3 Nephi 1
| Verse | Original | 4th 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. It was 600 years since Lehi left Jerusalem. Lachoneus was the chief judge and governor 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 the brass plates and important records to his oldest son, also named Nephi. These records were very special and had been kept since Lehi left Jerusalem. |
| 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. | He left the land, and no one knows where he went. His son Nephi took care of the records for him, the records of their 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. | In the beginning of the ninety-second year, the prophets’ words started to come true more. There were more signs and more miracles happening for 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 saying 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 were happy and said: Look, the time is over, and Samuel’s words did not happen. So, your happiness and belief about this was useless. |
| 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 a lot of noise all over the place. The people who believed became very sad because they worried that the things they were told might 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. | They waited and watched for a special time when it would be light all day and night, so they would know their faith 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. | One day, people who didn’t believe decided that everyone who believed in the old stories should be killed, unless a special sign from 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 doing bad things, and it made him 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 very hard to his God for his people who were about to be hurt 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 to God 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. | Be happy and look up. Tonight, you will see a special sign. Tomorrow, I will come into the world. I am here to show that everything my prophets said will come 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. The time is here, and tonight there will be a 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. | Nephi heard words that came true. When the sun went down, it did not get dark. The people were surprised because it stayed light during the 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 who didn’t believe the prophets fell down like they were dead. They knew their plan to hurt the believers had failed because the promised 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. | They started to learn that the Son of God would come soon. Everyone on the whole earth, from west to east, in the north and in the south, was so surprised that they fell on 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. | They knew the prophets talked about these things for a long time. The sign was happening now. They started to be afraid because they had done 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 daytime. The sun rose again in the morning, just like normal. They knew it was the day Jesus would be born because they saw the special sign. |
| 3 Nephi 1:20 | And it had come to pass, yea, all things, every whit, according to the words of the prophets. | And 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, lies started to spread among the people because of Satan. These lies made people have hard hearts and not believe in the amazing things they saw. But even with the lies, most of the people still believed and followed 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 and helped them say sorry for their mistakes by baptizing them. Because of this, the people felt better and had peace again. |
| 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 a few people who tried to say that they did not need to follow the law of Moses. They were wrong because they did not 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. | But soon, they changed and saw their mistakes. They learned that the law was not done yet and that everything had to happen as promised. They realized nothing could be missed or ignored until all was finished. So, this same year, they understood their mistakes and said they were sorry. |
| 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 ended. The people were happy because the signs the holy prophets talked about came true. |
| 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. | The ninety-third year went by peacefully, except for the Gadianton robbers who lived in the mountains. They were very strong and had secret places, so the people could not stop them. The robbers killed many people and caused a lot of trouble. |
| 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 ninety-fourth year, many Nephites left their people, which made the Nephites 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 felt very sad. Many of their children grew up and got older. Some Zoramites tricked them with lies and nice words. The children joined the bad 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 also had problems and started to lose their faith and goodness because the young people were being bad. |
3 Nephi 2
| Verse | Original | 4th 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. The people started to forget the special signs from heaven. They were not amazed anymore, and their hearts became hard. They stopped believing what they had seen 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 of silly things. They believed men and the devil made them to trick people. Satan took control of their hearts and made them believe that the teachings of Christ were silly and not important. |
| 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 to do more bad things and did not believe in miracles anymore. Satan tricked them and made them do very bad things in the land. |
| 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 so the 96th year went by. Then the 97th year went by. Then the 98th year went by. And then the 99th year 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. | One hundred years had gone by since Mosiah, who was the king of the Nephites, lived. |
| 3 Nephi 2:6 | And six hundred and nine years had passed away since Lehi left Jerusalem. | Six hundred and nine years had gone 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 had gone by since the sign was given by the prophets that Jesus 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. | Now the Nephites started counting time from when the sign was shown or from when Jesus came. Nine years had passed since then. |
| 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, also named Nephi, who took care of the important records, did not come back to the land of Zarahemla. No one could find him 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 stayed bad even though many tried to teach them to be good. The tenth year went by and they were still bad. The eleventh year also went by and they were still not good. |
| 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. The Gadianton robbers were many and caused a lot of trouble. They killed many people and destroyed many cities. Because of this, all the Nephites and Lamanites had to fight against 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. | So, all the Lamanites who believed in God joined the Nephites. They had to pick up weapons to protect themselves, their families, and their way of life from the Gadianton robbers. They fought to keep their rights, their church, and their freedom. |
| 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 thirteenth year ended, the Nephites were in great danger of being completely destroyed because of the terrible 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; | And their curse was taken 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 joined the Nephites and were called Nephites. And that is how 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. | At the start of the fourteenth year, the war between the robbers and the Nephites kept going and got really bad. But the Nephites did manage to push the robbers out of their land and into the mountains and hidden 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 Nephites. The Nephites were being bad and fought each other a lot. The Gadianton robbers got stronger and won many times. |
| 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 sad and worried. Bad things were about to happen to them because they did bad things. |
3 Nephi 3
| Verse | Original | 4th 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: | In the 16th year after Jesus came, Lachoneus, the leader of the land, got a letter from the leader of the robbers. The letter said: |
| 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 great leader of the land, I am writing to you to say thank you. You are very strong, and your people are very strong, in standing up for what you think is your freedom and rights. You stand strong, like you are helped by a god, to protect your freedom, your things, and your land. |
| 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. | I feel sorry for you, Lachoneus, for thinking you can fight against my many strong men who are ready and waiting to destroy 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 and brave because I have seen them fight. They do not like you because you have hurt them many times. If they come to fight you, they will try to destroy you completely. |
| 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 to show I care about you. You are strong in what you believe is right, and you 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, your lands, and your things. This way they won’t come with swords and 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. | Give yourselves to us, join us, and learn our secret ways. Become our friends and partners, not our slaves, and share everything with us. |
| 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. | If you promise to do this, you won’t be hurt. But if you don’t do this, I promise that next month my armies will come and attack you. They won’t stop until you are all 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. | Hello, I am Giddianhi. I am the leader of a secret group called Gadianton. I believe this group and what it does are good. This group has been around for a very long time 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 writing to you, Lachoneus. I hope you will give us your lands and things without fighting. My people left you because you kept their rights. If you do not do this, I will make you pay. I am Giddianhi. |
| 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 was asking for the Nephites’ land and threatening the people. He was saying he would get back at people who had done nothing wrong except leave to join the bad 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 a robber’s threats. He did not listen to the robber’s letter. Instead, he told his people to pray to God for help when the robbers come. |
| 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 all around them. He made sure the walls were very strong. He put soldiers from both groups, the Nephites and the Lamanites, around the walls 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 to them: If you do not say sorry for all the bad things you did and ask the Lord for help, you will not be saved from the bad robbers. |
| 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. | Lachoneus spoke important words that made everyone scared. The people tried 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 chose leaders for the Nephite armies to be ready when the robbers came out of the wilderness. |
| 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 usually chose leaders who could see the future and hear God’s voice. Gidgiddoni was a great prophet and the main judge for the people. |
| 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 asked Gidgiddoni: Pray to God and let us go into the mountains and wilderness to fight the robbers and stop them in their own place. |
| 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 stay in the middle of our land and get ready, we will be safe. We will wait for them to come to us. If we do this, the Lord 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 in the land to gather all their horses, chariots, cows, sheep, and grain. Then, many thousands of people marched to the place where they were told to go, 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 was called Zarahemla. It was between Zarahemla and Bountiful. It was also near the land called 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. | There were many thousands of people called Nephites. They came together in this land. Lachoneus told them to come to the land in the south. This was because the land in the north had a big problem. |
| 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 stay safe from their enemies. They all stayed together in one place. They listened to Lachoneus and felt sorry for the bad things they did. They prayed to God to save them when their 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 all sorts of weapons and to be strong with armor, shields, and bucklers like he showed them. |
3 Nephi 4
| Verse | Original | 4th 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. | In the end of the eighteenth year, the robbers’ armies got ready for a fight. They came down from the hills, mountains, forests, and their secret places. They took over many lands and cities that the Nephites had 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. | The robbers couldn’t find any animals to hunt in the areas left by the Nephites. There were only animals in the wild forests. |
| 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 could only stay in the wild because they had no food. The Nephites had left their land empty and took all their animals and belongings to stay 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. | The robbers had no way to steal food unless they fought the Nephites. The Nephites stayed together with lots of food, horses, cows, and other animals that could last seven years. During this time, they hoped to get rid of the robbers. This took up the whole year. |
| 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. | In the nineteenth year, Giddianhi decided 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. | They were too scared to go out in the open and grow food because they thought the Nephites might come and kill them. So, Giddianhi told his soldiers to go fight the Nephites this year. |
| 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. | The bad people came to fight in the sixth month. The day they came was very scary. They looked like robbers. They wore lamb skin and were covered in blood. Their heads were shaved, and they had metal hats. The armies of Giddianhi looked very frightening 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 armies saw Giddianhi’s army. They fell to the ground and prayed to God for help and protection. |
| 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 armies of Giddianhi saw this, they shouted loudly because they were happy. They thought the Nephites were scared of their armies. |
| 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. | But they were wrong, because the Nephites were not scared of them. The Nephites trusted God and asked Him to keep them safe. So, when the armies came, the Nephites were ready. With God’s help, they stood strong. |
| 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 fighting started in the sixth month. It was a very big and scary fight. Many people were hurt and killed, more than ever before since the people of 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 threatened and promised to win, the Nephites still beat them, and they had to back 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 follow the enemies to the edge of the forest. They should not let any enemy go free. The soldiers followed Gidgiddoni’s orders and caught all the enemies until they reached the forest. |
| 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, who was brave and fought, tried to run away. He was very tired and got caught and killed. This is how Giddianhi the robber’s story ended. |
| 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 nineteenth year ended, and the robbers did not come to fight. They did not come in the twentieth year either. |
| 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 twenty-first year, the enemies did not fight, but surrounded the Nephi people. They thought that if they blocked the Nephi people from their land and cut off their outside help, the Nephi people would surrender. |
| 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. Zemnarihah 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, | This was good for the Nephites. The robbers could not wait long enough to hurt them because the Nephites had lots of food stored up. |
| 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; | The robbers had very little food. They only had meat 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 became 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 day and night. They fought the enemy and won, defeating thousands and tens of thousands. |
| 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. | So the people of Zemnarihah wanted to stop their plan because they were being hurt a lot during the 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 leave the battle and go far 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 the enemy was hungry and weak. So, at night, he sent his soldiers to block their way and stop them from escaping. |
| 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 did this at night and walked past the robbers. The next day, when the robbers started to walk, the Nephite armies were in front 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 robbers in the south were stopped too. Gidgiddoni told everyone 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 thousands gave themselves up as prisoners to the Nephites, and 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. After he died, 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. | May God keep his people good and pure, so they can stop anyone who tries to hurt them for power, just like this 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 shouted together, saying: May the God of Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob keep these people safe if they ask for His 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 together, thanking God for saving them 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, “Hooray for the Most High God!” And they said, “Blessed be the name of the Lord God Almighty, the Most High God.” |
| 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. | They were very happy and cried a lot because God saved them from their enemies. They knew God saved them because they were sorry and humble. |
3 Nephi 5
| Verse | Original | 4th 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. | Everyone in the Nephite group believed what the holy prophets said. No one doubted, because they knew the prophets’ words would 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 that Christ had come because they saw many signs. The prophets had said this would happen. They saw things happen just like the prophets said. So, they knew everything would happen 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 always tried very hard to serve God day and night. |
| 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. | After they caught all the robbers and none escaped, they put the robbers in jail. They taught them about God’s word. If the robbers said sorry and promised not to kill anymore, 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 didn’t make a promise to be good and kept thinking about hurting others were 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 groups where there was a lot of bad stuff and many people got hurt. |
| 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. | And so, 22 years passed, then 23 years passed, then 24 years passed, and then 25 years passed. So, 25 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 important things happened, but not all can be written in this book. This book only tells a small part of what happened in twenty-five 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. | There are books that tell everything about these people. Nephi also wrote a shorter, true story about them. |
| 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. | So I wrote these things down the same way Nephi did. He wrote on 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 that I made with my own hands. |
| 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 am named after the place called Mormon. In this place, Alma started the first church for the people after they 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. | Look, I follow Jesus Christ, the Son of God. He asked me to tell his words to the 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— | I need to follow God’s plan. The prayers of the good people before us should come true. So, I am writing down what happened. |
| 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. | Yes, a short record of what has 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 down my story from what others told me, until my own time began. |
| 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 have seen. |
| 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 that what I am writing is right and true. But there are many things we cannot write down in 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, and I will tell you about the things that 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 am thankful to God and Jesus Christ for bringing our fathers out of Jerusalem. Only Jesus and those who came out knew. Jesus has also given us important 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. | God has blessed Jacob’s family and has been kind to Joseph’s family. |
| 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’s rules, God blesses them and helps them be happy. |
| 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 children know about the Lord their God 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 gather all of Jacob’s children 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 promises to the people of Jacob, and He will keep those promises when the time is right. He will help them remember the promises He made. |
| 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 Jesus Christ, the Son of God. They will come back to their own lands from all over the earth. It will happen. Amen. |
3 Nephi 6
| Verse | Original | 4th 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. | The Nephites went back to their homes in the 26th year. They took their families, animals, and everything they 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. | The people had not eaten all their food. So, they took all the food they had left, and their gold, silver, and other important things. Then, they went back to their own homes, both in the north and the 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 land to the robbers who promised to be peaceful. The robbers wanted to stay Lamanites. They got land to live on and work. This helped make the land peaceful. |
| 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 and grow. Two more years went by. Everything was peaceful, and 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 there was nothing stopping the people from being happy and successful, 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, Judge Lachoneus, and the other 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. | Many new cities were built, and many 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, from land to land, and from place to place. |
| 3 Nephi 6:9 | And thus passed away the twenty and eighth year, and the people had continual peace. | Another year went by, and the people still had peace. |
| 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, the people started arguing. Some people became proud and bragged because they were very rich, which led to a lot of bullying. |
| 3 Nephi 6:11 | For there were many merchants in the land, and also many lawyers, and many officers. | There were many people who sold things, many people who knew the laws, and many leaders. |
| 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. | Some people became rich and learned a lot. Other people stayed poor and did not get to learn much. |
| 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, but others were very humble. Some people got angry when others were mean to them, but some were kind even when they were treated badly. They stayed humble and were sorry for their mistakes in front of 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. | So, there was a big difference between people in the land. The church started to fall apart. In the thirtieth year, it was mostly gone, except for a few Lamanites who believed in the true faith. They stayed strong and followed the Lord’s commandments carefully. |
| 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 bad things the people did happened because Satan had a lot of power. He made the people proud and greedy. They wanted more power, money, and things that don’t really matter. |
| 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. | Satan made people do bad things. They only had peace for a few years. |
| 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. | At the start of year thirty, the people had been given up to follow the devil’s temptations and do bad things. They were very wicked. |
| 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 them to do, but they chose not to follow Him. They did the wrong things on purpose. |
| 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. | Now it was the time of Lachoneus, the son of Lachoneus, because Lachoneus 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. | There were men sent from heaven. They stood with the people everywhere. They spoke bravely about the people’s wrongs and sins. They talked about how the Lord would save them. They also told everyone about Jesus’ death and his pain. |
| 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 angry with those who talked about these things. The most angry were the important judges, high priests, and lawyers. All the lawyers were angry with those who talked about 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 one could be punished with death unless the leader of the land agreed. |
| 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. | Some people talked about Jesus bravely. The judges took them away and killed them in secret. The governor didn’t know they were dead until after it happened. |
| 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— | This was against the rules of the land. No one could be put to death unless the governor 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. | So, a complaint was made in the land of Zarahemla to the leader there. People were upset with some judges who unfairly sentenced the prophets of the Lord to death. |
| 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. | The people who did something wrong were brought to the judge to get in trouble for what they did. The judge used the rules made by the people. |
| 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 a lot of friends and family. Almost all the lawyers and high priests joined with the judges’ families. They were going to be tried. |
| 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, yes, the same promise that was given a long time ago by the devil, to go against everything good. |
| 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 against the people who loved God. They made a promise to hurt them and to save the people who did bad things from getting in trouble. |
| 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 disobeyed the law and the rules of their country. They made a promise to each other to get rid of the leader and make a king in charge. This means the land would not be free anymore but would be ruled by kings. |
3 Nephi 7
| Verse | Original | 4th 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 tell you that they did not make someone a king. But in the same year, the 30th year, they killed the main judge. |
| 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 did not agree and split up. They made groups with their families and friends. This broke 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. | Every group chose a person to be their leader. So, they became groups with leaders. |
| 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. | Look, every person had a big family and many friends; so their tribes grew very large. |
| 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. | Everything happened this way, and there were no wars yet. All the bad things happened because the people 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 secret groups of friends and family of those who hurt 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 caused a big fight in the land. Almost all 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. | And so less than six years had gone by, and most of the people had stopped doing good things. They went back to doing bad things, like a dog going back to its vomit or a pig going back to roll 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; | This secret group, which made the people very bad, came together and chose a leader. They called him 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 called him their king, so he became king of the bad group. 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. | And it happened that they didn’t have as many people as the other tribes. The other tribes made their own rules, but they were still enemies. Even though they weren’t good people, they all 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 there were too many enemies. Jacob was the leader. He told his people to go to the north and make a safe place there. Jacob said more people would join them later, and they would become strong enough to fight back. So, they did what Jacob 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 fast that no one could stop them until they were far away. That’s how the thirtieth year ended for the people of Nephi. |
| 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, people were split into groups by families and friends. They agreed not to fight each other, but had different rules and leaders. They made strict laws so one group would not hurt another, so there was some peace. But their hearts turned away from God, and they threw stones at the prophets and sent 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 and saw people change from good to bad. |
| 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. | They felt sad because the people wouldn’t listen and couldn’t see the truth. They went to the people that same year and started to tell them bravely to be sorry for their mistakes and to believe in Jesus Christ 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, but not all of them are written in this book. Nephi taught with strong 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 were mad at him because he was stronger than them. They could not disbelieve his words because he had so much faith in Jesus. Angels came to help 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. | He used Jesus’ name to make bad spirits go away. He made his brother come alive again after 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 at him because he had power. He did many more miracles in front of 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 thirty-first year ended. Only a few people decided to follow the Lord. The people who did believe told others that God had touched them. They believed in Jesus Christ. |
| 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 away and were healed. They showed others they were healed by God’s Spirit. They also did some miracles. |
| 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. | And then the thirty-second year ended. Nephi talked to the people at the start of the thirty-third year. He told them to repent and that their sins could 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, anyone who said sorry for doing wrong 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 him. People who came to them were baptized with water. This showed God and everyone else that they were sorry for their sins and were forgiven. |
| 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. | At the start of the year, many people got baptized because they wanted to be good. Most of the year went by like this. |
3 Nephi 8
| Verse | Original | 4th 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 story and we know it is true. He did many miracles using Jesus’ name. Only a clean person could do miracles in Jesus’ name. |
| 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 that if this man didn’t 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 carefully for the sign that the prophet Samuel, the Lamanite, had given. They were waiting for three days of darkness to come over 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. | And the people started to doubt and argue, even though they had seen 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. | One day, in the thirty-fourth year, on the fourth day of the first month, a big storm came. It was the biggest storm ever known in the whole land. |
| 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 made the ground shake like it was going to 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 lightning bolts that people had never seen before. |
| 3 Nephi 8:8 | And the city of Zarahemla did take fire. | 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 under the sea, and the people 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 got covered by the earth, and a big mountain formed 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, bad destruction in the land to the south. |
| 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 a big and scary destruction in the north. The whole land changed because of storms, strong winds, thunder, lightning, and the earth shaking a lot. |
| 3 Nephi 8:13 | And the highways were broken up, and the level roads were spoiled, and many smooth places became rough. | The roads were broken, and the flat roads were ruined, and many smooth places became rough. |
| 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 and important cities went underwater, and many were burned down, and many were shaken until their buildings fell down, and the people there were killed, and 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 stayed, but they were very damaged, and many people were killed. |
| 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 by a big wind. No one knows where they went, but they know they were taken by the wind. |
| 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 big storms, loud thunder, bright 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. | The rocks on the ground broke into pieces. They were found everywhere in many little bits and cracks. |
| 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. | The loud noises, bright flashes, strong winds, and shaking of the ground stopped after three hours. Some people said it lasted longer, but it was about three hours. Then, everything became very 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; | There was thick darkness everywhere, so thick that people who were still standing could feel it. |
| 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 very dark. They could not light candles or torches. They could not make a fire, even with very dry wood. So, 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. | There was no light at all. No fire, no sun, no moon, and no stars, because the darkness was so thick over the land. |
| 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, cried a lot, and made loud noises because of the darkness and the big troubles 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 cried out, “We wish we had said sorry before this bad day. Then our friends would have been saved and not 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. | They cried and were sad, saying: Oh, if we had said sorry before this bad day and not hurt the prophets. Then our mothers, daughters, and children would be safe and not lost in the big city Moronihah. The people’s cries were very loud and sad. |
3 Nephi 9
| Verse | Original | 4th 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: | Everyone on the earth heard a voice saying. |
| 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 for these people; Oh no to everyone on earth except if they say sorry and change; because the devil is laughing, and his bad angels are happy, because many good people have died; and it happened because they did many bad things! |
| 3 Nephi 9:3 | Behold, that great city Zarahemla have I burned with fire, and the inhabitants thereof. | Look, I have burned the big city of Zarahemla and the people who lived there. |
| 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. | And look, I made the big city called Moroni go under the water, and the people there drowned. |
| 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. | Look, I covered the city of Moronihah with dirt and buried the people because they were bad. Now, I won’t see the bad things they did and the prophets and saints won’t have to tell me about them anymore. |
| 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 sink, and the people there are now buried deep in the ground. |
| 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. | The cities of Onihah, Mocum, and Jerusalem, and the people living there, were covered with water because they were very bad. This was done so I would not see their bad actions, and so that the blood of good people would not be against 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. | Look, the city of Gadiandi, the city of Gadiomnah, the city of Jacob, and the city of Gimgimno are all gone. I made the ground where they were go up and down. The people who lived there are buried deep in the earth because they were bad. Now the blood of good people will not cry out to me. |
| 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 called Jacobugath, where King Jacob’s people lived, was burned with fire by me. They were very bad and did many evil things. They had secret plans and killed people. They ruined the peace and the government. So, I burned the city to stop them, so the blood of good people they hurt would not keep coming to me. |
| 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 made the cities of Laman, Josh, Gad, and Kishkumen burn with fire. The people there were bad because they were mean to the prophets and threw stones at the people I sent to tell them to be good. |
| 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. | Since they were all bad and there were no good people left, I sent fire to destroy them so their bad actions would be hidden. I did this so the blood of the good people wouldn’t cry to me from the ground. |
| 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 bad things happen in this land and to these people because they did many wrong and 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 who was saved because you were better than the others, will you come back to me, say sorry for your mistakes, and change, so I can help you? |
| 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 have forever life. Look, my arm of kindness is open to you, and I will welcome anyone who comes to me; 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, the earth, and everything in them. I was with God from the start. I am in God, and God is in me. Through me, God has made His name great. |
| 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 the scriptures said about my coming 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 you believe in me, you can be children of God. I will help you if you believe in my name. I save you, and I 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 the life of the world. I am the start and the finish. |
| 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 make blood sacrifices anymore. I will not accept your sacrifices and 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. | You should give me a sad heart and a humble spirit. If you come to me with a sad heart and a humble spirit, I will bless you with my love and the Holy Spirit, just like I did for the Lamanites because 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 have come to help the world, to save the world from 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. | Anyone who says sorry and comes to me like a little child, I will accept. People like this belong to God’s kingdom. Look, I died for them and became alive again. So say sorry, come to me, and be saved from anywhere in the world. |
3 Nephi 10
| Verse | Original | 4th 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 the words and saw what happened. Then, everything was quiet for many hours. |
| 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 because their family had died. So, 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: | Then the people heard a voice again, and everyone listened and saw what was happening. |
| 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. | You people who live in these big cities that have fallen down, you are children of Jacob and part of the house of Israel. I have cared for you many times, like a mother hen cares for her baby chicks and keeps them safe under her wings. |
| 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 take care of you like a hen takes care of her baby chicks, but you did not want me 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 kept you safe. How many times will I gather you like a hen gathers her chicks under her wings, 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. | But if you don’t listen, people of Israel, your homes will be empty until the promise to your ancestors is completed. |
| 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 loudly 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. One morning, the darkness went away. The ground stopped shaking. The rocks stopped breaking. The scary sounds stopped. Everything became calm. |
| 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 stayed still. The people stopped crying and being sad. They felt happy and thanked Jesus Christ, their Savior. |
| 3 Nephi 10:11 | And thus far were the scriptures fulfilled which had been spoken by the prophets. | And what the prophets had said 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 holy people, 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. They did not get swallowed by the earth. They did not drown in the sea. They did not get burned by fire. They did not get crushed. They did not get taken by the wind. They did not get hurt by smoke or 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, everyone who reads, try to understand. If you have the scriptures, read them. See if all the fires, smoke, storms, and earthquakes are fulfilling the prophecies of the holy prophets. |
| 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. | Listen, I tell you, many people talked about Christ coming, and they were killed for saying this. |
| 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 descendants. |
| 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 a small part of Joseph’s family too? And the things that talk about us, aren’t they written on the metal plates that our 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 Nephites and the Lamanites who were saved received many great blessings. Soon after Jesus went back to heaven, he showed himself to 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 his body to them and helped them. Later, someone will tell more about what he did. For now, I am done talking. |
3 Nephi 11
| Verse | Original | 4th 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. | Now lots of Nephi people came to the temple in the land Bountiful. They were amazed and talking to each other about the big 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 also talking about Jesus Christ, the one who the sign was given 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 looked around but didn’t understand it. The voice was not loud or mean, but even though it was small, it made them shake and feel it deeply inside, making their hearts feel warm. |
| 3 Nephi 11:4 | And it came to pass that again they heard the voice, and they understood it not. | Then 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 people heard the voice a third time. They listened carefully. They looked up to the sky because the sound came from there. |
| 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 finally 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, this is my Son. I love him. I am very 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 to the sky and saw a man coming down. He wore a white robe and stood among them. Everyone looked at him but no one spoke because 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: | He reached 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 into the world. |
| 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. | Look, I am the light and life for everyone. I have drunk the bitter drink given to me by the Father. I have honored the Father by taking on the sins of everyone, and I have done what the Father 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. | When Jesus finished talking, everyone fell to the ground. They remembered that it had been told that Jesus would come to them after he went to heaven. |
| 3 Nephi 11:13 | And it came to pass that the Lord spake unto them saying: | And then 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. | Come to me. Touch my side. Feel the marks on my hands and feet. I am the God of Israel. I died for the sins of the world. |
| 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 came forward. They touched his side and felt the marks on his hands and feet. They went one by one until everyone had touched and seen him. Then they knew for sure and told others that he was the one the prophets said would come. |
| 3 Nephi 11:16 | And when they had all gone forth and had witnessed for themselves, they did cry out with one accord, saying: | And when everyone went out and saw for themselves, they all 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. | Hooray! Praise God’s name! They knelt 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 forward. |
| 3 Nephi 11:19 | And Nephi arose and went forth, and bowed himself before the Lord and did kiss his feet. | Nephi got up, went to the Lord, knelt down, and kissed His feet. |
| 3 Nephi 11:20 | And the Lord commanded him that he should arise. And he arose and stood before him. | The Lord told him to get up. So he got up and stood in front of the Lord. |
| 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. | The Lord said: I give you the power to baptize these people when I go back to heaven. |
| 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 called more people and gave them the power to baptize. He told them how to baptize and said not to argue about it. |
| 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. | Truly, I tell you, anyone who says sorry for their mistakes and wants to be baptized in my name, this is how you should do it: Go down to the water, stand there, and baptize them in my name. |
| 3 Nephi 11:24 | And now behold, these are the words which ye shall say, calling them by name, saying: | Here’s what you need to say to them, using their names: |
| 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 gave me 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. | You will put them in the water and then bring them out. |
| 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, 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. | Here is how you should baptize. Do not argue with each other about it. Do not argue about my teachings. |
| 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. | Listen, listen! If someone likes to argue and fight, they are not following me. They are following the devil, who loves to make people angry and fight with each other. |
| 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, this is not what I teach: to make people angry with each other. But this is what I teach: that we should stop doing those things. |
| 3 Nephi 11:31 | Behold, verily, verily, I say unto you, I will declare unto you my doctrine. | Look, I want to tell you about 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 my teaching. God the Father gave it to me. I tell about the Father, and the Father tells about me. The Holy Ghost also tells about the Father and me. I tell that the Father wants everyone to be sorry for their wrongs 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 go to God’s kingdom. |
| 3 Nephi 11:34 | And whoso believeth not in me, and is not baptized, shall be damned. | If you don’t believe in me and are not baptized, you will be punished. |
| 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. | Listen, listen, this is what I teach. I promise it’s true. If you believe in me, you believe in God too. God will show you the truth and send the Holy Ghost to visit you. |
| 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, because we are all 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 for your mistakes, become like a little child, and get baptized in my name. Then you can get these blessings. |
| 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. | You need to say sorry for your wrongs, get baptized with my name, and be like a little child. If you do not do these things, you cannot 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 what I teach. If you follow this, you are strong like a rock, and nothing bad can beat 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. | If anyone adds or takes away from my teachings and says it is mine, they are doing wrong. They are not strong like a rock, but like sand. When trouble comes, they will not stand strong. |
| 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 and tell everyone my words all over the world. |
3 Nephi 12
| Verse | Original | 4th 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 twelve special helpers. He told them they could baptize people. Then Jesus spoke to everyone and said, “You are blessed if you listen to the twelve helpers I picked. They will take care of you and baptize you with water. After you are baptized with water, I will baptize you with fire and the Holy Ghost. You are blessed if you believe in me and get baptized after seeing me and knowing 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. | More blessed are those who believe your words because you saw me and know I am real. Yes, blessed are those who believe your words, are humble, and get baptized. They will be visited by the Holy Ghost and have their sins forgiven. |
| 3 Nephi 12:3 | Yea, blessed are the poor in spirit who come unto me, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven. | Yes, happy are those who feel humble and come to me, because they will have the kingdom of heaven. |
| 3 Nephi 12:4 | And again, blessed are all they that mourn, for they shall be comforted. | Blessed are the people who are sad, because they will be comforted. |
| 3 Nephi 12:5 | And blessed are the meek, for they shall inherit the earth. | Happy are the humble people, because they will get 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, because they will feel God’s love. |
| 3 Nephi 12:7 | And blessed are the merciful, for they shall obtain mercy. | Happy are the kind people, because they will receive kindness. |
| 3 Nephi 12:8 | And blessed are all the pure in heart, for they shall see God. | Happy are people who have pure hearts, 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 the people who make peace, for 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 all the people who are treated badly because of me, for they will get to be 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 and tell lies about you because of 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 and full of joy, because your reward in heaven will be great. They hurt the prophets before you too. |
| 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. | Truly, truly, I tell you, I make you like the salt of the earth. But if the salt loses its taste, how can it make food taste good? The salt will be useless and will be thrown away for people to walk on. |
| 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. | I tell you the truth, you are like a light for the people. 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; | Do people light a candle and hide it under a basket? No, they put it on a stand so it shines for 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 your good deeds and praise your Father in heaven. |
| 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; | Don’t think that I came to break the law or what the prophets said. I came to do everything they taught. |
| 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. | I tell you truly, not even the smallest part of the law has disappeared, but through me, the law is complete. |
| 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 have given you the rules and the teachings of God. You should believe in me and say sorry for your mistakes. Come to me with a sad and sorry heart. You have the rules in front of you, and the teachings are done. |
| 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. You must follow my rules to 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 heard long ago, and it is written, “Do not kill, and whoever kills 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 at your brother, you could get into trouble. If you call him mean names, you could get into more trouble. If you call him a fool, you could be in big trouble. |
| 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— | If you want to come to me and remember that 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, make peace with him, and then come to me with a full 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 peace with your enemy quickly while you are still together, or he might capture you and put you in 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 have paid everything you owe. And when you are in prison, can you pay even a little bit? No. |
| 3 Nephi 12:27 | Behold, it is written by them of old time, that thou shalt not commit adultery; | Look, it was written a long time 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. | But I say to you, if you look at a woman and want her in a bad way, you have already done 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 give you a rule: don’t let any of 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 say no to bad things and follow Jesus than to go to a bad place called 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 says that if a man wants to leave his wife, he should give her a paper that says they are not married anymore. |
| 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. | Truly, truly, I tell you, if a man divorces his wife, except for cheating, he makes her do wrong. And anyone who marries her also does wrong. |
| 3 Nephi 12:33 | And again it is written, thou shalt not forswear thyself, but shalt perform unto the Lord thine oaths; | Don’t make promises you can’t keep. Always do what you say you will do for the Lord. |
| 3 Nephi 12:34 | But verily, verily, I say unto you, swear not at all; neither by heaven, for it is God—s throne; | But truly, truly, I tell you, do not swear at all; not by heaven, for it is God’s throne. |
| 3 Nephi 12:35 | Nor by the earth, for it is his footstool; | Don’t swear by the earth, because it is like God’s 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. | Just say “yes, yes” or “no, no.” Anything more is not good. |
| 3 Nephi 12:38 | And behold, it is written, an eye for an eye, and a tooth for a tooth; | It is written: if someone takes your eye, their eye should be taken; if someone takes your tooth, their tooth should be taken. |
| 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, don’t fight back against people who are mean to you. If someone hits your right cheek, let them hit your left 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 sues you in court to take 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 go one mile, go two miles with them. |
| 3 Nephi 12:42 | Give to him that asketh thee, and from him that would borrow of thee turn not away. | Give to anyone who asks you, and do not turn away from someone who wants to borrow from you. |
| 3 Nephi 12:43 | And behold it is written also, that thou shalt love thy neighbor and hate thine enemy; | It also says, 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; | Love your enemies. Be kind to people who are mean to you. Do nice things for those who don’t like you. Pray for those who are not kind to 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 for bad people 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 from a long time ago are finished because of me. |
| 3 Nephi 12:47 | Old things are done away, and all things have become new. | The 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 just as perfect as God in heaven is perfect. |
3 Nephi 13
| Verse | Original | 4th 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 don’t do it just so others can see you. If you do, you will not get a reward from God in heaven. |
| 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. | When you give to the poor, don’t show off like the hypocrites do in the places of worship and on the streets to be praised by people. They already have 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, do not 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 others 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, don’t be like the hypocrites. They like to pray in front of people so everyone 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 want to pray, go into your room and close the door. Pray to God where no one can see you, and God, who sees everything, 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 those who don’t believe. They think they will be heard if they use many 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 your Father knows what you need before you ask. |
| 3 Nephi 13:9 | After this manner therefore pray ye: Our Father who art in heaven, hallowed be thy name. | Pray like this: Our Father in heaven, your name is special. |
| 3 Nephi 13:10 | Thy will be done on earth as it is in heaven. | Your will happen on earth like in heaven. |
| 3 Nephi 13:11 | And forgive us our debts, as we forgive our debtors. | Please forgive us for the things we did wrong, just like we forgive others for what they did wrong. |
| 3 Nephi 13:12 | And lead us not into temptation, but deliver us from evil. | Help us not do bad things, but keep us safe from harm. |
| 3 Nephi 13:13 | For thine is the kingdom, and the power, and the glory, forever. Amen. | The kingdom, the power, and the glory are yours forever. Amen. |
| 3 Nephi 13:14 | For, if ye forgive men their trespasses your heavenly Father will also forgive you; | If you forgive people for hurting you, God will also forgive you. |
| 3 Nephi 13:15 | But if ye forgive not men their trespasses neither will your Father forgive your trespasses. | But if you do not forgive others, then God will not forgive you. |
| 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 look sad like the people who pretend. They make their faces look sad so others know they are fasting. They already got what they wanted. |
| 3 Nephi 13:17 | But thou, when thou fastest, anoint thy head, and wash thy face; | But you, 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 show off that you are not eating. Do it for God, who is hidden. God, who sees hidden things, will reward you. |
| 3 Nephi 13:19 | Lay not up for yourselves treasures upon earth, where moth and rust doth corrupt, and thieves break through and steal; | Don’t keep lots of things on earth because they can get ruined or stolen. |
| 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. | But keep your treasures in heaven, where they will not get old or be stolen. |
| 3 Nephi 13:21 | For where your treasure is, there will your heart be also. | Your heart will be where your treasure is. |
| 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 window for your body. If your eye is healthy, your whole body will be filled with 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 in darkness. If the light inside you is dark, it is 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 dislike the other. You can’t work for both 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 said to His twelve helpers, “Remember what I said. I chose you to help these people. Don’t worry about food, drink, or clothes. Life is more important than food, and the body is more important 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 in the sky. They do not plant seeds, pick crops, or store food. But God takes care of them. You are more important than birds, right? |
| 3 Nephi 13:27 | Which of you by taking thought can add one cubit unto his stature? | Can any of you grow 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, how they grow. 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. | Let me tell you, even King Solomon, with all his nice clothes and riches, was not dressed as beautifully as one of these. |
| 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 dresses the grass, which is here today and gone tomorrow, He will also take care of you if you have faith. |
| 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 ask, “What will we eat?” or, “What will we drink?” or, “What will we wear?” |
| 3 Nephi 13:32 | For your heavenly Father knoweth that ye have need of all these things. | God 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. | Look for God’s kingdom and do what is right first. Then you will get all these things too. |
| 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 of its own. |
3 Nephi 14
| Verse | Original | 4th 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. | After Jesus spoke, he turned to the people and said: Do not judge others, so you will not 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. If you are kind or mean, others will be kind or mean to you too. |
| 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 small speck in your brother’s eye but not see the big log 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 you have a big stick 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 should take the big piece of wood out of your own eye before you try to take the small speck out of your friend’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. | Do not give special things to dogs. Do not throw your pearls to pigs. They might step on them and then 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 what you need. Look, and you will find. Knock, and the door will open for you. |
| 3 Nephi 14:8 | For every one that asketh, receiveth; and he that seeketh, findeth; and to him that knocketh, it shall be opened. | Anyone who asks will get. Anyone who looks will find. Anyone who knocks will have the door opened. |
| 3 Nephi 14:9 | Or what man is there of you, who, if his son ask bread, will give him a stone? | If a boy asks his dad for bread, will the dad 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 are not perfect but still give good gifts to your kids, think how much better your Father in heaven will give good 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. | So, whatever you want people to do to you, do the same to them. This is what the law and the prophets teach. |
| 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; | Go in through the narrow gate, because the wide gate and broad way lead to bad things, 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 not many 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 for people who lie and pretend to be good. They look nice, but inside, they are bad and want to hurt you. |
| 3 Nephi 14:16 | Ye shall know them by their fruits. Do men gather grapes of thorns, or figs of thistles? | You can tell what people are like by what they do. Do people pick grapes from thorny plants, or figs from prickly bushes? |
| 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, but 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 cannot make bad fruit, and a bad tree cannot make good 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 thrown into the fire. |
| 3 Nephi 14:20 | Wherefore, by their fruits ye shall know them. | So, you will know people 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 says “Lord, 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: Lord, we have spoken in your name. We have made bad spirits go away in your name. We have done many good things in your name. |
| 3 Nephi 14:23 | And then will I profess unto them: I never knew you; depart from me, ye that work iniquity. | I will tell 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— | So, anyone who listens to what I say and does it is like a smart person who built their 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 rose, and the winds blew hard against the house. But it did not fall, because it was built on a strong 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— | Anyone who hears what I say but does not do it is like a foolish man who built his house on the 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. | The rain came down. The floods came. The wind blew and hit the house. The house fell down. It was a big fall. |
3 Nephi 15
| Verse | Original | 4th 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 crowd and said: You have heard what I taught before I went up to my Father. If you remember my teachings and follow them, I will lift you up in the end. |
| 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. | Jesus saw that some of the people were confused about His words. They wondered about the law of Moses because they didn’t understand that old things were gone and everything had become new. |
| 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 said to them: Do not be surprised that I told you 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 law given to Moses is 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 promised to take care of my people Israel. Now, I have come to finish the rules, so they are done. |
| 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 get rid of the prophets. Everything they said about me will 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 old things are gone, I do not get rid of 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 isn’t done yet. But, the rules given to Moses will end 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. | Look at me. I have the rules and the light. Follow me and keep going until the end, and you will live. If you keep going until the end, I will give you life forever. |
| 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 have given you rules. So follow my rules. This is what the law and prophets talked about, because they spoke 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: | Then Jesus finished talking and told the twelve people he had 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 followers, and you are a light for these people, who are part of Joseph’s family. |
| 3 Nephi 15:13 | And behold, this is the land of your inheritance; and the Father hath given it unto you. | Look, this is your land; 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. | And the Father never told me to tell it to your brothers 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. | The Father never told me to tell them about the other tribes of Israel that He took away from the land. |
| 3 Nephi 15:16 | This much did the Father command me, that I should tell unto them: | The 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, not here. I will bring them too. They will listen to me. We will all be one flock with one shepherd. |
| 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. | And now, because they were stubborn and did not believe, they did not understand my words. So, I was told not to talk more about this thing. |
| 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. | But I tell you that God told me to tell you, you were separated from them because they did bad things. That’s why they don’t know you. |
| 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 other tribes are far away because they did bad things. That is why they don’t 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 tell you the truth, you are the other sheep I talked about. I need to bring you too. You will hear my voice. There will be one group and 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 didn’t understand me because they thought I was talking about other people. They didn’t know that these people would learn about God from them. |
| 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 that I said they will hear my voice. They did not understand that the non-Israelites will not hear my voice, except by 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 my voice and seen me; you are my sheep, and you are counted as those the Father has given me. |
3 Nephi 16
| Verse | Original | 4th 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 this place or from Jerusalem or anywhere nearby where I have been. |
| 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 are the ones who have not heard me yet. I have not shown myself to them at any time. |
| 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. | But God told me to go to them. They will listen to me and join my group. There will be one group and one leader. That is why I go to 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 want you to write these words after I am gone. If the people in Jerusalem who have seen and been with me do not ask God for knowledge about you through the Holy Spirit, write these words so that everyone, including the Gentiles, can read them. This way, the scattered people can learn about me, their Savior. |
| 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 together from all the places of the world. I will keep the promise made to all the people of 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. | The Gentiles are blessed because they believe in me and the Holy Ghost, which 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. | Look, says God, because they believe in me and you do not, the truth will go to other people later so they can 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 things will happen, says the Father, to those who do not believe. Even though they came to this land and scattered my people of Israel. My people of Israel have been pushed away and treated badly. |
| 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— | God is kind to the Gentiles. He also judges the people of Israel. After all this, He makes the people of Israel suffer. They are hurt, killed, and cast out. They become disliked and a byword among others. |
| 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. | The Father commands: One day, when people do bad things and do not listen to my teachings, they will become proud and think they are better than everyone else. They will lie, cheat, hurt others, pretend to be good, and do many wrong things in secret. If they keep doing bad things and do not follow my teachings, the Father says, 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, O house of Israel, and I will give them my good news. |
| 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, house of Israel, that the Gentiles will not control you. I will remember my promise to you, house of Israel, and you will learn all of my gospel. |
| 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, O 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 hurt others, 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 do not listen to me, I will let my people go among them and walk on them. They will be like salt that is not good anymore and should be 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. | I tell you the truth, the Father told me to give this land to these people. |
| 3 Nephi 16:17 | And then the words of the prophet Isaiah shall be fulfilled, which say: | Then the words of the prophet Isaiah will come true, which say: |
| 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. They will sing together, for they will see the same thing when God 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, everyone in Jerusalem! The Lord 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 has shown His power to everyone; and all people everywhere will see that God saves. |
3 Nephi 17
| Verse | Original | 4th 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. | Listen, after Jesus finished talking, he looked at everyone again and said: My time has come. |
| 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. You cannot understand everything I am told to say to 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 and think about what I said. Pray to God, using my name, to help you understand. Get ready for tomorrow because I will come back to you. |
| 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. | Now I am going to see the Father and also show myself to the lost tribes of Israel. They are not lost to the Father because He 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. | Jesus looked around at the crowd. The people were crying, and they looked at Jesus 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 kind and loving towards 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 there any sick people with you? Bring them to me. Are there any who cannot walk, see, or hear, or have hurt bodies? Bring them to me and I will make them better because I care about you. |
| 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. | I can see you want to know what I did to help your families in Jerusalem, and I see you believe enough for me to heal you. |
| 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. | When he talked, all the people brought their sick, hurt, and blind to him. He healed everyone. |
| 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, both the healed and the healthy, bowed at his feet and worshiped him. Many people kissed his feet and cried, so his feet were wet with their tears. |
| 3 Nephi 17:11 | And it came to pass that he commanded that their little children should be brought. | He said they should bring their little kids. |
| 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. | The people brought their little children and put them on the ground around Jesus. Jesus stood in the middle, and the crowd moved aside so all the children could come to him. |
| 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 on the ground, Jesus felt very sad and said: Father, I am upset because the people of Israel are doing bad things. |
| 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. | When he said this, he knelt down on the ground. He prayed to the Father, but we can’t write down what he prayed. The people who heard him remembered it. |
| 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: No one has ever seen or heard such amazing things before as when we saw and heard Jesus talk 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 or write, and no one can even imagine the amazing things we saw and heard Jesus say. We were so happy 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. | When Jesus finished praying, he stood up. The people were so happy that they couldn’t move. |
| 3 Nephi 17:19 | And it came to pass that Jesus spake unto them, and bade them arise. | Then Jesus talked to them and 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 stood 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. | After he spoke, he cried. The people saw him. He took the little children, one by one, blessed them, and 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 crowd 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 to the sky and saw it open. Angels came down in fire and went around the little children. The angels 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. | Many people saw and heard. They knew it was true because each person saw and heard for themselves. There were about 2,500 people. They were men, women, and children. |
3 Nephi 18
| Verse | Original | 4th 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 the people 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. | When the friends brought bread and wine, Jesus took the bread. He broke it, prayed, and gave it to his friends. He told them to eat it. |
| 3 Nephi 18:4 | And when they had eaten and were filled, he commanded that they should give unto the multitude. | And when they had eaten and were full, 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 ate and was full, Jesus told his helpers: One of you will be chosen. He will have power to break bread, bless it, and give it to everyone in my church who believes in me and is baptized. |
| 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: take bread, bless it, and share it, just like I did. |
| 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, which I showed you. This will be a way to show God that you always remember me. If you always remember me, you will have my Spirit 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. | He told his helpers to take the cup of wine and drink some, and then give it to everyone else so they can drink too. |
| 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 full. They gave to everyone. Everyone drank and was full. |
| 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 this, Jesus said to them: You are blessed for doing this because you are following my commandments and showing the Father that you are willing to do what I have asked. |
| 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 in my name. Do this to remember my blood, which I gave for you. By doing this, you show God that you always remember me. If you always remember me, my Spirit will be 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 give you a rule: Do these things always. If you do, you will be happy and safe because you are strong on my rock. |
| 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. | But anyone who does too little or too much is not on my strong rock. They are on weak sand. When it rains and floods, and the wind blows, they will fall down. And bad things will happen to them. |
| 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. | You will be happy if you follow my rules, which God told me to give to 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. | Listen, listen, I tell you, you need to watch and pray all the time so you don’t get tempted by the devil and taken by him. |
| 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. | Just like I have prayed with you, you should pray in my church with my people who are sorry and get baptized in my name. Look, I am the light; I have shown 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: | After Jesus talked to his helpers, he 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, you need to watch and pray all the time so you don’t do bad things. Satan wants to trick you and take you away. |
| 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 the Father for good things in my name, and believe, you will receive them. |
| 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 together with your family to God, always saying my name, so your wives and kids can be happy. |
| 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. Do not stop anyone from joining you. |
| 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 often, keep praying for them to God, in 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 saw me pray to God, and you were all there. |
| 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 have told you not to leave, but to come to me, so you can feel and see. Do this for others too. If anyone breaks this rule, they will be tempted. |
| 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 speaking, he looked at his special friends 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 tell you the truth. I give you a new rule. I must go to my Father to do other things He told 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; | Listen, this is a rule I give you: do not let anyone take my special bread and drink if they are not ready for it, 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 without being worthy, it hurts their soul. So, if you know someone is not worthy, do not let them eat and drink my flesh and blood. |
| 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. | But don’t send him away. Help him and pray for him. If he says sorry and gets baptized, then welcome 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. | But if he does not say sorry, he will not be my friend, because he might hurt my friends. I know my friends, and how many there are. |
| 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. | But, don’t make him leave your churches or places where you worship. Keep helping him because he might come back, say sorry, and come to me with all his heart. Then I will heal him, and you will 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 what I told you to do so you don’t get into trouble, because it’s bad for those who get in trouble with God. |
| 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 I need to go for your good. |
| 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 helpers one by one, until he had touched them all, and talked 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 people did not hear what he said, so they could not tell others. But the disciples told others that he gave them power to give the Holy Ghost. Later, I will show you 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 could not 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. | As they were covered by a shadow, he left them and went up to heaven. The disciples saw this and told everyone he went back to heaven. |
3 Nephi 19
| Verse | Original | 4th 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. | After Jesus went up to heaven, the people left. Each man took his wife and children and went back to his 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 started talking about how the crowd had seen Jesus, and he had talked to them. They also said Jesus would come back to see them 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 worked very hard all night so they could be in the place where Jesus would show himself to the crowd the next day. |
| 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 gathered together. Nephi, his brother Timothy who he raised from the dead, his son Jonas, and others named Mathoni, Mathonihah, Kumen, Kumenonhi, Jeremiah, Shemnon, Jonas, Zedekiah, and Isaiah, all went and stood in the middle of the people. These were the disciples chosen by Jesus. |
| 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 split them 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 the people. They told the people to kneel down and pray to God in the name of Jesus. |
| 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 friends prayed to God in Jesus’s name. Then they got 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. | And after they said the same words Jesus had said, without changing anything, they knelt down and prayed to God in the name of Jesus. |
| 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 prayed for what they wanted most; they wanted the Holy Ghost to be with them. |
| 3 Nephi 19:10 | And when they had thus prayed they went down unto the water—s edge, and the multitude followed them. | And after they prayed, they went to the water, and the crowd went with 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 chosen. |
| 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 all baptized and came out of the water, the Holy Ghost came upon 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. | The people saw something like fire come down from the sky. Many people saw it and talked about it. Angels came down 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. | Jesus visited the disciples while angels were helping them. |
| 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 told all the people to kneel down on the ground, and he told his helpers to kneel down too. |
| 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 everyone 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 their 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: | Then Jesus left them, went a little away, knelt down, and said: |
| 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, I thank you for giving the Holy Ghost to these people I chose. I chose them 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 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. | God, I am praying for everyone who believes in me because of my friends, and I want them to have you and me in their hearts so we can all be together. |
| 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 Heavenly Father, he went to his disciples. They kept praying to him without stopping. They didn’t use many words because they knew what to pray for, and they wanted to pray very much. |
| 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 blessed the people while they were praying. He smiled at them, and his face shined on them. They became very white, just like Jesus’ face and clothes, whiter than anything else on earth. |
| 3 Nephi 19:26 | And Jesus said unto them: Pray on; nevertheless they did not cease to pray. | Jesus said to them: Keep praying. And they kept on 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 from them, knelt down, and prayed to God 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. | Thank you, Father, for making my chosen friends clean because of their faith. I pray for them and for everyone who believes their words, that they will be made clean through faith, just like my friends are. |
| 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. | Father, I pray for the people you gave me because they believe in me. Please make them clean and help me to be with them. Let us be together like you and I are together, so they can 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. | After Jesus said these things, he came back to his friends. They were praying to him all the time. He smiled at them. They were bright and shining, like Jesus. |
| 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 bit 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. | His words were so special that no one can say them and no one can write them. |
| 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 understood what he prayed. |
| 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 wonderful that no one could write it down or say it. |
| 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 back to his friends. He told them, “I have never seen such great faith among the Jews. I could not show them big miracles because they did not believe.” |
| 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. | I tell you the truth, no one has seen such great things as you have seen, and no one has heard such great things as you have heard. |
3 Nephi 20
| Verse | Original | 4th 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 everyone to stop praying out loud, but to 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. 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 again, blessed it, and gave it to his friends to eat. |
| 3 Nephi 20:4 | And when they had eaten he commanded them that they should break bread, and give unto the multitude. | After they ate, he told them to break the 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. | And when they gave the people bread, he also gave them wine. He told them to give wine 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. | Jesus said, “If you eat this bread, it is like eating my body. If you drink this wine, it is like drinking my blood. You will never be hungry or thirsty again, but you will feel full.” |
| 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 finished eating and drinking, they felt very happy because of the Spirit. They all shouted together and praised Jesus, whom they saw and heard. |
| 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. | When they all gave praise to Jesus, he said to them: Look, now I finish the command that God gave me about this people, who are part of Israel. |
| 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— | Remember I told you about Isaiah’s words. 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. | I tell you truly, when these things happen, it means God’s promises to the people of Israel are 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. | The people who are spread out all over the earth will be gathered together from the east, west, south, and north. 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 to be 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— | I tell you, if the people do not say sorry after they get blessed, after they have sent my people away… |
| 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 to many people. You will be like a lion among other animals and like a young lion among sheep. You will walk through them and be strong, and no one can stop you. |
| 3 Nephi 20:17 | Thy hand shall be lifted up upon thine adversaries, and all thine enemies shall be cut off. | You will raise your hand against your enemies, and they will all 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 person gathers bundles of grain. |
| 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. Your horns will be iron, and your feet will be brass. You will break many people into pieces, and their things will be given to the Lord. I am the one who does it. |
| 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. | The Father says that one day, if people do not say sorry and change, they will be punished. This will happen to all the other nations too. |
| 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, House of 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 make sure these people live in this land. I promised your ancestor Jacob. This place will be called New Jerusalem. God will be with these people. 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. | I am the one Moses talked about. God will send a prophet like me to you. You must listen to everything he tells you. If you do not listen, you will be separated from the others. |
| 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, yes, all the prophets from Samuel and those who came after, 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 family of Israel. God made a promise to your ancestors. He told Abraham: “All families on Earth will be blessed through your children.” |
| 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 first and to bless you by turning you away from doing bad things because you are part of God’s promise. |
| 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. | After you were blessed, God made a promise to Abraham. He said, “Through your family, all people on earth will be blessed.” This blessing will come from the Holy Ghost through me to all people, making them strong. This will lead to my people, the house of Israel, being spread out. |
| 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 cause trouble for the people here. But when they learn all of my teachings, if they turn away from me, 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 will keep my promise to gather my people. I will give them the land of Jerusalem, which I promised to them forever. |
| 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; | The time will come when my gospel will be taught to everyone. |
| 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, God’s Son, and pray to God 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, and they will sing together, because 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 together again and give them Jerusalem as their home. |
| 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 very happy. Sing together, empty places of Jerusalem! God has helped his people and 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 everyone; and all people will see that God saves; 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 be strong, Zion; put on your nice clothes, Jerusalem, the holy city. Nobody unclean will come to you anymore. |
| 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. | Get up from the dust; stand up, sit down, O Jerusalem; take off the chains from your neck, O captive daughter of Zion. |
| 3 Nephi 20:38 | For thus saith the Lord: Ye have sold yourselves for naught, and ye shall be redeemed without money. | The Lord says: You gave yourselves away for nothing, but I will get you back without money. |
| 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 it is me 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, how nice it is to see the one who brings good news, who talks about peace, who brings the message of good things, who talks about being saved; who says to Zion: Your God is in charge! |
| 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. | And then a loud call will be heard: Leave, leave, get out from there. Do not touch anything dirty. Leave that place. Be clean, you who carry the things of the Lord. |
| 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 do not need to hurry or be afraid. God will lead you, and He will protect you from behind. |
| 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 wise; he will be praised a lot 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— | Many people were surprised when they saw him. His face was so hurt, more than anyone else, and he didn’t look like other people. |
| 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 help many people; kings will be quiet when they see him, because they will see things they didn’t know about; and they will think about things they never heard 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. | Listen, I promise you, everything will happen like God said. The promise He made to His people will come true. Then my people will live in Jerusalem again, and it will be their special land. |
3 Nephi 21
| Verse | Original | 4th 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 so you know when I am bringing my people, the house of Israel, back together and making their home 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; | Look, I will give you a sign. When I tell you these things, and more later, by the Holy Ghost that the Father gives you, the Gentiles will know about the people of Jacob and my people 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; | Truly, I tell you, when God shows them these things, they will bring them 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 wants them to live in this land and be free. This will help God’s promises to their children come true. |
| 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 Gentiles, to your children who won’t believe because of their wrongdoings;. |
| 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 people who are not Jews to learn about Him. If they listen and are sorry for their mistakes, they can come to God, be baptized, and learn the truth about His teachings. Then, they can be part of God’s chosen people, the house of Israel. |
| 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. This will show them that God 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 very surprised. They will see things they didn’t know about. They will think about things they never heard before. |
| 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 very big and amazing for me. Some people will not believe it, 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, I will protect my servant’s life. They will not hurt him, even if he gets hurt because of them. 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 anyone does not believe my words, I am Jesus, they will not be part of my 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 be with the Gentiles. They will be like a lion among animals in the forest, like a young lion with sheep. The lion will walk through and tear them apart, and no one can save them. |
| 3 Nephi 21:13 | Their hand shall be lifted up upon their adversaries, and all their enemies shall be cut off. | They will win against their enemies, and their enemies won’t be able to hurt them anymore. |
| 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; | Watch out, people! If you don’t say sorry for your mistakes, God will take away your horses and break your chariots. |
| 3 Nephi 21:15 | And I will cut off the cities of thy land, and throw down all thy strongholds; | I will get rid of the cities in your land, and take down all 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 take away magic from your land, and there will be no more fortune tellers. |
| 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 take away your carved idols and statues, and you will no longer worship what you have made. |
| 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 special trees and 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. | All lies, tricks, jealousy, fights, bad actions, and bad behaviors will go away. |
| 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 that one day if people do not say sorry and come to His Son, they will not be part of His 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, even more than the others. They have never heard anything like it 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 my words, and do not be stubborn, I will make my church with them. They will be part of my special group and own this land. |
| 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 people of Jacob, and also others from the house of Israel who come, so they can 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 my people who are spread out over the land to come together in the New Jerusalem. |
| 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 God’s power will come down to them; and I will be with them too. |
| 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. | That day, the Father’s work will start when this gospel is taught to this remaining people. Truly, on that day, the Father’s work will start among all my scattered people, even the tribes that have been lost, whom the Father took out of 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. | The work will start to help all my people come back. The Father will help them find the way to me, so they can talk to the Father in 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, the work will start with God helping all people get ready to 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 leave in a hurry. I will go in front of them and follow behind them, says the Father. |
3 Nephi 22
| Verse | Original | 4th 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. | Then what is written will happen: Sing, you who did not have children; sing out loud and be happy, you who did not give birth; for the lonely woman will have more children than 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 make more room; don’t hold back, make your ropes longer and your 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 and spread out to the right and the left. Your children will live in new places 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 confused. You will forget the bad things from when you were young and you will not remember the sadness from losing your husband. |
| 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, your husband, his name is the Lord of Hosts. Your Redeemer, the Holy One of Israel, will be called the 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. | God called you like a sad woman, feeling left out and hurt, like a young wife who felt unwanted, 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 short time, I left you, but I will bring you back with a lot of kindness. |
| 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 was a little angry and hid my face from you for a short time, but I will always be kind and forgive 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. | Just like I promised Noah that the flood would never happen again, I promise I won’t 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 mountains and hills will go away, but my kindness will stay with you. My promise of peace will not be taken away, 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. | Oh you who are sad and worried! Look, I will make your stones pretty colors, and your base will have shiny blue 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 like stones, your gates red like jewels, and all your borders pretty with nice rocks. |
| 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 children will learn from the Lord, and they will have great 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 safe and do good things; you will not be scared because bad things won’t come near 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. | Look, people will come together against you, but not because of me; anyone who comes together against you will lose because of you. |
| 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. I also made someone to bring trouble. |
| 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 made to hurt you will work. If anyone speaks against you, you will stop them. This is the promise for the Lord’s helpers. The Lord says, “Their goodness comes from me.” |
3 Nephi 23
| Verse | Original | 4th 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. | Listen, I tell you that you should look at these things. Yes, I tell you to look hard at these things because Isaiah’s words 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 everything about my people from the house of Israel, so he must also 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 has 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 what I say; write down what I told you; when the Father says it is time, the words will be given to other people. |
| 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. | Anyone who listens to my words, says sorry for their mistakes, and gets baptized will be saved. Look at what the prophets say, many talk about these things. |
| 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. | After Jesus said these things, he told them more. He explained all the scriptures to them. Then he said, “Look, I want you to write other scriptures that you don’t have yet.” |
| 3 Nephi 23:7 | And it came to pass that he said unto Nephi: Bring forth the record which ye have kept. | He said to Nephi: Bring the book you have been writing. |
| 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: | When 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 my helper Samuel to tell the people that when God shows His glory, many good people who have died will come back to life, show themselves to many people, and help them. Samuel then asked them: Did this 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. | His friends said: Yes, Lord, 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 down that many good people came back to life, showed themselves, and helped others?” |
| 3 Nephi 23:12 | And it came to pass that Nephi remembered that this thing had not been written. | Nephi remembered that it had not been written 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 as 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 all the important writings to them. Then, He told them to teach what He had explained. |
3 Nephi 24
| Verse | Original | 4th 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 asked them to write the words that the Father gave to Malachi. After they wrote them down, he explained them. He said, “The Father told Malachi, ‘I will send my messenger to make the way ready for me. The Lord you are looking for will come to his temple. The messenger of the promise 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. | But who can stay when he comes, and who can stand when he shows up? For he is like a hot fire that cleans, and like soap that makes things very clean. |
| 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 sit like someone who cleans and makes silver pure. He will make the sons of Levi clean and pure, like gold and silver, so they can give a good gift to the Lord. |
| 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 gifts from Judah and Jerusalem will make the Lord happy, just like long ago. |
| 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 close to judge you. I will be quick to speak against people who do magic, who cheat on their spouses, who lie, and who are unfair to workers, widows, orphans, and 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. Because of this, 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 obeyed my rules. Come back to me, and I will come back to you, says the Lord. 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. | Would a person steal from God? But you have stolen from me. You ask: How did we steal from you? In tithes and offerings. |
| 3 Nephi 24:9 | Ye are cursed with a curse, for ye have robbed me, even this whole nation. | You are punished because you have stolen from me, all of you. |
| 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 is food in my house. Test me, says the Lord, and see if I will not open the windows of heaven and give you so many blessings that you won’t have enough room for them. |
| 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 one who destroys your crops, so he won’t ruin the fruits of your land. Your plants will not drop their fruit too early, says the Lord. |
| 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 say you are happy because your land will be wonderful, 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? | The Lord says, “You have said strong things against me.” 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, and what do we get for keeping his rules and being sad in front of 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 proud people are happy. Yes, bad people are doing well. Yes, even those who test God are safe. |
| 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. | People who loved God talked to each other often. God listened to them. A special book was written for those who loved and remembered God. |
| 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. | They will belong to me, says the Lord. On that day, I will keep them safe like a man keeps his son safe who helps him. |
| 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 come back and see who is good and who is bad, who serves God and who does not. |
3 Nephi 25
| Verse | Original | 4th 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. | Listen, a hot day is coming like a big oven. All the proud and bad people will be burned up. The Lord says they will be gone completely. |
| 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 be like young cows in a safe stall. |
| 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 walk on bad people; they will be like ashes under your feet when I do this, says the Lord. |
| 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 to Moses on the mountain for all the people of 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 comes. |
| 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 fathers love their children, and children love their fathers, so nothing bad happens to the earth. |
3 Nephi 26
| Verse | Original | 4th 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. | After Jesus talked, he explained everything to the people. He told them big things and small things. |
| 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: God told me to give you these scriptures because it was a good idea. They are for 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 his glory. He told all things that will happen on earth, until the elements melt with great heat, the earth rolls up like a scroll, and the heavens and earth disappear. |
| 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 before God to be judged by their actions, whether they were 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 live forever with God. If they are bad, they will be punished forever. God’s mercy and justice will decide this. Christ, who has always existed, will judge them. |
| 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 even a small part of what 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 some of the things Jesus taught the people. I did this so these things can come back to the people as 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 first to test their faith, and if they believe, then they will see greater 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 these things, then the bigger things will be kept from them, and they will be punished. |
| 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. | I was going to write everything from the plates of Nephi, but God told me not to, because He wanted to test the faith of the people. |
| 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. | So, I, Mormon, write the things the Lord told me to write. Now, I, Mormon, finish my words and start to write what the Lord 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. | I want you to know that the Lord taught the people for three days. After that, he showed himself to them many times. He also broke bread, blessed it, and gave it to them often. |
| 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 and helped the children. He made it so they could talk, and they told their fathers wonderful things, even more amazing than what he had told everyone else. He made it so they could speak. |
| 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 to heaven again, he showed himself to the people. He went to the Father after healing all the sick and making the blind see and the deaf hear. He did many miracles and raised a man from the dead. Then he went back to the Father. |
| 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. | The next day, many people came together. They saw and heard the children. Even babies spoke wonderful things. People were not allowed to write down what the babies 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 baptize and teach everyone who came to them. Everyone who was baptized in Jesus’ name felt the Holy Ghost. |
| 3 Nephi 26:18 | And many of them saw and heard unspeakable things, which are not lawful to be written. | And many of them saw and heard things that were too special to be written 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 were fair to one another. |
| 3 Nephi 26:20 | And it came to pass that they did do all things even as Jesus had commanded them. | And 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 the name of Jesus were called the church of Christ. |
3 Nephi 27
| Verse | Original | 4th 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. | The followers of Jesus traveled and talked about what they had seen and heard. They also baptized people in Jesus’ name. Then, 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 and showed himself to them while they were praying. Jesus stood with them 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 we should call 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 tell you, why are the people complaining and arguing 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 read the holy books? The holy books say you must take my name, Christ’s name. This is the name you will be called on 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. | If you take my name and keep going, you will be saved in the end. |
| 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. | Do everything in my name. Call the church by my name. Pray to the Father in 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 my church be mine if it is not called by my name? If it is called by Moses’ name, then it is Moses’ church. If it is called by a man’s name, then it is a man’s church. But if it is called by my name, then it is my church, if it follows my teachings. |
| 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 the truth, you are built on my teachings. So, call everything you do in my name. If you ask the Father for the church in my name, He 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 gospel, then God will show His works in it. |
| 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 my teachings, and is built on people’s works or the works of the devil, they will be happy for a little while, but then the end comes, and they are 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. | The things people do stay with them. Because of what they do, they are like trees cut down. Remember what I told you. |
| 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 good news. 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 put on the cross. After I was put on the cross, I wanted to bring all people to me. As I was lifted up by people, people will be lifted up by the Father to stand before me. They will be judged for what they did, 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 was lifted up so I can bring everyone to me. They will be judged by 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. If you stay good until the end, I will not blame you when I see my Father on the day 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 going until the end, you will be cut down and thrown into the fire, and you can’t come back because it is 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. | This is the message God gave to people. He keeps all his promises and never lies. |
| 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. | Nothing dirty can go into God’s kingdom. Only people who have cleaned their clothes in Jesus’ blood because they believe, have said sorry for all their bad choices, and stay loyal until the end can rest with God. |
| 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’s the rule: Say sorry for your mistakes, everyone in the world. Come to me and be baptized in my name. You will be made clean by receiving the Holy Ghost, so you can be clean and pure when you meet me. |
| 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; | I tell you, this is my good news. You know what to do in my church. Do the good 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. | So, if you do these good things, you will be happy, because you will be lifted up in the end. |
| 3 Nephi 27:23 | Write the things which ye have seen and heard, save it be those which are forbidden. | Write down what you saw and heard, except the things you are not allowed to. |
| 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 now, just like what was written about what they did 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. | People will be judged by the books that have been written and will be written, because these books 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. | Everything is written by God. So, people will be judged by what is written in the books. |
| 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 of the people, with fair rules I will give you. So, what kind of people should you be? I tell you, 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. | Now I go to the Father. And I tell you, if you ask the Father for anything in my name, he will give it to you. |
| 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. | So, if you ask, you will get help; if you knock, the door will open for you; because anyone who asks will get help, and anyone who knocks will find the door open. |
| 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 right now. God is happy, and so are all the angels. 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. | Listen, I want you to understand. I am talking about the people who are 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. | But it makes me sad because in the fourth generation from now, people will be taken away by the bad one. They will betray me for money and things that can be destroyed or stolen. On that day, I will come back and make them face the bad things they have done. |
| 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. | After Jesus finished talking, he told his friends: Go through the small gate. The small gate and narrow path lead to life, but only a few find it. The big gate and wide path lead to death, and many people go that way. |
3 Nephi 28
| Verse | Original | 4th 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 to the people, he spoke to his special friends one by one. He asked them, “What do you want me to do for you 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. | All of them spoke except three and said: We want that after we have lived a long life, our work for you can stop, so we can come quickly to you in your great place. |
| 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 me 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? | And 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 my 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 inside 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 to them: I know what you are thinking. You want the same thing that John, who was with me before I went up, wanted from me. |
| 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 because you will never die. You will live to see all that God does for people until everything is finished. Then, I will come with the power 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 won’t have to feel the pain of death. When I come in my glory, you will be changed very quickly and live forever. Then you will be happy in my Father’s kingdom. |
| 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 feel pain or sadness while you live, except for feeling sorry for people’s sins. I will do this because you want to help people come 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 be in my Father’s kingdom. You will have complete joy, just like the Father has given me joy. You will be like me, and I am like the Father. The Father and I are one. |
| 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; and 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. | When Jesus finished talking, he touched everyone with his finger except for three people who were to stay, and then he left. |
| 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, and they went up to heaven. They 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 told not to talk about it. They couldn’t say what they saw and heard. |
| 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 did not know if they were in their bodies or not. It felt like they changed from their normal bodies into forever bodies so they 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. | They came back to help people on the earth, but they didn’t tell anyone what they had seen or heard because God told them not to. |
| 3 Nephi 28:17 | And now, whether they were mortal or immortal, from the day of their transfiguration, I know not; | And now, I don’t know if they could die or not, starting 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. | Here is what I know: the people traveled and taught others about the church. Those who believed were baptized and 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. | The people who were not in the church put them in prison. But the prisons could not keep them because the prisons broke apart. |
| 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 his power to come out of the ground. No hole was big enough to keep them in. |
| 3 Nephi 28:21 | And thrice they were cast into a furnace and received no harm. | They were thrown into a big fire three times, but they did not get 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. | Two times they were put into a cave with wild animals, but they played with the animals like a child plays with a baby lamb, 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 of Nephi went to everyone and told them about Jesus. Many people believed in Jesus and joined His church. These people were blessed, just like Jesus said. |
| 3 Nephi 28:24 | And now I, Mormon, make an end of speaking concerning these things for a time. | I am Mormon, and 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 wanted to write the names of people who would never die, but God told me not to. So, I did not write their names because they are hidden from everyone. |
| 3 Nephi 28:26 | But behold, I have seen them, and they have ministered unto me. | But look, I have seen them, and they have helped me. |
| 3 Nephi 28:27 | And behold they will be among the Gentiles, and the Gentiles shall know them not. | And look, they will be with other people, but the other 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. | When God decides it’s the right time, they will help all people everywhere. They will teach many people about Jesus, and many will believe because of God’s power in 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 angels of God. If they pray to God in Jesus’s name, they can show themselves to anyone 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, these people will do amazing things before the important day when everyone has to stand in front of Jesus to be judged. |
| 3 Nephi 28:32 | Yea even among the Gentiles shall there be a great and marvelous work wrought by them, before that judgment day. | Yes, even among people who are not part of God’s chosen group, something amazing will be done by them before the final 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 everything Jesus did, you would know, from what Jesus said, that these things will definitely 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 people who do not listen to Jesus and the people he sends. If they do not listen to Jesus and his helpers, they are not accepting him. So, he will not accept them in the end. |
| 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 ignore the justice of God who has been hurt by people, so that they can be saved? |
| 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— | Now listen, I talked about three people chosen by the Lord. They were taken up to heaven. I don’t know if they changed from being mortal to immortal. |
| 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 asked God and He showed me that a change must happen to their bodies, or 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 that they would not die, their bodies were changed. They would not feel pain or sadness, except for the bad things in the world. |
| 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 time. But they were changed so that Satan could not have power over them. He could not tempt them. They were made holy, and nothing on earth could 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 stayed this way until Jesus came to judge them. On that day, they would change more and go to live with God and stay in heaven forever. |
3 Nephi 29
| Verse | Original | 4th 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. | When the Lord is ready, these words will go to the people. Then you will know that God’s promise to the children of Israel is starting to come true. |
| 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 should know that everything God said through the prophets will happen. You don’t need to say that God is slow 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 you heard don’t matter. 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 God is doing. If you do, His justice will catch up with you quickly. |
| 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! | Bad things will happen to the person who rejects what the Lord does. Bad things will also happen to the person who says Christ 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! | Yes, bad things will happen to anyone who says that God does not reveal things anymore, or that God does not do miracles, or heal people, or give special gifts, or help through the Holy Ghost. |
| 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! | Bad things will happen to anyone who says there are no miracles from Jesus Christ just to make money. They will be like the very bad person who got no mercy. Jesus said this! |
| 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 the people of Israel anymore. God remembers the promises he made to them and will keep his word. |
| 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. | You should not think that you can change what God wants to do. He will keep his promises to the people of Israel. |
3 Nephi 30
| Verse | Original | 4th 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, to the words of Jesus Christ, the Son of God. He told me to speak to you. He told me to write this. |
| 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, everyone. Say you are sorry for lying, cheating, being mean, and other bad actions. Stop worshiping idols and hurting people. Come to me, get baptized, and you will be forgiven. You will receive the Holy Spirit and be part of my people. |
Book of Mormon Simplified 