JacobChapter7

v1.10

And now it came to pass after some years had passed away, there came a man among the people of Nephi, whose name was Sherem.

And it came to pass that he began to preach among the people, and to declare unto them that there should be no Christ. And he preached many things which were flattering unto the people; and this he did that he might overthrow the doctrine of Christ.

And he was learned, that he had a perfect knowledge of the language of the people; wherefore, he could use much flattery, and much power of speech, according to the power of the devil.

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 unto me. And also, I had heard the voice of the Lord speaking unto me in very word, from time to time; wherefore, I could not be shaken.

And ye have led away much of this people that they pervert the right way of God, and keep not the law of Moses which is the right way; and convert the law of Moses into the worship of a being which ye say shall come many hundred years hence. And now behold, I, Sherem, declare unto you that this is blasphemy; for no man knoweth of such things; for he cannot tell of things to come. And after this manner did Sherem contend against me.

But behold, the Lord God poured in his Spirit into my soul, insomuch that I did confound him in all his words.

And I said unto him: Deniest thou the Christ who shall 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.

And I said unto him: Believest thou the scriptures? And he said, Yea.

And this is not all—it has been made manifest unto me, for I have heard and seen; and it also has been made manifest unto me by the power of the Holy Ghost; wherefore, I know if there should be no atonement made all mankind must be lost.

And it came to pass that he said unto me: Show me a sign by this power of the Holy Ghost, in the which ye know so much.

And I said unto him: What am I that I should tempt God to show unto thee a sign in the thing which thou knowest to be true? Yet thou wilt deny it, because thou art of the devil. Nevertheless, not my will be done; but if God shall smite thee, let that be a sign unto thee that he has power, both in heaven and in earth; and also, that Christ shall come. And thy will, O Lord, be done, and not mine.

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.

And it came to pass that he said unto the people: Gather together on the morrow, for I shall die; wherefore, I desire to speak unto the people before I shall die.

And he spake plainly unto them, that he had been deceived by the power of the devil. And he spake of hell, and of eternity, and of eternal punishment.

And he said: I fear lest I have committed the unpardonable sin, for I have lied unto 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 unto God I greatly fear lest my case shall be awful; but I confess unto God.

And it came to pass that when he had said these words he could say no more, and he gave up the ghost.

And when the multitude had witnessed that he spake these things as he was about to give up the ghost, they were astonished exceedingly; insomuch that the power of God came down upon them, and they were overcome that they fell to the earth.

Now, this thing was pleasing unto me, Jacob, for I had requested it of my Father who was in heaven; for he had heard my cry and answered my prayer.

And it came to pass that peace and the love of God was restored again among the people; and they searched the scriptures, and hearkened no more to the words of this wicked man.

Wherefore, the people of Nephi did fortify against them with their arms, and with all their might, trusting in the God and rock of their salvation; wherefore, they became as yet, conquerors of their enemies.

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, wherefore, 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 like as it were unto us a dream, we being a lonesome and a solemn people, wanderers, cast out from Jerusalem, born in tribulation, in a wilderness, and hated of our brethren, which caused wars and contentions; wherefore, we did mourn out our days.

And I, Jacob, saw that I must soon go down to my grave; wherefore, I said unto my son Enos: Take these plates. And I told him the things which my brother Nephi had commanded me, and he promised obedience unto the commands. And I make an end of my writing upon these plates, which writing has been small; and to the reader I bid farewell, hoping that many of my brethren may read my words. Brethren, adieu.

Some years later, a man named Sherem came among the people of Nephi. He began preaching among the people, telling them that there would be no Christ. He preached many things that flattered them, and he did this to overthrow the doctrine of Christ.

He worked hard to lead the people's hearts astray, and he did lead many astray. And because he knew that I had faith in Christ, who would come, he looked hard for a chance to come to me. He was educated, with a perfect command of the people's language, so he could use a great deal of flattery and powerful speech, by the power of the devil. He hoped to shake me from the faith, in spite of all the revelations and everything I had seen about it. I really had seen angels, and they had ministered to me. I had also heard the voice of the Lord speaking to me in actual words from time to time, so I couldn't be shaken.

So he came to me, and this is how he spoke to me: "Brother Jacob, I've been looking for a chance to speak with you because I've heard and also know that you go around preaching what you call the gospel, or the doctrine of Christ. You've led many of this nation away, so that they pervert the right way of God and don't keep the law of Moses, which is the right way, and you turn the law of Moses into the worship of a being who you say will come hundreds of years from now. And now, I, Sherem, declare to you that this is blasphemy, because no one knows about such things; no one can tell what is to come." And this is how Sherem contended with me.

But the Lord God poured his Spirit into my soul, so that I refuted him in everything he said.

I said to him, "Do you deny the Christ who is to come?" And he said, "If there were a Christ, I wouldn't deny him. But I know that there is no Christ, and never has been, and never will be."

I said, "Do you believe the scriptures?" And he said, "Yes."

I said, "Then you don't understand them, because they truly testify of Christ. I tell you, none of the prophets have written or prophesied without speaking about this Christ. And that's not all. It has been shown to me because I have heard and seen, and it has also been shown to me by the power of the Holy Ghost. So I know that if no atonement is made, all people must be lost."

Then he said to me, "Show me a sign by this power of the Holy Ghost, which is how you know so much."

And I said to him, "Who am I to test God and have him show you a sign about something you know is true? And yet you will deny it because you belong to the devil. Even so, not my will be done. But if God strikes you, let that be a sign to you that he has power both in heaven and on earth, and that Christ will come. And your will, O Lord, be done, and not mine."

When I finished speaking, the power of the Lord came on him, and he fell to the earth. He was fed and cared for over many days.

Then he said to the people, "Gather together tomorrow because I'm going to die, and I want to speak to you before I die."

The next day the crowd gathered, and he spoke plainly to them and denied what he had taught them, confessing Christ, the power of the Holy Ghost, and the ministering of angels. He told them plainly that he had been deceived by the power of the devil, and he spoke of hell, eternity, and eternal punishment.

And he said, "I'm afraid I have committed the unpardonable sin, because I have lied to God. I denied the Christ and said that I believed the scriptures, and they truly testify of him. And because I have lied to God this way, I greatly fear that my case will be terrible. But I confess to God."

When he said this, he could say no more, and he breathed his last. And when the crowd saw him say this as he was about to breathe his last, they were so greatly amazed that the power of God came down on them and overcame them, and they fell to the earth.

Now, this pleased me because I had asked it of my Father who was in heaven. He had heard my cry and answered my prayer. Then peace and the love of God were restored among the people, and they searched the scriptures and no longer listened to the words of this wicked man.

Many ways were tried to reclaim the Lamanites and restore them to the knowledge of the truth, but it was all useless because they delighted in war and bloodshed, and they had an eternal hatred for us, their brothers. They constantly tried to destroy us by force of arms. So the people of Nephi fortified themselves against them with their arms and all their might, trusting in the God and rock of their salvation, and so far they remained conquerors of their enemies.

And I, Jacob, grew old. Since the record of this nation is kept on the other plates of Nephi, I conclude this record, declaring that I have written the best I know how. I say that time passed by us, and our lives passed away like a dream, since we were a lonely and solemn people, wanderers cast out from Jerusalem, born in hardship in a wilderness, and hated by our brothers, which caused wars and strife. And so we mourned out our days.

And I, Jacob, saw that I must soon go down to my grave, so I said to my son Enos, "Take these plates." And I told him what my brother Nephi had commanded me, and he promised to obey. And I end my writing on these smaller plates, which has been brief. To the reader I say goodbye, hoping that many of my brothers may read my words. Brethren, adieu.

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OriginalModern English

And now it came to pass after some years had passed away, there came a man among the people of Nephi, whose name was Sherem.

Some years later, a man named Sherem came among the people of Nephi.

He began preaching among the people, telling them that there would be no Christ. He preached many things that flattered them, and he did this to overthrow the doctrine of Christ.

He worked hard to lead the people's hearts astray, and he did lead many astray. And because he knew that I had faith in Christ, who would come, he looked hard for a chance to come to me.

And he was learned, that he had a perfect knowledge of the language of the people; wherefore, he could use much flattery, and much power of speech, according to the power of the devil.

He was educated, with a perfect command of the people's language, so he could use a great deal of flattery and powerful speech, by the power of the devil.

He hoped to shake me from the faith, in spite of all the revelations and everything I had seen about it. I really had seen angels, and they had ministered to me. I had also heard the voice of the Lord speaking to me in actual words from time to time, so I couldn't be shaken.

You've led many of this nation away, so that they pervert the right way of God and don't keep the law of Moses, which is the right way, and you turn the law of Moses into the worship of a being who you say will come hundreds of years from now. And now, I, Sherem, declare to you that this is blasphemy, because no one knows about such things; no one can tell what is to come." And this is how Sherem contended with me.

But behold, the Lord God poured in his Spirit into my soul, insomuch that I did confound him in all his words.

But the Lord God poured his Spirit into my soul, so that I refuted him in everything he said.

And I said unto him: Deniest thou the Christ who shall 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.

I said to him, "Do you deny the Christ who is to come?" And he said, "If there were a Christ, I wouldn't deny him. But I know that there is no Christ, and never has been, and never will be."

And I said unto him: Believest thou the scriptures? And he said, Yea.

I said, "Do you believe the scriptures?" And he said, "Yes."

I said, "Then you don't understand them, because they truly testify of Christ. I tell you, none of the prophets have written or prophesied without speaking about this Christ.

And that's not all. It has been shown to me because I have heard and seen, and it has also been shown to me by the power of the Holy Ghost. So I know that if no atonement is made, all people must be lost."

And it came to pass that he said unto me: Show me a sign by this power of the Holy Ghost, in the which ye know so much.

Then he said to me, "Show me a sign by this power of the Holy Ghost, which is how you know so much."

When I finished speaking, the power of the Lord came on him, and he fell to the earth. He was fed and cared for over many days.

And it came to pass that he said unto the people: Gather together on the morrow, for I shall die; wherefore, I desire to speak unto the people before I shall die.

Then he said to the people, "Gather together tomorrow because I'm going to die, and I want to speak to you before I die."

The next day the crowd gathered, and he spoke plainly to them and denied what he had taught them, confessing Christ, the power of the Holy Ghost, and the ministering of angels.

And he spake plainly unto them, that he had been deceived by the power of the devil. And he spake of hell, and of eternity, and of eternal punishment.

He told them plainly that he had been deceived by the power of the devil, and he spoke of hell, eternity, and eternal punishment.

And it came to pass that when he had said these words he could say no more, and he gave up the ghost.

When he said this, he could say no more, and he breathed his last.

And when the crowd saw him say this as he was about to breathe his last, they were so greatly amazed that the power of God came down on them and overcame them, and they fell to the earth.

Now, this thing was pleasing unto me, Jacob, for I had requested it of my Father who was in heaven; for he had heard my cry and answered my prayer.

Now, this pleased me because I had asked it of my Father who was in heaven. He had heard my cry and answered my prayer.

And it came to pass that peace and the love of God was restored again among the people; and they searched the scriptures, and hearkened no more to the words of this wicked man.

Then peace and the love of God were restored among the people, and they searched the scriptures and no longer listened to the words of this wicked man.

So the people of Nephi fortified themselves against them with their arms and all their might, trusting in the God and rock of their salvation, and so far they remained conquerors of their enemies.

OriginalModern English

And now it came to pass after some years had passed away, there came a man among the people of Nephi, whose name was Sherem. And it came to pass that he began to preach among the people, and to declare unto them that there should be no Christ. And he preached many things which were flattering unto the people; and this he did that he might overthrow the doctrine of Christ.

And he labored diligently that he might lead away the hearts of the people, 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 that he might come unto me. And he was learned, that he had a perfect knowledge of the language of the people; wherefore, he could use much flattery, and much power of speech, according to the power of the devil. 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 unto me. And also, I had heard the voice of the Lord speaking unto me in very word, from time to time; wherefore, I could not be shaken.

And it came to pass that he came unto me, and on this wise did he speak unto me, saying: Brother Jacob, I have sought much opportunity that I might speak unto you; for I have heard and also know that thou goest about much, preaching that which ye call the gospel, or the doctrine of Christ. And ye have led away much of this people that they pervert the right way of God, and keep not the law of Moses which is the right way; and convert the law of Moses into the worship of a being which ye say shall come many hundred years hence. And now behold, I, Sherem, declare unto you that this is blasphemy; for no man knoweth of such things; for he cannot tell of things to come. And after this manner did Sherem contend against me.

But behold, the Lord God poured in his Spirit into my soul, insomuch that I did confound him in all his words.

But the Lord God poured his Spirit into my soul, so that I refuted him in everything he said.

And I said unto him: Deniest thou the Christ who shall 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.

I said to him, "Do you deny the Christ who is to come?" And he said, "If there were a Christ, I wouldn't deny him. But I know that there is no Christ, and never has been, and never will be."

And I said unto him: Believest thou the scriptures? And he said, Yea.

I said, "Do you believe the scriptures?" And he said, "Yes."

And I said unto him: Then ye do not understand them; for they truly testify of Christ. Behold, I say unto you that none of the prophets have written, nor prophesied, save they have spoken concerning this Christ. And this is not all—it has been made manifest unto me, for I have heard and seen; and it also has been made manifest unto me by the power of the Holy Ghost; wherefore, I know if there should be no atonement made all mankind must be lost.

And it came to pass that he said unto me: Show me a sign by this power of the Holy Ghost, in the which ye know so much.

Then he said to me, "Show me a sign by this power of the Holy Ghost, which is how you know so much."

When I finished speaking, the power of the Lord came on him, and he fell to the earth. He was fed and cared for over many days.

And it came to pass that he said unto the people: Gather together on the morrow, for I shall die; wherefore, I desire to speak unto the people before I shall die.

Then he said to the people, "Gather together tomorrow because I'm going to die, and I want to speak to you before I die."

And it came to pass that on the morrow the multitude were gathered together; and he spake plainly unto them and denied the things which he had taught them, and confessed the Christ, and the power of the Holy Ghost, and the ministering of angels. And he spake plainly unto them, that he had been deceived by the power of the devil. And he spake of hell, and of eternity, and of eternal punishment.

And it came to pass that when he had said these words he could say no more, and he gave up the ghost. And when the multitude had witnessed that he spake these things as he was about to give up the ghost, they were astonished exceedingly; insomuch that the power of God came down upon them, and they were overcome that they fell to the earth.

Now, this thing was pleasing unto me, Jacob, for I had requested it of my Father who was in heaven; for he had heard my cry and answered my prayer. And it came to pass that peace and the love of God was restored again among the people; and they searched the scriptures, and hearkened no more to the words of this wicked man.

And it came to pass that many means were devised to reclaim and restore the Lamanites to the knowledge of the truth; but it all was vain, for they delighted in wars and bloodshed, and they had an eternal hatred against us, their brethren. And they sought by the power of their arms to destroy us continually. Wherefore, the people of Nephi did fortify against them with their arms, and with all their might, trusting in the God and rock of their salvation; wherefore, they became as yet, conquerors of their enemies.