Nephites Return to Their Own Lands

Event 154

Reference: 3 Ne. 5:1-26; 6:1-9

AND now behold, there was not a living soul among all thepeople of the Nephites who did doubt in the least the wordsof all the holy prophets who had spoken; for they knew thatit must needs be that they must be fulfilled. 2 And theyknew that it must be expedient that Christ had come,because of the many signs which had been given, accordingto the words of the prophets; and because of the thingswhich had come to pass already they knew that it mustneeds be that all things should come to pass according tothat which had been spoken. 3 Therefore they did forsake alltheir sins, and their abominations, and their whoredoms,and did serve God with all diligence day and night.MormonLand ofZarahemla andland of BountifulA.D. 224 And now it came to pass that when they had taken all therobbers prisoners, insomuch that none did escape who werenot slain, they did cast their prisoners into prison, and didcause the word of God to be preached unto them; and asmany as would repent of their sins and enter into a covenantthat they would murder no more were set at liberty. 5 But asmany as there were who did not enter into a covenant, andwho did still continue to have those secret murders in theirhearts, yea, as many as were found breathing outthreatenings against their brethren were condemned andpunished according to the law. 6 And thus they did put anend to all those wicked, and secret, and abominablecombinations, in the which there was so much wickedness,and so many murders committed.7 And thus had the twenty and second year passed away,and the twenty and third year also, and the twenty andfourth, and the twenty and fifth; and thus had twenty andfive years passed away. 8 And there had many thingstranspired which, in the eyes of some, would be great andmarvelous; nevertheless, they cannot all be written in thisbook; yea, this book cannot contain even a hundredth partof what was done among so many people in the space oftwenty and five years;A.D. 23 to 259 But behold there are records which do contain all theproceedings of this people; and a shorter but true accountwas given by Nephi. 10 Therefore I have made my record of these thingsaccording to the record of Nephi, which was engraven onthe plates which were called the plates of Nephi. 11 Andbehold, I do make the record on plates which I have madewith mine own hands.MormonLand ofZarahemla andland of BountifulA.D. 23 to 2512 And behold, I am called Mormon, being called after theland of Mormon, the land in which Alma did establish thechurch among the people, yea, the first church which wasestablished among them after their transgression. 13 Behold,I am a disciple of Jesus Christ, the Son of God. I have beencalled of him to declare his word among his people, thatthey might have everlasting life.14 And it hath become expedient that I, according to the willof God, that the prayers of those who have gone hence, whowere the holy ones, should be fulfilled according to theirfaith, should make a record of these things which have beendone— 15 Yea, a small record of that which hath taken placefrom the time that Lehi left Jerusalem, even down until thepresent time.16 Therefore I do make my record from the accounts whichhave been given by those who were before me, until thecommencement of my day; 17 And then I do make a recordof the things which I have seen with mine own eyes. 18 AndI know the record which I make to be a just and a truerecord; nevertheless there are many things which, accordingto our language, we are not able to write. 19 And now Imake an end of my saying, which is of myself, and proceedto give my account of the things which have been beforeme.20 I am Mormon, and a pure descendant of Lehi. I havereason to bless my God and my Savior Jesus Christ, that hebrought our fathers out of the land of Jerusalem, (and noone knew it save it were himself and those whom hebrought out of that land) and that he hath given me and mypeople so much knowledge unto the salvation of our souls.21 Surely he hath blessed the house of Jacob, and hath beenmerciful unto the seed of Joseph.22 And insomuch as the children of Lehi have kept hiscommandments he hath blessed them and prospered themaccording to his word. 23 Yea, and surely shall he againbring a remnant of the seed of Joseph to the knowledge ofthe Lord their God. 24 And as surely as the Lord liveth, will he gather in from the four quarters of the earth all theremnant of the seed of Jacob, who are scattered abroadupon all the face of the earth.MormonLand ofZarahemla andland of BountifulA.D. 23 to 2525 And as he hath covenanted with all the house of Jacob,even so shall the covenant wherewith he hath covenantedwith the house of Jacob be fulfilled in his own due time,unto the restoring all the house of Jacob unto the knowledgeof the covenant that he hath covenanted with them. 26 Andthen shall they know their Redeemer, who is Jesus Christ,the Son of God; and then shall they be gathered in from thefour quarters of the earth unto their own lands, fromwhence they have been dispersed; yea, as the Lord liveth soshall it be. Amen.1 AND now it came to pass that the people of the Nephitesdid all return to their own lands in the twenty and sixthyear, every man, with his family, his flocks and his herds,his horses and his cattle, and all things whatsoever didbelong unto them.Nephite landsnear land ofZarahemlaA.D. 262 And it came to pass that they had not eaten up all theirprovisions; therefore they did take with them all that theyhad not devoured, of all their grain of every kind, and theirgold, and their silver, and all their precious things, and theydid return to their own lands and their possessions, both onthe north and on the south, both on the land northward andon the land southward.Land northwardand landsouthward3 And they granted unto those robbers who had entered intoa covenant to keep the peace of the land, who were desirousto remain Lamanites, lands, according to their numbers, thatthey might have, with their labors, wherewith to subsistupon; and thus they did establish peace in all the land.4 And they began again to prosper and to wax great; and thetwenty and sixth and seventh years passed away, and therewas great order in the land; and they had formed their lawsaccording to equity and justice. 5 And now there wasnothing in all the land to hinder the people from prosperingcontinually, except they should fall into transgression.A.D. 27 to 286 And now it was Gidgiddoni, and the judge, Lachoneus,and those who had been appointed leaders, who hadestablished this great peace in the land.7 And it came to pass that there were many cities built anew,and there were many old cities repaired. 8 And there were many highways cast up, and many roads made, which ledfrom city to city, and from land to land, and from place toplace. 9 And thus passed away the twenty and eighth year,and the people had continual peace.MormonLand northwardand landsouthwardA.D. 27 to 28