Jacob Speaks of the House of Israel

Event 25

Reference: 2 Ne. 6:1-18; 7:1-11; 8:1-25; See Isa. 49:22-23;49:25-26; 50:1-11; 51:1-23; 52:1-2

THE words of Jacob, the brother of Nephi, which he spakeunto the people of Nephi:NephiSee JST Gen.50:24-38Land of Nephi560 to 546 B.C.2 Behold, my beloved brethren, I, Jacob, having been called ofGod, and ordained after the manner of his holy order, and havingbeen consecrated by my brother Nephi, unto whom ye look as aking or a protector, and on whom ye depend for safety, behold yeknow that I have spoken unto you exceedingly many things. 3Nevertheless, I speak unto you again; for I am desirous for thewelfare of your souls. Yea, mine anxiety is great for you; and yeyourselves know that it ever has been. For I have exhorted youwith all diligence; and I have taught you the words of my father;and I have spoken unto you concerning all things which arewritten, from the creation of the world. 4 And now, behold, Iwould speak unto you concerning things which are, and which areto come; wherefore, I will read you the words of Isaiah. And theyare the words which my brother has desired that I should speakunto you. And I speak unto you for your sakes, that ye may learnand glorify the name of your God. 5 And now, the words which Ishall read are they which Isaiah spake concerning all the house ofIsrael; wherefore, they may be likened unto you, for ye are of thehouse of Israel. And there are many things which have beenspoken by Isaiah which may be likened unto you, because ye areof the house of Israel. 6 And now, these are the words:JacobThus saith the Lord God:IsaiahSee Isa. 49:22-23Behold, I will lift up mine hand to the Gentiles, and set upmy standard to the people; and they shall bring thy sons intheir arms, and thy daughters shall be carried upon theirshoulders. 7 And kings shall be thy nursing fathers, and theirqueens thy nursing mothers; they shall bow down to theewith their faces towards the earth, and lick up the dust of thyfeet; and thou shalt know that I am the Lord; for they shallnot be ashamed that wait for me.The Lord8 And now I, Jacob, would speak somewhat concerning thesewords. For behold, the Lord has shown me that those who were atJerusalem, from whence we came, have been slain and carriedaway captive. 9 Nevertheless, the Lord has shown unto me thatthey should return again. And he also has shown unto me that theLord God, the Holy One of Israel, should manifest himself untothem in the flesh; and after he should manifest himself they shouldscourge him and crucify him, according to the words of the angelwho spake it unto me. 10 And after they have hardened their heartsand stiffened their necks against the Holy One of Israel, behold,Jacob the judgments of the Holy One of Israel shall come upon them.And the day cometh that they shall be smitten and afflicted. 11Wherefore, after they are driven to and fro, for thus saith the angel,many shall be afflicted in the flesh, and shall not be suffered toperish, because of the prayers of the faithful; they shall bescattered, and smitten, and hated; nevertheless, the Lord will bemerciful unto them, that when they shall come to the knowledge oftheir Redeemer, they shall be gathered together again to the landsof their inheritance.JacobSee Isa. 49:22-23Land of Nephi560 to 546 B.C.12 And blessed are the Gentiles, they of whom the prophet haswritten; for behold, if it so be that they shall repent and fight notagainst Zion, and do not unite themselves to that great andabominable church, they shall be saved; for the Lord God willfulfil his covenants which he has made unto his children; and forthis cause the prophet has written these things. 13 Wherefore, theythat fight against Zion and the covenant people of the Lord shalllick up the dust of their feet; and the people of the Lord shall notbe ashamed. For the people of the Lord are they who wait for him;for they still wait for the coming of the Messiah.14 And behold, according to the words of the prophet, the Messiahwill set himself again the second time to recover them; wherefore,he will manifest himself unto them in power and great glory, untothe destruction of their enemies, when that day cometh when theyshall believe in him; and none will he destroy that believe in him.15 And they that believe not in him shall be destroyed, both byfire, and by tempest, and by earthquakes, and by bloodsheds, andby pestilence, and by famine. And they shall know that the Lord isGod, the Holy One of Israel. 16 For shall the prey be taken fromthe mighty, or the lawful captive delivered?17 But thus saith the Lord:IsaiahSee Isa. 49:25-26Even the captives of the mighty shall be taken away, and theprey of the terrible shall be delivered; for the Mighty Godshall deliver his covenant people.The LordFor thus saith the Lord:IsaiahI will contend with them that contendeth with thee— 18 AndI will feed them that oppress thee, with their own flesh; andthey shall be drunken with their own blood as with sweetwine; and all flesh shall know that I the Lord am thy Saviorand thy Redeemer, the Mighty One of Jacob.The Lord1 YEA, for thus saith the Lord:IsaiahSee Isa. 50:1-11Have I put thee away, or have I cast thee off forever?The LordFor thus saith the Lord:IsaiahWhere is the bill of your mother’s divorcement? To whomhave I put thee away, or to which of my creditors have I soldThe Lord you? Yea, to whom have I sold you? Behold, for youriniquities have ye sold yourselves, and for yourtransgressions is your mother put away. 2 Wherefore, when Icame, there was no man; when I called, yea, there was noneto answer. O house of Israel, is my hand shortened at all thatit cannot redeem, or have I no power to deliver? Behold, atmy rebuke I dry up the sea, I make their rivers a wildernessand their fish to stink because the waters are dried up, andthey die because of thirst. 3 I clothe the heavens withblackness, and I make sackcloth their covering.The LordSee Isa. 50:1-11Land of Nephi560 to 546 B.C.4 The Lord God hath given me the tongue of the learned, that Ishould know how to speak a word in season unto thee, O houseof Israel. When ye are weary he waketh morning by morning.He waketh mine ear to hear as the learned. 5 The Lord God hathopened mine ear, and I was not rebellious, neither turned awayback. 6 I gave my back to the smiter, and my cheeks to themthat plucked off the hair. I hid not my face from shame andspitting. 7 For the Lord God will help me, therefore shall I notbe confounded. Therefore have I set my face like a flint, and Iknow that I shall not be ashamed. 8 And the Lord is near, and hejustifieth me. Who will contend with me? Let us stand together.Who is mine adversary? Let him come near me, and I will smitehim with the strength of my mouth. 9 For the Lord God willhelp me. And all they who shall condemn me, behold, all theyshall wax old as a garment, and the moth shall eat them up. 10Who is among you that feareth the Lord, that obeyeth the voiceof his servant, that walketh in darkness and hath no light? 11Behold all ye that kindle fire, that compass yourselves aboutwith sparks, walk in the light of your fire and in the sparkswhich ye have kindled. This shall ye have of mine hand—yeshall lie down in sorrow.Isaiah1 HEARKEN unto me, ye that follow after righteousness. Lookunto the rock from whence ye are hewn, and to the hole ofthe pit from whence ye are digged. 2 Look unto Abraham,your father, and unto Sarah, she that bare you; for I calledhim alone, and blessed him.The LordSee Isa. 51:1-233 For the Lord shall comfort Zion, he will comfort all her wasteplaces; and he will make her wilderness like Eden, and herdesert like the garden of the Lord. Joy and gladness shall befound therein, thanksgiving and the voice of melody.Isaiah4 Hearken unto me, my people; and give ear unto me, O mynation; for a law shall proceed from me, and I will make myjudgment to rest for a light for the people. 5 Myrighteousness is near; my salvation is gone forth, and minearm shall judge the people. The isles shall wait upon me, andon mine arm shall they trust. 6 Lift up your eyes to theheavens, and look upon the earth beneath; for the heavensshall vanish away like smoke, and the earth shall wax old likea garment; and they that dwell therein shall die in likeThe Lord manner. But my salvation shall be forever, and myrighteousness shall not be abolished. 7 Hearken unto me, yethat know righteousness, the people in whose heart I havewritten my law, fear ye not the reproach of men, neither be yeafraid of their revilings. 8 For the moth shall eat them up likea garment, and the worm shall eat them like wool. But myrighteousness shall be forever, and my salvation fromgeneration to generation.The LordSee Isa. 51:1-23Land of Nephi560 to 546 B.C.9 Awake, awake! Put on strength, O arm of the Lord; awake asin the ancient days. Art thou not he that hath cut Rahab, andwounded the dragon? 10 Art thou not he who hath dried the sea,the waters of the great deep; that hath made the depths of thesea a way for the ransomed to pass over? 11 Therefore, theredeemed of the Lord shall return, and come with singing untoZion; and everlasting joy and holiness shall be upon their heads;and they shall obtain gladness and joy; sorrow and mourningshall flee away.Isaiah12 I am he; yea, I am he that comforteth you.The LordBehold, who art thou, that thou shouldst be afraid of man, whoshall die, and of the son of man, who shall be made like untograss? 13 And forgettest the Lord thy maker, that hath stretchedforth the heavens, and laid the foundations of the earth, and hastfeared continually every day, because of the fury of theoppressor, as if he were ready to destroy? And where is the furyof the oppressor? 14 The captive exile hasteneth, that he may beloosed, and that he should not die in the pit, nor that his breadshould fail.Isaiah15 But I am the Lord thy God, whose waves roared; the Lordof Hosts is my name. 16 And I have put my words in thymouth, and have covered thee in the shadow of mine hand,that I may plant the heavens and lay the foundations of theearth, and say unto Zion:The LordBehold, thou art my people.17 Awake, awake, stand up, O Jerusalem, which hast drunk atthe hand of the Lord the cup of his fury—thou hast drunken thedregs of the cup of trembling wrung out— 18 And none to guideher among all the sons she hath brought forth; neither thattaketh her by the hand, of all the sons she hath brought up. 19These two sons are come unto thee, who shall be sorry for thee—thy desolation and destruction, and the famine and the sword—and by whom shall I comfort thee? 20 Thy sons have fainted,save these two; they lie at the head of all the streets; as a wildbull in a net, they are full of the fury of the Lord, the rebuke ofthy God. 21 Therefore hear now this, thou afflicted, anddrunken, and not with wine: 22 Thus saith thy Lord, the Lordand thy God pleadeth the cause of his people;Isaiah behold, I have taken out of thine hand the cup of trembling,the dregs of the cup of my fury; thou shalt no more drink itagain. 23 But I will put it into the hand of them that afflictthee; who have said to thy soul:The LordSee Isa. 51:1-23Land of Nephi560 to 546 B.C.Bow down, that we may go over—and thou hast laid thybody as the ground and as the street to them that wentover.24 Awake, awake, put on thy strength, O Zion; put on thybeautiful garments, O Jerusalem, the holy city; for henceforththere shall no more come into thee the uncircumcised and theunclean. 25 Shake thyself from the dust; arise, sit down, OJerusalem; loose thyself from the bands of thy neck, O captivedaughter of Zion.IsaiahSee Isa. 52:1-2