2 Nephi 1
| Verse | Original | 4th Grade |
|---|---|---|
| 2 Nephi 1:1 | And now it came to pass that after I, Nephi, had made an end of teaching my brethren, our father, Lehi, also spake many things unto them, and rehearsed unto them, how great things the Lord had done for them in bringing them out of the land of Jerusalem. | After I, Nephi, finished teaching my brothers, our father, Lehi, talked to them. He told them about the good things the Lord did for them by bringing them out of Jerusalem. |
| 2 Nephi 1:2 | And he spake unto them concerning their rebellions upon the waters, and the mercies of God in sparing their lives, that they were not swallowed up in the sea. | He talked to them about how they disobeyed on the water and how God was kind and saved them from being lost in the sea. |
| 2 Nephi 1:3 | And he also spake unto them concerning the land of promise, which they had obtained—how merciful the Lord had been in warning us that we should flee out of the land of Jerusalem. | He told them about the new land they got. He said the Lord was kind to warn them to leave Jerusalem. |
| 2 Nephi 1:4 | For, behold, said he, I have seen a vision, in which I know that Jerusalem is destroyed; and had we remained in Jerusalem we should also have perished. | I have seen a picture in my mind that shows Jerusalem is destroyed. If we stayed there, we would have died too. |
| 2 Nephi 1:5 | But, said he, notwithstanding our afflictions, we have obtained a land of promise, a land which is choice above all other lands; a land which the Lord God hath covenanted with me should be a land for the inheritance of my seed. Yea, the Lord hath covenanted this land unto me, and to my children forever, and also all those who should be led out of other countries by the hand of the Lord. | But he said, even though we had hard times, we found a very special land. It’s the best land, which God promised to give to me and my children. Yes, God promised this land to us and to anyone else God leads here. |
| 2 Nephi 1:6 | Wherefore, I, Lehi, prophesy according to the workings of the Spirit which is in me, that there shall none come into this land save they shall be brought by the hand of the Lord. | So, I, Lehi, say by the power of the Spirit in me, that no one will come to this land unless the Lord brings them. |
| 2 Nephi 1:7 | Wherefore, this land is consecrated unto him whom he shall bring. And if it so be that they shall serve him according to the commandments which he hath given, it shall be a land of liberty unto them; wherefore, they shall never be brought down into captivity; if so, it shall be because of iniquity; for if iniquity shall abound cursed shall be the land for their sakes, but unto the righteous it shall be blessed forever. | This land is special for the people God will bring here. If they obey God’s rules, they will be free. They will never be made slaves unless they do bad things. If there are lots of bad things, the land will be cursed. But for good people, the land will be blessed forever. |
| 2 Nephi 1:8 | And behold, it is wisdom that this land should be kept as yet from the knowledge of other nations; for behold, many nations would overrun the land, that there would be no place for an inheritance. | This land should be kept secret for now. If other nations knew about it, they would take over, and there would be no place left for us. |
| 2 Nephi 1:9 | Wherefore, I, Lehi, have obtained a promise, that inasmuch as those whom the Lord God shall bring out of the land of Jerusalem shall keep his commandments, they shall prosper upon the face of this land; and they shall be kept from all other nations, that they may possess this land unto themselves. And if it so be that they shall keep his commandments they shall be blessed upon the face of this land, and there shall be none to molest them, nor to take away the land of their inheritance; and they shall dwell safely forever. | I, Lehi, got a promise. If the people God brings out of Jerusalem follow His rules, they will do well here. They will have this land all to themselves. They will be safe and happy if they follow God’s rules. No one will bother them or take their land. They will live here safely forever. |
| 2 Nephi 1:10 | But behold, when the time cometh that they shall dwindle in unbelief, after they have received so great blessings from the hand of the Lord—having a knowledge of the creation of the earth, and all men, knowing the great and marvelous works of the Lord from the creation of the world; having power given them to do all things by faith; having all the commandments from the beginning, and having been brought by his infinite goodness into this precious land of promise—behold, I say, if the day shall come that they will reject the Holy One of Israel, the true Messiah, their Redeemer and their God, behold, the judgments of him that is just shall rest upon them. | When the time comes that they stop believing, even after God has given them many blessings and knowledge, and brought them to this special land, if they reject Jesus, God’s judgments will come upon them. |
| 2 Nephi 1:11 | Yea, he will bring other nations unto them, and he will give unto them power, and he will take away from them the lands of their possessions, and he will cause them to be scattered and smitten. | God will bring other people to them. He will give them power and take away their lands. He will make them spread out and be hurt. |
| 2 Nephi 1:12 | Yea, as one generation passeth to another there shall be bloodsheds, and great visitations among them; wherefore, my sons, I would that ye would remember; yea, I would that ye would hearken unto my words. | One group of people will leave, and new people will come. There will be fights and important events. So, my sons, please listen and remember what I say. |
| 2 Nephi 1:13 | O that ye would awake; awake from a deep sleep, yea, even from the sleep of hell, and shake off the awful chains by which ye are bound, which are the chains which bind the children of men, that they are carried away captive down to the eternal gulf of misery and woe. | Please wake up! Wake up from a deep sleep, from a bad sleep. Shake off the chains that hold you, which are the chains that bind people, and take them to a place of great sadness. |
| 2 Nephi 1:14 | Awake! and arise from the dust, and hear the words of a trembling parent, whose limbs ye must soon lay down in the cold and silent grave, from whence no traveler can return; a few more days and I go the way of all the earth. | Wake up! Get up from the ground and listen to the words of your shaking parent. Soon, I will be gone forever, and no one comes back from the grave. In a little while, I will go like everyone else on earth. |
| 2 Nephi 1:15 | But behold, the Lord hath redeemed my soul from hell; I have beheld his glory, and I am encircled about eternally in the arms of his love. | But look, the Lord saved me from bad things; I saw his greatness, and he is holding me forever with love. |
| 2 Nephi 1:16 | And I desire that ye should remember to observe the statutes and the judgments of the Lord; behold, this hath been the anxiety of my soul from the beginning. | I want you to remember to follow God’s rules. This has been very important to me from the start. |
| 2 Nephi 1:17 | My heart hath been weighed down with sorrow from time to time, for I have feared, lest for the hardness of your hearts the Lord your God should come out in the fulness of his wrath upon you, that ye be cut off and destroyed forever; | Sometimes I felt very sad because I worried that if you were too stubborn, God might get very angry and you could be destroyed forever. |
| 2 Nephi 1:18 | Or, that a cursing should come upon you for the space of many generations; and ye are visited by sword, and by famine, and are hated, and are led according to the will and captivity of the devil. | Bad things will happen to you for a long time; you will have wars, no food, and people will not like you. The devil will control you. |
| 2 Nephi 1:19 | O my sons, that these things might not come upon you, but that ye might be a choice and a favored people of the Lord. But behold, his will be done; for his ways are righteousness forever. | My sons, I hope you stay safe and become special to God. But remember, God knows best and is always good. |
| 2 Nephi 1:20 | And he hath said that: Inasmuch as ye shall keep my commandments ye shall prosper in the land; but inasmuch as ye will not keep my commandments ye shall be cut off from my presence. | If you follow God’s rules, you will do well in the land. But if you don’t follow His rules, you won’t be with Him. |
| 2 Nephi 1:21 | And now that my soul might have joy in you, and that my heart might leave this world with gladness because of you, that I might not be brought down with grief and sorrow to the grave, arise from the dust, my sons, and be men, and be determined in one mind and in one heart, united in all things, that ye may not come down into captivity; | I want to be happy because of you. So please, stand up and be strong. Work together and stay free. |
| 2 Nephi 1:22 | That ye may not be cursed with a sore cursing; and also, that ye may not incur the displeasure of a just God upon you, unto the destruction, yea, the eternal destruction of both soul and body. | So you won’t be cursed; and also, so you won’t make God upset and risk being destroyed forever, both in soul and body. |
| 2 Nephi 1:23 | Awake, my sons; put on the armor of righteousness. Shake off the chains with which ye are bound, and come forth out of obscurity, and arise from the dust. | Wake up, my children; put on good clothes. Take off the chains that hold you, and come into the light, and get up from the ground. |
| 2 Nephi 1:24 | Rebel no more against your brother, whose views have been glorious, and who hath kept the commandments from the time that we left Jerusalem; and who hath been an instrument in the hands of God, in bringing us forth into the land of promise; for were it not for him, we must have perished with hunger in the wilderness; nevertheless, ye sought to take away his life; yea, and he hath suffered much sorrow because of you. | Don’t fight against your brother anymore. He has done great things and followed God’s rules since we left Jerusalem. God used him to help us get to the promised land. Without him, we would have starved in the desert. But you tried to kill him, and he has been very sad because of you. |
| 2 Nephi 1:25 | And I exceedingly fear and tremble because of you, lest he shall suffer again; for behold, ye have accused him that he sought power and authority over you; but I know that he hath not sought for power nor authority over you, but he hath sought the glory of God, and your own eternal welfare. | I am very scared and shaking because of you. You said he wanted to be in charge, but I know he only wanted to help God and make sure you are happy forever. |
| 2 Nephi 1:26 | And ye have murmured because he hath been plain unto you. Ye say that he hath used sharpness; ye say that he hath been angry with you; but behold, his sharpness was the sharpness of the power of the word of God, which was in him; and that which ye call anger was the truth, according to that which is in God, which he could not restrain, manifesting boldly concerning your iniquities. | You have complained because he spoke clearly to you. You say he spoke sharply and was angry. But his strong words were the power of God’s truth. What you call anger was his bold way of telling you the truth about your wrongdoings. |
| 2 Nephi 1:27 | And it must needs be that the power of God must be with him, even unto his commanding you that ye must obey. But behold, it was not he, but it was the Spirit of the Lord which was in him, which opened his mouth to utterance that he could not shut it. | God’s power was with him. He told you to listen. It wasn’t him speaking, but God’s Spirit inside him made him talk. He couldn’t keep quiet. |
| 2 Nephi 1:28 | And now my son, Laman, and also Lemuel and Sam, and also my sons who are the sons of Ishmael, behold, if ye will hearken unto the voice of Nephi ye shall not perish. And if ye will hearken unto him I leave unto you a blessing, yea, even my first blessing. | Listen, my sons Laman, Lemuel, Sam, and the sons of Ishmael. If you listen to Nephi, you will be safe. If you listen to him, I give you a big blessing, my very first blessing. |
| 2 Nephi 1:29 | But if ye will not hearken unto him I take away my first blessing, yea, even my blessing, and it shall rest upon him. | But if you won’t listen to him, I will take away my blessing. It will go to him instead. |
| 2 Nephi 1:30 | And now Zoram, I speak unto you: Behold, thou art the servant of Laban; nevertheless, thou hast been brought out of the land of Jerusalem, and I know that thou art a true friend unto my son, Nephi, forever. | Zoram, I am talking to you. You used to work for Laban. Now you are not in Jerusalem anymore. I know you are a good friend to my son, Nephi. |
| 2 Nephi 1:31 | Wherefore, because thou hast been faithful thy seed shall be blessed with his seed, that they dwell in prosperity long upon the face of this land; and nothing, save it shall be iniquity among them, shall harm or disturb their prosperity upon the face of this land forever. | Because you have been good, your children will be blessed. They will live happily on this land for a long time. Nothing will hurt them unless they do bad things. |
| 2 Nephi 1:32 | Wherefore, if ye shall keep the commandments of the Lord, the Lord hath consecrated this land for the security of thy seed with the seed of my son. | If you keep God’s rules, God has made this land safe for your children and my son’s children. |
2 Nephi 2
| Verse | Original | 4th Grade |
|---|---|---|
| 2 Nephi 2:1 | And now, Jacob, I speak unto you: Thou art my first-born in the days of my tribulation in the wilderness. And behold, in thy childhood thou hast suffered afflictions and much sorrow, because of the rudeness of thy brethren. | Jacob, I am talking to you. You are my first child when we were having a hard time in the wilderness. When you were a child, you had many problems and felt very sad because your brothers were mean to you. |
| 2 Nephi 2:2 | Nevertheless, Jacob, my first-born in the wilderness, thou knowest the greatness of God; and he shall consecrate thine afflictions for thy gain. | Still, Jacob, my first child in the wilderness, you know how great God is; and he will turn your troubles into good things for you. |
| 2 Nephi 2:3 | Wherefore, thy soul shall be blessed, and thou shalt dwell safely with thy brother, Nephi; and thy days shall be spent in the service of thy God. Wherefore, I know that thou art redeemed, because of the righteousness of thy Redeemer; for thou hast beheld that in the fulness of time he cometh to bring salvation unto men. | So, you will be happy and safe with your brother Nephi. You will spend your time helping God. I know you are saved because your Savior is good. You saw that he will come to save everyone. |
| 2 Nephi 2:4 | And thou hast beheld in thy youth his glory; wherefore, thou art blessed even as they unto whom he shall minister in the flesh; for the Spirit is the same, yesterday, today, and forever. And the way is prepared from the fall of man, and salvation is free. | You saw God’s greatness when you were young. Because of this, you are blessed like those Jesus will help in person. God’s Spirit stays the same forever. The way to be saved has been ready since the beginning, and being saved is free. |
| 2 Nephi 2:5 | And men are instructed sufficiently that they know good from evil. And the law is given unto men. And by the law no flesh is justified; or, by the law men are cut off. Yea, by the temporal law they were cut off; and also, by the spiritual law they perish from that which is good, and become miserable forever. | People are taught enough to know right from wrong. They are given rules to follow. But these rules alone cannot save them. By breaking these rules, people are separated from God. They are unhappy forever because they do not follow what is good. |
| 2 Nephi 2:6 | Wherefore, redemption cometh in and through the Holy Messiah; for he is full of grace and truth. | So, being saved happens because of Jesus. He is very kind and honest. |
| 2 Nephi 2:7 | Behold, he offereth himself a sacrifice for sin, to answer the ends of the law, unto all those who have a broken heart and a contrite spirit; and unto none else can the ends of the law be answered. | Look, Jesus gives himself to fix our mistakes. This helps everyone who feels sorry and wants to be good. It doesn’t work for anyone else. |
| 2 Nephi 2:8 | Wherefore, how great the importance to make these things known unto the inhabitants of the earth, that they may know that there is no flesh that can dwell in the presence of God, save it be through the merits, and mercy, and grace of the Holy Messiah, who layeth down his life according to the flesh, and taketh it again by the power of the Spirit, that he may bring to pass the resurrection of the dead, being the first that should rise. | It is very important to tell everyone on Earth that no one can live with God unless they are saved by Jesus, who died and came back to life so he could make it possible for everyone to live again after they die. |
| 2 Nephi 2:9 | Wherefore, he is the first-fruits unto God, inasmuch as he shall make intercession for all the children of men; and they that believe in him shall be saved. | So, he is the first one for God because he will help all people. Those who believe in him will be saved. |
| 2 Nephi 2:10 | And because of the intercession for all, all men come unto God; wherefore, they stand in the presence of him to be judged of him according to the truth and holiness which is in him. Wherefore, the ends of the law which the Holy One hath given, unto the inflicting of the punishment which is affixed, which punishment that is affixed is in opposition to that of the happiness which is affixed, to answer the ends of the atonement— | Everyone will come to God because of Jesus. Then everyone will be judged by God. The good people will be happy, and the bad people will be punished. This is part of God’s plan. |
| 2 Nephi 2:11 | For it must needs be, that there is an opposition in all things. If not so, my first-born in the wilderness, righteousness could not be brought to pass, neither wickedness, neither holiness nor misery, neither good nor bad. Wherefore, all things must needs be a compound in one; wherefore, if it should be one body it must needs remain as dead, having no life neither death, nor corruption nor incorruption, happiness nor misery, neither sense nor insensibility. | There has to be good and bad in everything. Without them, we couldn’t have right or wrong, happy or sad. Everything would just be the same and wouldn’t be alive or dead, happy or sad. |
| 2 Nephi 2:12 | Wherefore, it must needs have been created for a thing of naught; wherefore there would have been no purpose in the end of its creation. Wherefore, this thing must needs destroy the wisdom of God and his eternal purposes, and also the power, and the mercy, and the justice of God. | So, if it was made for nothing, there would be no reason for making it. This would ruin God’s wisdom, purposes, power, mercy, and justice. |
| 2 Nephi 2:13 | And if ye shall say there is no law, ye shall also say there is no sin. If ye shall say there is no sin, ye shall also say there is no righteousness. And if there be no righteousness there be no happiness. And if there be no righteousness nor happiness there be no punishment nor misery. And if these things are not there is no God. And if there is no God we are not, neither the earth; for there could have been no creation of things, neither to act nor to be acted upon; wherefore, all things must have vanished away. | If you say there is no law, then you also say there is no sin. If you say there is no sin, then you also say there is no right or good. If there is no good, there is no happiness. If there is no good or happiness, there is no punishment or sadness. If these things are not real, then there is no God. If there is no God, we are not here, and the earth is not here. Nothing would have been made. Everything would be gone. |
| 2 Nephi 2:14 | And now, my sons, I speak unto you these things for your profit and learning; for there is a God, and he hath created all things, both the heavens and the earth, and all things that in them are, both things to act and things to be acted upon. | Now, my sons, I tell you this to help you learn; there is a God who made everything, the sky and the earth, and all things in them. Some things can do stuff, and some things things have stuff done to them. |
| 2 Nephi 2:15 | And to bring about his eternal purposes in the end of man, after he had created our first parents, and the beasts of the field and the fowls of the air, and in fine, all things which are created, it must needs be that there was an opposition; even the forbidden fruit in opposition to the tree of life; the one being sweet and the other bitter. | God made everything, like people, animals, and birds. He did this so His big plan could happen. To make sure we could choose, He put two special trees in the garden. One tree had good fruit, and the other tree had bad fruit. |
| 2 Nephi 2:16 | Wherefore, the Lord God gave unto man that he should act for himself. Wherefore, man could not act for himself save it should be that he was enticed by the one or the other. | So, God let people choose for themselves. But people can only choose if they are tempted by good or bad things. |
| 2 Nephi 2:17 | And I, Lehi, according to the things which I have read, must needs suppose that an angel of God, according to that which is written, had fallen from heaven; wherefore, he became a devil, having sought that which was evil before God. | I, Lehi, read that an angel of God fell from heaven and became a devil because he wanted to do bad things. |
| 2 Nephi 2:18 | And because he had fallen from heaven, and had become miserable forever, he sought also the misery of all mankind. Wherefore, he said unto Eve, yea, even that old serpent, who is the devil, who is the father of all lies, wherefore he said: Partake of the forbidden fruit, and ye shall not die, but ye shall be as God, knowing good and evil. | Because he was sad and wanted everyone to be sad too, the devil, who lies a lot, told Eve to eat the fruit that God said not to eat. He lied and said, “You won’t die if you eat it. You will be like God and know good and bad.” |
| 2 Nephi 2:19 | And after Adam and Eve had partaken of the forbidden fruit they were driven out of the garden of Eden, to till the earth. | After Adam and Eve ate the fruit they weren’t supposed to eat, they had to leave the garden. Then, they had to work hard on the earth. |
| 2 Nephi 2:20 | And they have brought forth children; yea, even the family of all the earth. | They had kids, and now there are families all over the world. |
| 2 Nephi 2:21 | And the days of the children of men were prolonged, according to the will of God, that they might repent while in the flesh; wherefore, their state became a state of probation, and their time was lengthened, according to the commandments which the Lord God gave unto the children of men. For he gave commandment that all men must repent; for he showed unto all men that they were lost, because of the transgression of their parents. | God made people live longer so they could say sorry for their mistakes. This time was a test. God told everyone to say sorry because they were lost because of what their parents did wrong. |
| 2 Nephi 2:22 | And now, behold, if Adam had not transgressed he would not have fallen, but he would have remained in the garden of Eden. And all things which were created must have remained in the same state in which they were after they were created; and they must have remained forever, and had no end. | If Adam had not made a mistake, he would still be in the Garden of Eden. Everything would stay the same as when it was made, forever. |
| 2 Nephi 2:23 | And they would have had no children; wherefore they would have remained in a state of innocence, having no joy, for they knew no misery; doing no good, for they knew no sin. | And they would not have had any kids; so they would have stayed innocent, without joy because they did not know sadness; doing no good because they did not know what was wrong. |
| 2 Nephi 2:24 | But behold, all things have been done in the wisdom of him who knoweth all things. | But look, everything has been done wisely by the one who knows everything. |
| 2 Nephi 2:25 | Adam fell that men might be; and men are, that they might have joy. | Adam made a mistake so people could exist; and people exist so they can be happy. |
| 2 Nephi 2:26 | And the Messiah cometh in the fulness of time, that he may redeem the children of men from the fall. And because that they are redeemed from the fall they have become free forever, knowing good from evil; to act for themselves and not to be acted upon, save it be by the punishment of the law at the great and last day, according to the commandments which God hath given. | Jesus came to save people. Because he saved them, they can choose to do good or bad. They are free forever. God will judge them at the end of time. |
| 2 Nephi 2:27 | Wherefore, men are free according to the flesh; and all things are given them which are expedient unto man. And they are free to choose liberty and eternal life, through the great Mediator of all men, or to choose captivity and death, according to the captivity and power of the devil; for he seeketh that all men might be miserable like unto himself. | People can make their own choices. They can choose good things and have freedom and happiness with Jesus, or they can choose bad things and be sad like the devil. |
| 2 Nephi 2:28 | And now, my sons, I would that ye should look to the great Mediator, and hearken unto his great commandments; and be faithful unto his words, and choose eternal life, according to the will of his Holy Spirit; | Now, my sons, please look to the great Mediator. Listen to his big rules. Be true to his words. Choose to live forever, like his Holy Spirit wants. |
| 2 Nephi 2:29 | And not choose eternal death, according to the will of the flesh and the evil which is therein, which giveth the spirit of the devil power to captivate, to bring you down to hell, that he may reign over you in his own kingdom. | Don’t choose to follow bad things, which can lead you to be trapped by the devil and end up in a bad place where he controls you. |
| 2 Nephi 2:30 | I have spoken these few words unto you all, my sons, in the last days of my probation; and I have chosen the good part, according to the words of the prophet. And I have none other object save it be the everlasting welfare of your souls. Amen. | I have told you these things, my sons, as I get older. I have chosen the good way, like the prophet said. I only want your souls to be happy forever. Amen. |
2 Nephi 3
| Verse | Original | 4th Grade |
|---|---|---|
| 2 Nephi 3:1 | And now I speak unto you, Joseph, my last-born. Thou wast born in the wilderness of mine afflictions; yea, in the days of my greatest sorrow did thy mother bear thee. | Now I talk to you, Joseph, my youngest child. You were born when I had many troubles, yes, during my saddest times, your mother had you. |
| 2 Nephi 3:2 | And may the Lord consecrate also unto thee this land, which is a most precious land, for thine inheritance and the inheritance of thy seed with thy brethren, for thy security forever, if it so be that ye shall keep the commandments of the Holy One of Israel. | May the Lord make this land special for you and your family, for you to keep forever, if you follow the commandments of the Holy One of Israel. |
| 2 Nephi 3:3 | And now, Joseph, my last-born, whom I have brought out of the wilderness of mine afflictions, may the Lord bless thee forever, for thy seed shall not utterly be destroyed. | And now, Joseph, my youngest child, who I took care of when things were hard for me, I hope God blesses you always, and your family will never go away completely. |
| 2 Nephi 3:4 | For behold, thou art the fruit of my loins; and I am a descendant of Joseph who was carried captive into Egypt. And great were the covenants of the Lord which he made unto Joseph. | Look, you are part of my family. I am from Joseph’s family. Joseph was taken to Egypt. God made big promises to Joseph. |
| 2 Nephi 3:5 | Wherefore, Joseph truly saw our day. And he obtained a promise of the Lord, that out of the fruit of his loins the Lord God would raise up a righteous branch unto the house of Israel; not the Messiah, but a branch which was to be broken off, nevertheless, to be remembered in the covenants of the Lord that the Messiah should be made manifest unto them in the latter days, in the spirit of power, unto the bringing of them out of darkness unto light—yea, out of hidden darkness and out of captivity unto freedom. | Joseph saw our time. God promised him that one of his descendants would be a good leader for the Israelites. This person would not be Jesus, but someone important. They would remember God’s promises and help people find Jesus in the future, bringing them from darkness to light and from being trapped to being free. |
| 2 Nephi 3:6 | For Joseph truly testified, saying: A seer shall the Lord my God raise up, who shall be a choice seer unto the fruit of my loins. | Joseph said: God will raise a special seer from my family. |
| 2 Nephi 3:7 | Yea, Joseph truly said: Thus saith the Lord unto me: A choice seer will I raise up out of the fruit of thy loins; and he shall be esteemed highly among the fruit of thy loins. And unto him will I give commandment that he shall do a work for the fruit of thy loins, his brethren, which shall be of great worth unto them, even to the bringing of them to the knowledge of the covenants which I have made with thy fathers. | Yes, Joseph said: The Lord told me, I will raise up a special leader from your children. He will be very important to them. I will give him work to do that will help your children know the promises I made to your fathers. |
| 2 Nephi 3:8 | And I will give unto him a commandment that he shall do none other work, save the work which I shall command him. And I will make him great in mine eyes; for he shall do my work. | I will tell him only to do the work I give him. I will make him important because he will do my work. |
| 2 Nephi 3:9 | And he shall be great like unto Moses, whom I have said I would raise up unto you, to deliver my people, O house of Israel. | He will be as great as Moses, who will help my people, O house of Israel. |
| 2 Nephi 3:10 | And Moses will I raise up, to deliver thy people out of the land of Egypt. | I will send Moses to help your people leave Egypt. |
| 2 Nephi 3:11 | But a seer will I raise up out of the fruit of thy loins; and unto him will I give power to bring forth my word unto the seed of thy loins—and not to the bringing forth my word only, saith the Lord, but to the convincing them of my word, which shall have already gone forth among them. | I will choose a special person from your family. I will give him power to tell my words to your children. He will help them understand and believe in my words, says the Lord. |
| 2 Nephi 3:12 | Wherefore, the fruit of thy loins shall write; and the fruit of the loins of Judah shall write; and that which shall be written by the fruit of thy loins, and also that which shall be written by the fruit of the loins of Judah, shall grow together, unto the confounding of false doctrines and laying down of contentions, and establishing peace among the fruit of thy loins, and bringing them to the knowledge of their fathers in the latter days, and also to the knowledge of my covenants, saith the Lord. | So, the children from your family will write; and the children from Judah’s family will write; and the things written by your family and Judah’s family will come together to stop wrong teachings and arguments, to make peace, and to help your children learn about their past and my promises, says the Lord. |
| 2 Nephi 3:13 | And out of weakness he shall be made strong, in that day when my work shall commence among all my people, unto the restoring thee, O house of Israel, saith the Lord. | During a time when he feels weak, he will become strong. This will happen when I start my work with all my people to help you, house of Israel, says the Lord. |
| 2 Nephi 3:14 | And thus prophesied Joseph, saying: Behold, that seer will the Lord bless; and they that seek to destroy him shall be confounded; for this promise, which I have obtained of the Lord, of the fruit of my loins, shall be fulfilled. Behold, I am sure of the fulfilling of this promise; | Joseph said: Look, the Lord will bless the special man. Anyone who tries to hurt him will be stopped. This promise from the Lord will come true. I am sure of it. |
| 2 Nephi 3:15 | And his name shall be called after me; and it shall be after the name of his father. And he shall be like unto me; for the thing, which the Lord shall bring forth by his hand, by the power of the Lord shall bring my people unto salvation. | His name will be the same as mine and his father’s. He will be like me. What he does with the Lord’s help will save my people. |
| 2 Nephi 3:16 | Yea, thus prophesied Joseph: I am sure of this thing, even as I am sure of the promise of Moses; for the Lord hath said unto me, I will preserve thy seed forever. | Joseph said: I know this will happen, just like I know Moses’ promise. The Lord told me He will keep my children safe forever. |
| 2 Nephi 3:17 | And the Lord hath said: I will raise up a Moses; and I will give power unto him in a rod; and I will give judgment unto him in writing. Yet I will not loose his tongue, that he shall speak much, for I will not make him mighty in speaking. But I will write unto him my law, by the finger of mine own hand; and I will make a spokesman for him. | God said: I will send Moses. He will have a special stick. I will help him know right and wrong. But he will not talk a lot because he is not a strong speaker. I will write my law for him, and I will give him someone to speak for him. |
| 2 Nephi 3:18 | And the Lord said unto me also: I will raise up unto the fruit of thy loins; and I will make for him a spokesman. And I, behold, I will give unto him that he shall write the writing of the fruit of thy loins, unto the fruit of thy loins; and the spokesman of thy loins shall declare it. | The Lord said to me: I will help your family. I will give them someone to speak for them. I will help someone in your family to write things down, and another person will tell everyone about it. |
| 2 Nephi 3:19 | And the words which he shall write shall be the words which are expedient in my wisdom should go forth unto the fruit of thy loins. And it shall be as if the fruit of thy loins had cried unto them from the dust; for I know their faith. | He will write down the important words I want your children to read. It will be like your children are speaking to them from the ground because I know they have faith. |
| 2 Nephi 3:20 | And they shall cry from the dust; yea, even repentance unto their brethren, even after many generations have gone by them. And it shall come to pass that their cry shall go, even according to the simpleness of their words. | They will call out from the ground; they will ask their brothers to be sorry, even after many years have passed. Their call will be heard because their words are simple. |
| 2 Nephi 3:21 | Because of their faith their words shall proceed forth out of my mouth unto their brethren who are the fruit of thy loins; and the weakness of their words will I make strong in their faith, unto the remembering of my covenant which I made unto thy fathers. | Because they have faith, I will share their words with their family. Even if their words seem weak, I will make them strong because they believe in me and remember the promise I made to their ancestors. |
| 2 Nephi 3:22 | And now, behold, my son Joseph, after this manner did my father of old prophesy. | My son Joseph, listen. A long time ago, my father made a prophecy. |
| 2 Nephi 3:23 | Wherefore, because of this covenant thou art blessed; for thy seed shall not be destroyed, for they shall hearken unto the words of the book. | So, because of this promise, you are blessed. Your children will not be destroyed because they will listen to the words of the book. |
| 2 Nephi 3:24 | And there shall rise up one mighty among them, who shall do much good, both in word and in deed, being an instrument in the hands of God, with exceeding faith, to work mighty wonders, and do that thing which is great in the sight of God, unto the bringing to pass much restoration unto the house of Israel, and unto the seed of thy brethren. | Someone very strong will come. He will do many good things and help a lot. He has great faith in God. He will do amazing things. This will help bring back good things to the people of Israel and your brothers. |
| 2 Nephi 3:25 | And now, blessed art thou, Joseph. Behold, thou art little; wherefore hearken unto the words of thy brother, Nephi, and it shall be done unto thee even according to the words which I have spoken. Remember the words of thy dying father. Amen. | Now Joseph, you are blessed. You are small; so listen to your brother Nephi. He will do what I have said. Remember your father’s words. Amen. |
2 Nephi 4
| Verse | Original | 4th Grade |
|---|---|---|
| 2 Nephi 4:1 | And now, I, Nephi, speak concerning the prophecies of which my father hath spoken, concerning Joseph, who was carried into Egypt. | Now I, Nephi, talk about the things my father said. He talked about Joseph, who was taken to Egypt. |
| 2 Nephi 4:2 | For behold, he truly prophesied concerning all his seed. And the prophecies which he wrote, there are not many greater. And he prophesied concerning us, and our future generations; and they are written upon the plates of brass. | He talked about what would happen to his family. What he wrote was very important. He also talked about us and our children. These words are written on the brass plates. |
| 2 Nephi 4:3 | Wherefore, after my father had made an end of speaking concerning the prophecies of Joseph, he called the children of Laman, his sons, and his daughters, and said unto them: Behold, my sons, and my daughters, who are the sons and the daughters of my first-born, I would that ye should give ear unto my words. | After my father finished talking about Joseph, he called Laman’s children. He said, “Listen to me, my sons and daughters.” |
| 2 Nephi 4:4 | For the Lord God hath said that: Inasmuch as ye shall keep my commandments ye shall prosper in the land; and inasmuch as ye will not keep my commandments ye shall be cut off from my presence. | God said, “If you listen to my rules, you will do well and be happy in the land. If you do not listen, you will not be close to me.” |
| 2 Nephi 4:5 | But behold, my sons and my daughters, I cannot go down to my grave save I should leave a blessing upon you; for behold, I know that if ye are brought up in the way ye should go ye will not depart from it. | But listen, my sons and daughters. Before I die, I need to give you a blessing. I know that if you learn the right way, you will always follow it. |
| 2 Nephi 4:6 | Wherefore, if ye are cursed, behold, I leave my blessing upon you, that the cursing may be taken from you and be answered upon the heads of your parents. | So, if you are cursed, I give you my blessing so that the curse can go away and be put on your parents instead. |
| 2 Nephi 4:7 | Wherefore, because of my blessing the Lord God will not suffer that ye shall perish; wherefore, he will be merciful unto you and unto your seed forever. | Because of my blessing, God will not let you die. He will always be kind to you and your children. |
| 2 Nephi 4:8 | And it came to pass that after my father had made an end of speaking to the sons and daughters of Laman, he caused the sons and daughters of Lemuel to be brought before him. | After my dad finished talking to Laman’s sons and daughters, he asked Lemuel’s sons and daughters to come to him. |
| 2 Nephi 4:9 | And he spake unto them, saying: Behold, my sons and my daughters, who are the sons and the daughters of my second son; behold I leave unto you the same blessing which I left unto the sons and daughters of Laman; wherefore, thou shalt not utterly be destroyed; but in the end thy seed shall be blessed. | He talked to them and said: Look, my sons and daughters, you are the children of my second son. I give you the same blessing I gave to Laman’s children. You will not be destroyed completely. In the end, your children will be blessed. |
| 2 Nephi 4:10 | And it came to pass that when my father had made an end of speaking unto them, behold, he spake unto the sons of Ishmael, yea, and even all his household. | After my dad finished talking to everyone, he talked to Ishmael’s sons and their families too. |
| 2 Nephi 4:11 | And after he had made an end of speaking unto them, he spake unto Sam, saying: Blessed art thou, and thy seed; for thou shall inherit the land like unto thy brother Nephi. And thy seed shall be numbered with his seed; and thou shalt be even like unto thy brother, and thy seed like unto his seed; and thou shalt be blessed in all thy days. | After he finished talking to them, he spoke to Sam. He said, “You and your children are blessed. You will have land just like your brother Nephi. Your children will be counted with his children. You will be like your brother, and your children will be like his children. You will be blessed all your life.” |
| 2 Nephi 4:12 | And it came to pass after my father, Lehi, had spoken unto all his household, according to the feelings of his heart and the Spirit of the Lord which was in him, he waxed old. And it came to pass that he died, and was buried. | After my father, Lehi, talked to all his family with love and the Spirit of the Lord, he got old. Then he died and was buried. |
| 2 Nephi 4:13 | And it came to pass that not many days after his death, Laman and Lemuel and the sons of Ishmael were angry with me because of the admonitions of the Lord. | A few days after he died, Laman, Lemuel, and the sons of Ishmael were mad at me because of what the Lord told me to say. |
| 2 Nephi 4:14 | For I, Nephi, was constrained to speak unto them, according to his word; for I had spoken many things unto them, and also my father, before his death; many of which sayings are written upon mine other plates; for a more history part are written upon mine other plates. | I, Nephi, had to talk to them because of God’s word. I had already said many things to them, and my father did too before he died. Many of these things are written on my other plates. |
| 2 Nephi 4:15 | And upon these I write the things of my soul, and many of the scriptures which are engraven upon the plates of brass. For my soul delighteth in the scriptures, and my heart pondereth them, and writeth them for the learning and the profit of my children. | I write down the things I feel in my heart and many of the holy words from the plates of brass. I love these holy words and think about them a lot. I write them so my children can learn and benefit from them. |
| 2 Nephi 4:16 | Behold, my soul delighteth in the things of the Lord; and my heart pondereth continually upon the things which I have seen and heard. | I love everything that God does, and I always think about the things I have seen and heard. |
| 2 Nephi 4:17 | Nevertheless, notwithstanding the great goodness of the Lord, in showing me his great and marvelous works, my heart exclaimeth: O wretched man that I am! Yea, my heart sorroweth because of my flesh; my soul grieveth because of mine iniquities. | Even though the Lord is very good and shows me amazing things, I feel sad and say: Oh, I am not good! I feel bad because of my sins. |
| 2 Nephi 4:18 | I am encompassed about, because of the temptations and the sins which do so easily beset me. | I feel trapped because of the temptations and mistakes that bother me. |
| 2 Nephi 4:19 | And when I desire to rejoice, my heart groaneth because of my sins; nevertheless, I know in whom I have trusted. | When I want to be happy, I feel sad because of my mistakes. But I still know who I trust. |
| 2 Nephi 4:20 | My God hath been my support; he hath led me through mine afflictions in the wilderness; and he hath preserved me upon the waters of the great deep. | God has helped me; He was with me when I was sad and lost; and He kept me safe on the big ocean. |
| 2 Nephi 4:21 | He hath filled me with his love, even unto the consuming of my flesh. | He made me feel so much love that it filled up my whole body. |
| 2 Nephi 4:22 | He hath confounded mine enemies, unto the causing of them to quake before me. | He made my enemies so scared that they shook in front of me. |
| 2 Nephi 4:23 | Behold, he hath heard my cry by day, and he hath given me knowledge by visions in the nighttime. | Look, he heard me when I cried during the day, and he gave me knowledge through dreams at night. |
| 2 Nephi 4:24 | And by day have I waxed bold in mighty prayer before him; yea, my voice have I sent up on high; and angels came down and ministered unto me. | During the day, I prayed strongly to Him. I called out loudly. Angels came down and helped me. |
| 2 Nephi 4:25 | And upon the wings of his Spirit hath my body been carried away upon exceedingly high mountains. And mine eyes have beheld great things, yea, even too great for man; therefore I was bidden that I should not write them. | The Spirit has carried me high up on the mountains. I saw amazing things, but I was told not to write about them. |
| 2 Nephi 4:26 | O then, if I have seen so great things, if the Lord in his condescension unto the children of men hath visited men in so much mercy, why should my heart weep and my soul linger in the valley of sorrow, and my flesh waste away, and my strength slacken, because of mine afflictions? | If I have seen so many good things, and the Lord has been so kind to people, why should I be sad and weak because of my troubles? |
| 2 Nephi 4:27 | And why should I yield to sin, because of my flesh? Yea, why should I give way to temptations, that the evil one have place in my heart to destroy my peace and afflict my soul? Why am I angry because of mine enemy? | Why should I do bad things just because my body wants to? Why should I let bad things into my heart to make me sad? Why am I mad at my enemy? |
| 2 Nephi 4:28 | Awake, my soul! No longer droop in sin. Rejoice, O my heart, and give place no more for the enemy of my soul. | Wake up, my soul! Don’t be sad because of sin. Be happy, my heart, and don’t let bad things take over. |
| 2 Nephi 4:29 | Do not anger again because of mine enemies. Do not slacken my strength because of mine afflictions. | Don’t get mad because of my enemies. Don’t make me weak because of my troubles. |
| 2 Nephi 4:30 | Rejoice, O my heart, and cry unto the Lord, and say: O Lord, I will praise thee forever; yea, my soul will rejoice in thee, my God, and the rock of my salvation. | Be happy, my heart, and talk to the Lord. Say: O Lord, I will thank you forever. My soul will be happy in you, my God, and my safe place. |
| 2 Nephi 4:31 | O Lord, wilt thou redeem my soul? Wilt thou deliver me out of the hands of mine enemies? Wilt thou make me that I may shake at the appearance of sin? | Dear God, can you save my soul? Can you keep me safe from my enemies? Can you help me be afraid of doing bad things? |
| 2 Nephi 4:32 | May the gates of hell be shut continually before me, because that my heart is broken and my spirit is contrite! O Lord, wilt thou not shut the gates of thy righteousness before me, that I may walk in the path of the low valley, that I may be strict in the plain road! | Please, God, keep me safe from bad things because I am sorry and want to do better. Help me stay on the right path and follow the rules. |
| 2 Nephi 4:33 | O Lord, wilt thou encircle me around in the robe of thy righteousness! O Lord, wilt thou make a way for mine escape before mine enemies! Wilt thou make my path straight before me! Wilt thou not place a stumbling block in my way—but that thou wouldst clear my way before me, and hedge not up my way, but the ways of mine enemy. | Dear God, please cover me with your love and goodness. Dear God, please help me get away from my enemies. Please make my path straight and clear. Please do not put anything in my way, but block the way of my enemies. |
| 2 Nephi 4:34 | O Lord, I have trusted in thee, and I will trust in thee forever. I will not put my trust in the arm of flesh; for I know that cursed is he that putteth his trust in the arm of flesh. Yea, cursed is he that putteth his trust in man or maketh flesh his arm. | Lord, I trust you now and always. I will not trust people more than you. It is bad to trust people more than God. |
| 2 Nephi 4:35 | Yea, I know that God will give liberally to him that asketh. Yea, my God will give me, if I ask not amiss; therefore I will lift up my voice unto thee; yea, I will cry unto thee, my God, the rock of my righteousness. Behold, my voice shall forever ascend up unto thee, my rock and mine everlasting God. Amen. | I know God will give to those who ask. If I ask for good things, God will give them to me. So, I will pray to God. I know my prayers will always reach God. Amen. |
2 Nephi 5
| Verse | Original | 4th Grade |
|---|---|---|
| 2 Nephi 5:1 | Behold, it came to pass that I, Nephi, did cry much unto the Lord my God, because of the anger of my brethren. | I, Nephi, prayed a lot to God because my brothers were angry. |
| 2 Nephi 5:2 | But behold, their anger did increase against me, insomuch that they did seek to take away my life. | But they got even more mad at me, so much that they wanted to hurt me. |
| 2 Nephi 5:3 | Yea, they did murmur against me, saying: Our younger brother thinks to rule over us; and we have had much trial because of him; wherefore, now let us slay him, that we may not be afflicted more because of his words. For behold, we will not have him to be our ruler; for it belongs unto us, who are the elder brethren, to rule over this people. | Yes, they complained about me, saying: Our younger brother thinks he can be our boss; and he has caused us many problems. So, let’s kill him, so we won’t have more troubles because of him. We don’t want him to be our leader; we think we should be the leaders because we are older. |
| 2 Nephi 5:4 | Now I do not write upon these plates all the words which they murmured against me. But it sufficeth me to say, that they did seek to take away my life. | I am not writing all the things they said against me. But I will tell you that they tried to kill me. |
| 2 Nephi 5:5 | And it came to pass that the Lord did warn me, that I, Nephi, should depart from them and flee into the wilderness, and all those who would go with me. | Then the Lord told me, Nephi, to leave and go into the wilderness with anyone who would come with me. |
| 2 Nephi 5:6 | Wherefore, it came to pass that I, Nephi, did take my family, and also Zoram and his family, and Sam, mine elder brother and his family, and Jacob and Joseph, my younger brethren, and also my sisters, and all those who would go with me. And all those who would go with me were those who believed in the warnings and the revelations of God; wherefore, they did hearken unto my words. | So, I, Nephi, took my family and Zoram’s family and my older brother Sam’s family and my younger brothers Jacob and Joseph and my sisters and everyone who wanted to come with me. Everyone who came with me believed in God’s warnings and messages, so they listened to me. |
| 2 Nephi 5:7 | And we did take our tents and whatsoever things were possible for us, and did journey in the wilderness for the space of many days. And after we had journeyed for the space of many days we did pitch our tents. | We took our tents and other things we could carry, and traveled in the wilderness for many days. After many days, we set up our tents. |
| 2 Nephi 5:8 | And my people would that we should call the name of the place Nephi; wherefore, we did call it Nephi. | My people wanted to call the place Nephi, so we named it Nephi. |
| 2 Nephi 5:9 | And all those who were with me did take upon them to call themselves the people of Nephi. | And all the people who were with me started calling themselves Nephi’s people. |
| 2 Nephi 5:10 | And we did observe to keep the judgments, and the statutes, and the commandments of the Lord in all things according to the law of Moses. | We did follow all the rules and commands of the Lord, just like the law of Moses says. |
| 2 Nephi 5:11 | And the Lord was with us; and we did prosper exceedingly; for we did sow seed, and we did reap again in abundance. And we began to raise flocks, and herds, and animals of every kind. | God was with us and we did very well. We planted seeds and got lots of food. We also started to have many animals. |
| 2 Nephi 5:12 | And I, Nephi, had also brought the records which were engraven upon the plates of brass; and also the ball, or compass, which was prepared for my father by the hand of the Lord, according to that which is written. | I, Nephi, brought the brass plates with writing on them, and also the ball (compass) that the Lord made for my father. |
| 2 Nephi 5:13 | And it came to pass that we began to prosper exceedingly, and to multiply in the land. | We started to do very well and had many children in the land. |
| 2 Nephi 5:14 | And I, Nephi, did take the sword of Laban, and after the manner of it did make many swords, lest by any means the people who were now called Lamanites should come upon us and destroy us; for I knew their hatred towards me and my children and those who were called my people. | I, Nephi, took Laban’s sword and made many swords like it so the Lamanites wouldn’t come and hurt us because they hated us. |
| 2 Nephi 5:15 | And I did teach my people to build buildings, and to work in all manner of wood, and of iron, and of copper, and of brass, and of steel, and of gold, and of silver, and of precious ores, which were in great abundance. | I taught my people to make houses and work with wood, iron, copper, brass, steel, gold, silver, and other precious metals. |
| 2 Nephi 5:16 | And I, Nephi, did build a temple; and I did construct it after the manner of the temple of Solomon save it were not built of so many precious things; for they were not to be found upon the land, wherefore, it could not be built like unto Solomon—s temple. But the manner of the construction was like unto the temple of Solomon; and the workmanship thereof was exceedingly fine. | I, Nephi, built a temple. I made it like Solomon’s temple but with fewer fancy things because we didn’t have them. Even though it was simpler, the building was very well made. |
| 2 Nephi 5:17 | And it came to pass that I, Nephi, did cause my people to be industrious, and to labor with their hands. | So, I, Nephi, made my people work hard and use their hands to do jobs. |
| 2 Nephi 5:18 | And it came to pass that they would that I should be their king. But I, Nephi, was desirous that they should have no king; nevertheless, I did for them according to that which was in my power. | They wanted me to be their king. But I, Nephi, did not want them to have a king. Still, I helped them as much as I could. |
| 2 Nephi 5:19 | And behold, the words of the Lord had been fulfilled unto my brethren, which he spake concerning them, that I should be their ruler and their teacher. Wherefore, I had been their ruler and their teacher, according to the commandments of the Lord, until the time they sought to take away my life. | The Lord’s words came true. He said I would lead and teach my brothers. So I did, until they wanted to hurt me. |
| 2 Nephi 5:20 | Wherefore, the word of the Lord was fulfilled which he spake unto me, saying that: Inasmuch as they will not hearken unto thy words they shall be cut off from the presence of the Lord. And behold, they were cut off from his presence. | So, what God said happened. He told me that if the people did not listen, they would be sent away from Him. And they were sent away from Him. |
| 2 Nephi 5:21 | And he had caused the cursing to come upon them, yea, even a sore cursing, because of their iniquity. For behold, they had hardened their hearts against him, that they had become like unto a flint; wherefore, as they were white, and exceedingly fair and delightsome, that they might not be enticing unto my people the Lord God did cause a skin of blackness to come upon them. | God made a curse come upon them because they did bad things. They had hard hearts like rocks. They used to have light skin and looked nice, but God made their skin dark so they wouldn’t be attractive to my people. |
| 2 Nephi 5:22 | And thus saith the Lord God: I will cause that they shall be loathsome unto thy people, save they shall repent of their iniquities. | And this is what God says: I will make them disliked by your people, unless they say sorry for their bad actions. |
| 2 Nephi 5:23 | And cursed shall be the seed of him that mixeth with their seed; for they shall be cursed even with the same cursing. And the Lord spake it, and it was done. | God said that anyone who mixes their family with bad people will be cursed. And it really happened. |
| 2 Nephi 5:24 | And because of their cursing which was upon them they did become an idle people, full of mischief and subtlety, and did seek in the wilderness for beasts of prey. | Because they were cursed, they became lazy people who liked to do bad things. They went into the forest to hunt animals. |
| 2 Nephi 5:25 | And the Lord God said unto me: They shall be a scourge unto thy seed, to stir them up in remembrance of me; and inasmuch as they will not remember me, and hearken unto my words, they shall scourge them even unto destruction. | God told me: They will hurt your children to make them remember me. If they don’t remember me and listen to my words, they will keep hurting them until they are destroyed. |
| 2 Nephi 5:26 | And it came to pass that I, Nephi, did consecrate Jacob and Joseph, that they should be priests and teachers over the land of my people. | I, Nephi, made Jacob and Joseph priests and teachers for my people. |
| 2 Nephi 5:27 | And it came to pass that we lived after the manner of happiness. | And we were happy. |
| 2 Nephi 5:28 | And thirty years had passed away from the time we left Jerusalem. | And thirty years passed since we left Jerusalem. |
| 2 Nephi 5:29 | And I, Nephi, had kept the records upon my plates, which I had made, of my people thus far. | I, Nephi, wrote about my people on the plates I made. |
| 2 Nephi 5:30 | And it came to pass that the Lord God said unto me: Make other plates; and thou shalt engraven many things upon them which are good in my sight, for the profit of thy people. | The Lord God told me to make new plates and write good things on them to help my people. |
| 2 Nephi 5:31 | Wherefore, I, Nephi, to be obedient to the commandments of the Lord, went and made these plates upon which I have engraven these things. | So, I, Nephi, obeyed the Lord and made these plates to write on. |
| 2 Nephi 5:32 | And I engraved that which is pleasing unto God. And if my people are pleased with the things of God they will be pleased with mine engravings which are upon these plates. | I wrote things that make God happy. If my people love God’s things, they will love what I wrote on these plates. |
| 2 Nephi 5:33 | And if my people desire to know the more particular part of the history of my people they must search mine other plates. | If my people want to know more details about our history, they need to read my other plates. |
| 2 Nephi 5:34 | And it sufficeth me to say that forty years had passed away, and we had already had wars and contentions with our brethren. | Forty years went by. We had fights with our brothers. |
2 Nephi 6
| Verse | Original | 4th Grade |
|---|---|---|
| 2 Nephi 6:1 | The words of Jacob, the brother of Nephi, which he spake unto the people of Nephi: | The words of Jacob, Nephi’s brother, that he said to the people of Nephi: |
| 2 Nephi 6:2 | Behold, my beloved brethren, I, Jacob, having been called of God, and ordained after the manner of his holy order, and having been consecrated by my brother Nephi, unto whom ye look as a king or a protector, and on whom ye depend for safety, behold ye know that I have spoken unto you exceedingly many things. | Look, my dear brothers. I am Jacob. God called me and chose me. My brother Nephi made me a leader. You see Nephi as a king or protector. You trust him for safety. I have told you many things. |
| 2 Nephi 6:3 | Nevertheless, I speak unto you again; for I am desirous for the welfare of your souls. Yea, mine anxiety is great for you; and ye yourselves know that it ever has been. For I have exhorted you with all diligence; and I have taught you the words of my father; and I have spoken unto you concerning all things which are written, from the creation of the world. | I want to talk to you again because I care about you. I worry a lot about you, and you know I always have. I have tried very hard to help you. I have taught you what my father said and talked to you about everything from the beginning of the world. |
| 2 Nephi 6:4 | And now, behold, I would speak unto you concerning things which are, and which are to come; wherefore, I will read you the words of Isaiah. And they are the words which my brother has desired that I should speak unto you. And I speak unto you for your sakes, that ye may learn and glorify the name of your God. | Now listen, I want to talk to you about things now and things in the future. I will read Isaiah’s words to you. My brother wants me to share these words with you. I talk to you so you can learn and praise God. |
| 2 Nephi 6:5 | And now, the words which I shall read are they which Isaiah spake concerning all the house of Israel; wherefore, they may be likened unto you, for ye are of the house of Israel. And there are many things which have been spoken by Isaiah which may be likened unto you, because ye are of the house of Israel. | I am going to read words from Isaiah. These words are for the people of Israel. You are like the people of Israel. Isaiah said many things that are also for you because you are like the people of Israel. |
| 2 Nephi 6:6 | And now these are the words: Thus saith the Lord God: Behold, I will lift up mine hand to the Gentiles, and set up my standard to the people; and they shall bring thy sons in their arms, and thy daughters shall be carried upon their shoulders. | Here are the words: God says, “Look, I will show a sign to people who are not Israelites. They will come and help you. They will carry your sons and daughters.” |
| 2 Nephi 6:7 | And kings shall be thy nursing fathers, and their queens thy nursing mothers; they shall bow down to thee with their faces towards the earth, and lick up the dust of thy feet; and thou shalt know that I am the Lord; for they shall not be ashamed that wait for me. | Kings and queens will take care of you. They will bow down to you and honor you. You will know that I am the Lord. Those who wait for me will not be ashamed. |
| 2 Nephi 6:8 | And now I, Jacob, would speak somewhat concerning these words. For behold, the Lord has shown me that those who were at Jerusalem, from whence we came, have been slain and carried away captive. | Now I, Jacob, want to talk a little about these things. The Lord showed me that the people in Jerusalem, where we used to live, have been killed or taken away as prisoners. |
| 2 Nephi 6:9 | Nevertheless, the Lord has shown unto me that they should return again. And he also has shown unto me that the Lord God, the Holy One of Israel, should manifest himself unto them in the flesh; and after he should manifest himself they should scourge him and crucify him, according to the words of the angel who spake it unto me. | But the Lord told me they would come back. He also told me that God, the Holy One of Israel, would come to them as a man. After He comes, they will hurt Him and put Him on a cross, just like the angel told me. |
| 2 Nephi 6:10 | And after they have hardened their hearts and stiffened their necks against the Holy One of Israel, behold the judgments of the Holy One of Israel shall come upon them. And the day cometh that they shall be smitten and afflicted. | After they stop listening to the Holy One of Israel, they will face His judgments. The day will come when they will be hurt and suffer. |
| 2 Nephi 6:11 | Wherefore, after they are driven to and fro, for thus saith the angel, many shall be afflicted in the flesh, and shall not be suffered to perish, because of the prayers of the faithful; they shall be scattered, and smitten, and hated; nevertheless, the Lord will be merciful unto them, that when they shall come to the knowledge of their Redeemer, they shall be gathered together again to the lands of their inheritance. | After they are moved around, many people will get hurt. They won’t die because good people pray for them. They will be scattered and hurt and hated. But God will be kind to them. When they learn about their Savior, they will come back together to their own land. |
| 2 Nephi 6:12 | And blessed are the Gentiles, they of whom the prophet has written; for behold, if it so be that they shall repent and fight not against Zion, and do not unite themselves to that great and abominable church, they shall be saved; for the Lord God will fulfil his covenants which he has made unto his children; and for this cause the prophet has written these things. | The Gentiles are blessed. The prophet wrote about them. If they say sorry for their mistakes and do not fight against Zion, and do not join the bad church, they will be safe. God will keep his promises to his children. This is why the prophet wrote these things. |
| 2 Nephi 6:13 | Wherefore, they that fight against Zion and the covenant people of the Lord shall lick up the dust of their feet; and the people of the Lord shall not be ashamed. For the people of the Lord are they who wait for him; for they still wait for the coming of the Messiah. | If someone fights against the good people of God, they will be very sorry. The good people of God will not be embarrassed. They are waiting for Jesus to come. |
| 2 Nephi 6:14 | And behold, according to the words of the prophet, the Messiah will set himself again the second time to recover them; wherefore, he will manifest himself unto them in power and great glory, unto the destruction of their enemies, when that day cometh when they shall believe in him; and none will he destroy that believe in him. | The prophet said that the Messiah will come back to help the people. He will show his power and make their enemies go away. He will not hurt anyone who believes in him. |
| 2 Nephi 6:15 | And they that believe not in him shall be destroyed, both by fire, and by tempest, and by earthquakes, and by bloodsheds, and by pestilence, and by famine. And they shall know that the Lord is God, the Holy One of Israel. | People who do not believe in Him will be destroyed by fire, storms, earthquakes, fighting, sickness, and hunger. Then they will know that the Lord is God. |
| 2 Nephi 6:16 | For shall the prey be taken from the mighty, or the lawful captive delivered? | Can a strong person lose what they have caught, or can a prisoner be set free? |
| 2 Nephi 6:17 | But thus saith the Lord: Even the captives of the mighty shall be taken away, and the prey of the terrible shall be delivered; for the Mighty God shall deliver his covenant people. For thus saith the Lord: I will contend with them that contendeth with thee— | But this is what the Lord says: The strong people who are captured will be freed, and the scared people will be saved. God will save His people. God also says: I will fight those who fight you. |
| 2 Nephi 6:18 | And I will feed them that oppress thee, with their own flesh; and they shall be drunken with their own blood as with sweet wine; and all flesh shall know that I the Lord am thy Savior and thy Redeemer, the Mighty One of Jacob. | I will make those who hurt you eat their own flesh and drink their own blood like sweet wine. Everyone will know that I, the Lord, am your Savior and Redeemer, the Mighty One of Jacob. |
2 Nephi 7
| Verse | Original | 4th Grade |
|---|---|---|
| 2 Nephi 7:1 | Yea, for thus saith the Lord: Have I put thee away, or have I cast thee off forever? For thus saith the Lord: Where is the bill of your mother—s divorcement? To whom have I put thee away, or to which of my creditors have I sold you? Yea, to whom have I sold you? Behold, for your iniquities have ye sold yourselves, and for your transgressions is your mother put away. | This is what the Lord says: Have I left you or sent you away forever? Where is the paper that says your mother is no longer with me? To whom have I sent you away or sold you? No one. You did this because of your bad actions and wrong choices. |
| 2 Nephi 7:2 | Wherefore, when I came, there was no man; when I called, yea, there was none to answer. O house of Israel, is my hand shortened at all that it cannot redeem, or have I no power to deliver? Behold, at my rebuke I dry up the sea, I make their rivers a wilderness and their fish to stink because the waters are dried up, and they die because of thirst. | When I came, no one was there. When I called, no one answered. People of Israel, do you think I cannot save you? I can dry up the sea and rivers, making the fish die because there is no water. |
| 2 Nephi 7:3 | I clothe the heavens with blackness, and I make sackcloth their covering. | I make the sky dark and cover it like a rough cloth. |
| 2 Nephi 7:4 | The Lord God hath given me the tongue of the learned, that I should know how to speak a word in season unto thee, O house of Israel. When ye are weary he waketh morning by morning. He waketh mine ear to hear as the learned. | God gave me the words to help you, people of Israel, when you are tired. He wakes me up every morning to listen and learn. |
| 2 Nephi 7:5 | The Lord God hath opened mine ear, and I was not rebellious, neither turned away back. | The Lord God talked to me, and I listened. I did not say no or go the other way. |
| 2 Nephi 7:6 | I gave my back to the smiter, and my cheeks to them that plucked off the hair. I hid not my face from shame and spitting. | I let people hit my back and pull hair from my cheeks. I did not hide my face from being hurt and spit on. |
| 2 Nephi 7:7 | For the Lord God will help me, therefore shall I not be confounded. Therefore have I set my face like a flint, and I know that I shall not be ashamed. | God will help me, so I will not be confused. I am strong like a rock, and I know I will not feel bad. |
| 2 Nephi 7:8 | And the Lord is near, and he justifieth me. Who will contend with me? Let us stand together. Who is mine adversary? Let him come near me, and I will smite him with the strength of my mouth. | The Lord is close to me, and He makes me good. Who will fight with me? Let’s stand together. Who is against me? Let him come near me, and I will speak strongly to him. |
| 2 Nephi 7:9 | For the Lord God will help me. And all they who shall condemn me, behold, all they shall wax old as a garment, and the moth shall eat them up. | God will help me. People who are mean to me will get old and be eaten by moths. |
| 2 Nephi 7:10 | Who is among you that feareth the Lord, that obeyeth the voice of his servant, that walketh in darkness and hath no light? | Who among you respects the Lord, listens to his servant, and is in the dark with no light? |
| 2 Nephi 7:11 | Behold all ye that kindle fire, that compass yourselves about with sparks, walk in the light of your fire and in the sparks which ye have kindled. This shall ye have of mine hand—ye shall lie down in sorrow. | Look, everyone who makes fire and stands around it, walk in the light of your fire and the sparks you made. But I say, you will be sad. |
2 Nephi 8
| Verse | Original | 4th Grade |
|---|---|---|
| 2 Nephi 8:1 | Hearken unto me, ye that follow after righteousness. Look unto the rock from whence ye are hewn, and to the hole of the pit from whence ye are digged. | Listen to me, you who try to be good. Think about the strong rock you came from, and the deep hole you were taken out of. |
| 2 Nephi 8:2 | Look unto Abraham, your father, and unto Sarah, she that bare you; for I called him alone, and blessed him. | Look at Abraham, your father, and at Sarah, your mother. I called him alone, and blessed him. |
| 2 Nephi 8:3 | For the Lord shall comfort Zion, he will comfort all her waste places; and he will make her wilderness like Eden, and her desert like the garden of the Lord. Joy and gladness shall be found therein, thanksgiving and the voice of melody. | The Lord will make Zion happy. He will help all her empty places. He will turn her wilderness into a nice garden. Joy and gladness will be there. People will give thanks and sing. |
| 2 Nephi 8:4 | Hearken unto me, my people; and give ear unto me, O my nation; for a law shall proceed from me, and I will make my judgment to rest for a light for the people. | Listen to me, my people; pay attention to me, my nation; I will give you rules and show you the right way to live. |
| 2 Nephi 8:5 | My righteousness is near; my salvation is gone forth, and mine arm shall judge the people. The isles shall wait upon me, and on mine arm shall they trust. | My goodness is close; my help is coming, and I will be fair to everyone. The islands will wait for me, and they will trust me. |
| 2 Nephi 8:6 | Lift up your eyes to the heavens, and look upon the earth beneath; for the heavens shall vanish away like smoke, and the earth shall wax old like a garment; and they that dwell therein shall die in like manner. But my salvation shall be forever, and my righteousness shall not be abolished. | Look up at the sky, and look at the ground. The sky will go away like smoke, and the ground will get old like clothes. People will die. But I will always save you, and I will always be good. |
| 2 Nephi 8:7 | Hearken unto me, ye that know righteousness, the people in whose heart I have written my law, fear ye not the reproach of men, neither be ye afraid of their revilings. | Listen to me, you who know what is right. People who have my teachings in your hearts, do not be afraid of what others say or do. |
| 2 Nephi 8:8 | For the moth shall eat them up like a garment, and the worm shall eat them like wool. But my righteousness shall be forever, and my salvation from generation to generation. | The moth will eat them like clothes, and the worm will eat them like wool. But my goodness will last forever, and my saving help will stay for all time. |
| 2 Nephi 8:9 | Awake, awake! Put on strength, O arm of the Lord; awake as in the ancient days. Art thou not he that hath cut Rahab, and wounded the dragon? | Wake up, wake up! Be strong, O arm of the Lord; wake up like in the old days. Aren’t you the one who cut Rahab and hurt the dragon? |
| 2 Nephi 8:10 | Art thou not he who hath dried the sea, the waters of the great deep; that hath made the depths of the sea a way for the ransomed to pass over? | Aren’t you the one who dried up the sea and made a path for people to walk through? |
| 2 Nephi 8:11 | Therefore, the redeemed of the Lord shall return, and come with singing unto Zion; and everlasting joy and holiness shall be upon their heads; and they shall obtain gladness and joy; sorrow and mourning shall flee away. | God’s happy people will come back with singing to Zion. They will have joy and be holy forever. They will be happy and have joy. Sadness will go away. |
| 2 Nephi 8:12 | I am he; yea, I am he that comforteth you. Behold, who art thou, that thou shouldst be afraid of man, who shall die, and of the son of man, who shall be made like unto grass? | I am the one who helps you feel better. Why are you afraid of people who will die and be like grass? |
| 2 Nephi 8:13 | And forgettest the Lord thy maker, that hath stretched forth the heavens, and laid the foundations of the earth, and hast feared continually every day, because of the fury of the oppressor, as if he were ready to destroy? And where is the fury of the oppressor? | You forget the Lord who made you, who created the sky and the earth. You are scared every day because of a mean person who you think will hurt you. But where is that mean person now? |
| 2 Nephi 8:14 | The captive exile hasteneth, that he may be loosed, and that he should not die in the pit, nor that his bread should fail. | The prisoner wants to be free. He does not want to die in the pit or run out of bread. |
| 2 Nephi 8:15 | But I am the Lord thy God, whose waves roared; the Lord of Hosts is my name. | But I am the Lord your God, whose waves made a loud noise; my name is the Lord of all. |
| 2 Nephi 8:16 | And I have put my words in thy mouth, and have covered thee in the shadow of mine hand, that I may plant the heavens and lay the foundations of the earth, and say unto Zion: Behold, thou art my people. | I gave you my words to say, and I protect you with my hand. I made the sky and the earth, and I say to you: You are my people. |
| 2 Nephi 8:17 | Awake, awake, stand up, O Jerusalem, which hast drunk at the hand of the Lord the cup of his fury—thou hast drunken the dregs of the cup of trembling wrung out— | Wake up, wake up, stand up, O Jerusalem. You have drunk from the Lord’s cup of anger. You have finished the last drops of the cup of fear. |
| 2 Nephi 8:18 | And none to guide her among all the sons she hath brought forth; neither that taketh her by the hand, of all the sons she hath brought up. | There is no one to help her from all her children. None of her children will hold her hand. |
| 2 Nephi 8:19 | These two sons are come unto thee, who shall be sorry for thee—thy desolation and destruction, and the famine and the sword—and by whom shall I comfort thee? | These two sons have come to you. They will feel sad for you because of your troubles and hard times. Who will help you feel better? |
| 2 Nephi 8:20 | Thy sons have fainted, save these two; they lie at the head of all the streets; as a wild bull in a net, they are full of the fury of the Lord, the rebuke of thy God. | Your sons have become weak, only these two are left. They are lying down at the end of all the streets. They are trapped like a wild bull in a net. They are very angry because God is upset with them. |
| 2 Nephi 8:21 | Therefore hear now this, thou afflicted, and drunken, and not with wine: | Listen to this, you who are sad and confused, but not because of drinking wine: |
| 2 Nephi 8:22 | Thus saith thy Lord, the Lord and thy God pleadeth the cause of his people; behold, I have taken out of thine hand the cup of trembling, the dregs of the cup of my fury; thou shalt no more drink it again. | Here is what the Lord, your God, says: I have helped my people. I have taken away the cup that made you afraid. You will not drink from it again. |
| 2 Nephi 8:23 | But I will put it into the hand of them that afflict thee; who have said to thy soul: Bow down, that we may go over—and thou hast laid thy body as the ground and as the street to them that went over. | But I will give it to those who hurt you; they told you to lie down so they could walk over you, and you did. You laid your body down like the ground so they could walk on you. |
| 2 Nephi 8:24 | Awake, awake, put on thy strength, O Zion; put on thy beautiful garments, O Jerusalem, the holy city; for henceforth there shall no more come into thee the uncircumcised and the unclean. | Wake up, wake up! Get your strength, Zion. Put on your nice clothes, Jerusalem, the holy city. From now on, no bad people will come to you. |
| 2 Nephi 8:25 | Shake thyself from the dust; arise, sit down, O Jerusalem; loose thyself from the bands of thy neck, O captive daughter of Zion. | Stand up and get out of the dirt, Jerusalem. Take off the chains around your neck, daughter of Zion who has been captured. |
2 Nephi 9
| Verse | Original | 4th Grade |
|---|---|---|
| 2 Nephi 9:1 | And now, my beloved brethren, I have read these things that ye might know concerning the covenants of the Lord that he has covenanted with all the house of Israel— | Now, my dear brothers and sisters, I have read these things so you can know about the promises the Lord made to the people of Israel. |
| 2 Nephi 9:2 | That he has spoken unto the Jews, by the mouth of his holy prophets, even from the beginning down, from generation to generation, until the time comes that they shall be restored to the true church and fold of God; when they shall be gathered home to the lands of their inheritance, and shall be established in all their lands of promise. | God has talked to the Jewish people through his holy prophets for a long time. From the beginning, through many generations, until they are brought back to God’s true church. They will come back to their promised lands and live there forever. |
| 2 Nephi 9:3 | Behold, my beloved brethren, I speak unto you these things that ye may rejoice, and lift up your heads forever, because of the blessings which the Lord God shall bestow upon your children. | Listen, my dear friends. I want you to be happy and feel good forever because God will bless your children. |
| 2 Nephi 9:4 | For I know that ye have searched much, many of you, to know of things to come; wherefore I know that ye know that our flesh must waste away and die; nevertheless, in our bodies we shall see God. | I know that many of you have looked to know what will happen. You know that our bodies will die, but we will see God in our bodies. |
| 2 Nephi 9:5 | Yea, I know that ye know that in the body he shall show himself unto those at Jerusalem, from whence we came; for it is expedient that it should be among them; for it behooveth the great Creator that he suffereth himself to become subject unto man in the flesh, and die for all men, that all men might become subject unto him. | I know that you know he will show himself to the people in Jerusalem, where we came from. It is important for this to happen. The great Creator needs to come as a man and die for everyone, so all people can follow him. |
| 2 Nephi 9:6 | For as death hath passed upon all men, to fulfil the merciful plan of the great Creator, there must needs be a power of resurrection, and the resurrection must needs come unto man by reason of the fall; and the fall came by reason of transgression; and because man became fallen they were cut off from the presence of the Lord. | Because everyone dies, to follow God’s plan there must be a way for people to come back to life. This happens because of the fall, which was caused by doing something wrong. Because of this, people were separated from God. |
| 2 Nephi 9:7 | Wherefore, it must needs be an infinite atonement—save it should be an infinite atonement this corruption could not put on incorruption. Wherefore, the first judgment which came upon man must needs have remained to an endless duration. And if so, this flesh must have laid down to rot and to crumble to its mother earth, to rise no more. | So, there needs to be a never-ending atonement. Without it, our bodies could not become perfect. Because of the first judgment on man, our bodies would have stayed dead forever. Our bodies would have rotted and never come back to life. |
| 2 Nephi 9:8 | O the wisdom of God, his mercy and grace! For behold, if the flesh should rise no more our spirits must become subject to that angel who fell from before the presence of the Eternal God, and became the devil, to rise no more. | God is very wise, kind, and loving! If our bodies never came back to life, our spirits would have to follow the devil, who used to be with God but became bad and will never be good again. |
| 2 Nephi 9:9 | And our spirits must have become like unto him, and we become devils, angels to a devil, to be shut out from the presence of our God, and to remain with the father of lies, in misery, like unto himself; yea, to that being who beguiled our first parents, who transformeth himself nigh unto an angel of light, and stirreth up the children of men unto secret combinations of murder and all manner of secret works of darkness. | We would become like the devil, staying away from God. We would live in sadness with the father of lies, who tricked the first people, pretending to be good but doing bad things. |
| 2 Nephi 9:10 | O how great the goodness of our God, who prepareth a way for our escape from the grasp of this awful monster; yea, that monster, death and hell, which I call the death of the body, and also the death of the spirit. | Oh, how good our God is! He makes a way for us to escape from death and hell, which hurt our bodies and spirits. |
| 2 Nephi 9:11 | And because of the way of deliverance of our God, the Holy One of Israel, this death, of which I have spoken, which is the temporal, shall deliver up its dead; which death is the grave. | God will save us. Because of Him, all people who die and are buried will live again. |
| 2 Nephi 9:12 | And this death of which I have spoken, which is the spiritual death, shall deliver up its dead; which spiritual death is hell; wherefore, death and hell must deliver up their dead, and hell must deliver up its captive spirits, and the grave must deliver up its captive bodies, and the bodies and the spirits of men will be restored one to the other; and it is by the power of the resurrection of the Holy One of Israel. | When people die (which means their spirits go to a bad place), that bad place has to let the spirits go. The grave has to let the bodies go. Then, the bodies and spirits will come back together. This happens because of the resurrection power of the Holy One of Israel. |
| 2 Nephi 9:13 | O how great the plan of our God! For on the other hand, the paradise of God must deliver up the spirits of the righteous, and the grave deliver up the body of the righteous; and the spirit and the body is restored to itself again, and all men become incorruptible, and immortal, and they are living souls, having a perfect knowledge like unto us in the flesh, save it be that our knowledge shall be perfect. | God’s plan is so great! The good people’s spirits will leave paradise, and their bodies will leave the grave. Their spirits and bodies will come together again. Everyone will be unable to die, and they will be alive with perfect knowledge. |
| 2 Nephi 9:14 | Wherefore, we shall have a perfect knowledge of all our guilt, and our uncleanness, and our nakedness; and the righteous shall have a perfect knowledge of their enjoyment, and their righteousness, being clothed with purity, yea, even with the robe of righteousness. | We will know everything we did wrong and how we are not clean. Good people will know they are happy and good, and they will be covered with goodness. |
| 2 Nephi 9:15 | And it shall come to pass that when all men shall have passed from this first death unto life, insomuch as they have become immortal, they must appear before the judgment-seat of the Holy One of Israel; and then cometh the judgment, and then must they be judged according to the holy judgment of God. | When everyone has died and come back to life, they will never die again. They will stand before God to be judged, and then God will decide. |
| 2 Nephi 9:16 | And assuredly, as the Lord liveth, for the Lord God hath spoken it, and it is his eternal word, which cannot pass away, that they who are righteous shall be righteous still, and they who are filthy shall be filthy still; wherefore, they who are filthy are the devil and his angels; and they shall go away into everlasting fire; prepared for them; and their torment is as a lake of fire and brimstone, whose flame ascendeth up forever and ever and has no end. | The Lord promises that good people will stay good and bad people will stay bad. Bad people are with the devil and they will go to a place of never-ending fire where they will be punished forever. |
| 2 Nephi 9:17 | O the greatness and the justice of our God! For he executeth all his words, and they have gone forth out of his mouth, and his law must be fulfilled. | God is great and fair! He does what he says, and his words come true. His rules must be followed. |
| 2 Nephi 9:18 | But, behold, the righteous, the saints of the Holy One of Israel, they who have believed in the Holy One of Israel, they who have endured the crosses of the world, and despised the shame of it, they shall inherit the kingdom of God, which was prepared for them from the foundation of the world, and their joy shall be full forever. | Good people who believe in Jesus and stay strong when life is hard will go to God’s special place and be happy forever. |
| 2 Nephi 9:19 | O the greatness of the mercy of our God, the Holy One of Israel! For he delivereth his saints from that awful monster the devil, and death, and hell, and that lake of fire and brimstone, which is endless torment. | God is so kind and loving! He saves His good people from the bad devil, from death and from a terrible place of fire and pain that never ends. |
| 2 Nephi 9:20 | O how great the holiness of our God! For he knoweth all things, and there is not anything save he knows it. | God is very holy! He knows everything, and there is nothing he does not know. |
| 2 Nephi 9:21 | And he cometh into the world that he may save all men if they will hearken unto his voice; for behold, he suffereth the pains of all men, yea, the pains of every living creature, both men, women, and children, who belong to the family of Adam. | He comes into the world to save everyone if they listen to him. He feels all the pains of everyone, including all men, women, and children. |
| 2 Nephi 9:22 | And he suffereth this that the resurrection might pass upon all men, that all might stand before him at the great and judgment day. | He lets this happen so everyone can come back to life and stand before him on the big judgment day. |
| 2 Nephi 9:23 | And he commandeth all men that they must repent, and be baptized in his name, having perfect faith in the Holy One of Israel, or they cannot be saved in the kingdom of God. | God says that all people need to say sorry for their mistakes and get baptized in His name. They must have strong belief in Jesus to live with God. |
| 2 Nephi 9:24 | And if they will not repent and believe in his name, and be baptized in his name, and endure to the end, they must be damned; for the Lord God, the Holy One of Israel, has spoken it. | If they don’t say sorry, believe in Jesus, get baptized, and keep trying hard, they can’t live with God. God said so. |
| 2 Nephi 9:25 | Wherefore, he has given a law; and where there is no law given there is no punishment; and where there is no punishment there is no condemnation; and where there is no condemnation the mercies of the Holy One of Israel have claim upon them, because of the atonement; for they are delivered by the power of him. | So, God gave us rules. If there are no rules, there is no punishment. If there is no punishment, there is no blame. If there is no blame, God is kind because Jesus saved them. He saves them with his power. |
| 2 Nephi 9:26 | For the atonement satisfieth the demands of his justice upon all those who have not the law given to them, that they are delivered from that awful monster, death and hell, and the devil, and the lake of fire and brimstone, which is endless torment; and they are restored to that God who gave them breath, which is the Holy One of Israel. | Jesus’ help saves people who didn’t know the rules. He rescues them from death, hell, the devil, and never-ending pain. They return to God, who gave them life. |
| 2 Nephi 9:27 | But wo unto him that has the law given, yea, that has all the commandments of God, like unto us, and that transgresseth them, and that wasteth the days of his probation, for awful is his state! | But oh no for the person who knows God’s rules and breaks them, wasting their chance, because it is very bad for them! |
| 2 Nephi 9:28 | O that cunning plan of the evil one! O the vainness, and the frailties, and the foolishness of men! When they are learned they think they are wise, and they hearken not unto the counsel of God, for they set it aside, supposing they know of themselves, wherefore, their wisdom is foolishness and it profiteth them not. And they shall perish. | Oh, the sneaky tricks of the bad one! Oh, how silly and weak people can be! When people learn a lot, they think they are very smart, and they don’t listen to God’s advice. They think they know everything, but their wisdom is foolish and doesn’t help them. They will be lost. |
| 2 Nephi 9:29 | But to be learned is good if they hearken unto the counsels of God. | Learning is good if they listen to God’s advice. |
| 2 Nephi 9:30 | But wo unto the rich, who are rich as to the things of the world. For because they are rich they despise the poor, and they persecute the meek, and their hearts are upon their treasures; wherefore, their treasure is their God. And behold, their treasure shall perish with them also. | But it is bad for rich people because they have lots of money and things. They look down on people who are poor and treat kind people badly. They love their money and things too much, so their money and things become like their god. But their money and things will disappear when they die. |
| 2 Nephi 9:31 | And wo unto the deaf that will not hear; for they shall perish. | Oh no, people who can’t hear and won’t listen; they will die. |
| 2 Nephi 9:32 | Wo unto the blind that will not see; for they shall perish also. | Sad for those who choose not to see; they will also be lost. |
| 2 Nephi 9:33 | Wo unto the uncircumcised of heart, for a knowledge of their iniquities shall smite them at the last day. | Bad things will happen to people who are unkind, because they will feel sorry for the wrong things they did in the end. |
| 2 Nephi 9:34 | Wo unto the liar, for he shall be thrust down to hell. | Oh no, a liar will go to a bad place. |
| 2 Nephi 9:35 | Wo unto the murderer who deliberately killeth, for he shall die. | Bad news for the person who kills on purpose, because they will die. |
| 2 Nephi 9:36 | Wo unto them who commit whoredoms, for they shall be thrust down to hell. | Bad things will happen to people who do wrong things with their bodies. They will go to a bad place. |
| 2 Nephi 9:37 | Yea, wo unto those that worship idols, for the devil of all devils delighteth in them. | Oh no! Bad things will happen to people who pray to statues, because the meanest devil is happy with them. |
| 2 Nephi 9:38 | And, in fine, wo unto all those who die in their sins; for they shall return to God, and behold his face, and remain in their sins. | Bad things will happen to people who die while doing bad things. They will go back to God, but they will still have their mistakes with them. |
| 2 Nephi 9:39 | O, my beloved brethren, remember the awfulness in transgressing against that Holy God, and also the awfulness of yielding to the enticings of that cunning one. Remember, to be carnally-minded is death, and to be spiritually-minded is life eternal. | Oh, my dear brothers and sisters, think about how bad it is to go against God, and also how bad it is to listen to the tricks of the devil. Remember, thinking only about earthly things leads to death, but thinking about spiritual things leads to eternal life. |
| 2 Nephi 9:40 | O, my beloved brethren, give ear to my words. Remember the greatness of the Holy One of Israel. Do not say that I have spoken hard things against you; for if ye do, ye will revile against the truth; for I have spoken the words of your Maker. I know that the words of truth are hard against all uncleanness; but the righteous fear them not, for they love the truth and are not shaken. | Listen to me, dear friends. Remember how great God is. Don’t be upset with what I say. If you do, you are against the truth. I am sharing God’s words. I know it is hard to hear, but good people love the truth and are not scared. |
| 2 Nephi 9:41 | O then, my beloved brethren, come unto the Lord, the Holy One. Remember that his paths are righteous. Behold, the way for man is narrow, but it lieth in a straight course before him, and the keeper of the gate is the Holy One of Israel; and he employeth no servant there; and there is none other way save it be by the gate; for he cannot be deceived, for the Lord God is his name. | Oh then, my dear brothers, come to the Lord, the Holy One. Remember that His ways are good. Look, the way for us is narrow, but it is straight ahead. The keeper of the gate is the Holy One of Israel; He has no servant there. There is no other way but through the gate, because He cannot be fooled. The Lord God is His name. |
| 2 Nephi 9:42 | And whoso knocketh, to him will he open; and the wise, and the learned, and they that are rich, who are puffed up because of their learning, and their wisdom, and their riches—yea, they are they whom he despiseth; and save they shall cast these things away, and consider themselves fools before God, and come down in the depths of humility, he will not open unto them. | If you knock, God will open the door for you. But people who think they are very smart or rich, God does not like. Unless they give up these things and become humble, God will not open the door for them. |
| 2 Nephi 9:43 | But the things of the wise and the prudent shall be hid from them forever—yea, that happiness which is prepared for the saints. | But the smart and careful people won’t know these things forever. Yes, that happiness is ready for the good people. |
| 2 Nephi 9:44 | O, my beloved brethren, remember my words. Behold, I take off my garments, and I shake them before you; I pray the God of my salvation that he view me with his all-searching eye; wherefore, ye shall know at the last day, when all men shall be judged of their works, that the God of Israel did witness that I shook your iniquities from my soul, and that I stand with brightness before him, and am rid of your blood. | Listen, my dear brothers. Remember what I say. Look, I take off my clothes and shake them in front of you. I pray to God to look at me and see that I have done my best. On the last day, when everyone is judged, you will know that I tried to be good and am free from your sins. |
| 2 Nephi 9:45 | O, my beloved brethren, turn away from your sins; shake off the chains of him that would bind you fast; come unto that God who is the rock of your salvation. | Dear friends, stop doing bad things; free yourselves from the one who wants to trap you; come to God who keeps you safe. |
| 2 Nephi 9:46 | Prepare your souls for that glorious day when justice shall be administered unto the righteous, even the day of judgment, that ye may not shrink with awful fear; that ye may not remember your awful guilt in perfectness, and be constrained to exclaim: Holy, holy are thy judgments, O Lord God Almighty—but I know my guilt; I transgressed thy law, and my transgressions are mine; and the devil hath obtained me, that I am a prey to his awful misery. | Get ready for a special day when good people will be treated fairly. This is the day when everything will be judged. Don’t be scared. Don’t feel bad about what you did wrong. On that day, you might say: “Holy, holy are your decisions, God. But I feel guilty because I did something wrong. The devil has made me very sad.” |
| 2 Nephi 9:47 | But behold, my brethren, is it expedient that I should awake you to an awful reality of these things? Would I harrow up your souls if your minds were pure? Would I be plain unto you according to the plainness of the truth if ye were freed from sin? | Listen, my friends, do I need to wake you up to understand these serious things? Would I make you feel bad if your minds were good? Would I talk so clearly if you were free from doing wrong? |
| 2 Nephi 9:48 | Behold, if ye were holy I would speak unto you of holiness; but as ye are not holy, and ye look upon me as a teacher, it must needs be expedient that I teach you the consequences of sin. | Listen, if you were good, I would talk to you about being good. But since you are not good and see me as a teacher, I need to teach you what happens when you make bad choices. |
| 2 Nephi 9:49 | Behold, my soul abhorreth sin, and my heart delighteth in righteousness; and I will praise the holy name of my God. | Look, I hate bad things, and I love good things; I will thank my God. |
| 2 Nephi 9:50 | Come, my brethren, every one that thirsteth, come ye to the waters; and he that hath no money, come buy and eat; yea, come buy wine and milk without money and without price. | Come, my friends, everyone who is thirsty, come to the water; and if you have no money, come and get food and drink for free. |
| 2 Nephi 9:51 | Wherefore, do not spend money for that which is of no worth, nor your labor for that which cannot satisfy. Hearken diligently unto me, and remember the words which I have spoken; and come unto the Holy One of Israel, and feast upon that which perisheth not, neither can be corrupted, and let your soul delight in fatness. | So, don’t waste your money on things that are not important, or work hard for things that don’t make you happy. Listen to me carefully and remember what I say. Come to the Holy One of Israel and enjoy things that don’t go bad, and let your heart be very happy. |
| 2 Nephi 9:52 | Behold, my beloved brethren, remember the words of your God; pray unto him continually by day, and give thanks unto his holy name by night. Let your hearts rejoice. | Listen, my dear friends. Remember what God says. Pray to him every day and say thank you to him every night. Be happy in your hearts. |
| 2 Nephi 9:53 | And behold how great the covenants of the Lord, and how great his condescensions unto the children of men; and because of his greatness, and his grace and mercy, he has promised unto us that our seed shall not utterly be destroyed, according to the flesh, but that he would preserve them; and in future generations they shall become a righteous branch unto the house of Israel. | Look at how wonderful God’s promises are. He loves and helps people a lot. Because He is so great and kind, He has promised that our descendants will not be destroyed but will be kept safe. In the future, they will be good and be part of the house of Israel. |
| 2 Nephi 9:54 | And now, my brethren, I would speak unto you more; but on the morrow I will declare unto you the remainder of my words. Amen. | And now, my friends, I want to tell you more; but tomorrow I will tell you the rest. Goodbye. |
2 Nephi 10
| Verse | Original | 4th Grade |
|---|---|---|
| 2 Nephi 10:1 | And now I, Jacob, speak unto you again, my beloved brethren, concerning this righteous branch of which I have spoken. | And now I, Jacob, talk to you again, my dear brothers, about this good group of people I told you about. |
| 2 Nephi 10:2 | For behold, the promises which we have obtained are promises unto us according to the flesh; wherefore, as it has been shown unto me that many of our children shall perish in the flesh because of unbelief, nevertheless, God will be merciful unto many; and our children shall be restored, that they may come to that which will give them the true knowledge of their Redeemer. | We have promises from God. Some of our children might die because they do not believe. But God will still be kind to many. Our children will come back and learn about their Savior. |
| 2 Nephi 10:3 | Wherefore, as I said unto you, it must needs be expedient that Christ—for in the last night the angel spake unto me that this should be his name—should come among the Jews, among those who are the more wicked part of the world; and they shall crucify him—for thus it behooveth our God, and there is none other nation on earth that would crucify their God. | So, like I said, Jesus needs to come to the Jews because they are the worst people. They will kill him on a cross because God planned it this way. No other people on earth would do this to their God. |
| 2 Nephi 10:4 | For should the mighty miracles be wrought among other nations they would repent, and know that he be their God. | If the big miracles were done in other places, the people would say sorry and know that He is their God. |
| 2 Nephi 10:5 | But because of priestcrafts and iniquities, they at Jerusalem will stiffen their necks against him, that he be crucified. | But because of bad leaders and wickedness, the people in Jerusalem will not listen to Him, and He will be put on a cross. |
| 2 Nephi 10:6 | Wherefore, because of their iniquities, destructions, famines, pestilences, and bloodshed shall come upon them; and they who shall not be destroyed shall be scattered among all nations. | So, because they are doing bad things, there will be a lot of trouble like no food, sickness, and fighting. The people who are not hurt will be sent to live in different places around the world. |
| 2 Nephi 10:7 | But behold, thus saith the Lord God: When the day cometh that they shall believe in me, that I am Christ, then have I covenanted with their fathers that they shall be restored in the flesh, upon the earth, unto the lands of their inheritance. | Listen, this is what God says: When people believe in me, that I am Jesus, I promised their parents that they will come back to their lands. |
| 2 Nephi 10:8 | And it shall come to pass that they shall be gathered in from their long dispersion, from the isles of the sea, and from the four parts of the earth; and the nations of the Gentiles shall be great in the eyes of me, saith God, in carrying them forth to the lands of their inheritance. | They will come back from being scattered for a long time. They will come from all over the world. God says, “The other nations will help them return to their lands.” |
| 2 Nephi 10:9 | Yea, the kings of the Gentiles shall be nursing fathers unto them, and their queens shall become nursing mothers; wherefore, the promises of the Lord are great unto the Gentiles, for he hath spoken it, and who can dispute? | The kings will take care of them like fathers, and the queens will care for them like mothers. God’s promises to the people are very good. God said it, and no one can say it’s not true. |
| 2 Nephi 10:10 | But behold, this land, said God, shall be a land of thine inheritance, and the Gentiles shall be blessed upon the land. | But look, God said this land will be yours, and other people will be happy on this land. |
| 2 Nephi 10:11 | And this land shall be a land of liberty unto the Gentiles, and there shall be no kings upon the land, who shall raise up unto the Gentiles. | This land will be a land of freedom for everyone. There will be no kings here to rule over the people. |
| 2 Nephi 10:12 | And I will fortify this land against all other nations. | I will make this land strong against other countries. |
| 2 Nephi 10:13 | And he that fighteth against Zion shall perish, saith God. | And anyone who fights against Zion will die, says God. |
| 2 Nephi 10:14 | For he that raiseth up a king against me shall perish, for I, the Lord, the king of heaven, will be their king, and I will be a light unto them forever, that hear my words. | If anyone tries to have a king against me, they will die. I am the Lord, the king of heaven. I will be their king and a light for everyone who listens to me forever. |
| 2 Nephi 10:15 | Wherefore, for this cause, that my covenants may be fulfilled which I have made unto the children of men, that I will do unto them while they are in the flesh, I must needs destroy the secret works of darkness, and of murders, and of abominations. | I need to stop the bad and dark secret things people do. This way, my promises to help people can come true. |
| 2 Nephi 10:16 | Wherefore, he that fighteth against Zion, both Jew and Gentile, both bond and free, both male and female, shall perish; for they are they who are the whore of all the earth; for they who are not for me are against me, saith our God. | Those who fight against Zion, anyone, man or woman, slave or free, will die. They are not good because they are against God. |
| 2 Nephi 10:17 | For I will fulfil my promises which I have made unto the children of men, that I will do unto them while they are in the flesh— | I will do what I promised to the people while they are alive. |
| 2 Nephi 10:18 | Wherefore, my beloved brethren, thus saith our God: I will afflict thy seed by the hand of the Gentiles; nevertheless, I will soften the hearts of the Gentiles, that they shall be like unto a father to them; wherefore, the Gentiles shall be blessed and numbered among the house of Israel. | So, my dear friends, this is what God says: I will make your children suffer by the hands of others. But I will make these others kind, so they will care for your children like a father. Because of this, the others will be blessed and will be counted as part of Israel. |
| 2 Nephi 10:19 | Wherefore, I will consecrate this land unto thy seed, and them who shall be numbered among thy seed, forever, for the land of their inheritance; for it is a choice land, saith God unto me, above all other lands, wherefore I will have all men that dwell thereon that they shall worship me, saith God. | So, I will give this land to your children and those with them, forever. It is a special land, says God, better than all other lands. I want everyone who lives there to worship me, says God. |
| 2 Nephi 10:20 | And now, my beloved brethren, seeing that our merciful God has given us so great knowledge concerning these things, let us remember him, and lay aside our sins, and not hang down our heads, for we are not cast off; nevertheless, we have been driven out of the land of our inheritance; but we have been led to a better land, for the Lord has made the sea our path, and we are upon an isle of the sea. | Dear friends, God has taught us many things. Let’s remember Him and stop doing bad things. Don’t be sad; we are not forgotten. Even though we had to leave our home, God brought us to a better place. He guided us across the sea, and now we are on an island. |
| 2 Nephi 10:21 | But great are the promises of the Lord unto them who are upon the isles of the sea; wherefore as it says isles, there must needs be more than this, and they are inhabited also by our brethren. | The Lord makes big promises to the people on the islands in the sea. This means there are more islands, and our brothers live there too. |
| 2 Nephi 10:22 | For behold, the Lord God has led away from time to time from the house of Israel, according to his will and pleasure. And now behold, the Lord remembereth all them who have been broken off, wherefore he remembereth us also. | Look, God has taken some people away from Israel when He wanted. And now, God remembers all those who were taken away, so He remembers us too. |
| 2 Nephi 10:23 | Therefore, cheer up your hearts, and remember that ye are free to act for yourselves—to choose the way of everlasting death or the way of eternal life. | So, be happy and remember that you are free to make choices. You can choose to be happy forever or not. |
| 2 Nephi 10:24 | Wherefore, my beloved brethren, reconcile yourselves to the will of God, and not to the will of the devil and the flesh; and remember, after ye are reconciled unto God, that it is only in and through the grace of God that ye are saved. | So, my dear friends, choose to follow God and not the devil or your own desires. And remember, once you follow God, it is because of God’s kindness that you are saved. |
| 2 Nephi 10:25 | Wherefore, may God raise you from death by the power of the resurrection, and also from everlasting death by the power of the atonement, that ye may be received into the eternal kingdom of God, that ye may praise him through grace divine. Amen. | So, may God bring you back to life by His power, and save you forever by His love, so you can live with God forever and thank Him. Amen. |
2 Nephi 11
| Verse | Original | 4th Grade |
|---|---|---|
| 2 Nephi 11:1 | And now, Jacob spake many more things to my people at that time; nevertheless only these things have I caused to be written, for the things which I have written sufficeth me. | Jacob spoke many more things to my people, but I only wrote down these things because they are enough for me. |
| 2 Nephi 11:2 | And now I, Nephi, write more of the words of Isaiah, for my soul delighteth in his words. For I will liken his words unto my people, and I will send them forth unto all my children, for he verily saw my Redeemer, even as I have seen him. | I’m Nephi, and I will share some words from Isaiah. I love his words. His words are like a message for my people. I will share them with all my children because Isaiah saw the Redeemer, just like I did. |
| 2 Nephi 11:3 | And my brother, Jacob, also has seen him as I have seen him; wherefore, I will send their words forth unto my children to prove unto them that my words are true. Wherefore, by the words of three, God hath said, I will establish my word. Nevertheless, God sendeth more witnesses, and he proveth all his words. | My brother Jacob has seen him too. So, I will share their words with my children to show them that I am telling the truth. God said, “With three people’s words, I will prove my message.” But God also sends more people to help prove his words. |
| 2 Nephi 11:4 | Behold, my soul delighteth in proving unto my people the truth of the coming of Christ; for, for this end hath the law of Moses been given; and all things which have been given of God from the beginning of the world, unto man, are the typifying of him. | Look, I am happy to show my people that Jesus Christ will come. That’s why we have the law of Moses, and everything God gave us from the start points to Him. |
| 2 Nephi 11:5 | And also my soul delighteth in the covenants of the Lord which he hath made to our fathers; yea, my soul delighteth in his grace, and in his justice, and power, and mercy in the great and eternal plan of deliverance from death. | I am happy because God made promises to help our ancestors. I am happy because God is kind and fair, and strong, and loving. He has a big plan to save us from dying forever. |
| 2 Nephi 11:6 | And my soul delighteth in proving unto my people that save Christ should come all men must perish. | I am happy because I can show my people that without Christ, everyone would be lost. |
| 2 Nephi 11:7 | For if there be no Christ there be no God; and if there be no God we are not, for there could have been no creation. But there is a God, and he is Christ, and he cometh in the fulness of his own time. | If there is no Christ, there is no God. If there is no God, there is no us because nothing could have been made. But there is a God. He is Christ, and He will come at the right time. |
| 2 Nephi 11:8 | And now I write some of the words of Isaiah, that whoso of my people shall see these words may lift up their hearts and rejoice for all men. Now these are the words, and ye may liken them unto you and unto all men. | I am writing some of Isaiah’s words, so my people can see them, feel happy, and celebrate. These words are for everyone, including you. |
2 Nephi 12
| Verse | Original | 4th Grade |
|---|---|---|
| 2 Nephi 12:1 | The word that Isaiah, the son of Amoz, saw concerning Judah and Jerusalem: | Isaiah, the son of Amoz, saw words about Judah and Jerusalem. |
| 2 Nephi 12:2 | And it shall come to pass in the last days, when the mountain of the Lord—s house shall be established in the top of the mountains, and shall be exalted above the hills, and all nations shall flow unto it. | In the last days, God’s house will be built on the highest mountain. It will be above the hills, and people from all nations will come to it. |
| 2 Nephi 12:3 | And many people shall go and say, Come ye, and let us go up to the mountain of the Lord, to the house of the God of Jacob; and he will teach us of his ways, and we will walk in his paths; for out of Zion shall go forth the law, and the word of the Lord from Jerusalem. | Many people will say, “Come with us. Let’s go to God’s mountain and His house. He will teach us His ways, and we will follow Him. God’s laws will come from Zion, and His word will come from Jerusalem.” |
| 2 Nephi 12:4 | And he shall judge among the nations, and shall rebuke many people: and they shall beat their swords into plow-shares, and their spears into pruning-hooks—nation shall not lift up sword against nation, neither shall they learn war any more. | He will decide what is right for all people. He will tell many people they are wrong. They will turn their swords into tools to work the land. They will turn their spears into tools to trim trees. People will not fight each other or learn about war anymore. |
| 2 Nephi 12:5 | O house of Jacob, come ye and let us walk in the light of the Lord; yea, come, for ye have all gone astray, every one to his wicked ways. | Come, everyone in Jacob’s house. Let’s follow the Lord. You have all done bad things and gone the wrong way. |
| 2 Nephi 12:6 | Therefore, O Lord, thou hast forsaken thy people, the house of Jacob, because they be replenished from the east, and hearken unto soothsayers like the Philistines, and they please themselves in the children of strangers. | So, Lord, you left your people, the house of Jacob, because they took things from the east and listened to people who tell the future, like the Philistines. They also made friends with people from other lands. |
| 2 Nephi 12:7 | Their land also is full of silver and gold, neither is there any end of their treasures; their land is also full of horses, neither is there any end of their chariots. | Their land has lots of silver and gold. They have so many treasures. They also have a lot of horses and chariots. |
| 2 Nephi 12:8 | Their land is also full of idols; they worship the work of their own hands, that which their own fingers have made. | Their land is full of idols; they worship things they made with their own hands. |
| 2 Nephi 12:9 | And the mean man boweth not down, and the great man humbleth himself not, therefore, forgive him not. | The unkind man does not bow down, and the important man does not humble himself, so do not forgive him. |
| 2 Nephi 12:10 | O ye wicked ones, enter into the rock, and hide thee in the dust, for the fear of the Lord and the glory of his majesty shall smite thee. | Bad people, go hide in the rocks and dust. You will be afraid because of the Lord’s power and glory. |
| 2 Nephi 12:11 | And it shall come to pass that the lofty looks of man shall be humbled, and the haughtiness of men shall be bowed down, and the Lord alone shall be exalted in that day. | One day, proud people will be made humble, and only the Lord will be lifted up. |
| 2 Nephi 12:12 | For the day of the Lord of Hosts soon cometh upon all nations, yea, upon every one; yea, upon the proud and lofty, and upon every one who is lifted up, and he shall be brought low. | The day of the Lord is coming soon for everyone, yes, for all people. The proud and the high will be made humble. |
| 2 Nephi 12:13 | Yea, and the day of the Lord shall come upon all the cedars of Lebanon, for they are high and lifted up; and upon all the oaks of Bashan; | Yes, the day of the Lord will come to all the tall trees of Lebanon and the big trees of Bashan. |
| 2 Nephi 12:14 | And upon all the high mountains, and upon all the hills, and upon all the nations which are lifted up, and upon every people; | On all the tall mountains, on all the big hills, on all the important nations, and on every group of people; |
| 2 Nephi 12:15 | And upon every high tower, and upon every fenced wall; | On every tall tower, and on every strong wall. |
| 2 Nephi 12:16 | And upon all the ships of the sea, and upon all the ships of Tarshish, and upon all pleasant pictures. | On all the ships in the sea, on the ships of Tarshish, and on all nice pictures. |
| 2 Nephi 12:17 | And the loftiness of man shall be bowed down, and the haughtiness of men shall be made low; and the Lord alone shall be exalted in that day. | People who think they are better than others will be humbled, and only the Lord will be praised that day. |
| 2 Nephi 12:18 | And the idols he shall utterly abolish. | And he will get rid of all the idols. |
| 2 Nephi 12:19 | And they shall go into the holes of the rocks, and into the caves of the earth, for the fear of the Lord shall come upon them and the glory of his majesty shall smite them, when he ariseth to shake terribly the earth. | They will hide in the rocks and caves because they are scared. The power of the Lord will make them very afraid when He comes to shake the earth. |
| 2 Nephi 12:20 | In that day a man shall cast his idols of silver, and his idols of gold, which he hath made for himself to worship, to the moles and to the bats; | On that day, a man will throw away his silver and gold idols, which he made to worship, to the moles and bats. |
| 2 Nephi 12:21 | To go into the clefts of the rocks, and into the tops of the ragged rocks, for the fear of the Lord shall come upon them and the majesty of his glory shall smite them, when he ariseth to shake terribly the earth. | They will hide in the rocks because they are scared of the Lord. His power will be very strong and make the earth shake. |
| 2 Nephi 12:22 | Cease ye from man, whose breath is in his nostrils; for wherein is he to be accounted of? | Stop trusting people. People breathe air, but they cannot save you. |
2 Nephi 13
| Verse | Original | 4th Grade |
|---|---|---|
| 2 Nephi 13:1 | For behold, the Lord, the Lord of Hosts, doth take away from Jerusalem, and from Judah, the stay and the staff, the whole staff of bread, and the whole stay of water— | The Lord takes away food and water from Jerusalem and Judah. |
| 2 Nephi 13:2 | The mighty man, and the man of war, the judge, and the prophet, and the prudent, and the ancient; | The strong man, the soldier, the judge, the prophet, the wise person, and the old person. |
| 2 Nephi 13:3 | The captain of fifty, and the honorable man, and the counselor, and the cunning artificer, and the eloquent orator. | The captain, the important man, the advisor, the skillful maker, and the good speaker. |
| 2 Nephi 13:4 | And I will give children unto them to be their princes, and babes shall rule over them. | I will make children their leaders, and little kids will be in charge. |
| 2 Nephi 13:5 | And the people shall be oppressed, every one by another, and every one by his neighbor; the child shall behave himself proudly against the ancient, and the base against the honorable. | People will hurt each other. Neighbors will not be kind. Children will be rude to older people. Bad people will not respect good people. |
| 2 Nephi 13:6 | When a man shall take hold of his brother of the house of his father, and shall say: Thou hast clothing, be thou our ruler, and let not this ruin come under thy hand— | A man takes his brother’s hand and says: You have clothes, lead us, and don’t let us fall apart. |
| 2 Nephi 13:7 | In that day shall he swear, saying: I will not be a healer; for in my house there is neither bread nor clothing; make me not a ruler of the people. | On that day, he will say: I can’t help; my house has no bread or clothes. Don’t make me the leader. |
| 2 Nephi 13:8 | For Jerusalem is ruined, and Judah is fallen, because their tongues and their doings have been against the Lord, to provoke the eyes of his glory. | Jerusalem is broken, and Judah is down, because they spoke and did things that made the Lord unhappy. |
| 2 Nephi 13:9 | The show of their countenance doth witness against them, and doth declare their sin to be even as Sodom, and they cannot hide it. Wo unto their souls, for they have rewarded evil unto themselves! | The look on their faces shows they are guilty, like the people of Sodom. They can’t hide it. Oh no, they have brought trouble on themselves. |
| 2 Nephi 13:10 | Say unto the righteous that it is well with them; for they shall eat the fruit of their doings. | Tell good people that things will be good for them; they will get good things from what they do. |
| 2 Nephi 13:11 | Wo unto the wicked, for they shall perish; for the reward of their hands shall be upon them! | Bad people will be sad and die because of their actions. |
| 2 Nephi 13:12 | And my people, children are their oppressors, and women rule over them. O my people, they who lead thee cause thee to err and destroy the way of thy paths. | My people, kids boss you around, and women are in charge. My people, your leaders make you make mistakes and ruin your way. |
| 2 Nephi 13:13 | The Lord standeth up to plead, and standeth to judge the people. | The Lord stands up to help and stands up to judge the people. |
| 2 Nephi 13:14 | The Lord will enter into judgment with the ancients of his people and the princes thereof; for ye have eaten up the vineyard and the spoil of the poor in your houses. | God will speak seriously with the old leaders and rulers of the people, because they took the vineyard and stole from the poor. |
| 2 Nephi 13:15 | What mean ye? Ye beat my people to pieces, and grind the faces of the poor, saith the Lord God of Hosts. | Why are you hurting my people and being mean to the poor? says God. |
| 2 Nephi 13:16 | Moreover, the Lord saith: Because the daughters of Zion are haughty, and walk with stretched-forth necks and wanton eyes, walking and mincing as they go, and making a tinkling with their feet— | The Lord says: The daughters of Zion are proud. They walk with their necks high and look around. They take small steps and make noise with their feet. |
| 2 Nephi 13:17 | Therefore the Lord will smite with a scab the crown of the head of the daughters of Zion, and the Lord will discover their secret parts. | So, God will make sores on the heads of the women of Zion, and He will show their private parts. |
| 2 Nephi 13:18 | In that day the Lord will take away the bravery of their tinkling ornaments, and cauls, and round tires like the moon; | On that day, the Lord will take away the shiny things they wear, like their jewelry and round earrings. |
| 2 Nephi 13:19 | The chains and the bracelets, and the mufflers; | The chains, the bracelets, and the scarves. |
| 2 Nephi 13:20 | The bonnets, and the ornaments of the legs, and the headbands, and the tablets, and the ear-rings; | The hats, and the leg bands, and the headbands, and the charms, and the earrings. |
| 2 Nephi 13:21 | The rings, and nose jewels; | The rings and the nose jewelry. |
| 2 Nephi 13:22 | The changeable suits of apparel, and the mantles, and the wimples, and the crisping-pins; | The different clothes, and the cloaks, and the shawls, and the hairpins. |
| 2 Nephi 13:23 | The glasses, and the fine linen, and hoods, and the veils. | The glasses, the nice clothes, the hats, and the veils… |
| 2 Nephi 13:24 | And it shall come to pass, instead of sweet smell there shall be stink; and instead of a girdle, a rent; and instead of well set hair, baldness; and instead of a stomacher, a girding of sackcloth; burning instead of beauty. | Things will change. Instead of nice smells, there will be bad smells. Instead of belts, there will be holes. Instead of nice hair, there will be bald heads. Instead of pretty clothes, there will be rough cloth. There will be burning instead of beauty. |
| 2 Nephi 13:25 | Thy men shall fall by the sword and thy mighty in the war. | Your men will die in battle and your strong fighters will be killed. |
| 2 Nephi 13:26 | And her gates shall lament and mourn; and she shall be desolate, and shall sit upon the ground. | Her gates will be sad and cry. She will be empty and will sit on the ground. |
2 Nephi 14
| Verse | Original | 4th Grade |
|---|---|---|
| 2 Nephi 14:1 | And in that day, seven women shall take hold of one man, saying: We will eat our own bread, and wear our own apparel; only let us be called by thy name to take away our reproach. | One day, seven women will ask one man, “We will eat our own food and wear our own clothes. Just let us be called by your name to take away our shame.” |
| 2 Nephi 14:2 | In that day shall the branch of the Lord be beautiful and glorious; the fruit of the earth excellent and comely to them that are escaped of Israel. | On that day, the Lord’s branch will be very nice and shiny; the fruit of the land will be very good and pretty to those who have escaped from Israel. |
| 2 Nephi 14:3 | And it shall come to pass, they that are left in Zion and remain in Jerusalem shall be called holy, every one that is written among the living in Jerusalem— | The people who stay in Zion and Jerusalem will be called holy. Everyone who is still living there will be holy. |
| 2 Nephi 14:4 | When the Lord shall have washed away the filth of the daughters of Zion, and shall have purged the blood of Jerusalem from the midst thereof by the spirit of judgment and by the spirit of burning. | When God cleans the dirt from the daughters of Zion and cleans the blood from Jerusalem with the spirit of judgment and burning. |
| 2 Nephi 14:5 | And the Lord will create upon every dwelling-place of mount Zion, and upon her assemblies, a cloud and smoke by day and the shining of a flaming fire by night; for upon all the glory of Zion shall be a defence. | God will make a cloud and smoke to cover every home in Zion during the day, and a bright fire to shine at night. This will protect everyone in Zion. |
| 2 Nephi 14:6 | And there shall be a tabernacle for a shadow in the daytime from the heat, and for a place of refuge, and a covert from storm and from rain. | There will be a tent to give shade in the day from the sun, and a safe place to hide from storms and rain. |
2 Nephi 15
| Verse | Original | 4th Grade |
|---|---|---|
| 2 Nephi 15:1 | And then will I sing to my well-beloved a song of my beloved, touching his vineyard. My well-beloved hath a vineyard in a very fruitful hill. | I will sing a song for my dear friend about his vineyard. My friend has a vineyard on a very good hill. |
| 2 Nephi 15:2 | And he fenced it, and gathered out the stones thereof, and planted it with the choicest vine, and built a tower in the midst of it, and also made a wine-press therein; and he looked that it should bring forth grapes, and it brought forth wild grapes. | He put a fence around it to protect it, took out the big rocks, planted good grapevines, built a tower, and made a place to crush the grapes. He hoped for good grapes, but only got wild ones. |
| 2 Nephi 15:3 | And now, O inhabitants of Jerusalem, and men of Judah, judge, I pray you, betwixt me and my vineyard. | Now, people of Jerusalem and Judah, please decide who is right, me or my vineyard. |
| 2 Nephi 15:4 | What could have been done more to my vineyard that I have not done in it? Wherefore, when I looked that it should bring forth grapes it brought forth wild grapes. | What else could I have done for my vineyard that I didn’t do? I wanted it to grow good grapes, but it grew bad grapes. |
| 2 Nephi 15:5 | And now go to; I will tell you what I will do to my vineyard—I will take away the hedge thereof, and it shall be eaten up; and I will break down the wall thereof, and it shall be trodden down; | Now I will tell you what I will do to my vineyard. I will take away its fence, and animals will eat it. I will break down its wall, and people will walk on it. |
| 2 Nephi 15:6 | And I will lay it waste; it shall not be pruned nor digged; but there shall come up briers and thorns; I will also command the clouds that they rain no rain upon it. | I will let it be empty and full of plants that hurt. No one will take care of it, and no rain will fall on it. |
| 2 Nephi 15:7 | For the vineyard of the Lord of Hosts is the house of Israel, and the men of Judah his pleasant plant; and he looked for judgment, and behold, oppression; for righteousness, but behold, a cry. | The Lord’s vineyard is the house of Israel. The men of Judah are his nice plants. He looked for fairness, but found bad things. He looked for right actions, but heard cries for help. |
| 2 Nephi 15:8 | Wo unto them that join house to house, till there can be no place, that they may be placed alone in the midst of the earth! | Watch out for those who build too many houses close together, so there’s no space left for others, and they end up all alone. |
| 2 Nephi 15:9 | In mine ears, said the Lord of Hosts, of a truth many houses shall be desolate, and great and fair cities without inhabitant. | God says that many houses will be empty, and big, beautiful cities will have no people living in them. |
| 2 Nephi 15:10 | Yea, ten acres of vineyard shall yield one bath, and the seed of a homer shall yield an ephah. | Yes, ten acres of vineyard will only give a little wine, and a lot of seeds will give just a small amount of grain. |
| 2 Nephi 15:11 | Wo unto them that rise up early in the morning, that they may follow strong drink, that continue until night, and wine inflame them! | Sad things will happen to those who wake up early to drink alcohol and keep drinking all day until night. |
| 2 Nephi 15:12 | And the harp, and the viol, the tabret, and pipe, and wine are in their feasts; but they regard not the work of the Lord, neither consider the operation of his hands. | They have music and wine at their parties, but they don’t think about God’s work or what He has done. |
| 2 Nephi 15:13 | Therefore, my people are gone into captivity, because they have no knowledge; and their honorable men are famished, and their multitude dried up with thirst. | My people are taken away because they don’t know. Their important men are hungry, and the many people are very thirsty. |
| 2 Nephi 15:14 | Therefore, hell hath enlarged herself, and opened her mouth without measure; and their glory, and their multitude, and their pomp, and he that rejoiceth, shall descend into it. | So, hell has become bigger and opened wide. All the proud and happy people will go down into it. |
| 2 Nephi 15:15 | And the mean man shall be brought down, and the mighty man shall be humbled, and the eyes of the lofty shall be humbled. | Opposite bad people will be brought down. Important people will be made humble. Proud people will be made humble. |
| 2 Nephi 15:16 | But the Lord of Hosts shall be exalted in judgment, and God that is holy shall be sanctified in righteousness. | But the Lord will be praised for His fair decisions, and God, who is holy, will be honored for doing what is right. |
| 2 Nephi 15:17 | Then shall the lambs feed after their manner, and the waste places of the fat ones shall strangers eat. | Then the lambs will eat in their own way, and strangers will eat in the empty places of the rich. |
| 2 Nephi 15:18 | Wo unto them that draw iniquity with cords of vanity, and sin as it were with a cart rope; | Bad things will happen to those who pull in their wrongdoings like a wagon with ropes. |
| 2 Nephi 15:19 | That say: Let him make speed, hasten his work, that we may see it; and let the counsel of the Holy One of Israel draw nigh and come, that we may know it. | They say: Let God work faster, so we can see it; let the Holy One of Israel’s plan come near, so we can know it. |
| 2 Nephi 15:20 | Wo unto them that call evil good, and good evil, that put darkness for light, and light for darkness, that put bitter for sweet, and sweet for bitter! | Bad for those who say bad things are good and good things are bad. They make dark things seem light and light things seem dark. They make bitter things seem sweet and sweet things seem bitter. |
| 2 Nephi 15:21 | Wo unto the wise in their own eyes and prudent in their own sight! | Bad things will happen to people who think they are very smart. |
| 2 Nephi 15:22 | Wo unto the mighty to drink wine, and men of strength to mingle strong drink; | Bad for strong people who drink wine, and for those who mix strong drinks. |
| 2 Nephi 15:23 | Who justify the wicked for reward, and take away the righteousness of the righteous from him! | They say bad people are good for a reward, and they take away the goodness of good people. |
| 2 Nephi 15:24 | Therefore, as the fire devoureth the stubble, and the flame consumeth the chaff, their root shall be rottenness, and their blossoms shall go up as dust; because they have cast away the law of the Lord of Hosts, and despised the word of the Holy One of Israel. | Just like a fire burns dry grass and leaves, their roots will go bad, and their flowers will turn to dust because they did not follow God’s law and did not listen to His word. |
| 2 Nephi 15:25 | Therefore, is the anger of the Lord kindled against his people, and he hath stretched forth his hand against them, and hath smitten them; and the hills did tremble, and their carcasses were torn in the midst of the streets. For all this his anger is not turned away, but his hand is stretched out still. | So, God is very mad at the people. He raised his hand to hit them. The hills shook, and the people were hurt in the streets. Even though all this happened, God is still angry and ready to punish them more. |
| 2 Nephi 15:26 | And he will lift up an ensign to the nations from far, and will hiss unto them from the end of the earth; and behold, they shall come with speed swiftly; none shall be weary nor stumble among them. | He will raise a sign for all the countries far away, and call to them from the ends of the earth; they will come quickly; no one will be tired or fall down. |
| 2 Nephi 15:27 | None shall slumber nor sleep; neither shall the girdle of their loins be loosed, nor the latchet of their shoes be broken; | No one will sleep or rest; their belts will stay tight, and their shoes won’t break. |
| 2 Nephi 15:28 | Whose arrows shall be sharp, and all their bows bent, and their horses— hoofs shall be counted like flint, and their wheels like a whirlwind, their roaring like a lion. | Their arrows are sharp, their bows are ready. Their horses’ feet are like hard rocks, and their chariots are like a fast wind. They roar like lions. |
| 2 Nephi 15:29 | They shall roar like young lions; yea, they shall roar, and lay hold of the prey, and shall carry away safe, and none shall deliver. | They will roar like young lions. Yes, they will roar and catch their food, and carry it away safely, and no one can rescue it. |
| 2 Nephi 15:30 | And in that day they shall roar against them like the roaring of the sea; and if they look unto the land, behold, darkness and sorrow, and the light is darkened in the heavens thereof. | On that day, they will make a loud noise like the sea. When they look at the land, it will be dark and sad, and the sky will not have light. |
2 Nephi 16
| Verse | Original | 4th Grade |
|---|---|---|
| 2 Nephi 16:1 | In the year that king Uzziah died, I saw also the Lord sitting upon a throne, high and lifted up, and his train filled the temple. | When King Uzziah died, I saw the Lord on a big, high chair. His long robe filled the temple. |
| 2 Nephi 16:2 | Above it stood the seraphim; each one had six wings; with twain he covered his face, and with twain he covered his feet, and with twain he did fly. | Above it stood angels. Each one had six wings. With two wings, he covered his face. With two wings, he covered his feet. With two wings, he flew. |
| 2 Nephi 16:3 | And one cried unto another, and said: Holy, holy, holy, is the Lord of Hosts; the whole earth is full of his glory. | One called to another and said: Holy, holy, holy is the Lord; the whole earth is full of his glory. |
| 2 Nephi 16:4 | And the posts of the door moved at the voice of him that cried, and the house was filled with smoke. | The door shook when he spoke, and the house filled with smoke. |
| 2 Nephi 16:5 | Then said I: Wo is unto me! for I am undone; because I am a man of unclean lips; and I dwell in the midst of a people of unclean lips; for mine eyes have seen the King, the Lord of Hosts. | I said: Oh no! I am in trouble because I have said bad things. And the people around me have said bad things too. I have seen the King, the Lord of Hosts. |
| 2 Nephi 16:6 | Then flew one of the seraphim unto me, having a live coal in his hand, which he had taken with the tongs from off the altar; | One of the angels flew to me. He had a hot coal in his hand that he took from the altar with tongs. |
| 2 Nephi 16:7 | And he laid it upon my mouth, and said: Lo, this has touched thy lips; and thine iniquity is taken away, and thy sin purged. | He put it on my mouth and said: Look, this has touched your lips; your bad things are gone, and your mistakes are cleaned. |
| 2 Nephi 16:8 | Also I heard the voice of the Lord, saying: Whom shall I send, and who will go for us? Then I said: Here am I; send me. | I heard the Lord ask, “Who will I send? Who will go for us?” I said, “Here I am, send me.” |
| 2 Nephi 16:9 | And he said: Go and tell this people—Hear ye indeed, but they understood not; and see ye indeed, but they perceived not. | He said: Go and tell the people, “You listen, but you do not understand. You look, but you do not see.” |
| 2 Nephi 16:10 | Make the heart of this people fat, and make their ears heavy, and shut their eyes—lest they see with their eyes, and hear with their ears, and understand with their heart, and be converted and be healed. | Make the people not able to see, hear, or understand, so they do not change and get better. |
| 2 Nephi 16:11 | Then said I: Lord, how long? And he said: Until the cities be wasted without inhabitant, and the houses without man, and the land be utterly desolate; | I asked, “Lord, how long?” He answered, “Until the cities are empty, the houses have no people, and the land is very dry and empty.” |
| 2 Nephi 16:12 | And the Lord have removed men far away, for there shall be a great forsaking in the midst of the land. | The Lord sent people far away, and many people will leave the land. |
| 2 Nephi 16:13 | But yet there shall be a tenth, and they shall return, and shall be eaten, as a teil-tree, and as an oak whose substance is in them when they cast their leaves; so the holy seed shall be the substance thereof. | But some will come back, like part of a tree that still has leaves. These people will be special and important. |
2 Nephi 17
| Verse | Original | 4th Grade |
|---|---|---|
| 2 Nephi 17:1 | And it came to pass in the days of Ahaz the son of Jotham, the son of Uzziah, king of Judah, that Rezin, king of Syria, and Pekah the son of Remaliah, king of Israel, went up toward Jerusalem to war against it, but could not prevail against it. | A long time ago, Ahaz was king. Two other kings wanted to fight his city, Jerusalem. They tried to win, but they could not. |
| 2 Nephi 17:2 | And it was told the house of David, saying: Syria is confederate with Ephraim. And his heart was moved, and the heart of his people, as the trees of the wood are moved with the wind. | Someone told David’s family, “Syria is friends with Ephraim.” David and his people felt scared, like trees moving in the wind. |
| 2 Nephi 17:3 | Then said the Lord unto Isaiah: Go forth now to meet Ahaz, thou and Shearjashub thy son, at the end of the conduit of the upper pool in the highway of the fuller—s field; | The Lord said to Isaiah: “Go meet Ahaz, you and your son Shearjashub, at the end of the pool on the road to the field.” |
| 2 Nephi 17:4 | And say unto him: Take heed, and be quiet; fear not, neither be faint-hearted for the two tails of these smoking firebrands, for the fierce anger of Rezin with Syria, and of the son of Remaliah. | Tell him: Be careful, be calm. Don’t be afraid or lose heart because of these two men, Rezin and the son of Remaliah. |
| 2 Nephi 17:5 | Because Syria, Ephraim, and the son of Remaliah, have taken evil counsel against thee, saying: | Syria, Ephraim, and Remaliah’s son have made a bad plan against you. |
| 2 Nephi 17:6 | Let us go up against Judah and vex it, and let us make a breach therein for us, and set a king in the midst of it, yea, the son of Tabeal. | Let’s go and bother Judah. Let’s break in and set up our own king, the son of Tabeal. |
| 2 Nephi 17:7 | Thus saith the Lord God: It shall not stand, neither shall it come to pass. | God says: It will not happen. It will not be. |
| 2 Nephi 17:8 | For the head of Syria is Damascus, and the head of Damascus, Rezin; and within three score and five years shall Ephraim be broken that it be not a people. | The leader of Syria is Damascus, and the leader of Damascus is Rezin. In sixty-five years, Ephraim will be destroyed and not be a group of people anymore. |
| 2 Nephi 17:9 | And the head of Ephraim is Samaria, and the head of Samaria is Remaliah—s son. If ye will not believe surely ye shall not be established. | The main city of Ephraim is Samaria, and the main person in Samaria is Remaliah’s son. If you do not believe, you will not be strong. |
| 2 Nephi 17:10 | Moreover, the Lord spake again unto Ahaz, saying: | Then the Lord spoke again to Ahaz, saying: |
| 2 Nephi 17:11 | Ask thee a sign of the Lord thy God; ask it either in the depths, or in the heights above. | Ask God for a sign. It can be something from deep down or up high. |
| 2 Nephi 17:12 | But Ahaz said: I will not ask, neither will I tempt the Lord. | But Ahaz said: I will not ask, and I will not test the Lord. |
| 2 Nephi 17:13 | And he said: Hear ye now, O house of David; is it a small thing for you to weary men, but will ye weary my God also? | Listen now, people of David’s house. Is it a small thing to make people tired? Will you make God tired too? |
| 2 Nephi 17:14 | Therefore, the Lord himself shall give you a sign—Behold, a virgin shall conceive, and shall bear a son, and shall call his name Immanuel. | So, the Lord will give you a sign—Look, a young woman will have a baby boy and will name him Immanuel. |
| 2 Nephi 17:15 | Butter and honey shall he eat, that he may know to refuse the evil and to choose the good. | He will eat butter and honey so he can learn to say no to bad things and yes to good things. |
| 2 Nephi 17:16 | For before the child shall know to refuse the evil and choose the good, the land that thou abhorrest shall be forsaken of both her kings. | Before the child knows right from wrong, the land you don’t like will be empty. |
| 2 Nephi 17:17 | The Lord shall bring upon thee, and upon thy people, and upon thy father—s house, days that have not come from the day that Ephraim departed from Judah, the king of Assyria. | God will bring hard times to you, your people, and your family, like nothing has happened since Ephraim left Judah, because of the king of Assyria. |
| 2 Nephi 17:18 | And it shall come to pass in that day that the Lord shall hiss for the fly that is in the uttermost part of Egypt, and for the bee that is in the land of Assyria. | One day, the Lord will call the flies from far away in Egypt and the bees from Assyria. |
| 2 Nephi 17:19 | And they shall come, and shall rest all of them in the desolate valleys, and in the holes of the rocks, and upon all thorns, and upon all bushes. | They will come and rest in the empty valleys. They will rest in the rock holes, on the thorns, and on the bushes. |
| 2 Nephi 17:20 | In the same day shall the Lord shave with a razor that is hired, by them beyond the river, by the king of Assyria, the head, and the hair of the feet; and it shall also consume the beard. | On that day, God will use a razor hired by the king of Assyria to shave the hair on heads, feet, and beards. |
| 2 Nephi 17:21 | And it shall come to pass in that day, a man shall nourish a young cow and two sheep; | One day, a man will take care of a young cow and two sheep. |
| 2 Nephi 17:22 | And it shall come to pass, for the abundance of milk they shall give he shall eat butter; for butter and honey shall every one eat that is left in the land. | Soon, there will be a lot of milk. People will eat butter. Everyone in the land will eat butter and honey. |
| 2 Nephi 17:23 | And it shall come to pass in that day, every place shall be, where there were a thousand vines at a thousand silverlings, which shall be for briers and thorns. | One day, places with many plants that were worth a lot of money will be full of thorns and weeds. |
| 2 Nephi 17:24 | With arrows and with bows shall men come thither, because all the land shall become briers and thorns. | People will come with arrows and bows because the land will be covered in thorns and bushes. |
| 2 Nephi 17:25 | And all hills that shall be digged with the mattock, there shall not come thither the fear of briers and thorns; but it shall be for the sending forth of oxen, and the treading of lesser cattle. | All the hills that are dug with a tool will not have sharp plants. They will be used for cows and smaller animals to walk on. |
2 Nephi 18
| Verse | Original | 4th Grade |
|---|---|---|
| 2 Nephi 18:1 | Moreover, the word of the Lord said unto me: Take thee a great roll, and write in it with a man—s pen, concerning Maher-shalal-hash-baz. | The Lord told me, “Take a big scroll and write about Maher-shalal-hash-baz using a man’s pen.” |
| 2 Nephi 18:2 | And I took unto me faithful witnesses to record, Uriah the priest, and Zechariah the son of Jeberechiah. | I got two good men to help me write things down, Uriah the priest and Zechariah the son of Jeberechiah. |
| 2 Nephi 18:3 | And I went unto the prophetess; and she conceived and bare a son. Then said the Lord to me: Call his name, Maher-shalal-hash-baz. | I went to see the prophetess; she had a baby boy. The Lord told me to name him Maher-shalal-hash-baz. |
| 2 Nephi 18:4 | For behold, the child shall not have knowledge to cry, My father, and my mother, before the riches of Damascus and the spoil of Samaria shall be taken away before the king of Assyria. | Look, the child will not know how to say “My dad” and “My mom” before the treasures of Damascus and the riches of Samaria are taken away by the king of Assyria. |
| 2 Nephi 18:5 | The Lord spake also unto me again, saying: | The Lord talked to me again and said: |
| 2 Nephi 18:6 | Forasmuch as this people refuseth the waters of Shiloah that go softly, and rejoice in Rezin and Remaliah—s son; | This people refuses the gentle waters of Shiloah and are happy with Rezin and the son of Remaliah. |
| 2 Nephi 18:7 | Now therefore, behold, the Lord bringeth up upon them the waters of the river, strong and many, even the king of Assyria and all his glory; and he shall come up over all his channels, and go over all his banks. | Now, look, the Lord is bringing the waters of the river, strong and many, and the king of Assyria with all his power. The waters will flow over all the river’s channels and banks. |
| 2 Nephi 18:8 | And he shall pass through Judah; he shall overflow and go over, he shall reach even to the neck; and the stretching out of his wings shall fill the breadth of thy land, O Immanuel. | He will go through Judah. He will spread everywhere, even up to the neck. His wings will cover your whole land, O Immanuel. |
| 2 Nephi 18:9 | Associate yourselves, O ye people, and ye shall be broken in pieces; and give ear all ye of far countries; gird yourselves, and ye shall be broken in pieces; gird yourselves, and ye shall be broken in pieces. | Come together, people, but you will be broken. Listen, people from far away, prepare yourselves, but you will be broken, prepare yourselves, but you will be broken. |
| 2 Nephi 18:10 | Take counsel together, and it shall come to naught; speak the word, and it shall not stand; for God is with us. | Talk together, but it won’t work; say what you want, but it won’t happen, because God is with us. |
| 2 Nephi 18:11 | For the Lord spake thus to me with a strong hand, and instructed me that I should not walk in the way of this people, saying: | God told me very strongly not to act like the people around me. |
| 2 Nephi 18:12 | Say ye not, A confederacy, to all to whom this people shall say, A confederacy; neither fear ye their fear, nor be afraid. | Don’t say, “Join together,” just because other people say it. Don’t be afraid of what they fear. |
| 2 Nephi 18:13 | Sanctify the Lord of Hosts himself, and let him be your fear, and let him be your dread. | Make the Lord very special, and respect Him, and be in awe of Him. |
| 2 Nephi 18:14 | And he shall be for a sanctuary; but for a stone of stumbling, and for a rock of offense to both the houses of Israel, for a gin and a snare to the inhabitants of Jerusalem. | He will be a safe place. But he will also cause people to trip and fall. Both houses of Israel will have problems because of him. He will be a trap for the people of Jerusalem. |
| 2 Nephi 18:15 | And many among them shall stumble and fall, and be broken, and be snared, and be taken. | Many of them will trip and fall, and get hurt, and be caught, and taken away. |
| 2 Nephi 18:16 | Bind up the testimony, seal the law among my disciples. | Keep the message safe, and follow the rules with my followers. |
| 2 Nephi 18:17 | And I will wait upon the Lord, that hideth his face from the house of Jacob, and I will look for him. | I will wait for the Lord who hides from Jacob’s people, and I will look for Him. |
| 2 Nephi 18:18 | Behold, I and the children whom the Lord hath given me are for signs and for wonders in Israel from the Lord of Hosts, which dwelleth in Mount Zion. | Look, me and the children given to me by God are for signs and wonders in Israel from the Lord of Hosts, who lives on Mount Zion. |
| 2 Nephi 18:19 | And when they shall say unto you: Seek unto them that have familiar spirits, and unto wizards that peep and mutter—should not a people seek unto their God for the living to hear from the dead? | When people tell you to look for magic or talk to wizards who whisper, remember that people should ask their God for help instead of the dead. |
| 2 Nephi 18:20 | To the law and to the testimony; and if they speak not according to this word, it is because there is no light in them. | Follow the law and the testimony. If people do not speak according to this, it is because they do not have light in them. |
| 2 Nephi 18:21 | And they shall pass through it hardly bestead and hungry; and it shall come to pass that when they shall be hungry, they shall fret themselves, and curse their king and their God, and look upward. | They will go through it tired and hungry. When they are hungry, they will be upset, and say bad things about their king and God, and look up. |
| 2 Nephi 18:22 | And they shall look unto the earth and behold trouble, and darkness, dimness of anguish, and shall be driven to darkness. | They will look at the earth and see trouble and darkness. They will feel sad and be pushed into more darkness. |
2 Nephi 19
| Verse | Original | 4th Grade |
|---|---|---|
| 2 Nephi 19:1 | Nevertheless, the dimness shall not be such as was in her vexation, when at first he lightly afflicted the land of Zebulun, and the land of Naphtali, and afterwards did more grievously afflict by the way of the Red Sea beyond Jordan in Galilee of the nations. | But now things will not be as bad as before when the lands of Zebulun and Naphtali were troubled. Later, more trouble came to the lands by the Red Sea and the Jordan River in Galilee. |
| 2 Nephi 19:2 | The people that walked in darkness have seen a great light; they that dwell in the land of the shadow of death, upon them hath the light shined. | People who were in the dark have seen a big light; those who lived in a scary place now have light shining on them. |
| 2 Nephi 19:3 | Thou hast multiplied the nation, and increased the joy—they joy before thee according to the joy in harvest, and as men rejoice when they divide the spoil. | You helped make the nation bigger and happier. They are as happy as people during the harvest and as men who share treasures. |
| 2 Nephi 19:4 | For thou hast broken the yoke of his burden, and the staff of his shoulder, the rod of his oppressor. | You have taken away the heavy load on his shoulder and stopped the person who was hurting him. |
| 2 Nephi 19:5 | For every battle of the warrior is with confused noise, and garments rolled in blood; but this shall be with burning and fuel of fire. | Battles are loud and messy, with bloody clothes. But this one will be with fire. |
| 2 Nephi 19:6 | For unto us a child is born, unto us a son is given; and the government shall be upon his shoulder; and his name shall be called, Wonderful, Counselor, The Mighty God, The Everlasting Father, The Prince of Peace. | A child is born to us. A son is given to us. He will lead us. He will be called Wonderful, Counselor, The Mighty God, The Everlasting Father, The Prince of Peace. |
| 2 Nephi 19:7 | Of the increase of government and peace there is no end, upon the throne of David, and upon his kingdom to order it, and to establish it with judgment and with justice from henceforth, even forever. The zeal of the Lord of Hosts will perform this. | There will always be more and more peace and good government. David’s kingdom will be made strong and fair forever. The Lord will make this happen because He is very eager to do so. |
| 2 Nephi 19:8 | The Lord sent his word unto Jacob and it hath lighted upon Israel. | The Lord sent His message to Jacob and it came to Israel. |
| 2 Nephi 19:9 | And all the people shall know, even Ephraim and the inhabitants of Samaria, that say in the pride and stoutness of heart: | All the people, including Ephraim and Samaria, will find out because they are very proud. |
| 2 Nephi 19:10 | The bricks are fallen down, but we will build with hewn stones; the sycamores are cut down, but we will change them into cedars. | The bricks have fallen, but we will build with strong stones. The trees are cut down, but we will plant better ones. |
| 2 Nephi 19:11 | Therefore the Lord shall set up the adversaries of Rezin against him, and join his enemies together; | So, the Lord will bring Rezin’s enemies together to fight against him. |
| 2 Nephi 19:12 | The Syrians before and the Philistines behind; and they shall devour Israel with open mouth. For all this his anger is not turned away, but his hand is stretched out still. | The Syrians are in front and the Philistines are behind; they will attack Israel. Even though all this is happening, God is still angry, but He is still reaching out to help. |
| 2 Nephi 19:13 | For the people turneth not unto him that smiteth them, neither do they seek the Lord of Hosts. | The people do not turn to the one who hurt them, and they do not look for the Lord. |
| 2 Nephi 19:14 | Therefore will the Lord cut off from Israel head and tail, branch and rush in one day. | So the Lord will take away from Israel the leaders and the helpers all in one day. |
| 2 Nephi 19:15 | The ancient, he is the head; and the prophet that teacheth lies, he is the tail. | The old leader is the head; and the bad prophet who tells lies is the tail. |
| 2 Nephi 19:16 | For the leaders of this people cause them to err; and they that are led of them are destroyed. | The leaders make mistakes, and the people who follow them get hurt. |
| 2 Nephi 19:17 | Therefore the Lord shall have no joy in their young men, neither shall have mercy on their fatherless and widows; for every one of them is a hypocrite and an evildoer, and every mouth speaketh folly. For all this his anger is not turned away, but his hand is stretched out still. | So, the Lord will not be happy with their young men. He will not feel sorry for their orphans and widows. Everyone is doing bad things and saying foolish things. Because of this, the Lord is still angry, but He is also still reaching out to help. |
| 2 Nephi 19:18 | For wickedness burneth as the fire; it shall devour the briers and thorns, and shall kindle in the thickets of the forests, and they shall mount up like the lifting up of smoke. | Bad things burn like fire; they will destroy bushes and thorns, and start fires in the forests, and the smoke will go up. |
| 2 Nephi 19:19 | Through the wrath of the Lord of Hosts is the land darkened, and the people shall be as the fuel of the fire; no man shall spare his brother. | Because the Lord is angry, the land is dark. The people will be like wood for the fire. No one will help his brother. |
| 2 Nephi 19:20 | And he shall snatch on the right hand and be hungry; and he shall eat on the left hand and they shall not be satisfied; they shall eat every man the flesh of his own arm— | He will grab with his right hand but still be hungry. He will eat with his left hand but not feel full. They will eat their own arms. |
| 2 Nephi 19:21 | Manasseh, Ephraim; and Ephraim, Manasseh; they together shall be against Judah. For all this his anger is not turned away, but his hand is stretched out still. | Manasseh and Ephraim, and Ephraim and Manasseh, will fight against Judah. But God is still angry, and His hand is still reaching out. |
2 Nephi 20
| Verse | Original | 4th Grade |
|---|---|---|
| 2 Nephi 20:1 | Wo unto them that decree unrighteous decrees, and that write grievousness which they have prescribed; | Bad things will happen to those who make unfair rules and write mean things. |
| 2 Nephi 20:2 | To turn away the needy from judgment, and to take away the right from the poor of my people, that widows may be their prey, and that they may rob the fatherless! | To ignore the needy and take away rights from poor people, make widows easy targets, and steal from orphans. |
| 2 Nephi 20:3 | And what will ye do in the day of visitation, and in the desolation which shall come from far? to whom will ye flee for help? and where will ye leave your glory? | What will you do when trouble comes? Who will you ask for help? Where will you put your important things? |
| 2 Nephi 20:4 | Without me they shall bow down under the prisoners, and they shall fall under the slain. For all this his anger is not turned away, but his hand is stretched out still. | They will be stuck like prisoners and fall like people who were hurt. Even when God is angry, His hand is still helping. |
| 2 Nephi 20:5 | O Assyrian, the rod of mine anger, and the staff in their hand is their indignation. | O Assyrian, you are like a stick I use when I am angry, and their anger is like a stick in their hand. |
| 2 Nephi 20:6 | I will send him against a hypocritical nation, and against the people of my wrath will I give him a charge to take the spoil, and to take the prey, and to tread them down like the mire of the streets. | I will send him to a bad nation. I will tell him to take what they have and to walk over them like dirt in the streets. |
| 2 Nephi 20:7 | Howbeit he meaneth not so, neither doth his heart think so; but in his heart it is to destroy and cut off nations not a few. | But he does not know this, nor does he think this way; his plan is to destroy many nations. |
| 2 Nephi 20:8 | For he saith: Are not my princes altogether kings? | He says, “Aren’t all my leaders kings?” |
| 2 Nephi 20:9 | Is not Calno as Carchemish? Is not Hamath as Arpad? Is not Samaria as Damascus? | Isn’t Calno like Carchemish? Isn’t Hamath like Arpad? Isn’t Samaria like Damascus? |
| 2 Nephi 20:10 | As my hand hath founded the kingdoms of the idols, and whose graven images did excel them of Jerusalem and of Samaria; | I made the kingdoms of the idols, and their statues were better than those in Jerusalem and Samaria. |
| 2 Nephi 20:11 | Shall I not, as I have done unto Samaria and her idols, so do to Jerusalem and to her idols? | Should I not do to Jerusalem and her idols what I did to Samaria and her idols? |
| 2 Nephi 20:12 | Wherefore it shall come to pass that when the Lord hath performed his whole work upon Mount Zion and upon Jerusalem, I will punish the fruit of the stout heart of the king of Assyria, and the glory of his high looks. | So when the Lord finishes his work in Mount Zion and Jerusalem, I will punish the proud king of Assyria. |
| 2 Nephi 20:13 | For he saith: By the strength of my hand and by my wisdom I have done these things; for I am prudent; and I have moved the borders of the people, and have robbed their treasures, and I have put down the inhabitants like a valiant man; | He says: I did these things because I am strong and smart. I have moved the people and taken their treasures and made the people leave. |
| 2 Nephi 20:14 | And my hand hath found as a nest the riches of the people; and as one gathereth eggs that are left have I gathered all the earth; and there was none that moved the wing, or opened the mouth, or peeped. | I have found the people’s riches like finding a nest of eggs. I took them all, and nobody did anything to stop me or even say a word. |
| 2 Nephi 20:15 | Shall the ax boast itself against him that heweth therewith? Shall the saw magnify itself against him that shaketh it? As if the rod should shake itself against them that lift it up, or as if the staff should lift up itself as if it were no wood! | Can the ax brag about the person using it? Can the saw praise itself above the person who moves it? It’s like a stick moving by itself without someone holding it, or a walking stick acting like it isn’t made of wood! |
| 2 Nephi 20:16 | Therefore shall the Lord, the Lord of Hosts, send among his fat ones, leanness; and under his glory he shall kindle a burning like the burning of a fire. | So the Lord will make the strong ones weak, and he will start a fire under his glory. |
| 2 Nephi 20:17 | And the light of Israel shall be for a fire, and his Holy One for a flame, and shall burn and shall devour his thorns and his briers in one day; | The light of Israel will be like a fire, and his Holy One like a flame. It will burn up and destroy his thorns and thistles in one day. |
| 2 Nephi 20:18 | And shall consume the glory of his forest, and of his fruitful field, both soul and body; and they shall be as when a standard-bearer fainteth. | He will take away all the good things from their forest and fields, everything they have. They will be like a flag holder who gets tired and falls. |
| 2 Nephi 20:19 | And the rest of the trees of his forest shall be few, that a child may write them. | There will be only a few trees left, so few that a child can count them. |
| 2 Nephi 20:20 | And it shall come to pass in that day, that the remnant of Israel, and such as are escaped of the house of Jacob, shall no more again stay upon him that smote them, but shall stay upon the Lord, the Holy One of Israel, in truth. | One day, the people of Israel left behind will trust in the Lord, the Holy One of Israel, instead of the person who hurt them. |
| 2 Nephi 20:21 | The remnant shall return, yea, even the remnant of Jacob, unto the mighty God. | The leftover people will come back, yes, Jacob’s leftover people, to the strong God. |
| 2 Nephi 20:22 | For though thy people Israel be as the sand of the sea, yet a remnant of them shall return; the consumption decreed shall overflow with righteousness. | Though there are many people in Israel, like the sand by the sea, only a few will come back. The plan will be very good and fair. |
| 2 Nephi 20:23 | For the Lord God of Hosts shall make a consumption, even determined in all the land. | God will make something happen in the whole land. |
| 2 Nephi 20:24 | Therefore, thus saith the Lord God of Hosts: O my people that dwellest in Zion, be not afraid of the Assyrian; he shall smite thee with a rod, and shall lift up his staff against thee, after the manner of Egypt. | So, this is what God says: My people in Zion, do not be scared of the Assyrian; he will hit you with a stick, and lift his staff against you, like in Egypt. |
| 2 Nephi 20:25 | For yet a very little while, and the indignation shall cease, and mine anger in their destruction. | Soon the anger will stop, and my anger will go away when they are gone. |
| 2 Nephi 20:26 | And the Lord of Hosts shall stir up a scourge for him according to the slaughter of Midian at the rock of Oreb; and as his rod was upon the sea so shall he lift it up after the manner of Egypt. | God will punish him like He did at the rock of Oreb and in Egypt. |
| 2 Nephi 20:27 | And it shall come to pass in that day that his burden shall be taken away from off thy shoulder, and his yoke from off thy neck, and the yoke shall be destroyed because of the anointing. | One day, the heavy load will be taken off your shoulders, and the yoke will be removed from your neck because of the special blessing. |
| 2 Nephi 20:28 | He is come to Aiath, he is passed to Migron; at Michmash he hath laid up his carriages. | He went to Aiath, then he went to Migron. At Michmash, he left his stuff. |
| 2 Nephi 20:29 | They are gone over the passage; they have taken up their lodging at Geba; Ramath is afraid; Gibeah of Saul is fled. | They have crossed the path; they are staying at Geba. Ramath is scared; Gibeah of Saul has run away. |
| 2 Nephi 20:30 | Lift up the voice, O daughter of Gallim; cause it to be heard unto Laish, O poor Anathoth. | Speak up, daughter of Gallim; let Laish hear you, poor Anathoth. |
| 2 Nephi 20:31 | Madmenah is removed; the inhabitants of Gebim gather themselves to flee. | Madmenah is gone; the people of Gebim are running away. |
| 2 Nephi 20:32 | As yet shall he remain at Nob that day; he shall shake his hand against the mount of the daughter of Zion, the hill of Jerusalem. | He will stay at Nob that day; he will wave his hand at the hill near Jerusalem. |
| 2 Nephi 20:33 | Behold, the Lord, the Lord of Hosts shall lop the bough with terror; and the high ones of stature shall be hewn down; and the haughty shall be humbled. | Look, the Lord will cut off the big branches with fear; the tall people will be cut down; and the proud people will be made humble. |
| 2 Nephi 20:34 | And he shall cut down the thickets of the forests with iron, and Lebanon shall fall by a mighty one. | He will chop down the thick trees with an ax, and big trees in Lebanon will fall. |
2 Nephi 21
| Verse | Original | 4th Grade |
|---|---|---|
| 2 Nephi 21:1 | And there shall come forth a rod out of the stem of Jesse, and a branch shall grow out of his roots. | A new branch will grow from Jesse’s family tree. |
| 2 Nephi 21:2 | And the Spirit of the Lord shall rest upon him, the spirit of wisdom and understanding, the spirit of counsel and might, the spirit of knowledge and of the fear of the Lord; | The Spirit of the Lord will be with him. He will have wisdom and understanding. He will give good advice and be strong. He will know things and respect the Lord. |
| 2 Nephi 21:3 | And shall make him of quick understanding in the fear of the Lord; and he shall not judge after the sight of his eyes, neither reprove after the hearing of his ears. | He will understand God very well and will be fair. He won’t judge just by what he sees or hears. |
| 2 Nephi 21:4 | But with righteousness shall he judge the poor, and reprove with equity for the meek of the earth; and he shall smite the earth with the rod of his mouth, and with the breath of his lips shall he slay the wicked. | But he will be fair to the poor and kind to the humble; he will speak to punish the earth, and his words will stop bad people. |
| 2 Nephi 21:5 | And righteousness shall be the girdle of his loins, and faithfulness the girdle of his reins. | He will wear goodness like a belt around his waist, and he will be faithful like a belt around his hips. |
| 2 Nephi 21:6 | The wolf also shall dwell with the lamb, and the leopard shall lie down with the kid, and the calf and the young lion and fatling together; and a little child shall lead them. | The wolf will live with the lamb. The leopard will rest with the baby goat. The calf, the young lion, and the fat animal will be together. A little child will lead them. |
| 2 Nephi 21:7 | And the cow and the bear shall feed; their young ones shall lie down together; and the lion shall eat straw like the ox. | The cow and the bear will eat together; their babies will lie down together; and the lion will eat straw like the ox. |
| 2 Nephi 21:8 | And the suckling child shall play on the hole of the asp, and the weaned child shall put his hand on the cockatrice—s den. | The baby will play near the snake’s hole, and the child will put his hand in the lizard’s home. |
| 2 Nephi 21:9 | They shall not hurt nor destroy in all my holy mountain, for the earth shall be full of the knowledge of the Lord, as the waters cover the sea. | No one will hurt or destroy on my holy mountain, because everyone will know about the Lord, just like the water covers the sea. |
| 2 Nephi 21:10 | And in that day there shall be a root of Jesse, which shall stand for an ensign of the people; to it shall the Gentiles seek; and his rest shall be glorious. | One day, a special person from Jesse’s family will come. This person will be a sign for all people. Everyone, including those not from Israel, will come to him. He will bring peace, and it will be wonderful. |
| 2 Nephi 21:11 | And it shall come to pass in that day that the Lord shall set his hand again the second time to recover the remnant of his people which shall be left, from Assyria, and from Egypt, and from Pathros, and from Cush, and from Elam, and from Shinar, and from Hamath, and from the islands of the sea. | On that day, the Lord will help his people again. He will bring them back from Assyria, Egypt, Pathros, Cush, Elam, Shinar, Hamath, and the islands in the sea. |
| 2 Nephi 21:12 | And he shall set up an ensign for the nations, and shall assemble the outcasts of Israel, and gather together the dispersed of Judah from the four corners of the earth. | He will raise a flag for the nations, and bring together the people of Israel who were cast out and the scattered people of Judah from all around the world. |
| 2 Nephi 21:13 | The envy of Ephraim also shall depart, and the adversaries of Judah shall be cut off; Ephraim shall not envy Judah, and Judah shall not vex Ephraim. | The people of Ephraim will not be jealous anymore. The enemies of Judah will go away. Ephraim will not be jealous of Judah, and Judah will not bother Ephraim. |
| 2 Nephi 21:14 | But they shall fly upon the shoulders of the Philistines towards the west; they shall spoil them of the east together; they shall lay their hand upon Edom and Moab; and the children of Ammon shall obey them. | They will go over the Philistines to the west and take their things. They will also take things from people in the east. They will take over Edom and Moab, and the people of Ammon will do what they say. |
| 2 Nephi 21:15 | And the Lord shall utterly destroy the tongue of the Egyptian sea; and with his mighty wind he shall shake his hand over the river, and shall smite it in the seven streams, and make men go over dry shod. | The Lord will dry up the Egyptian sea, and with his strong wind, he will wave his hand over the river. He will break the river into seven streams so people can walk across on dry ground. |
| 2 Nephi 21:16 | And there shall be a highway for the remnant of his people which shall be left, from Assyria, like as it was to Israel in the day that he came up out of the land of Egypt. | There will be a road for the people who are left from Assyria, just like there was for Israel when they left Egypt. |
2 Nephi 22
| Verse | Original | 4th Grade |
|---|---|---|
| 2 Nephi 22:1 | And in that day thou shalt say: O Lord, I will praise thee; though thou wast angry with me thine anger is turned away, and thou comfortedst me. | On that day you will say: “Lord, I will thank you. Even though you were mad at me, you are not mad anymore and you comfort me.” |
| 2 Nephi 22:2 | Behold, God is my salvation; I will trust, and not be afraid; for the Lord JEHOVAH is my strength and my song; he also has become my salvation. | Look, God saves me; I will trust and not be scared; the Lord is my strength and my song; He saves me. |
| 2 Nephi 22:3 | Therefore, with joy shall ye draw water out of the wells of salvation. | So, you will be happy when you get water from the wells of salvation. |
| 2 Nephi 22:4 | And in that day shall ye say: Praise the Lord, call upon his name, declare his doings among the people, make mention that his name is exalted. | On that day you will say: Praise the Lord, say his name, tell everyone what he has done, and say that his name is great. |
| 2 Nephi 22:5 | Sing unto the Lord; for he hath done excellent things; this is known in all the earth. | Sing to the Lord; He has done great things; everyone knows this. |
| 2 Nephi 22:6 | Cry out and shout, thou inhabitant of Zion; for great is the Holy One of Israel in the midst of thee. | Shout for joy, people of Zion, because the Holy One of Israel is with you. |
2 Nephi 23
| Verse | Original | 4th Grade |
|---|---|---|
| 2 Nephi 23:1 | The burden of Babylon, which Isaiah the son of Amoz did see. | The message about Babylon that Isaiah, son of Amoz, saw. |
| 2 Nephi 23:2 | Lift ye up a banner upon the high mountain, exalt the voice unto them, shake the hand, that they may go into the gates of the nobles. | Put a flag on the big mountain. Shout to the people. Wave your hand, so they can go to the important place. |
| 2 Nephi 23:3 | I have commanded my sanctified ones, I have also called my mighty ones, for mine anger is not upon them that rejoice in my highness. | I told my special people to come. I called my strong ones. I am not angry with those who are happy because of me. |
| 2 Nephi 23:4 | The noise of the multitude in the mountains like as of a great people, a tumultuous noise of the kingdoms of nations gathered together, the Lord of Hosts mustereth the hosts of the battle. | The loud sounds of many people in the mountains, big crowds of people from different places, the Lord brings together the armies for battle. |
| 2 Nephi 23:5 | They come from a far country, from the end of heaven, yea, the Lord, and the weapons of his indignation, to destroy the whole land. | They come from a faraway place, from the sky, and the Lord brings powerful tools to destroy the land. |
| 2 Nephi 23:6 | Howl ye, for the day of the Lord is at hand; it shall come as a destruction from the Almighty. | Cry out loudly, because the Lord’s day is near; it will bring destruction from God. |
| 2 Nephi 23:7 | Therefore shall all hands be faint, every man—s heart shall melt; | So everyone will feel weak, and everyone’s heart will be scared. |
| 2 Nephi 23:8 | And they shall be afraid; pangs and sorrows shall take hold of them; they shall be amazed one at another; their faces shall be as flames. | They will be scared; they will feel pain and sadness. They will look at each other in surprise; their faces will look like they are on fire. |
| 2 Nephi 23:9 | Behold, the day of the Lord cometh, cruel both with wrath and fierce anger, to lay the land desolate; and he shall destroy the sinners thereof out of it. | Listen! The Lord’s special day is coming. He will be very angry and upset. He will make the land empty, and He will get rid of the bad people. |
| 2 Nephi 23:10 | For the stars of heaven and the constellations thereof shall not give their light; the sun shall be darkened in his going forth, and the moon shall not cause her light to shine. | The stars in the sky and the groups of stars will not shine; the sun will be dark when it rises, and the moon will not shine. |
| 2 Nephi 23:11 | And I will punish the world for evil, and the wicked for their iniquity; I will cause the arrogancy of the proud to cease, and will lay down the haughtiness of the terrible. | I will punish people for bad things and stop the proud from being mean. |
| 2 Nephi 23:12 | I will make a man more precious than fine gold; even a man than the golden wedge of Ophir. | I will make a man more special than gold; even more special than the best gold from Ophir. |
| 2 Nephi 23:13 | Therefore, I will shake the heavens, and the earth shall remove out of her place, in the wrath of the Lord of Hosts, and in the day of his fierce anger. | God will shake the skies and move the earth because He is very angry. |
| 2 Nephi 23:14 | And it shall be as the chased roe, and as a sheep that no man taketh up; and they shall every man turn to his own people, and flee every one into his own land. | It will be like a deer running away, and like a sheep with no one to pick it up. Everyone will run back to their own people and land. |
| 2 Nephi 23:15 | Every one that is proud shall be thrust through; yea, and every one that is joined to the wicked shall fall by the sword. | Everyone who is proud will be hurt; yes, and everyone who is with bad people will fall. |
| 2 Nephi 23:16 | Their children, also shall be dashed to pieces before their eyes; their houses shall be spoiled and their wives ravished. | Their children will be hurt in front of them. Their houses will be taken, and their wives will be mistreated. |
| 2 Nephi 23:17 | Behold, I will stir up the Medes against them, which shall not regard silver and gold, nor shall they delight in it. | Look, I will bring the Medes to fight them. The Medes won’t care about silver or gold, and they won’t want it. |
| 2 Nephi 23:18 | Their bows shall also dash the young men to pieces, and they shall have no pity on the fruit of the womb; their eyes shall not spare children. | They will use their bows to hurt young men, and they will not feel sorry for babies or children. |
| 2 Nephi 23:19 | And Babylon, the glory of kingdoms, the beauty of the Chaldees— excellency, shall be as when God overthrew Sodom and Gomorrah. | Babylon, which is a great and beautiful kingdom, will be destroyed just like God destroyed Sodom and Gomorrah. |
| 2 Nephi 23:20 | It shall never be inhabited, neither shall it be dwelt in from generation to generation: neither shall the Arabian pitch tent there; neither shall the shepherds make their fold there. | No one will ever live there again. People won’t stay there from one generation to the next. No one will set up tents there. No shepherds will bring their sheep there. |
| 2 Nephi 23:21 | But wild beasts of the desert shall lie there; and their houses shall be full of doleful creatures; and owls shall dwell there, and satyrs shall dance there. | Wild animals will live there. Sad creatures will be in their houses. Owls will stay there, and funny creatures will dance there. |
| 2 Nephi 23:22 | And the wild beasts of the islands shall cry in their desolate houses, and dragons in their pleasant palaces; and her time is near to come, and her day shall not be prolonged. For I will destroy her speedily; yea, for I will be merciful unto my people, but the wicked shall perish. | The wild animals will cry in empty houses, and dragons will be in nice places. Her time is almost here, and it won’t be delayed. I will destroy her quickly. I will be kind to my people, but bad people will die. |
2 Nephi 24
| Verse | Original | 4th Grade |
|---|---|---|
| 2 Nephi 24:1 | For the Lord will have mercy on Jacob, and will yet choose Israel, and set them in their own land; and the strangers shall be joined with them, and they shall cleave to the house of Jacob. | God will be kind to Jacob, and He will choose Israel again. He will give them their own land. New people will join them, and they will stay with Jacob’s family. |
| 2 Nephi 24:2 | And the people shall take them and bring them to their place; yea, from far unto the ends of the earth; and they shall return to their lands of promise. And the house of Israel shall possess them, and the land of the Lord shall be for servants and handmaids; and they shall take them captives unto whom they were captives; and they shall rule over their oppressors. | The people will bring others to their home from far away. They will go back to their promised land. The house of Israel will have these people as servants. They will take their captors and rule over them. |
| 2 Nephi 24:3 | And it shall come to pass in that day that the Lord shall give thee rest, from thy sorrow, and from thy fear, and from the hard bondage wherein thou wast made to serve. | One day, God will help you feel better. You won’t be sad or scared anymore, and you won’t have to work so hard. |
| 2 Nephi 24:4 | And it shall come to pass in that day, that thou shalt take up this proverb against the king of Babylon, and say: How hath the oppressor ceased, the golden city ceased! | One day, you will say something against the king of Babylon: “The mean king is gone, the great city has stopped.” |
| 2 Nephi 24:5 | The Lord hath broken the staff of the wicked, the scepters of the rulers. | God has taken away the power of bad people and the kings. |
| 2 Nephi 24:6 | He who smote the people in wrath with a continual stroke, he that ruled the nations in anger, is persecuted, and none hindereth. | The person who hurt others in anger and ruled over many people is now being punished, and no one stops it. |
| 2 Nephi 24:7 | The whole earth is at rest, and is quiet; they break forth into singing. | The whole earth is calm and quiet; everyone starts singing. |
| 2 Nephi 24:8 | Yea, the fir-trees rejoice at thee, and also the cedars of Lebanon, saying: Since thou art laid down no feller is come up against us. | The fir trees and cedars are happy because no one is cutting them down anymore. |
| 2 Nephi 24:9 | Hell from beneath is moved for thee to meet thee at thy coming; it stirreth up the dead for thee, even all the chief ones of the earth; it hath raised up from their thrones all the kings of the nations. | The ground below is ready to greet you when you come. It wakes up the dead for you, even the important people of the earth. It makes all the kings get up from their seats. |
| 2 Nephi 24:10 | All they shall speak and say unto thee: Art thou also become weak as we? Art thou become like unto us? | Everyone will say to you: “Are you weak like us?Are you now just like us?” |
| 2 Nephi 24:11 | Thy pomp is brought down to the grave; the noise of thy viols is not heard; the worm is spread under thee, and the worms cover thee. | Your grandness is gone to the grave; the sound of your music is no more; worms are all around you. |
| 2 Nephi 24:12 | How art thou fallen from heaven, O Lucifer, son of the morning! Art thou cut down to the ground, which did weaken the nations! | You have fallen from heaven, O Lucifer, son of the morning! You are cut down to the ground, who weakened the nations. |
| 2 Nephi 24:13 | For thou hast said in thy heart: I will ascend into heaven, I will exalt my throne above the stars of God; I will sit also upon the mount of the congregation, in the sides of the north; | You said in your heart, “I will go up to heaven. I will put my throne higher than the stars of God. I will sit on the mountain where people gather, in the north.” |
| 2 Nephi 24:14 | I will ascend above the heights of the clouds; I will be like the Most High. | I will go higher than the clouds; I will be like God. |
| 2 Nephi 24:15 | Yet thou shalt be brought down to hell, to the sides of the pit. | But you will go down to the bottom of a deep, dark hole. |
| 2 Nephi 24:16 | They that see thee shall narrowly look upon thee, and shall consider thee, and shall say: Is this the man that made the earth to tremble, that did shake kingdoms? | People will look closely at you and think about you. They will say, “Is this the man who made the earth shake and scared kingdoms?” |
| 2 Nephi 24:17 | And made the world as a wilderness, and destroyed the cities thereof, and opened not the house of his prisoners? | He made the world like a wild place, destroyed the cities, and didn’t let his prisoners go. |
| 2 Nephi 24:18 | All the kings of the nations, yea, all of them, lie in glory, every one of them in his own house. | All the kings of all the countries rest in their own houses with glory. |
| 2 Nephi 24:19 | But thou art cast out of thy grave like an abominable branch, and the remnant of those that are slain, thrust through with a sword, that go down to the stones of the pit; as a carcass trodden under feet. | But you are thrown out of your grave like a bad branch, and the bodies of those killed, stabbed with a sword, that go down to the rocks of the pit; like a dead body stepped on. |
| 2 Nephi 24:20 | Thou shalt not be joined with them in burial, because thou hast destroyed thy land and slain thy people; the seed of evil-doers shall never be renowned. | You will not be buried with them because you destroyed your land and hurt your people. The children of bad people will never be famous. |
| 2 Nephi 24:21 | Prepare slaughter for his children for the iniquities of their fathers, that they do not rise, nor possess the land, nor fill the face of the world with cities. | Get ready to stop the children because of their parents’ bad deeds, so they do not become strong, take the land, or build lots of cities. |
| 2 Nephi 24:22 | For I will rise up against them, saith the Lord of Hosts, and cut off from Babylon the name, and remnant, and son, and nephew, saith the Lord. | The Lord says, “I will stand up against them and remove the name and family from Babylon.” |
| 2 Nephi 24:23 | I will also make it a possession for the bittern, and pools of water; and I will sweep it with the besom of destruction, saith the Lord of Hosts. | I will make it a home for animals and water. I will destroy it, says the Lord. |
| 2 Nephi 24:24 | The Lord of Hosts hath sworn, saying: Surely as I have thought, so shall it come to pass; and as I have purposed, so shall it stand— | God has promised: What I have planned will happen, and what I want will be done. |
| 2 Nephi 24:25 | That I will bring the Assyrian in my land, and upon my mountains tread him under foot; then shall his yoke depart from off them, and his burden depart from off their shoulders. | I will bring the Assyrian to my land and crush him on my mountains. His control and heavy load will be taken away from the people. |
| 2 Nephi 24:26 | This is the purpose that is purposed upon the whole earth; and this is the hand that is stretched out upon all nations. | This is the plan for everyone on earth; and this is the hand reaching out to all people. |
| 2 Nephi 24:27 | For the Lord of Hosts hath purposed, and who shall disannul? And his hand is stretched out, and who shall turn it back? | The Lord has made a plan, and no one can change it. His hand is reaching out, and no one can stop it. |
| 2 Nephi 24:28 | In the year that king Ahaz died was this burden. | The year King Ahaz died, there was a big problem. |
| 2 Nephi 24:29 | Rejoice not thou, whole Palestina, because the rod of him that smote thee is broken; for out of the serpent—s root shall come forth a cockatrice, and his fruit shall be a fiery flying serpent. | Do not be happy, people of Palestina, because the person who hurt you is gone. From something bad will come something even worse. |
| 2 Nephi 24:30 | And the first-born of the poor shall feed, and the needy shall lie down in safety; and I will kill thy root with famine, and he shall slay thy remnant. | The hungry will have food to eat and the poor will be safe. But bad times will come to your people and they will not survive. |
| 2 Nephi 24:31 | Howl, O gate; cry, O city; thou, whole Palestina, art dissolved; for there shall come from the north a smoke, and none shall be alone in his appointed times. | Cry out, O gate; weep, O city; all of Palestina is broken; from the north there will come smoke, and no one will be alone at the set time. |
| 2 Nephi 24:32 | What shall then answer the messengers of the nations? That the Lord hath founded Zion, and the poor of his people shall trust in it. | What will we say to the people from other lands? The Lord made Zion, and the poor people will trust in it. |
2 Nephi 25
| Verse | Original | 4th Grade |
|---|---|---|
| 2 Nephi 25:1 | Now I, Nephi, do speak somewhat concerning the words which I have written, which have been spoken by the mouth of Isaiah. For behold, Isaiah spake many things which were hard for many of my people to understand; for they know not concerning the manner of prophesying among the Jews. | I, Nephi, am talking about the words I wrote from Isaiah. Isaiah said many things that are hard for my people to understand because they do not know how the Jews tell prophecies. |
| 2 Nephi 25:2 | For I, Nephi, have not taught them many things concerning the manner of the Jews; for their works were works of darkness, and their doings were doings of abominations. | I, Nephi, did not teach them much about the ways of the Jews, because they did bad things. |
| 2 Nephi 25:3 | Wherefore, I write unto my people, unto all those that shall receive hereafter these things which I write, that they may know the judgments of God, that they come upon all nations, according to the word which he hath spoken. | So, I write to my people and to everyone who will read these things later so they can know God’s judgments, which come to all people, like He said. |
| 2 Nephi 25:4 | Wherefore, hearken, O my people, which are of the house of Israel, and give ear unto my words; for because the words of Isaiah are not plain unto you, nevertheless they are plain unto all those that are filled with the spirit of prophecy. But I give unto you a prophecy, according to the spirit which is in me; wherefore I shall prophesy according to the plainness which hath been with me from the time that I came out from Jerusalem with my father; for behold, my soul delighteth in plainness unto my people, that they may learn. | Listen, my people of Israel. Pay attention to my words. The words of Isaiah are hard for you, but easy for those with the spirit of prophecy. I will tell you a prophecy clearly because I enjoy being clear, so you can understand. |
| 2 Nephi 25:5 | Yea, and my soul delighteth in the words of Isaiah, for I came out from Jerusalem, and mine eyes hath beheld the things of the Jews, and I know that the Jews do understand the things of the prophets, and there is none other people that understand the things which were spoken unto the Jews like unto them, save it be that they are taught after the manner of the things of the Jews. | I love the words of Isaiah because I am from Jerusalem. I have seen what the Jewish people do, and I know they understand their prophets well. No other people understand the Jewish prophets like the Jews do, unless they are taught the same way. |
| 2 Nephi 25:6 | But behold, I, Nephi, have not taught my children after the manner of the Jews; but behold, I, of myself, have dwelt at Jerusalem, wherefore I know concerning the regions round about; and I have made mention unto my children concerning the judgments of God, which hath come to pass among the Jews, unto my children, according to all that which Isaiah hath spoken, and I do not write them. | But look, I, Nephi, have not taught my children like the Jews. But I lived in Jerusalem, so I know the places around it. I have told my children about God’s judgments that happened to the Jews, just like Isaiah said. I do not write them. |
| 2 Nephi 25:7 | But behold, I proceed with mine own prophecy, according to my plainness; in the which I know that no man can err; nevertheless, in the days that the prophecies of Isaiah shall be fulfilled men shall know of a surety, at the times when they shall come to pass. | I will now tell you my own prophecy, in simple words. No one can misunderstand it. When the prophecies of Isaiah come true, everyone will know for sure. |
| 2 Nephi 25:8 | Wherefore, they are of worth unto the children of men, and he that supposeth that they are not, unto them will I speak particularly, and confine the words unto mine own people; for I know that they shall be of great worth unto them in the last days; for in that day shall they understand them; wherefore, for their good have I written them. | These words are important for people. If someone thinks they are not important, I want to talk to them. I am writing these words for my own people because I know they will understand them one day. I write them to help my people. |
| 2 Nephi 25:9 | And as one generation hath been destroyed among the Jews because of iniquity, even so have they been destroyed from generation to generation according to their iniquities; and never hath any of them been destroyed save it were foretold them by the prophets of the Lord. | One group of people was hurt because they did bad things. Then more groups were hurt because they did bad things too. Prophets told them this would happen before it did. |
| 2 Nephi 25:10 | Wherefore, it hath been told them concerning the destruction which should come upon them, immediately after my father left Jerusalem; nevertheless, they hardened their hearts; and according to my prophecy they have been destroyed, save it be those which are carried away captive into Babylon. | My father told them that bad things would happen after he left Jerusalem. But they didn’t listen and were destroyed, except for some who were taken to Babylon. |
| 2 Nephi 25:11 | And now this I speak because of the spirit which is in me. And notwithstanding they have been carried away they shall return again, and possess the land of Jerusalem; wherefore, they shall be restored again to the land of their inheritance. | I say this because the spirit is in me. Even though they were taken away, they will come back and live in Jerusalem again. They will get their land back. |
| 2 Nephi 25:12 | But, behold, they shall have wars, and rumors of wars; and when the day cometh that the Only Begotten of the Father, yea, even the Father of heaven and of earth, shall manifest himself unto them in the flesh, behold, they will reject him, because of their iniquities, and the hardness of their hearts, and the stiffness of their necks. | There will be wars and talk about wars. When Jesus, God’s Son, comes to them in person, they will not accept him because they are bad, stubborn, and proud. |
| 2 Nephi 25:13 | Behold, they will crucify him; and after he is laid in a sepulchre for the space of three days he shall rise from the dead, with healing in his wings; and all those who shall believe on his name shall be saved in the kingdom of God. Wherefore, my soul delighteth to prophesy concerning him, for I have seen his day, and my heart doth magnify his holy name. | Look, they will kill him on a cross; and after he is in a tomb for three days he will come back to life, with the power to heal; and everyone who believes in him will be saved in God’s kingdom. So, I am happy to talk about him, because I have seen his time, and my heart praises his holy name. |
| 2 Nephi 25:14 | And behold it shall come to pass that after the Messiah hath risen from the dead, and hath manifested himself unto his people, unto as many as will believe on his name, behold, Jerusalem shall be destroyed again; for wo unto them that fight against God and the people of his church. | After Jesus comes back to life and shows himself to the people who believe in him, Jerusalem will be destroyed again because bad things happen to those who fight against God and his church. |
| 2 Nephi 25:15 | Wherefore, the Jews shall be scattered among all nations; yea, and also Babylon shall be destroyed; wherefore, the Jews shall be scattered by other nations. | So, the Jews will be sent to live in many different countries. Also, Babylon will be destroyed. So, the Jews will be sent to live in other countries. |
| 2 Nephi 25:16 | And after they have been scattered, and the Lord God hath scourged them by other nations for the space of many generations, yea, even down from generation to generation until they shall be persuaded to believe in Christ, the Son of God, and the atonement, which is infinite for all mankind—and when that day shall come that they shall believe in Christ, and worship the Father in his name, with pure hearts and clean hands, and look not forward any more for another Messiah, then, at that time, the day will come that it must needs be expedient that they should believe these things. | After they have been spread out and the Lord has let other nations be mean to them for many years, they will start to believe in Jesus, the Son of God, and in His sacrifice for everyone. When that day comes, they will believe in Jesus and worship God with clean hearts and hands, and they won’t wait for another Savior. When that happens, it will be important for them to believe these things. |
| 2 Nephi 25:17 | And the Lord will set his hand again the second time to restore his people from their lost and fallen state. Wherefore, he will proceed to do a marvelous work and a wonder among the children of men. | And the Lord will help his people again. He will fix things and do amazing works among the people. |
| 2 Nephi 25:18 | Wherefore, he shall bring forth his words unto them, which words shall judge them at the last day, for they shall be given them for the purpose of convincing them of the true Messiah, who was rejected by them; and unto the convincing of them that they need not look forward any more for a Messiah to come, for there should not any come, save it should be a false Messiah which should deceive the people; for there is save one Messiah spoken of by the prophets, and that Messiah is he who should be rejected of the Jews. | So, he will give his words to them. These words will judge them one day. The words will help them believe in the true Messiah, who they didn’t believe before. They will know they don’t need to wait for another Messiah because only a false Messiah would come and trick people. There is only one true Messiah that the prophets talked about, and he is the one the Jews didn’t believe in. |
| 2 Nephi 25:19 | For according to the words of the prophets, the Messiah cometh in six hundred years from the time that my father left Jerusalem; and according to the words of the prophets, and also the word of the angel of God, his name shall be Jesus Christ, the Son of God. | The prophets said that the Messiah will come 600 years after my father left Jerusalem. The angel of God said his name will be Jesus Christ, the Son of God. |
| 2 Nephi 25:20 | And now, my brethren, I have spoken plainly that ye cannot err. And as the Lord God liveth that brought Israel up out of the land of Egypt, and gave unto Moses power that he should heal the nations after they had been bitten by the poisonous serpents, if they would cast their eyes unto the serpent which he did raise up before them, and also gave him power that he should smite the rock and the water should come forth; yea, behold I say unto you, that as these things are true, and as the Lord God liveth, there is none other name given under heaven save it be this Jesus Christ, of which I have spoken, whereby man can be saved. | My brothers, I have spoken clearly so you do not make mistakes. Long ago, the Lord God helped Moses save the people of Israel from Egypt. God gave Moses the power to heal people bitten by snakes if they looked at a special serpent he made. Moses also hit a rock, and water came out. Just like these things are true, and as surely as the Lord God lives, there is no other name except Jesus Christ through which people can be saved. |
| 2 Nephi 25:21 | Wherefore, for this cause hath the Lord God promised unto me that these things which I write shall be kept and preserved, and handed down unto my seed, from generation to generation, that the promise may be fulfilled unto Joseph, that his seed should never perish as long as the earth should stand. | So, God told me that the things I write will be kept safe and given to my children and their children, so that the promise to Joseph will always be true and his family will be safe as long as the earth is here. |
| 2 Nephi 25:22 | Wherefore, these things shall go from generation to generation as long as the earth shall stand; and they shall go according to the will and pleasure of God; and the nations who shall possess them shall be judged of them according to the words which are written. | So these things will be passed down from parents to children for as long as the world lasts. They will be shared because God wants it that way. People who have these things will be judged by what is written in them. |
| 2 Nephi 25:23 | For we labor diligently to write, to persuade our children, and also our brethren, to believe in Christ, and to be reconciled to God; for we know that it is by grace that we are saved, after all we can do. | We work hard to write, to help our children and others believe in Jesus and come closer to God. We know that God’s kindness saves us after we do our best. |
| 2 Nephi 25:24 | And, notwithstanding we believe in Christ, we keep the law of Moses, and look forward with steadfastness unto Christ, until the law shall be fulfilled. | Even though we believe in Jesus, we still follow the rules of Moses. We keep hoping for Jesus until the rules are completed. |
| 2 Nephi 25:25 | For, for this end was the law given; wherefore the law hath become dead unto us, and we are made alive in Christ because of our faith; yet we keep the law because of the commandments. | The law was given to help us. Now, the law is not as important because Jesus makes us alive. We believe in Him, and we still follow the commandments. |
| 2 Nephi 25:26 | And we talk of Christ, we rejoice in Christ, we preach of Christ, we prophesy of Christ, and we write according to our prophecies, that our children may know to what source they may look for a remission of their sins. | We talk about Christ, we are happy because of Christ, we teach about Christ, we say things that will happen because of Christ, and we write about these things, so our children can know where to go to be forgiven for their sins. |
| 2 Nephi 25:27 | Wherefore, we speak concerning the law that our children may know the deadness of the law; and they, by knowing the deadness of the law, may look forward unto that life which is in Christ, and know for what end the law was given. And after the law is fulfilled in Christ, that they need not harden their hearts against him when the law ought to be done away. | We talk about the law so our children can know the law is not alive. By knowing this, they can look forward to the life in Christ and understand why the law was given. After Christ finishes the law, they should not ignore Him when the law is no longer needed. |
| 2 Nephi 25:28 | And now behold, my people, ye are a stiffnecked people; wherefore, I have spoken plainly unto you, that ye cannot misunderstand. And the words which I have spoken shall stand as a testimony against you; for they are sufficient to teach any man the right way; for the right way is to believe in Christ and deny him not; for by denying him ye also deny the prophets and the law. | Listen, my people. You are very stubborn. I have spoken clearly to you so you can understand. My words will be proof against you because they show the right way. The right way is to believe in Jesus and not say He is not real. By saying He is not real, you also reject the prophets and the law. |
| 2 Nephi 25:29 | And now behold, I say unto you that the right way is to believe in Christ, and deny him not; and Christ is the Holy One of Israel; wherefore ye must bow down before him, and worship him with all your might, mind, and strength, and your whole soul; and if ye do this ye shall in nowise be cast out. | Listen, I tell you that the right way is to believe in Jesus. Jesus is very special. You should bow and pray to Him with all your heart and strength. If you do this, you will not be sent away. |
| 2 Nephi 25:30 | And, inasmuch as it shall be expedient, ye must keep the performances and ordinances of God until the law shall be fulfilled which was given unto Moses. | And, as long as it is needed, you must follow God’s rules and ceremonies until Moses’ law is fulfilled. |
2 Nephi 26
| Verse | Original | 4th Grade |
|---|---|---|
| 2 Nephi 26:1 | And after Christ shall have risen from the dead he shall show himself unto you, my children, and my beloved brethren; and the words which he shall speak unto you shall be the law which ye shall do. | After Jesus comes back to life, he will visit you, my dear children and brothers. What he says will be what you need to follow. |
| 2 Nephi 26:2 | For behold, I say unto you that I have beheld that many generations shall pass away, and there shall be great wars and contentions among my people. | Listen, I tell you that many years will go by, and there will be big fights and wars among my people. |
| 2 Nephi 26:3 | And after the Messiah shall come there shall be signs given unto my people of his birth, and also of his death and resurrection; and great and terrible shall that day be unto the wicked, for they shall perish; and they perish because they cast out the prophets, and the saints, and stone them, and slay them; wherefore the cry of the blood of the saints shall ascend up to God from the ground against them. | When Jesus comes, there will be signs to show my people about his birth, death, and coming back to life. This day will be very scary for bad people because they will die. They die because they hurt and kill good people who teach about God. The cries of the good people’s blood will go up to God. |
| 2 Nephi 26:4 | Wherefore, all those who are proud, and that do wickedly, the day that cometh shall burn them up, saith the Lord of Hosts, for they shall be as stubble. | So, all the people who are proud and do bad things will be burned up when the day comes, says the Lord, because they will be like dry grass. |
| 2 Nephi 26:5 | And they that kill the prophets, and the saints, the depths of the earth shall swallow them up, saith the Lord of Hosts; and mountains shall cover them, and whirlwinds shall carry them away, and buildings shall fall upon them and crush them to pieces and grind them to powder. | If people hurt the prophets and the good people, the earth will open and take them, says God. Mountains will cover them, storms will blow them away, and buildings will fall on them and break them into tiny pieces. |
| 2 Nephi 26:6 | And they shall be visited with thunderings, and lightnings, and earthquakes, and all manner of destructions, for the fire of the anger of the Lord shall be kindled against them, and they shall be as stubble, and the day that cometh shall consume them, saith the Lord of Hosts. | There will be loud noises, bright flashes, big shakes, and lots of bad things. God will be very angry with them, and they will be burned up like dry straw. This will happen soon. |
| 2 Nephi 26:7 | O the pain, and the anguish of my soul for the loss of the slain of my people! For I, Nephi, have seen it, and it well nigh consumeth me before the presence of the Lord; but I must cry unto my God: Thy ways are just. | Oh, the pain and sadness in my heart because many of my people are dead! I, Nephi, have seen this, and it hurts me so much, but I must pray to God: Your ways are fair. |
| 2 Nephi 26:8 | But behold, the righteous that hearken unto the words of the prophets, and destroy them not, but look forward unto Christ with steadfastness for the signs which are given, notwithstanding all persecution—behold, they are they which shall not perish. | But look, the good people who listen to the prophets and don’t hurt them, and who wait for Jesus with strong faith even when others are mean to them, they will be safe. |
| 2 Nephi 26:9 | But the Son of righteousness shall appear unto them; and he shall heal them, and they shall have peace with him, until three generations shall have passed away, and many of the fourth generation shall have passed away in righteousness. | But Jesus will come to them. He will help them feel good. They will be happy with Him. This happiness will last for many, many years. |
| 2 Nephi 26:10 | And when these things have passed away a speedy destruction cometh unto my people; for, notwithstanding the pains of my soul, I have seen it; wherefore, I know that it shall come to pass; and they sell themselves for naught; for, for the reward of their pride and their foolishness they shall reap destruction; for because they yield unto the devil and choose works of darkness rather than light, therefore they must go down to hell. | When these things are over, my people will be destroyed quickly. I feel very sad, but I know it will happen. They give themselves away for nothing. Because of their pride and foolishness, they will be destroyed. They follow the devil and choose darkness instead of light, so they must go to hell. |
| 2 Nephi 26:11 | For the Spirit of the Lord will not always strive with man. And when the Spirit ceaseth to strive with man then cometh speedy destruction, and this grieveth my soul. | God’s Spirit won’t always stay with people. When God’s Spirit leaves, bad things happen quickly. This makes me very sad. |
| 2 Nephi 26:12 | And as I spake concerning the convincing of the Jews, that Jesus is the very Christ, it must needs be that the Gentiles be convinced also that Jesus is the Christ, the Eternal God; | I talked about helping Jewish people know that Jesus is really Christ. The Gentiles need to know that Jesus is Christ too. Jesus is God forever. |
| 2 Nephi 26:13 | And that he manifesteth himself unto all those who believe in him, by the power of the Holy Ghost; yea, unto every nation, kindred, tongue, and people, working mighty miracles, signs, and wonders, among the children of men according to their faith. | He shows himself to everyone who believes in him by the Holy Ghost. He does miracles for people of all nations, families, languages, and groups, if they have faith. |
| 2 Nephi 26:14 | But behold, I prophesy unto you concerning the last days; concerning the days when the Lord God shall bring these things forth unto the children of men. | Listen, I tell you about the last days. The days when God will show these things to everyone. |
| 2 Nephi 26:15 | After my seed and the seed of my brethren shall have dwindled in unbelief, and shall have been smitten by the Gentiles; yea, after the Lord God shall have camped against them round about, and shall have laid siege against them with a mount, and raised forts against them; and after they shall have been brought down low in the dust, even that they are not, yet the words of the righteous shall be written, and the prayers of the faithful shall be heard, and all those who have dwindled in unbelief shall not be forgotten. | After my children and my brothers’ children stop believing and are hurt by others, God will be against them and make them weak. Even though they will be very low and almost gone, the good words will still be written, the prayers of faithful people will be heard, and the people who stopped believing will be remembered. |
| 2 Nephi 26:16 | For those who shall be destroyed shall speak unto them out of the ground, and their speech shall be low out of the dust, and their voice shall be as one that hath a familiar spirit; for the Lord God will give unto him power, that he may whisper concerning them, even as it were out of the ground; and their speech shall whisper out of the dust. | People who are gone will talk to you from the ground. Their voices will be quiet and soft like a whisper. It will sound like someone you know well. God will give them power to whisper about you from the ground, softly like dust. |
| 2 Nephi 26:17 | For thus saith the Lord God: They shall write the things which shall be done among them, and they shall be written and sealed up in a book, and those who have dwindled in unbelief shall not have them, for they seek to destroy the things of God. | God says: They will write what happens, and it will be kept safe in a book. People who don’t believe won’t get the book because they want to destroy God’s things. |
| 2 Nephi 26:18 | Wherefore, as those who have been destroyed have been destroyed speedily; and the multitude of their terrible ones shall be as chaff that passeth away—yea, thus saith the Lord God: It shall be at an instant, suddenly— | So, the people who were destroyed were destroyed quickly; and many more will vanish like chaff blown away. Yes, says the Lord God: It will happen in an instant, suddenly. |
| 2 Nephi 26:19 | And it shall come to pass, that those who have dwindled in unbelief shall be smitten by the hand of the Gentiles. | One day, people who don’t believe will be hurt by other people. |
| 2 Nephi 26:20 | And the Gentiles are lifted up in the pride of their eyes, and have stumbled, because of the greatness of their stumbling block, that they have built up many churches; nevertheless, they put down the power and miracles of God, and preach up unto themselves their own wisdom and their own learning, that they may get gain and grind upon the face of the poor. | The Gentiles are proud and have made mistakes. They built many churches but do not believe in God’s power and miracles. They talk about their own ideas to get money and take advantage of the poor. |
| 2 Nephi 26:21 | And there are many churches built up which cause envyings, and strifes, and malice. | There are many churches that make people feel jealous, fight, and be mean to each other. |
| 2 Nephi 26:22 | And there are also secret combinations, even as in times of old, according to the combinations of the devil, for he is the founder of all these things; yea, the founder of murder, and works of darkness; yea, and he leadeth them by the neck with a flaxen cord, until he bindeth them with his strong cords forever. | There are secret groups, like in old times. These groups follow the devil. The devil started these things. He started murder and doing bad things in secret. The devil pulls them with a soft rope until he ties them with strong ropes forever. |
| 2 Nephi 26:23 | For behold, my beloved brethren, I say unto you that the Lord God worketh not in darkness. | Listen, my dear friends, God does not work in secret. |
| 2 Nephi 26:24 | He doeth not anything save it be for the benefit of the world; for he loveth the world, even that he layeth down his own life that he may draw all men unto him. Wherefore, he commandeth none that they shall not partake of his salvation. | He does everything to help the world because he loves everyone. He even gave his life to help all people come to him. He wants everyone to be saved. |
| 2 Nephi 26:25 | Behold, doth he cry unto any, saying: Depart from me? Behold, I say unto you, Nay; but he saith: Come unto me all ye ends of the earth, buy milk and honey, without money and without price. | Look, does he tell anyone to go away? No, he says: Come to me, everyone, get milk and honey for free. |
| 2 Nephi 26:26 | Behold, hath he commanded any that they should depart out of the synagogues, or out of the houses of worship? Behold, I say unto you, Nay. | Did he ever tell anyone to leave the churches or the places where people worship? No, he did not. |
| 2 Nephi 26:27 | Hath he commanded any that they should not partake of his salvation? Behold I say unto you, Nay; but he hath given it free for all men; and he hath commanded his people that they should persuade all men to repentance. | Has God told anyone they can’t be saved? No, he has given salvation to everyone for free. He wants his people to help everyone repent. |
| 2 Nephi 26:28 | Behold, hath the Lord commanded any that they should not partake of his goodness? Behold I say unto you, Nay; but all men are privileged the one like unto the other, and none are forbidden. | Look, has God told anyone not to enjoy his goodness? No; everyone is allowed to, and no one is left out. |
| 2 Nephi 26:29 | He commandeth that there shall be no priestcrafts; for, behold priestcrafts are that men preach and set themselves up for a light unto the world, that they may get gain and praise of the world; but they seek not the welfare of Zion. | God says there should be no priestcrafts. Priestcrafts are when people preach and make themselves important to get money and praise, but they do not care about helping others. |
| 2 Nephi 26:30 | Behold, the Lord hath forbidden this thing; wherefore, the Lord God hath given a commandment that all men should have charity, which charity is love, and except they should have charity they were nothing. Wherefore, if they should have charity they would not suffer the laborer in Zion to perish. | Look, God said not to do this. He told everyone to be kind and loving. If they are not kind and loving, they are nothing. If they are kind and loving, they will help each other and no one will be left behind. |
| 2 Nephi 26:31 | But the laborer in Zion shall labor for Zion; for if they labor for money they shall perish. | But the worker in Zion will work for Zion. If they work for money, they will die. |
| 2 Nephi 26:32 | And again, the Lord God hath commanded that men should not murder; that they should not lie; that they should not steal; that they should not take the name of the Lord their God in vain; that they should not envy; that they should not have malice; that they should not contend one with another; that they should not commit whoredoms; and that they should do none of these things; for whoso doeth them shall perish. | God says don’t kill, don’t lie, don’t steal, don’t use God’s name badly, don’t be jealous, don’t be mean, don’t fight, don’t do bad things with your body. If you do these bad things, you will be in big trouble. |
| 2 Nephi 26:33 | For none of these iniquities come of the Lord; for he doeth that which is good among the children of men; and he doeth nothing save it be plain unto the children of men; and he inviteth them all to come unto him and partake of his goodness; and he denieth none that come unto him, black and white, bond and free, male and female; and he remembereth the heathen; and all are alike unto God, both Jew and Gentile. | These bad things don’t come from the Lord. He only does good things for people. He makes everything clear to them. He invites everyone to come to Him and share His goodness. He doesn’t turn anyone away. It doesn’t matter if you are black or white, a servant or free, a man or a woman. He remembers everyone. Everyone is the same to God. |
2 Nephi 27
| Verse | Original | 4th Grade |
|---|---|---|
| 2 Nephi 27:1 | But, behold, in the last days, or in the days of the Gentiles—yea, behold all the nations of the Gentiles and also the Jews, both those who shall come upon this land and those who shall be upon other lands, yea, even upon all the lands of the earth, behold, they will be drunken with iniquity and all manner of abominations— | In the last days, all people everywhere will do many bad things. |
| 2 Nephi 27:2 | And when that day shall come they shall be visited of the Lord of Hosts, with thunder and with earthquake, and with a great noise, and with storm, and with tempest, and with the flame of devouring fire. | One day, the Lord will visit them with loud thunder, shaking earth, big noises, storms, strong winds, and burning fire. |
| 2 Nephi 27:3 | And all the nations that fight against Zion, and that distress her, shall be as a dream of a night vision; yea, it shall be unto them, even as unto a hungry man which dreameth, and behold he eateth but he awaketh and his soul is empty; or like unto a thirsty man which dreameth, and behold he drinketh but he awaketh and behold he is faint, and his soul hath appetite; yea, even so shall the multitude of all the nations be that fight against Mount Zion. | All the countries that fight against Zion will be like a bad dream. A hungry man dreams he is eating, but wakes up still hungry. A thirsty man dreams he is drinking, but wakes up still thirsty. This is how it will be for all the countries that fight against Zion. |
| 2 Nephi 27:4 | For behold, all ye that doeth iniquity, stay yourselves and wonder, for ye shall cry out, and cry; yea, ye shall be drunken but not with wine, ye shall stagger but not with strong drink. | Listen, everyone who does bad things, stop and think. You will shout and cry a lot. You will feel dizzy, but not from drinking wine or other strong drinks. |
| 2 Nephi 27:5 | For behold, the Lord hath poured out upon you the spirit of deep sleep. For behold, ye have closed your eyes, and ye have rejected the prophets; and your rulers, and the seers hath he covered because of your iniquity. | Look, the Lord has put you into a deep sleep. You have closed your eyes and not listened to the prophets. Your leaders and seers are hidden because of your wrong actions. |
| 2 Nephi 27:6 | And it shall come to pass that the Lord God shall bring forth unto you the words of a book, and they shall be the words of them which have slumbered. | God will give you a book. The book will have words from people who have slept. |
| 2 Nephi 27:7 | And behold the book shall be sealed; and in the book shall be a revelation from God, from the beginning of the world to the ending thereof. | The book will be closed. It has messages from God about everything from the start to the end of the world. |
| 2 Nephi 27:8 | Wherefore, because of the things which are sealed up, the things which are sealed shall not be delivered in the day of the wickedness and abominations of the people. Wherefore the book shall be kept from them. | So, because some things are hidden, they won’t be given to bad people. The book will be kept away from them. |
| 2 Nephi 27:9 | But the book shall be delivered unto a man, and he shall deliver the words of the book, which are the words of those who have slumbered in the dust, and he shall deliver these words unto another; | The book will be given to a man. He will read the words from the book. These words are from people who have died. He will share the words with another person. |
| 2 Nephi 27:10 | But the words which are sealed he shall not deliver, neither shall he deliver the book. For the book shall be sealed by the power of God, and the revelation which was sealed shall be kept in the book until the own due time of the Lord, that they may come forth; for behold, they reveal all things from the foundation of the world unto the end thereof. | The secret words will stay hidden. The book will stay closed. God has sealed it. The secret will stay in the book until God wants to show them. The book tells everything that God has done from the start of the world to the end. |
| 2 Nephi 27:11 | And the day cometh that the words of the book which were sealed shall be read upon the house tops; and they shall be read by the power of Christ; and all things shall be revealed unto the children of men which ever have been among the children of men, and which ever will be even unto the end of the earth. | One day, the secret words in the book will be read out loud for everyone to hear. These words will be read with the power of Christ. Everything will be shown to all people, from the beginning to the end of the world. |
| 2 Nephi 27:12 | Wherefore, at that day when the book shall be delivered unto the man of whom I have spoken, the book shall be hid from the eyes of the world, that the eyes of none shall behold it save it be that three witnesses shall behold it, by the power of God, besides him to whom the book shall be delivered; and they shall testify to the truth of the book and the things therein. | When the book is given to the man, the book will be hidden from everyone. Only three people will see it, with God’s help, besides the man who gets the book. They will say the book is true. |
| 2 Nephi 27:13 | And there is none other which shall view it, save it be a few according to the will of God, to bear testimony of his word unto the children of men; for the Lord God hath said that the words of the faithful should speak as if it were from the dead. | Only a few people will see it, according to what God wants, to tell others about His word. God said the words of faithful people will speak as if they were from the dead. |
| 2 Nephi 27:14 | Wherefore, the Lord God will proceed to bring forth the words of the book; and in the mouth of as many witnesses as seemeth him good will he establish his word; and wo be unto him that rejecteth the word of God! | So, God will share the words of the book. He will have many people help tell His message. But, it will be bad for anyone who says no to God’s word. |
| 2 Nephi 27:15 | But behold, it shall come to pass that the Lord God shall say unto him to whom he shall deliver the book: Take these words which are not sealed and deliver them to another, that he may show them unto the learned, saying: Read this, I pray thee. And the learned shall say: Bring hither the book, and I will read them. | But listen, one day God will tell the person who gets the book: Take these open words and give them to someone smart. Tell them: Please read this. And the smart person will say: Give me the book, and I will read it. |
| 2 Nephi 27:16 | And now, because of the glory of the world and to get gain will they say this, and not for the glory of God. | They say this to get money and be famous, not to honor God. |
| 2 Nephi 27:17 | And the man shall say: I cannot bring the book, for it is sealed. | The man will say: I can’t bring the book because it is closed. |
| 2 Nephi 27:18 | Then shall the learned say: I cannot read it. | The smart person will say: I can’t read it. |
| 2 Nephi 27:19 | Wherefore it shall come to pass, that the Lord God will deliver again the book and the words thereof to him that is not learned; and the man that is not learned shall say: I am not learned. | So, the Lord God will give the book and its words to someone who hasn’t learned to read. And the person who hasn’t learned to read will say: I can’t read. |
| 2 Nephi 27:20 | Then shall the Lord God say unto him: The learned shall not read them, for they have rejected them, and I am able to do mine own work; wherefore thou shalt read the words which I shall give unto thee. | Then God will say: The smart people won’t read these words because they said no to them, but I can do my own work. So, you will read the words I give you. |
| 2 Nephi 27:21 | Touch not the things which are sealed, for I will bring them forth in mine own due time; for I will show unto the children of men that I am able to do mine own work. | Don’t touch the things that are closed up. I will open them when it is the right time. I will show everyone that I can do my own work. |
| 2 Nephi 27:22 | Wherefore, when thou hast read the words which I have commanded thee, and obtained the witnesses which I have promised unto thee, then shalt thou seal up the book again, and hide it up unto me, that I may preserve the words which thou hast not read, until I shall see fit in mine own wisdom to reveal all things unto the children of men. | So, when you read the words I told you to, and get the proof I promised, you will close the book and hide it. I will keep the words safe until it’s the right time to show them to everyone. |
| 2 Nephi 27:23 | For behold, I am God; and I am a God of miracles; and I will show unto the world that I am the same yesterday, today, and forever; and I work not among the children of men save it be according to their faith. | I am God. I do miracles. I will show everyone that I never change. I help people when they have faith. |
| 2 Nephi 27:24 | And again it shall come to pass that the Lord shall say unto him that shall read the words that shall be delivered him: | And again, the Lord will speak to the person who reads the words given to them. |
| 2 Nephi 27:25 | Forasmuch as this people draw near unto me with their mouth, and with their lips do honor me, but have removed their hearts far from me, and their fear towards me is taught by the precepts of men— | These people say good things about me and honor me with their words, but their hearts are far from me. They are taught rules by other people. |
| 2 Nephi 27:26 | Therefore, I will proceed to do a marvelous work among this people, yea, a marvelous work and a wonder, for the wisdom of their wise and learned shall perish, and the understanding of their prudent shall be hid. | So, I will do something amazing for these people, something really amazing and surprising, because the smart and wise people will lose their wisdom, and the clever people will not understand. |
| 2 Nephi 27:27 | And wo unto them that seek deep to hide their counsel from the Lord! And their works are in the dark; and they say: Who seeth us, and who knoweth us? And they also say: Surely, your turning of things upside down shall be esteemed as the potter—s clay. But behold, I will show unto them, saith the Lord of Hosts, that I know all their works. For shall the work say of him that made it, he made me not? Or shall the thing framed say of him that framed it, he had no understanding? | Watch out for those who try to hide their plans from God! They do things in secret and think no one sees them or knows them. They say, “God doesn’t understand what we’re doing.” But God says, “I know everything you do. How can something you make say you didn’t make it? How can something you build say you didn’t know how to build it?” |
| 2 Nephi 27:28 | But behold, saith the Lord of Hosts: I will show unto the children of men that it is yet a very little while and Lebanon shall be turned into a fruitful field; and the fruitful field shall be esteemed as a forest. | But listen, says God: Soon, I will make Lebanon a beautiful garden; and the garden will be like a big forest. |
| 2 Nephi 27:29 | And in that day shall the deaf hear the words of the book, and the eyes of the blind shall see out of obscurity and out of darkness. | One day, people who can’t hear will hear words from the book, and people who can’t see will see out of darkness. |
| 2 Nephi 27:30 | And the meek also shall increase, and their joy shall be in the Lord, and the poor among men shall rejoice in the Holy One of Israel. | Humble people will get more. They will be happy because of God. The poor people will be glad because of the Holy One of Israel. |
| 2 Nephi 27:31 | For assuredly as the Lord liveth they shall see that the terrible one is brought to naught, and the scorner is consumed, and all that watch for iniquity are cut off; | Just as surely as God lives, they will see that the bad person is gone, the mocker is finished, and everyone who looks for trouble is stopped. |
| 2 Nephi 27:32 | And they that make a man an offender for a word, and lay a snare for him that reproveth in the gate, and turn aside the just for a thing of naught. | People who get someone in trouble for saying something, set traps for those who speak out, and treat good people unfairly for no reason at all… |
| 2 Nephi 27:33 | Therefore, thus saith the Lord, who redeemed Abraham, concerning the house of Jacob: Jacob shall not now be ashamed, neither shall his face now wax pale. | So, the Lord, who saved Abraham, says about Jacob’s family: Jacob won’t be ashamed now, and he won’t look pale and scared. |
| 2 Nephi 27:34 | But when he seeth his children, the work of my hands, in the midst of him, they shall sanctify my name, and sanctify the Holy One of Jacob, and shall fear the God of Israel. | But when he sees his children, made by me, with him, they will honor my name and honor the Holy One of Jacob, and will respect the God of Israel. |
| 2 Nephi 27:35 | They also that erred in spirit shall come to understanding, and they that murmured shall learn doctrine. | People who made mistakes will understand, and those who complained will learn the truth. |
2 Nephi 28
| Verse | Original | 4th Grade |
|---|---|---|
| 2 Nephi 28:1 | And now, behold, my brethren, I have spoken unto you, according as the Spirit hath constrained me; wherefore, I know that they must surely come to pass. | Now, listen, my brothers. I have told you what the Spirit has made me say, so I know that these things will really happen. |
| 2 Nephi 28:2 | And the things which shall be written out of the book shall be of great worth unto the children of men, and especially unto our seed, which is a remnant of the house of Israel. | The things written in the book will be very important for all people, especially for our children, who are part of the house of Israel. |
| 2 Nephi 28:3 | For it shall come to pass in that day that the churches which are built up, and not unto the Lord, when the one shall say unto the other: Behold, I, I am the Lord—s; and the others shall say: I, I am the Lord—s; and thus shall every one say that hath built up churches, and not unto the Lord— | One day, churches that are not built for the Lord will say, “I am the Lord’s.” Each one will say, “I am the Lord’s,” even though they did not build their churches for the Lord. |
| 2 Nephi 28:4 | And they shall contend one with another; and their priests shall contend one with another, and they shall teach with their learning, and deny the Holy Ghost, which giveth utterance. | They will argue with each other. Their teachers will argue too. They will teach with their own ideas and say the Holy Ghost does not speak. |
| 2 Nephi 28:5 | And they deny the power of God, the Holy One of Israel; and they say unto the people: Hearken unto us, and hear ye our precept; for behold there is no God today, for the Lord and the Redeemer hath done his work, and he hath given his power unto men; | They say there is no God today, and that God gave all his power to people. |
| 2 Nephi 28:6 | Behold, hearken ye unto my precept; if they shall say there is a miracle wrought by the hand of the Lord, believe it not; for this day he is not a God of miracles; he hath done his work. | Listen to my rule. If someone says there is a miracle by the Lord, do not believe it. Today, God is not doing miracles. He has finished his work. |
| 2 Nephi 28:7 | Yea, and there shall be many which shall say: Eat, drink, and be merry, for tomorrow we die; and it shall be well with us. | Yes, many people will say: Eat, drink, and be happy, because tomorrow we will die; and everything will be okay with us. |
| 2 Nephi 28:8 | And there shall also be many which shall say: Eat, drink, and be merry; nevertheless, fear God—he will justify in committing a little sin; yea, lie a little, take the advantage of one because of his words, dig a pit for thy neighbor; there is no harm in this; and do all these things, for tomorrow we die; and if it so be that we are guilty, God will beat us with a few stripes, and at last we shall be saved in the kingdom of God. | Some people will say: Eat, drink, and be happy. Don’t worry about doing just a little bad stuff. They might say it’s okay to lie a little or be mean to others. They think it’s okay because we will die soon. And if we do something wrong, God will only punish us a little, and then we will be saved and go to heaven. |
| 2 Nephi 28:9 | Yea, and there shall be many which shall teach after this manner, false and vain and foolish doctrines, and shall be puffed up in their hearts, and shall seek deep to hide their counsels from the Lord; and their works shall be in the dark. | Yes, many people will teach wrong and silly things. They will be proud and try to hide their plans from God, doing bad things in secret. |
| 2 Nephi 28:10 | And the blood of the saints shall cry from the ground against them. | The blood of good people will cry out from the ground against them. |
| 2 Nephi 28:11 | Yea, they have all gone out of the way; they have become corrupted. | Yes, they all went the wrong way; they became bad. |
| 2 Nephi 28:12 | Because of pride, and because of false teachers, and false doctrine, their churches have become corrupted, and their churches are lifted up; because of pride they are puffed up. | Because they are too proud, and because of teachers who say wrong things, their churches have become bad. Their churches think they are better than everyone else. |
| 2 Nephi 28:13 | They rob the poor because of their fine sanctuaries; they rob the poor because of their fine clothing; and they persecute the meek and the poor in heart, because in their pride they are puffed up. | They take from the poor to have nice buildings; they take from the poor to have nice clothes; and they are mean to the humble and the poor, because they are proud. |
| 2 Nephi 28:14 | They wear stiff necks and high heads; yea, and because of pride, and wickedness, and abominations, and whoredoms, they have all gone astray save it be a few, who are the humble followers of Christ; nevertheless, they are led, that in many instances they do err because they are taught by the precepts of men. | They are proud and stubborn. Because of their bad actions, almost everyone has gone the wrong way, except a few who follow Jesus humbly. But even they make mistakes sometimes because they follow what people say instead of what God says. |
| 2 Nephi 28:15 | O the wise, and the learned, and the rich, that are puffed up in the pride of their hearts, and all those who preach false doctrines, and all those who commit whoredoms, and pervert the right way of the Lord, wo, wo, wo be unto them, saith the Lord God Almighty, for they shall be thrust down to hell! | Oh, the smart people, and the rich people who are very proud, and all those who teach wrong things, and all those who do bad things, and change God’s good ways, oh no, oh no, oh no, says God, they will be sent to hell! |
| 2 Nephi 28:16 | Wo unto them that turn aside the just for a thing of naught and revile against that which is good, and say that is of no worth! For the day shall come that the Lord God will speedily visit the inhabitants of the earth; and in that day that they are fully ripe in iniquity they shall perish. | Bad things will happen to people who ignore good people and say that being good is not important. One day, God will come quickly to the people of the earth. On that day, if people are doing many bad things, they will be punished. |
| 2 Nephi 28:17 | But behold, if the inhabitants of the earth shall repent of their wickedness and abominations they shall not be destroyed, saith the Lord of Hosts. | But look, if the people on earth say sorry for being bad, they will not be destroyed, says God. |
| 2 Nephi 28:18 | But behold, that great and abominable church, the whore of all the earth, must tumble to the earth, and great must be the fall thereof. | But look, that big bad church, the worst of all, has to fall down, and it will fall down very hard. |
| 2 Nephi 28:19 | For the kingdom of the devil must shake, and they which belong to it must needs be stirred up unto repentance, or the devil will grasp them with his everlasting chains, and they be stirred up to anger, and perish; | The devil’s kingdom must be shaken. People who follow the devil need to change and feel sorry, or the devil will hold them forever, and they will become angry and be destroyed. |
| 2 Nephi 28:20 | For behold, at that day shall he rage in the hearts of the children of men, and stir them up to anger against that which is good. | He will make people very angry and upset at good things. |
| 2 Nephi 28:21 | And others will he pacify, and lull them away into carnal security, that they will say: All is well in Zion; yea, Zion prospereth, all is well—and thus the devil cheateth their souls, and leadeth them away carefully down to hell. | The devil tricks people and makes them feel safe. They think everything is good and that they don’t need to worry. But really, he is leading them to a bad place. |
| 2 Nephi 28:22 | And behold, others he flattereth away, and telleth them there is no hell; and he saith unto them: I am no devil, for there is none—and thus he whispereth in their ears, until he grasps them with his awful chains, from whence there is no deliverance. | He tricks others by saying there is no hell and there is no devil. He whispers to them until they are trapped with no escape. |
| 2 Nephi 28:23 | Yea, they are grasped with death, and hell; and death, and hell, and the devil, and all that have been seized therewith must stand before the throne of God, and be judged according to their works, from whence they must go into the place prepared for them, even a lake of fire and brimstone, which is endless torment. | They are caught by death and hell. They must stand before God and be judged by what they did. Then, they will go to a place of fire that hurts forever. |
| 2 Nephi 28:24 | Therefore, wo be unto him that is at ease in Zion! | So, be careful if you are lazy in Zion! |
| 2 Nephi 28:25 | Wo be unto him that crieth: All is well! | Woe to the person who says: Everything is okay! |
| 2 Nephi 28:26 | Yea, wo be unto him that hearkeneth unto the precepts of men, and denieth the power of God, and the gift of the Holy Ghost! | Oh no! Bad things will happen to anyone who listens to people but says no to God’s power and the Holy Ghost’s gift! |
| 2 Nephi 28:27 | Yea, wo be unto him that saith: We have received, and we need no more! | Yes, bad things will happen to those who say: We have enough and don’t need any more! |
| 2 Nephi 28:28 | And in fine, wo unto all those who tremble, and are angry because of the truth of God! For behold, he that is built upon the rock receiveth it with gladness; and he that is built upon a sandy foundation trembleth lest he shall fall. | Oh no to those who are scared and angry because of God’s truth! People who have a strong foundation are happy to hear it, but people on a weak foundation are afraid they will fall. |
| 2 Nephi 28:29 | Wo be unto him that shall say: We have received the word of God, and we need no more of the word of God, for we have enough! | Sad is the person who says: We have God’s words and we don’t need any more of them because we have enough! |
| 2 Nephi 28:30 | For behold, thus saith the Lord God: I will give unto the children of men line upon line, precept upon precept, here a little and there a little; and blessed are those who hearken unto my precepts, and lend an ear unto my counsel, for they shall learn wisdom; for unto him that receiveth I will give more; and from them that shall say, We have enough, from them shall be taken away even that which they have. | Listen! God says: I will teach people little by little. Those who listen to my teachings and advice will become wise. I will give more to those who want to learn. Those who think they know enough will lose what they have. |
| 2 Nephi 28:31 | Cursed is he that putteth his trust in man, or maketh flesh his arm, or shall hearken unto the precepts of men, save their precepts shall be given by the power of the Holy Ghost. | Bad things will happen to those who trust people instead of God or listen to people unless what they say is from the Holy Ghost. |
| 2 Nephi 28:32 | Wo be unto the Gentiles, saith the Lord God of Hosts! For notwithstanding I shall lengthen out mine arm unto them from day to day, they will deny me; nevertheless, I will be merciful unto them, saith the Lord God, if they will repent and come unto me; for mine arm is lengthened out all the day long, saith the Lord God of Hosts. | The Lord says, “Bad things will happen to people who are not my followers. I try to help them every day, but they ignore me. Still, I will forgive them if they say sorry and come back to me. I always try to help them.” |
2 Nephi 29
| Verse | Original | 4th Grade |
|---|---|---|
| 2 Nephi 29:1 | But behold, there shall be many—at that day when I shall proceed to do a marvelous work among them, that I may remember my covenants which I have made unto the children of men, that I may set my hand again the second time to recover my people, which are of the house of Israel; | But look, there will be many people when I do something wonderful. I will remember my promises to the children of men. I will help my people from the house of Israel again. |
| 2 Nephi 29:2 | And also, that I may remember the promises which I have made unto thee, Nephi, and also unto thy father, that I would remember your seed; and that the words of your seed should proceed forth out of my mouth unto your seed; and my words shall hiss forth unto the ends of the earth, for a standard unto my people, which are of the house of Israel; | I want to remember the promises I made to you, Nephi, and your father. I said I would remember your children and that my words would reach them and all people, so they would know I am their God. |
| 2 Nephi 29:3 | And because my words shall hiss forth—many of the Gentiles shall say: A Bible! A Bible! We have got a Bible, and there cannot be any more Bible. | My words will spread, and many people will say: We already have a Bible! There can’t be another Bible. |
| 2 Nephi 29:4 | But thus saith the Lord God: O fools, they shall have a Bible; and it shall proceed forth from the Jews, mine ancient covenant people. And what thank they the Jews for the Bible which they receive from them? Yea, what do the Gentiles mean? Do they remember the travails, and the labors, and the pains of the Jews, and their diligence unto me, in bringing forth salvation unto the Gentiles? | But God says: Oh people, you will have a Bible; it will come from the Jews, my old promise people. Do you thank the Jews for the Bible you get from them? Do the other people remember the hard work and pain of the Jews, and their effort to bring salvation to them? |
| 2 Nephi 29:5 | O ye Gentiles, have ye remembered the Jews, mine ancient covenant people? Nay; but ye have cursed them, and have hated them, and have not sought to recover them. But behold, I will return all these things upon your own heads; for I the Lord have not forgotten my people. | Hey you people, have you remembered the Jews, my old friends? No; you have been mean to them, and you do not like them, and you have not tried to help them. But guess what, I will make these bad things happen to you instead because I, the Lord, have not forgotten my people. |
| 2 Nephi 29:6 | Thou fool, that shall say: A Bible, we have got a Bible, and we need no more Bible. Have ye obtained a Bible save it were by the Jews? | You silly person, who says: “We have a Bible, we don’t need any more Bible.” Did you get the Bible from anyone other than the Jews? |
| 2 Nephi 29:7 | Know ye not that there are more nations than one? Know ye not that I, the Lord your God, have created all men, and that I remember those who are upon the isles of the sea; and that I rule in the heavens above and in the earth beneath; and I bring forth my word unto the children of men, yea, even upon all the nations of the earth? | Don’t you know there are many nations? Don’t you know that I, the Lord your God, made all people? I remember people on the islands, and I rule above in the sky and below on the earth. I give my word to all people, in every nation on earth. |
| 2 Nephi 29:8 | Wherefore murmur ye, because that ye shall receive more of my word? Know ye not that the testimony of two nations is a witness unto you that I am God, that I remember one nation like unto another? Wherefore, I speak the same words unto one nation like unto another. And when the two nations shall run together the testimony of the two nations shall run together also. | Why are you complaining about getting more of my word? Don’t you know that when two nations share their stories, it shows that I am God, and I care about everyone? I say the same things to one nation as I do to another. When these two nations come together, their stories will also come together. |
| 2 Nephi 29:9 | And I do this that I may prove unto many that I am the same yesterday, today, and forever; and that I speak forth my words according to mine own pleasure. And because that I have spoken one word ye need not suppose that I cannot speak another; for my work is not yet finished; neither shall it be until the end of man, neither from that time henceforth and forever. | I do this to show everyone that I am always the same and I say what I want to say. Just because I said one thing before, doesn’t mean I won’t say something new. My work is not done and won’t be done until the end of time. |
| 2 Nephi 29:10 | Wherefore, because that ye have a Bible ye need not suppose that it contains all my words; neither need ye suppose that I have not caused more to be written. | So, just because you have a Bible, don’t think it has everything I have said. Also, don’t think I haven’t made more things be written. |
| 2 Nephi 29:11 | For I command all men, both in the east and in the west, and in the north, and in the south, and in the islands of the sea, that they shall write the words which I speak unto them; for out of the books which shall be written I will judge the world, every man according to their works, according to that which is written. | I tell everyone, everywhere in the world, to write down my words. Later, I will look at these books to see how people have acted and judge them based on what is written. |
| 2 Nephi 29:12 | For behold, I shall speak unto the Jews and they shall write it; and I shall also speak unto the Nephites and they shall write it; and I shall also speak unto the other tribes of the house of Israel, which I have led away, and they shall write it; and I shall also speak unto all nations of the earth and they shall write it. | I will talk to the Jews and they will write it down. I will also talk to the Nephites and they will write it down. I will talk to other groups I have led away and they will write it down too. I will talk to all nations and they will write it down. |
| 2 Nephi 29:13 | And it shall come to pass that the Jews shall have the words of the Nephites, and the Nephites shall have the words of the Jews; and the Nephites and the Jews shall have the words of the lost tribes of Israel; and the lost tribes of Israel shall have the words of the Nephites and the Jews. | The Jews will have the Nephites’ words, and the Nephites will have the Jews’ words. Both will get the words of the lost tribes of Israel, and the lost tribes will also get the words of the Nephites and the Jews. |
| 2 Nephi 29:14 | And it shall come to pass that my people, which are of the house of Israel, shall be gathered home unto the lands of their possessions; and my word also shall be gathered in one. And I will show unto them that fight against my word and against my people, who are of the house of Israel, that I am God, and that I covenanted with Abraham that I would remember his seed forever. | My people, who are called Israel, will come back to their homes. My words will also come together. I will show those who fight against my words and my people that I am God. I promised Abraham to remember his children forever. |
2 Nephi 30
| Verse | Original | 4th Grade |
|---|---|---|
| 2 Nephi 30:1 | And now behold, my beloved brethren, I would speak unto you; for I, Nephi, would not suffer that ye should suppose that ye are more righteous than the Gentiles shall be. For behold, except ye shall keep the commandments of God ye shall all likewise perish; and because of the words which have been spoken ye need not suppose that the Gentiles are utterly destroyed. | Listen, dear friends, I want to talk to you. I am Nephi and I don’t want you to think you are better than others. If you don’t obey God’s rules, you will all be in trouble. Just because I said something, do not think that others are completely ruined. |
| 2 Nephi 30:2 | For behold, I say unto you that as many of the Gentiles as will repent are the covenant people of the Lord; and as many of the Jews as will not repent shall be cast off; for the Lord covenanteth with none save it be with them that repent and believe in his Son, who is the Holy One of Israel. | Listen, I tell you that any person who is not a Jew but decides to say sorry and change their ways can be part of God’s people. But any Jew who does not say sorry will not be part of God’s people. God makes promises only to people who say sorry and believe in His Son, Jesus. |
| 2 Nephi 30:3 | And now, I would prophesy somewhat more concerning the Jews and the Gentiles. For after the book of which I have spoken shall come forth, and be written unto the Gentiles, and sealed up again unto the Lord, there shall be many which shall believe the words which are written; and they shall carry them forth unto the remnant of our seed. | I want to tell you more about the Jews and the Gentiles. After the book I talked about comes and is written for the Gentiles, and then sealed up for the Lord, many people will believe the words in the book. They will share these words with the rest of our family. |
| 2 Nephi 30:4 | And then shall the remnant of our seed know concerning us, how that we came out from Jerusalem, and that they are descendants of the Jews. | And then our children will know about us. They will know we came from Jerusalem and that they are part of the Jews. |
| 2 Nephi 30:5 | And the gospel of Jesus Christ shall be declared among them; wherefore, they shall be restored unto the knowledge of their fathers, and also to the knowledge of Jesus Christ, which was had among their fathers. | The good news of Jesus Christ will be told to them. They will learn about their past and about Jesus Christ, just like their ancestors did. |
| 2 Nephi 30:6 | And then shall they rejoice; for they shall know that it is a blessing unto them from the hand of God; and their scales of darkness shall begin to fall from their eyes; and many generations shall not pass away among them, save they shall be a pure and delightsome people. | They will be happy; they will know it is a gift from God; their eyes will start to see clearly; and in the future, they will be good and joyful people. |
| 2 Nephi 30:7 | And it shall come to pass that the Jews which are scattered also shall begin to believe in Christ; and they shall begin to gather in upon the face of the land; and as many as shall believe in Christ shall also become a delightsome people. | The Jews who are spread out will start to believe in Christ. They will come together on the land. Those who believe in Christ will be happy people. |
| 2 Nephi 30:8 | And it shall come to pass that the Lord God shall commence his work among all nations, kindreds, tongues, and people, to bring about the restoration of his people upon the earth. | And God will start to help all people everywhere to bring his people back to the earth. |
| 2 Nephi 30:9 | And with righteousness shall the Lord God judge the poor, and reprove with equity for the meek of the earth. And he shall smite the earth with the rod of his mouth; and with the breath of his lips shall he slay the wicked. | God will judge fairly for the poor and gentle people. He will speak to punish the earth, and he will use his breath to stop the bad people. |
| 2 Nephi 30:10 | For the time speedily cometh that the Lord God shall cause a great division among the people, and the wicked will he destroy; and he will spare his people, yea, even if it so be that he must destroy the wicked by fire. | Soon, God will separate the good people from the bad people. He will destroy the bad people, but He will save the good people, even if He needs to use fire to destroy the bad ones. |
| 2 Nephi 30:11 | And righteousness shall be the girdle of his loins, and faithfulness the girdle of his reins. | He will wear goodness like a belt and be loyal like a belt around his waist. |
| 2 Nephi 30:12 | And then shall the wolf dwell with the lamb; and the leopard shall lie down with the kid, and the calf, and the young lion, and the fatling, together; and a little child shall lead them. | The wolf will live with the lamb. The leopard will lie down with the baby goat, the calf, the young lion, and the fat cow. A little child will guide them. |
| 2 Nephi 30:13 | And the cow and the bear shall feed; their young ones shall lie down together; and the lion shall eat straw like the ox. | The cow and the bear will eat together. Their babies will rest together. The lion will eat straw like an ox. |
| 2 Nephi 30:14 | And the sucking child shall play on the hole of the asp, and the weaned child shall put his hand on the cockatrice—s den. | The baby will play safely near a snake’s hole, and the small child will touch the snake’s home without getting hurt. |
| 2 Nephi 30:15 | They shall not hurt nor destroy in all my holy mountain; for the earth shall be full of the knowledge of the Lord as the waters cover the sea. | No one will hurt or break things on my holy mountain. Everyone on earth will know about the Lord, just like the water covers the sea. |
| 2 Nephi 30:16 | Wherefore, the things of all nations shall be made known; yea, all things shall be made known unto the children of men. | So, everyone in the world will know everything. Yes, all things will be known by everyone. |
| 2 Nephi 30:17 | There is nothing which is secret save it shall be revealed; there is no work of darkness save it shall be made manifest in the light; and there is nothing which is sealed upon the earth save it shall be loosed. | Everything that is secret will be shown; all dark things will be brought to light; nothing that is closed will stay that way. |
| 2 Nephi 30:18 | Wherefore, all things which have been revealed unto the children of men shall at that day be revealed; and Satan shall have power over the hearts of the children of men no more, for a long time. And now, my beloved brethren, I make an end of my sayings. | So, everything people have been told will be known. Satan won’t control people’s hearts for a long time. And now, my dear friends, I am done speaking. |
2 Nephi 31
| Verse | Original | 4th Grade |
|---|---|---|
| 2 Nephi 31:1 | And now I, Nephi, make an end of my prophesying unto you, my beloved brethren. And I cannot write but a few things, which I know must surely come to pass; neither can I write but a few of the words of my brother Jacob. | Now I, Nephi, finish talking to you, my dear brothers. I can only write a few things I know will happen. I can also write only a few words from my brother Jacob. |
| 2 Nephi 31:2 | Wherefore, the things which I have written sufficeth me, save it be a few words which I must speak concerning the doctrine of Christ; wherefore, I shall speak unto you plainly, according to the plainness of my prophesying. | So, what I’ve written is enough, except for a few more words about the teachings of Jesus. I will speak to you clearly. |
| 2 Nephi 31:3 | For my soul delighteth in plainness; for after this manner doth the Lord God work among the children of men. For the Lord God giveth light unto the understanding; for he speaketh unto men according to their language, unto their understanding. | I like simple things because God speaks to us in a way we can understand. He gives us light and talks to us in our own language so we can know what He wants. |
| 2 Nephi 31:4 | Wherefore, I would that ye should remember that I have spoken unto you concerning that prophet which the Lord showed unto me, that should baptize the Lamb of God, which should take away the sins of the world. | So, please remember how I told you about the special prophet who the Lord showed me. This prophet will baptize the Lamb of God, who will take away the sins of the world. |
| 2 Nephi 31:5 | And now, if the Lamb of God, he being holy, should have need to be baptized by water, to fulfil all righteousness, O then, how much more need have we, being unholy, to be baptized, yea, even by water! | Now, if Jesus, who is holy, needed to be baptized with water to do what is right, then how much more do we, who are not holy, need to be baptized with water too? |
| 2 Nephi 31:6 | And now, I would ask of you, my beloved brethren, wherein the Lamb of God did fulfil all righteousness in being baptized by water? | Now, I want to ask you, my dear friends, how did the Lamb of God do everything right by being baptized in water? |
| 2 Nephi 31:7 | Know ye not that he was holy? But notwithstanding he being holy, he showeth unto the children of men that, according to the flesh he humbleth himself before the Father, and witnesseth unto the Father that he would be obedient unto him in keeping his commandments. | Don’t you know that he was good? Even though he was good, he showed people that he could be humble before God and promised to obey God’s rules. |
| 2 Nephi 31:8 | Wherefore, after he was baptized with water the Holy Ghost descended upon him in the form of a dove. | After he was baptized with water, the Holy Ghost came down like a dove. |
| 2 Nephi 31:9 | And again, it showeth unto the children of men the straightness of the path, and the narrowness of the gate, by which they should enter, he having set the example before them. | It shows people the right path and the small gate to go through. Jesus showed us how to do it. |
| 2 Nephi 31:10 | And he said unto the children of men: Follow thou me. Wherefore, my beloved brethren, can we follow Jesus save we shall be willing to keep the commandments of the Father? | He said to the people, “Follow me.” My dear friends, can we follow Jesus if we don’t want to do what God asks? |
| 2 Nephi 31:11 | And the Father said: Repent ye, repent ye, and be baptized in the name of my Beloved Son. | The Father said: Say sorry, say sorry, and be baptized in the name of my dear Son. |
| 2 Nephi 31:12 | And also, the voice of the Son came unto me, saying: He that is baptized in my name, to him will the Father give the Holy Ghost, like unto me; wherefore, follow me, and do the things which ye have seen me do. | Jesus spoke to me and said: If someone gets baptized with my name, God will give them the Holy Ghost, just like He did for me. So, follow me and do what you see me do. |
| 2 Nephi 31:13 | Wherefore, my beloved brethren, I know that if ye shall follow the Son, with full purpose of heart, acting no hypocrisy and no deception before God, but with real intent, repenting of your sins, witnessing unto the Father that ye are willing to take upon you the name of Christ, by baptism—yea, by following your Lord and your Savior down into the water, according to his word, behold, then shall ye receive the Holy Ghost; yea, then cometh the baptism of fire and of the Holy Ghost; and then can ye speak with the tongue of angels, and shout praises unto the Holy One of Israel. | Dear brothers and sisters, if you follow Jesus with all your heart, being honest with God, truly sorry for your mistakes, and get baptized to show you want to follow Christ, you will receive the Holy Ghost. Then, you will feel the Spirit strongly and can praise God with great joy. |
| 2 Nephi 31:14 | But, behold, my beloved brethren, thus came the voice of the Son unto me, saying: After ye have repented of your sins, and witnessed unto the Father that ye are willing to keep my commandments, by the baptism of water, and have received the baptism of fire and of the Holy Ghost, and can speak with a new tongue, yea, even with the tongue of angels, and after this should deny me, it would have been better for you that ye had not known me. | Listen, my dear friends, Jesus said to me: After you say sorry for your mistakes and show God that you want to obey Him by being baptized with water and receiving the Holy Spirit, and can speak in a special way, even like angels, if you then turn away from me, it would have been better if you never knew me. |
| 2 Nephi 31:15 | And I heard a voice from the Father, saying: Yea, the words of my Beloved are true and faithful. He that endureth to the end, the same shall be saved. | I heard a voice say, “The words of my Son are true. If you keep going until the end, you will be saved.” |
| 2 Nephi 31:16 | And now, my beloved brethren, I know by this that unless a man shall endure to the end, in following the example of the Son of the living God, he cannot be saved. | My dear friends, I know that a person must keep going until the end, like Jesus, to be saved. |
| 2 Nephi 31:17 | Wherefore, do the things which I have told you I have seen that your Lord and your Redeemer should do; for, for this cause have they been shown unto me, that ye might know the gate by which ye should enter. For the gate by which ye should enter is repentance and baptism by water; and then cometh a remission of your sins by fire and by the Holy Ghost. | Do what I told you I saw your Lord do. I saw these things so you can know how to follow Him. You must be sorry for your sins and be baptized with water. Then, your sins will be forgiven by the Holy Ghost. |
| 2 Nephi 31:18 | And then are ye in this strait and narrow path which leads to eternal life; yea, ye have entered in by the gate; ye have done according to the commandments of the Father and the Son; and ye have received the Holy Ghost, which witnesses of the Father and the Son, unto the fulfilling of the promise which he hath made, that if ye entered in by the way ye should receive. | You are on a straight and narrow path that leads to eternal life. You have come through the gate by following the commandments of God and Jesus. You have received the Holy Ghost, which tells you about God and Jesus. This fulfills the promise that if you follow this way, you will receive eternal life. |
| 2 Nephi 31:19 | And now, my beloved brethren, after ye have gotten into this strait and narrow path, I would ask if all is done? Behold, I say unto you, Nay; for ye have not come thus far save it were by the word of Christ with unshaken faith in him, relying wholly upon the merits of him who is mighty to save. | Now, my dear friends, after you have started on this good and narrow path, is everything done? No, it is not. You have come this far because of the word of Christ and your strong faith in Him. Trust completely in Him, for He is able to save. |
| 2 Nephi 31:20 | Wherefore, ye must press forward with a steadfastness in Christ, having a perfect brightness of hope, and a love of God and of all men. Wherefore, if ye shall press forward, feasting upon the word of Christ, and endure to the end, behold, thus saith the Father: Ye shall have eternal life. | So, you must keep going with strong faith in Jesus. Have lots of hope and love God and everyone. If you keep going, reading and following Jesus’ teachings, and stay strong until the end, God says: You will live forever. |
| 2 Nephi 31:21 | And now, behold, my beloved brethren, this is the way; and there is none other way nor name given under heaven whereby man can be saved in the kingdom of God. And now, behold, this is the doctrine of Christ, and the only and true doctrine of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Ghost, which is one God, without end. Amen. | Listen, my dear friends, this is the only way to be saved in God’s kingdom. This is the teaching of Jesus, and it’s the only true teaching from God, Jesus, and the Holy Spirit, who are one God forever. Amen. |
2 Nephi 32
| Verse | Original | 4th Grade |
|---|---|---|
| 2 Nephi 32:1 | And now, behold, my beloved brethren, I suppose that ye ponder somewhat in your hearts concerning that which ye should do after ye have entered in by the way. But, behold, why do ye ponder these things in your hearts? | And now, listen, my dear friends. I think you are wondering in your hearts what you should do next after you’ve started on the path. But, listen, why are you wondering this in your hearts? |
| 2 Nephi 32:2 | Do ye not remember that I said unto you that after ye had received the Holy Ghost ye could speak with the tongue of angels? And now, how could ye speak with the tongue of angels save it were by the Holy Ghost? | Do you remember I told you that after you got the Holy Ghost, you could talk like angels? Now, how could you talk like angels without the Holy Ghost? |
| 2 Nephi 32:3 | Angels speak by the power of the Holy Ghost; wherefore, they speak the words of Christ. Wherefore, I said unto you, feast upon the words of Christ; for behold, the words of Christ will tell you all things what ye should do. | Angels talk with the help of the Holy Ghost. So, they speak Christ’s words. So, I tell you, read Christ’s words a lot. Christ’s words will tell you everything you should do. |
| 2 Nephi 32:4 | Wherefore, now after I have spoken these words, if ye cannot understand them it will be because ye ask not, neither do ye knock; wherefore, ye are not brought into the light, but must perish in the dark. | So, if you don’t understand what I said, it’s because you didn’t ask or try. You won’t find the light and will stay in the dark. |
| 2 Nephi 32:5 | For behold, again I say unto you that if ye will enter in by the way, and receive the Holy Ghost, it will show unto you all things what ye should do. | Listen, I tell you again: if you follow the right path and accept the Holy Ghost, it will help you know what to do. |
| 2 Nephi 32:6 | Behold, this is the doctrine of Christ, and there will be no more doctrine given until after he shall manifest himself unto you in the flesh. And when he shall manifest himself unto you in the flesh, the things which he shall say unto you shall ye observe to do. | Look, this is what Jesus teaches. There won’t be any more teachings until He comes to you in person. When He comes, you need to listen to what He says and do it. |
| 2 Nephi 32:7 | And now I, Nephi, cannot say more; the Spirit stoppeth mine utterance, and I am left to mourn because of the unbelief, and the wickedness, and the ignorance, and the stiffneckedness of men; for they will not search knowledge, nor understand great knowledge, when it is given unto them in plainness, even as plain as word can be. | I, Nephi, cannot speak more. The Spirit stops me. I am sad because people do not believe, are bad, and do not understand. They will not look for knowledge or understand it, even when it is very clear. |
| 2 Nephi 32:8 | And now, my beloved brethren, I perceive that ye ponder still in your hearts; and it grieveth me that I must speak concerning this thing. For if ye would hearken unto the Spirit which teacheth a man to pray ye would know that ye must pray; for the evil spirit teacheth not a man to pray, but teacheth him that he must not pray. | Dear brothers, I see you are still thinking about this. It makes me sad that I must talk about it. If you listen to the good Spirit, you will know you should pray. The bad spirit does not teach you to pray, but tells you not to pray. |
| 2 Nephi 32:9 | But behold, I say unto you that ye must pray always, and not faint; that ye must not perform any thing unto the Lord save in the first place ye shall pray unto the Father in the name of Christ, that he will consecrate thy performance unto thee, that thy performance may be for the welfare of thy soul. | You should always pray and never give up. Before doing anything for God, pray to Heavenly Father in Jesus’ name. This way, what you do will help your soul. |
2 Nephi 33
| Verse | Original | 4th Grade |
|---|---|---|
| 2 Nephi 33:1 | And now I, Nephi, cannot write all the things which were taught among my people; neither am I mighty in writing, like unto speaking; for when a man speaketh by the power of the Holy Ghost the power of the Holy Ghost carrieth it unto the hearts of the children of men. | I am Nephi. I can’t write everything my people learned. I am better at speaking than writing. When someone speaks with the help of the Holy Ghost, people can feel it in their hearts. |
| 2 Nephi 33:2 | But behold, there are many that harden their hearts against the Holy Spirit, that it hath no place in them; wherefore, they cast many things away which are written and esteem them as things of naught. | Some people ignore the Holy Spirit and don’t let it help them. Because of this, they throw away important things that are written and do not care about them. |
| 2 Nephi 33:3 | But I, Nephi, have written what I have written, and I esteem it as of great worth, and especially unto my people. For I pray continually for them by day, and mine eyes water my pillow by night, because of them; and I cry unto my God in faith, and I know that he will hear my cry. | I, Nephi, have written these things, and I think they are very important, especially for my people. I pray for them all the time and cry at night because I love them. I ask God for help, and I know He will listen to me. |
| 2 Nephi 33:4 | And I know that the Lord God will consecrate my prayers for the gain of my people. And the words which I have written in weakness will be made strong unto them; for it persuadeth them to do good; it maketh known unto them of their fathers; and it speaketh of Jesus, and persuadeth them to believe in him, and to endure to the end, which is life eternal. | I believe God will answer my prayers to help my people. The words I wrote, even if weak, will help them be strong. It will make them do good, teach them about their fathers, tell them about Jesus, and help them believe in Him and keep going until the end, which is eternal life. |
| 2 Nephi 33:5 | And it speaketh harshly against sin, according to the plainness of the truth; wherefore, no man will be angry at the words which I have written save he shall be of the spirit of the devil. | It talks strongly against doing bad things, in a simple and clear way. So, no good person will be mad at these words, only someone who follows the devil will be. |
| 2 Nephi 33:6 | I glory in plainness; I glory in truth; I glory in my Jesus, for he hath redeemed my soul from hell. | I am happy to speak clearly. I am happy to tell the truth. I am happy because Jesus saved me from a bad place. |
| 2 Nephi 33:7 | I have charity for my people, and great faith in Christ that I shall meet many souls spotless at his judgment-seat. | I love my people and believe in Jesus. I hope to see many clean souls when we meet Jesus. |
| 2 Nephi 33:8 | I have charity for the Jew—I say Jew, because I mean them from whence I came. | I care about the Jew—when I say Jew, I mean the people I come from. |
| 2 Nephi 33:9 | I also have charity for the Gentiles. But behold, for none of these can I hope except they shall be reconciled unto Christ, and enter into the narrow gate, and walk in the strait path which leads to life, and continue in the path until the end of the day of probation. | I care about everyone, even the Gentiles. But I can only hope for them if they follow Christ, go through the small gate, walk on the straight path to life, and stay on the path until the end. |
| 2 Nephi 33:10 | And now, my beloved brethren, and also Jew, and all ye ends of the earth, hearken unto these words and believe in Christ; and if ye believe not in these words believe in Christ. And if ye shall believe in Christ ye will believe in these words, for they are the words of Christ, and he hath given them unto me; and they teach all men that they should do good. | Listen, everyone, everywhere. Believe in Jesus. If you don’t believe these words, still believe in Jesus. If you believe in Jesus, you will believe these words, because they are His words. They teach us to do good. |
| 2 Nephi 33:11 | And if they are not the words of Christ, judge ye—for Christ will show unto you, with power and great glory, that they are his words, at the last day; and you and I shall stand face to face before his bar; and ye shall know that I have been commanded of him to write these things, notwithstanding my weakness. | If these are not Jesus’s words, you will see. Jesus will show you that they are his words at the end. You and I will see him and you will know that he told me to write this, even though I am not perfect. |
| 2 Nephi 33:12 | And I pray the Father in the name of Christ that many of us, if not all, may be saved in his kingdom at that great and last day. | I ask God, in Jesus’ name, that many or all of us can be saved and live with Him forever. |
| 2 Nephi 33:13 | And now, my beloved brethren, all those who are of the house of Israel, and all ye ends of the earth, I speak unto you as the voice of one crying from the dust: Farewell until that great day shall come. | Now, my dear brothers and sisters, everyone in Israel and all over the world, I am speaking to you like a voice from the ground: Goodbye until that great day comes. |
| 2 Nephi 33:14 | And you that will not partake of the goodness of God, and respect the words of the Jews, and also my words, and the words which shall proceed forth out of the mouth of the Lamb of God, behold, I bid you an everlasting farewell, for these words shall condemn you at the last day. | If you do not want to follow God and listen to the words from the Jews, my words, and the words of Jesus, I say goodbye to you forever because these words will judge you at the end. |
| 2 Nephi 33:15 | For what I seal on earth, shall be brought against you at the judgment bar; for thus hath the Lord commanded me, and I must obey. Amen. | What I decide on earth will be used at judgment day. The Lord told me to do this, and I must obey. Amen. |
Book of Mormon Simplified 