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SECTION 82Revelation given to Joseph Smith the Prophet, in Jackson County, Missouri, April 26, 1832. HC 1:267-269. The occasion was a general council of the Church at which Joseph Smith the Prophet was sustained as the President of the High Priesthood, to which office he had previously been ordained at a conference of high priests, elders, and members, at Amherst, Ohio, January 25, 1832 (see heading to Section 75). Formerly unusual names were used in the publication of this revelation to conceal the identity of the persons named (see heading to Section 78). These unusual names have now been dropped, except in cases where the identification is not known (see verse 11). |
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5—7, Darkness reigns in the world; 8—13, The Lord is bound when we do what he says; 14—18, Zion must increase in beauty and holiness; 19—24, Every man should seek the interest of his neighbor. | ||
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1 VERILY, verily, I say unto you, my servants, that inasmuch as you
have aforgiven one another your trespasses, even so I, the
Lord, forgive you.
2 Nevertheless, there are those among you who have sinned exceedingly; yea, even aall of you have sinned; but verily I say unto you, beware from henceforth, and brefrain from sin, lest sore judgments fall upon your heads. 3 For of him unto whom amuch is bgiven much is crequired; and he who dsins against the greater elight shall freceive the greater gcondemnation. 4 Ye call upon my name for arevelations, and I give them unto you; and inasmuch as ye keep not my sayings, which I give unto you, ye become transgressors; and bjustice and judgment are the penalty which is affixed unto my law.
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5 Therefore, what I say unto one I say unto all:
aWatch, for the badversary
cspreadeth his dominions, and ddarkness
reigneth;
6 And the anger of God kindleth against the inhabitants of the earth; and anone doeth good, for all have gone out of the bway. 7 And now, verily I say unto you, I, the Lord, will not lay any asin to your charge; go your ways and sin no more; but unto that soul who sinneth shall the bformer sins return, saith the Lord your God.
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8 And again, I say unto you, I give unto you a anew
commandment, that you may understand my will concerning you;
9 Or, in other words, I give unto you directions how you may aact before me, that it may bturn to you for your salvation. 10 I, the Lord, am abound when ye do what I say; but when ye do not what I say, ye have no bpromise. 11 Therefore, verily I say unto you, that it is expedient for my servants Edward Partridge and Newel K. Whitney, A. Sidney Gilbert and Sidney Rigdon, and my servant Joseph Smith, and John Whitmer and Oliver Cowdery, and W. W. Phelps and Martin Harris to be bound atogether by a bond and covenant that cannot be bbroken by transgression, except judgments shall immediately follow, in your several cstewardships— 12 To manage the affairs of the poor, and all things pertaining to the bishopric aboth in the land of Zion and in the land of Kirtland; 13 For I have consecrated the land of Kirtland in mine own due time for the benefit of the saints of the Most High, and for a astake to Zion.
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14 For aZion must increase in
bbeauty, and in choliness; her borders
must be enlarged; her dstakes must be strengthened; yea,
verily I say unto you, Zion must earise and put on her
fbeautiful garments.
15 Therefore, I give unto you this commandment, that ye bind yourselves by this covenant, and it shall be done according to the laws of the Lord. 16 Behold, here is awisdom also in me for your good. 17 And you are to be aequal, or in other words, you are to have equal bclaims on the cproperties, for the benefit of dmanaging the concerns of your stewardships, every man according to his wants and his needs, inasmuch as his wants are just— 18 And all this for the benefit of the church of the living God, that every man may aimprove upon his btalent, that every man may cgain other dtalents, yea, even an hundred fold, to be cast into the Lord's estorehouse, to become the common fproperty of the whole church—
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19 aEvery man seeking the interest of his
bneighbor, and doing all things with an
ceye single to the glory of God.
20 This order I have appointed to be an aeverlasting border unto you, and unto your successors, inasmuch as you sin not. 21 And the soul that sins against this covenant, and ahardeneth his heart against it, shall be dealt with according to the laws of my church, and shall be delivered over to the bbuffetings of Satan until the day of redemption.
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22 And now, verily I say unto you, and this is wisdom,
make unto yourselves friends with the amammon of
unrighteousness, and they will not destroy
youa.
23 Leave judgment alone with me, for it is mine and I will arepay. Peace be with you; my blessings continue with you. 24 For even yet the akingdom is yours, and shall be forever, if you fall not from your bsteadfastness. Even so. Amen.
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22a this is wisdom, make unto yourselves friends with the mammon of unrighteousness, and they will not destory We may presume that the saints knew the meaning of this counsel, that they were to be 'friendly' to and with those in Missouri who were not of the church. That the saints were unsuccessful in this advice is seen in that they seemed to make enemies by their proclaiming who they were and what they were going to do there rather than to become friends of the people of the land. Bragging that you were going to take all the lands for the building of Zion, meaning that the locals would be challenged in their personal properties, was never the way that the prophet counseled or the Lord intended. But some of the saints seemed to be persistent in that course rather than to befriend and assure the locals that they were not a threat to their individual welfare. | |