Revelation given through Joseph Smith the Prophet, during a special conference of elders of the Church, held at Hiram, Ohio, November 1, 1831. HC 1: 221—224. Many revelations had been received from the Lord prior to this time, and the compilation of these for publication in book form was one of the principal subjects passed upon at the conference. This section constitutes the Lord’s Preface to the doctrines, covenants, and commandments given in this dispensation.

1—7, The voice of warning is to all people; 8—16, Apostasy and wickedness precede the Second Coming; 17—23, Joseph Smith called to restore to earth the Lord’s truths and powers; 24—33, The Book of Mormon brought forth and true Church established; 34—36, Peace shall be taken from the earth; 37—39, Search these commandments.

 ^aHEARKEN^•, O ye people of my ^bchurch^•, saith the voice of him who dwells on high, and whose ^ceyes^• are upon all men; yea, verily I say: Hearken ye people from afar; and ye that are upon the islands of the sea, listen together.

 For verily the ^avoice^• of the Lord is unto all men, and there is none to ^bescape^•; and there is no eye that shall not see, neither ^cear that shall not hear, neither ^dheart that shall not be penetrated.

 And the ^arebellious shall be ^bpierced with much ^csorrow^•; for their iniquities shall be ^dspoken^• upon the housetops, and their secret acts shall be revealed.

 And the ^avoice^• of warning shall be unto all people, by the mouths of my disciples, whom I have ^bchosen in these ^clast days.

 And they shall ^ago forth and none shall stay them, for I the Lord have commanded them.

 Behold, this is mine ^aauthority, and the authority of my servants, and my preface unto the book of my ^bcommandments^•, which I have given them to ^cpublish^• unto you, O ^dinhabitants^• of the earth.

 Wherefore, ^afear^• and ^btremble^•, O ye people, for what I the Lord have ^cdecreed^• in them shall be ^dfulfilled^•.

 And verily I say unto you, that they who go forth, bearing these tidings unto the inhabitants of the earth, to them is power given to ^aseal^• both on earth and in heaven, the unbelieving and ^brebellious;

 Yea, verily, to seal them up unto the ^aday^• when the ^bwrath^• of God shall be poured out upon the ^cwicked^• without measure—

 Unto the ^aday when the Lord shall come to ^brecompense^• unto every man according to his ^cwork^•, and ^dmeasure^• to every man according to the measure which he has measured to his fellow man.

 Wherefore the voice of the Lord is unto the ends of the earth, that all that will hear may hear:

 Prepare ye, ^aprepare ye for that which is to come, for the Lord is ^bnigh^•;

 And the ^aanger^• of the Lord is kindled, and his ^bsword^• is bathed in heaven, and it shall fall upon the inhabitants of the earth.

 And the ^aarm^• of the Lord shall be revealed; and the ^bday^• cometh that they who will not ^chear^• the voice of the Lord, neither the voice of his ^dservants, neither give ^eheed^• to the words of the prophets and ^fapostles, shall be ^gcut^• off from among the people;

 For they have ^astrayed^• from mine ^bordinances, and have ^cbroken mine ^deverlasting^• covenant;

 They ^aseek^• not the Lord to establish his righteousness, but every man ^bwalketh in his ^cown^{• d}way^•, and after the ^eimage^• of his own god, whose image is in the likeness of the world, and whose substance is that of an idol, which waxeth ^fold^• and shall perish in Babylon, even ^gBabylon^• the great, which shall fall.

 Wherefore, I the Lord, ^aknowing the calamity which should come upon the ^binhabitants^• of the earth, ^ccalled upon my ^dservant Joseph Smith, Jun., and ^espake unto him from heaven, and gave him ^fcommandments^•;

 And also gave commandments to others, that they should proclaim these things unto the world; and all this that it might be fulfilled, which was written by the prophets—

 The ^aweak^• things of the world shall come forth and break down the mighty and strong ones, that man ^bshould^• not counsel his fellow man, neither ^ctrust^• in the arm of flesh—

 But that every man might ^aspeak in the name of God the Lord, even the Savior of the world;

 That faith also might increase in the earth;

 That mine everlasting ^acovenant^• might be established;

 That the ^afulness^• of my ^bgospel might be ^cproclaimed by the ^dweak^• and the simple unto the ends of the world, and before ^ekings and ^frulers^•.

 Behold, I am God and have spoken it; these ^acommandments^• are of me, and were given unto my servants in their weakness, after the manner of their ^blanguage^•, that they might come to ^cunderstanding^•.

 And inasmuch as they ^aerred^• it might be made known;

 And inasmuch as they sought ^awisdom^• they might be ^binstructed;

 And inasmuch as they sinned they might be ^achastened, that they might ^brepent;

 And inasmuch as they were ^ahumble they might be made strong, and blessed from on high, and receive ^bknowledge from time to time.

 And after having received the record of the Nephites, yea, even my servant Joseph Smith, Jun., might have power to ^atranslate^• through the ^bmercy of God, by the power of God, the ^cBook of Mormon.

 And also those to whom these commandments were given, might have ^apower^• to lay the foundation of this ^bchurch, and to bring it forth out of obscurity and out of ^cdarkness, the only true and living ^dchurch^• upon the face of the whole earth, with which I, the Lord, am well ^epleased^•, ^fspeaking^• unto the church collectively and not individually—

 For I the Lord cannot look upon ^asin^• with the least degree of allowance;

 Nevertheless, he that ^arepents and does the ^bcommandments^• of the Lord shall be ^cforgiven^•;

 And he that ^arepents^• not, from him shall be ^btaken^• even the light which he has received; for my ^cSpirit shall not always ^dstrive^• with man, saith the Lord of Hosts.

 And again, verily I say unto you, O inhabitants of the earth: I the Lord am willing to make these things ^aknown^• unto ^ball^• flesh;

 For I am no ^arespecter^• of persons, and will that all men shall know that the ^bday speedily cometh; the hour is not yet, but is nigh at hand, when ^cpeace^• shall be taken from the earth, and the ^ddevil shall have power over his own dominion.

 And also the Lord shall have ^apower over his ^bsaints, and shall ^creign^• in their ^dmidst^•, and shall come down in ^ejudgment upon ^fIdumea^•, or the world.

 ^aSearch these ^bcommandments^•, for they are true and ^cfaithful, and the prophecies and ^dpromises^• which are in them shall all be fulfilled.

 What I the Lord have spoken, I have spoken, and I excuse not myself; and though the heavens and the earth pass away, my ^aword^• shall not pass away, but shall all be ^bfulfilled, whether by mine own ^cvoice^• or by the ^dvoice^• of my ^eservants^•, it is the ^fsame.

 For behold, and lo, the Lord is God, and the ^aSpirit^• beareth record, and the record is true, and the ^btruth abideth forever and ever. Amen.