1 NephiChapter15

And it came to pass that after I, Nephi, had been carried away in the spirit, and seen all these things, I returned to the tent of my father.

After I had been carried away in the Spirit and seen all this, I returned to my father's tent.

And it came to pass that I beheld my brethren, and they were disputing one with another concerning the things my father had spoken unto them.

There I found my brothers arguing with each other about what my father had told them.

For he truly spake many great things unto them, which were hard to be understood, save a man should inquire of the Lord; and they being hard in their hearts, therefore they did not look unto the Lord as they ought.

He really said many great things to them, things hard to understand unless a person asks the Lord. Their hearts were hard, so they didn't look to the Lord the way they should have.

And now I, Nephi, was grieved because of the hardness of their hearts, and also, because of the things which I had seen, and knew they must unavoidably come to pass because of the great wickedness of the children of men.

Now, I was grieved by their hard hearts, and also by what I had seen and knew would unavoidably happen because of the great wickedness of the people.

And it came to pass that I was overcome because of my afflictions, for I considered that mine afflictions were great above all, because of the destruction of my people, for I had beheld their fall.

I was overcome by my suffering. I thought no suffering was greater than mine, because of the destruction of my people. I had seen them fall.

And it came to pass that after I had received strength I spake unto my brethren, desiring to know of them the cause of their disputations.

After I had gotten my strength back, I spoke to my brothers, wanting to know what they were arguing about.

And they said: Behold, we cannot understand the words which our father hath spoken concerning the natural branches of the olive-tree, and also concerning the Gentiles.

They said, "We can't understand what our father said about the natural branches of the olive tree, or about the Gentiles."

And I said unto them: Have ye inquired of the Lord?

I said to them, "Have you asked the Lord?"

And they said unto me: We have not; for the Lord maketh no such thing known unto us.

They said to me, "We haven't, because the Lord doesn't make things like that known to us."

Behold, I said unto them: How is it that ye do not keep the commandments of the Lord? How is it that ye will perish, because of the hardness of your hearts?

I said to them, "Why don't you keep the commandments of the Lord? Why will you perish because your hearts are hard?

Do ye not remember the things which the Lord hath said?—If ye will not harden your hearts, and ask me in faith, believing that ye shall receive, with diligence in keeping my commandments, surely these things shall be made known unto you.

Don't you remember what the Lord has said? 'If you will not harden your hearts, and ask me in faith, believing that you shall receive, with diligence in keeping my commandments, surely these things shall be made known to you.'

Behold, I say unto you, that the house of Israel was compared unto an olive-tree, by the Spirit of the Lord which was in our father; and behold are we not broken off from the house of Israel, and are we not a branch of the house of Israel?

"The house of Israel was compared to an olive tree by the Spirit of the Lord that was in our father. And aren't we broken off from the house of Israel? Aren't we a branch of it?

And now, the thing which our father meaneth concerning the grafting in of the natural branches through the fulness of the Gentiles, is, that in the latter days, when our seed shall have dwindled in unbelief, yea, for the space of many years, and many generations after the Messiah shall be manifested in body unto the children of men, then shall the fulness of the gospel of the Messiah come unto the Gentiles, and from the Gentiles unto the remnant of our seed—

"Now, this is what our father meant about the grafting in of the natural branches through the fullness of the Gentiles. In the last days, our descendants will have faded away in unbelief for many years, and for many generations after the Messiah has appeared in the flesh to the people. Then the fullness of the gospel of the Messiah will come to the Gentiles, and from the Gentiles to what is left of our descendants.

And at that day shall the remnant of our seed know that they are of the house of Israel, and that they are the covenant people of the Lord; and then shall they know and come to the knowledge of their forefathers, and also to the knowledge of the gospel of their Redeemer, which was ministered unto their fathers by him; wherefore, they shall come to the knowledge of their Redeemer and the very points of his doctrine, that they may know how to come unto him and be saved.

At that time, the remainder of our descendants will know that they belong to the house of Israel and that they are the covenant people of the Lord. Then they will come to know their fathers, and also the gospel of their Redeemer, which he ministered to their fathers. And so they will come to know their Redeemer and the very points of his doctrine, so that they can know how to come to him and be saved.

And then at that day will they not rejoice and give praise unto their everlasting God, their rock and their salvation? Yea, at that day, will they not receive the strength and nourishment from the true vine? Yea, will they not come unto the true fold of God?

And at that time, won't they rejoice and give praise to their everlasting God, their rock and their salvation? Won't they receive strength and nourishment from the true vine? Won't they come to the true fold of God?

Behold, I say unto you, Yea; they shall be remembered again among the house of Israel; they shall be grafted in, being a natural branch of the olive-tree, into the true olive-tree.

Yes, I tell you: they will be remembered again among the house of Israel. They will be grafted in, as a natural branch of the olive tree, into the true olive tree.

And this is what our father meaneth; and he meaneth that it will not come to pass until after they are scattered by the Gentiles; and he meaneth that it shall come by way of the Gentiles, that the Lord may show his power unto the Gentiles, for the very cause that he shall be rejected of the Jews, or of the house of Israel.

"And this is what our father meant. It won't happen until after they are scattered by the Gentiles. It will come by way of the Gentiles, so that the Lord can show his power to the Gentiles, for the very reason that he will be rejected by the Jews, that is, by the house of Israel.

Wherefore, our father hath not spoken of our seed alone, but also of all the house of Israel, pointing to the covenant which should be fulfilled in the latter days; which covenant the Lord made to our father Abraham, saying: In thy seed shall all the kindreds of the earth be blessed.

So our father hasn't spoken of our descendants alone, but of all the house of Israel, pointing to the covenant that would be fulfilled in the last days, the covenant the Lord made with our father Abraham: 'In your seed shall all the kindreds of the earth be blessed.'"

And it came to pass that I, Nephi, spake much unto them concerning these things; yea, I spake unto them concerning the restoration of the Jews in the latter days.

I told them much about these things, and about the restoration of the Jews in the last days.

And I did rehearse unto them the words of Isaiah, who spake concerning the restoration of the Jews, or of the house of Israel; and after they were restored they should no more be confounded, neither should they be scattered again. And it came to pass that I did speak many words unto my brethren, that they were pacified and did humble themselves before the Lord.

And I repeated to them the words of Isaiah, who spoke about that restoration of the Jews, or of the house of Israel. After they were restored, they would no longer be put to shame, and they wouldn't be scattered again. I spoke many words to my brothers, and they were calmed and humbled themselves before the Lord.

And it came to pass that they did speak unto me again, saying: What meaneth this thing which our father saw in a dream? What meaneth the tree which he saw?

They spoke to me again and said, "What does this thing mean that our father saw in a dream? What does the tree mean?"

And I said unto them: It was a representation of the tree of life.

I said to them, "It was a representation of the tree of life."

And they said unto me: What meaneth the rod of iron which our father saw, that led to the tree?

They said to me, "What does the iron rod our father saw mean, the one that led to the tree?"

And I said unto them that it was the word of God, and whoso would hearken unto the word of God, and would hold fast unto it, they would never perish; neither could the temptations and the fiery darts of the adversary overpower them unto blindness, to lead them away to destruction.

I said to them that it was the word of God, and that whoever would listen to it and hold on to it would never perish. The temptations and fiery darts of the adversary could never overpower them into blindness and lead them away to destruction.

Wherefore, I, Nephi, did exhort them to give heed unto the word of the Lord; yea, I did exhort them with all the energies of my soul, and with all the faculty which I possessed, that they would give heed to the word of God and remember to keep his commandments always in all things.

So I urged them to pay attention to the word of the Lord. I urged them with all the energy of my soul and every ability I had, that they would listen to it and always remember to keep his commandments in all things.

And they said unto me: What meaneth the river of water which our father saw?

They said to me, "What does the river our father saw mean?"

And I said unto them that the water which my father saw was filthiness; and so much was his mind swallowed up in other things that he beheld not the filthiness of the water.

I said to them that the water my father saw was filthiness, and that his mind was so swallowed up in other things that he didn't see how filthy the water was.

And I said unto them that it was an awful gulf, which separated the wicked from the tree of life, and also from the saints of God.

I said to them that it was an awful gulf, which separated the wicked from the tree of life and the saints of God.

And I said unto them that it was a representation of that awful hell, which the angel said unto me was prepared for the wicked.

I said to them that it was a representation of that awful hell, which the angel had told me was prepared for the wicked.

And I said unto them that our father also saw that the justice of God did also divide the wicked from the righteous; and the brightness thereof was like unto the brightness of a flaming fire, which ascendeth up unto God forever and ever, and hath no end.

I said to them that our father also saw that the justice of God divided the wicked from the righteous, and that its brightness was like that of a flaming fire, which rises up to God forever and ever and has no end.

And they said unto me: Doth this thing mean the torment of the body in the days of probation, or doth it mean the final state of the soul after the death of the temporal body, or doth it speak of the things which are temporal?

They said to me, "Does this thing mean the torment of the body in the days of probation, or the final state of the soul after the death of the temporal body? Or does it speak of things that are temporal?"

And it came to pass that I said unto them that it was a representation of things both temporal and spiritual; for the day should come that they must be judged of their works, yea, even the works which were done by the temporal body in their days of probation.

I said to them that it was a representation of things both temporal and spiritual, because the day would come when they must be judged by their works, even the works done by the temporal body in their days of probation.

Wherefore, if they should die in their wickedness they must be cast off also, as to the things which are spiritual, which are pertaining to righteousness; wherefore, they must be brought to stand before God, to be judged of their works; and if their works have been filthiness they must needs be filthy; and if they be filthy it must needs be that they cannot dwell in the kingdom of God; if so, the kingdom of God must be filthy also.

So if they die in their wickedness, they must also be cast off from the things that are spiritual, the things that pertain to righteousness. They must be brought to stand before God, to be judged by their works. If their works have been filthiness, they must be filthy. And if they are filthy, they can't live in the kingdom of God. If they could, the kingdom of God would be filthy too.

But behold, I say unto you, the kingdom of God is not filthy, and there cannot any unclean thing enter into the kingdom of God; wherefore there must needs be a place of filthiness prepared for that which is filthy.

But I tell you, the kingdom of God isn't filthy, and no unclean thing can enter it. So there must be a place of filthiness prepared for what is filthy.

And there is a place prepared, yea, even that awful hell of which I have spoken, and the devil is the preparator of it; wherefore the final state of the souls of men is to dwell in the kingdom of God, or to be cast out because of that justice of which I have spoken.

And there is a place prepared, that awful hell I have spoken of, and the devil is the one who prepared it. So the final state of people's souls is either to live in the kingdom of God or to be cast out because of that justice.

Wherefore, the wicked are rejected from the righteous, and also from that tree of life, whose fruit is most precious and most desirable above all other fruits; yea, and it is the greatest of all the gifts of God. And thus I spake unto my brethren. Amen.

So the wicked are rejected from the righteous, and also from that tree of life, whose fruit is more precious and more desirable than any other fruit. And it is the greatest of all the gifts of God. And that is what I said to my brothers. Amen.