BOOK OF MORMON STORIES - lds.org

1 book OFMORMONSTORIESBOOK OFMORMONSTORIESP ublished byThe Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day SaintsSalt Lake City, UtahThis replaces book of MORMON ReaderIllustrated by Jerry Thompson and Robert T. Barrett 1978, 1985, 1997 by The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day SaintsAll rights reservedPrinted in the United States of AmericaEnglish approval: 8/96 CONTENTSC hapterTitlePageIntroduction .. 11 How We Got the book of MORMON .. 22 Lehi Warns the People .. 53 Lehi Leaves Jerusalem .. 64 The Brass Plates .. 85 Traveling in the Wilderness .. 136 Lehi s Dream .. 187 Building the Ship .. 218 Crossing the Sea .. 239A New Home in the Promised Land .. 2510 Jacob and Sherem .. 2711 Enos .. 3012 King Benjamin .. 3213 Zeniff .. 3614 Abinadi and King Noah .. 3815 Alma Teaches and Baptizes.

2 4316 King Limhi and His People Escape .. 4517 Alma and His People Escape .. 4718 Alma the Younger Repents .. 4919 The Sons of Mosiah Become Missionaries .. 5320 Alma and Nehor.. 5421 The Amlicites .. 5622 Alma s Mission to Ammonihah .. 5823 Ammon: A Great Servant .. 6424 Ammon Meets King Lamoni s Father .. 6925 Aaron Teaches King Lamoni s Father .. 7126 The People of Ammon .. 7327 Korihor .. 7528 The Zoramites and the Rameumptom .. 7829 Alma Teaches about Faith and the Word of God .. 8130 Alma Counsels His Sons .. 8231 Captain Moroni Defeats Zerahemnah.. 8532 Captain Moroni and the Title of Liberty.. 8933 King-Men versus Freemen .. 9134 Helaman and the 2,000 Young Warriors .. 9335 Captain Moroni and Pahoran .. 9536 Hagoth .. 9837 Nephi and Lehi in Prison .. 99iii38 The Murder of the Chief Judge.

3 10339 Nephi Receives Great Power .. 10840 Samuel the Lamanite Tells about Jesus Christ.. 11141 The Signs of Christ s Birth .. 11442 The Signs of Christ s Crucifixion .. 11743 Jesus Christ Appears to the Nephites .. 12044 Jesus Christ Blesses the Children .. 12445 Jesus Christ Teaches about the Sacrament and Prayer .. 12646 Jesus Christ Teaches and Prays with the Nephites .. 12847 Jesus Christ Blesses His Disciples.. 13148 Peace in America .. 13649 MORMON and His Teachings .. 13850 The Jaredites Leave Babel .. 14351 The Jaredites Travel to the Promised Land .. 14552 The Destruction of the Jaredites .. 14953 Moroni and His Teachings .. 15454 The Promise of the book of MORMON .. 156 Words to Know .. 157 People to Know .. 163 Places to Know .. 165 book of MORMON People .. 166 Index.

4 168ivINTRODUCTIONTo the ReaderThese book of MORMON STORIES have been written espe-cially for you. The STORIES are taken from a book that issacred because it came from Heavenly Father. As youread these STORIES , remember that they are about realpeople who lived in America long you read the STORIES in this book , you will alsowant to read them from the book of MORMON . Undereach picture you will see where you can find that storyin the book of MORMON . Have your father, mother,teacher, or a friend help you do not know the meaning of a word, look it up in the Words to Know section at the back of this about the people and places mentioned inthe book of MORMON is also included in the back of Parents and TeachersThis book will help you teach the scriptures. Share yourtestimony of the book of MORMON , and encourage thoseyou teach to seek their own testimonies.

5 Their under-standing will grow as you read them the full text of theirfavorite STORIES from the book of MORMON WE GOT THEBOOK OF MORMONC hapter 1 When Joseph Smith was 14 years old, many churcheswere claiming to be true, and he did not knowwhich one to Smith history 1:5 10 One day Joseph read James 1:5 in the Bible: If any ofyou lack wisdom, let him ask of God. Joseph needed toknow which church was right, so he decided to ask Smith history 1:11 13On a spring morning Joseph went into the woods nearhis home to Smith history 1:14As he knelt down and started to pray, Satan tried to stophim. Joseph prayed harder, asking Heavenly Father Smith history 1:15 16 Heavenly Father and Jesus Christ came to Joseph in apillar of light. Heavenly Father pointed to Jesus and said: This is My Beloved Son.

6 Hear Him! Joseph Smith history 1:16 1723 Joseph asked which church he should join. Jesus told himnot to join any of them because they were all Smith history 1:18 19 When Joseph told some people what he had seen andheard, they laughed at him. The leaders of many localchurches persecuted Smith history 1:21 22 Three years went by. One night Joseph was praying to be forgiven of his sins and to know what he should Smith history 1:29An angel named Moroni appeared and told Joseph abouta book that was written on gold plates. Joseph was totranslate these plates into Smith history 1:33 35 The next day Joseph went to the top of the Hill Cumorah,which he had seen in a vision. There he found a big pried the rock up with a Smith history 1:50 52 After Moroni left, Joseph thought about what Moronihad told him.

7 Moroni came back two more times Smith history 1:44 474 Beneath the rock was a stone box. As Joseph looked intothe box, he saw the gold Smith history 1:51 52 Moroni appeared and told Joseph not to take the platesbut to come back on the same day each year for fouryears. Each time Joseph went, Moroni taught Smith history 1:53 54 After four years Joseph was finally allowed to take the gold plates. He used the Urim and Thummim totranslate some of Smith history 1:59, 62 Scribes helped Joseph by writing the words as he translated them from the gold Smith history 1:67 Joseph took the translated words to a printer and hadthem made into a of the Church 1:71 The book is called the book of MORMON . It tells aboutpeople who lived in America many years ago. It also tellsabout Jesus Christ, the Son of to the book of MormonTHEBOOKOFMORMONA nother Testamentof Jesus ChristLEHI WARNS THEPEOPLEC hapter 2 Most of the people living in Jerusalem 600 years before the birth of Christ were wicked.

8 God sentprophets to tell them to repent, but they would not Nephi 1:4In his vision Lehi was given a book that told what wouldhappen in the future. He read that Jerusalem would bedestroyed because the people were Nephi 1:11 13 Lehi told the people that Jerusalem would be also told of the coming of Jesus. The people wereangry and tried to kill Lehi, but the Lord protected Nephi 1:18 20 Lehi returned home and had a vision. He saw God surrounded by many angels. The angels were singingand praising Nephi 1:7 8 Lehi was a prophet. He prayed that the people wouldrepent. While he was praying, a pillar of fire told and showed Lehi many Nephi 1:5 65 LEHI LEAVESJERUSALEMC hapter 3 The Lord was pleased with Lehi and one night spoketo him in a dream. He told Lehi to take his familyand leave Jerusalem.

9 Lehi obeyed the Nephi 2:1 3 Lehi s family packed food and tents. They left theirhouse and their gold and silver and traveled into Nephi 2:4 Lehi and his wife, Sariah, had four sons. Their nameswere Laman, Lemuel, Sam, and Nephi 2:5 After traveling for three days, Lehi s family camped in a valley near a Nephi 2:6 Lehi built an altar from stones and made an offering to God. He thanked God for saving his family frombeing Nephi 2:767 Lehi named the river Laman and the valley Lemuel. Lehiwanted his sons to be like the river and valley, continuallyflowing to God and steadfastly keeping the Nephi 2:8 10, 14 Laman and Lemuel thought their father was foolish forleaving Jerusalem and their riches. They did not believethat Jerusalem would be Nephi 2:11, 13 Nephi wanted to understand the things Lehi had prayed to know if his father had done the right thingby leaving Nephi 2:16 Jesus Christ visited Nephi and told him that Lehi s wordswere true.

10 Nephi believed and did not rebel as Lamanand Lemuel Nephi 2:16 The Lord promised Nephi that he would be blessedbecause of his faith. He would become a leader over Nephi 2:19 22 Nephi told his brothers what Jesus had told him. Sambelieved Nephi, but Laman and Lemuel would Nephi 2:17 18 THE BRASS PLATESC hapter 4 Lehi told Nephi that the Lord wanted him and his brothers to go back to Jerusalem. They were to getthe brass plates from a man named Nephi 3:2 4 The brass plates were important records. They told about Lehi s forefathers and contained the words of Godrevealed through the Nephi 3:3, 20 Laman and Lemuel did not want to return to get thebrass plates. They said it would be too hard to do. Theydid not have faith in the Nephi 3:5 Nephi wanted to obey the Lord. He knew the Lord wouldhelp him and his brothers get the brass plates from Nephi 3:7 Laman, Lemuel, Sam, and Nephi traveled back to Jerusalem to get the brass Nephi 3:989 Laman went to Laban and asked him for the Nephi 3:11 12 Laban was angry and would not give Laman the brassplates.