written, nor prophesied, except they have spoken concerning this Christ.
Jacob 7:12
And this is not all - it has been made manifest to me, for I have heard and seen; and it also has been made manifest to me by the power of the Holy Spirit; therefore, I know if there should be no atonement made, all mankind must be lost."
Jacob 7:13
And it came to pass that he said to me, "Show me a sign by this power of the Holy Spirit, in which you know so much."
Jacob 7:14
And I said to him, "What am I that I should tempt God to show you a sign in the thing which you know to be true? Still, you will deny it, because you are of the devil. Nevertheless, my will, will not be done; but if God will strike you, let that be a sign to you that He has power, both in heaven and in earth; and also, that Christ will come. And Your will, O Lord, will be done, and not mine."
Jacob 7:15
And it came to pass that when I, Jacob, had spoken these words, the power of the Lord came upon him, insomuch that he fell to the earth. And it came to pass that he was nourished for the space of many days.
Jacob 7:16
And it came to pass that he said to the people, "Gather together on the morrow, for I will die; therefore, I desire to speak to the people before I will die."
Jacob 7:17
And it came to pass that on the morrow, the multitude were gathered together; and he spoke plainly to them and denied the things which he had taught them, and confessed the Christ, and the power of the Holy Spirit, and the ministering of angels.
Jacob 7:18
And he spoke plainly to them, that he had been deceived by the power of the devil. And he spoke of Hell, and of eternity, and of eternal punishment.
Jacob 7:19
And he said, "I fear in case I have committed the unpardonable sin, for I have lied to God; for I denied the Christ, and said that I believed the Scriptures; and they truly testify of him. And because I have thus lied to God, I greatly fear in case my case will be awful; but I confess to God."
Jacob 7:20
And it came to pass that when he had said these words, he could say no more, and he gave up the ghost.
Jacob 7:21
And when the multitude had witnessed that he spoke these things as he was about to give up the ghost, they were exceedingly astonished; insomuch that the power of God came down upon them, and they were overcome so that they fell to the earth.
Jacob 7:22
Now, this thing was pleasing to me, Jacob, for I had requested it of my Father who was in heaven; for He had heard my cry and answered my prayer.
Jacob 7:23
And it came to pass that peace and the love of God was restored again amongst the people; and they searched the Scriptures, and no longer listened to the words of this wicked man.
Jacob 7:24
And it came to pass that many means were devised to reclaim and restore the Lamanites to the knowledge of the truth; but it was all vain, for they delighted in wars and bloodshed, and they had an eternal hatred against us, their brethren. And they sought to destroy us continually by the power of their arms.
Jacob 7:25
Therefore, the people of Nephi fortified against them with their arms, and with all their might, trusting in the God and Rock of their salvation; therefore, they became as yet, conquerors of their enemies.
Jacob 7:26
And it came to pass that I, Jacob, began to be old; and the record of this people, being kept on the other plates of Nephi, therefore, I conclude this record, declaring that I have written according to the best of my knowledge, by saying that the time passed away with us, and also our lives passed away as it were a dream to us, we being a lonesome and a solemn people, wanderers, cast out from Jerusalem, born in tribulation, in a wilderness, and hated by our brethren, who caused wars and contentions; therefore, we mourned out our days.