Nephi makes plates of ore and records the history of his people—The God of Israel shall come six hundred years from the time Lehi left Jerusalem—Nephi tells of His sufferings and crucifixion—The Jews shall be despised and scattered until the latter days, when they will return unto the Lord. [Between 588 and 570 B.C.]

 AND it came to pass that the Lord commanded me, wherefore I did make plates of ore that I might engraven upon them the ^arecord of my people. And upon the plates which I made I did ^bengraven the record of my ^cfather^•, and also our journeyings in the wilderness, and the prophecies of my father; and also many of mine own prophecies have I engraven upon them.

 And I knew not at the time when I made them that I should be commanded of the Lord to make ^athese^• plates; wherefore, the record of my father, and the genealogy of his fathers, and the more part of all our proceedings in the wilderness are engraven upon those first plates of which I have spoken; wherefore, the things which transpired before I made ^bthese^• plates are, of a truth, more particularly made mention upon the first plates.

 And after I had made these plates by way of commandment, I, Nephi, received a commandment that the ministry and the prophecies, the more plain and precious parts of them, should be written upon ^athese^• plates; and that the things which were written should be kept for the instruction of my people, who should possess the land, and also for other ^bwise^• purposes, which purposes are known unto the Lord.

 Wherefore, I, Nephi, did make a record upon the ^aother^• plates, which gives an account, or which gives a greater account of the wars and contentions and destructions of my people. And this have I done, and commanded my people what they should do after I was gone; and that these plates should be handed down from one generation to another, or from one prophet to another, until further commandments of the Lord.

 And an account of my ^amaking^• these plates shall be given hereafter; and then, behold, I proceed according to that which I have spoken; and this I do that the more sacred things may be ^bkept for the knowledge of my people.

 Nevertheless, I do not ^awrite anything upon plates save it be that I think it be ^bsacred^•. And now, if I do err, even did they err of old; not that I would excuse myself because of other men, but because of the ^cweakness^• which is in me, according to the flesh, I would excuse myself.

 For the things which some men esteem to be of great worth, both to the body and soul, others set at ^anaught^• and trample under their feet. Yea, even the very God of Israel do men ^btrample^• under their feet; I say, trample under their feet but I would speak in other words—they set him at naught, and ^chearken not to the voice of his counsels.

 And behold he ^acometh, according to the words of the angel, in ^bsix^• hundred years from the time my father left Jerusalem.

 And the world, because of their iniquity, shall judge him to be a thing of naught; wherefore they scourge him, and he suffereth it; and they smite him, and he suffereth it. Yea, they ^aspit^• upon him, and he suffereth it, because of his loving ^bkindness and his ^clong-suffering towards the children of men.

 And the ^aGod^• of our fathers, who were ^bled^• out of Egypt, out of bondage, and also were preserved in the wilderness by him, yea, the ^cGod^• of Abraham, and of Isaac, and the God of Jacob, ^dyieldeth himself, according to the words of the angel, as a man, into the hands of ^ewicked men, to be ^flifted^• up, according to the words of ^gZenock^•, and to be ^hcrucified^•, according to the words of Neum, and to be buried in a ⁱsepulchre^•, according to the words of ^jZenos^•, which he spake concerning the three days of ^kdarkness^•, which should be a sign given of his death unto those who should inhabit the isles of the sea, more especially given unto those who are of the ^lhouse^• of Israel.

 For thus spake the prophet: The Lord God surely shall ^avisit^• all the house of Israel at that day, some with his ^bvoice^•, because of their righteousness, unto their great joy and salvation, and others with the ^cthunderings^• and the lightnings of his power, by tempest, by fire, and by ^dsmoke^•, and ^evapor^• of ^fdarkness^•, and by the opening of the ^gearth^•, and by ^hmountains^• which shall be carried up.

 And ^aall^• these things must surely come, saith the prophet ^bZenos^•. And the ^crocks^• of the earth must rend; and because of the ^dgroanings^• of the earth, many of the kings of the isles of the sea shall be wrought upon by the Spirit of God, to exclaim: The God of nature suffers.

 And as for those who are at Jerusalem, saith the prophet, they shall be ^ascourged^• by all people, because they crucify the God of Israel, and turn their hearts aside, rejecting signs and wonders, and the power and glory of the God of Israel.

 And because they turn their hearts aside, saith the prophet, and have ^adespised^• the Holy One of Israel, they shall wander in the flesh, and perish, and become a ^bhiss^• and a ^cbyword^•, and be ^dhated^• among all nations.

 Nevertheless, when that day cometh, saith the prophet, that they ^ano^• more ^bturn aside their hearts against the Holy One of Israel, then will he remember the ^ccovenants which he made to their fathers.

 Yea, then will he remember the ^aisles^• of the sea; yea, and all the people who are of the house of Israel, will I ^bgather^• in, saith the Lord, according to the words of the prophet Zenos, from the four quarters of the earth.

 Yea, and all the earth shall ^asee^• the salvation of the Lord, saith the prophet; every nation, kindred, tongue and people shall be blessed.

 And I, Nephi, have written these things unto my people, that perhaps I might persuade them that they would ^aremember^• the Lord their Redeemer.

 Wherefore, I speak unto all the house of Israel, if it so be that they should obtain ^athese^• things.

 For behold, I have workings in the spirit, which doth ^aweary^• me even that all my joints are weak, for those who are at Jerusalem; for had not the Lord been merciful, to show unto me concerning them, even as he had prophets of old, I should have perished also.

 And he surely did show unto the ^aprophets^• of old all things ^bconcerning^• them; and also he did show unto many concerning us; wherefore, it must needs be that we know concerning them for they are written upon the plates of brass.

 Now it came to pass that I, Nephi, did teach my brethren these things; and it came to pass that I did read many things to them, which were engraven upon the ^aplates^• of brass, that they might know concerning the doings of the Lord in other lands, among people of old.

 And I did read many things unto them which were written in the ^abooks^• of Moses; but that I might more fully persuade them to believe in the Lord their Redeemer I did read unto them that which was written by the prophet ^bIsaiah^•; for I did ^cliken all scriptures unto us, that it might be for our ^dprofit^• and learning.

 Wherefore I spake unto them, saying: Hear ye the words of the prophet, ye who are a ^aremnant^• of the house of Israel, a ^bbranch^• who have been broken off; ^chear ye the words of the prophet, which were written unto all the house of Israel, and liken them unto yourselves, that ye may have hope as well as your brethren from whom ye have been broken off; for after this manner has the prophet written.