“Many great and notable cities were sunk”

3 NephiChapter8

v1.10

And now it came to pass that according to our record, and we know our record to be true, for behold, it was a just man who did keep the record—for he truly did many miracles in the name of Jesus; and there was not any man who could do a miracle in the name of Jesus save he were cleansed every whit from his iniquity—

And now it came to pass, if there was no mistake made by this man in the reckoning of our time, the thirty and third year had passed away;

And the people began to look with great earnestness for the sign which had been given by the prophet Samuel, the Lamanite, yea, for the time that there should be darkness for the space of three days over the face of the land.

And there began to be great doubtings and disputations among the people, notwithstanding so many signs had been given.

And it came to pass in the thirty and fourth year, in the first month, on the fourth day of the month, there arose a great storm, such an one as never had been known in all the land.

And there was also a great and terrible tempest; and there was terrible thunder, insomuch that it did shake the whole earth as if it was about to divide asunder.

And there were exceedingly sharp lightnings, such as never had been known in all the land.

And the city of Zarahemla did take fire.

And the city of Moroni did sink into the depths of the sea, and the inhabitants thereof were drowned.

And the earth was carried up upon the city of Moronihah that in the place of the city there became a great mountain.

And there was a great and terrible destruction in the land southward.

But behold, there was a more great and terrible destruction in the land northward; for behold, the whole face of the land was changed, because of the tempest and the whirlwinds and the thunderings and the lightnings, and the exceedingly great quaking of the whole earth;

And the highways were broken up, and the level roads were spoiled, and many smooth places became rough.

And many great and notable cities were sunk, and many were burned, and many were shaken till the buildings thereof had fallen to the earth, and the inhabitants thereof were slain, and the places were left desolate.

And there were some cities which remained; but the damage thereof was exceedingly great, and there were many of them who were slain.

And there were some who were carried away in the whirlwind; and whither they went no man knoweth, save they know that they were carried away.

And thus the face of the whole earth became deformed, because of the tempests, and the thunderings, and the lightnings, and the quaking of the earth.

And behold, the rocks were rent in twain; they were broken up upon the face of the whole earth, insomuch that they were found in broken fragments, and in seams and in cracks, upon all the face of the land.

And it came to pass that when the thunderings, and the lightnings, and the storm, and the tempest, and the quakings of the earth did cease—for behold, they did last for about the space of three hours; and it was said by some that the time was greater; nevertheless, all these great and terrible things were done in about the space of three hours—and then behold, there was darkness upon the face of the land.

And it came to pass that there was thick darkness upon all the face of the land, insomuch that the inhabitants thereof who had not fallen could feel the vapor of darkness;

And there could be no light, because of the darkness, neither candles, neither torches; neither could there be fire kindled with their fine and exceedingly dry wood, so that there could not be any light at all;

And there was not any light seen, neither fire, nor glimmer, neither the sun, nor the moon, nor the stars, for so great were the mists of darkness which were upon the face of the land.

And it came to pass that it did last for the space of three days that there was no light seen; and there was great mourning and howling and weeping among all the people continually; yea, great were the groanings of the people, because of the darkness and the great destruction which had come upon them.

And in one place they were heard to cry, saying: O that we had repented before this great and terrible day, and then would our brethren have been spared, and they would not have been burned in that great city Zarahemla.

And in another place they were heard to cry and mourn, saying: O that we had repented before this great and terrible day, and had not killed and stoned the prophets, and cast them out; then would our mothers and our fair daughters, and our children have been spared, and not have been buried up in that great city Moronihah. And thus were the howlings of the people great and terrible.

According to our record — and we know our record is true because a just man kept it, and we know he was just because he truly did many miracles in the name of Jesus. No one could do a miracle in the name of Jesus unless he was completely cleansed from his sin. If this man made no mistake in counting our time, the thirty-third year had passed.

And the people began watching eagerly for the sign the prophet Samuel, the Lamanite, had given: three days of darkness over the land. Serious doubt and arguing broke out among the people, even though so many signs had been given.

In the thirty-fourth year, in the first month, on the fourth day of the month, a huge storm arose, unlike anything ever known in all the land. There was also a fierce and terrible windstorm, and the thunder was so violent that it shook the whole earth, which seemed about to split apart. And the lightning was extremely sharp, like nothing ever known in all the land.

The city of Zarahemla caught fire. The city of Moroni sank into the depths of the sea, and its people drowned. The earth was heaped up over the city of Moronihah, so that a huge mountain rose where the city had been.

There was great and terrible destruction in the land southward. But the destruction in the land northward was even greater and more terrible because the whole landscape was changed by the storm, whirlwinds, thunder, lightning, and violent shaking of the whole earth. The highways were broken up, the level roads were ruined, and many smooth places became rough.

Many great and notable cities were sunk, many were burned, and many were shaken until their buildings fell to the ground. Their people were killed, and those places were left deserted. Some cities were left standing, but the damage to them was severe, and many of their people were killed. Some people were carried away in the whirlwind, and no one knows where they went; all anyone knows is that they were carried away.

And so the whole surface of the earth was deformed by the storms, thunder, lightning, and shaking of the earth. The rocks were split in two. They were broken up across the whole earth, so that they were found in broken fragments, seams, and cracks all over the land.

At last the thunder, lightning, storm, windstorm, and earthquakes stopped. They had lasted about three hours; some said it was longer, but all these great and terrible things were done in about three hours. And then there was darkness over the land.

A thick darkness covered the whole land, so heavy that the people who had survived could feel the dark mist. Because of the darkness, there could be no light—no candles, no torches. No fire could be lit, even with their fine, very dry wood, so there was no light at all. No light was seen at all: no fire, no glimmer, no sun, no moon, no stars, because the dark mist over the land was so thick.

This lasted for three days, with no light seen, and all that time the people mourned, howled, and wept without stopping. The groaning of the people was terrible because of the darkness and the great destruction that had come on them.

In one place they were heard crying out, "Oh, if only we had repented before this great and terrible day! Then our brothers would have been spared, and they wouldn't have been burned in that great city, Zarahemla."

In another place they were heard crying out and mourning, "Oh, if only we had repented before this great and terrible day, and hadn't killed, stoned, and driven out the prophets! Then our mothers, beautiful daughters, and children would have been spared, and they wouldn't have been buried in that great city, Moronihah." And so the howling of the people was great and terrible.

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OriginalModern English

And now it came to pass that according to our record, and we know our record to be true, for behold, it was a just man who did keep the record—for he truly did many miracles in the name of Jesus; and there was not any man who could do a miracle in the name of Jesus save he were cleansed every whit from his iniquity—

According to our record — and we know our record is true because a just man kept it, and we know he was just because he truly did many miracles in the name of Jesus. No one could do a miracle in the name of Jesus unless he was completely cleansed from his sin.

And now it came to pass, if there was no mistake made by this man in the reckoning of our time, the thirty and third year had passed away;

If this man made no mistake in counting our time, the thirty-third year had passed.

And the people began to look with great earnestness for the sign which had been given by the prophet Samuel, the Lamanite, yea, for the time that there should be darkness for the space of three days over the face of the land.

And the people began watching eagerly for the sign the prophet Samuel, the Lamanite, had given: three days of darkness over the land.

And there began to be great doubtings and disputations among the people, notwithstanding so many signs had been given.

Serious doubt and arguing broke out among the people, even though so many signs had been given.

And it came to pass in the thirty and fourth year, in the first month, on the fourth day of the month, there arose a great storm, such an one as never had been known in all the land.

In the thirty-fourth year, in the first month, on the fourth day of the month, a huge storm arose, unlike anything ever known in all the land.

And there was also a great and terrible tempest; and there was terrible thunder, insomuch that it did shake the whole earth as if it was about to divide asunder.

There was also a fierce and terrible windstorm, and the thunder was so violent that it shook the whole earth, which seemed about to split apart.

And there were exceedingly sharp lightnings, such as never had been known in all the land.

And the lightning was extremely sharp, like nothing ever known in all the land.

And the city of Zarahemla did take fire.

The city of Zarahemla caught fire.

And the city of Moroni did sink into the depths of the sea, and the inhabitants thereof were drowned.

The city of Moroni sank into the depths of the sea, and its people drowned.

And the earth was carried up upon the city of Moronihah that in the place of the city there became a great mountain.

The earth was heaped up over the city of Moronihah, so that a huge mountain rose where the city had been.

And there was a great and terrible destruction in the land southward.

There was great and terrible destruction in the land southward.

But behold, there was a more great and terrible destruction in the land northward; for behold, the whole face of the land was changed, because of the tempest and the whirlwinds and the thunderings and the lightnings, and the exceedingly great quaking of the whole earth;

But the destruction in the land northward was even greater and more terrible because the whole landscape was changed by the storm, whirlwinds, thunder, lightning, and violent shaking of the whole earth.

And the highways were broken up, and the level roads were spoiled, and many smooth places became rough.

The highways were broken up, the level roads were ruined, and many smooth places became rough.

And many great and notable cities were sunk, and many were burned, and many were shaken till the buildings thereof had fallen to the earth, and the inhabitants thereof were slain, and the places were left desolate.

Many great and notable cities were sunk, many were burned, and many were shaken until their buildings fell to the ground. Their people were killed, and those places were left deserted.

And there were some cities which remained; but the damage thereof was exceedingly great, and there were many of them who were slain.

Some cities were left standing, but the damage to them was severe, and many of their people were killed.

And there were some who were carried away in the whirlwind; and whither they went no man knoweth, save they know that they were carried away.

Some people were carried away in the whirlwind, and no one knows where they went; all anyone knows is that they were carried away.

And thus the face of the whole earth became deformed, because of the tempests, and the thunderings, and the lightnings, and the quaking of the earth.

And so the whole surface of the earth was deformed by the storms, thunder, lightning, and shaking of the earth.

And behold, the rocks were rent in twain; they were broken up upon the face of the whole earth, insomuch that they were found in broken fragments, and in seams and in cracks, upon all the face of the land.

The rocks were split in two. They were broken up across the whole earth, so that they were found in broken fragments, seams, and cracks all over the land.

And it came to pass that when the thunderings, and the lightnings, and the storm, and the tempest, and the quakings of the earth did cease—for behold, they did last for about the space of three hours; and it was said by some that the time was greater; nevertheless, all these great and terrible things were done in about the space of three hours—and then behold, there was darkness upon the face of the land.

At last the thunder, lightning, storm, windstorm, and earthquakes stopped. They had lasted about three hours; some said it was longer, but all these great and terrible things were done in about three hours. And then there was darkness over the land.

And it came to pass that there was thick darkness upon all the face of the land, insomuch that the inhabitants thereof who had not fallen could feel the vapor of darkness;

A thick darkness covered the whole land, so heavy that the people who had survived could feel the dark mist.

And there could be no light, because of the darkness, neither candles, neither torches; neither could there be fire kindled with their fine and exceedingly dry wood, so that there could not be any light at all;

Because of the darkness, there could be no light—no candles, no torches. No fire could be lit, even with their fine, very dry wood, so there was no light at all.

And there was not any light seen, neither fire, nor glimmer, neither the sun, nor the moon, nor the stars, for so great were the mists of darkness which were upon the face of the land.

No light was seen at all: no fire, no glimmer, no sun, no moon, no stars, because the dark mist over the land was so thick.

And it came to pass that it did last for the space of three days that there was no light seen; and there was great mourning and howling and weeping among all the people continually; yea, great were the groanings of the people, because of the darkness and the great destruction which had come upon them.

This lasted for three days, with no light seen, and all that time the people mourned, howled, and wept without stopping. The groaning of the people was terrible because of the darkness and the great destruction that had come on them.

And in one place they were heard to cry, saying: O that we had repented before this great and terrible day, and then would our brethren have been spared, and they would not have been burned in that great city Zarahemla.

In one place they were heard crying out, "Oh, if only we had repented before this great and terrible day! Then our brothers would have been spared, and they wouldn't have been burned in that great city, Zarahemla."

And in another place they were heard to cry and mourn, saying: O that we had repented before this great and terrible day, and had not killed and stoned the prophets, and cast them out; then would our mothers and our fair daughters, and our children have been spared, and not have been buried up in that great city Moronihah. And thus were the howlings of the people great and terrible.

In another place they were heard crying out and mourning, "Oh, if only we had repented before this great and terrible day, and hadn't killed, stoned, and driven out the prophets! Then our mothers, beautiful daughters, and children would have been spared, and they wouldn't have been buried in that great city, Moronihah." And so the howling of the people was great and terrible.

OriginalModern English
And now it came to pass that according to our record, and we know our record to be true, for behold, it was a just man who did keep the record—for he truly did many miracles in the name of Jesus; and there was not any man who could do a miracle in the name of Jesus save he were cleansed every whit from his iniquity— And now it came to pass, if there was no mistake made by this man in the reckoning of our time, the thirty and third year had passed away;
According to our record — and we know our record is true because a just man kept it, and we know he was just because he truly did many miracles in the name of Jesus. No one could do a miracle in the name of Jesus unless he was completely cleansed from his sin. If this man made no mistake in counting our time, the thirty-third year had passed.
And the people began to look with great earnestness for the sign which had been given by the prophet Samuel, the Lamanite, yea, for the time that there should be darkness for the space of three days over the face of the land. And there began to be great doubtings and disputations among the people, notwithstanding so many signs had been given.
And the people began watching eagerly for the sign the prophet Samuel, the Lamanite, had given: three days of darkness over the land. Serious doubt and arguing broke out among the people, even though so many signs had been given.
And it came to pass in the thirty and fourth year, in the first month, on the fourth day of the month, there arose a great storm, such an one as never had been known in all the land. And there was also a great and terrible tempest; and there was terrible thunder, insomuch that it did shake the whole earth as if it was about to divide asunder. And there were exceedingly sharp lightnings, such as never had been known in all the land.
In the thirty-fourth year, in the first month, on the fourth day of the month, a huge storm arose, unlike anything ever known in all the land. There was also a fierce and terrible windstorm, and the thunder was so violent that it shook the whole earth, which seemed about to split apart. And the lightning was extremely sharp, like nothing ever known in all the land.
And the city of Zarahemla did take fire. And the city of Moroni did sink into the depths of the sea, and the inhabitants thereof were drowned. And the earth was carried up upon the city of Moronihah that in the place of the city there became a great mountain.
The city of Zarahemla caught fire. The city of Moroni sank into the depths of the sea, and its people drowned. The earth was heaped up over the city of Moronihah, so that a huge mountain rose where the city had been.
And there was a great and terrible destruction in the land southward. But behold, there was a more great and terrible destruction in the land northward; for behold, the whole face of the land was changed, because of the tempest and the whirlwinds and the thunderings and the lightnings, and the exceedingly great quaking of the whole earth; And the highways were broken up, and the level roads were spoiled, and many smooth places became rough.
There was great and terrible destruction in the land southward. But the destruction in the land northward was even greater and more terrible because the whole landscape was changed by the storm, whirlwinds, thunder, lightning, and violent shaking of the whole earth. The highways were broken up, the level roads were ruined, and many smooth places became rough.
And many great and notable cities were sunk, and many were burned, and many were shaken till the buildings thereof had fallen to the earth, and the inhabitants thereof were slain, and the places were left desolate. And there were some cities which remained; but the damage thereof was exceedingly great, and there were many of them who were slain. And there were some who were carried away in the whirlwind; and whither they went no man knoweth, save they know that they were carried away.
Many great and notable cities were sunk, many were burned, and many were shaken until their buildings fell to the ground. Their people were killed, and those places were left deserted. Some cities were left standing, but the damage to them was severe, and many of their people were killed. Some people were carried away in the whirlwind, and no one knows where they went; all anyone knows is that they were carried away.
And thus the face of the whole earth became deformed, because of the tempests, and the thunderings, and the lightnings, and the quaking of the earth. And behold, the rocks were rent in twain; they were broken up upon the face of the whole earth, insomuch that they were found in broken fragments, and in seams and in cracks, upon all the face of the land.
And so the whole surface of the earth was deformed by the storms, thunder, lightning, and shaking of the earth. The rocks were split in two. They were broken up across the whole earth, so that they were found in broken fragments, seams, and cracks all over the land.
And it came to pass that when the thunderings, and the lightnings, and the storm, and the tempest, and the quakings of the earth did cease—for behold, they did last for about the space of three hours; and it was said by some that the time was greater; nevertheless, all these great and terrible things were done in about the space of three hours—and then behold, there was darkness upon the face of the land.
At last the thunder, lightning, storm, windstorm, and earthquakes stopped. They had lasted about three hours; some said it was longer, but all these great and terrible things were done in about three hours. And then there was darkness over the land.
And it came to pass that there was thick darkness upon all the face of the land, insomuch that the inhabitants thereof who had not fallen could feel the vapor of darkness; And there could be no light, because of the darkness, neither candles, neither torches; neither could there be fire kindled with their fine and exceedingly dry wood, so that there could not be any light at all; And there was not any light seen, neither fire, nor glimmer, neither the sun, nor the moon, nor the stars, for so great were the mists of darkness which were upon the face of the land.
A thick darkness covered the whole land, so heavy that the people who had survived could feel the dark mist. Because of the darkness, there could be no light—no candles, no torches. No fire could be lit, even with their fine, very dry wood, so there was no light at all. No light was seen at all: no fire, no glimmer, no sun, no moon, no stars, because the dark mist over the land was so thick.
And it came to pass that it did last for the space of three days that there was no light seen; and there was great mourning and howling and weeping among all the people continually; yea, great were the groanings of the people, because of the darkness and the great destruction which had come upon them.
This lasted for three days, with no light seen, and all that time the people mourned, howled, and wept without stopping. The groaning of the people was terrible because of the darkness and the great destruction that had come on them.
And in one place they were heard to cry, saying: O that we had repented before this great and terrible day, and then would our brethren have been spared, and they would not have been burned in that great city Zarahemla.
In one place they were heard crying out, "Oh, if only we had repented before this great and terrible day! Then our brothers would have been spared, and they wouldn't have been burned in that great city, Zarahemla."
And in another place they were heard to cry and mourn, saying: O that we had repented before this great and terrible day, and had not killed and stoned the prophets, and cast them out; then would our mothers and our fair daughters, and our children have been spared, and not have been buried up in that great city Moronihah. And thus were the howlings of the people great and terrible.
In another place they were heard crying out and mourning, "Oh, if only we had repented before this great and terrible day, and hadn't killed, stoned, and driven out the prophets! Then our mothers, beautiful daughters, and children would have been spared, and they wouldn't have been buried in that great city, Moronihah." And so the howling of the people was great and terrible.

And now it came to pass that according to our record, and we know our record to be true, for behold, it was a just man who did keep the record—for he truly did many miracles in the name of Jesus; and there was not any man who could do a miracle in the name of Jesus save he were cleansed every whit from his iniquity—

According to our record — and we know our record is true because a just man kept it, and we know he was just because he truly did many miracles in the name of Jesus. No one could do a miracle in the name of Jesus unless he was completely cleansed from his sin.

And now it came to pass, if there was no mistake made by this man in the reckoning of our time, the thirty and third year had passed away;

If this man made no mistake in counting our time, the thirty-third year had passed.

And the people began to look with great earnestness for the sign which had been given by the prophet Samuel, the Lamanite, yea, for the time that there should be darkness for the space of three days over the face of the land.

And the people began watching eagerly for the sign the prophet Samuel, the Lamanite, had given: three days of darkness over the land.

And there began to be great doubtings and disputations among the people, notwithstanding so many signs had been given.

Serious doubt and arguing broke out among the people, even though so many signs had been given.

And it came to pass in the thirty and fourth year, in the first month, on the fourth day of the month, there arose a great storm, such an one as never had been known in all the land.

In the thirty-fourth year, in the first month, on the fourth day of the month, a huge storm arose, unlike anything ever known in all the land.

And there was also a great and terrible tempest; and there was terrible thunder, insomuch that it did shake the whole earth as if it was about to divide asunder.

There was also a fierce and terrible windstorm, and the thunder was so violent that it shook the whole earth, which seemed about to split apart.

And there were exceedingly sharp lightnings, such as never had been known in all the land.

And the lightning was extremely sharp, like nothing ever known in all the land.

And the city of Zarahemla did take fire.

The city of Zarahemla caught fire.

And the city of Moroni did sink into the depths of the sea, and the inhabitants thereof were drowned.

The city of Moroni sank into the depths of the sea, and its people drowned.

And the earth was carried up upon the city of Moronihah that in the place of the city there became a great mountain.

The earth was heaped up over the city of Moronihah, so that a huge mountain rose where the city had been.

And there was a great and terrible destruction in the land southward.

There was great and terrible destruction in the land southward.

But behold, there was a more great and terrible destruction in the land northward; for behold, the whole face of the land was changed, because of the tempest and the whirlwinds and the thunderings and the lightnings, and the exceedingly great quaking of the whole earth;

But the destruction in the land northward was even greater and more terrible because the whole landscape was changed by the storm, whirlwinds, thunder, lightning, and violent shaking of the whole earth.

And the highways were broken up, and the level roads were spoiled, and many smooth places became rough.

The highways were broken up, the level roads were ruined, and many smooth places became rough.

And many great and notable cities were sunk, and many were burned, and many were shaken till the buildings thereof had fallen to the earth, and the inhabitants thereof were slain, and the places were left desolate.

Many great and notable cities were sunk, many were burned, and many were shaken until their buildings fell to the ground. Their people were killed, and those places were left deserted.

And there were some cities which remained; but the damage thereof was exceedingly great, and there were many of them who were slain.

Some cities were left standing, but the damage to them was severe, and many of their people were killed.

And there were some who were carried away in the whirlwind; and whither they went no man knoweth, save they know that they were carried away.

Some people were carried away in the whirlwind, and no one knows where they went; all anyone knows is that they were carried away.

And thus the face of the whole earth became deformed, because of the tempests, and the thunderings, and the lightnings, and the quaking of the earth.

And so the whole surface of the earth was deformed by the storms, thunder, lightning, and shaking of the earth.

And behold, the rocks were rent in twain; they were broken up upon the face of the whole earth, insomuch that they were found in broken fragments, and in seams and in cracks, upon all the face of the land.

The rocks were split in two. They were broken up across the whole earth, so that they were found in broken fragments, seams, and cracks all over the land.

And it came to pass that when the thunderings, and the lightnings, and the storm, and the tempest, and the quakings of the earth did cease—for behold, they did last for about the space of three hours; and it was said by some that the time was greater; nevertheless, all these great and terrible things were done in about the space of three hours—and then behold, there was darkness upon the face of the land.

At last the thunder, lightning, storm, windstorm, and earthquakes stopped. They had lasted about three hours; some said it was longer, but all these great and terrible things were done in about three hours. And then there was darkness over the land.

And it came to pass that there was thick darkness upon all the face of the land, insomuch that the inhabitants thereof who had not fallen could feel the vapor of darkness;

A thick darkness covered the whole land, so heavy that the people who had survived could feel the dark mist.

And there could be no light, because of the darkness, neither candles, neither torches; neither could there be fire kindled with their fine and exceedingly dry wood, so that there could not be any light at all;

Because of the darkness, there could be no light—no candles, no torches. No fire could be lit, even with their fine, very dry wood, so there was no light at all.

And there was not any light seen, neither fire, nor glimmer, neither the sun, nor the moon, nor the stars, for so great were the mists of darkness which were upon the face of the land.

No light was seen at all: no fire, no glimmer, no sun, no moon, no stars, because the dark mist over the land was so thick.

And it came to pass that it did last for the space of three days that there was no light seen; and there was great mourning and howling and weeping among all the people continually; yea, great were the groanings of the people, because of the darkness and the great destruction which had come upon them.

This lasted for three days, with no light seen, and all that time the people mourned, howled, and wept without stopping. The groaning of the people was terrible because of the darkness and the great destruction that had come on them.

And in one place they were heard to cry, saying: O that we had repented before this great and terrible day, and then would our brethren have been spared, and they would not have been burned in that great city Zarahemla.

In one place they were heard crying out, "Oh, if only we had repented before this great and terrible day! Then our brothers would have been spared, and they wouldn't have been burned in that great city, Zarahemla."

And in another place they were heard to cry and mourn, saying: O that we had repented before this great and terrible day, and had not killed and stoned the prophets, and cast them out; then would our mothers and our fair daughters, and our children have been spared, and not have been buried up in that great city Moronihah. And thus were the howlings of the people great and terrible.

In another place they were heard crying out and mourning, "Oh, if only we had repented before this great and terrible day, and hadn't killed, stoned, and driven out the prophets! Then our mothers, beautiful daughters, and children would have been spared, and they wouldn't have been buried in that great city, Moronihah." And so the howling of the people was great and terrible.