3 Nephi 1
| Verse | Original | 2nd Grade |
|---|---|---|
| 3 Nephi 1:1 | Now it came to pass that the ninety and first year had passed away and it was six hundred years from the time that Lehi left Jerusalem; and it was in the year that Lachoneus was the chief judge and the governor over the land. | Now it happened that 91 years had gone by and it was 600 years since Lehi left Jerusalem. Lachoneus was the leader of the land. |
| 3 Nephi 1:2 | And Nephi, the son of Helaman, had departed out of the land of Zarahemla, giving charge unto his son Nephi, who was his eldest son, concerning the plates of brass, and all the records which had been kept, and all those things which had been kept sacred from the departure of Lehi out of Jerusalem. | Nephi, the son of Helaman, left Zarahemla. He gave his son, also named Nephi, the important records and sacred things to take care of. |
| 3 Nephi 1:3 | Then he departed out of the land, and whither he went, no man knoweth; and his son Nephi did keep the records in his stead, yea, the record of this people. | Then he left the land, and no one knows where he went; and his son Nephi took care of the records instead, yes, he kept the records of the people. |
| 3 Nephi 1:4 | And it came to pass that in the commencement of the ninety and second year, behold, the prophecies of the prophets began to be fulfilled more fully; for there began to be greater signs and greater miracles wrought among the people. | At the start of year ninety-two, the things the prophets talked about started happening more. There were more signs and more miracles among the people. |
| 3 Nephi 1:5 | But there were some who began to say that the time was past for the words to be fulfilled, which were spoken by Samuel, the Lamanite. | Some people started to say that it was too late for Samuel’s words to come true. |
| 3 Nephi 1:6 | And they began to rejoice over their brethren, saying: Behold the time is past, and the words of Samuel are not fulfilled; therefore, your joy and your faith concerning this thing hath been vain. | They started to be happy and said: Look, the time is gone, and what Samuel said did not happen. So, your joy and faith about this were for nothing. |
| 3 Nephi 1:7 | And it came to pass that they did make a great uproar throughout the land; and the people who believed began to be very sorrowful, lest by any means those things which had been spoken might not come to pass. | The people made lots of noise everywhere. The believers felt very sad because they were worried that what was said would not happen. |
| 3 Nephi 1:8 | But behold, they did watch steadfastly for that day and that night and that day which should be as one day as if there were no night, that they might know that their faith had not been vain. | But they waited and watched for a special day and night and day with no night, so they could know their belief was real. |
| 3 Nephi 1:9 | Now it came to pass that there was a day set apart by the unbelievers, that all those who believed in those traditions should be put to death except the sign should come to pass, which had been given by Samuel the prophet. | There was a day made by the people who didn’t believe. They wanted to kill all the people who did believe in the traditions unless the sign given by Samuel the prophet happened. |
| 3 Nephi 1:10 | Now it came to pass that when Nephi, the son of Nephi, saw this wickedness of his people, his heart was exceedingly sorrowful. | Nephi, the son of Nephi, saw his people being very bad. This made him very, very sad. |
| 3 Nephi 1:11 | And it came to pass that he went out and bowed himself down upon the earth, and cried mightily to his God in behalf of his people, yea, those who were about to be destroyed because of their faith in the tradition of their fathers. | He went outside, knelt on the ground, and prayed to God for his people who were in danger because of their beliefs. |
| 3 Nephi 1:12 | And it came to pass that he cried mightily unto the Lord, all that day; and behold, the voice of the Lord came unto him, saying: | He prayed really hard all day. Then he heard God’s voice say. |
| 3 Nephi 1:13 | Lift up your head and be of good cheer; for behold, the time is at hand, and on this night shall the sign be given, and on the morrow come I into the world, to show unto the world that I will fulfill all that which I have caused to be spoken by the mouth of my holy prophets. | Lift your head and be happy; tonight, a sign will happen. Tomorrow, I will come into the world to show that what I said is true. |
| 3 Nephi 1:14 | Behold, I come unto my own, to fulfill all things which I have made known unto the children of men from the foundation of the world, and to do the will, both of the Father and of the Son—of the Father because of me, and of the Son because of my flesh. And behold, the time is at hand, and this night shall the sign be given. | Look, I am coming to my people to do what I promised. I will do what God wants. Tonight, there will be a special sign. |
| 3 Nephi 1:15 | And it came to pass that the words which came unto Nephi were fulfilled, according as they had been spoken; for behold, at the going down of the sun there was no darkness; and the people began to be astonished because there was no darkness when the night came. | When the sun went down, it did not get dark. The people were very surprised because it stayed light at night. |
| 3 Nephi 1:16 | And there were many, who had not believed the words of the prophets, who fell to the earth and became as if they were dead, for they knew that the great plan of destruction which they had laid for those who believed in the words of the prophets had been frustrated; for the sign which had been given was already at hand. | Many people did not believe the prophets. They fell down and looked like they were dead. They saw their plan to hurt the believers had failed. The sign had come. |
| 3 Nephi 1:17 | And they began to know that the Son of God must shortly appear; yea, in fine, all the people upon the face of the whole earth from the west to the east, both in the land north and in the land south, were so exceedingly astonished that they fell to the earth. | The people started to understand that Jesus was coming soon. Everywhere on earth, from west to east, and north to south, everyone was so surprised that they fell to the ground. |
| 3 Nephi 1:18 | For they knew that the prophets had testified of these things for many years, and that the sign which had been given was already at hand; and they began to fear because of their iniquity and their unbelief. | The people knew that prophets talked about these things for a long time. The sign was here now. They were scared because they did bad things and did not believe. |
| 3 Nephi 1:19 | And it came to pass that there was no darkness in all that night, but it was as light as though it was mid-day. And it came to pass that the sun did rise in the morning again, according to its proper order; and they knew that it was the day that the Lord should be born, because of the sign which had been given. | There was no darkness that night. It was as bright as mid-day. The sun rose in the morning like it always does. They knew it was the day the Lord was born because of the sign. |
| 3 Nephi 1:20 | And it had come to pass, yea, all things, every whit, according to the words of the prophets. | And it happened. Yes, everything happened just like the prophets said. |
| 3 Nephi 1:21 | And it came to pass also that a new star did appear, according to the word. | A new star appeared, just like they said it would. |
| 3 Nephi 1:22 | And it came to pass that from this time forth there began to be lyings sent forth among the people, by Satan, to harden their hearts, to the intent that they might not believe in those signs and wonders which they had seen; but notwithstanding these lyings and deceivings the more part of the people did believe, and were converted unto the Lord. | After this time, Satan told lies to the people to make them not believe in the signs and miracles they saw. But many people still believed and turned to the Lord. |
| 3 Nephi 1:23 | And it came to pass that Nephi went forth among the people, and also many others, baptizing unto repentance, in the which there was a great remission of sins. And thus the people began again to have peace in the land. | Nephi and his friends went to the people. They helped people say sorry for bad things and get baptized. This made the people happy and there was peace in the land. |
| 3 Nephi 1:24 | And there were no contentions, save it were a few that began to preach, endeavoring to prove by the scriptures that it was no more expedient to observe the law of Moses. Now in this thing they did err, having not understood the scriptures. | There were no fights, except for a few people who tried to say that they didn’t need to follow the law of Moses anymore. But they were wrong because they didn’t understand the scriptures. |
| 3 Nephi 1:25 | But it came to pass that they soon became converted, and were convinced of the error which they were in, for it was made known unto them that the law was not yet fulfilled, and that it must be fulfilled in every whit; yea, the word came unto them that it must be fulfilled; yea, that one jot or tittle should not pass away till it should all be fulfilled; therefore in this same year were they brought to a knowledge of their error and did confess their faults. | They soon understood they were wrong. They learned the law was not finished yet and must be followed exactly. They realized this and admitted their mistakes. |
| 3 Nephi 1:26 | And thus the ninety and second year did pass away, bringing glad tidings unto the people because of the signs which did come to pass, according to the words of the prophecy of all the holy prophets. | And so the 92nd year went by. The people were happy because the signs that the holy prophets talked about happened. |
| 3 Nephi 1:27 | And it came to pass that the ninety and third year did also pass away in peace, save it were for the Gadianton robbers, who dwelt upon the mountains, who did infest the land; for so strong were their holds and their secret places that the people could not overpower them; therefore they did commit many murders, and did do much slaughter among the people. | And the year passed peacefully, except for the Gadianton robbers in the mountains. They were very strong and sneaky, and the people couldn’t stop them. So, they hurt and killed many people. |
| 3 Nephi 1:28 | And it came to pass that in the ninety and fourth year they began to increase in great degree, because there were many dissenters of the Nephites who did flee unto them, which did cause much sorrow unto those Nephites who did remain in the land. | In the 94th year, many Nephites left and joined another group. This made those who stayed very sad. |
| 3 Nephi 1:29 | And there was also a cause of much sorrow among the Lamanites; for behold, they had many children who did grow up and began to wax strong in years, that they became for themselves, and were led away by some who were Zoramites, by their lyings and their flattering words, to join those Gadianton robbers. | The Lamanites were very sad because their children grew up and got strong. Some people called Zoramites told lies and nice things to the children, so the children joined bad people called Gadianton robbers. |
| 3 Nephi 1:30 | And thus were the Lamanites afflicted also, and began to decrease as to their faith and righteousness, because of the wickedness of the rising generation. | The Lamanites had problems too. They started to lose their faith and goodness because the young people were being bad. |
3 Nephi 2
| Verse | Original | 2nd Grade |
|---|---|---|
| 3 Nephi 2:1 | And it came to pass that thus passed away the ninety and fifth year also, and the people began to forget those signs and wonders which they had heard, and began to be less and less astonished at a sign or a wonder from heaven, insomuch that they began to be hard in their hearts, and blind in their minds, and began to disbelieve all which they had heard and seen— | The ninety-fifth year ended, and the people started to forget the amazing things they saw and heard. They did not think the signs from heaven were special anymore. They stopped believing what they saw and heard. |
| 3 Nephi 2:2 | Imagining up some vain thing in their hearts, that it was wrought by men and by the power of the devil, to lead away and deceive the hearts of the people; and thus did Satan get possession of the hearts of the people again, insomuch that he did blind their eyes and lead them away to believe that the doctrine of Christ was a foolish and a vain thing. | They thought bad things in their hearts. They thought men and the devil made it to trick the people. Satan made them think Jesus’ teachings were silly. He made them blind to the truth and led them away. |
| 3 Nephi 2:3 | And it came to pass that the people began to wax strong in wickedness and abominations; and they did not believe that there should be any more signs or wonders given; and Satan did go about, leading away the hearts of the people, tempting them and causing them that they should do great wickedness in the land. | The people started doing lots of bad things. They didn’t believe in miracles anymore. Satan tricked them to do more bad things. |
| 3 Nephi 2:4 | And thus did pass away the ninety and sixth year; and also the ninety and seventh year; and also the ninety and eighth year; and also the ninety and ninth year; | And then year 96 went by, and year 97 went by, and year 98 went by, and year 99 went by. |
| 3 Nephi 2:5 | And also an hundred years had passed away since the days of Mosiah, who was king over the people of the Nephites. | 100 years went by since Mosiah was king of the Nephites. |
| 3 Nephi 2:6 | And six hundred and nine years had passed away since Lehi left Jerusalem. | Six hundred nine years went by since Lehi left Jerusalem. |
| 3 Nephi 2:7 | And nine years had passed away from the time when the sign was given, which was spoken of by the prophets, that Christ should come into the world. | Nine years went by since the sign was given that Christ would come into the world. |
| 3 Nephi 2:8 | Now the Nephites began to reckon their time from this period when the sign was given, or from the coming of Christ; therefore, nine years had passed away. | The Nephites started counting time from when the sign was given, or when Christ came; so, nine years had gone by. |
| 3 Nephi 2:9 | And Nephi, who was the father of Nephi, who had the charge of the records, did not return to the land of Zarahemla, and could nowhere be found in all the land. | Nephi’s dad, Nephi, who was in charge of the records, did not go back to Zarahemla and couldn’t be found anywhere. |
| 3 Nephi 2:10 | And it came to pass that the people did still remain in wickedness, notwithstanding the much preaching and prophesying which was sent among them; and thus passed away the tenth year also; and the eleventh year also passed away in iniquity. | The people were still bad, even though many preached to them. Ten years went by, and in the eleventh year, they were still bad. |
| 3 Nephi 2:11 | And it came to pass in the thirteenth year there began to be wars and contentions throughout all the land; for the Gadianton robbers had become so numerous, and did slay so many of the people, and did lay waste so many cities, and did spread so much death and carnage throughout the land, that it became expedient that all the people, both the Nephites and the Lamanites, should take up arms against them. | In the thirteenth year, there were many fights and wars everywhere because of the Gadianton robbers. They hurt and killed many people and destroyed many cities. So, everyone, both Nephites and Lamanites, had to fight them. |
| 3 Nephi 2:12 | Therefore, all the Lamanites who had become converted unto the Lord did unite with their brethren, the Nephites, and were compelled, for the safety of their lives and their women and their children, to take up arms against those Gadianton robbers, yea, and also to maintain their rights, and the privileges of their church and of their worship, and their freedom and their liberty. | The Lamanites who believed in the Lord joined the Nephites to fight the bad robbers. They did this to keep their families safe and to keep their freedom and church. |
| 3 Nephi 2:13 | And it came to pass that before this thirteenth year had passed away the Nephites were threatened with utter destruction because of this war, which had become exceedingly sore. | Before the 13th year ended, the Nephites were in big trouble because of the very bad war. |
| 3 Nephi 2:14 | And it came to pass that those Lamanites who had united with the Nephites were numbered among the Nephites; | The Lamanites who joined the Nephites were counted as Nephites. |
| 3 Nephi 2:15 | And their curse was taken from them, and their skin became white like unto the Nephites; | The curse went away, and their skin became white like the Nephites. |
| 3 Nephi 2:16 | And their young men and their daughters became exceedingly fair, and they were numbered among the Nephites, and were called Nephites. And thus ended the thirteenth year. | Their young boys and girls were very good-looking. They were counted as Nephites and called Nephites. The thirteenth year ended. |
| 3 Nephi 2:17 | And it came to pass in the commencement of the fourteenth year, the war between the robbers and the people of Nephi did continue and did become exceedingly sore; nevertheless, the people of Nephi did gain some advantage of the robbers, insomuch that they did drive them back out of their lands into the mountains and into their secret places. | In the start of the fourteenth year, the war between the robbers and the Nephites kept going and got very hard; but, the Nephites got a bit stronger than the robbers, enough that they pushed them back into the mountains and hiding places. |
| 3 Nephi 2:18 | And thus ended the fourteenth year. And in the fifteenth year they did come forth against the people of Nephi; and because of the wickedness of the people of Nephi, and their many contentions and dissensions, the Gadianton robbers did gain many advantages over them. | The fourteenth year ended. In the fifteenth year, bad people came to fight the people of Nephi. Because the people of Nephi were very bad and argued a lot, the robbers became stronger. |
| 3 Nephi 2:19 | And thus ended the fifteenth year, and thus were the people in a state of many afflictions; and the sword of destruction did hang over them, insomuch that they were about to be smitten down by it, and this because of their iniquity. | The fifteenth year ended. The people were very sad and had many troubles. They were in danger because they had done wrong things. |
3 Nephi 3
| Verse | Original | 2nd Grade |
|---|---|---|
| 3 Nephi 3:1 | And now it came to pass that in the sixteenth year from the coming of Christ, Lachoneus, the governor of the land, received an epistle from the leader and the governor of this band of robbers; and these were the words which were written, saying: | One day, 16 years after Jesus was born, a man named Lachoneus got a letter from the leader of some bad people. The letter said these things: |
| 3 Nephi 3:2 | Lachoneus, most noble and chief governor of the land, behold, I write this epistle unto you, and do give unto you exceedingly great praise because of your firmness, and also the firmness of your people, in maintaining that which ye suppose to be your right and liberty; yea, ye do stand well, as if ye were supported by the hand of a god, in the defence of your liberty, and your property, and your country, or that which ye do call so. | Lachoneus, the very good leader of the land, I write to you and say great job because you and your people stand strong for your freedom and what you believe is right. You all defend your freedom, your stuff, and your country as if helped by a god. |
| 3 Nephi 3:3 | And it seemeth a pity unto me, most noble Lachoneus, that ye should be so foolish and vain as to suppose that ye can stand against so many brave men who are at my command, who do now at this time stand in their arms, and do await with great anxiety for the word—Go down upon the Nephites and destroy them. | It makes me sad, brave Lachoneus, that you think you can fight my strong men. They have their weapons ready and are waiting for me to say, “Go and defeat the Nephites.” |
| 3 Nephi 3:4 | And I, knowing of their unconquerable spirit, having proved them in the field of battle, and knowing of their everlasting hatred towards you because of the many wrongs which ye have done unto them, therefore if they should come down against you they would visit you with utter destruction. | I know they are very strong fighters who don’t give up. They fought you many times and are very angry because you hurt them a lot. If they come to fight you, they will destroy everything. |
| 3 Nephi 3:5 | Therefore I have written this epistle, sealing it with mine own hand, feeling for your welfare, because of your firmness in that which ye believe to be right, and your noble spirit in the field of battle. | I wrote this letter myself because I care about you. You believe in what is right and are brave in battle. |
| 3 Nephi 3:6 | Therefore I write unto you, desiring that ye would yield up unto this my people, your cities, your lands, and your possessions, rather than that they should visit you with the sword and that destruction should come upon you. | So I am writing to ask you to give my people your cities, lands, and things, so they don’t come with swords to hurt you. |
| 3 Nephi 3:7 | Or in other words, yield yourselves up unto us, and unite with us and become acquainted with our secret works, and become our brethren that ye may be like unto us—not our slaves, but our brethren and partners of all our substance. | Join us and be our friends. We do not want you to be our slaves but our friends and partners. |
| 3 Nephi 3:8 | And behold, I swear unto you, if ye will do this, with an oath, ye shall not be destroyed; but if ye will not do this, I swear unto you with an oath, that on the morrow month I will command that my armies shall come down against you, and they shall not stay their hand and shall spare not, but shall slay you, and shall let fall the sword upon you even until ye shall become extinct. | I promise, if you do this, you will be safe. If you don’t, my armies will come next month and fight you until you are gone. |
| 3 Nephi 3:9 | And behold, I am Giddianhi; and I am the governor of this the secret society of Gadianton; which society and the works thereof I know to be good; and they are of ancient date and they have been handed down unto us. | Hi, I am Giddianhi. I am the leader of a secret group called Gadianton. I think this group is good. It is very old and has been passed down to us. |
| 3 Nephi 3:10 | And I write this epistle unto you, Lachoneus, and I hope that ye will deliver up your lands and your possessions, without the shedding of blood, that this my people may recover their rights and government, who have dissented away from you because of your wickedness in retaining from them their rights of government, and except ye do this, I will avenge their wrongs. I am Giddianhi. | I am Giddianhi. I am writing to you, Lachoneus. Please give us your land and things without fighting. My people want their rights and government back. They left because you were bad and took their rights. If you don’t do this, I will come and make things right for them. |
| 3 Nephi 3:11 | And now it came to pass when Lachoneus received this epistle he was exceedingly astonished, because of the boldness of Giddianhi demanding the possession of the land of the Nephites, and also of threatening the people and avenging the wrongs of those that had received no wrong, save it were they had wronged themselves by dissenting away unto those wicked and abominable robbers. | When Lachoneus got the letter, he was very surprised. Giddianhi wanted to take their land and was threatening the people. Giddianhi was also trying to get back at people who had done nothing wrong, except for leaving to join the robbers. |
| 3 Nephi 3:12 | Now behold, this Lachoneus, the governor, was a just man, and could not be frightened by the demands and the threatenings of a robber; therefore he did not hearken to the epistle of Giddianhi, the governor of the robbers, but he did cause that his people should cry unto the Lord for strength against the time that the robbers should come down against them. | Lachoneus was a good leader. He was not scared of the robber’s threats. Lachoneus did not listen to the robber boss, Giddianhi. He told his people to pray to God for help because the robbers were coming. |
| 3 Nephi 3:13 | Yea, he sent a proclamation among all the people, that they should gather together their women, and their children, their flocks and their herds, and all their substance, save it were their land, unto one place. | He told everyone to bring their families, animals, and things to one place. |
| 3 Nephi 3:14 | And he caused that fortifications should be built round about them, and the strength thereof should be exceedingly great. And he caused that armies, both of the Nephites and of the Lamanites, or of all them who were numbered among the Nephites, should be placed as guards round about to watch them, and to guard them from the robbers day and night. | He made strong walls around them. He put soldiers to watch and keep them safe from robbers all the time. |
| 3 Nephi 3:15 | Yea, he said unto them: As the Lord liveth, except ye repent of all your iniquities, and cry unto the Lord, ye will in no wise be delivered out of the hands of those Gadianton robbers. | He said: If you don’t say sorry for doing bad things and ask God for help, bad people will hurt you. |
| 3 Nephi 3:16 | And so great and marvelous were the words and prophecies of Lachoneus that they did cause fear to come upon all the people; and they did exert themselves in their might to do according to the words of Lachoneus. | The words of Lachoneus were so amazing that they made all the people scared. The people tried very hard to do what Lachoneus said. |
| 3 Nephi 3:17 | And it came to pass that Lachoneus did appoint chief captains over all the armies of the Nephites, to command them at the time that the robbers should come down out of the wilderness against them. | Lachoneus picked leaders for the Nephite armies to help them when the robbers came. |
| 3 Nephi 3:18 | Now the chiefest among all the chief captains and the great commander of the armies of the Nephites was appointed, and his name was Gidgiddoni. | The main leader of all the army captains of the Nephites was chosen. His name was Gidgiddoni. |
| 3 Nephi 3:19 | Now it was the custom among all the Nephites to appoint for their chief captains, (save it were in their times of wickedness) some one that had the spirit of revelation and also prophecy; therefore, this Gidgiddoni was a great prophet among them, as also was the chief judge. | The Nephites always chose their leaders to have special wisdom and tell the future, except when they were being bad. Gidgiddoni was a great wise man and their main judge. |
| 3 Nephi 3:20 | Now the people said unto Gidgiddoni: Pray unto the Lord, and let us go up upon the mountains and into the wilderness, that we may fall upon the robbers and destroy them in their own lands. | The people said to Gidgiddoni: “Pray to the Lord. Let us go to the mountains and the wilderness to fight the robbers and stop them.” |
| 3 Nephi 3:21 | But Gidgiddoni saith unto them: The Lord forbid; for if we should go up against them the Lord would deliver us into their hands; therefore we will prepare ourselves in the center of our lands, and we will gather all our armies together, and we will not go against them, but we will wait till they shall come against us; therefore as the Lord liveth, if we do this he will deliver them into our hands. | But Gidgiddoni said: No, we should not go to fight them. If we go, God will let them win. So, we will get ready in the middle of our land and bring all our soldiers together. We will wait for them to come to us. If we do this, God will help us win. |
| 3 Nephi 3:22 | And it came to pass in the seventeenth year, in the latter end of the year, the proclamation of Lachoneus had gone forth throughout all the face of the land, and they had taken their horses, and their chariots, and their cattle, and all their flocks, and their herds, and their grain, and all their substance, and did march forth by thousands and by tens of thousands, until they had all gone forth to the place which had been appointed that they should gather themselves together, to defend themselves against their enemies. | In the seventeenth year, near the end of the year, Lachoneus told everyone to get ready. They took their horses, chariots, cows, sheep, and all their food. They marched in big groups to a place where they would meet to protect themselves from their enemies. |
| 3 Nephi 3:23 | And the land which was appointed was the land of Zarahemla, and the land which was between the land Zarahemla and the land Bountiful, yea, to the line which was between the land Bountiful and the land Desolation. | The land they chose was called Zarahemla. It was the land between Zarahemla and Bountiful, all the way to the line between Bountiful and Desolation. |
| 3 Nephi 3:24 | And there were a great many thousand people who were called Nephites, who did gather themselves together in this land. Now Lachoneus did cause that they should gather themselves together in the land southward, because of the great curse which was upon the land northward. | Many thousands of people called Nephites came together. Lachoneus told them to come to the south land because the north land was bad. |
| 3 Nephi 3:25 | And they did fortify themselves against their enemies; and they did dwell in one land, and in one body, and they did fear the words which had been spoken by Lachoneus, insomuch that they did repent of all their sins; and they did put up their prayers unto the Lord their God, that he would deliver them in the time that their enemies should come down against them to battle. | They made their homes strong to keep safe from enemies. They lived together in one place. They remembered what Lachoneus said and felt sorry for doing wrong things. They prayed to God to help them when enemies came to fight. |
| 3 Nephi 3:26 | And they were exceedingly sorrowful because of their enemies. And Gidgiddoni did cause that they should make weapons of war of every kind, and they should be strong with armor, and with shields, and with bucklers, after the manner of his instruction. | They were very sad because of their enemies. Gidgiddoni told them to make different kinds of weapons. They made strong armor, shields, and bucklers just like he said. |
3 Nephi 4
| Verse | Original | 2nd Grade |
|---|---|---|
| 3 Nephi 4:1 | And it came to pass that in the latter end of the eighteenth year those armies of robbers had prepared for battle, and began to come down and to sally forth from the hills, and out of the mountains, and the wilderness, and their strongholds, and their secret places, and began to take possession of the lands, both which were in the land south and which were in the land north, and began to take possession of all the lands which had been deserted by the Nephites, and the cities which had been left desolate. | At the end of the 18th year, the robber armies got ready to fight. They came down from the hills, mountains, wilderness, and secret places. They started to take over the lands both to the north and south, and all the lands and cities the Nephites left behind. |
| 3 Nephi 4:2 | But behold, there were no wild beasts nor game in those lands which had been deserted by the Nephites, and there was no game for the robbers save it were in the wilderness. | But look, there were no wild animals or food in the lands the Nephites left. The robbers could only find food in the forest. |
| 3 Nephi 4:3 | And the robbers could not exist save it were in the wilderness, for the want of food; for the Nephites had left their lands desolate, and had gathered their flocks and their herds and all their substance, and they were in one body. | The robbers had no food and could only live in the wilderness. The Nephites left their homes empty and brought all their animals and things together in one place. |
| 3 Nephi 4:4 | Therefore, there was no chance for the robbers to plunder and to obtain food, save it were to come up in open battle against the Nephites; and the Nephites being in one body, and having so great a number, and having reserved for themselves provisions, and horses and cattle, and flocks of every kind, that they might subsist for the space of seven years, in the which time they did hope to destroy the robbers from off the face of the land; and thus the eighteenth year did pass away. | So, the robbers couldn’t steal food unless they fought the Nephites. The Nephites were together and had lots of food, animals, and everything they needed to live for seven years. They hoped to get rid of the robbers in that time. And that’s how the eighteenth year ended. |
| 3 Nephi 4:5 | And it came to pass that in the nineteenth year Giddianhi found that it was expedient that he should go up to battle against the Nephites, for there was no way that they could subsist save it were to plunder and rob and murder. | Giddianhi had to fight the Nephites because his people needed to steal to survive. |
| 3 Nephi 4:6 | And they durst not spread themselves upon the face of the land insomuch that they could raise grain, lest the Nephites should come upon them and slay them; therefore Giddianhi gave commandment unto his armies that in this year they should go up to battle against the Nephites. | Giddianhi told his army to go fight the Nephites this year because they were too scared to grow food. |
| 3 Nephi 4:7 | And it came to pass that they did come up to battle; and it was in the sixth month; and behold, great and terrible was the day that they did come up to battle; and they were girded about after the manner of robbers; and they had a lamb-skin about their loins, and they were dyed in blood, and their heads were shorn, and they had head-plates upon them; and great and terrible was the appearance of the armies of Giddianhi, because of their armor, and because of their being dyed in blood. | They went to fight in the sixth month. It was a very scary day. The bad people wore animal skins and were covered in blood. Their heads were shaved, and they had plates on their heads. The army looked very scary because of their armor and the blood. |
| 3 Nephi 4:8 | And it came to pass that the armies of the Nephites, when they saw the appearance of the army of Giddianhi, had all fallen to the earth, and did lift their cries to the Lord their God, that he would spare them and deliver them out of the hands of their enemies. | The Nephite soldiers saw Giddianhi’s army. They all fell down and prayed to God to save them from their enemies. |
| 3 Nephi 4:9 | And it came to pass that when the armies of Giddianhi saw this they began to shout with a loud voice, because of their joy, for they had supposed that the Nephites had fallen with fear because of the terror of their armies. | When the soldiers of Giddianhi saw this, they started to shout loudly because they were happy. They thought the Nephites were scared and had fallen down. |
| 3 Nephi 4:10 | But in this thing they were disappointed, for the Nephites did not fear them; but they did fear their God and did supplicate him for protection; therefore, when the armies of Giddianhi did rush upon them they were prepared to meet them; yea, in the strength of the Lord they did receive them. | The bad guys were sad because the Nephites were not scared of them. The Nephites prayed to God for help. So when the bad guys came, the Nephites were ready. With God’s help, they met the bad guys. |
| 3 Nephi 4:11 | And the battle commenced in this the sixth month; and great and terrible was the battle thereof, yea, great and terrible was the slaughter thereof, insomuch that there never was known so great a slaughter among all the people of Lehi since he left Jerusalem. | The fight started in the sixth month. It was a really big and scary fight. Many, many people were hurt more than ever before since Lehi left Jerusalem. |
| 3 Nephi 4:12 | And notwithstanding the threatenings and the oaths which Giddianhi had made, behold, the Nephites did beat them, insomuch that they did fall back from before them. | Even though Giddianhi made lots of threats, the Nephites won and made them go away. |
| 3 Nephi 4:13 | And it came to pass that Gidgiddoni commanded that his armies should pursue them as far as the borders of the wilderness, and that they should not spare any that should fall into their hands by the way; and thus they did pursue them and did slay them, to the borders of the wilderness, even until they had fulfilled the commandment of Gidgiddoni. | Gidgiddoni told his soldiers to chase the bad guys to the edge of the forest and not let any get away. So, they chased them and got them all, just like Gidgiddoni said. |
| 3 Nephi 4:14 | And it came to pass that Giddianhi, who had stood and fought with boldness, was pursued as he fled; and being weary because of his much fighting he was overtaken and slain. And thus was the end of Giddianhi the robber. | Giddianhi fought bravely, but he ran away. He got tired and the people caught him and he died. This was the end of Giddianhi the robber. |
| 3 Nephi 4:15 | And it came to pass that the armies of the Nephites did return again to their place of security. And it came to pass that this nineteenth year did pass away, and the robbers did not come again to battle; neither did they come again in the twentieth year. | The Nephite armies went back to their safe place. The 19th year ended, and the robbers did not come to fight again; they also did not come in the 20th year. |
| 3 Nephi 4:16 | And in the twenty and first year they did not come up to battle, but they came up on all sides to lay siege round about the people of Nephi; for they did suppose that if they should cut off the people of Nephi from their lands, and should hem them in on every side, and if they should cut them off from all their outward privileges, that they could cause them to yield themselves up according to their wishes. | In the 21st year, the enemies did not fight. They surrounded the people of Nephi. They thought if they kept the people of Nephi trapped and took away what they needed, the people of Nephi would give up. |
| 3 Nephi 4:17 | Now they had appointed unto themselves another leader, whose name was Zemnarihah; therefore it was Zemnarihah that did cause that this siege should take place. | They chose a new leader named Zemnarihah. He made the siege happen. |
| 3 Nephi 4:18 | But behold, this was an advantage to the Nephites; for it was impossible for the robbers to lay siege sufficiently long to have any effect upon the Nephites, because of their much provision which they had laid up in store, | The Nephites had lots of food stored up, so the robbers could not stay long enough to hurt them. |
| 3 Nephi 4:19 | And because of the scantiness of provisions among the robbers—for behold, they had nothing save it were meat for their subsistence, which meat they did obtain in the wilderness; | And because the robbers did not have much food – they only had meat that they found in the wilderness. |
| 3 Nephi 4:20 | And it came to pass that the wild game became scarce in the wilderness—insomuch that the robbers were about to perish with hunger. | The animals in the forest were hard to find, so the robbers were very hungry. |
| 3 Nephi 4:21 | And the Nephites were continually marching out by day and by night, and falling upon their armies, and cutting them off by thousands and by tens of thousands. | The Nephites kept walking and fighting their enemies all day and all night, and they defeated many, many of them. |
| 3 Nephi 4:22 | And thus it became the desire of the people of Zemnarihah to withdraw from their design, because of the great destruction which came upon them by night and by day. | The people of Zemnarihah wanted to stop their plan because they faced a lot of trouble day and night. |
| 3 Nephi 4:23 | And it came to pass that Zemnarihah did give command unto his people that they should withdraw themselves from the siege, and march into the furthermost parts of the land northward. | Zemnarihah told his people to stop the fight and go to the farthest part of the land in the north. |
| 3 Nephi 4:24 | And now, Gidgiddoni being aware of their design, and knowing of their weakness because of the want of food, and the great slaughter which had been made among them, therefore he did send out his armies in the night-time, and did cut off the way of their retreat, and did place his armies in the way of their retreat. | Gidgiddoni knew what they wanted to do and that they were hungry and not strong. He sent his armies at night to block their escape. |
| 3 Nephi 4:25 | And this did they do in the night-time, and got on their march beyond the robbers, so that on the morrow, when the robbers began their march, they were met by the armies of the Nephites both in their front and in their rear. | They moved during the night and passed the robbers. The next day, the robbers found Nephite armies in front of them and behind them. |
| 3 Nephi 4:26 | And the robbers who were on the south were also cut off in their places of retreat. And all these things were done by command of Gidgiddoni. | The bad men hiding in the south were stopped. Gidgiddoni told people to do this. |
| 3 Nephi 4:27 | And there were many thousands who did yield themselves up prisoners unto the Nephites, and the remainder of them were slain. | Many people surrendered and became prisoners of the Nephites. The rest were killed. |
| 3 Nephi 4:28 | And their leader, Zemnarihah, was taken and hanged upon a tree, yea, even upon the top thereof until he was dead. And when they had hanged him until he was dead they did fell the tree to the earth, and did cry with a loud voice, saying: | Their leader, Zemnarihah, was caught and hung on a tree until he died. Then they cut down the tree and shouted loudly. |
| 3 Nephi 4:29 | May the Lord preserve his people in righteousness and in holiness of heart, that they may cause to be felled to the earth all who shall seek to slay them because of power and secret combinations, even as this man hath been felled to the earth. | I hope God keeps his people safe and good. They should stop bad people who want to hurt them, just like this bad man was stopped. |
| 3 Nephi 4:30 | And they did rejoice and cry again with one voice, saying: May the God of Abraham, and the God of Isaac, and the God of Jacob, protect this people in righteousness, so long as they shall call on the name of their God for protection. | They were happy and said together, “We pray that God will protect us if we ask for help.” |
| 3 Nephi 4:31 | And it came to pass that they did break forth, all as one, in singing, and praising their God for the great thing which he had done for them, in preserving them from falling into the hands of their enemies. | They all started singing and saying thank you to their God for keeping them safe from their enemies. |
| 3 Nephi 4:32 | Yea, they did cry: Hosanna to the Most High God. And they did cry: Blessed be the name of the Lord God Almighty, the Most High God. | They said: Yay for the most high God! They said: Bless the name of the Lord God, the most high. |
| 3 Nephi 4:33 | And their hearts were swollen with joy, unto the gushing out of many tears, because of the great goodness of God in delivering them out of the hands of their enemies; and they knew it was because of their repentance and their humility that they had been delivered from an everlasting destruction. | Their hearts were very happy, and they cried many tears because God was so good to them. He saved them from their enemies. They knew they were saved because they were sorry for their mistakes and were humble. |
3 Nephi 5
| Verse | Original | 2nd Grade |
|---|---|---|
| 3 Nephi 5:1 | And now behold, there was not a living soul among all the people of the Nephites who did doubt in the least the words of all the holy prophets who had spoken; for they knew that it must needs be that they must be fulfilled. | Now look, all the Nephites believed what the holy prophets said. They knew the words must come true. |
| 3 Nephi 5:2 | And they knew that it must be expedient that Christ had come, because of the many signs which had been given, according to the words of the prophets; and because of the things which had come to pass already they knew that it must needs be that all things should come to pass according to that which had been spoken. | They knew Jesus had to come because of all the signs and things that had happened just like the prophets said. |
| 3 Nephi 5:3 | Therefore they did forsake all their sins, and their abominations, and their whoredoms, and did serve God with all diligence day and night. | So they stopped doing bad things and served God all the time. |
| 3 Nephi 5:4 | And now it came to pass that when they had taken all the robbers prisoners, insomuch that none did escape who were not slain, they did cast their prisoners into prison, and did cause the word of God to be preached unto them; and as many as would repent of their sins and enter into a covenant that they would murder no more were set at liberty. | When they caught all the robbers, they put them in jail. Then they taught them about God. If the robbers said sorry and promised not to hurt anyone again, they were set free. |
| 3 Nephi 5:5 | But as many as there were who did not enter into a covenant, and who did still continue to have those secret murders in their hearts, yea, as many as were found breathing out threatenings against their brethren were condemned and punished according to the law. | People who did not make a promise and still wanted to do bad things were judged and punished by the law. |
| 3 Nephi 5:6 | And thus they did put an end to all those wicked, and secret, and abominable combinations, in the which there was so much wickedness, and so many murders committed. | They stopped all the bad and secret groups that did many bad things and many killings. |
| 3 Nephi 5:7 | And thus had the twenty and second year passed away, and the twenty and third year also, and the twenty and fourth, and the twenty and fifth; and thus had twenty and five years passed away. | Twenty-five years went by. |
| 3 Nephi 5:8 | And there had many things transpired which, in the eyes of some, would be great and marvelous; nevertheless, they cannot all be written in this book; yea, this book cannot contain even a hundredth part of what was done among so many people in the space of twenty and five years; | Many things happened that were amazing, but not everything can be written in this book. This book can only tell a little bit of what happened in 25 years. |
| 3 Nephi 5:9 | But behold there are records which do contain all the proceedings of this people; and a shorter but true account was given by Nephi. | But look, there are books that tell what happened to these people; Nephi made a shorter but true story. |
| 3 Nephi 5:10 | Therefore I have made my record of these things according to the record of Nephi, which was engraven on the plates which were called the plates of Nephi. | I wrote these things down because Nephi wrote them on special plates called the plates of Nephi. |
| 3 Nephi 5:11 | And behold, I do make the record on plates which I have made with mine own hands. | Look, I am writing this on plates I made myself. |
| 3 Nephi 5:12 | And behold, I am called Mormon, being called after the land of Mormon, the land in which Alma did establish the church among the people, yea, the first church which was established among them after their transgression. | Hi, my name is Mormon. I was named after the land of Mormon. Alma started the church in that land. It was the first church after the people did something wrong. |
| 3 Nephi 5:13 | Behold, I am a disciple of Jesus Christ, the Son of God. I have been called of him to declare his word among his people, that they might have everlasting life. | I follow Jesus, the Son of God. He told me to share his word with his people so they can live forever. |
| 3 Nephi 5:14 | And it hath become expedient that I, according to the will of God, that the prayers of those who have gone hence, who were the holy ones, should be fulfilled according to their faith, should make a record of these things which have been done— | It is very important that I, following God’s wishes, write down what has happened, so the prayers of good people from the past are answered. |
| 3 Nephi 5:15 | Yea, a small record of that which hath taken place from the time that Lehi left Jerusalem, even down until the present time. | A little book tells what happened from when Lehi left Jerusalem until now. |
| 3 Nephi 5:16 | Therefore I do make my record from the accounts which have been given by those who were before me, until the commencement of my day; | So, I write my record from the stories told by those before me, until my time started. |
| 3 Nephi 5:17 | And then I do make a record of the things which I have seen with mine own eyes. | I write down the things I see with my own eyes. |
| 3 Nephi 5:18 | And I know the record which I make to be a just and a true record; nevertheless there are many things which, according to our language, we are not able to write. | I know the book I am writing is true and right; but there are many things we can’t write down with our words. |
| 3 Nephi 5:19 | And now I make an end of my saying, which is of myself, and proceed to give my account of the things which have been before me. | Now I am done talking about myself. I will tell you what happened before me. |
| 3 Nephi 5:20 | I am Mormon, and a pure descendant of Lehi. I have reason to bless my God and my Savior Jesus Christ, that he brought our fathers out of the land of Jerusalem, (and no one knew it save it were himself and those whom he brought out of that land) and that he hath given me and my people so much knowledge unto the salvation of our souls. | I am Mormon. I come from Lehi’s family. I thank God and Jesus for bringing our fathers out of Jerusalem and giving us knowledge to save our souls. |
| 3 Nephi 5:21 | Surely he hath blessed the house of Jacob, and hath been merciful unto the seed of Joseph. | He blessed Jacob’s family and was kind to Joseph’s children. |
| 3 Nephi 5:22 | And insomuch as the children of Lehi have kept his commandments he hath blessed them and prospered them according to his word. | When the children of Lehi obey God, He makes them happy and successful. |
| 3 Nephi 5:23 | Yea, and surely shall he again bring a remnant of the seed of Joseph to the knowledge of the Lord their God. | Yes, he will help some of Joseph’s family know the Lord again. |
| 3 Nephi 5:24 | And as surely as the Lord liveth, will he gather in from the four quarters of the earth all the remnant of the seed of Jacob, who are scattered abroad upon all the face of the earth. | God will bring together all the people from everywhere on the earth. |
| 3 Nephi 5:25 | And as he hath covenanted with all the house of Jacob, even so shall the covenant wherewith he hath covenanted with the house of Jacob be fulfilled in his own due time, unto the restoring all the house of Jacob unto the knowledge of the covenant that he hath covenanted with them. | God made a promise to Jacob and his family. God will keep this promise and help Jacob’s family understand it when the time is right. |
| 3 Nephi 5:26 | And then shall they know their Redeemer, who is Jesus Christ, the Son of God; and then shall they be gathered in from the four quarters of the earth unto their own lands, from whence they have been dispersed; yea, as the Lord liveth so shall it be. Amen. | They will know that Jesus Christ is God’s Son. Then they will come together from all over the earth to their own lands. This will happen because the Lord lives. Amen. |
3 Nephi 6
| Verse | Original | 2nd Grade |
|---|---|---|
| 3 Nephi 6:1 | And now it came to pass that the people of the Nephites did all return to their own lands in the twenty and sixth year, every man, with his family, his flocks and his herds, his horses and his cattle, and all things whatsoever did belong unto them. | Now, the Nephites went back home in the 26th year. Every man took his family, animals, and everything he owned. |
| 3 Nephi 6:2 | And it came to pass that they had not eaten up all their provisions; therefore they did take with them all that they had not devoured, of all their grain of every kind, and their gold, and their silver, and all their precious things, and they did return to their own lands and their possessions, both on the north and on the south, both on the land northward and on the land southward. | They did not eat all their food, so they took the rest of their food, their gold, their silver, and their special things and went back to their homes north and south. |
| 3 Nephi 6:3 | And they granted unto those robbers who had entered into a covenant to keep the peace of the land, who were desirous to remain Lamanites, lands, according to their numbers, that they might have, with their labors, wherewith to subsist upon; and thus they did establish peace in all the land. | They gave the robbers land to live on if they promised to be peaceful. This helped everyone live in peace. |
| 3 Nephi 6:4 | And they began again to prosper and to wax great; and the twenty and sixth and seventh years passed away, and there was great order in the land; and they had formed their laws according to equity and justice. | They started to do well again and became important. Two more years went by, and there was good order in the land. They made fair and just laws. |
| 3 Nephi 6:5 | And now there was nothing in all the land to hinder the people from prospering continually, except they should fall into transgression. | Now, everyone in the land could keep doing well, unless they did something wrong. |
| 3 Nephi 6:6 | And now it was Gidgiddoni, and the judge, Lachoneus, and those who had been appointed leaders, who had established this great peace in the land. | Gidgiddoni, Lachoneus the judge, and the leaders made peace in the land. |
| 3 Nephi 6:7 | And it came to pass that there were many cities built anew, and there were many old cities repaired. | Lots of new cities were built, and lots of old cities were fixed. |
| 3 Nephi 6:8 | And there were many highways cast up, and many roads made, which led from city to city, and from land to land, and from place to place. | There were many highways and roads made. They went from city to city, land to land, and place to place. |
| 3 Nephi 6:9 | And thus passed away the twenty and eighth year, and the people had continual peace. | The twenty-eighth year passed, and the people had peace all the time. |
| 3 Nephi 6:10 | But it came to pass in the twenty and ninth year there began to be some disputings among the people; and some were lifted up unto pride and boastings because of their exceedingly great riches, yea, even unto great persecutions; | In the twenty-ninth year, some people started to argue. Some people became proud and bragged because they were very rich. This caused big problems for others. |
| 3 Nephi 6:11 | For there were many merchants in the land, and also many lawyers, and many officers. | There were lots of people who sold things, lots of people who knew the law, and lots of people in charge. |
| 3 Nephi 6:12 | And the people began to be distinguished by ranks, according to their riches and their chances for learning, yea, some were ignorant because of their poverty, and others did receive great learning because of their riches. | People started to be put into groups. Some had more money and more chances to learn. Some did not know much because they were poor. Others learned a lot because they were rich. |
| 3 Nephi 6:13 | Some were lifted up in pride, and others were exceedingly humble; some did return railing for railing, while others would receive railing and persecution and all manner of afflictions, and would not turn and revile again, but were humble and penitent before God. | Some people were proud, and some people were very humble. Some people fought back when others were mean to them, but some people stayed calm and kind even when they were hurt. These humble people were sorry and tried to be good for God. |
| 3 Nephi 6:14 | And thus there became a great inequality in all the land, insomuch that the church began to be broken up; yea, insomuch that in the thirtieth year the church was broken up in all the land save it were among a few of the Lamanites who were converted unto the true faith; and they would not depart from it, for they were firm, and steadfast, and immovable, willing with all diligence to keep the commandments of the Lord. | There was a big problem in the land. The church started to break apart. By the thirtieth year, almost the whole church was broken up. Only a few Lamanites stayed in the true faith. They were very strong and kept following God’s rules. |
| 3 Nephi 6:15 | Now the cause of this iniquity of the people was this—Satan had great power, unto the stirring up of the people to do all manner of iniquity, and to the puffing them up with pride, tempting them to seek for power, and authority, and riches, and the vain things of the world. | The reason people did bad things was because Satan had power. He made people proud and want power, money, and other things. |
| 3 Nephi 6:16 | And thus Satan did lead away the hearts of the people to do all manner of iniquity; therefore they had enjoyed peace but a few years. | So Satan made the people do bad things, and they didn’t have peace for very long. |
| 3 Nephi 6:17 | And thus, in the commencement of the thirtieth year—the people having been delivered up for the space of a long time to be carried about by the temptations of the devil whithersoever he desired to carry them, and to do whatsoever iniquity he desired they should—and thus in the commencement of this, the thirtieth year, they were in a state of awful wickedness. | In the start of the 30th year, the people were very bad because they followed the devil and did what he wanted. |
| 3 Nephi 6:18 | Now they did not sin ignorantly, for they knew the will of God concerning them, for it had been taught unto them; therefore they did wilfully rebel against God. | They knew what God wanted, but they chose not to listen to Him. |
| 3 Nephi 6:19 | And now it was in the days of Lachoneus, the son of Lachoneus, for Lachoneus did fill the seat of his father and did govern the people that year. | A man named Lachoneus was in charge. He took his father’s place and led the people that year. |
| 3 Nephi 6:20 | And there began to be men inspired from heaven and sent forth, standing among the people in all the land, preaching and testifying boldly of the sins and iniquities of the people, and testifying unto them concerning the redemption which the Lord would make for his people, or in other words, the resurrection of Christ; and they did testify boldly of his death and sufferings. | Men from heaven came and told the people in the land about their wrong actions. They talked about how Jesus would save them, and how he died and suffered for them. |
| 3 Nephi 6:21 | Now there were many of the people who were exceedingly angry because of those who testified of these things; and those who were angry were chiefly the chief judges, and they who had been high priests and lawyers; yea, all those who were lawyers were angry with those who testified of these things. | Many people were very mad because of what some people said. The mad ones were mostly the top judges, high priests, and lawyers. Yes, all the lawyers were mad at the people who said these things. |
| 3 Nephi 6:22 | Now there was no lawyer nor judge nor high priest that could have power to condemn any one to death save their condemnation was signed by the governor of the land. | No lawyer, judge, or high priest could say someone had to die unless the governor also said so. |
| 3 Nephi 6:23 | Now there were many of those who testified of the things pertaining to Christ who testified boldly, who were taken and put to death secretly by the judges, that the knowledge of their death came not unto the governor of the land until after their death. | Many people talked bravely about Jesus. The judges secretly killed them. The governor did not know until they were already dead. |
| 3 Nephi 6:24 | Now behold, this was contrary to the laws of the land, that any man should be put to death except they had power from the governor of the land— | Now listen, this was against the rules. No one could be killed unless the leader said it was okay. |
| 3 Nephi 6:25 | Therefore a complaint came up unto the land of Zarahemla, to the governor of the land, against these judges who had condemned the prophets of the Lord unto death, not according to the law. | Someone told the leader of Zarahemla that the judges were not following the law and were being unfair to the prophets of the Lord and wanted them to be punished. |
| 3 Nephi 6:26 | Now it came to pass that they were taken and brought up before the judge to be judged of the crime which they had done, according to the law which had been given by the people. | They were taken to the judge to be judged for what they had done, following the law. |
| 3 Nephi 6:27 | Now it came to pass that those judges had many friends and kindreds; and the remainder, yea, even almost all the lawyers and the high priests, did gather themselves together, and unite with the kindreds of those judges who were to be tried according to the law. | The judges had many friends and family. Almost all the lawyers and high priests joined the friends and family of the judges who were to be tested by the law. |
| 3 Nephi 6:28 | And they did enter into a covenant one with another, yea, even into that covenant which was given by them of old, which covenant was given and administered by the devil, to combine against all righteousness. | They made a promise to each other, a bad promise given long ago by the devil, to be against all good things. |
| 3 Nephi 6:29 | Therefore they did combine against the people of the Lord, and enter into a covenant to destroy them, and to deliver those who were guilty of murder from the grasp of justice, which was about to be administered according to the law. | So they teamed up to hurt the good people and made a promise to protect the bad people who killed others from getting in trouble by the law. |
| 3 Nephi 6:30 | And they did set at defiance the law and the rights of their country; and they did covenant one with another to destroy the governor, and to establish a king over the land, that the land should no more be at liberty but should be subject unto kings. | They broke the rules and rights of their land; they promised each other to get rid of the leader and make someone a king, so the land would not be free anymore but ruled by kings. |
3 Nephi 7
| Verse | Original | 2nd Grade |
|---|---|---|
| 3 Nephi 7:1 | Now behold, I will show unto you that they did not establish a king over the land; but in this same year, yea, the thirtieth year, they did destroy upon the judgment seat, yea, did murder the chief judge of the land. | Look, I will show you that they did not make a king for the land. But this same year, the thirtieth year, they killed the leader of the land. |
| 3 Nephi 7:2 | And the people were divided one against another; and they did separate one from another into tribes, every man according to his family and his kindred and friends; and thus they did destroy the government of the land. | The people split up into different groups. They broke apart into tribes with their families and friends. This ended the government. |
| 3 Nephi 7:3 | And every tribe did appoint a chief or a leader over them; and thus they became tribes and leaders of tribes. | Each group chose a leader. They became groups and leaders of groups. |
| 3 Nephi 7:4 | Now behold, there was no man among them save he had much family and many kindreds and friends; therefore their tribes became exceedingly great. | All the men had big families and lots of friends, so their groups became very big. |
| 3 Nephi 7:5 | Now all this was done, and there were no wars as yet among them; and all this iniquity had come upon the people because they did yield themselves unto the power of Satan. | All this happened, and there were no wars yet. The people did bad things because they followed Satan. |
| 3 Nephi 7:6 | And the regulations of the government were destroyed, because of the secret combination of the friends and kindreds of those who murdered the prophets. | The rules of the government were broken because of the secret group of friends and family of the people who killed the prophets. |
| 3 Nephi 7:7 | And they did cause a great contention in the land, insomuch that the more righteous part of the people had nearly all become wicked; yea, there were but few righteous men among them. | They had a big fight in the land, and most of the good people became bad. There were only a few good people left. |
| 3 Nephi 7:8 | And thus six years had not passed away since the more part of the people had turned from their righteousness, like the dog to his vomit, or like the sow to her wallowing in the mire. | It had only been six years since most people stopped being good, like a dog going back to its mess or a pig playing in the mud. |
| 3 Nephi 7:9 | Now this secret combination, which had brought so great iniquity upon the people, did gather themselves together, and did place at their head a man whom they did call Jacob; | The secret group made a bad choice. They got together and picked a leader named Jacob. |
| 3 Nephi 7:10 | And they did call him their king; therefore he became a king over this wicked band; and he was one of the chiefest who had given his voice against the prophets who testified of Jesus. | They made him their king, so he became the king of these bad people. He was one of the main people who spoke against the prophets who talked about Jesus. |
| 3 Nephi 7:11 | And it came to pass that they were not so strong in number as the tribes of the people, who were united together save it were their leaders did establish their laws, every one according to his tribe; nevertheless they were enemies; notwithstanding they were not a righteous people, yet they were united in the hatred of those who had entered into a covenant to destroy the government. | The two groups were small. They made their own rules. They did not like each other. They were not good people, but they joined together because they hated the people who wanted to destroy the government. |
| 3 Nephi 7:12 | Therefore, Jacob seeing that their enemies were more numerous than they, he being the king of the band, therefore he commanded his people that they should take their flight into the northernmost part of the land, and there build up unto themselves a kingdom, until they were joined by dissenters, (for he flattered them that there would be many dissenters) and they become sufficiently strong to contend with the tribes of the people; and they did so. | Jacob saw that their enemies were more than they were. Jacob was the king of his group, so he told his people to go to the far north part of the land. There, they should make a new kingdom. He told them others would join them later. They listened to him and did what he said. |
| 3 Nephi 7:13 | And so speedy was their march that it could not be impeded until they had gone forth out of the reach of the people. And thus ended the thirtieth year; and thus were the affairs of the people of Nephi. | They marched so quickly that no one could stop them. This was the end of the thirtieth year, and this is what happened to the Nephites. |
| 3 Nephi 7:14 | And it came to pass in the thirty and first year that they were divided into tribes, every man according to his family, kindred and friends; nevertheless they had come to an agreement that they would not go to war one with another; but they were not united as to their laws, and their manner of government, for they were established according to the minds of those who were their chiefs and their leaders. But they did establish very strict laws that one tribe should not trespass against another, insomuch that in some degree they had peace in the land; nevertheless, their hearts were turned from the Lord their God, and they did stone the prophets and did cast them out from among them. | In the thirty-first year, the people split into tribes by family and friends. They agreed not to fight each other, but they had different laws and leaders. They made strict rules so they would not bother each other. This gave them some peace. But, they did not follow God and hurt the prophets, sending them away. |
| 3 Nephi 7:15 | And it came to pass that Nephi—having been visited by angels and also the voice of the Lord, therefore having seen angels, and being eye-witness, and having had power given unto him that he might know concerning the ministry of Christ, and also being eye-witness to their quick return from righteousness unto their wickedness and abominations; | Nephi saw angels and heard God’s voice. He learned about Jesus. He saw people be good and then bad again. |
| 3 Nephi 7:16 | Therefore, being grieved for the hardness of their hearts and the blindness of their minds—went forth among them in that same year, and began to testify, boldly, repentance and remission of sins through faith on the Lord Jesus Christ. | So, feeling sad because they wouldn’t listen and couldn’t understand, he went to them that year and started to tell them bravely to say sorry and believe in Jesus to be forgiven. |
| 3 Nephi 7:17 | And he did minister many things unto them; and all of them cannot be written, and a part of them would not suffice, therefore they are not written in this book. And Nephi did minister with power and with great authority. | He taught them many things; not all can be written down, so they are not in this book. Nephi taught with power and authority. |
| 3 Nephi 7:18 | And it came to pass that they were angry with him, even because he had greater power than they, for it were not possible that they could disbelieve his words, for so great was his faith on the Lord Jesus Christ that angels did minister unto him daily. | They got mad at him because he had more power. They couldn’t not believe him because he believed in Jesus so much that angels talked to him every day. |
| 3 Nephi 7:19 | And in the name of Jesus did he cast out devils and unclean spirits; and even his brother did he raise from the dead, after he had been stoned and suffered death by the people. | In the name of Jesus, he made bad spirits go away. He made his brother come back to life after bad people hurt him and he died. |
| 3 Nephi 7:20 | And the people saw it, and did witness of it, and were angry with him because of his power; and he did also do many more miracles, in the sight of the people, in the name of Jesus. | The people saw it and were mad because he had power. He did more miracles for the people in Jesus’ name. |
| 3 Nephi 7:21 | And it came to pass that the thirty and first year did pass away, and there were but few who were converted unto the Lord; but as many as were converted did truly signify unto the people that they had been visited by the power and Spirit of God, which was in Jesus Christ, in whom they believed. | The 31st year ended. Only a few people believed in Jesus. Those who did believe told others that God and Jesus had visited them. |
| 3 Nephi 7:22 | And as many as had devils cast out from them, and were healed of their sicknesses and their infirmities, did truly manifest unto the people that they had been wrought upon by the Spirit of God, and had been healed; and they did show forth signs also and did do some miracles among the people. | Many people had bad spirits taken out and were healed. They showed everyone that God’s Spirit helped them and they did some miracles too. |
| 3 Nephi 7:23 | Thus passed away the thirty and second year also. And Nephi did cry unto the people in the commencement of the thirty and third year; and he did preach unto them repentance and remission of sins. | The thirty-second year ended. Nephi talked to the people when the thirty-third year started. He told them to be sorry for their sins and be forgiven. |
| 3 Nephi 7:24 | Now I would have you to remember also, that there were none who were brought unto repentance who were not baptized with water. | Remember, everyone who repented was baptized with water. |
| 3 Nephi 7:25 | Therefore, there were ordained of Nephi, men unto this ministry, that all such as should come unto them should be baptized with water, and this as a witness and a testimony before God, and unto the people, that they had repented and received a remission of their sins. | Nephi chose men to help. They baptized people with water to show they were sorry for their mistakes and that God forgave them. |
| 3 Nephi 7:26 | And there were many in the commencement of this year that were baptized unto repentance; and thus the more part of the year did pass away. | Many people got baptized at the start of the year, and most of the year went by this way. |
3 Nephi 8
| Verse | Original | 2nd Grade |
|---|---|---|
| 3 Nephi 8:1 | And now it came to pass that according to our record, and we know our record to be true, for behold, it was a just man who did keep the record—for he truly did many miracles in the name of Jesus; and there was not any man who could do a miracle in the name of Jesus save he were cleansed every whit from his iniquity— | A good man wrote our book. He did amazing things with Jesus’ help. Only people who are very good can do amazing things with Jesus’ help. |
| 3 Nephi 8:2 | And now it came to pass, if there was no mistake made by this man in the reckoning of our time, the thirty and third year had passed away; | Now it happened, if this man did not make a mistake in counting, thirty-three years had gone by. |
| 3 Nephi 8:3 | And the people began to look with great earnestness for the sign which had been given by the prophet Samuel, the Lamanite, yea, for the time that there should be darkness for the space of three days over the face of the land. | The people started to watch closely for the sign from Samuel the Lamanite, that there would be three days of darkness in the land. |
| 3 Nephi 8:4 | And there began to be great doubtings and disputations among the people, notwithstanding so many signs had been given. | People started to doubt and argue a lot, even though they saw many signs. |
| 3 Nephi 8:5 | And it came to pass in the thirty and fourth year, in the first month, on the fourth day of the month, there arose a great storm, such an one as never had been known in all the land. | In the thirty-fourth year, on the fourth day of the first month, there was a big storm. It was the biggest storm ever. |
| 3 Nephi 8:6 | And there was also a great and terrible tempest; and there was terrible thunder, insomuch that it did shake the whole earth as if it was about to divide asunder. | There was a big, scary storm. The thunder was so loud that it felt like the ground would break apart. |
| 3 Nephi 8:7 | And there were exceedingly sharp lightnings, such as never had been known in all the land. | There were very big and bright lightnings that had never been seen before. |
| 3 Nephi 8:8 | And the city of Zarahemla did take fire. | And the city of Zarahemla caught on fire. |
| 3 Nephi 8:9 | And the city of Moroni did sink into the depths of the sea, and the inhabitants thereof were drowned. | The city of Moroni went underwater, and the people who lived there drowned. |
| 3 Nephi 8:10 | And the earth was carried up upon the city of Moronihah that in the place of the city there became a great mountain. | The city of Moronihah was covered by the earth, and a big mountain was where the city used to be. |
| 3 Nephi 8:11 | And there was a great and terrible destruction in the land southward. | There was a big and very bad destruction in the south land. |
| 3 Nephi 8:12 | But behold, there was a more great and terrible destruction in the land northward; for behold, the whole face of the land was changed, because of the tempest and the whirlwinds and the thunderings and the lightnings, and the exceedingly great quaking of the whole earth; | There was big, scary destruction in the land up north. The land was all changed because of storms, strong winds, loud thunder, bright lightning, and a big earthquake. |
| 3 Nephi 8:13 | And the highways were broken up, and the level roads were spoiled, and many smooth places became rough. | The roads broke, the flat roads were ruined, and many smooth places became bumpy. |
| 3 Nephi 8:14 | And many great and notable cities were sunk, and many were burned, and many were shaken till the buildings thereof had fallen to the earth, and the inhabitants thereof were slain, and the places were left desolate. | Many big cities fell into the ground, many burned down, many shook and fell down, and many people died. The places were empty. |
| 3 Nephi 8:15 | And there were some cities which remained; but the damage thereof was exceedingly great, and there were many of them who were slain. | Some cities were still there, but they were very, very broken, and many people died. |
| 3 Nephi 8:16 | And there were some who were carried away in the whirlwind; and whither they went no man knoweth, save they know that they were carried away. | Some people were taken away by a big wind. No one knows where they went, but we know they were taken away. |
| 3 Nephi 8:17 | And thus the face of the whole earth became deformed, because of the tempests, and the thunderings, and the lightnings, and the quaking of the earth. | The whole earth changed because of the big storms, loud thunder, lightning, and shaking ground. |
| 3 Nephi 8:18 | And behold, the rocks were rent in twain; they were broken up upon the face of the whole earth, insomuch that they were found in broken fragments, and in seams and in cracks, upon all the face of the land. | Look! The rocks broke into two. They cracked and split all over the earth. You could see broken pieces and cracks everywhere on the ground. |
| 3 Nephi 8:19 | And it came to pass that when the thunderings, and the lightnings, and the storm, and the tempest, and the quakings of the earth did cease—for behold, they did last for about the space of three hours; and it was said by some that the time was greater; nevertheless, all these great and terrible things were done in about the space of three hours—and then behold, there was darkness upon the face of the land. | After the loud noises, bright flashes, big storm, and shaking stopped – it went on for about three hours – everything was dark. |
| 3 Nephi 8:20 | And it came to pass that there was thick darkness upon all the face of the land, insomuch that the inhabitants thereof who had not fallen could feel the vapor of darkness; | It got very dark, and the people who were still standing could feel the dark air. |
| 3 Nephi 8:21 | And there could be no light, because of the darkness, neither candles, neither torches; neither could there be fire kindled with their fine and exceedingly dry wood, so that there could not be any light at all; | There was no light because it was too dark. They could not light candles or torches. They could not start a fire with their dry wood. There was no light at all. |
| 3 Nephi 8:22 | And there was not any light seen, neither fire, nor glimmer, neither the sun, nor the moon, nor the stars, for so great were the mists of darkness which were upon the face of the land. | It was very dark. There was no light, no fire, no sun, no moon, and no stars because it was so misty. |
| 3 Nephi 8:23 | And it came to pass that it did last for the space of three days that there was no light seen; and there was great mourning and howling and weeping among all the people continually; yea, great were the groanings of the people, because of the darkness and the great destruction which had come upon them. | For three days, it was very dark. People were very sad and cried a lot because of the darkness and bad things that happened. |
| 3 Nephi 8:24 | And in one place they were heard to cry, saying: O that we had repented before this great and terrible day, and then would our brethren have been spared, and they would not have been burned in that great city Zarahemla. | They said, “We wish we had said sorry before this big, bad day. Then our friends would still be alive, and they would not have been burned in the big city Zarahemla.” |
| 3 Nephi 8:25 | And in another place they were heard to cry and mourn, saying: O that we had repented before this great and terrible day, and had not killed and stoned the prophets, and cast them out; then would our mothers and our fair daughters, and our children have been spared, and not have been buried up in that great city Moronihah. And thus were the howlings of the people great and terrible. | People were crying and very sad. They said, “We wish we had said sorry before this bad day. We should not have hurt the prophets. Then our mothers, daughters, and children would still be safe, and not gone in the city Moronihah.” Their cries were very loud and sad. |
3 Nephi 9
| Verse | Original | 2nd Grade |
|---|---|---|
| 3 Nephi 9:1 | And it came to pass that there was a voice heard among all the inhabitants of the earth, upon all the face of this land, crying: | There was a loud voice that everyone on the land could hear. |
| 3 Nephi 9:2 | Wo, wo, wo unto this people; wo unto the inhabitants of the whole earth except they shall repent; for the devil laugheth, and his angels rejoice, because of the slain of the fair sons and daughters of my people; and it is because of their iniquity and abominations that they are fallen! | Oh no, oh no, oh no to these people; oh no to everyone on earth unless they say sorry and change; for the devil is happy, and his bad helpers are glad, because good people are hurt; and it is because they did bad things that they are in trouble! |
| 3 Nephi 9:3 | Behold, that great city Zarahemla have I burned with fire, and the inhabitants thereof. | Look, I burned the big city Zarahemla and the people in it. |
| 3 Nephi 9:4 | And behold, that great city Moroni have I caused to be sunk in the depths of the sea, and the inhabitants thereof to be drowned. | Look! I made the big city Moroni go under the water, and all the people there are now gone. |
| 3 Nephi 9:5 | And behold, that great city Moronihah have I covered with earth, and the inhabitants thereof, to hide their iniquities and their abominations from before my face, that the blood of the prophets and the saints shall not come any more unto me against them. | I covered the big city Moronihah with dirt and the people in it to hide their bad actions so that the blood of the prophets and saints won’t come to me again against them. |
| 3 Nephi 9:6 | And behold, the city of Gilgal have I caused to be sunk, and the inhabitants thereof to be buried up in the depths of the earth; | Look, I made the city of Gilgal go under the ground, and the people there are now buried deep in the earth. |
| 3 Nephi 9:7 | Yea, and the city of Onihah and the inhabitants thereof, and the city of Mocum and the inhabitants thereof, and the city of Jerusalem and the inhabitants thereof; and waters have I caused to come up in the stead thereof, to hide their wickedness and abominations from before my face, that the blood of the prophets and the saints shall not come up any more unto me against them. | Yes, the cities of Onihah, Mocum, and Jerusalem with all the people there were covered by water because they were bad. This was done so I don’t see their bad actions anymore and the prophets and saints who were hurt by them do not complain to me about them anymore. |
| 3 Nephi 9:8 | And behold, the city of Gadiandi, and the city of Gadiomnah, and the city of Jacob, and the city of Gimgimno, all these have I caused to be sunk, and made hills and valleys in the places thereof; and the inhabitants thereof have I buried up in the depths of the earth, to hide their wickedness and abominations from before my face, that the blood of the prophets and the saints should not come up any more unto me against them. | I made the city of Gadiandi, Gadiomnah, Jacob, and Gimgimno sink. Now there are hills and valleys where they used to be. The people there were very bad, so I buried them deep in the earth to hide them. |
| 3 Nephi 9:9 | And behold, that great city Jacobugath, which was inhabited by the people of king Jacob, have I caused to be burned with fire because of their sins and their wickedness, which was above all the wickedness of the whole earth, because of their secret murders and combinations; for it was they that did destroy the peace of my people and the government of the land; therefore I did cause them to be burned, to destroy them from before my face, that the blood of the prophets and the saints should not come up unto me any more against them. | Look! The big city Jacobugath had very bad people. They did a lot of bad things. So, I made the city burn with fire to stop them. They hurt my people and the land. Now, they are gone. |
| 3 Nephi 9:10 | And behold, the city of Laman, and the city of Josh, and the city of Gad, and the city of Kishkumen, have I caused to be burned with fire, and the inhabitants thereof, because of their wickedness in casting out the prophets, and stoning those whom I did send to declare unto them concerning their wickedness and their abominations. | Look, I burned the city of Laman, the city of Josh, the city of Gad, and the city of Kishkumen. I did this because the people were very bad. They did not listen to the good people I sent to help them. |
| 3 Nephi 9:11 | And because they did cast them all out, that there were none righteous among them, I did send down fire and destroy them, that their wickedness and abominations might be hid from before my face, that the blood of the prophets and the saints whom I sent among them might not cry unto me from the ground against them. | They were all bad, so I sent fire and destroyed them. I did this so the bad things they did would go away, and the good people they hurt would not call out to me. |
| 3 Nephi 9:12 | And many great destructions have I caused to come upon this land, and upon this people, because of their wickedness and their abominations. | I made many big bad things happen to this land and people because they were very bad and did very bad things. |
| 3 Nephi 9:13 | O all ye that are spared because ye were more righteous than they, will ye not now return unto me, and repent of your sins, and be converted, that I may heal you? | Hey everyone, you were saved because you were good. Will you come back to me, say sorry for your mistakes, and change, so I can make you better? |
| 3 Nephi 9:14 | Yea, verily I say unto you, if ye will come unto me ye shall have eternal life. Behold, mine arm of mercy is extended towards you, and whosoever will come, him will I receive; and blessed are those who come unto me. | Yes, I tell you, if you come to me, you will live forever. Look, my arm is open to help you, and anyone who comes, I will welcome; and happy are those who come to me. |
| 3 Nephi 9:15 | Behold, I am Jesus Christ the Son of God. I created the heavens and the earth, and all things that in them are. I was with the Father from the beginning. I am in the Father, and the Father in me; and in me hath the Father glorified his name. | Look, I am Jesus Christ, the Son of God. I made the sky and the earth, and everything in them. I was with God from the start. I am with God, and God is with me. God made His name great through me. |
| 3 Nephi 9:16 | I came unto my own, and my own received me not. And the scriptures concerning my coming are fulfilled. | I came to my people, but they did not accept me. What was written about me has come true. |
| 3 Nephi 9:17 | And as many as have received me, to them have I given to become the sons of God; and even so will I to as many as shall believe on my name, for behold, by me redemption cometh, and in me is the law of Moses fulfilled. | If people accept me, I call them God’s children. If they believe in me, I help them. I save them and complete the Law of Moses. |
| 3 Nephi 9:18 | I am the light and the life of the world. I am Alpha and Omega, the beginning and the end. | I am the light and life of the world. I am the start and the end. |
| 3 Nephi 9:19 | And ye shall offer up unto me no more the shedding of blood; yea, your sacrifices and your burnt offerings shall be done away, for I will accept none of your sacrifices and your burnt offerings. | You should not kill animals for me anymore. I don’t want your sacrifices or burnt offerings. |
| 3 Nephi 9:20 | And ye shall offer for a sacrifice unto me a broken heart and a contrite spirit. And whoso cometh unto me with a broken heart and a contrite spirit, him will I baptize with fire and with the Holy Ghost, even as the Lamanites, because of their faith in me at the time of their conversion, were baptized with fire and with the Holy Ghost, and they knew it not. | Bring me a sad and sorry heart. If you come to me with a sad and sorry heart, I will bless you with my special spirit, just like I did with the Lamanites when they believed in me. |
| 3 Nephi 9:21 | Behold, I have come unto the world to bring redemption unto the world, to save the world from sin. | Look, I came to help the world and save people from doing bad things. |
| 3 Nephi 9:22 | Therefore, whoso repenteth and cometh unto me as a little child, him will I receive, for of such is the kingdom of God. Behold, for such I have laid down my life, and have taken it up again; therefore repent, and come unto me ye ends of the earth, and be saved. | So, anyone who says sorry and comes to me like a child, I will accept. People like that belong in God’s kingdom. Look, I died and came back to life for them. So say sorry and come to me, everyone on earth, and be saved. |
3 Nephi 10
| Verse | Original | 2nd Grade |
|---|---|---|
| 3 Nephi 10:1 | And now behold, it came to pass that all the people of the land did hear these sayings, and did witness of it. And after these sayings there was silence in the land for the space of many hours; | All the people heard these words and saw what happened. Then it was quiet for a long time. |
| 3 Nephi 10:2 | For so great was the astonishment of the people that they did cease lamenting and howling for the loss of their kindred which had been slain; therefore there was silence in all the land for the space of many hours. | The people were so surprised that they stopped crying and yelling for their family who had died. It was quiet everywhere for many hours. |
| 3 Nephi 10:3 | And it came to pass that there came a voice again unto the people, and all the people did hear, and did witness of it, saying: | A voice spoke to the people again, and everyone heard it. |
| 3 Nephi 10:4 | O ye people of these great cities which have fallen, who are descendants of Jacob, yea, who are of the house of Israel, how oft have I gathered you as a hen gathereth her chickens under her wings, and have nourished you. | People of these cities that have fallen, you are part of Jacob’s family, the house of Israel. Many times I have gathered you like a hen gathers her chicks under her wings and have taken care of you. |
| 3 Nephi 10:5 | And again, how oft would I have gathered you as a hen gathereth her chickens under her wings, yea, O ye people of the house of Israel, who have fallen; yea, O ye people of the house of Israel, ye that dwell at Jerusalem, as ye that have fallen; yea, how oft would I have gathered you as a hen gathereth her chickens, and ye would not. | I wanted to keep you safe and close like a mother hen keeps her chicks under her wings, but you didn’t want to. |
| 3 Nephi 10:6 | O ye house of Israel whom I have spared, how oft will I gather you as a hen gathereth her chickens under her wings, if ye will repent and return unto me with full purpose of heart. | O house of Israel, I have saved you. I will bring you together like a mother hen with her babies if you say sorry and come back to me with all your heart. |
| 3 Nephi 10:7 | But if not, O house of Israel, the places of your dwellings shall become desolate until the time of the fulfilling of the covenant to your fathers. | If you don’t listen, O house of Israel, your homes will stay empty until the promise to your fathers is done. |
| 3 Nephi 10:8 | And now it came to pass that after the people had heard these words, behold, they began to weep and howl again because of the loss of their kindred and friends. | After the people heard these words, they started to cry and shout again because they missed their family and friends. |
| 3 Nephi 10:9 | And it came to pass that thus did the three days pass away. And it was in the morning, and the darkness dispersed from off the face of the land, and the earth did cease to tremble, and the rocks did cease to rend, and the dreadful groanings did cease, and all the tumultuous noises did pass away. | Three days went by. In the morning, the darkness went away. The ground stopped shaking. The rocks stopped breaking. The scary sounds stopped. All the loud noises went away. |
| 3 Nephi 10:10 | And the earth did cleave together again, that it stood; and the mourning, and the weeping, and the wailing of the people who were spared alive did cease; and their mourning was turned into joy, and their lamentations into the praise and thanksgiving unto the Lord Jesus Christ, their Redeemer. | The ground came back together, and it stopped shaking. The people who were still alive stopped crying. They were happy and thanked Jesus Christ. |
| 3 Nephi 10:11 | And thus far were the scriptures fulfilled which had been spoken by the prophets. | The words of the prophets came true. |
| 3 Nephi 10:12 | And it was the more righteous part of the people who were saved, and it was they who received the prophets and stoned them not; and it was they who had not shed the blood of the saints, who were spared— | The good people were saved. They listened to the prophets and did not hurt them. They did not kill the saints, so they were safe. |
| 3 Nephi 10:13 | And they were spared and were not sunk and buried up in the earth; and they were not drowned in the depths of the sea; and they were not burned by fire, neither were they fallen upon and crushed to death; and they were not carried away in the whirlwind; neither were they overpowered by the vapor of smoke and of darkness. | They were safe and not sunk in the ground; they were not lost in the sea; they were not burned by fire; they were not crushed; they were not carried away by the wind; they were not hurt by smoke and darkness. |
| 3 Nephi 10:14 | And now, whoso readeth, let him understand; he that hath the scriptures, let him search them, and see and behold if all these deaths and destructions by fire, and by smoke, and by tempests, and by whirlwinds, and by the opening of the earth to receive them, and all these things are not unto the fulfilling of the prophecies of many of the holy prophets. | Now, whoever reads, try to understand. If you have the scriptures, look in them. See if all the fires, smoke, storms, winds, and the earth opening are what the prophets said would happen. |
| 3 Nephi 10:15 | Behold, I say unto you, Yea, many have testified of these things at the coming of Christ, and were slain because they testified of these things. | Look, I tell you, many people talked about Jesus coming, and they were killed for talking about it. |
| 3 Nephi 10:16 | Yea, the prophet Zenos did testify of these things, and also Zenock spake concerning these things, because they testified particularly concerning us, who are the remnant of their seed. | Yes, the prophet Zenos talked about these things, and Zenock also talked about these things, because they talked about us, who are their children. |
| 3 Nephi 10:17 | Behold, our father Jacob also testified concerning a remnant of the seed of Joseph. And behold, are not we a remnant of the seed of Joseph? And these things which testify of us, are they not written upon the plates of brass which our father Lehi brought out of Jerusalem? | Look, our father Jacob talked about a small part of Joseph’s family. And look, aren’t we also a small part of Joseph’s family? And isn’t this written on the metal plates that father Lehi brought from Jerusalem? |
| 3 Nephi 10:18 | And it came to pass that in the ending of the thirty and fourth year, behold, I will show unto you that the people of Nephi who were spared, and also those who had been called Lamanites, who had been spared, did have great favors shown unto them, and great blessings poured out upon their heads, insomuch that soon after the ascension of Christ into heaven he did truly manifest himself unto them— | At the end of the thirty-fourth year, the Nephite people and the Lamanites were very blessed. After Jesus went to heaven, he visited them. |
| 3 Nephi 10:19 | Showing his body unto them, and ministering unto them; and an account of his ministry shall be given hereafter. Therefore for this time I make an end of my sayings. | He showed them his body and helped them. Later, someone will tell more about what he did. For now, I am finished talking. |
3 Nephi 11
| Verse | Original | 2nd Grade |
|---|---|---|
| 3 Nephi 11:1 | And now it came to pass that there were a great multitude gathered together, of the people of Nephi, round about the temple which was in the land Bountiful; and they were marveling and wondering one with another, and were showing one to another the great and marvelous change which had taken place. | Many Nephites came to the big temple in Bountiful. They were surprised and talking about the big, amazing changes they saw. |
| 3 Nephi 11:2 | And they were also conversing about this Jesus Christ, of whom the sign had been given concerning his death. | And they were talking about Jesus Christ, who had a sign about his death. |
| 3 Nephi 11:3 | And it came to pass that while they were thus conversing one with another, they heard a voice as if it came out of heaven; and they cast their eyes round about, for they understood not the voice which they heard; and it was not a harsh voice, neither was it a loud voice; nevertheless, and notwithstanding it being a small voice it did pierce them that did hear to the center, insomuch that there was no part of their frame that it did not cause to quake; yea, it did pierce them to the very soul, and did cause their hearts to burn. | While they were talking, they heard a voice from the sky. They didn’t know what it said. It was not a mean voice or a loud voice, but it made them feel very strong feelings. It made every part of their body shake, and it made their hearts feel like they were burning. |
| 3 Nephi 11:4 | And it came to pass that again they heard the voice, and they understood it not. | They heard the voice again, but they did not understand it. |
| 3 Nephi 11:5 | And again the third time they did hear the voice, and did open their ears to hear it; and their eyes were towards the sound thereof; and they did look steadfastly towards heaven, from whence the sound came. | The third time, they heard the voice. They listened and looked up to the sky where the sound came from. |
| 3 Nephi 11:6 | And behold, the third time they did understand the voice which they heard; and it said unto them: | And look, the third time they understood the voice they heard. It said to them: |
| 3 Nephi 11:7 | Behold my Beloved Son, in whom I am well pleased, in whom I have glorified my name—hear ye him. | Look at my Son. I am happy with him. Listen to him. |
| 3 Nephi 11:8 | And it came to pass, as they understood they cast their eyes up again towards heaven; and behold, they saw a Man descending out of heaven; and he was clothed in a white robe; and he came down and stood in the midst of them; and the eyes of the whole multitude were turned upon him, and they durst not open their mouths, even one to another, and wist not what it meant, for they thought it was an angel that had appeared unto them. | The people looked up at the sky. They saw a man coming down from the sky. He wore a white robe. He stood with them. Everyone looked at him and did not talk. They thought he was an angel. |
| 3 Nephi 11:9 | And it came to pass that he stretched forth his hand and spake unto the people, saying: | Then he put out his hand and talked to the people, saying: |
| 3 Nephi 11:10 | Behold, I am Jesus Christ, whom the prophets testified shall come into the world. | Look, I am Jesus Christ. The prophets said I would come. |
| 3 Nephi 11:11 | And behold, I am the light and the life of the world; and I have drunk out of that bitter cup which the Father hath given me, and have glorified the Father in taking upon me the sins of the world, in the which I have suffered the will of the Father in all things from the beginning. | I am Jesus. I am like a light for everyone. I drank a sad drink that God gave me. I made God happy by taking all the bad things from people on me. I did what God wanted from the start. |
| 3 Nephi 11:12 | And it came to pass that when Jesus had spoken these words the whole multitude fell to the earth; for they remembered that it had been prophesied among them that Christ should show himself unto them after his ascension into heaven. | After Jesus talked, everyone fell down. They remembered people said Christ would come back after going to heaven. |
| 3 Nephi 11:13 | And it came to pass that the Lord spake unto them saying: | The Lord talked to them and said: |
| 3 Nephi 11:14 | Arise and come forth unto me, that ye may thrust your hands into my side, and also that ye may feel the prints of the nails in my hands and in my feet, that ye may know that I am the God of Israel, and the God of the whole earth, and have been slain for the sins of the world. | Get up and come to me. You can touch my side, my hands, and my feet. Feel where the nails were. Then you will know I am Jesus and I died for everyone’s mistakes. |
| 3 Nephi 11:15 | And it came to pass that the multitude went forth, and thrust their hands into his side, and did feel the prints of the nails in his hands and in his feet; and this they did do, going forth one by one until they had all gone forth, and did see with their eyes and did feel with their hands, and did know of a surety and did bear record, that it was he, of whom it was written by the prophets, that should come. | The crowd went to him. They touched the marks in his side, hands, and feet. Each person took a turn. They saw and felt and knew it was really him, just like the prophets said. |
| 3 Nephi 11:16 | And when they had all gone forth and had witnessed for themselves, they did cry out with one accord, saying: | When they all went out and saw for themselves, they shouted together, saying: |
| 3 Nephi 11:17 | Hosanna! Blessed be the name of the Most High God! And they did fall down at the feet of Jesus, and did worship him. | Praise! God’s name is blessed! They fell down at Jesus’ feet and worshiped him. |
| 3 Nephi 11:18 | And it came to pass that he spake unto Nephi (for Nephi was among the multitude) and he commanded him that he should come forth. | He talked to Nephi (Nephi was with the people) and told him to come here. |
| 3 Nephi 11:19 | And Nephi arose and went forth, and bowed himself before the Lord and did kiss his feet. | Nephi got up, walked, and knelt down in front of the Lord. He kissed His feet. |
| 3 Nephi 11:20 | And the Lord commanded him that he should arise. And he arose and stood before him. | God told him to get up. He got up and stood in front of God. |
| 3 Nephi 11:21 | And the Lord said unto him: I give unto you power that ye shall baptize this people when I am again ascended into heaven. | And the Lord said to him: I give you power to baptize these people when I go back to heaven again. |
| 3 Nephi 11:22 | And again the Lord called others, and said unto them likewise; and he gave unto them power to baptize. And he said unto them: On this wise shall ye baptize; and there shall be no disputations among you. | The Lord asked other people to help. He gave them power to baptize. He told them how to baptize. He said there should be no arguing among them. |
| 3 Nephi 11:23 | Verily I say unto you, that whoso repenteth of his sins through your words and desireth to be baptized in my name, on this wise shall ye baptize them—Behold, ye shall go down and stand in the water, and in my name shall ye baptize them. | Listen, if someone says sorry for their bad choices because of your words and wants to be baptized with my name, here’s how you do it. You go into the water and, using my name, you baptize them. |
| 3 Nephi 11:24 | And now behold, these are the words which ye shall say, calling them by name, saying: | And now look, these are the words you should say, calling them by name, saying:. |
| 3 Nephi 11:25 | Having authority given me of Jesus Christ, I baptize you in the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Ghost. Amen. | Jesus Christ gave me the power. I baptize you in the name of the Father, the Son, and the Holy Ghost. Amen. |
| 3 Nephi 11:26 | And then shall ye immerse them in the water, and come forth again out of the water. | Put them in the water, and then take them out again. |
| 3 Nephi 11:27 | And after this manner shall ye baptize in my name; for behold, verily I say unto you, that the Father, and the Son, and the Holy Ghost are one; and I am in the Father, and the Father in me, and the Father and I are one. | This is how you should baptize in my name: The Father, the Son, and the Holy Ghost are one. I am in the Father, and the Father is in me, and we are one. |
| 3 Nephi 11:28 | And according as I have commanded you thus shall ye baptize. And there shall be no disputations among you, as there have hitherto been; neither shall there be disputations among you concerning the points of my doctrine, as there have hitherto been. | I told you how to baptize. You should all do it this way. Do not argue with each other about it. |
| 3 Nephi 11:29 | For verily, verily I say unto you, he that hath the spirit of contention is not of me, but is of the devil, who is the father of contention, and he stirreth up the hearts of men to contend with anger, one with another. | Being mean and angry is not from me; it is from the devil who makes people fight. |
| 3 Nephi 11:30 | Behold, this is not my doctrine, to stir up the hearts of men with anger, one against another; but this is my doctrine, that such things should be done away. | Look, I do not want people to be angry at each other. I want them to stop being mean. |
| 3 Nephi 11:31 | Behold, verily, verily, I say unto you, I will declare unto you my doctrine. | Listen, I will tell you my teachings. |
| 3 Nephi 11:32 | And this is my doctrine, and it is the doctrine which the Father hath given unto me; and I bear record of the Father, and the Father beareth record of me, and the Holy Ghost beareth record of the Father and me; and I bear record that the Father commandeth all men, everywhere, to repent and believe in me. | This is what I teach. God, my Father, gave it to me. I tell you about the Father. The Father tells you about me. The Holy Ghost tells you about the Father and me. I tell you that the Father wants everyone to be sorry for bad things and believe in me. |
| 3 Nephi 11:33 | And whoso believeth in me, and is baptized, the same shall be saved; and they are they who shall inherit the kingdom of God. | If you believe in me and get baptized, you will be saved and get to live with God. |
| 3 Nephi 11:34 | And whoso believeth not in me, and is not baptized, shall be damned. | If someone does not believe in me and is not baptized, they will not be saved. |
| 3 Nephi 11:35 | Verily, verily, I say unto you, that this is my doctrine, and I bear record of it from the Father; and whoso believeth in me believeth in the Father also; and unto him will the Father bear record of me, for he will visit him with fire and with the Holy Ghost. | Truly, truly, I tell you, this is my teaching. If you believe in me, you also believe in the Father. The Father will show you that this is true. He will come to you with his Spirit. |
| 3 Nephi 11:36 | And thus will the Father bear record of me, and the Holy Ghost will bear record unto him of the Father and me; for the Father, and I, and the Holy Ghost are one. | The Father will tell about me, and the Holy Ghost will tell him about the Father and me. The Father, I, and the Holy Ghost are one. |
| 3 Nephi 11:37 | And again I say unto you, ye must repent, and become as a little child, and be baptized in my name, or ye can in nowise receive these things. | You need to say sorry, be like a little child, and get baptized in my name, or you can’t get these things. |
| 3 Nephi 11:38 | And again I say unto you, ye must repent, and be baptized in my name, and become as a little child, or ye can in nowise inherit the kingdom of God. | I say to you, you need to say sorry, get baptized in my name, and become like a little child, or you can’t go to God’s kingdom. |
| 3 Nephi 11:39 | Verily, verily, I say unto you, that this is my doctrine, and whoso buildeth upon this buildeth upon my rock, and the gates of hell shall not prevail against them. | Listen, listen, I tell you, this is my teaching. If you build on this, you build on my rock, and hell cannot win against you. |
| 3 Nephi 11:40 | And whoso shall declare more or less than this, and establish it for my doctrine, the same cometh of evil, and is not built upon my rock; but he buildeth upon a sandy foundation, and the gates of hell stand open to receive such when the floods come and the winds beat upon them. | Anyone who changes my teachings is doing something bad. They are not building on a strong, safe place but on sand. When big storms come, their work will fall apart and bad things will happen. |
| 3 Nephi 11:41 | Therefore, go forth unto this people, and declare the words which I have spoken, unto the ends of the earth. | So, go to the people and tell them what I said, everywhere in the world. |
3 Nephi 12
| Verse | Original | 2nd Grade |
|---|---|---|
| 3 Nephi 12:1 | And it came to pass that when Jesus had spoken these words unto Nephi, and to those who had been called, (now the number of them who had been called, and received power and authority to baptize, was twelve) and behold, he stretched forth his hand unto the multitude, and cried unto them, saying: Blessed are ye if ye shall give heed unto the words of these twelve whom I have chosen from among you to minister unto you, and to be your servants; and unto them I have given power that they may baptize you with water; and after that ye are baptized with water, behold, I will baptize you with fire and with the Holy Ghost; therefore blessed are ye if ye shall believe in me and be baptized, after that ye have seen me and know that I am. | Jesus talked to Nephi and his special helpers, twelve in all. He raised his hand to the people and said: “You will be happy if you listen to these twelve helpers. I chose them to help you, and they can baptize you with water. After you are baptized with water, I will baptize you with fire and the Holy Ghost. You will be happy if you believe in me and get baptized after you have seen me and know who I am.” |
| 3 Nephi 12:2 | And again, more blessed are they who shall believe in your words because that ye shall testify that ye have seen me, and that ye know that I am. Yea, blessed are they who shall believe in your words, and come down into the depths of humility and be baptized, for they shall be visited with fire and with the Holy Ghost, and shall receive a remission of their sins. | Happy are the people who believe what you say, because you tell them you have seen me and know I am real. Yes, happy are they who believe and choose to be humble and be baptized. They will have the Holy Ghost and their sins will be forgiven. |
| 3 Nephi 12:3 | Yea, blessed are the poor in spirit who come unto me, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven. | Happy are the sad people who come to me, because they will go to heaven. |
| 3 Nephi 12:4 | And again, blessed are all they that mourn, for they shall be comforted. | Happy are those who are sad, because they will feel better. |
| 3 Nephi 12:5 | And blessed are the meek, for they shall inherit the earth. | Happy are the gentle people, because they will have the earth. |
| 3 Nephi 12:6 | And blessed are all they who do hunger and thirst after righteousness, for they shall be filled with the Holy Ghost. | Happy are those who really want to be good, for they will feel God’s love. |
| 3 Nephi 12:7 | And blessed are the merciful, for they shall obtain mercy. | Happy are kind people, because people will be kind to them. |
| 3 Nephi 12:8 | And blessed are all the pure in heart, for they shall see God. | Happy are those who are good and kind, because they will see God. |
| 3 Nephi 12:9 | And blessed are all the peacemakers, for they shall be called the children of God. | Happy are people who make peace. They will be called God’s children. |
| 3 Nephi 12:10 | And blessed are all they who are persecuted for my name—s sake, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven. | Happy are people who are hurt because they believe in me. They will live with God in heaven. |
| 3 Nephi 12:11 | And blessed are ye when men shall revile you and persecute, and shall say all manner of evil against you falsely, for my sake; | You are blessed when people are mean to you, lie about you, and say bad things because you follow me. |
| 3 Nephi 12:12 | For ye shall have great joy and be exceedingly glad, for great shall be your reward in heaven; for so persecuted they the prophets who were before you. | You will be very happy because you will get a big reward in heaven. People hurt the prophets who lived before you. |
| 3 Nephi 12:13 | Verily, verily, I say unto you, I give unto you to be the salt of the earth; but if the salt shall lose its savor wherewith shall the earth be salted? The salt shall be thenceforth good for nothing, but to be cast out and to be trodden under foot of men. | Listen, listen, I tell you, I want you to be like salt for the world. But if salt loses its taste, how can it make food salty? That salt is no good. It will be thrown away and stepped on by people. |
| 3 Nephi 12:14 | Verily, verily, I say unto you, I give unto you to be the light of this people. A city that is set on a hill cannot be hid. | Listen, listen, I tell you, I want you to be like a light for everyone. A city on a hill cannot be hidden. |
| 3 Nephi 12:15 | Behold, do men light a candle and put it under a bushel? Nay, but on a candlestick, and it giveth light to all that are in the house; | Look, do people light a candle and hide it? No, they put it on a stand, and it gives light to everyone in the house. |
| 3 Nephi 12:16 | Therefore let your light so shine before this people, that they may see your good works and glorify your Father who is in heaven. | Let your light shine so people can see the good things you do. This will make your Father in heaven happy. |
| 3 Nephi 12:17 | Think not that I am come to destroy the law or the prophets. I am not come to destroy but to fulfil; | I did not come to break the rules or the old teachings. I came to do what they say. |
| 3 Nephi 12:18 | For verily I say unto you, one jot nor tittle hath not passed away from the law, but in me it hath all been fulfilled. | For sure I tell you, not even a little bit of the law is gone, because I have done it all. |
| 3 Nephi 12:19 | And behold, I have given you the law and the commandments of my Father, that ye shall believe in me, and that ye shall repent of your sins, and come unto me with a broken heart and a contrite spirit. Behold, ye have the commandments before you, and the law is fulfilled. | I gave you rules from my Father. Believe in me. Say sorry for your mistakes. Come to me with a humble heart. The rules are in front of you and the law is complete. |
| 3 Nephi 12:20 | Therefore come unto me and be ye saved; for verily I say unto you, that except ye shall keep my commandments, which I have commanded you at this time, ye shall in no case enter into the kingdom of heaven. | Come to me and be saved. Follow my rules, so you can go to heaven. |
| 3 Nephi 12:21 | Ye have heard that it hath been said by them of old time, and it is also written before you, that thou shalt not kill, and whosoever shall kill shall be in danger of the judgment of God; | You have been told long ago and it is written that you should not kill anyone. If you do, you will be judged by God. |
| 3 Nephi 12:22 | But I say unto you, that whosoever is angry with his brother shall be in danger of his judgment. And whosoever shall say to his brother, Raca, shall be in danger of the council; and whosoever shall say, Thou fool, shall be in danger of hell fire. | If you get angry with someone, you might get in trouble. If you call someone bad names, you could get in more trouble. If you call someone a fool, you could be in big trouble with God. |
| 3 Nephi 12:23 | Therefore, if ye shall come unto me, or shall desire to come unto me, and rememberest that thy brother hast aught against thee— | So, if you want to come to me, and you remember your brother is upset with you⦠|
| 3 Nephi 12:24 | Go thy way unto thy brother, and first be reconciled to thy brother, and then come unto me with full purpose of heart, and I will receive you. | Go to your brother first and make things right with him. Then come to me with all your heart, and I will accept you. |
| 3 Nephi 12:25 | Agree with thine adversary quickly while thou art in the way with him, lest at any time he shall get thee, and thou shalt be cast into prison. | Make friends quickly with someone you disagree with so they don’t take you to jail. |
| 3 Nephi 12:26 | Verily, verily, I say unto thee, thou shalt by no means come out thence until thou hast paid the uttermost senine. And while ye are in prison can ye pay even one senine? Verily, verily, I say unto you, Nay. | You can’t leave until you pay everything. And if you are in jail, can you pay anything? No. |
| 3 Nephi 12:27 | Behold, it is written by them of old time, that thou shalt not commit adultery; | It says from long ago, do not cheat on your husband or wife. |
| 3 Nephi 12:28 | But I say unto you, that whosoever looketh on a woman, to lust after her, hath committed adultery already in his heart. | If you look at a woman and want her in a bad way, it is like you have done something wrong in your heart. |
| 3 Nephi 12:29 | Behold, I give unto you a commandment, that ye suffer none of these things to enter into your heart; | Look, I tell you to not let these things into your heart. |
| 3 Nephi 12:30 | For it is better that ye should deny yourselves of these things, wherein ye will take up your cross, than that ye should be cast into hell. | It’s better to stop doing bad things and carry your cross, than to go to hell. |
| 3 Nephi 12:31 | It hath been written, that whosoever shall put away his wife, let him give her a writing of divorcement. | It is written that if someone wants to leave his wife, he should give her a note saying they are divorced. |
| 3 Nephi 12:32 | Verily, verily, I say unto you, that whosoever shall put away his wife, saving for the cause of fornication, causeth her to commit adultery; and whoso shall marry her who is divorced committeth adultery. | If a man leaves his wife, except if she did something very bad, he makes her do wrong things. And anyone who marries the woman who was left also does wrong things. |
| 3 Nephi 12:33 | And again it is written, thou shalt not forswear thyself, but shalt perform unto the Lord thine oaths; | It also says, you must not break your promises, but keep your promises to God. |
| 3 Nephi 12:34 | But verily, verily, I say unto you, swear not at all; neither by heaven, for it is God—s throne; | Don’t make any promises. Don’t promise by heaven, because it belongs to God. |
| 3 Nephi 12:35 | Nor by the earth, for it is his footstool; | Don’t swear by the earth, because it’s like His footstool. |
| 3 Nephi 12:36 | Neither shalt thou swear by thy head, because thou canst not make one hair black or white; | Don’t promise by your head, because you can’t make one hair black or white. |
| 3 Nephi 12:37 | But let your communication be Yea, yea; Nay, nay; for whatsoever cometh of more than these is evil. | Say “yes” or “no.” Anything more is bad. |
| 3 Nephi 12:38 | And behold, it is written, an eye for an eye, and a tooth for a tooth; | It says, if someone hurts your eye, you can hurt their eye back. If someone knocks out your tooth, you can knock out their tooth back. |
| 3 Nephi 12:39 | But I say unto you, that ye shall not resist evil, but whosoever shall smite thee on thy right cheek, turn to him the other also; | I tell you, do not fight back against bad people. If someone hits you on one cheek, let them hit the other cheek too. |
| 3 Nephi 12:40 | And if any man will sue thee at the law and take away thy coat, let him have thy cloak also; | If someone takes your coat, give him your cloak too. |
| 3 Nephi 12:41 | And whosoever shall compel thee to go a mile, go with him twain. | If someone makes you walk one mile, walk two miles with him. |
| 3 Nephi 12:42 | Give to him that asketh thee, and from him that would borrow of thee turn not away. | Share with those who ask you, and if someone wants to borrow from you, do not say no. |
| 3 Nephi 12:43 | And behold it is written also, that thou shalt love thy neighbor and hate thine enemy; | It is written: Love your neighbor and hate your enemy. |
| 3 Nephi 12:44 | But I say unto you, love your enemies, bless them that curse you, do good to them that hate you, and pray for them who despitefully use you and persecute you; | But I say, love your enemies. Be kind to those who are mean to you. Do good things for those who hate you. Pray for those who hurt you. |
| 3 Nephi 12:45 | That ye may be the children of your Father who is in heaven; for he maketh his sun to rise on the evil and on the good. | You can be like children of God in heaven. He makes the sun shine on bad and good people. |
| 3 Nephi 12:46 | Therefore those things which were of old time, which were under the law, in me are all fulfilled. | So, the old rules were followed long ago, but now I have completed them. |
| 3 Nephi 12:47 | Old things are done away, and all things have become new. | Old things are gone, and everything is new. |
| 3 Nephi 12:48 | Therefore I would that ye should be perfect even as I, or your Father who is in heaven is perfect. | So I want you to be good like me and God in heaven are good. |
3 Nephi 13
| Verse | Original | 2nd Grade |
|---|---|---|
| 3 Nephi 13:1 | Verily, verily, I say that I would that ye should do alms unto the poor; but take heed that ye do not your alms before men to be seen of them; otherwise ye have no reward of your Father who is in heaven. | I want you to help the poor, but do it quietly. If you show off, God will not reward you. |
| 3 Nephi 13:2 | Therefore, when ye shall do your alms do not sound a trumpet before you, as will hypocrites do in the synagogues and in the streets, that they may have glory of men. Verily I say unto you, they have their reward. | So, when you give to the poor, don’t make a big show about it like the people who want attention. They already got their reward. |
| 3 Nephi 13:3 | But when thou doest alms let not thy left hand know what thy right hand doeth; | When you give to the poor, don’t let your left hand know what your right hand is doing. |
| 3 Nephi 13:4 | That thine alms may be in secret; and thy Father who seeth in secret, himself shall reward thee openly. | Give to the poor in secret, and God will reward you where everyone can see. |
| 3 Nephi 13:5 | And when thou prayest thou shalt not do as the hypocrites, for they love to pray, standing in the synagogues and in the corners of the streets, that they may be seen of men. Verily I say unto you, they have their reward. | When you pray, do not pray like the people who pretend. They like to pray in places where people can see them. They already have their reward. |
| 3 Nephi 13:6 | But thou, when thou prayest, enter into thy closet, and when thou hast shut thy door, pray to thy Father who is in secret; and thy Father, who seeth in secret, shall reward thee openly. | When you pray, go to your room, close the door, and pray to your Father who is unseen. Your Father sees what you do in secret and will reward you. |
| 3 Nephi 13:7 | But when ye pray, use not vain repetitions, as the heathen, for they think that they shall be heard for their much speaking. | When you pray, don’t say the same things over and over like people who don’t know God. They think they will be heard because of all their words. |
| 3 Nephi 13:8 | Be not ye therefore like unto them, for your Father knoweth what things ye have need of before ye ask him. | Don’t be like them, because God knows what you need before you ask him. |
| 3 Nephi 13:9 | After this manner therefore pray ye: Our Father who art in heaven, hallowed be thy name. | This is how you should pray: Our Father in heaven, your name is special. |
| 3 Nephi 13:10 | Thy will be done on earth as it is in heaven. | May what you want happen on earth like it does in heaven. |
| 3 Nephi 13:11 | And forgive us our debts, as we forgive our debtors. | Help us forgive others, like how we want to be forgiven. |
| 3 Nephi 13:12 | And lead us not into temptation, but deliver us from evil. | Do not let us choose bad things. Help us stay away from doing wrong. |
| 3 Nephi 13:13 | For thine is the kingdom, and the power, and the glory, forever. Amen. | You have all the power. You are great. Forever and ever. Amen. |
| 3 Nephi 13:14 | For, if ye forgive men their trespasses your heavenly Father will also forgive you; | If you forgive people when they do wrong, God will forgive you too. |
| 3 Nephi 13:15 | But if ye forgive not men their trespasses neither will your Father forgive your trespasses. | If you don’t forgive people when they do bad things, God won’t forgive you when you do bad things. |
| 3 Nephi 13:16 | Moreover, when ye fast be not as the hypocrites, of a sad countenance, for they disfigure their faces that they may appear unto men to fast. Verily I say unto you, they have their reward. | When you fast, don’t be like the people who pretend to be sad. They make their faces look sad so others will see them. They already got their reward. |
| 3 Nephi 13:17 | But thou, when thou fastest, anoint thy head, and wash thy face; | When you fast, put oil on your head and wash your face. |
| 3 Nephi 13:18 | That thou appear not unto men to fast, but unto thy Father, who is in secret; and thy Father, who seeth in secret, shall reward thee openly. | Don’t let people see you are fasting; do it for God, who sees everything in secret. God will reward you for it. |
| 3 Nephi 13:19 | Lay not up for yourselves treasures upon earth, where moth and rust doth corrupt, and thieves break through and steal; | Do not keep lots of things on earth. Moths and rust can break them. Thieves can take them. |
| 3 Nephi 13:20 | But lay up for yourselves treasures in heaven, where neither moth nor rust doth corrupt, and where thieves do not break through nor steal. | Keep treasures in heaven where moths and rust cannot ruin them, and thieves cannot steal them. |
| 3 Nephi 13:21 | For where your treasure is, there will your heart be also. | Where your treasure is, your heart is there too. |
| 3 Nephi 13:22 | The light of the body is the eye; if, therefore, thine eye be single, thy whole body shall be full of light. | The eye is like a light for your body. If your eye is good, your whole body will have light. |
| 3 Nephi 13:23 | But if thine eye be evil, thy whole body shall be full of darkness. If, therefore, the light that is in thee be darkness, how great is that darkness! | If your eye is bad, your whole body will be full of darkness. If the light inside you is dark, it will be very dark. |
| 3 Nephi 13:24 | No man can serve two masters; for either he will hate the one and love the other, or else he will hold to the one and despise the other. Ye cannot serve God and Mammon. | You can’t work for two bosses. You will like one and not like the other. You can’t work for God and money. |
| 3 Nephi 13:25 | And now it came to pass that when Jesus had spoken these words he looked upon the twelve whom he had chosen, and said unto them: Remember the words which I have spoken. For behold, ye are they whom I have chosen to minister unto this people. Therefore I say unto you, take no thought for your life, what ye shall eat, or what ye shall drink; nor yet for your body, what ye shall put on. Is not the life more than meat, and the body than raiment? | Jesus spoke to the twelve he chose and said, “Remember my words. I picked you to help these people. Don’t worry about food, drink, or clothes. Life is more than food, and the body is more than clothes.” |
| 3 Nephi 13:26 | Behold the fowls of the air, for they sow not, neither do they reap nor gather into barns; yet your heavenly Father feedeth them. Are ye not much better than they? | Look at the birds. They do not plant seeds, and they do not pick food or put it in barns. God feeds them. Are you not more important than birds? |
| 3 Nephi 13:27 | Which of you by taking thought can add one cubit unto his stature? | Can you make yourself taller just by thinking about it? |
| 3 Nephi 13:28 | And why take ye thought for raiment? Consider the lilies of the field how they grow; they toil not, neither do they spin; | Why do you worry about clothes? Look at the flowers in the field. They don’t work or make clothes. |
| 3 Nephi 13:29 | And yet I say unto you, that even Solomon, in all his glory, was not arrayed like one of these. | Solomon, who was very rich and important, did not look as nice as these flowers. |
| 3 Nephi 13:30 | Wherefore, if God so clothe the grass of the field, which today is, and tomorrow is cast into the oven, even so will he clothe you, if ye are not of little faith. | If God makes the grass pretty, which is here today and gone tomorrow, He will take care of you too if you believe in Him. |
| 3 Nephi 13:31 | Therefore take no thought, saying, What shall we eat? or, What shall we drink? or, Wherewithal shall we be clothed? | So don’t worry and say, What will we eat? What will we drink? What will we wear? |
| 3 Nephi 13:32 | For your heavenly Father knoweth that ye have need of all these things. | Your Father in heaven knows you need all these things. |
| 3 Nephi 13:33 | But seek ye first the kingdom of God and his righteousness, and all these things shall be added unto you. | First, look for God and do what is right. Then you will get everything you need. |
| 3 Nephi 13:34 | Take therefore no thought for the morrow, for the morrow shall take thought for the things of itself. Sufficient is the day unto the evil thereof. | Don’t worry about tomorrow. Tomorrow will take care of itself. Today has enough problems. |
3 Nephi 14
| Verse | Original | 2nd Grade |
|---|---|---|
| 3 Nephi 14:1 | And now it came to pass that when Jesus had spoken these words he turned again to the multitude, and did open his mouth unto them again, saying: Verily, verily, I say unto you, Judge not, that ye be not judged. | Jesus talked to the people. He said, “Do not judge others, so you won’t be judged.” |
| 3 Nephi 14:2 | For with what judgment ye judge, ye shall be judged; and with what measure ye mete, it shall be measured to you again. | If you judge others, you will be judged the same way. |
| 3 Nephi 14:3 | And why beholdest thou the mote that is in thy brother—s eye, but considerest not the beam that is in thine own eye? | Why do you see the tiny speck in your brother’s eye, but not notice the big piece of wood in your own eye? |
| 3 Nephi 14:4 | Or how wilt thou say to thy brother: Let me pull the mote out of thine eye—and behold, a beam is in thine own eye? | How can you tell your brother: Let me take the tiny speck out of your eye, when there is a big log in your own eye? |
| 3 Nephi 14:5 | Thou hypocrite, first cast the beam out of thine own eye; and then shalt thou see clearly to cast the mote out of thy brother—s eye. | You pretend to be good. First take the big piece of wood out of your own eye. Then you can see clearly to take the small piece of wood out of your brother’s eye. |
| 3 Nephi 14:6 | Give not that which is holy unto the dogs, neither cast ye your pearls before swine, lest they trample them under their feet, and turn again and rend you. | Don’t give special things to dogs, and don’t throw your nice things to pigs. They might step on them and hurt you. |
| 3 Nephi 14:7 | Ask, and it shall be given unto you; seek, and ye shall find; knock, and it shall be opened unto you. | Ask, and you will get; look, and you will find; knock, and the door will open. |
| 3 Nephi 14:8 | For every one that asketh, receiveth; and he that seeketh, findeth; and to him that knocketh, it shall be opened. | If you ask, you get. If you look, you find. If you knock, it will open. |
| 3 Nephi 14:9 | Or what man is there of you, who, if his son ask bread, will give him a stone? | If your son asks you for bread, would you give him a rock? |
| 3 Nephi 14:10 | Or if he ask a fish, will he give him a serpent? | If he asks for a fish, will he give him a snake? |
| 3 Nephi 14:11 | If ye then, being evil, know how to give good gifts unto your children, how much more shall your Father who is in heaven give good things to them that ask him? | If you, who are not always good, know how to give nice things to your kids, your Father in heaven will give even better things to those who ask Him. |
| 3 Nephi 14:12 | Therefore, all things whatsoever ye would that men should do to you, do ye even so to them, for this is the law and the prophets. | Do to others what you want them to do to you. This is what God wants. |
| 3 Nephi 14:13 | Enter ye in at the strait gate; for wide is the gate, and broad is the way, which leadeth to destruction, and many there be who go in thereat; | Enter through the narrow gate; the wide gate and broad path lead to danger, and many people go that way. |
| 3 Nephi 14:14 | Because strait is the gate, and narrow is the way, which leadeth unto life, and few there be that find it. | The gate is small and the path is narrow that leads to life, and only a few people find it. |
| 3 Nephi 14:15 | Beware of false prophets, who come to you in sheep—s clothing, but inwardly they are ravening wolves. | Watch out! Some people look nice, but inside they are dangerous like wolves. |
| 3 Nephi 14:16 | Ye shall know them by their fruits. Do men gather grapes of thorns, or figs of thistles? | You will know them by what they do. Do people get grapes from thorny plants, or figs from prickly weeds? |
| 3 Nephi 14:17 | Even so every good tree bringeth forth good fruit; but a corrupt tree bringeth forth evil fruit. | Good trees make good fruit. Bad trees make bad fruit. |
| 3 Nephi 14:18 | A good tree cannot bring forth evil fruit, neither a corrupt tree bring forth good fruit. | A good tree gives good fruit. A bad tree gives bad fruit. |
| 3 Nephi 14:19 | Every tree that bringeth not forth good fruit is hewn down, and cast into the fire. | Every tree that does not make good fruit is cut down and put into the fire. |
| 3 Nephi 14:20 | Wherefore, by their fruits ye shall know them. | So, you will know them by what they do. |
| 3 Nephi 14:21 | Not every one that saith unto me, Lord, Lord, shall enter into the kingdom of heaven; but he that doeth the will of my Father who is in heaven. | Not everyone who calls me “Lord” will go to heaven. Only those who do what God wants will go to heaven. |
| 3 Nephi 14:22 | Many will say to me in that day: Lord, Lord, have we not prophesied in thy name, and in thy name have cast out devils, and in thy name done many wonderful works? | Many people will say to me on that day: Lord, Lord, did we not speak for you, and in your name send away bad spirits, and in your name do many good things? |
| 3 Nephi 14:23 | And then will I profess unto them: I never knew you; depart from me, ye that work iniquity. | I will say to them: I don’t know you; go away, you who do bad things. |
| 3 Nephi 14:24 | Therefore, whoso heareth these sayings of mine and doeth them, I will liken him unto a wise man, who built his house upon a rock— | If you listen to what I say and do it, you are like a smart man who built his house on a rock. |
| 3 Nephi 14:25 | And the rain descended, and the floods came, and the winds blew, and beat upon that house; and it fell not, for it was founded upon a rock. | The rain came down, the floods came up, and the wind blew on the house. The house did not fall because it was on a rock. |
| 3 Nephi 14:26 | And every one that heareth these sayings of mine and doeth them not shall be likened unto a foolish man, who built his house upon the sand— | If you hear what I say but don’t do it, you are like a silly person who built their house on sand. |
| 3 Nephi 14:27 | And the rain descended, and the floods came, and the winds blew, and beat upon that house; and it fell, and great was the fall of it. | It rained a lot, and water came high. The wind was strong. The house broke. It broke a lot. |
3 Nephi 15
| Verse | Original | 2nd Grade |
|---|---|---|
| 3 Nephi 15:1 | And now it came to pass that when Jesus had ended these sayings he cast his eyes round about on the multitude, and said unto them: Behold, ye have heard the things which I taught before I ascended to my Father; therefore, whoso remembereth these sayings of mine and doeth them, him will I raise up at the last day. | When Jesus finished talking, he looked at the people and said, “You heard what I taught before I went up to my Father. If you remember and do what I said, I will lift you up on the last day.” |
| 3 Nephi 15:2 | And it came to pass that when Jesus had said these words he perceived that there were some among them who marveled, and wondered what he would concerning the law of Moses; for they understood not the saying that old things had passed away, and that all things had become new. | When Jesus talked, some people were confused about what he meant about the old rules going away and new things coming. |
| 3 Nephi 15:3 | And he said unto them: Marvel not that I said unto you that old things had passed away, and that all things had become new. | He told them: Don’t be surprised when I say that the old things are gone and everything is new. |
| 3 Nephi 15:4 | Behold, I say unto you that the law is fulfilled that was given unto Moses. | Look, I tell you that the rules given to Moses are done. |
| 3 Nephi 15:5 | Behold, I am he that gave the law, and I am he who covenanted with my people Israel; therefore, the law in me is fulfilled, for I have come to fulfil the law; therefore it hath an end. | Look, I am the one who made the rules, and I am the one who made promises to my people, Israel. Now the rules are complete because I have come to finish them. |
| 3 Nephi 15:6 | Behold, I do not destroy the prophets, for as many as have not been fulfilled in me, verily I say unto you, shall all be fulfilled. | Look, I do not stop the prophets. What they said will all come true. |
| 3 Nephi 15:7 | And because I said unto you that old things have passed away, I do not destroy that which hath been spoken concerning things which are to come. | Even though I said the old things are gone, I do not take away what was said about things that will happen. |
| 3 Nephi 15:8 | For behold, the covenant which I have made with my people is not all fulfilled; but the law which was given unto Moses hath an end in me. | Listen, the promise I made to my people is not finished yet. But the rules given to Moses are completed with me. |
| 3 Nephi 15:9 | Behold, I am the law, and the light. Look unto me, and endure to the end, and ye shall live; for unto him that endureth to the end will I give eternal life. | I am the law and the light. Look at me and keep going, and you will live. If you keep going to the end, I will give you forever life. |
| 3 Nephi 15:10 | Behold, I have given unto you the commandments; therefore keep my commandments. And this is the law and the prophets, for they truly testified of me. | Look, I gave you rules; so follow my rules. This is what the good people talked about because they told the truth about me. |
| 3 Nephi 15:11 | And now it came to pass that when Jesus had spoken these words, he said unto those twelve whom he had chosen: | Now after Jesus said these things, he talked to the twelve people he picked. |
| 3 Nephi 15:12 | Ye are my disciples; and ye are a light unto this people, who are a remnant of the house of Joseph. | You are my helpers. You are a light for these people from the family of Joseph. |
| 3 Nephi 15:13 | And behold, this is the land of your inheritance; and the Father hath given it unto you. | Look, this is the land that belongs to you; and God has given it to you. |
| 3 Nephi 15:14 | And not at any time hath the Father given me commandment that I should tell it unto your brethren at Jerusalem. | The Father never told me to tell your family in Jerusalem. |
| 3 Nephi 15:15 | Neither at any time hath the Father given me commandment that I should tell unto them concerning the other tribes of the house of Israel, whom the Father hath led away out of the land. | God told me not to talk about the other groups of people He moved to different places. |
| 3 Nephi 15:16 | This much did the Father command me, that I should tell unto them: | My Father told me to tell them this. |
| 3 Nephi 15:17 | That other sheep I have which are not of this fold; them also I must bring, and they shall hear my voice; and there shall be one fold, and one shepherd. | I have other sheep that are not here. I need to bring them too. They will hear my voice. There will be one group and one leader. |
| 3 Nephi 15:18 | And now, because of stiffneckedness and unbelief they understood not my word; therefore I was commanded to say no more of the Father concerning this thing unto them. | They didn’t understand what I said because they were stubborn and didn’t believe. So I was told not to say more about it. |
| 3 Nephi 15:19 | But, verily, I say unto you that the Father hath commanded me, and I tell it unto you, that ye were separated from among them because of their iniquity; therefore it is because of their iniquity that they know not of you. | I tell you, the Father told me to tell you that you are not with them because they did bad things. They don’t know you because of the bad things they did. |
| 3 Nephi 15:20 | And verily, I say unto you again that the other tribes hath the Father separated from them; and it is because of their iniquity that they know not of them. | The Father kept the other tribes away because they were bad. So, they do not know about them. |
| 3 Nephi 15:21 | And verily I say unto you, that ye are they of whom I said: Other sheep I have which are not of this fold; them also I must bring, and they shall hear my voice; and there shall be one fold, and one shepherd. | I say to you, you are the other sheep I talked about. I will bring you too. You will hear me, and we will be one big group with one leader. |
| 3 Nephi 15:22 | And they understood me not, for they supposed it had been the Gentiles; for they understood not that the Gentiles should be converted through their preaching. | They did not understand me because they thought I was talking about other people. They did not know that other people would believe because of their teaching. |
| 3 Nephi 15:23 | And they understood me not that I said they shall hear my voice; and they understood me not that the Gentiles should not at any time hear my voice—that I should not manifest myself unto them save it were by the Holy Ghost. | They did not understand when I said they will hear my voice. They did not understand that the Gentiles would not hear my voice except through the Holy Ghost. |
| 3 Nephi 15:24 | But behold, ye have both heard my voice, and seen me; and ye are my sheep, and ye are numbered among those whom the Father hath given me. | But look, you have heard me and seen me. You are my sheep. You are part of the group God gave me. |
3 Nephi 16
| Verse | Original | 2nd Grade |
|---|---|---|
| 3 Nephi 16:1 | And verily, verily, I say unto you that I have other sheep which are not of this land, neither of the land of Jerusalem, neither in any parts of that land round about whither I have been to minister. | I have other sheep that are not from here or from Jerusalem. They are in other places where I have helped people. |
| 3 Nephi 16:2 | For they of whom I speak are they who have not as yet heard my voice; neither have I at any time manifested myself unto them. | The people I am talking about have not heard me yet and have never seen me. |
| 3 Nephi 16:3 | But I have received a commandment of the Father that I shall go unto them, and that they shall hear my voice, and shall be numbered among my sheep, that there may be one fold and one shepherd; therefore I go to show myself unto them. | God told me to go to them. They will listen to me. We will all be one happy group with one leader. So I am going to see them. |
| 3 Nephi 16:4 | And I command you that ye shall write these sayings after I am gone, that if it so be that my people at Jerusalem, they who have seen me and been with me in my ministry, do not ask the Father in my name, that they may receive a knowledge of you by the Holy Ghost, and also of the other tribes whom they know not of, that these sayings which ye shall write shall be kept and shall be manifested unto the Gentiles, that through the fulness of the Gentiles, the remnant of their seed, who shall be scattered forth upon the face of the earth because of their unbelief, may be brought in, or may be brought to a knowledge of me, their Redeemer. | I tell you to write these words after I am gone. If my people in Jerusalem do not ask God in my name, they will not know about you. Write these words so that the people who don’t know my teachings can learn about me. |
| 3 Nephi 16:5 | And then will I gather them in from the four quarters of the earth; and then will I fulfill the covenant which the Father hath made unto all the people of the house of Israel. | I will bring them all together from all around the world and keep the promise to Israel. |
| 3 Nephi 16:6 | And blessed are the Gentiles, because of their belief in me, in and of the Holy Ghost, which witnesses unto them of me and of the Father. | Happy are the people who are not Jews, because they believe in me and the Holy Ghost tells them about me and the Father. |
| 3 Nephi 16:7 | Behold, because of their belief in me, saith the Father, and because of the unbelief of you, O house of Israel, in the latter day shall the truth come unto the Gentiles, that the fulness of these things shall be made known unto them. | Listen! The Father says, “Because they believe in me, and because you do not believe, the truth will come to others later, and they will know everything.” |
| 3 Nephi 16:8 | But wo, saith the Father, unto the unbelieving of the Gentiles—for notwithstanding they have come forth upon the face of this land, and have scattered my people who are of the house of Israel; and my people who are of the house of Israel have been cast out from among them, and have been trodden under feet by them; | But sad, says God, to the people who do not believe. They came to this land and spread out my people of Israel. My people of Israel were pushed out and treated badly by them. |
| 3 Nephi 16:9 | And because of the mercies of the Father unto the Gentiles, and also the judgments of the Father upon my people who are of the house of Israel, verily, verily, I say unto you, that after all this, and I have caused my people who are of the house of Israel to be smitten, and to be afflicted, and to be slain, and to be cast out from among them, and to become hated by them, and to become a hiss and a byword among them— | Because the Father is kind to everyone, and He has judged my people, who are the house of Israel, I tell you that after all this, my people, the house of Israel, will be hurt, and be treated badly, and be killed, and be sent away, and be hated by others, and be made fun of. |
| 3 Nephi 16:10 | And thus commandeth the Father that I should say unto you: At that day when the Gentiles shall sin against my gospel, and shall reject the fulness of my gospel, and shall be lifted up in the pride of their hearts above all nations, and above all the people of the whole earth, and shall be filled with all manner of lyings, and of deceits, and of mischiefs, and all manner of hypocrisy, and murders, and priestcrafts, and whoredoms, and of secret abominations; and if they shall do all those things, and shall reject the fulness of my gospel, behold, saith the Father, I will bring the fulness of my gospel from among them. | God says to you: If people do bad things and do not follow my teachings, I will take my teachings away from them. |
| 3 Nephi 16:11 | And then will I remember my covenant which I have made unto my people, O house of Israel, and I will bring my gospel unto them. | I will remember my promise to my people, house of Israel, and I will bring my good news to them. |
| 3 Nephi 16:12 | And I will show unto thee, O house of Israel, that the Gentiles shall not have power over you; but I will remember my covenant unto you, O house of Israel, and ye shall come unto the knowledge of the fulness of my gospel. | I will show you, Israel, that other people will not rule over you. I will remember my promise to you, Israel, and you will learn all about my teachings. |
| 3 Nephi 16:13 | But if the Gentiles will repent and return unto me, saith the Father, behold they shall be numbered among my people, O house of Israel. | If the Gentiles say sorry and come back to me, says God, they will be part of my people, the house of Israel. |
| 3 Nephi 16:14 | And I will not suffer my people, who are of the house of Israel, to go through among them, and tread them down, saith the Father. | I will not let my people, who are from Israel, walk among them and hurt them, says the Father. |
| 3 Nephi 16:15 | But if they will not turn unto me, and hearken unto my voice, I will suffer them, yea, I will suffer my people, O house of Israel, that they shall go through among them, and shall tread them down, and they shall be as salt that hath lost its savor, which is thenceforth good for nothing but to be cast out, and to be trodden under foot of my people, O house of Israel. | If they don’t listen to me, I will let my people, the people of Israel, walk over them and crush them like salt that isn’t good anymore and is thrown away and stepped on. |
| 3 Nephi 16:16 | Verily, verily, I say unto you, thus hath the Father commanded me—that I should give unto this people this land for their inheritance. | The Father told me to give this land to the people. |
| 3 Nephi 16:17 | And then the words of the prophet Isaiah shall be fulfilled, which say: | And then what the prophet Isaiah said will come true. |
| 3 Nephi 16:18 | Thy watchmen shall lift up the voice; with the voice together shall they sing, for they shall see eye to eye when the Lord shall bring again Zion. | Your guards will shout for joy, and they will sing together when the Lord brings Zion back. |
| 3 Nephi 16:19 | Break forth into joy, sing together, ye waste places of Jerusalem; for the Lord hath comforted his people, he hath redeemed Jerusalem. | Be happy and sing, broken parts of Jerusalem; because God has helped his people and saved Jerusalem. |
| 3 Nephi 16:20 | The Lord hath made bare his holy arm in the eye of all the nations; and all the ends of the earth shall see the salvation of God. | The Lord showed his power to everyone, and all the world will see God save us. |
3 Nephi 17
| Verse | Original | 2nd Grade |
|---|---|---|
| 3 Nephi 17:1 | Behold, now it came to pass that when Jesus had spoken these words he looked round about again on the multitude, and he said unto them: Behold, my time is at hand. | Look, when Jesus finished talking, he looked at the people and said: Look, it is my time. |
| 3 Nephi 17:2 | I perceive that ye are weak, that ye cannot understand all my words which I am commanded of the Father to speak unto you at this time. | I see that you are having a hard time understanding the things I’m supposed to tell you right now. |
| 3 Nephi 17:3 | Therefore, go ye unto your homes, and ponder upon the things which I have said, and ask of the Father, in my name, that ye may understand, and prepare your minds for the morrow, and I come unto you again. | So, go home, think about what I said, ask God to help you understand, get ready for tomorrow, and I will come back. |
| 3 Nephi 17:4 | But now I go unto the Father, and also to show myself unto the lost tribes of Israel, for they are not lost unto the Father, for he knoweth whither he hath taken them. | But now I go to God, and also to visit the lost tribes of Israel, for God knows where they are. |
| 3 Nephi 17:5 | And it came to pass that when Jesus had thus spoken, he cast his eyes round about again on the multitude, and beheld they were in tears, and did look steadfastly upon him as if they would ask him to tarry a little longer with them. | When Jesus finished talking, he looked at the people and saw they were crying. They were looking at Him like they wanted Him to stay with them longer. |
| 3 Nephi 17:6 | And he said unto them: Behold, my bowels are filled with compassion towards you. | He said to them: Look, I feel very sorry for you. |
| 3 Nephi 17:7 | Have ye any that are sick among you? Bring them hither. Have ye any that are lame, or blind, or halt, or maimed, or leprous, or that are withered, or that are deaf, or that are afflicted in any manner? Bring them hither and I will heal them, for I have compassion upon you; my bowels are filled with mercy. | Are any of you sick? Bring them here. Are any of you hurt, blind, can’t walk, or need help? Bring them here and I will make them better, because I care about you and want to help. |
| 3 Nephi 17:8 | For I perceive that ye desire that I should show unto you what I have done unto your brethren at Jerusalem, for I see that your faith is sufficient that I should heal you. | You want to know what I did to your brothers in Jerusalem. I see you believe enough for me to make you better. |
| 3 Nephi 17:9 | And it came to pass that when he had thus spoken, all the multitude, with one accord, did go forth with their sick and their afflicted, and their lame, and with their blind, and with their dumb, and with all them that were afflicted in any manner; and he did heal them every one as they were brought forth unto him. | After he talked, everyone came bringing their sick, hurt, people who couldn’t walk, see, or talk, and he healed them all. |
| 3 Nephi 17:10 | And they did all, both they who had been healed and they who were whole, bow down at his feet, and did worship him; and as many as could come for the multitude did kiss his feet, insomuch that they did bathe his feet with their tears. | Everyone who was better and everyone who was already okay, sat at his feet. They all worshipped him. Many kissed his feet and cried so much their tears washed his feet. |
| 3 Nephi 17:11 | And it came to pass that he commanded that their little children should be brought. | He told them to bring their little children. |
| 3 Nephi 17:12 | So they brought their little children and set them down upon the ground round about him, and Jesus stood in the midst; and the multitude gave way till they had all been brought unto him. | They brought their little children and put them on the ground around Jesus. Jesus stood in the middle. The people moved so all the children could come close to Jesus. |
| 3 Nephi 17:13 | And it came to pass that when they had all been brought, and Jesus stood in the midst, he commanded the multitude that they should kneel down upon the ground. | When everyone was there, Jesus stood in the middle and told everyone to kneel down on the ground. |
| 3 Nephi 17:14 | And it came to pass that when they had knelt upon the ground, Jesus groaned within himself, and said: Father, I am troubled because of the wickedness of the people of the house of Israel. | When they knelt down, Jesus was very sad. He said, “Father, I am upset because the people are bad.” |
| 3 Nephi 17:15 | And when he had said these words, he himself also knelt upon the earth; and behold he prayed unto the Father, and the things which he prayed cannot be written, and the multitude did bear record who heard him. | He said some words, then he knelt down and prayed to God. The people heard him pray but we can’t write down what he said. |
| 3 Nephi 17:16 | And after this manner do they bear record: The eye hath never seen, neither hath the ear heard, before, so great and marvelous things as we saw and heard Jesus speak unto the Father; | They say: We never saw with our eyes or heard with our ears such great things until Jesus spoke to God. |
| 3 Nephi 17:17 | And no tongue can speak, neither can there be written by any man, neither can the hearts of men conceive so great and marvelous things as we both saw and heard Jesus speak; and no one can conceive of the joy which filled our souls at the time we heard him pray for us unto the Father. | No one can say, write, or even think of the amazing things we saw and heard Jesus say. No one can imagine how happy we felt when we heard him pray for us to God. |
| 3 Nephi 17:18 | And it came to pass that when Jesus had made an end of praying unto the Father, he arose; but so great was the joy of the multitude that they were overcome. | After Jesus finished praying, he stood up. The people were so happy that they couldn’t even stand. |
| 3 Nephi 17:19 | And it came to pass that Jesus spake unto them, and bade them arise. | Jesus told them to stand up. |
| 3 Nephi 17:20 | And they arose from the earth, and he said unto them: Blessed are ye because of your faith. And now behold, my joy is full. | They got up, and he said to them: You are blessed because you believe. Now I am very happy. |
| 3 Nephi 17:21 | And when he had said these words, he wept, and the multitude bare record of it, and he took their little children, one by one, and blessed them, and prayed unto the Father for them. | He talked and then cried. Everyone saw it. He took each child and blessed them. He prayed for them. |
| 3 Nephi 17:22 | And when he had done this he wept again; | And after he did this, he cried again. |
| 3 Nephi 17:23 | And he spake unto the multitude, and said unto them: Behold your little ones. | He talked to the many people and said: Look at your children. |
| 3 Nephi 17:24 | And as they looked to behold they cast their eyes towards heaven, and they saw the heavens open, and they saw angels descending out of heaven as it were in the midst of fire; and they came down and encircled those little ones about, and they were encircled about with fire; and the angels did minister unto them. | The people looked up at the sky. The sky opened, and they saw angels coming down like in fire. The angels came down and surrounded the children with fire, and helped them. |
| 3 Nephi 17:25 | And the multitude did see and hear and bear record; and they know that their record is true for they all of them did see and hear, every man for himself; and they were in number about two thousand and five hundred souls; and they did consist of men, women, and children. | The many people saw and heard. They said it was true because they all saw and heard. There were about 2,500 people. There were men, women, and children. |
3 Nephi 18
| Verse | Original | 2nd Grade |
|---|---|---|
| 3 Nephi 18:1 | And it came to pass that Jesus commanded his disciples that they should bring forth some bread and wine unto him. | Jesus told his friends to bring him some bread and wine. |
| 3 Nephi 18:2 | And while they were gone for bread and wine, he commanded the multitude that they should sit themselves down upon the earth. | While they went to get bread and wine, he told everyone to sit down on the ground. |
| 3 Nephi 18:3 | And when the disciples had come with bread and wine, he took of the bread and brake and blessed it; and he gave unto the disciples and commanded that they should eat. | The friends brought bread and wine. Jesus took the bread, broke it, and blessed it. Then he gave it to his friends and told them to eat. |
| 3 Nephi 18:4 | And when they had eaten and were filled, he commanded that they should give unto the multitude. | After they finished eating, he told them to give food to all the people. |
| 3 Nephi 18:5 | And when the multitude had eaten and were filled, he said unto the disciples: Behold there shall one be ordained among you, and to him will I give power that he shall break bread and bless it and give it unto the people of my church, unto all those who shall believe and be baptized in my name. | After everyone had eaten, Jesus said to his helpers: Someone here will get special power to break bread, bless it, and give it to the people who believe and are baptized in my name. |
| 3 Nephi 18:6 | And this shall ye always observe to do, even as I have done, even as I have broken bread and blessed it and given it unto you. | Always do this: I broke the bread, blessed it, and gave it to you. |
| 3 Nephi 18:7 | And this shall ye do in remembrance of my body, which I have shown unto you. And it shall be a testimony unto the Father that ye do always remember me. And if ye do always remember me ye shall have my Spirit to be with you. | Do this to remember my body that I showed you. It will show the Father that you remember me. If you remember me, my Spirit will be with you. |
| 3 Nephi 18:8 | And it came to pass that when he said these words, he commanded his disciples that they should take of the wine of the cup and drink of it, and that they should also give unto the multitude that they might drink of it. | Jesus told his friends to drink some wine and share it with everyone. |
| 3 Nephi 18:9 | And it came to pass that they did so, and did drink of it and were filled; and they gave unto the multitude, and they did drink, and they were filled. | They did it. They drank and were happy. They gave it to everyone. Everyone drank and were happy. |
| 3 Nephi 18:10 | And when the disciples had done this, Jesus said unto them: Blessed are ye for this thing which ye have done, for this is fulfilling my commandments, and this doth witness unto the Father that ye are willing to do that which I have commanded you. | After the disciples did what Jesus asked, Jesus said to them: Good job! You did what I asked. This shows God that you want to follow my rules. |
| 3 Nephi 18:11 | And this shall ye always do to those who repent and are baptized in my name; and ye shall do it in remembrance of my blood, which I have shed for you, that ye may witness unto the Father that ye do always remember me. And if ye do always remember me ye shall have my Spirit to be with you. | Always help those who say sorry and get baptized. Do this to remember my blood that I gave for you. By doing this, you show you always remember me. If you always remember me, you will have my Spirit with you. |
| 3 Nephi 18:12 | And I give unto you a commandment that ye shall do these things. And if ye shall always do these things blessed are ye, for ye are built upon my rock. | I tell you to do these things. If you always do them, you will be happy and safe with me. |
| 3 Nephi 18:13 | But whoso among you shall do more or less than these are not built upon my rock, but are built upon a sandy foundation; and when the rain descends, and the floods come, and the winds blow, and beat upon them, they shall fall, and the gates of hell are ready open to receive them. | If you do more or less than what I say, you are not on my strong rock. You are on a weak sandy place. When rain and wind come, you will fall. Hell will take you. |
| 3 Nephi 18:14 | Therefore blessed are ye if ye shall keep my commandments, which the Father hath commanded me that I should give unto you. | So, you will be happy if you follow my rules that God told me to share with you. |
| 3 Nephi 18:15 | Verily, verily, I say unto you, ye must watch and pray always, lest ye be tempted by the devil, and ye be led away captive by him. | You need to watch and pray all the time, or the devil might trick you and take you away. |
| 3 Nephi 18:16 | And as I have prayed among you even so shall ye pray in my church, among my people who do repent and are baptized in my name. Behold I am the light; I have set an example for you. | Pray like I have prayed. Pray in my church. Pray with my people who say sorry and get baptized. I am the light. I showed you what to do. |
| 3 Nephi 18:17 | And it came to pass that when Jesus had spoken these words unto his disciples, he turned again unto the multitude and said unto them: | Jesus talked to his helpers, then turned to the crowd and spoke to them. |
| 3 Nephi 18:18 | Behold, verily, verily, I say unto you, ye must watch and pray always lest ye enter into temptation; for Satan desireth to have you, that he may sift you as wheat. | Listen carefully, you must always watch and pray so you don’t get tempted; because Satan wants to trick you. |
| 3 Nephi 18:19 | Therefore ye must always pray unto the Father in my name; | So you should always pray to God and say my name. |
| 3 Nephi 18:20 | And whatsoever ye shall ask the Father in my name, which is right, believing that ye shall receive, behold it shall be given unto you. | If you ask God for something good and believe you will get it, He will give it to you. |
| 3 Nephi 18:21 | Pray in your families unto the Father, always in my name, that your wives and your children may be blessed. | Pray to God with your families. Say Jesus’ name. You will be blessed. |
| 3 Nephi 18:22 | And behold, ye shall meet together oft; and ye shall not forbid any man from coming unto you when ye shall meet together, but suffer them that they may come unto you and forbid them not; | Meet together often; let everyone come. Don’t stop anyone from joining. |
| 3 Nephi 18:23 | But ye shall pray for them, and shall not cast them out; and if it so be that they come unto you oft ye shall pray for them unto the Father, in my name. | But you should pray for them and not send them away. If they come to you many times, pray for them to the Father, using my name. |
| 3 Nephi 18:24 | Therefore, hold up your light that it may shine unto the world. Behold I am the light which ye shall hold up—that which ye have seen me do. Behold ye see that I have prayed unto the Father, and ye all have witnessed. | So, show your light to everyone. I am the light you should show. You have seen me pray and you all saw it. |
| 3 Nephi 18:25 | And ye see that I have commanded that none of you should go away, but rather have commanded that ye should come unto me, that ye might feel and see; even so shall ye do unto the world; and whosoever breaketh this commandment suffereth himself to be led into temptation. | I told you all to come to me and stay with me. Do the same for others. If someone does not listen, they might get into trouble. |
| 3 Nephi 18:26 | And now it came to pass that when Jesus had spoken these words, he turned his eyes again upon the disciples whom he had chosen, and said unto them: | After Jesus finished talking, he looked at the disciples he had chosen and talked to them. |
| 3 Nephi 18:27 | Behold verily, verily, I say unto you, I give unto you another commandment, and then I must go unto my Father that I may fulfil other commandments which he hath given me. | Listen, I have something new to tell you. I need to go back to my Father and do what He asked me to do. |
| 3 Nephi 18:28 | And now behold, this is the commandment which I give unto you, that ye shall not suffer any one knowingly to partake of my flesh and blood unworthily, when ye shall minister it; | Here is what I tell you: Do not let anyone take my bread and drink unworthily when you give it to them. |
| 3 Nephi 18:29 | For whoso eateth and drinketh my flesh and blood unworthily eateth and drinketh damnation to his soul; therefore if ye know that a man is unworthy to eat and drink of my flesh and blood ye shall forbid him. | If someone eats and drinks my flesh and blood in a bad way, it is bad for their soul. So, if you know someone should not eat and drink my flesh and blood, do not let them. |
| 3 Nephi 18:30 | Nevertheless, ye shall not cast him out from among you, but ye shall minister unto him and shall pray for him unto the Father, in my name; and if it so be that he repenteth and is baptized in my name, then shall ye receive him, and shall minister unto him of my flesh and blood. | Keep him with you. Help him and pray for him. If he says sorry and gets baptized, accept him and help him. |
| 3 Nephi 18:31 | But if he repent not he shall not be numbered among my people, that he may not destroy my people, for behold I know my sheep, and they are numbered. | If he does not say sorry, he cannot stay with my people. I know my people and they are counted. |
| 3 Nephi 18:32 | Nevertheless, ye shall not cast him out of your synagogues, or your places of worship, for unto such shall ye continue to minister; for ye know not but what they will return and repent, and come unto me with full purpose of heart, and I shall heal them; and ye shall be the means of bringing salvation unto them. | Still, do not send him away from your worship places. Help him because he might come back, say sorry, and follow me with all his heart. Then I will help him, and you can help save him. |
| 3 Nephi 18:33 | Therefore, keep these sayings which I have commanded you that ye come not under condemnation; for wo unto him whom the Father condemneth. | So, remember these things I told you so you don’t get in trouble. It’s bad if God says you’re wrong. |
| 3 Nephi 18:34 | And I give you these commandments because of the disputations which have been among you. And blessed are ye if ye have no disputations among you. | I give you these rules because you have been arguing. You will be happy if you do not argue. |
| 3 Nephi 18:35 | And now I go unto the Father, because it is expedient that I should go unto the Father for your sakes. | Now I go to the Father because it is important for you. |
| 3 Nephi 18:36 | And it came to pass that when Jesus had made an end of these sayings, he touched with his hand the disciples whom he had chosen, one by one, even until he had touched them all, and spake unto them as he touched them. | When Jesus finished talking, he touched each of his special friends with his hand, one by one, and spoke to them. |
| 3 Nephi 18:37 | And the multitude heard not the words which he spake, therefore they did not bear record; but the disciples bare record that he gave them power to give the Holy Ghost. And I will show unto you hereafter that this record is true. | The big group did not hear what he said, so they couldn’t tell others. But the disciples did hear and said he gave them power to give the Holy Ghost. I will show you later that this is true. |
| 3 Nephi 18:38 | And it came to pass that when Jesus had touched them all, there came a cloud and overshadowed the multitude that they could not see Jesus. | Jesus touched everyone. Then a cloud came and covered the crowd so they couldn’t see Jesus. |
| 3 Nephi 18:39 | And while they were overshadowed he departed from them, and ascended into heaven. And the disciples saw and did bear record that he ascended again into heaven. | While they were covered, he left them and went up to heaven. The disciples saw him go up to heaven again. |
3 Nephi 19
| Verse | Original | 2nd Grade |
|---|---|---|
| 3 Nephi 19:1 | And now it came to pass that when Jesus had ascended into heaven, the multitude did disperse, and every man did take his wife and his children and did return to his own home. | Jesus went up to heaven. The people left. Each man took his wife and kids and went home. |
| 3 Nephi 19:2 | And it was noised abroad among the people immediately, before it was yet dark, that the multitude had seen Jesus, and that he had ministered unto them, and that he would also show himself on the morrow unto the multitude. | The people quickly heard that many had seen Jesus. He helped them and would show himself again the next day. |
| 3 Nephi 19:3 | Yea, and even all the night it was noised abroad concerning Jesus; and insomuch did they send forth unto the people that there were many, yea, an exceedingly great number, did labor exceedingly all that night, that they might be on the morrow in the place where Jesus should show himself unto the multitude. | All night, people talked about Jesus. Many people worked very hard all night so they could be there the next day to see Jesus. |
| 3 Nephi 19:4 | And it came to pass that on the morrow, when the multitude was gathered together, behold, Nephi and his brother whom he had raised from the dead, whose name was Timothy, and also his son, whose name was Jonas, and also Mathoni, and Mathonihah, his brother, and Kumen, and Kumenonhi, and Jeremiah, and Shemnon, and Jonas, and Zedekiah, and Isaiah—now these were the names of the disciples whom Jesus had chosen—and it came to pass that they went forth and stood in the midst of the multitude. | The next day, many people came together. Nephi and his brother Timothy, who he brought back to life, were there. Nephi’s son Jonas and other friends named Mathoni, Mathonihah, Kumen, Kumenonhi, Jeremiah, Shemnon, another Jonas, Zedekiah, and Isaiah were there too. Jesus had picked these friends. They all stood in the middle of the people. |
| 3 Nephi 19:5 | And behold, the multitude was so great that they did cause that they should be separated into twelve bodies. | And look, there were so many people that they had to split into twelve groups. |
| 3 Nephi 19:6 | And the twelve did teach the multitude; and behold, they did cause that the multitude should kneel down upon the face of the earth, and should pray unto the Father in the name of Jesus. | The twelve taught everyone. They asked everyone to kneel down and pray to God in Jesus’ name. |
| 3 Nephi 19:7 | And the disciples did pray unto the Father also in the name of Jesus. And it came to pass that they arose and ministered unto the people. | The helpers prayed to God and used Jesus’ name. Then they stood up and helped the people. |
| 3 Nephi 19:8 | And when they had ministered those same words which Jesus had spoken—nothing varying from the words which Jesus had spoken—behold, they knelt again and prayed to the Father in the name of Jesus. | They said the same words that Jesus said. Then they knelt and prayed to God in Jesus’ name. |
| 3 Nephi 19:9 | And they did pray for that which they most desired; and they desired that the Holy Ghost should be given unto them. | They asked for what they wanted most: they wanted the Holy Ghost to come to them. |
| 3 Nephi 19:10 | And when they had thus prayed they went down unto the water—s edge, and the multitude followed them. | After they prayed, they went to the water. The crowd followed them. |
| 3 Nephi 19:11 | And it came to pass that Nephi went down into the water and was baptized. | Nephi went into the water and got baptized. |
| 3 Nephi 19:12 | And he came up out of the water and began to baptize. And he baptized all those whom Jesus had chosen. | He came out of the water and started to baptize. He baptized everyone Jesus had picked. |
| 3 Nephi 19:13 | And it came to pass when they were all baptized and had come up out of the water, the Holy Ghost did fall upon them, and they were filled with the Holy Ghost and with fire. | When they were baptized and came out of the water, the Holy Ghost came to them and they felt very happy and warm. |
| 3 Nephi 19:14 | And behold, they were encircled about as if it were by fire; and it came down from heaven, and the multitude did witness it, and did bear record; and angels did come down out of heaven and did minister unto them. | They saw fire come from the sky. Everyone saw it and told others. Angels came from the sky and helped them. |
| 3 Nephi 19:15 | And it came to pass that while the angels were ministering unto the disciples, behold, Jesus came and stood in the midst and ministered unto them. | The angels were helping the disciples, and then Jesus came and helped them too. |
| 3 Nephi 19:16 | And it came to pass that he spake unto the multitude, and commanded them that they should kneel down again upon the earth, and also that his disciples should kneel down upon the earth. | He talked to everyone and told them to kneel down on the ground. He also told his helpers to kneel down on the ground. |
| 3 Nephi 19:17 | And it came to pass that when they had all knelt down upon the earth, he commanded his disciples that they should pray. | When they all knelt down, he told his friends to pray. |
| 3 Nephi 19:18 | And behold, they began to pray; and they did pray unto Jesus, calling him their Lord and their God. | They started to pray. They prayed to Jesus and called Him their Lord and God. |
| 3 Nephi 19:19 | And it came to pass that Jesus departed out of the midst of them, and went a little way off from them and bowed himself to the earth, and he said: | Jesus left the people. He walked a little bit away. He kneeled down and prayed. |
| 3 Nephi 19:20 | Father, I thank thee that thou hast given the Holy Ghost unto these whom I have chosen; and it is because of their belief in me that I have chosen them out of the world. | Father, thank you for giving the Holy Ghost to these people I picked because they believe in me. |
| 3 Nephi 19:21 | Father, I pray thee that thou wilt give the Holy Ghost unto all them that shall believe in their words. | Father, please give the Holy Ghost to everyone who believes their words. |
| 3 Nephi 19:22 | Father, thou hast given them the Holy Ghost because they believe in me; and thou seest that they believe in me because thou hearest them, and they pray unto me; and they pray unto me because I am with them. | Father, you gave them the Holy Ghost because they believe in me. You know they believe in me because you hear them pray to me. They pray to me because I am with them. |
| 3 Nephi 19:23 | And now Father, I pray unto thee for them, and also for all those who shall believe on their words, that they may believe in me, that I may be in them as thou, Father, art in me, that we may be one. | Dear Father, I am praying for my friends and for everyone who believes in their words. Please help them believe in me so we can be together like I am with you. Let’s be one big family. |
| 3 Nephi 19:24 | And it came to pass that when Jesus had thus prayed unto the Father, he came unto his disciples, and behold, they did still continue, without ceasing, to pray unto him; and they did not multiply many words, for it was given unto them what they should pray, and they were filled with desire. | After Jesus prayed to God, he went to his friends. His friends kept praying to Jesus. They did not use many words, because they knew what to pray for, and they really wanted to pray. |
| 3 Nephi 19:25 | And it came to pass that Jesus blessed them as they did pray unto him; and his countenance did smile upon them, and the light of his countenance did shine upon them, and behold they were as white as the countenance and also the garments of Jesus; and behold the whiteness thereof did exceed all the whiteness, yea, even there could be nothing upon earth so white as the whiteness thereof. | Jesus made them happy as they prayed. He smiled at them, and his face was bright. They became as clean and bright as Jesus’ face and clothes. Nothing on earth was as white and bright as this. |
| 3 Nephi 19:26 | And Jesus said unto them: Pray on; nevertheless they did not cease to pray. | Jesus said: Keep praying. They kept praying. |
| 3 Nephi 19:27 | And he turned from them again, and went a little way off and bowed himself to the earth; and he prayed again unto the Father, saying: | He walked away a little bit, knelt down, and prayed to Heavenly Father again. |
| 3 Nephi 19:28 | Father, I thank thee that thou hast purified those whom I have chosen, because of their faith, and I pray for them, and also for them who shall believe on their words, that they may be purified in me, through faith on their words, even as they are purified in me. | Father, thank you for making my chosen friends clean because they trust you. I pray for them and for everyone who will believe their words. I want them to be clean in me too by believing. |
| 3 Nephi 19:29 | Father, I pray not for the world, but for those whom thou hast given me out of the world, because of their faith, that they may be purified in me, that I may be in them as thou, Father, art in me, that we may be one, that I may be glorified in them. | God, I pray for my friends. They have faith. Make them clean. Help me be in them like you are in me. Make us one. Let them show my goodness. |
| 3 Nephi 19:30 | And when Jesus had spoken these words he came again unto his disciples; and behold they did pray steadfastly, without ceasing, unto him; and he did smile upon them again; and behold they were white, even as Jesus. | Jesus spoke to his friends. They prayed all the time. He smiled at them. They were shiny like him. |
| 3 Nephi 19:31 | And it came to pass that he went again a little way off and prayed unto the Father; | He went a little away and prayed to God. |
| 3 Nephi 19:32 | And tongue cannot speak the words which he prayed, neither can be written by man the words which he prayed. | No one can say or write the special words he prayed. |
| 3 Nephi 19:33 | And the multitude did hear and do bear record; and their hearts were open and they did understand in their hearts the words which he prayed. | The people listened and remembered. They felt in their hearts and understood his prayer. |
| 3 Nephi 19:34 | Nevertheless, so great and marvelous were the words which he prayed that they cannot be written, neither can they be uttered by man. | But his prayer was so amazing and special that it can’t be written down or spoken by anyone. |
| 3 Nephi 19:35 | And it came to pass that when Jesus had made an end of praying he came again to the disciples, and said unto them: So great faith have I never seen among all the Jews; wherefore I could not show unto them so great miracles, because of their unbelief. | When Jesus finished praying, he went to his friends and said, “I have never seen such great faith. The others did not believe, so I could not show them big miracles.” |
| 3 Nephi 19:36 | Verily I say unto you, there are none of them that have seen so great things as ye have seen; neither have they heard so great things as ye have heard. | You have seen and heard things that no one else has. |
3 Nephi 20
| Verse | Original | 2nd Grade |
|---|---|---|
| 3 Nephi 20:1 | And it came to pass that he commanded the multitude that they should cease to pray, and also his disciples. And he commanded them that they should not cease to pray in their hearts. | He told all the people and his special helpers to stop praying out loud. But he said they should keep praying in their hearts. |
| 3 Nephi 20:2 | And he commanded them that they should arise and stand up upon their feet. And they arose up and stood upon their feet. | He told them to get up and stand. So they got up and stood. |
| 3 Nephi 20:3 | And it came to pass that he brake bread again and blessed it, and gave to the disciples to eat. | He broke the bread and blessed it. He gave it to the disciples to eat. |
| 3 Nephi 20:4 | And when they had eaten he commanded them that they should break bread, and give unto the multitude. | They ate. Then he told them to break bread and give it to everyone. |
| 3 Nephi 20:5 | And when they had given unto the multitude he also gave them wine to drink, and commanded them that they should give unto the multitude. | They gave the people bread. Jesus also gave them wine and said to give it to everyone. |
| 3 Nephi 20:6 | Now, there had been no bread, neither wine, brought by the disciples, neither by the multitude; | There was no bread and no wine brought by the disciples or the people. |
| 3 Nephi 20:7 | But he truly gave unto them bread to eat, and also wine to drink. | He gave them bread to eat and wine to drink. |
| 3 Nephi 20:8 | And he said unto them: He that eateth this bread eateth of my body to his soul; and he that drinketh of this wine drinketh of my blood to his soul; and his soul shall never hunger nor thirst, but shall be filled. | He said: If you eat this bread, you share my body and your soul is happy. If you drink this wine, you share my blood and your soul is happy. You will never be hungry or thirsty again. |
| 3 Nephi 20:9 | Now, when the multitude had all eaten and drunk, behold, they were filled with the Spirit; and they did cry out with one voice, and gave glory to Jesus, whom they both saw and heard. | After everyone had eaten and drank, they felt very happy and thankful. They all shouted together, saying how great Jesus is, because they saw and heard him. |
| 3 Nephi 20:10 | And it came to pass that when they had all given glory unto Jesus, he said unto them: Behold now I finish the commandment which the Father hath commanded me concerning this people, who are a remnant of the house of Israel. | Then everyone praised Jesus. He said, âNow I am finishing what God told me to do for these people from Israel.â |
| 3 Nephi 20:11 | Ye remember that I spake unto you, and said that when the words of Isaiah should be fulfilled—behold they are written, ye have them before you, therefore search them— | I told you that the things Isaiah said would come true. Look, they are written down. You have them, so read them. |
| 3 Nephi 20:12 | And verily, verily, I say unto you, that when they shall be fulfilled then is the fulfilling of the covenant which the Father hath made unto his people, O house of Israel. | And truly, truly, I tell you, when these things happen, it will mean that the promise God made to His people, the house of Israel, is coming true. |
| 3 Nephi 20:13 | And then shall the remnants, which shall be scattered abroad upon the face of the earth, be gathered in from the east and from the west, and from the south and from the north; and they shall be brought to the knowledge of the Lord their God, who hath redeemed them. | People who are spread out all over the earth will be gathered together from all directions. They will learn about the Lord their God who saved them. |
| 3 Nephi 20:14 | And the Father hath commanded me that I should give unto you this land, for your inheritance. | My Father told me to give you this land. It is now yours. |
| 3 Nephi 20:15 | And I say unto you, that if the Gentiles do not repent after the blessing which they shall receive, after they have scattered my people— | And I tell you, if the people do not say sorry after getting my blessings, after they have spread my people… |
| 3 Nephi 20:16 | Then shall ye, who are a remnant of the house of Jacob, go forth among them; and ye shall be in the midst of them who shall be many; and ye shall be among them as a lion among the beasts of the forest, and as a young lion among the flocks of sheep, who, if he goeth through both treadeth down and teareth in pieces, and none can deliver. | You, who are part of Jacob’s family, will go live with many people. You will be like a lion among other animals and like a young lion among sheep. The lion goes through and tears things apart, and no one can stop it. |
| 3 Nephi 20:17 | Thy hand shall be lifted up upon thine adversaries, and all thine enemies shall be cut off. | Your hand will rise up against your enemies, and all your enemies will be gone. |
| 3 Nephi 20:18 | And I will gather my people together as a man gathereth his sheaves into the floor. | I will bring my people together like a man gathers his wheat. |
| 3 Nephi 20:19 | For I will make my people with whom the Father hath covenanted, yea, I will make thy horn iron, and I will make thy hoofs brass. And thou shalt beat in pieces many people; and I will consecrate their gain unto the Lord, and their substance unto the Lord of the whole earth. And behold, I am he who doeth it. | I will make my people strong. I will make your horns like iron and your feet like brass. You will win against many people. I will give what you win to the Lord. I am the one who does this. |
| 3 Nephi 20:20 | And it shall come to pass, saith the Father, that the sword of my justice shall hang over them at that day; and except they repent it shall fall upon them, saith the Father, yea, even upon all the nations of the Gentiles. | God says if people do not say sorry and change, something bad will happen to them. This will happen to everyone. |
| 3 Nephi 20:21 | And it shall come to pass that I will establish my people, O house of Israel. | I will help my people, O Israel. |
| 3 Nephi 20:22 | And behold, this people will I establish in this land, unto the fulfilling of the covenant which I made with your father Jacob; and it shall be a New Jerusalem. And the powers of heaven shall be in the midst of this people; yea, even I will be in the midst of you. | I will help these people live here. I made a promise to your father Jacob. This place will be called a New Jerusalem. I will be with these people, and I will be with you. |
| 3 Nephi 20:23 | Behold, I am he of whom Moses spake, saying: A prophet shall the Lord your God raise up unto you of your brethren, like unto me; him shall ye hear in all things whatsoever he shall say unto you. And it shall come to pass that every soul who will not hear that prophet shall be cut off from among the people. | Look, I am the one Moses talked about. God will send a prophet like me from your people. You should listen to him. If anyone does not listen, they will not be with the people anymore. |
| 3 Nephi 20:24 | Verily I say unto you, yea, and all the prophets from Samuel and those that follow after, as many as have spoken, have testified of me. | Truly I tell you, all the prophets from Samuel and those after, who have spoken, have talked about me. |
| 3 Nephi 20:25 | And behold, ye are the children of the prophets; and ye are of the house of Israel; and ye are of the covenant which the Father made with your fathers, saying unto Abraham: And in thy seed shall all the kindreds of the earth be blessed. | You are the children of the prophets. You belong to the house of Israel. You are part of the promise God made to your ancestors. God told Abraham: “Everyone will be blessed because of your family.” |
| 3 Nephi 20:26 | The Father having raised me up unto you first, and sent me to bless you in turning away every one of you from his iniquities; and this because ye are the children of the covenant— | God sent me to help you stop doing bad things because you are special to Him. |
| 3 Nephi 20:27 | And after that ye were blessed then fulfilleth the Father the covenant which he made with Abraham, saying: In thy seed shall all the kindreds of the earth be blessed—unto the pouring out of the Holy Ghost through me upon the Gentiles, which blessing upon the Gentiles shall make them mighty above all, unto the scattering of my people, O house of Israel. | God made a promise to Abraham. He said, “Everyone will be blessed because of your family.” After this, God sent the Holy Spirit to help everyone. This made some people very strong and happy, and it spread God’s people around the world. |
| 3 Nephi 20:28 | And they shall be a scourge unto the people of this land. Nevertheless, when they shall have received the fulness of my gospel, then if they shall harden their hearts against me I will return their iniquities upon their own heads, saith the Father. | They will be mean to the people here. But if they learn my teachings and still choose to be mean, I will punish them, says God. |
| 3 Nephi 20:29 | And I will remember the covenant which I have made with my people; and I have covenanted with them that I would gather them together in mine own due time, that I would give unto them again the land of their fathers for their inheritance, which is the land of Jerusalem, which is the promised land unto them forever, saith the Father. | I promise to remember my special promise to my people. I told them I will bring them back to their home when the time is right. I will give them the land of their ancestors, the land of Jerusalem, which will be theirs forever, says God. |
| 3 Nephi 20:30 | And it shall come to pass that the time cometh, when the fulness of my gospel shall be preached unto them; | There will be a time when everyone will hear my gospel. |
| 3 Nephi 20:31 | And they shall believe in me, that I am Jesus Christ, the Son of God, and shall pray unto the Father in my name. | They will believe in me, Jesus Christ, the Son of God. They will pray to the Father in my name. |
| 3 Nephi 20:32 | Then shall their watchmen lift up their voice, and with the voice together shall they sing; for they shall see eye to eye. | Their guards will shout. They will sing together. They will see the same thing. |
| 3 Nephi 20:33 | Then will the Father gather them together again, and give unto them Jerusalem for the land of their inheritance. | Then God will bring them back together and give them Jerusalem as their land. |
| 3 Nephi 20:34 | Then shall they break forth into joy—Sing together, ye waste places of Jerusalem; for the Father hath comforted his people, he hath redeemed Jerusalem. | Then they will be happy and sing together. The places of Jerusalem will sing because God made his people feel better. He saved Jerusalem. |
| 3 Nephi 20:35 | The Father hath made bare his holy arm in the eyes of all the nations; and all the ends of the earth shall see the salvation of the Father; and the Father and I are one. | God has shown His power to all people; everyone will see God’s saving. God and I are the same. |
| 3 Nephi 20:36 | And then shall be brought to pass that which is written: Awake, awake again, and 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, and get strong, Zion. Put on your nice clothes, Jerusalem, the holy city. From now on, no bad people will come into you. |
| 3 Nephi 20:37 | 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, Jerusalem! Shake off the dust. Take off the ropes from your neck, Zion! |
| 3 Nephi 20:38 | For thus saith the Lord: Ye have sold yourselves for naught, and ye shall be redeemed without money. | God says: You gave yourselves away for nothing, but you will be saved for free. |
| 3 Nephi 20:39 | Verily, verily, I say unto you, that my people shall know my name; yea, in that day they shall know that I am he that doth speak. | Truly, truly, I tell you, my people will know my name. Yes, on that day, they will know that I am the one who speaks. |
| 3 Nephi 20:40 | And then shall they say: How beautiful upon the mountains are the feet of him that bringeth good tidings unto them, that publisheth peace; that bringeth good tidings unto them of good, that publisheth salvation; that saith unto Zion: Thy God reigneth! | They will say: Look! Here comes someone bringing good news. They tell everyone about peace and good things. They say: Your God is the ruler! |
| 3 Nephi 20:41 | And then shall a cry go forth: Depart ye, depart ye, go ye out from thence, touch not that which is unclean; go ye out of the midst of her; be ye clean that bear the vessels of the Lord. | A call will go out: Leave, leave! Go away. Do not touch anything dirty. Leave and be clean, you who carry the Lord’s things. |
| 3 Nephi 20:42 | For ye shall not go out with haste nor go by flight; for the Lord will go before you, and the God of Israel shall be your rearward. | You will not leave quickly or run away; the Lord will go in front of you, and God will be behind you. |
| 3 Nephi 20:43 | Behold, my servant shall deal prudently; he shall be exalted and extolled and be very high. | Look, my helper will be very careful; he will be lifted up and be very important. |
| 3 Nephi 20:44 | As many were astonished at thee—his visage was so marred, more than any man, and his form more than the sons of men— | People were surprised when they saw him because he looked worse than anyone else. |
| 3 Nephi 20:45 | So shall he sprinkle many nations; the kings shall shut their mouths at him, for that which had not been told them shall they see; and that which they had not heard shall they consider. | He will share his blessings with many people. Kings will be amazed and quiet because they will see and hear things they did not know before. |
| 3 Nephi 20:46 | Verily, verily, I say unto you, all these things shall surely come, even as the Father hath commanded me. Then shall this covenant which the Father hath covenanted with his people be fulfilled; and then shall Jerusalem be inhabited again with my people, and it shall be the land of their inheritance. | I tell you the truth, everything the Father said will happen. The promise to his people will come true. Then, my people will live in Jerusalem again, and it will be their home. |
3 Nephi 21
| Verse | Original | 2nd Grade |
|---|---|---|
| 3 Nephi 21:1 | And verily I say unto you, I give unto you a sign, that ye may know the time when these things shall be about to take place—that I shall gather in, from their long dispersion, my people, O house of Israel, and shall establish again among them my Zion; | I will give you a sign. It will show the time when I will bring my people back together and make my special place with them again. |
| 3 Nephi 21:2 | And behold, this is the thing which I will give unto you for a sign—for verily I say unto you that when these things which I declare unto you, and which I shall declare unto you hereafter of myself, and by the power of the Holy Ghost which shall be given unto you of the Father, shall be made known unto the Gentiles that they may know concerning this people who are a remnant of the house of Jacob, and concerning this my people who shall be scattered by them; | Here is something I want to show you as a sign. Listen, when I tell you things now and later, with the help of the Holy Ghost from God the Father, these things will be shared with others so they can know about these special people who are part of the family of Jacob and who will be scattered. |
| 3 Nephi 21:3 | Verily, verily, I say unto you, when these things shall be made known unto them of the Father, and shall come forth of the Father, from them unto you; | Listen, listen, I tell you, when these things are made known by the Father, they will come to you. |
| 3 Nephi 21:4 | For it is wisdom in the Father that they should be established in this land, and be set up as a free people by the power of the Father, that these things might come forth from them unto a remnant of your seed, that the covenant of the Father may be fulfilled which he hath covenanted with his people, O house of Israel; | God thinks it’s smart for them to live here and be free. God has power to make this happen so that their children can read and share God’s promises with their families. |
| 3 Nephi 21:5 | Therefore, when these works and the works which shall be wrought among you hereafter shall come forth from the Gentiles, unto your seed which shall dwindle in unbelief because of iniquity; | So, when these things and other things that will happen to you later come from the people who are not from your group, to your children who will stop believing because of bad things. |
| 3 Nephi 21:6 | For thus it behooveth the Father that it should come forth from the Gentiles, that he may show forth his power unto the Gentiles, for this cause that the Gentiles, if they will not harden their hearts, that they may repent and come unto me and be baptized in my name and know of the true points of my doctrine, that they may be numbered among my people, O house of Israel; | God wants my teachings to come from other people. If these people open their hearts, they can say sorry for their wrongs, come to me, get baptized, and learn the truth. Then, they will be part of my family. |
| 3 Nephi 21:7 | And when these things come to pass that thy seed shall begin to know these things—it shall be a sign unto them, that they may know that the work of the Father hath already commenced unto the fulfilling of the covenant which he hath made unto the people who are of the house of Israel. | When these things happen, your children will start to know them. It will show them that God’s work has started to keep the promise He made to the people of Israel. |
| 3 Nephi 21:8 | And when that day shall come, it shall come to pass that kings shall shut their mouths; for that which had not been told them shall they see; and that which they had not heard shall they consider. | One day, kings will be quiet. They will see things they were not told. They will think about things they never heard. |
| 3 Nephi 21:9 | For in that day, for my sake shall the Father work a work, which shall be a great and a marvelous work among them; and there shall be among them those who will not believe it, although a man shall declare it unto them. | One day, God will do something amazing. Some people will believe it and some people will not, even if someone tells them about it. |
| 3 Nephi 21:10 | But behold, the life of my servant shall be in my hand; therefore they shall not hurt him, although he shall be marred because of them. Yet I will heal him, for I will show unto them that my wisdom is greater than the cunning of the devil. | But look, my servant’s life is in my care; he won’t be hurt, even if they hurt him. I will make him better, to show that I am wiser than the devil. |
| 3 Nephi 21:11 | Therefore it shall come to pass that whosoever will not believe in my words, who am Jesus Christ, which the Father shall cause him to bring forth unto the Gentiles, and shall give unto him power that he shall bring them forth unto the Gentiles, (it shall be done even as Moses said) they shall be cut off from among my people who are of the covenant. | If you do not believe in Jesus Christ’s words, you will not be part of God’s chosen people. |
| 3 Nephi 21:12 | And my people who are a remnant of Jacob shall be among the Gentiles, yea, in the midst of them as a lion among the beasts of the forest, as a young lion among the flocks of sheep, who, if he go through both treadeth down and teareth in pieces, and none can deliver. | My people, from Jacob, will live with the Gentiles. They will be like a strong lion among animals, and like a young lion among sheep. The lion can go through, tear, and no one can stop it. |
| 3 Nephi 21:13 | Their hand shall be lifted up upon their adversaries, and all their enemies shall be cut off. | They will stop all their enemies. |
| 3 Nephi 21:14 | Yea, wo be unto the Gentiles except they repent; for it shall come to pass in that day, saith the Father, that I will cut off thy horses out of the midst of thee, and I will destroy thy chariots; | Trouble will come to the people unless they say sorry and change. God says He will take away their horses and break their chariots. |
| 3 Nephi 21:15 | And I will cut off the cities of thy land, and throw down all thy strongholds; | I will destroy your cities and tear down your strong buildings. |
| 3 Nephi 21:16 | And I will cut off witchcrafts out of thy land, and thou shalt have no more soothsayers; | I will get rid of magic in your land, and there will be no more people who tell the future. |
| 3 Nephi 21:17 | Thy graven images I will also cut off, and thy standing images out of the midst of thee, and thou shalt no more worship the works of thy hands; | I will get rid of your statues and pictures. You will not worship them anymore. |
| 3 Nephi 21:18 | And I will pluck up thy groves out of the midst of thee; so will I destroy thy cities. | I will take away your trees, and I will destroy your cities. |
| 3 Nephi 21:19 | And it shall come to pass that all lyings, and deceivings, and envyings, and strifes, and priestcrafts, and whoredoms, shall be done away. | One day, lies, tricks, jealousy, fights, and bad things will all be gone. |
| 3 Nephi 21:20 | For it shall come to pass, saith the Father, that at that day whosoever will not repent and come unto my Beloved Son, them will I cut off from among my people, O house of Israel; | God says: One day, anyone who doesn’t say sorry and come to my Son will not be with my people. |
| 3 Nephi 21:21 | And I will execute vengeance and fury upon them, even as upon the heathen, such as they have not heard. | I will punish them very strongly, just like other bad people. They have never heard of this before. |
| 3 Nephi 21:22 | But if they will repent and hearken unto my words, and harden not their hearts, I will establish my church among them, and they shall come in unto the covenant and be numbered among this the remnant of Jacob, unto whom I have given this land for their inheritance; | If they say sorry and listen to me, and be kind, I will make my church with them. They will be part of my special group and share the land I promised. |
| 3 Nephi 21:23 | And they shall assist my people, the remnant of Jacob, and also as many of the house of Israel as shall come, that they may build a city, which shall be called the New Jerusalem. | They will help my people, the leftover of Jacob, and also many from Israel who come, to build a city called New Jerusalem. |
| 3 Nephi 21:24 | And then shall they assist my people that they may be gathered in, who are scattered upon all the face of the land, in unto the New Jerusalem. | They will help gather my people from everywhere to the New City. |
| 3 Nephi 21:25 | And then shall the power of heaven come down among them; and I also will be in the midst. | And then the power of heaven will come down to them; and I will be with them. |
| 3 Nephi 21:26 | And then shall the work of the Father commence at that day, even when this gospel shall be preached among the remnant of this people. Verily I say unto you, at that day shall the work of the Father commence among all the dispersed of my people, yea, even the tribes which have been lost, which the Father hath led away out of Jerusalem. | The Father’s work will start when this good news is told to the people. The Father will work with all the people who are spread out, including the lost tribes that He took from Jerusalem. |
| 3 Nephi 21:27 | Yea, the work shall commence among all the dispersed of my people, with the Father to prepare the way whereby they may come unto me, that they may call on the Father in my name. | Yes, my people who are scattered will start to come together. The Father will help them find the way to come to me. They will call on the Father using my name. |
| 3 Nephi 21:28 | Yea, and then shall the work commence, with the Father among all nations in preparing the way whereby his people may be gathered home to the land of their inheritance. | Yes, then the work will start with God in all nations to help his people come back to their special land. |
| 3 Nephi 21:29 | And they shall go out from all nations; and they shall not go out in haste, nor go by flight, for I will go before them, saith the Father, and I will be their rearward. | They will leave from all countries. They will not rush or run away, because I will go in front of them and behind them, says the Father. |
3 Nephi 22
| Verse | Original | 2nd Grade |
|---|---|---|
| 3 Nephi 22:1 | And then shall that which is written come to pass: Sing, O barren, thou that didst not bear; break forth into singing, and cry aloud, thou that didst not travail with child; for more are the children of the desolate than the children of the married wife, saith the Lord. | Here is the simple version of the verse from the Book of Mormon: Then what is written will happen: Sing, you who did not have babies; shout and be happy, you who did not have children; because there will be more children for the lonely woman than for the married woman, says the Lord. |
| 3 Nephi 22:2 | Enlarge the place of thy tent, and let them stretch forth the curtains of thy habitations; spare not, lengthen thy cords and strengthen thy stakes; | Make your tent bigger, and spread out your home; don’t hold back, make the ropes longer and the stakes stronger. |
| 3 Nephi 22:3 | For thou shalt break forth on the right hand and on the left, and thy seed shall inherit the Gentiles and make the desolate cities to be inhabited. | You will grow in all directions, and your children will live everywhere and make empty cities full again. |
| 3 Nephi 22:4 | Fear not, for thou shalt not be ashamed; neither be thou confounded, for thou shalt not be put to shame; for thou shalt forget the shame of thy youth, and shalt not remember the reproach of thy youth, and shalt not remember the reproach of thy widowhood any more. | Don’t be afraid. You will not feel bad or embarrassed anymore. You will forget the sad times from when you were young and alone. |
| 3 Nephi 22:5 | For thy maker, thy husband, the Lord of Hosts is his name; and thy Redeemer, the Holy One of Israel—the God of the whole earth shall he be called. | Your maker, husband, Lord of All, is his name. Your Redeemer, Holy One of Israel. He will be called God of the whole earth. |
| 3 Nephi 22:6 | For the Lord hath called thee as a woman forsaken and grieved in spirit, and a wife of youth, when thou wast refused, saith thy God. | The Lord called you like a sad woman left alone, like a young wife who was not wanted, says your God. |
| 3 Nephi 22:7 | For a small moment have I forsaken thee, but with great mercies will I gather thee. | For a little time, I left you, but I will bring you back with lots of love and care. |
| 3 Nephi 22:8 | In a little wrath I hid my face from thee for a moment, but with everlasting kindness will I have mercy on thee, saith the Lord thy Redeemer. | I got a little mad and looked away for a bit, but I will always be kind and help you, says the Lord. |
| 3 Nephi 22:9 | For this, the waters of Noah unto me, for as I have sworn that the waters of Noah should no more go over the earth, so have I sworn that I would not be wroth with thee. | God promised that a big flood like Noah’s flood would never happen again. He also promised not to be angry with you. |
| 3 Nephi 22:10 | For the mountains shall depart and the hills be removed, but my kindness shall not depart from thee, neither shall the covenant of my peace be removed, saith the Lord that hath mercy on thee. | The big mountains and hills will go away, but I will always be kind to you and keep my promise to be peaceful, says the Lord who cares for you. |
| 3 Nephi 22:11 | O thou afflicted, tossed with tempest, and not comforted! Behold, I will lay thy stones with fair colors, and lay thy foundations with sapphires. | You who are sad and troubled, don’t be afraid! I will make your homes beautiful with bright colors and shiny stones. |
| 3 Nephi 22:12 | And I will make thy windows of agates, and thy gates of carbuncles, and all thy borders of pleasant stones. | I will make your windows shiny, your gates bright, and your walls pretty stones. |
| 3 Nephi 22:13 | And all thy children shall be taught of the Lord; and great shall be the peace of thy children. | All your kids will learn from God, and they will have lots of peace. |
| 3 Nephi 22:14 | In righteousness shalt thou be established; thou shalt be far from oppression for thou shalt not fear, and from terror for it shall not come near thee. | You will be good and safe. People won’t hurt you. You won’t be scared. Bad things won’t come close to you. |
| 3 Nephi 22:15 | Behold, they shall surely gather together against thee, not by me; whosoever shall gather together against thee shall fall for thy sake. | Listen, some people might come together to be mean to you, but not because of me. Anyone who joins against you will not win. |
| 3 Nephi 22:16 | Behold, I have created the smith that bloweth the coals in the fire, and that bringeth forth an instrument for his work; and I have created the waster to destroy. | Look, I made the person who works with fire and makes tools, and I also made someone who destroys things. |
| 3 Nephi 22:17 | No weapon that is formed against thee shall prosper; and every tongue that shall revile against thee in judgment thou shalt condemn. This is the heritage of the servants of the Lord, and their righteousness is of me, saith the Lord. | No weapon will hurt you. If someone says bad things about you, you will show they are wrong. This is a promise from the Lord. The Lord says their goodness comes from Him. |
3 Nephi 23
| Verse | Original | 2nd Grade |
|---|---|---|
| 3 Nephi 23:1 | And now, behold, I say unto you, that ye ought to search these things. Yea, a commandment I give unto you that ye search these things diligently; for great are the words of Isaiah. | Hey, listen! You should look at these things. I tell you to look very carefully. The words of Isaiah are very important. |
| 3 Nephi 23:2 | For surely he spake as touching all things concerning my people which are of the house of Israel; therefore it must needs be that he must speak also to the Gentiles. | He talked about my people who are Israelites, so he also needs to talk to the Gentiles. |
| 3 Nephi 23:3 | And all things that he spake have been and shall be, even according to the words which he spake. | Everything he said happened and will happen, just like he said. |
| 3 Nephi 23:4 | Therefore give heed to my words; write the things which I have told you; and according to the time and the will of the Father they shall go forth unto the Gentiles. | So listen to me; write down what I said; when it’s the right time, others will read it. |
| 3 Nephi 23:5 | And whosoever will hearken unto my words and repenteth and is baptized, the same shall be saved. Search the prophets, for many there be that testify of these things. | If you listen to my words, say sorry for your wrong actions, and get baptized, you will be saved. Look at what the prophets say, many of them talk about this. |
| 3 Nephi 23:6 | And now it came to pass that when Jesus had said these words he said unto them again, after he had expounded all the scriptures unto them which they had received, he said unto them: Behold, other scriptures I would that ye should write, that ye have not. | Jesus finished talking and told them to write down more scriptures that they did not have yet. |
| 3 Nephi 23:7 | And it came to pass that he said unto Nephi: Bring forth the record which ye have kept. | And he said to Nephi: Bring the record you have kept. |
| 3 Nephi 23:8 | And when Nephi had brought forth the records, and laid them before him, he cast his eyes upon them and said: | Nephi brought the records and put them in front of him. He looked at them and said: |
| 3 Nephi 23:9 | Verily I say unto you, I commanded my servant Samuel, the Lamanite, that he should testify unto this people, that at the day that the Father should glorify his name in me that there were many saints who should arise from the dead, and should appear unto many, and should minister unto them. And he said unto them: Was it not so? | I told Samuel, the Lamanite, to tell people that on the day God showed His power through me, many good people would come back to life, appear to many, and help them. He asked, “Did it not happen?” |
| 3 Nephi 23:10 | And his disciples answered him and said: Yea, Lord, Samuel did prophesy according to thy words, and they were all fulfilled. | Jesus’s friends said: Yes, Jesus, Samuel told us what you said would happen, and it all happened. |
| 3 Nephi 23:11 | And Jesus said unto them: How be it that ye have not written this thing, that many saints did arise and appear unto many and did minister unto them? | Jesus asked them: Why didn’t you write that many holy people came to life, showed themselves to others, and helped them? |
| 3 Nephi 23:12 | And it came to pass that Nephi remembered that this thing had not been written. | Nephi remembered he did not write this down. |
| 3 Nephi 23:13 | And it came to pass that Jesus commanded that it should be written; therefore it was written according as he commanded. | Jesus said to write it down. So it was written down just like He said. |
| 3 Nephi 23:14 | And now it came to pass that when Jesus had expounded all the scriptures in one, which they had written, he commanded them that they should teach the things which he had expounded unto them. | Jesus explained the scriptures to the people. Then, he told them to teach what he explained. |
3 Nephi 24
| Verse | Original | 2nd Grade |
|---|---|---|
| 3 Nephi 24:1 | And it came to pass that he commanded them that they should write the words which the Father had given unto Malachi, which he should tell unto them. And it came to pass that after they were written he expounded them. And these are the words which he did tell unto them, saying: Thus said the Father unto Malachi—Behold, I will send my messenger, and he shall prepare the way before me, and the Lord whom ye seek shall suddenly come to his temple, even the messenger of the covenant, whom ye delight in; behold, he shall come, saith the Lord of Hosts. | He told them to write the words given to Malachi by the Father. After they wrote them, he explained what they meant. These are the words he told them: The Father said to Malachi, “I will send my messenger, and he will make a path for me. The Lord you are looking for will come to his temple. The messenger you want will come, says the Lord.” |
| 3 Nephi 24:2 | But who may abide the day of his coming, and who shall stand when he appeareth? For he is like a refiner—s fire, and like fuller—s soap. | Who can stay when he comes, and who can stand when he shows up? He is like a hot fire and like strong soap. |
| 3 Nephi 24:3 | And he shall sit as a refiner and purifier of silver; and he shall purify the sons of Levi, and purge them as gold and silver, that they may offer unto the Lord an offering in righteousness. | He will be like a person who makes silver clean. He will make the sons of Levi clean. They will be like gold and silver. They will give a good gift to God. |
| 3 Nephi 24:4 | Then shall the offering of Judah and Jerusalem be pleasant unto the Lord, as in the days of old, and as in former years. | Then the offerings of Judah and Jerusalem will make the Lord happy, like in the old days. |
| 3 Nephi 24:5 | And I will come near to you to judgment; and I will be a swift witness against the sorcerers, and against the adulterers, and against false swearers, and against those that oppress the hireling in his wages, the widow and the fatherless, and that turn aside the stranger, and fear not me, saith the Lord of Hosts. | I will come to judge you. I will be a fast witness against bad people: sorcerers, people who cheat on their spouses, liars, those who do not pay workers fairly, those who harm widows and orphans, and those who hurt strangers. They do not respect me, says the Lord. |
| 3 Nephi 24:6 | For I am the Lord, I change not; therefore ye sons of Jacob are not consumed. | I am the Lord. I do not change. This is why you, sons of Jacob, are not destroyed. |
| 3 Nephi 24:7 | Even from the days of your fathers ye are gone away from mine ordinances, and have not kept them. Return unto me and I will return unto you, saith the Lord of Hosts. But ye say: Wherein shall we return? | Since long ago, you have not followed my rules. Come back to me and I will come back to you, says God. But you ask: How can we come back? |
| 3 Nephi 24:8 | Will a man rob God? Yet ye have robbed me. But ye say: Wherein have we robbed thee? In tithes and offerings. | âWill a man steal from God? But you have stolen from me. You ask, âHow did we steal from you?’ In tithes and offerings.â |
| 3 Nephi 24:9 | Ye are cursed with a curse, for ye have robbed me, even this whole nation. | You are cursed because you have taken things from me. |
| 3 Nephi 24:10 | Bring ye all the tithes into the storehouse, that there may be meat in my house; and prove me now herewith, saith the Lord of Hosts, if I will not open you the windows of heaven, and pour you out a blessing that there shall not be room enough to receive it. | Bring all your tithes to the storehouse so there can be food in my house, says the Lord. See if I do not open the windows of heaven and give you many blessings. |
| 3 Nephi 24:11 | And I will rebuke the devourer for your sakes, and he shall not destroy the fruits of your ground; neither shall your vine cast her fruit before the time in the fields, saith the Lord of Hosts. | I will stop the pest so it doesn’t eat your plants, says God. Your plants will grow fruits at the right time. |
| 3 Nephi 24:12 | And all nations shall call you blessed, for ye shall be a delightsome land, saith the Lord of Hosts. | Everyone will call you happy because your land will be very good, says God. |
| 3 Nephi 24:13 | Your words have been stout against me, saith the Lord. Yet ye say: What have we spoken against thee? | Your words have been strong against me, says the Lord. But you ask: What did we say against you? |
| 3 Nephi 24:14 | Ye have said: It is vain to serve God, and what doth it profit that we have kept his ordinances and that we have walked mournfully before the Lord of Hosts? | You have said: It is useless to serve God. Why should we follow His rules and be sad before the Lord? |
| 3 Nephi 24:15 | And now we call the proud happy; yea, they that work wickedness are set up; yea, they that tempt God are even delivered. | Now we say the proud people are happy. The bad people get what they want. The people who do not listen to God are helped. |
| 3 Nephi 24:16 | Then they that feared the Lord spake often one to another, and the Lord hearkened and heard; and a book of remembrance was written before him for them that feared the Lord, and that thought upon his name. | The people who loved God talked to each other a lot, and God listened to them. He wrote their names in a special book because they loved Him and thought about Him. |
| 3 Nephi 24:17 | And they shall be mine, saith the Lord of Hosts, in that day when I make up my jewels; and I will spare them as a man spareth his own son that serveth him. | God says, “They will be mine, like my special treasures. I will protect them like a father protects his good son.” |
| 3 Nephi 24:18 | Then shall ye return and discern between the righteous and the wicked, between him that serveth God and him that serveth him not. | Then you will see who is good and who is bad, who loves God and who does not. |
3 Nephi 25
| Verse | Original | 2nd Grade |
|---|---|---|
| 3 Nephi 25:1 | For behold, the day cometh that shall burn as an oven; and all the proud, yea, and all that do wickedly, shall be stubble; and the day that cometh shall burn them up, saith the Lord of Hosts, that it shall leave them neither root nor branch. | One day will be very hot like an oven. All bad people will be like dry grass and will burn up. God says there will be nothing left of them. |
| 3 Nephi 25:2 | But unto you that fear my name, shall the Son of Righteousness arise with healing in his wings; and ye shall go forth and grow up as calves in the stall. | But for you who respect my name, the Son of Righteousness will come with healing. You will go out and be happy and strong, like baby cows in a safe place. |
| 3 Nephi 25:3 | And ye shall tread down the wicked; for they shall be ashes under the soles of your feet in the day that I shall do this, saith the Lord of Hosts. | You will step on the bad people, and they will be like ashes under your feet when I do this, says God. |
| 3 Nephi 25:4 | Remember ye the law of Moses, my servant, which I commanded unto him in Horeb for all Israel, with the statutes and judgments. | Remember the rules I gave Moses to tell Israel. |
| 3 Nephi 25:5 | Behold, I will send you Elijah the prophet before the coming of the great and dreadful day of the Lord; | Look, I will send you Elijah the prophet before the big and scary day of the Lord. |
| 3 Nephi 25:6 | And he shall turn the heart of the fathers to the children, and the heart of the children to their fathers, lest I come and smite the earth with a curse. | He will help dads love their kids, and kids love their dads, so I won’t come and hurt the earth. |
3 Nephi 26
| Verse | Original | 2nd Grade |
|---|---|---|
| 3 Nephi 26:1 | And now it came to pass that when Jesus had told these things he expounded them unto the multitude; and he did expound all things unto them, both great and small. | Then Jesus told the people many things. He explained everything to them, big and small. |
| 3 Nephi 26:2 | And he saith: These scriptures, which ye had not with you, the Father commanded that I should give unto you; for it was wisdom in him that they should be given unto future generations. | He said: The Father told me to give you these scriptures because it is wise to share them with people in the future. |
| 3 Nephi 26:3 | And he did expound all things, even from the beginning until the time that he should come in his glory—yea, even all things which should come upon the face of the earth, even until the elements should melt with fervent heat, and the earth should be wrapt together as a scroll, and the heavens and the earth should pass away; | He explained everything, from the start until when He comes in glory. He talked about everything that would happen on Earth, until the earth gets very hot and everything melts, and the earth and sky go away. |
| 3 Nephi 26:4 | And even unto the great and last day, when all people, and all kindreds, and all nations and tongues shall stand before God, to be judged of their works, whether they be good or whether they be evil— | On the last big day, everyone will stand in front of God. God will decide if what they did was good or bad. |
| 3 Nephi 26:5 | If they be good, to the resurrection of everlasting life; and if they be evil, to the resurrection of damnation; being on a parallel, the one on the one hand and the other on the other hand, according to the mercy, and the justice, and the holiness which is in Christ, who was before the world began. | If they are good, they will have happy life forever. If they are bad, they will not. |
| 3 Nephi 26:6 | And now there cannot be written in this book even a hundredth part of the things which Jesus did truly teach unto the people; | We can’t write down even a tiny bit of all the things Jesus taught the people. |
| 3 Nephi 26:7 | But behold the plates of Nephi do contain the more part of the things which he taught the people. | The plates of Nephi have most of the things he taught the people. |
| 3 Nephi 26:8 | And these things have I written, which are a lesser part of the things which he taught the people; and I have written them to the intent that they may be brought again unto this people, from the Gentiles, according to the words which Jesus hath spoken. | I wrote these small things he taught the people so they can be shared with everyone, like Jesus said. |
| 3 Nephi 26:9 | And when they shall have received this, which is expedient that they should have first, to try their faith, and if it shall so be that they shall believe these things then shall the greater things be made manifest unto them. | When they get this to test their faith, if they believe, they will learn more things. |
| 3 Nephi 26:10 | And if it so be that they will not believe these things, then shall the greater things be withheld from them, unto their condemnation. | If they do not believe, then they will not get the bigger things. They will be in trouble. |
| 3 Nephi 26:11 | Behold, I was about to write them, all which were engraven upon the plates of Nephi, but the Lord forbade it, saying: I will try the faith of my people. | Look, I was going to write all the things on Nephi’s plates, but God told me not to. God said, “I will test my people’s faith.” |
| 3 Nephi 26:12 | Therefore I, Mormon, do write the things which have been commanded me of the Lord. And now I, Mormon, make an end of my sayings, and proceed to write the things which have been commanded me. | I am Mormon. God told me to write these things. Now, I will stop talking and start writing what God told me to write. |
| 3 Nephi 26:13 | Therefore, I would that ye should behold that the Lord truly did teach the people, for the space of three days; and after that he did show himself unto them oft, and did break bread oft, and bless it, and give it unto them. | Look, the Lord taught the people for three days. After that, he visited them often. He broke bread, blessed it, and gave it to them. |
| 3 Nephi 26:14 | And it came to pass that he did teach and minister unto the children of the multitude of whom hath been spoken, and he did loose their tongues, and they did speak unto their fathers great and marvelous things, even greater than he had revealed unto the people; and he loosed their tongues that they could utter. | He taught the kids and helped them talk. The kids said amazing things to their dads. |
| 3 Nephi 26:15 | And it came to pass that after he had ascended into heaven—the second time that he showed himself unto them, and had gone unto the Father, after having healed all their sick, and their lame, and opened the eyes of their blind and unstopped the ears of the deaf, and even had done all manner of cures among them, and raised a man from the dead, and had shown forth his power unto them, and had ascended unto the Father— | After he went up to heaven again, he came back to the people. He made sick people better, helped people who couldn’t walk, made blind people see, helped deaf people hear, and did many other good things. He even made a dead man alive again. Then he went back up to heaven. |
| 3 Nephi 26:16 | Behold, it came to pass on the morrow that the multitude gathered themselves together, and they both saw and heard these children; yea, even babes did open their mouths and utter marvelous things; and the things which they did utter were forbidden that there should not any man write them. | Look, the next day many people came together. They saw and heard the children. Even babies talked about amazing things. No one was allowed to write down what they said. |
| 3 Nephi 26:17 | And it came to pass that the disciples whom Jesus had chosen began from that time forth to baptize and to teach as many as did come unto them; and as many as were baptized in the name of Jesus were filled with the Holy Ghost. | The friends Jesus picked started to teach and baptize people. The people who were baptized got the Holy Ghost. |
| 3 Nephi 26:18 | And many of them saw and heard unspeakable things, which are not lawful to be written. | Many people saw and heard things that they are not allowed to write down. |
| 3 Nephi 26:19 | And they taught, and did minister one to another; and they had all things common among them, every man dealing justly, one with another. | They taught and helped each other. They shared everything and treated everyone fairly. |
| 3 Nephi 26:20 | And it came to pass that they did do all things even as Jesus had commanded them. | They did everything Jesus told them to do. |
| 3 Nephi 26:21 | And they who were baptized in the name of Jesus were called the church of Christ. | The people who were baptized in Jesus’ name were called the church of Jesus. |
3 Nephi 27
| Verse | Original | 2nd Grade |
|---|---|---|
| 3 Nephi 27:1 | And it came to pass that as the disciples of Jesus were journeying and were preaching the things which they had both heard and seen, and were baptizing in the name of Jesus, it came to pass that the disciples were gathered together and were united in mighty prayer and fasting. | While Jesus’ friends were traveling and teaching about what they saw and heard, and baptizing people, they came together to pray and fast. |
| 3 Nephi 27:2 | And Jesus again showed himself unto them, for they were praying unto the Father in his name; and Jesus came and stood in the midst of them, and said unto them: What will ye that I shall give unto you? | Jesus came to them while they were praying to God. He stood in the middle and asked, “What do you want me to give you?” |
| 3 Nephi 27:3 | And they said unto him: Lord, we will that thou wouldst tell us the name whereby we shall call this church; for there are disputations among the people concerning this matter. | They said to him: Lord, please tell us the name of this church; people are arguing about it. |
| 3 Nephi 27:4 | And the Lord said unto them: Verily, verily, I say unto you, why is it that the people should murmur and dispute because of this thing? | And the Lord said to them: Truly, truly, I say to you, why do people complain and argue about this? |
| 3 Nephi 27:5 | Have they not read the scriptures, which say ye must take upon you the name of Christ, which is my name? For by this name shall ye be called at the last day; | Have they not read the scriptures that say you must take the name of Christ, which is my name? For by this name you will be called at the last day. |
| 3 Nephi 27:6 | And whoso taketh upon him my name, and endureth to the end, the same shall be saved at the last day. | And anyone who takes my name and stays good until the end will be saved. |
| 3 Nephi 27:7 | Therefore, whatsoever ye shall do, ye shall do it in my name; therefore ye shall call the church in my name; and ye shall call upon the Father in my name that he will bless the church for my sake. | So, whatever you do, do it in my name. Call the church by my name. Ask the Father to bless the church for me. |
| 3 Nephi 27:8 | And how be it my church save it be called in my name? For if a church be called in Moses— name then it be Moses— church; or if it be called in the name of a man then it be the church of a man; but if it be called in my name then it is my church, if it so be that they are built upon my gospel. | How can it be my church if it is not called by my name? If a church is called by Moses’ name, it is Moses’ church. If it is called by a man’s name, it is the man’s church. But if it is called by my name and follows my gospel, then it is my church. |
| 3 Nephi 27:9 | Verily I say unto you, that ye are built upon my gospel; therefore ye shall call whatsoever things ye do call, in my name; therefore if ye call upon the Father, for the church, if it be in my name the Father will hear you; | I tell you, you are built on my teachings. So, call anything you do in my name. If you ask God for the church in my name, God will hear you. |
| 3 Nephi 27:10 | And if it so be that the church is built upon my gospel then will the Father show forth his own works in it. | If the church follows my teachings, God will show what He can do. |
| 3 Nephi 27:11 | But if it be not built upon my gospel, and is built upon the works of men, or upon the works of the devil, verily I say unto you they have joy in their works for a season, and by and by the end cometh, and they are hewn down and cast into the fire, from whence there is no return. | If it is not built on God’s way, but on people’s way or the devil’s way, they will be happy for a short time. But in the end, they will be cut down and thrown into the fire, and they cannot come back. |
| 3 Nephi 27:12 | For their works do follow them, for it is because of their works that they are hewn down; therefore remember the things that I have told you. | Their actions come with them. They are cut down because of what they do. So remember what I said. |
| 3 Nephi 27:13 | Behold I have given unto you my gospel, and this is the gospel which I have given unto you—that I came into the world to do the will of my Father, because my Father sent me. | Look, I have given you my teaching. This is my teaching: I came to the world to do what my Father wants, because my Father sent me. |
| 3 Nephi 27:14 | And my Father sent me that I might be lifted up upon the cross; and after that I had been lifted up upon the cross, that I might draw all men unto me, that as I have been lifted up by men even so should men be lifted up by the Father, to stand before me, to be judged of their works, whether they be good or whether they be evil— | My Father sent me to be lifted up on the cross. After I was lifted up on the cross, I will bring all people to me. Just like men lifted me up, the Father will lift up men to stand before me. They will be judged for their actions, whether good or bad. |
| 3 Nephi 27:15 | And for this cause have I been lifted up; therefore, according to the power of the Father I will draw all men unto me, that they may be judged according to their works. | I have been raised up by God. Because of this, I will bring everyone to me to be judged for what they have done. |
| 3 Nephi 27:16 | And it shall come to pass, that whoso repenteth and is baptized in my name shall be filled; and if he endureth to the end, behold, him will I hold guiltless before my Father at that day when I shall stand to judge the world. | If you say sorry and get baptized in my name, you will be happy. And if you keep being good until the end, I will tell my Father you are not guilty when I judge everyone. |
| 3 Nephi 27:17 | And he that endureth not unto the end, the same is he that is also hewn down and cast into the fire, from whence they can no more return, because of the justice of the Father. | If you don’t keep trying until the very end, you will be cut down and thrown into the fire, and you can’t come back because it’s fair. |
| 3 Nephi 27:18 | And this is the word which he hath given unto the children of men. And for this cause he fulfilleth the words which he hath given, and he lieth not, but fulfilleth all his words. | God keeps His promise to people. God does not lie but does everything He says. |
| 3 Nephi 27:19 | And no unclean thing can enter into his kingdom; therefore nothing entereth into his rest save it be those who have washed their garments in my blood, because of their faith, and the repentance of all their sins, and their faithfulness unto the end. | No dirty thing can go into God’s kingdom. Only clean people can rest with God. People are clean if they believe in Jesus, say sorry for their bad things, and stay good until the end. |
| 3 Nephi 27:20 | Now this is the commandment: Repent, all ye ends of the earth, and come unto me and be baptized in my name, that ye may be sanctified by the reception of the Holy Ghost, that ye may stand spotless before me at the last day. | Here is what you should do: Say sorry for your mistakes, everyone everywhere. Come to me and be baptized with water in my name, so you can be made clean and good by receiving the Holy Ghost, and be ready for the last day. |
| 3 Nephi 27:21 | Verily, verily, I say unto you, this is my gospel; and ye know the things that ye must do in my church; for the works which ye have seen me do that shall ye also do; for that which ye have seen me do even that shall ye do; | Listen, listen, I tell you, this is my good news. You know what to do in my church. Do the things you have seen me do. |
| 3 Nephi 27:22 | Therefore, if ye do these things blessed are ye, for ye shall be lifted up at the last day. | If you do good things, you will be happy, and God will help you one day. |
| 3 Nephi 27:23 | Write the things which ye have seen and heard, save it be those which are forbidden. | Write what you have seen and heard, except for the things you should not tell. |
| 3 Nephi 27:24 | Write the works of this people, which shall be, even as hath been written, of that which hath been. | Write what these people do, just like it has been written before. |
| 3 Nephi 27:25 | For behold, out of the books which have been written, and which shall be written, shall this people be judged, for by them shall their works be known unto men. | The people will be judged by the books that were written and will be written. These books will show what they have done. |
| 3 Nephi 27:26 | And behold, all things are written by the Father; therefore out of the books which shall be written shall the world be judged. | The Father wrote everything. The world will be judged by what is written. |
| 3 Nephi 27:27 | And know ye that ye shall be judges of this people, according to the judgment which I shall give unto you, which shall be just. Therefore, what manner of men ought ye to be? Verily I say unto you, even as I am. | You will be the judges. I will give you my judgment. It will be fair. So, how should you be? Be like me. |
| 3 Nephi 27:28 | And now I go unto the Father. And verily I say unto you, whatsoever things ye shall ask the Father in my name shall be given unto you. | I am going to the Father now. If you ask the Father for anything in my name, you will get it. |
| 3 Nephi 27:29 | Therefore, ask, and ye shall receive; knock, and it shall be opened unto you; for he that asketh, receiveth; and unto him that knocketh, it shall be opened. | Ask, and you will get; knock, and the door will open. If you ask, you get. If you knock, the door opens. |
| 3 Nephi 27:30 | And now, behold, my joy is great, even unto fulness, because of you, and also this generation; yea, and even the Father rejoiceth, and also all the holy angels, because of you and this generation; for none of them are lost. | I am very happy because of you and everyone alive today. God and the angels are happy too. No one is lost. |
| 3 Nephi 27:31 | Behold, I would that ye should understand; for I mean them who are now alive of this generation; and none of them are lost; and in them I have fulness of joy. | Look, I want you to know; I am talking about the people alive now; none of them are lost; they make me very happy. |
| 3 Nephi 27:32 | But behold, it sorroweth me because of the fourth generation from this generation, for they are led away captive by him even as was the son of perdition; for they will sell me for silver and for gold, and for that which moth doth corrupt and which thieves can break through and steal. And in that day will I visit them, even in turning their works upon their own heads. | I am sad because in the future, a lot of people will make bad choices. They will be tricked and do wrong things. They will trade me for money and things that can go bad or be taken. One day, I will make sure their bad choices come back to them. |
| 3 Nephi 27:33 | And it came to pass that when Jesus had ended these sayings he said unto his disciples: Enter ye in at the strait gate; for strait is the gate, and narrow is the way that leads to life, and few there be that find it; but wide is the gate, and broad the way which leads to death, and many there be that travel therein, until the night cometh, wherein no man can work. | When Jesus finished talking, he told his friends: Go through the small gate. The small gate and narrow path lead to life. Only a few people find it. The wide gate and broad path lead to death. Many people go that way, until it gets dark and no one can work. |
3 Nephi 28
| Verse | Original | 2nd Grade |
|---|---|---|
| 3 Nephi 28:1 | And it came to pass when Jesus had said these words, he spake unto his disciples, one by one, saying unto them: What is it that ye desire of me, after that I am gone to the Father? | After Jesus talked, he asked his friends one by one: What do you want me to do when I go back to my Father? |
| 3 Nephi 28:2 | And they all spake, save it were three, saying: We desire that after we have lived unto the age of man, that our ministry, wherein thou hast called us, may have an end, that we may speedily come unto thee in thy kingdom. | Everyone talked except for three. They said: We want to live a full life and then stop working, so we can come to you quickly in your kingdom. |
| 3 Nephi 28:3 | And he said unto them: Blessed are ye because ye desired this thing of me; therefore, after that ye are seventy and two years old ye shall come unto me in my kingdom; and with me ye shall find rest. | He said to them: You are blessed because you asked for this. When you are 72 years old, you will come to my kingdom and rest with me. |
| 3 Nephi 28:4 | And when he had spoken unto them, he turned himself unto the three, and said unto them: What will ye that I should do unto you, when I am gone unto the Father? | After he talked to them, he looked at the three and asked, “What do you want me to do for you when I go to the Father?” |
| 3 Nephi 28:5 | And they sorrowed in their hearts, for they durst not speak unto him the things which they desired. | They were sad in their hearts because they were too scared to tell him what they wanted. |
| 3 Nephi 28:6 | And he said unto them: Behold, I know your thoughts, and ye have desired the thing which John, my beloved, who was with me in my ministry, before that I was lifted up by the Jews, desired of me. | He said: I know what you are thinking. You want the same thing that John, who was with me, wanted. |
| 3 Nephi 28:7 | Therefore, more blessed are ye, for ye shall never taste of death; but ye shall live to behold all the doings of the Father unto the children of men, even until all things shall be fulfilled according to the will of the Father, when I shall come in my glory with the powers of heaven. | You are very blessed. You will never die. You will see everything God does for people. This will happen until I come in my glory with the powers of heaven. |
| 3 Nephi 28:8 | And ye shall never endure the pains of death; but when I shall come in my glory ye shall be changed in the twinkling of an eye from mortality to immortality; and then shall ye be blessed in the kingdom of my Father. | You will not feel pain when you die. When I come, you will quickly change and live forever. Then you will be happy with my Father. |
| 3 Nephi 28:9 | And again, ye shall not have pain while ye shall dwell in the flesh, neither sorrow save it be for the sins of the world; and all this will I do because of the thing which ye have desired of me, for ye have desired that ye might bring the souls of men unto me, while the world shall stand. | You won’t hurt or be sad, except if it’s for the bad things people do. I’m doing this because you asked to help bring people to me. |
| 3 Nephi 28:10 | And for this cause ye shall have fulness of joy; and ye shall sit down in the kingdom of my Father; yea, your joy shall be full, even as the Father hath given me fulness of joy; and ye shall be even as I am, and I am even as the Father; and the Father and I are one; | You will be very happy and sit with God. You will have the same happiness as Jesus and God. Jesus and God are the same. |
| 3 Nephi 28:11 | And the Holy Ghost beareth record of the Father and me; and the Father giveth the Holy Ghost unto the children of men, because of me. | The Holy Ghost tells about the Father and me. The Father gives the Holy Ghost to people because of me. |
| 3 Nephi 28:12 | And it came to pass that when Jesus had spoken these words, he touched every one of them with his finger save it were the three who were to tarry, and then he departed. | Jesus talked to the people. He touched everyone except three people. Then, he went away. |
| 3 Nephi 28:13 | And behold, the heavens were opened, and they were caught up into heaven, and saw and heard unspeakable things. | The sky opened up, they went to heaven, and saw and heard amazing things. |
| 3 Nephi 28:14 | And it was forbidden them that they should utter; neither was it given unto them power that they could utter the things which they saw and heard; | They were not allowed to say what they saw and heard. They couldn’t talk about it. |
| 3 Nephi 28:15 | And whether they were in the body or out of the body, they could not tell; for it did seem unto them like a transfiguration of them, that they were changed from this body of flesh into an immortal state, that they could behold the things of God. | They didn’t know if they were in their bodies or not, but it felt like they were changed into something that could see God’s things. |
| 3 Nephi 28:16 | But it came to pass that they did again minister upon the face of the earth; nevertheless they did not minister of the things which they had heard and seen, because of the commandment which was given them in heaven. | But they came back to earth to teach, but they could not teach the things they saw and heard because they were told not to by heaven. |
| 3 Nephi 28:17 | And now, whether they were mortal or immortal, from the day of their transfiguration, I know not; | I don’t know if they became mortal or lived forever from the day they changed. |
| 3 Nephi 28:18 | But this much I know, according to the record which hath been given—they did go forth upon the face of the land, and did minister unto all the people, uniting as many to the church as would believe in their preaching; baptizing them, and as many as were baptized did receive the Holy Ghost. | I know this: They went across the land. They helped everyone. They united people to the church if they believed. They baptized them, and those people received the Holy Ghost. |
| 3 Nephi 28:19 | And they were cast into prison by them who did not belong to the church. And the prisons could not hold them, for they were rent in twain. | Some people put them in jail. The jail broke, and they got out. |
| 3 Nephi 28:20 | And they were cast down into the earth; but they did smite the earth with the word of God, insomuch that by his power they were delivered out of the depths of the earth; and therefore they could not dig pits sufficient to hold them. | They were put in the ground, but they used God’s word and power to get out. Because of this, they could not be trapped. |
| 3 Nephi 28:21 | And thrice they were cast into a furnace and received no harm. | And three times they were put into a hot fire and were not hurt. |
| 3 Nephi 28:22 | And twice were they cast into a den of wild beasts; and behold they did play with the beasts as a child with a suckling lamb, and received no harm. | They were put in a cage with wild animals two times, but they played with the animals like a child plays with a baby sheep, and they were not hurt. |
| 3 Nephi 28:23 | And it came to pass that thus they did go forth among all the people of Nephi, and did preach the gospel of Christ unto all people upon the face of the land; and they were converted unto the Lord, and were united unto the church of Christ, and thus the people of that generation were blessed, according to the word of Jesus. | The people went to tell everyone about Jesus. They taught everyone. Many people decided to follow Jesus and join His church. Everyone was happy and blessed. |
| 3 Nephi 28:24 | And now I, Mormon, make an end of speaking concerning these things for a time. | I am Mormon. I will stop talking about these things for now. |
| 3 Nephi 28:25 | Behold, I was about to write the names of those who were never to taste of death, but the Lord forbade; therefore I write them not, for they are hid from the world. | I was going to write the names of people who will never die, but God told me not to. So I didn’t write them because they are hidden. |
| 3 Nephi 28:26 | But behold, I have seen them, and they have ministered unto me. | But look, I saw them, and they helped me. |
| 3 Nephi 28:27 | And behold they will be among the Gentiles, and the Gentiles shall know them not. | They will be with other people, but those people will not know them. |
| 3 Nephi 28:28 | They will also be among the Jews, and the Jews shall know them not. | They will be with the Jews, but the Jews will not know them. |
| 3 Nephi 28:29 | And it shall come to pass, when the Lord seeth fit in his wisdom that they shall minister unto all the scattered tribes of Israel, and unto all nations, kindreds, tongues and people, and shall bring out of them unto Jesus many souls, that their desire may be fulfilled, and also because of the convincing power of God which is in them. | One day, when God decides the time is right, the people will go and help others all around the world. They will help many different people, and many will come to believe in Jesus. This will happen because God helps them. |
| 3 Nephi 28:30 | And they are as the angels of God, and if they shall pray unto the Father in the name of Jesus they can show themselves unto whatsoever man it seemeth them good. | They are like God’s angels. If they pray to God in Jesus’ name, they can show themselves to any person they choose. |
| 3 Nephi 28:31 | Therefore, great and marvelous works shall be wrought by them, before the great and coming day when all people must surely stand before the judgment-seat of Christ; | So, they will do amazing things before the big day when everyone meets Jesus. |
| 3 Nephi 28:32 | Yea even among the Gentiles shall there be a great and marvelous work wrought by them, before that judgment day. | Even among the people who are not Israelites, there will be a big and amazing work done before the judgment day. |
| 3 Nephi 28:33 | And if ye had all the scriptures which give an account of all the marvelous works of Christ, ye would, according to the words of Christ, know that these things must surely come. | If you had all the books that tell about the amazing things Jesus did, you would know from Jesus that these things will happen. |
| 3 Nephi 28:34 | And wo be unto him that will not hearken unto the words of Jesus, and also to them whom he hath chosen and sent among them; for whoso receiveth not the words of Jesus and the words of those whom he hath sent receiveth not him; and therefore he will not receive them at the last day; | Bad things will happen to those who do not listen to Jesus and his helpers. If you do not listen to Jesus and his helpers, you do not listen to Jesus. In the end, Jesus will not accept you. |
| 3 Nephi 28:35 | And it would be better for them if they had not been born. For do ye suppose that ye can get rid of the justice of an offended God, who hath been trampled under feet of men, that thereby salvation might come? | It would be better if they were never born. Do you think you can escape God’s justice? People have disrespected Him, thinking it would bring salvation. |
| 3 Nephi 28:36 | And now behold, as I spake concerning those whom the Lord hath chosen, yea, even three who were caught up into the heavens, that I knew not whether they were cleansed from mortality to immortality— | Look, I was talking about three people chosen by the Lord. They went up to heaven, but I don’t know if they were changed to live forever. |
| 3 Nephi 28:37 | But behold, since I wrote, I have inquired of the Lord, and he hath made it manifest unto me that there must needs be a change wrought upon their bodies, or else it needs be that they must taste of death; | But look, since I wrote, I have asked the Lord, and he told me that their bodies must change, or else they will have to die. |
| 3 Nephi 28:38 | Therefore, that they might not taste of death there was a change wrought upon their bodies, that they might not suffer pain nor sorrow save it were for the sins of the world. | So they wouldn’t die, their bodies changed. They wouldn’t feel pain or sadness, except for the bad things people do. |
| 3 Nephi 28:39 | Now this change was not equal to that which shall take place at the last day; but there was a change wrought upon them, insomuch that Satan could have no power over them, that he could not tempt them; and they were sanctified in the flesh, that they were holy, and that the powers of the earth could not hold them. | This change was not as big as the one that will happen at the end of the world. But they changed so much that Satan could not make them do bad things. They became very good and the powers of the earth could not stop them. |
| 3 Nephi 28:40 | And in this state they were to remain until the judgment day of Christ; and at that day they were to receive a greater change, and to be received into the kingdom of the Father to go no more out, but to dwell eternally in the heavens. | They will stay like this until Jesus comes again. On that day, they will change and go to live with God forever in heaven. |
3 Nephi 29
| Verse | Original | 2nd Grade |
|---|---|---|
| 3 Nephi 29:1 | And now behold, I say unto you that when the Lord shall see fit, in his wisdom, that these sayings shall come unto the Gentiles according to his word, then ye may know that the covenant which the Father hath made with the children of Israel, concerning their restoration to the lands of their inheritance, is already beginning to be fulfilled. | Listen, I tell you that when God decides it is the right time, he will give these messages to everyone. Then you can know that God is starting to keep the promise he made to the children of Israel about their special land. |
| 3 Nephi 29:2 | And ye may know that the words of the Lord, which have been spoken by the holy prophets, shall all be fulfilled; and ye need not say that the Lord delays his coming unto the children of Israel. | You can know that everything God has said through the holy prophets will happen. You should not say that God is taking too long to come to the people of Israel. |
| 3 Nephi 29:3 | And ye need not imagine in your hearts that the words which have been spoken are vain, for behold, the Lord will remember his covenant which he hath made unto his people of the house of Israel. | Don’t think that the words are worthless. The Lord will remember his promise to the people of Israel. |
| 3 Nephi 29:4 | And when ye shall see these sayings coming forth among you, then ye need not any longer spurn at the doings of the Lord, for the sword of his justice is in his right hand; and behold, at that day, if ye shall spurn at his doings he will cause that it shall soon overtake you. | When you see these words, don’t ignore what the Lord is doing. He holds a sword of justice and if you ignore Him, it will soon come to you. |
| 3 Nephi 29:5 | Wo unto him that spurneth at the doings of the Lord; yea, wo unto him that shall deny the Christ and his works! | Sad for the person who ignores God’s work. Very sad for the person who says Jesus and his works are not real. |
| 3 Nephi 29:6 | Yea, wo unto him that shall deny the revelations of the Lord, and that shall say the Lord no longer worketh by revelation, or by prophecy, or by gifts, or by tongues, or by healings, or by the power of the Holy Ghost! | Oh no! Bad things will happen to anyone who says that God doesn’t talk to people, give messages, give special gifts, help people speak different languages, heal people, or use the Holy Spirit anymore. |
| 3 Nephi 29:7 | Yea, and wo unto him that shall say at that day, to get gain, that there can be no miracle wrought by Jesus Christ; for he that doeth this shall become like unto the son of perdition, for whom there was no mercy, according to the word of Christ! | Woe to anyone who says there are no miracles by Jesus to make money. They will be like the very bad son with no mercy, as Jesus said. |
| 3 Nephi 29:8 | Yea, and ye need not any longer hiss, nor spurn, nor make game of the Jews, nor any of the remnant of the house of Israel; for behold, the Lord remembereth his covenant unto them, and he will do unto them according to that which he hath sworn. | Don’t make fun of the Jews or any of Israel’s people. God remembers his promise to them and will keep it. |
| 3 Nephi 29:9 | Therefore ye need not suppose that ye can turn the right hand of the Lord unto the left, that he may not execute judgment unto the fulfilling of the covenant which he hath made unto the house of Israel. | So, don’t think you can change what the Lord will do. He will do what he promised for the people of Israel. |
3 Nephi 30
| Verse | Original | 2nd Grade |
|---|---|---|
| 3 Nephi 30:1 | Hearken, O ye Gentiles, and hear the words of Jesus Christ, the Son of the living God, which he hath commanded me that I should speak concerning you, for, behold he commandeth me that I should write, saying: | Listen, you people, and hear what Jesus Christ, the Son of God, says. He told me to talk and write about you. |
| 3 Nephi 30:2 | Turn, all ye Gentiles, from your wicked ways; and repent of your evil doings, of your lyings and deceivings, and of your whoredoms, and of your secret abominations, and your idolatries, and of your murders, and your priestcrafts, and your envyings, and your strifes, and from all your wickedness and abominations, and come unto me, and be baptized in my name, that ye may receive a remission of your sins, and be filled with the Holy Ghost, that ye may be numbered with my people who are of the house of Israel. | Stop doing bad things, and say sorry for them. Come to me and be baptized in my name so your bad things can be forgiven, and you can be filled with the Holy Ghost and be part of my people. |
Book of Mormon Simplified 