2:1 The words which Jacob, the brother of Nephi,
spake unto the people of Nephi, after the death of Nephi:
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2:2 Now, my beloved brethren, I, Jacob, according
to the responsibility which I am under to God, to magnify
mine office with soberness, and that I might rid my
garments of your sins, I come up into the temple this day
that I might declare unto you the word of God. |
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2:3 And ye yourselves know that I have hitherto
been diligent in the office of my calling; but I this day
am weighed down with much more desire and anxiety for the
welfare of your souls than I have hitherto been. |
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2:4 For behold, as yet, ye have been obedient unto
the word of the Lord, which I have given unto you. |
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2:5 But behold, hearken ye unto me, and know that
by the help of the all-powerful Creator of heaven and
earth I can tell you concerning your thoughts, how that
ye are beginning to labor in sin, which sin appeareth
very abominable unto me, yea, and abominable unto God. |
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2:6 Yea, it grieveth my soul and causeth me to
shrink with shame before the presence of my Maker, that I
must testify unto you concerning the wickedness of your
hearts. |
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2:7 And also it grieveth me that I must use so much
boldness of speech concerning you, before your wives and
your children, many of whose feelings are exceedingly
tender and chaste and delicate before God, which thing is
pleasing unto God; |
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2:8 And it supposeth me that they have come up
hither to hear the pleasing word of God, yea, the word
which healeth the wounded soul. |
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2:9 Wherefore, it burdeneth my soul that I should
be constrained, because of the strict commandment which I
have received from God, to admonish you according to your
crimes, to enlarge the wounds of those who are already
wounded, instead of consoling and healing their wounds;
and those who have not been wounded, instead of feasting
upon the pleasing word of God have daggers placed to
pierce their souls and wound their delicate minds. |
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2:10 But, notwithstanding the greatness of the task,
I must do according to the strict commands of God, and
tell you concerning your wickedness and abominations, in
the presence of the pure in heart, and the broken heart,
and under the glance of the piercing eye of the Almighty
God. |
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2:11 Wherefore, I must tell you the truth according
to the plainness of the word of God. For behold, as I
inquired of the Lord, thus came the word unto me, saying:
Jacob, get thou up into the temple on the morrow, and
declare the word which I shall give thee unto this
people. |
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2:12 And now behold, my brethren, this is the word
which I declare unto you, that many of you have begun to
search for gold, and for silver, and for all manner of
precious ores, in the which this land, which is a land of
promise unto you and to your seed, doth abound most
plentifully. |
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2:13 And the hand of providence hath smiled upon you
most pleasingly, that you have obtained many riches; and
because some of you have obtained more abundantly than
that of your brethren ye are lifted up in the pride of
your hearts, and wear stiff necks and high heads because
of the costliness of your apparel, and persecute your
brethren because ye suppose that ye are better than they.
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2:14 And now, my brethren, do ye suppose that God
justifieth you in this thing? Behold, I say unto you,
Nay. But he condemneth you, and if ye persist in these
things his judgments must speedily come unto you. |
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2:15 O that he would show you that he can pierce
you, and with one glance of his eye he can smite you to
the dust! |
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2:16 O that he would rid you from this iniquity and
abomination. And, O that ye would listen unto the word of
his commands, and let not this pride of your hearts
destroy your souls! |
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2:17 Think of your brethren like unto yourselves,
and be familiar with all and free with your substance,
that they may be rich like unto you. |
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2:18 But before ye seek for riches, 1seek ye
for the kingdom of God. |
[1] Matthew 6:33: But seek ye first the kingdom of
God, and his righteousness... |
2:19 And after ye have obtained a hope in Christ ye shall obtain riches, if ye seek them; and ye
will seek them for the intent to do good--to 1clothe the naked, and to feed the hungry, and to
liberate the captive, and administer relief to the sick
and the afflicted. |
[1] Matthew 25:35-36:
For I was an hungred, and ye gave me meat: I was thirsty,
and ye gave me drink: I was a stranger, and ye took me
in: Naked, and ye clothed me: I was sick, and ye visited
me: I was in prison, and ye came unto me. |
2:20 And now, my brethren, I have spoken unto you
concerning pride; and those of you which have afflicted
your neighbor, and persecuted him because ye were proud
in your hearts, of the things which God hath given you,
what say ye of it? |
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2:21 Do ye not suppose that such things are
abominable unto him who created all flesh? And the one
being is as precious in his sight as the other. And all
flesh is of the dust; and for the selfsame end hath he
created them, that they should keep his commandments and
glorify him forever. |
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2:22 And now I make an end of speaking unto you
concerning this pride. And were it not that I must speak
unto you concerning a grosser crime, my heart would
rejoice exceedingly because of you. |
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2:23 But the word of God burdens me because of your
grosser crimes. For behold, thus saith the Lord: This
people begin to wax in iniquity; they understand not the
scriptures, for they seek to excuse themselves in
committing whoredoms, because of the things which were
written concerning David, and Solomon his son. |
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2:24 Behold, David and Solomon truly had many wives
and concubines, which thing was abominable before me,
saith the Lord. |
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2:25 Wherefore, thus saith the Lord, I have led this
people forth out of the land of Jerusalem, by the power
of mine arm, that I might raise up unto me a righteous
branch from the fruit of the loins of Joseph. |
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2:26 Wherefore, I the Lord God will not suffer that
this people shall do like unto them of old. |
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2:27 Wherefore, my brethren, hear me, and hearken to
the word of the Lord: For there shall not any man among
you have save it be one wife; and concubines he shall
have none; |
This admonition appears to
have been conveniently forgotten during the early Mormon
Church's on-again, off-again relationship with polygamy. |
2:28 For I, the Lord God, delight in the chastity of
women. And whoredoms are an abomination before me; thus
saith the Lord of Hosts. |
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2:29 Wherefore, this people shall keep my
commandments, saith the Lord of Hosts, or cursed be the
land for their sakes. |
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2:30 For if I will, saith the Lord of Hosts, raise
up seed unto me, I will command my people; otherwise they
shall hearken unto these things. |
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2:31 For behold, I, the Lord, have seen the sorrow,
and heard the mourning of the daughters of my people in
the land of Jerusalem, yea, and in all the lands of my
people, because of the wickedness and abominations of
their husbands. |
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2:32 And I will not suffer, saith the Lord of Hosts,
that the cries of the fair daughters of this people,
which I have led out of the land of Jerusalem, shall come
up unto me against the men of my people, saith the Lord
of Hosts. |
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2:33 For they shall not lead away captive the
daughters of my people because of their tenderness, save
I shall visit them with a sore curse, even unto
destruction; for they shall not commit whoredoms, like
unto them of old, saith the Lord of Hosts. |
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2:34 And now behold, my brethren, ye know that these
commandments were given to our father, Lehi; wherefore,
ye have known them before; and ye have come unto great
condemnation; for ye have done these things which ye
ought not to have done. |
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2:35 Behold, ye have done greater iniquities than
the Lamanites, our brethren. Ye have broken the hearts of
your tender wives, and lost the confidence of your
children, because of your bad examples before them; and
the sobbings of their hearts ascend up to God against
you. And because of the strictness of the word of God,
which cometh down against you, many hearts died, pierced
with deep wounds. |
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