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CHAPTER 8There is strife and contention over the kingdom—Akish forms an oath-bound secret combination to slay the king—Secret combinations are of the devil and result in the destruction of nations—Modern Gentiles are warned against the secret combinations which shall seek to overthrown the freedom of all lands, nations, and countries. |
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1 AND it came to pass that he begat Omer,
and Omer reigned in his stead. And Omer begat Jared; and Jared begat sons
and daughters.
2 And Jared rebelled against his father, and came and dwelt in the land of Hetha. And it came to pass that he did aflatter many people, because of his cunning words, until he had gained the half of the kingdom. 3 And when he had gained the half of the kingdom he gave battle unto his father, and he did carry away his father into captivity, and did make him serve in captivity;
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2a land of Heth Heth is a Jaredite land which is not found in the current index to the LDS Scriptures. Now it would seems that the same custom which did prevail among the Nephites did also to some extent prevail among the Jaredites, and that is name of their cities and lands after people. Both Nehor and Heth are people's names. And we must need suppose that the Heth who this land was named after preceded Jared who at this time removes himself unto it. And whoever this Heth was, he is not either of the later men by the name of Heth which are in the genealogy of Ether. |
2a
Hel. 1:7;
Hel. 2:5
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4 And now, in the days of the reigns of Omer he was in
acaptivity the half of his days. And it came to pass that
he begat sons and daughters among whom were Esrom and Coriantumr;
5 And they were exceedingly angry because of the doings of Jared their brother, insomuch that they did raise an army and gave battle unto Jared. And it came to pass that they did give battle unto him by nighta.
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5a they did give battle unto him by night A curious bit of information is this that they did battle at night. Now because of the abridgment we do not have given the why and wherefore that the battle was at night. Whether it was because they did it in order to do it without arousing the bulk of the army and did it as a matter of such stategy. It may be that they did take the army of Jared by surprise and that they were not prepared that they did over come them. |
4a
Ether 7:7 (5-7);
Ether 10:14
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6 And it came to pass that when they had slain the army of Jared
they were about to slay him also; and he plead with them that
they would not slay him, and he would give up the kingdom unto
his father. And it came to pass that they did grant unto him his
life.
7 And now Jared became exceedingly asorrowful because of the loss of the kingdom, for he had set his heart upon the kingdom and upon the glory of the worlda.
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7a the glory of the world Now there are various aspects of the things of the world which do tempt men. There is wealth, power and pride. Obtaining the 'glory of the world' would be in the category of pride. Jared did not merely seek for power to rule over people, he wanted the glory of it and that to his own end in it. Thus his nature was like unto that of Lucifer, who sought the position of the God of this second estate, not for the good and welfare of the people out of love, but he sought for that position for the 'glory of it', to lift himself up even above the throne of God. When one seeks for the good of the people, there is always room at the top for all, but when one seeks unto his own interests above others, the room at the top becomes very limited often to being only room for one, 'Me, Myself and I'. |
7a
Morm. 2:13
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8 Now the daughter of Jared being exceedingly
experta, and seeing
the sorrows of her father, thought to devise a plan whereby she
could redeem the kingdom unto her father.
9 Now the daughter of Jared was exceedingly fair. And it came to pass that she did talk with her father, and said unto him: Whereby hath my father so much sorrow? Hath he not read the arecord which our fathers brought across the great deep? Behold, is there not an baccount concerning them of cold, that they by their dsecret plans did obtain kingdoms and great glory? 10 And now, therefore, let my father send for Akish, the son of Kimnor; and behold, I am fair, and I will dance before him, and I will please him, that he will desire me to wife; wherefore if he shall desire of thee that ye shall give unto him me to wife, then shall ye say: I will give her if ye will bring unto me the ahead of my father, the king.
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8a the daughter of Jared being exceedingly expert The wiles of a wicked woman are steeped in the evil thereof. It is well to consider a number of various terms which may be aplied to in just what manner this women was 'exceedingly expert'. In order to get her way she was shrewd, sneaky, crafty, cunning, decietful, and devious. And she would use her womenly 'charm' with trickery and tricks, with guile and duplicity to the evil thereof in order to perform her ruse, to get her way. Certainly she was one shady lady and not in the least trustworthy, honest, chaste or true. She is one who would be the female compliment of Lucifer or Cain, one who would wrap men around her little finger in order to obtain her desires. Her concerns were not unto her father, and one might rest assured that the murder of her father Jared when he had obtained the throne so that Akish, now this women's husband, might rule in Jared stead was not done without the complicity of that women who would be Queen. Yes, Akish who could be so easily turned to murder to wife her, would further be influenced by her to all such designs and desires she had. |
9a
Ether 1:3 b 3 Ne. 6:28 c Hel. 6:26-30; 3 Ne. 3:9 d Hel. 6:27; Ether 13:18; Moses 5:30 (18-52) 10a Mark 6:24 (22-28)
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11 And now Omer was a friend to Akish; wherefore, when Jared had
sent for Akish, the daughter of Jared danced before him that she
pleased him, insomuch that he desired her to wife. And it came
to pass that he said unto Jared: Give her unto me to wife.
12 And Jared said unto him: I will give her unto you, if ye will bring unto me the head of my father, the king.
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13 And it came to pass that Akish gathered in unto the house of
Jared all his kinsfolk, and said unto them: Will ye swear unto me
that ye will be faithful unto me in the thing which I shall
desire of you?
14 And it came to pass that they all asware unto him, by the God of heaven, and also by the heavens, and also by the earth, and by their heads, that whoso should vary from the assistance which Akish desired should lose his head; and whoso should divulge whatsoever thing Akish made known unto them, the same should lose his life.
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14a
Hel. 1:11;
3 Ne. 3:8;
TG
Swearing
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15 And it came to pass that thus they did agree with
aAkish. And Akish did administer unto them the oaths
which were given by them of old who also sought
powera, which had been handed down
even from bCain, who was a murderer from the beginning.
16 And they were kept up by the apower of the devil to administer these oaths unto the people, to keep them in darkness, to help such as sought power to gain power, and to murder, and to plunder, and to lie, and to commit all manner of wickedness and whoredoms. 17 And it was the daughter of Jared who put it into his heart to search up these things of old; and Jared put it into the heart of Akish; wherefore, Akish administered it unto his kindred and friends, leading them away by fair promises to do whatsoever thing he desired.
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15a the oaths which were given by them of old who also sought power Now Cain murdered to get gain which was the secret revealed unto him by Satan, that a man might do. But this 'gain' is not always unto riches and property. It is also unto the attainment of power, or any such thing which places one man above another wherein they are not upon an equal footing with another. Thus any such 'secret' society which attempts to raise up one notion above another for the intent to put down others or raise up some above their brother for the things of the world, which even include the postion and prestige aforded the intellectual pride of man to the detriment of society, are of such secret combinations. The KKK would be such which strove to raise up certain men above others and to keep them in power and position, working against even just one particular element of society. Even such was or is a secret combination of the devil. Even these secret societies of higher learning which seek to promote their brother in that society above another is of such a nature and evil in the eyes of God. |
15a
Ether 9:1 b Gen. 4:7-8; Moses 5:25 16a Moses 4:6; Moses 5:13
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18 And it came to pass that they formed a secret
acombination, even as they of old; which combination is
most abominable and wicked above all, in the sight of God;
19 For the Lord worketh not in secret combinations, neither doth he will that man should shed blood, but in all things hath forbidden it, from the beginning of man.
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18a
TG
Secret Combinations
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Moroni's Aside Concerning Secret Combinations and Oaths |
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20 And now I, Moroni, do not write the manner of their oaths and
combinations, for it hath been made known unto me that they are had
aamong all people, and they are had among the Lamanites.
21 And they have caused the adestruction of this people of whom I am now speaking, and also the destruction of the people of Nephi. 22 And whatsoever anation shall uphold such secret combinations, to get power and gain, until they shall spread over the nation, behold, they shall be destroyed; for the Lord will not suffer that the bblood of his saints, which shall be shed by them, shall always cry unto him from the ground for cvengeance upon them and yet he avenge them not.
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20a
4 Ne. 1:46;
Morm. 2:8;
Morm. 8:9 21a Hel. 6:28; D&C 38:13-16 22a TG Governments b Rev. 6:10 (1-11); Rev. 19:2; 2 Ne. 28:10; Morm. 8:27, 40-41; D&C 87:7 b TG God, Justice of; TG Vengeance
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23 Wherefore, O ye Gentiles, it is wisdom in God that these things
should be shown unto you, that thereby ye may repent of your sins, and suffer
not that these murderous combinations shall get above you, which are built up
to get apower and gain—and the work, yea, even the
work of bdestruction come upon you, yea, even the sword of
the justice of the Eternal God shall fall upon you, to your overthrow and
destruction if ye shall suffer these things to be.
24 Wherefore, the Lord commandeth you, when ye shall see these things come among you that ye shall awake to a sense of your awful situation, because of this asecret combination which shall be among you; or wo be unto it, because of the blood of them who have been slain; for they cry from the dust for vengeance upon it, and also upon those who built it up.
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23a
Moses 6:15 b Luke 13:3 (1-5) 24a D&C 42:64
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25 For it cometh to pass that whoso buildeth it up seeketh to
overthrow the afreedom of all lands, nations, and
countries; and it bringeth to pass the destruction of all people, for it is
built up by the devil, who is the father of all lies; even that same liar who
bbeguiled our first parents, yea, even that same liar who
hath caused man to commit murder from the beginning; who hath
chardened the hearts of men that they have
dmurdered the prophets, and stoned them, and cast them out
from the beginning.
26 Wherefore, I, Moroni, am commanded to write these things that evil may be done away, and that the time may come that Satan may have ano power upon the hearts of the children of men, but that they may be bpersuaded to do good continually, that they may come unto the fountain of all crighteousness and be saved.
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25a
TG
Liberty b Gen. 3:13 (1-13); 2 Ne. 9:9; Morm. 16:3; Moses 4:19 (5-19) c TG Hardheartedness d TG Prophets, Rejection of 26a 2 Ne. 30:18 b 2 Ne. 33:4; Moro. 7:13 (12-17) c TG Righteousness
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