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CHAPTER 7Lehi's sons return to Jerusalem and enlist Ishmael and his household in their casue—Laman and others rebel—Nephi exhorts his brethren to have faith in the Lord—They bind him with cords and plan his destruction—He is freed by the power of faith—His brethren ask forgiveness—Lehi and his company offer sacrifice and burnt offerings. About 600-592 B.C.
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Nephi's small plates record is not a historical chronology. It is not a year by year account. When Lehi's sons return for the family of Ishmael some 8 years have elapsed. Nephi does not give the day in and day out living in the Valley of Lemuel. But when the sons return to Jerusalem to enlist Ishmael's household, which included the two families of the sons of Ishmael who married the older daughters of Lehi and sisters of Nephi, they already have children members in each of those two families. The season of this excursion is in the 8th to 9th year of Zedekiah as Jeremiah has now been imprisoned. [About 592 B.C.] |
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1 AND now I would
that ye might know, that after
my father, Lehi, had made an end of aprophesying
concerning his seed, it came to pass that the Lord spake unto him
again, saying that it was not meet for him, Lehi, that he should
take his family into the wilderness alone; but that his sons
should take bdaughters to cwife,
that they might raise up dseed unto the Lord in
the land of promise.
2 And it came to pass that the Lord acommanded him that I, Nephi, and my brethren, should again return unto the land of Jerusalem, and bring down Ishmael and his family into the wilderness. 3 And it came to pass that I, Nephi, did aagain, with my brethren, go forth into the wilderness to go up to Jerusalem. 4 And it came to pass that we went up unto the house of Ishmael, and we did gain favor in the sight of Ishmael, insomuch that we did speak unto him the words of the Lord. 5 And it came to pass that the aLord did soften the heart of Ishmael, and also his household, insomuch that they took their journey with us down into the wilderness to the tent of our father. |
1a
1 Ne. 1:16 b 1 Ne. 16:7 c TG Marriage d Ps. 127:3 2a 1 Ne. 16:8 3a 1 Ne. 3:2 5a TG Guidance, Divine
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6 And it came to pass that as we journeyed in
the wilderness, behold Laman and Lemuel, and two of the
adaughters of Ishmael, and the two
bsons of Ishmael and their families, did
crebel against us; yea, against me, Nephi,
and Sam, and their father, Ishmael, and his wife, and his three
other daughters.
7 And it came to pass in the which rebellion, they were desirous to return unto the land of Jerusalem.
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6a
1 Ne. 16:7 (7, 27) b 2 Ne. 4:10 c 1 Ne. 17:18 (17-55)
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8 And now I, Nephi, being
agrieved for the
hardness of their hearts, therefore I
spake unto them, saying, yea, even unto Laman and unto
Lemuel: Behold ye are mine elder brethren, and how is it
that ye are so hard
in your hearts, and so blind in your minds, that ye have
need that I, your byounger brother, should speak unto you,
yea, and set an cexample for you?
9 How is it that ye have not hearkened unto the word of the Lord? 10 How is it that ye have aforgotten that ye have seen an angel of the Lord? 11 Yea, and how is it that ye have forgotten what great things the Lord hath done for us, in adelivering us out of the hands of Laban, and also that we should obtain the record? |
8a
Mosiah 28:3;
Alma 31:2; 3 Ne. 17:14; Moses 7:41 b 1 Chr. 29:1; D&C 1:19(19,23) c TG Example 10a Deut. 4:9-13; 1 Ne. 4:3 11a 1 Ne. 4:1 (1-38)
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12 Yea,
and how is it that ye have forgotten that the Lord is able to do
all athings according to his will, for the
children of men, if it so be that they exercise
bfaith in him? Wherefore, let us be faithful to him.
13 And if it so be that we are faithful to him, we shall obtain the aland of promise; and ye shall know at some future period that the word of the Lord shall be fulfilled concerning the destruction of Jerusalem; for all things which the Lord hath spoken concerning the bdestruction of cJerusalem must be fulfilled. |
12a
Ps. 18:32 (32-40); 1 Ne. 17:50; Alma 26:12; b 1 Ne. 2:19 (18-21); 1 Ne. 15:11 13a 1 Ne. 2:20; TG Promised Lands b 2 Kings 25:4 (1-21) c 2 Ne. 6:8; 2 Ne. 25:10; Omni 1:15; Helaman 8:21 (20-21)
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14 For behold, the aSpirit of the Lord
bceaseth soon to strive with them; for behold,
they have crejected the prophets, and
dJeremiah have they cast into
prisona.
And they have sought to take away the elife of my
father, insomuch that they have driven him out of the land.
15 Now behold, I say unto you that if ye will return unto Jerusalem ye shall also perish with them. And now, if ye have choice, go up to the land, and remember the words which I speak unto you, that if ye go ye will also perish; for thus the Spirit of the Lord constraineth me that I should speak.
As we learn from the days of Christ, this ruling body had there own 'garison' of enforcement. And who might it be suspected that this 'Captain of Fifty' was in the days of Lehi? In a military sense a 'Captain of Fifty' is not a very powerful man, for there are Captains of hundreds and thousands in the military ranks. But in terms of the 'secret police' of the 'princes of the Jews', the Sanhedrin, the Captain of Fifty would be a very powerful in influencial man indeed. Is it any wonder that Laban felt secure in his attempt to murder the four sons of Lehi and to steal their exceedingly great wealth without fear of reprisal? It is interesting to coorelate Laban's night out with the Elders of Israel, the Sarim, the Princes and Rulers of the Jews, in his full Captain's apparal of sword and armor. Certainly Laban was there in his official capacity as the 'Captain' of the officail 'Guard' of the Princes or Sarim of Israel. There was no separation between 'Church' and 'State' in Israel, he Elders, Princes or Sarim were the ruling body of the Law of Moses and of Israel despite the authority and rule of the King. And this was their power over Zedekiah. |
14a Jeremiah have they cast
into prison In the 1879 edition of the Book of Mormon
Apostle Orson Pratt divided the original text into numbered
verses and rearranged chapters to yield a more 'scripturally'
accessible text to the Book of Mormon. At that time, he also
added a number of footnote cross-references. Respecting Jeremiah's
imprisonment, Elder Pratt most properly referenced it to
Jeremiah 37:15
when the 'Princes' of the Jews placed Jeremiah into the prison or
dungon of Jonathan. This was in the later end of the 8th year or
the beginning of the 9th year of the reign of Zedekiah [592 B.C.].
It was at this same time that Jeremiah sought to visit his home town of the tribe of Benjamin and was captured by the guard of the Princes of the Jews as he was leaving the city gate. Jeremiah had thus just bearly been placed into prison when Nephi and the sons of Lehi had arrived in Jerusalem during this interim to obtain the family of Ishmael. On their return to the Valley of Lemuel, when there was the rebellion in the camp, Nephi used as part of his argument the fact that even Jeremiah the prophet had 'they' the princes placed into prison (see 1 Nephi 7:14 and Jeremiah 37:15). By the time the sons of Lehi and the household of Ishmael had made it to the Valley of Lemuel, the army of Nebuchadnezzar was either in the process of defeating the Egyptians or may even have been enroute to return back to Jerusalem. With the Chaldean forces in the deserts, it is little wonder that the Lord had Lehi's party build no fires for the Jews were fleeing the land and not in favor of Babylon, it was 'open season' upon them. |
14a
TG
God, Spirit of b Ezek. 5:6; 1 Ne. 1:19 (18-20) 1 Ne. 2:13 c TG Prophets, Rejection of d Jer. 37:15 (15-21) e 1 Ne. 2:1
There is confusion in the book of Jeremiah. Any good Bible scholar will tell it is not chronologically arranged. Jeremiah was first placed into prison during the interim of the seige while the Chaldeans defeated the Egyptians in the desert as recorded in Jeremiah 37. Upon learning of Jeremiah's imprisonment, Zedekiah calls him out of the dungeon prison of Jonathan. After that interview recorded in the end of Jeremiah 37, the King keeps Jeremiah in the prison of the King's court. While in the court prison, Jeremiah speaks out warning the people. In Jeremiah 38, the princes accuse Jeremiah of traitorous conduct and the King relents and lets them take Jeremiah back to their prison, Jonathan's dugeon. When the king hears of Jeremiah's mistreatment, he again recalls Jeremiah and again places him in the prison of the King's court, where he remains until Jerusalem is destroyed. Jeremiah chapters 32 and 33 recount events while Jeremiah is in the prison of the King's court, but it is unclear as to whether they are the first or second such time that Jeremiah was in that prison. Chapter 34 comes chronologically before chapters 32, 33, 37 and 38. Chapters 35 and 36 are completely out of order, as they reference King Jehoiakim before the reign of Zedekiah. The best chronology of Jeremiah 34-38 is given as 35 and 36 being back in the days of King Jehoiakim, Chapter 34 jumps to the eighth year of Zedekiah when Jeremiah gives him God's final warning of destruction. Then the King's messenger responds in Chapter 37 and Jeremiah is imprisoned for the first time. Whether chapters 33 and 34 come before of after chapter 38 is of question, but they are not chronologically correct until after chapter 37. |
| 16 And it came to pass that when I, Nephi, had
spoken these words unto my brethren, they were angry with
me. And it came to pass that they did lay their hands
upon me, for behold, they were exceedingly wroth, and
they did abind me with cords, for they sought
to take away my life, that they might leave me in the wilderness
to be devoured by wild beasts.
17 But it came to pass that I prayed unto the Lord, saying: O Lord, according to my faith which is in thee, wilt thou deliver me from the hands of my brethren; yea, even give me astrength that I may bburst these bands with which I am bound. 18 And it came to pass that when I had said these words, behold, the bands were loosed from off my hands and feet, and I stood before my brethren, and I spake unto them again. |
16a
1 Ne. 18:11-15 17a Judg. 14:6 b Jacob 4:6; Alma 14:28 (26-28); 3 Ne. 28:20 (19-22)
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19 And it came to pass that they were angry with
me again, and sought to lay hands upon me; but behold,
one of the adaughters of Ishmael, yea, and
also her mother, and one of the sons of Ishmael, did plead
with my brethren, insomuch that they did soften their hearts;
and they did cease striving to take away my life.
20 And it came to pass that they were sorrowful, because of their wickedness, insomuch that they did bow down before me, and did plead with me that I would aforgive them of the thing that they had done against me. 21 And it came to pass that I did frankly aforgive them all that they had done, and I did exhort them that they would pray unto the Lord their God for bforgiveness. And it came to pass that they did so. And after they had done praying unto the Lord we did again travel on our journey towards the tent of our father. |
19a
1 Ne. 16:7;
1 Ne. 18:19-20 20a TG Repentance 21a TG Family, Love within b TG Forgiveness
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| 22 And it came to pass that we did come down unto the tent of our father. And after I and my brethren and all the house of Ishmael had come down unto the tent of my father, they did give athanks unto the Lord their God; and they did offer bsacrifice and burnt offerings unto him. |
22a
TG
Thanksgiving b 1 Ne. 5:9
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