2 Nephi 24:12 12 How art thou fallen from heaven, O Lucifer, son of the morning! Art thou cut down to the ground, which did weaken the nations!
2 Nephi 24:13 13 For thou hast said in thy heart: I will ascend into heaven, I will exalt my throne above the stars of G.o.d; I will sit also upon the mount of the congregation, in the sides of the north;
2 Nephi 24:14 14 I will ascend above the heights of the clouds; I will be like the Most High.
2 Nephi 24:15 15 Yet thou shalt be brought down to h.e.l.l, to the sides of the pit.
2 Nephi 24:16 16 They that see thee shall narrowly look upon thee, and shall consider thee, and shall say: Is this the man that made the earth to tremble, that did shake kingdoms?
2 Nephi 24:17 17 And made the world as a wilderness, and destroyed the cities thereof, and opened not the house of his prisoners?
2 Nephi 24:18 18 All the kings of the nations, yea, all of them, lie in glory, every one of them in his own house.
2 Nephi 24:19 19 But thou art cast out of thy grave like an abominable branch, and the remnant of those that are slain, thrust through with a sword, that go down to the stones of the pit; as a carca.s.s trodden under feet.
2 Nephi 24:20 20 Thou shalt not be joined with them in burial, because thou hast destroyed thy land and slain thy people; the seed of evil-doers shall never be renowned.
2 Nephi 24:21 21 Prepare slaughter for his children for the iniquities of their fathers, that they do not rise, nor possess the land, nor fill the face of the world with cities.
2 Nephi 24:22 22 For I will rise up against them, saith the Lord of Hosts, and cut off from Babylon the name, and remnant, and son, and nephew, saith the Lord.
2 Nephi 24:23 23 I will also make it a possession for the bittern, and pools of water; and I will sweep it with the besom of destruction, saith the Lord of Hosts.
2 Nephi 24:24 24 The Lord of Hosts hath sworn, saying: Surely as I have thought, so shall it come to pa.s.s; and as I have purposed, so shall it stand--
2 Nephi 24:25 25 That I will bring the a.s.syrian in my land, and upon my mountains tread him under foot; then shall his yoke depart from off them, and his burden depart from off their shoulders.
2 Nephi 24:26 26 This is the purpose that is purposed upon the whole earth; and this is the hand that is stretched out upon all nations.
2 Nephi 24:27 27 For the Lord of Hosts hath purposed, and who shall disannul?
And his hand is stretched out, and who shall turn it back?
2 Nephi 24:28 28 In the year that king Ahaz died was this burden.
2 Nephi 24:29 29 Rejoice not thou, whole Palestina, because the rod of him that smote thee is broken; for out of the serpent"s root shall come forth a c.o.c.katrice, and his fruit shall be a fiery flying serpent.
2 Nephi 24:30 30 And the first-born of the poor shall feed, and the needy shall lie down in safety; and I will kill thy root with famine, and he shall slay thy remnant.
2 Nephi 24:31 31 Howl, O gate; cry, O city; thou, whole Palestina, art dissolved; for there shall come from the north a smoke, and none shall be alone in his appointed times.
2 Nephi 24:32 32 What shall then answer the messengers of the nations? That the Lord hath founded Zion, and the poor of his people shall trust in it.
2 Nephi 25 Chapter 25
2 Nephi 25:1 1 Now I, Nephi, do speak somewhat concerning the words which I have written, which have been spoken by the mouth of Isaiah. For behold, Isaiah spake many things which were hard for many of my people to understand; for they know not concerning the manner of prophesying among the Jews.
2 Nephi 25:2 2 For I, Nephi, have not taught them many things concerning the manner of the Jews; for their works were works of darkness, and their doings were doings of abominations.
2 Nephi 25:3 3 Wherefore, I write unto my people, unto all those that shall receive hereafter these things which I write, that they may know the judgments of G.o.d, that they come upon all nations, according to the word which he hath spoken.
2 Nephi 25:4 4 Wherefore, hearken, O my people, which are of the house of Israel, and give ear unto my words; for because the words of Isaiah are not plain unto you, nevertheless they are plain unto all those that are filled with the spirit of prophecy. But I give unto you a prophecy, according to the spirit which is in me; wherefore I shall prophesy according to the plainness which hath been with me from the time that I came out from Jerusalem with my father; for behold, my soul delighteth in plainness unto my people, that they may learn.
2 Nephi 25:5 5 Yea, and my soul delighteth in the words of Isaiah, for I came out from Jerusalem, and mine eyes hath beheld the things of the Jews, and I know that the Jews do understand the things of the prophets, and there is none other people that understand the things which were spoken unto the Jews like unto them, save it be that they are taught after the manner of the things of the Jews.
2 Nephi 25:6 6 But behold, I, Nephi, have not taught my children after the manner of the Jews; but behold, I, of myself, have dwelt at Jerusalem, wherefore I know concerning the regions round about; and I have made mention unto my children concerning the judgments of G.o.d, which hath come to pa.s.s among the Jews, unto my children, according to all that which Isaiah hath spoken, and I do not write them.
2 Nephi 25:7 7 But behold, I proceed with mine own prophecy, according to my plainness; in the which I know that no man can err; nevertheless, in the days that the prophecies of Isaiah shall be fulfilled men shall know of a surety, at the times when they shall come to pa.s.s.
2 Nephi 25:8 8 Wherefore, they are of worth unto the children of men, and he that supposeth that they are not, unto them will I speak particularly, and confine the words unto mine own people; for I know that they shall be of great worth unto them in the last days; for in that day shall they understand them; wherefore, for their good have I written them.
2 Nephi 25:9 9 And as one generation hath been destroyed among the Jews because of iniquity, even so have they been destroyed from generation to generation according to their iniquities; and never hath any of them been destroyed save it were foretold them by the prophets of the Lord.
2 Nephi 25:10 10 Wherefore, it hath been told them concerning the destruction which should come upon them, immediately after my father left Jerusalem; nevertheless, they hardened their hearts; and according to my prophecy they have been destroyed, save it be those which are carried away captive into Babylon.
2 Nephi 25:11 11 And now this I speak because of the spirit which is in me.
And notwithstanding they have been carried away they shall return again, and possess the land of Jerusalem; wherefore, they shall be restored again to the land of their inheritance.
2 Nephi 25:12 12 But, behold, they shall have wars, and rumors of wars; and when the day cometh that the Only Begotten of the Father, yea, even the Father of heaven and of earth, shall manifest himself unto them in the flesh, behold, they will reject him, because of their iniquities, and the hardness of their hearts, and the stiffness of their necks.
2 Nephi 25:13 13 Behold, they will crucify him; and after he is laid in a sepulchre for the s.p.a.ce of three days he shall rise from the dead, with healing in his wings; and all those who shall believe on his name shall be saved in the kingdom of G.o.d. Wherefore, my soul delighteth to prophesy concerning him, for I have seen his day, and my heart doth magnify his holy name.
2 Nephi 25:14 14 And behold it shall come to pa.s.s that after the Messiah hath risen from the dead, and hath manifested himself unto his people, unto as many as will believe on his name, behold, Jerusalem shall be destroyed again; for wo unto them that fight against G.o.d and the people of his church.
2 Nephi 25:15 15 Wherefore, the Jews shall be scattered among all nations; yea, and also Babylon shall be destroyed; wherefore, the Jews shall be scattered by other nations.
2 Nephi 25:16 16 And after they have been scattered, and the Lord G.o.d hath scourged them by other nations for the s.p.a.ce of many generations, yea, even down from generation to generation until they shall be persuaded to believe in Christ, the Son of G.o.d, and the atonement, which is infinite for all mankind--and when that day shall come that they shall believe in Christ, and worship the Father in his name, with pure hearts and clean hands, and look not forward any more for another Messiah, then, at that time, the day will come that it must needs be expedient that they should believe these things.
2 Nephi 25:17 17 And the Lord will set his hand again the second time to restore his people from their lost and fallen state. Wherefore, he will proceed to do a marvelous work and a wonder among the children of men.
2 Nephi 25:18 18 Wherefore, he shall bring forth his words unto them, which words shall judge them at the last day, for they shall be given them for the purpose of convincing them of the true Messiah, who was rejected by them; and unto the convincing of them that they need not look forward any more for a Messiah to come, for there should not any come, save it should be a false Messiah which should deceive the people; for there is save one Messiah spoken of by the prophets, and that Messiah is he who should be rejected of the Jews.
2 Nephi 25:19 19 For according to the words of the prophets, the Messiah cometh in six hundred years from the time that my father left Jerusalem; and according to the words of the prophets, and also the word of the angel of G.o.d, his name shall be Jesus Christ, the Son of G.o.d.
2 Nephi 25:20 20 And now, my brethren, I have spoken plainly that ye cannot err. And as the Lord G.o.d liveth that brought Israel up out of the land of Egypt, and gave unto Moses power that he should heal the nations after they had been bitten by the poisonous serpents, if they would cast their eyes unto the serpent which he did raise up before them, and also gave him power that he should smite the rock and the water should come forth; yea, behold I say unto you, that as these things are true, and as the Lord G.o.d liveth, there is none other name given under heaven save it be this Jesus Christ, of which I have spoken, whereby man can be saved.
2 Nephi 25:21 21 Wherefore, for this cause hath the Lord G.o.d promised unto me that these things which I write shall be kept and preserved, and handed down unto my seed, from generation to generation, that the promise may be fulfilled unto Joseph, that his seed should never perish as long as the earth should stand.
2 Nephi 25:22 22 Wherefore, these things shall go from generation to generation as long as the earth shall stand; and they shall go according to the will and pleasure of G.o.d; and the nations who shall possess them shall be judged of them according to the words which are written.
2 Nephi 25:23 23 For we labor diligently to write, to persuade our children, and also our brethren, to believe in Christ, and to be reconciled to G.o.d; for we know that it is by grace that we are saved, after all we can do.
2 Nephi 25:24 24 And, notwithstanding we believe in Christ, we keep the law of Moses, and look forward with steadfastness unto Christ, until the law shall be fulfilled.
2 Nephi 25:25 25 For, for this end was the law given; wherefore the law hath become dead unto us, and we are made alive in Christ because of our faith; yet we keep the law because of the commandments.
2 Nephi 25:26 26 And we talk of Christ, we rejoice in Christ, we preach of Christ, we prophesy of Christ, and we write according to our prophecies, that our children may know to what source they may look for a remission of their sins.
2 Nephi 25:27 27 Wherefore, we speak concerning the law that our children may know the deadness of the law; and they, by knowing the deadness of the law, may look forward unto that life which is in Christ, and know for what end the law was given. And after the law is fulfilled in Christ, that they need not harden their hearts against him when the law ought to be done away.