Ether 1
| Verse | Original | 4th Grade |
|---|---|---|
| Ether 1:1 | And now I, Moroni, proceed to give an account of those ancient inhabitants who were destroyed by the hand of the Lord upon the face of this north country. | Now I, Moroni, will tell you about the ancient people who lived here long ago and were destroyed by God. |
| Ether 1:2 | And I take mine account from the twenty and four plates which were found by the people of Limhi, which is called the Book of Ether. | I got my story from the 24 plates found by the people of Limhi. This is called the Book of Ether. |
| Ether 1:3 | And as I suppose that the first part of this record, which speaks concerning the creation of the world, and also of Adam, and an account from that time even to the great tower, and whatsoever things transpired among the children of men until that time, is had among the Jews— | The first part of the record talks about how the world was made, about Adam, and things that happened until the big tower. The Jews have this record. |
| Ether 1:4 | Therefore I do not write those things which transpired from the days of Adam until that time; but they are had upon the plates; and whoso findeth them, the same will have power that he may get the full account. | So, I do not write down what happened from the time of Adam until now. But these stories are on the plates. Whoever finds them will be able to read the whole story. |
| Ether 1:5 | But behold, I give not the full account, but a part of the account I give, from the tower down until they were destroyed. | But listen, I don’t tell the whole story, just a part of it, from the tower until they were gone. |
| Ether 1:6 | And on this wise do I give the account. He that wrote this record was Ether, and he was a descendant of Coriantor. | I am going to tell a story. A man named Ether wrote it down. He was from the family of Coriantor. |
| Ether 1:7 | Coriantor was the son of Moron. | Coriantor was Moron’s son. |
| Ether 1:8 | And Moron was the son of Ethem. | Moron was Ethem’s son. |
| Ether 1:9 | And Ethem was the son of Ahah. | Ethem was Ahah’s son. |
| Ether 1:10 | And Ahah was the son of Seth. | Ahah was Seth’s son. |
| Ether 1:11 | And Seth was the son of Shiblon. | Seth was Shiblon’s son. |
| Ether 1:12 | And Shiblon was the son of Com. | Shiblon was the son of Com. |
| Ether 1:13 | And Com was the son of Coriantum. | Com was the son of Coriantum. |
| Ether 1:14 | And Coriantum was the son of Amnigaddah. | Coriantum was the son of Amnigaddah. |
| Ether 1:15 | And Amnigaddah was the son of Aaron. | Amnigaddah was Aaron’s son. |
| Ether 1:16 | And Aaron was a descendant of Heth, who was the son of Hearthom. | Aaron was the great-great-grandson of Heth, and Heth was the son of Hearthom. |
| Ether 1:17 | And Hearthom was the son of Lib. | Hearthom was Lib’s son. |
| Ether 1:18 | And Lib was the son of Kish. | Lib was Kish’s son. |
| Ether 1:19 | And Kish was the son of Corom. | Kish was Corom’s son. |
| Ether 1:20 | And Corom was the son of Levi. | Corom was Levi’s son. |
| Ether 1:21 | And Levi was the son of Kim. | Levi was Kim’s son. |
| Ether 1:22 | And Kim was the son of Morianton. | Kim was Morianton’s son. |
| Ether 1:23 | And Morianton was a descendant of Riplakish. | Morianton was a child of Riplakish. |
| Ether 1:24 | And Riplakish was the son of Shez. | Riplakish was Shez’s son. |
| Ether 1:25 | And Shez was the son of Heth. | Shez was Heth’s son. |
| Ether 1:26 | And Heth was the son of Com. | Heth was Com’s son. |
| Ether 1:27 | And Com was the son of Coriantum. | Com was the son of Coriantum. |
| Ether 1:28 | And Coriantum was the son of Emer. | Coriantum was Emer’s son. |
| Ether 1:29 | And Emer was the son of Omer. | Emer was Omer’s son. |
| Ether 1:30 | And Omer was the son of Shule. | Omer was Shule’s son. |
| Ether 1:31 | And Shule was the son of Kib. | Shule was Kib’s son. |
| Ether 1:32 | And Kib was the son of Orihah, who was the son of Jared; | Kib was the son of Orihah. Orihah was the son of Jared. |
| Ether 1:33 | Which Jared came forth with his brother and their families, with some others and their families, from the great tower, at the time the Lord confounded the language of the people, and swore in his wrath that they should be scattered upon all the face of the earth; and according to the word of the Lord the people were scattered. | Jared and his brother came with their families and other people from the big tower. At that time, God made the people speak different languages and said they would be spread out all over the earth. And that is what happened. |
| Ether 1:34 | And the brother of Jared being a large and mighty man, and a man highly favored of the Lord, Jared, his brother, said unto him: Cry unto the Lord, that he will not confound us that we may not understand our words. | And Jared’s big and strong brother, whom God liked very much, was told by Jared, “Please pray to God so He won’t mix up our words and we can understand each other.” |
| Ether 1:35 | And it came to pass that the brother of Jared did cry unto the Lord, and the Lord had compassion upon Jared; therefore he did not confound the language of Jared; and Jared and his brother were not confounded. | The brother of Jared asked the Lord for help. The Lord was kind to Jared, so He did not change Jared’s language. Jared and his brother could still understand each other. |
| Ether 1:36 | Then Jared said unto his brother: Cry again unto the Lord, and it may be that he will turn away his anger from them who are our friends, that he confound not their language. | Then Jared said to his brother: Pray to God again. Maybe He will stop being angry with our friends and not mix up their language. |
| Ether 1:37 | And it came to pass that the brother of Jared did cry unto the Lord, and the Lord had compassion upon their friends and their families also, that they were not confounded. | The brother of Jared prayed to God. God felt sorry for their friends and families and helped them not be confused. |
| Ether 1:38 | And it came to pass that Jared spake again unto his brother, saying: Go and inquire of the Lord whether he will drive us out of the land, and if he will drive us out of the land, cry unto him whither we shall go. And who knoweth but the Lord will carry us forth into a land which is choice above all the earth? And if it so be, let us be faithful unto the Lord, that we may receive it for our inheritance. | Jared said to his brother, “Ask the Lord if He will make us leave our land. If He does, ask Him where we should go. Maybe the Lord will take us to a very special land. If He does, let’s be good so we can have it.” |
| Ether 1:39 | And it came to pass that the brother of Jared did cry unto the Lord according to that which had been spoken by the mouth of Jared. | The brother of Jared prayed to the Lord because Jared told him to. |
| Ether 1:40 | And it came to pass that the Lord did hear the brother of Jared, and had compassion upon him, and said unto him: | And it happened that the Lord listened to the brother of Jared, felt sorry for him, and spoke to him. |
| Ether 1:41 | Go to and gather together thy flocks, both male and female, of every kind; and also of the seed of the earth of every kind; and thy families; and also Jared thy brother and his family; and also thy friends and their families, and the friends of Jared and their families. | Get your animals, all the males and females, and also gather seeds of every kind. Bring your family, Jared and his family, your friends and their families, and Jared’s friends and their families. |
| Ether 1:42 | And when thou hast done this thou shalt go at the head of them down into the valley which is northward. And there will I meet thee, and I will go before thee into a land which is choice above all the lands of the earth. | When you have done this, you will lead them into the valley to the north. I will meet you there and guide you to a special land. |
| Ether 1:43 | And there will I bless thee and thy seed, and raise up unto me of thy seed, and of the seed of thy brother, and they who shall go with thee, a great nation. And there shall be none greater than the nation which I will raise up unto me of thy seed, upon all the face of the earth. And thus I will do unto thee because this long time ye have cried unto me. | I will bless you and your children. I will make a great nation from your children and your brother’s children, and those who go with you. This nation will be the greatest on earth. I will do this because you have prayed to me for a long time. |
Ether 2
| Verse | Original | 4th Grade |
|---|---|---|
| Ether 2:1 | And it came to pass that Jared and his brother, and their families, and also the friends of Jared and his brother and their families, went down into the valley which was northward, (and the name of the valley was Nimrod, being called after the mighty hunter) with their flocks which they had gathered together, male and female, of every kind. | Jared and his brother, their families, and their friends went to a valley called Nimrod. They took all their animals with them. |
| Ether 2:2 | And they did also lay snares and catch fowls of the air; and they did also prepare a vessel, in which they did carry with them the fish of the waters. | They set traps to catch birds. They made a container to carry fish with them. |
| Ether 2:3 | And they did also carry with them deseret, which, by interpretation, is a honey bee; and thus they did carry with them swarms of bees, and all manner of that which was upon the face of the land, seeds of every kind. | They took with them “deseret,” which means a honey bee. So they took swarms of bees and many kinds of seeds from the land. |
| Ether 2:4 | And it came to pass that when they had come down into the valley of Nimrod the Lord came down and talked with the brother of Jared; and he was in a cloud, and the brother of Jared saw him not. | When they went into the valley of Nimrod, the Lord came down and talked with the brother of Jared; but he was in a cloud, so the brother of Jared did not see him. |
| Ether 2:5 | And it came to pass that the Lord commanded them that they should go forth into the wilderness, yea, into that quarter where there never had man been. And it came to pass that the Lord did go before them, and did talk with them as he stood in a cloud, and gave directions whither they should travel. | The Lord told them to go into the wilderness where no one lived before. The Lord went with them and talked to them from a cloud, telling them where to go. |
| Ether 2:6 | And it came to pass that they did travel in the wilderness, and did build barges, in which they did cross many waters, being directed continually by the hand of the Lord. | They went on a journey in the wild, and built boats to cross many waters, with God’s help. |
| Ether 2:7 | And the Lord would not suffer that they should stop beyond the sea in the wilderness, but he would that they should come forth even unto the land of promise, which was choice above all other lands, which the Lord God had preserved for a righteous people. | God did not want them to stay in the wilderness. He wanted them to go to a very special land that He had saved for good people. |
| Ether 2:8 | And he had sworn in his wrath unto the brother of Jared, that whoso should possess this land of promise, from that time henceforth and forever, should serve him, the true and only God, or they should be swept off when the fulness of his wrath should come upon them. | God was very angry and promised the brother of Jared that anyone who lived in this special land had to follow Him, the one true God, or they would be in big trouble. |
| Ether 2:9 | And now, we can behold the decrees of God concerning this land, that it is a land of promise; and whatsoever nation shall possess it shall serve God, or they shall be swept off when the fulness of his wrath shall come upon them. And the fulness of his wrath cometh upon them when they are ripened in iniquity. | Now we can see God’s rules about this land: it is a special land. Any nation that lives here must serve God, or they will be taken away when God gets very angry. God gets very angry when they become very bad. |
| Ether 2:10 | For behold, this is a land which is choice above all other lands; wherefore he that doth possess it shall serve God or shall be swept off; for it is the everlasting decree of God. And it is not until the fulness of iniquity among the children of the land, that they are swept off. | This is the best land. Whoever lives here must serve God or leave. This rule is from God. People only leave if they become very bad. |
| Ether 2:11 | And this cometh unto you, O ye Gentiles, that ye may know the decrees of God—that ye may repent, and not continue in your iniquities until the fulness come, that ye may not bring down the fulness of the wrath of God upon you as the inhabitants of the land have hitherto done. | This is for you, people. God wants you to know His rules. You should stop doing bad things and say you are sorry. This way, you won’t make God very angry like the people who lived here before. |
| Ether 2:12 | Behold, this is a choice land, and whatsoever nation shall possess it shall be free from bondage, and from captivity, and from all other nations under heaven, if they will but serve the God of the land, who is Jesus Christ, who hath been manifested by the things which we have written. | Look, this is a special land. Any nation that has it will be free if they serve God, who is Jesus Christ. |
| Ether 2:13 | And now I proceed with my record; for behold, it came to pass that the Lord did bring Jared and his brethren forth even to that great sea which divideth the lands. And as they came to the sea they pitched their tents; and they called the name of the place Moriancumer; and they dwelt in tents, and dwelt in tents upon the seashore for the space of four years. | Now I continue my story. The Lord brought Jared and his brothers to a big sea that splits the land. When they got there, they put up their tents. They named the place Moriancumer. They lived in their tents by the sea for four years. |
| Ether 2:14 | And it came to pass at the end of four years that the Lord came again unto the brother of Jared, and stood in a cloud and talked with him. And for the space of three hours did the Lord talk with the brother of Jared, and chastened him because he remembered not to call upon the name of the Lord. | After four years, the Lord came to the brother of Jared in a cloud and talked with him. The Lord talked to him for three hours because he forgot to pray. |
| Ether 2:15 | And the brother of Jared repented of the evil which he had done, and did call upon the name of the Lord for his brethren who were with him. And the Lord said unto him: I will forgive thee and thy brethren of their sins; but thou shalt not sin any more, for ye shall remember that my Spirit will not always strive with man; wherefore, if ye will sin until ye are fully ripe ye shall be cut off from the presence of the Lord. And these are my thoughts upon the land which I shall give you for your inheritance; for it shall be a land choice above all other lands. | Jared’s brother said sorry for doing bad things. He prayed to God for his friends, too. God said, “I forgive you and your friends. But don’t do bad things again. Remember, I won’t always help if you keep doing bad things. If you keep sinning, you will not be with Me anymore. This land I give you is very special, better than any other.” |
| Ether 2:16 | And the Lord said: Go to work and build, after the manner of barges which ye have hitherto built. And it came to pass that the brother of Jared did go to work, and also his brethren, and built barges after the manner which they had built, according to the instructions of the Lord. And they were small, and they were light upon the water, even like unto the lightness of a fowl upon the water. | The Lord said: Go build boats like the ones you built before. So, the brother of Jared and his brothers went to work and built boats just like the Lord told them. The boats were small and floated on the water like birds. |
| Ether 2:17 | And they were built after a manner that they were exceedingly tight, even that they would hold water like unto a dish; and the bottom thereof was tight like unto a dish; and the sides thereof were tight like unto a dish; and the ends thereof were peaked; and the top thereof was tight like unto a dish; and the length thereof was the length of a tree; and the door thereof, when it was shut, was tight like unto a dish. | They were built very tightly. They could hold water like a bowl. The bottom was tight like a bowl. The sides were tight like a bowl. The ends were pointed. The top was tight like a bowl. They were as long as a tree. The door was tight like a bowl when it was closed. |
| Ether 2:18 | And it came to pass that the brother of Jared cried unto the Lord, saying: O Lord, I have performed the work which thou hast commanded me, and I have made the barges according as thou hast directed me. | The brother of Jared prayed to God and said, “God, I did the work you told me to do. I made the boats just like you showed me.” |
| Ether 2:19 | And behold, O Lord, in them there is no light; whither shall we steer? And also we shall perish, for in them we cannot breathe, save it is the air which is in them; therefore we shall perish. | Look, Lord, there is no light in them. How will we know where to go? We can’t breathe in them without air. We will die. |
| Ether 2:20 | And the Lord said unto the brother of Jared: Behold, thou shalt make a hole in the top, and also in the bottom; and when thou shalt suffer for air thou shalt unstop the hole and receive air. And if it be so that the water come in upon thee, behold, ye shall stop the hole, that ye may not perish in the flood. | The Lord said to the brother of Jared: Make a hole at the top and bottom. When you need air, open the hole to get air. If water comes in, close the hole so you do not drown. |
| Ether 2:21 | And it came to pass that the brother of Jared did so, according as the Lord had commanded. | And the brother of Jared did what the Lord told him to do. |
| Ether 2:22 | And he cried again unto the Lord saying: O Lord, behold I have done even as thou hast commanded me; and I have prepared the vessels for my people, and behold there is no light in them. Behold, O Lord, wilt thou suffer that we shall cross this great water in darkness? | And he prayed to God again and said: Dear God, I did what you told me to do. I got the boats ready for my people, but there is no light in them. God, will you let us travel across this big water in the dark? |
| Ether 2:23 | And the Lord said unto the brother of Jared: What will ye that I should do that ye may have light in your vessels? For behold, ye cannot have windows, for they will be dashed in pieces; neither shall ye take fire with you, for ye shall not go by the light of fire. | And the Lord said to the brother of Jared: What do you want me to do so you can have light in your boats? You can’t have windows because they will break, and you can’t take fire because you can’t use fire for light. |
| Ether 2:24 | For behold, ye shall be as a whale in the midst of the sea; for the mountain waves shall dash upon you. Nevertheless, I will bring you up again out of the depths of the sea; for the winds have gone forth out of my mouth, and also the rains and the floods have I sent forth. | You will be like a big fish in the ocean. Big waves will hit you. But I will bring you out of the water. The wind and rain are from me. |
| Ether 2:25 | And behold, I prepare you against these things; for ye cannot cross this great deep save I prepare you against the waves of the sea, and the winds which have gone forth, and the floods which shall come. Therefore what will ye that I should prepare for you that ye may have light when ye are swallowed up in the depths of the sea? | I will get you ready for the sea. You can’t cross it unless I help you. There will be big waves, strong winds, and lots of water. What do you want me to do so you can have light when you are deep in the sea? |
Ether 3
| Verse | Original | 4th Grade |
|---|---|---|
| Ether 3:1 | And it came to pass that the brother of Jared, (now the number of the vessels which had been prepared was eight) went forth unto the mount, which they called the mount Shelem, because of its exceeding height, and did molten out of a rock sixteen small stones; and they were white and clear, even as transparent glass; and he did carry them in his hands upon the top of the mount, and cried again unto the Lord, saying: | The brother of Jared made eight boats. He went to a tall mountain called Shelem. He made sixteen small, clear, white stones from a rock. He carried the stones to the top of the mountain and prayed to the Lord. |
| Ether 3:2 | O Lord, thou hast said that we must be encompassed about by the floods. Now behold, O Lord, and do not be angry with thy servant because of his weakness before thee; for we know that thou art holy and dwellest in the heavens, and that we are unworthy before thee; because of the fall our natures have become evil continually; nevertheless, O Lord, thou hast given us a commandment that we must call upon thee, that from thee we may receive according to our desires. | Dear Lord, you said we must be surrounded by water. Please, Lord, do not be mad at me because I am weak. We know you are holy and live in heaven, and we are not worthy to be near you. Because of our sins, we keep doing bad things. But, Lord, you told us to pray to you so we can get what we need. |
| Ether 3:3 | Behold, O Lord, thou hast smitten us because of our iniquity, and hast driven us forth, and for these many years we have been in the wilderness; nevertheless, thou hast been merciful unto us. O Lord, look upon me in pity, and turn away thine anger from this thy people, and suffer not that they shall go forth across this raging deep in darkness; but behold these things which I have molten out of the rock. | Look, Lord, you have punished us because we did bad things and sent us away. We have been in the wild for many years. But you have been kind to us. Lord, please feel sorry for me and stop being mad at us. Don’t let us travel in the dark across the big, angry water. Look at these things I made from the rock. |
| Ether 3:4 | And I know, O Lord, that thou hast all power, and can do whatsoever thou wilt for the benefit of man; therefore touch these stones, O Lord, with thy finger, and prepare them that they may shine forth in darkness; and they shall shine forth unto us in the vessels which we have prepared, that we may have light while we shall cross the sea. | God, I know you have all power and can help people. Please touch these stones and make them shine in the dark. They will light up our boats so we can see while we travel across the sea. |
| Ether 3:5 | Behold, O Lord, thou canst do this. We know that thou art able to show forth great power, which looks small unto the understanding of men. | Look, Lord, you can do this. We know you can show big power that might seem small to people. |
| Ether 3:6 | And it came to pass that when the brother of Jared had said these words, behold, the Lord stretched forth his hand and touched the stones one by one with his finger. And the veil was taken from off the eyes of the brother of Jared, and he saw the finger of the Lord; and it was as the finger of a man, like unto flesh and blood; and the brother of Jared fell down before the Lord, for he was struck with fear. | And the brother of Jared said some words. Then, the Lord touched the stones one by one with his finger. The brother of Jared’s eyes were opened, and he saw the Lord’s finger. It looked like a man’s finger. The brother of Jared was very afraid and fell down because of his fear. |
| Ether 3:7 | And the Lord saw that the brother of Jared had fallen to the earth; and the Lord said unto him: Arise, why hast thou fallen? | The Lord saw that the brother of Jared had fallen to the ground. The Lord said to him: Get up, why did you fall down? |
| Ether 3:8 | And he saith unto the Lord: I saw the finger of the Lord, and I feared lest he should smite me; for I knew not that the Lord had flesh and blood. | He said to the Lord: I saw the Lord’s finger, and I was scared He might hurt me, because I didn’t know the Lord had a body. |
| Ether 3:9 | And the Lord said unto him: Because of thy faith thou hast seen that I shall take upon me flesh and blood; and never has man come before me with such exceeding faith as thou hast; for were it not so ye could not have seen my finger. Sawest thou more than this? | The Lord said to him: Because you believe, you have seen that I will have a body. No one has had faith like you. If you didn’t believe, you could not have seen my finger. Did you see anything else? |
| Ether 3:10 | And he answered: Nay; Lord, show thyself unto me. | And he said: No; Lord, show yourself to me. |
| Ether 3:11 | And the Lord said unto him: Believest thou the words which I shall speak? | And the Lord said: Do you believe what I will say? |
| Ether 3:12 | And he answered: Yea, Lord, I know that thou speakest the truth, for thou art a God of truth, and canst not lie. | And he said: Yes, Lord, I know you tell the truth because you are a God who cannot lie. |
| Ether 3:13 | And when he had said these words, behold, the Lord showed himself unto him, and said: Because thou knowest these things ye are redeemed from the fall; therefore ye are brought back into my presence; therefore I show myself unto you. | After he said these words, the Lord appeared and said: Because you understand these things, you are saved from the fall and brought back to me; so I am showing myself to you. |
| Ether 3:14 | Behold, I am he who was prepared from the foundation of the world to redeem my people. Behold, I am Jesus Christ. I am the Father and the Son. In me shall all mankind have life, and that eternally, even they who shall believe on my name; and they shall become my sons and my daughters. | Look, I am Jesus Christ. I was ready from the start to save my people. I am the Father and the Son. Everyone who believes in me will have life forever. They will be my sons and daughters. |
| Ether 3:15 | And never have I showed myself unto man whom I have created, for never has man believed in me as thou hast. Seest thou that ye are created after mine own image? Yea, even all men were created in the beginning after mine own image. | I have never shown myself to the people I made because they have not believed in me like you do. Do you see that you are made to look like me? Yes, all people were made to look like me from the start. |
| Ether 3:16 | Behold, this body, which ye now behold, is the body of my spirit; and man have I created after the body of my spirit; and even as I appear unto thee to be in the spirit will I appear unto my people in the flesh. | Look, this body you see is the body of my spirit. I made humans to look like my spirit body. Just like I look like this in spirit, I will look the same when I come to earth. |
| Ether 3:17 | And now, as I, Moroni, said I could not make a full account of these things which are written therefore it sufficeth me to say that Jesus showed himself unto this man in the spirit, even after the manner and in the likeness of the same body even as he showed himself unto the Nephites. | I, Moroni, said I cannot tell everything. So I will say that Jesus came to this man in spirit, just like he did to the Nephites. |
| Ether 3:18 | And he ministered unto him even as he ministered unto the Nephites; and all this, that this man might know that he was God, because of the many great works which the Lord had showed unto him. | He helped the man just like he helped the Nephites. He did this so the man would know he was God, because of the many wonderful things God had done for him. |
| Ether 3:19 | And because of the knowledge of this man he could not be kept from beholding within the veil; and he saw the finger of Jesus, which, when he saw, he fell with fear; for he knew that it was the finger of the Lord; and he had faith no longer, for he knew, nothing doubting. | This man knew so much that he could see something special. He saw Jesus’ finger. When he saw it, he was scared because he knew it was God’s finger. He no longer had to have faith because he was sure it was real. |
| Ether 3:20 | Wherefore, having this perfect knowledge of God, he could not be kept from within the veil; therefore he saw Jesus; and he did minister unto him. | So, because he knew God very well, he got to see Jesus. And Jesus talked to him. |
| Ether 3:21 | And it came to pass that the Lord said unto the brother of Jared: Behold, thou shalt not suffer these things which ye have seen and heard to go forth unto the world, until the time cometh that I shall glorify my name in the flesh; wherefore, ye shall treasure up the things which ye have seen and heard, and show it to no man. | The Lord said to the brother of Jared: Do not tell anyone what you have seen and heard. Keep it a secret until I come to the world and show everyone who I am. |
| Ether 3:22 | And behold, when ye shall come unto me, ye shall write them and shall seal them up, that no one can interpret them; for ye shall write them in a language that they cannot be read. | When you come to me, you will write down the words and seal them up. No one will be able to understand them because they will be written in a special language. |
| Ether 3:23 | And behold, these two stones will I give unto thee, and ye shall seal them up also with the things which ye shall write. | And look, I will give you two stones. You should keep them safe with the things you write down. |
| Ether 3:24 | For behold, the language which ye shall write I have confounded; wherefore I will cause in my own due time that these stones shall magnify to the eyes of men these things which ye shall write. | Look, I have mixed up the language you will write in. So later, I will make these stones show people what you wrote. |
| Ether 3:25 | And when the Lord had said these words, he showed unto the brother of Jared all the inhabitants of the earth which had been, and also all that would be; and he withheld them not from his sight, even unto the ends of the earth. | After the Lord talked to the brother of Jared, He showed him all the people who ever lived and all the people who would live. The brother of Jared saw everything, even to the very end of the earth. |
| Ether 3:26 | For he had said unto him in times before, that if he would believe in him that he could show unto him all things—it should be shown unto him; therefore the Lord could not withhold anything from him, for he knew that the Lord could show him all things. | A long time ago, someone told him that if he believed, he would be shown everything. So, the Lord showed him everything because he believed. |
| Ether 3:27 | And the Lord said unto him: Write these things and seal them up; and I will show them in mine own due time unto the children of men. | The Lord said to him: Write these things down and keep them safe. I will show them to people when the time is right. |
| Ether 3:28 | And it came to pass that the Lord commanded him that he should seal up the two stones which he had received, and show them not, until the Lord should show them unto the children of men. | The Lord told him to keep the two stones safe and not show them to anyone until the Lord said it was okay. |
Ether 4
| Verse | Original | 4th Grade |
|---|---|---|
| Ether 4:1 | And the Lord commanded the brother of Jared to go down out of the mount from the presence of the Lord, and write the things which he had seen; and they were forbidden to come unto the children of men until after that he should be lifted up upon the cross; and for this cause did king Mosiah keep them, that they should not come unto the world until after Christ should show himself unto his people. | The Lord told the brother of Jared to go down the mountain and write what he saw. But no one could read it until after Jesus was on the cross. King Mosiah kept the writings safe until Jesus showed himself to the people. |
| Ether 4:2 | And after Christ truly had showed himself unto his people he commanded that they should be made manifest. | And after Jesus showed himself to his people, he told them to let others know. |
| Ether 4:3 | And now, after that, they have all dwindled in unbelief; and there is none save it be the Lamanites, and they have rejected the gospel of Christ; therefore I am commanded that I should hide them up again in the earth. | After that, they stopped believing. Only the Lamanites are left, but they do not believe in Jesus. So, I have to hide the records in the ground again. |
| Ether 4:4 | Behold, I have written upon these plates the very things which the brother of Jared saw; and there never were greater things made manifest than those which were made manifest unto the brother of Jared. | Look, I wrote down what the brother of Jared saw. Nothing greater has ever been shown than what he saw. |
| Ether 4:5 | Wherefore the Lord hath commanded me to write them; and I have written them. And he commanded me that I should seal them up; and he also hath commanded that I should seal up the interpretation thereof; wherefore I have sealed up the interpreters, according to the commandment of the Lord. | So, God told me to write these things down, and I did. He also told me to seal them up, and I did that too. God asked me to seal up the meanings, so I sealed up the special tools that help understand them. |
| Ether 4:6 | For the Lord said unto me: They shall not go forth unto the Gentiles until the day that they shall repent of their iniquity, and become clean before the Lord. | The Lord told me: They cannot go to the people until they say sorry for their bad actions and become clean before Him. |
| Ether 4:7 | And in that day that they shall exercise faith in me, saith the Lord, even as the brother of Jared did, that they may become sanctified in me, then will I manifest unto them the things which the brother of Jared saw, even to the unfolding unto them all my revelations, saith Jesus Christ, the Son of God, the Father of the heavens and of the earth, and all things that in them are. | If people believe in me like the brother of Jared did, says the Lord, I will show them what I showed the brother of Jared. I will tell them all my secrets, says Jesus Christ, the Son of God. |
| Ether 4:8 | And he that will contend against the word of the Lord, let him be accursed; and he that shall deny these things, let him be accursed; for unto them will I show no greater things, saith Jesus Christ; for I am he who speaketh. | If someone argues against God’s word, they will be cursed. If someone denies these things, they will be cursed. I will not show them greater things, says Jesus Christ, because I am the one who is speaking. |
| Ether 4:9 | And at my command the heavens are opened and are shut; and at my word the earth shall shake; and at my command the inhabitants thereof shall pass away, even so as by fire. | When I say so, the sky opens and closes. When I speak, the earth shakes. When I say so, people can disappear like fire. |
| Ether 4:10 | And he that believeth not my words believeth not my disciples; and if it so be that I do not speak, judge ye; for ye shall know that it is I that speaketh, at the last day. | If someone does not believe my words, they do not believe my helpers. If I don’t talk, you decide. But in the end, you will know it was me speaking. |
| Ether 4:11 | But he that believeth these things which I have spoken, him will I visit with the manifestations of my Spirit, and he shall know and bear record. For because of my Spirit he shall know that these things are true; for it persuadeth men to do good. | If you believe what I have said, I will show you my Spirit. Then you will know it is true and tell others. My Spirit will help you know it’s true and do good things. |
| Ether 4:12 | And whatsoever thing persuadeth men to do good is of me; for good cometh of none save it be of me. I am the same that leadeth men to all good; he that will not believe my words will not believe me—that I am; and he that will not believe me will not believe the Father who sent me. For behold, I am the Father, I am the light, and the life, and the truth of the world. | Anything that encourages people to do good comes from me. Good things come from me. I am the one who helps people to do good things. If someone does not believe my words, they do not believe in me. If they do not believe in me, they do not believe in the Father who sent me. I am the Father. I am the light, the life, and the truth of the world. |
| Ether 4:13 | Come unto me, O ye Gentiles, and I will show unto you the greater things, the knowledge which is hid up because of unbelief. | Come to me, all people who are not Jews. I will show you important things and hidden knowledge that you don’t know because you don’t believe. |
| Ether 4:14 | Come unto me, O ye house of Israel, and it shall be made manifest unto you how great things the Father hath laid up for you, from the foundation of the world; and it hath not come unto you, because of unbelief. | Come to me, people of Israel. You will see the great things that God has saved for you from the beginning of the world. You did not get them because you did not believe. |
| Ether 4:15 | Behold, when ye shall rend that veil of unbelief which doth cause you to remain in your awful state of wickedness, and hardness of heart, and blindness of mind, then shall the great and marvelous things which have been hid up from the foundation of the world from you—yea, when ye shall call upon the Father in my name, with a broken heart and a contrite spirit, then shall ye know that the Father hath remembered the covenant which he made unto your fathers, O house of Israel. | Look, when you stop not believing, which makes you stay bad, have a hard heart, and not understand, then you will see the great and amazing things that have been hidden from you since the world began. Yes, when you pray to God in my name, with a sad and sorry heart, then you will know that God remembers the promise he made to your ancestors, O house of Israel. |
| Ether 4:16 | And then shall my revelations which I have caused to be written by my servant John be unfolded in the eyes of all the people. Remember, when ye see these things, ye shall know that the time is at hand that they shall be made manifest in very deed. | When my special messages written by my servant John are shown to everyone, remember, you will know the time has come for them to be true. |
| Ether 4:17 | Therefore, when ye shall receive this record ye may know that the work of the Father has commenced upon all the face of the land. | When you get this book, you will know that God’s work has started everywhere. |
| Ether 4:18 | Therefore, repent all ye ends of the earth, and come unto me, and believe in my gospel, and be baptized in my name; for he that believeth and is baptized shall be saved; but he that believeth not shall be damned; and signs shall follow them that believe in my name. | So, everyone everywhere, say sorry and change. Come to me, believe in my message, and get baptized in my name. If you believe and get baptized, you will be saved. If you don’t believe, you won’t be saved. Signs will show for those who believe in my name. |
| Ether 4:19 | And blessed is he that is found faithful unto my name at the last day, for he shall be lifted up to dwell in the kingdom prepared for him from the foundation of the world. And behold it is I that hath spoken it. Amen. | Happy is the person who stays true to me until the end. They will live in a special place made just for them. I promise this. Amen. |
Ether 5
| Verse | Original | 4th Grade |
|---|---|---|
| Ether 5:1 | And now I, Moroni, have written the words which were commanded me, according to my memory; and I have told you the things which I have sealed up; therefore touch them not in order that ye may translate; for that thing is forbidden you, except by and by it shall be wisdom in God. | I, Moroni, wrote down the words I was told to remember. I told you about the things that are hidden. Do not touch them to change them. God says it is not allowed, unless He decides it is wise later. |
| Ether 5:2 | And behold, ye may be privileged that ye may show the plates unto those who shall assist to bring forth this work; | Look, you can show the plates to the people who will help with this work. |
| Ether 5:3 | And unto three shall they be shown by the power of God; wherefore they shall know of a surety that these things are true. | Three people will see it because of God’s power. They will know for sure that it is true. |
| Ether 5:4 | And in the mouth of three witnesses shall these things be established; and the testimony of three, and this work, in the which shall be shown forth the power of God and also his word, of which the Father, and the Son, and the Holy Ghost bear record—and all this shall stand as a testimony against the world at the last day. | Three people will say this is true. Their words will show God’s power and his word. God the Father, Jesus, and the Holy Ghost will also say it is true. This will be proof to everyone at the end. |
| Ether 5:5 | And if it so be that they repent and come unto the Father in the name of Jesus, they shall be received into the kingdom of God. | If they say sorry and come to God in Jesus’ name, they can go to God’s kingdom. |
| Ether 5:6 | And now, if I have no authority for these things, judge ye; for ye shall know that I have authority when ye shall see me, and we shall stand before God at the last day. Amen. | If I don’t have the right to do these things, you decide. You will know I have the right when you see me. We will stand before God at the end. Amen. |
Ether 6
| Verse | Original | 4th Grade |
|---|---|---|
| Ether 6:1 | And now I, Moroni, proceed to give the record of Jared and his brother. | Now I, Moroni, will tell the story of Jared and his brother. |
| Ether 6:2 | For it came to pass after the Lord had prepared the stones which the brother of Jared had carried up into the mount, the brother of Jared came down out of the mount, and he did put forth the stones into the vessels which were prepared, one in each end thereof; and behold, they did give light unto the vessels. | After the Lord made the stones ready, the brother of Jared came down from the mountain. He put the stones in the boats, one stone in each end. The stones gave light to the boats. |
| Ether 6:3 | And thus the Lord caused stones to shine in darkness, to give light unto men, women, and children, that they might not cross the great waters in darkness. | God made stones glow in the dark. This gave light to men, women, and children so they wouldn’t travel in darkness. |
| Ether 6:4 | And it came to pass that when they had prepared all manner of food, that thereby they might subsist upon the water, and also food for their flocks and herds, and whatsoever beast or animal or fowl that they should carry with them—and it came to pass that when they had done all these things they got aboard of their vessels or barges, and set forth into the sea, commending themselves unto the Lord their God. | When they made all kinds of food for themselves and their animals, they got on their boats and went into the sea, trusting God to keep them safe. |
| Ether 6:5 | And it came to pass that the Lord God caused that there should be a furious wind blow upon the face of the waters, towards the promised land; and thus they were tossed upon the waves of the sea before the wind. | God made a strong wind blow on the water towards the new land, and they moved on the big waves in the sea. |
| Ether 6:6 | And it came to pass that they were many times buried in the depths of the sea, because of the mountain waves which broke upon them, and also the great and terrible tempests which were caused by the fierceness of the wind. | They were often under the water because of the big waves and very strong storms caused by the wind. |
| Ether 6:7 | And it came to pass that when they were buried in the deep there was no water that could hurt them, their vessels being tight like unto a dish, and also they were tight like unto the ark of Noah; therefore when they were encompassed about by many waters they did cry unto the Lord, and he did bring them forth again upon the top of the waters. | When they were in the deep ocean, no water could hurt them. Their boats were strong and safe, like Noah’s ark. When surrounded by water, they prayed to God, and He raised them back to the surface. |
| Ether 6:8 | And it came to pass that the wind did never cease to blow towards the promised land while they were upon the waters; and thus they were driven forth before the wind. | The wind always blew towards the promised land while they were on the water; this pushed them forward. |
| Ether 6:9 | And they did sing praises unto the Lord; yea, the brother of Jared did sing praises unto the Lord, and he did thank and praise the Lord all the day long; and when the night came, they did not cease to praise the Lord. | They sang songs to the Lord. The brother of Jared sang songs to the Lord too. He said thank you to the Lord all day. At night, they kept singing to the Lord. |
| Ether 6:10 | And thus they were driven forth; and no monster of the sea could break them, neither whale that could mar them; and they did have light continually, whether it was above the water or under the water. | So they sailed away. No sea monster or big whale could hurt them. They always had light, above the water and under the water. |
| Ether 6:11 | And thus they were driven forth, three hundred and forty and four days upon the water. | They floated on the water for 344 days. |
| Ether 6:12 | And they did land upon the shore of the promised land. And when they had set their feet upon the shores of the promised land they bowed themselves down upon the face of the land, and did humble themselves before the Lord, and did shed tears of joy before the Lord, because of the multitude of his tender mercies over them. | They came to the new land. When they got there, they knelt on the ground, thanked the Lord, and cried happy tears because the Lord had been so kind to them. |
| Ether 6:13 | And it came to pass that they went forth upon the face of the land, and began to till the earth. | They went out on the land and started to plant crops. |
| Ether 6:14 | And Jared had four sons; and they were called Jacom, and Gilgah, and Mahah, and Orihah. | Jared had four sons. Their names were Jacom, Gilgah, Mahah, and Orihah. |
| Ether 6:15 | And the brother of Jared also begat sons and daughters. | And the brother of Jared had sons and daughters. |
| Ether 6:16 | And the friends of Jared and his brother were in number about twenty and two souls; and they also begat sons and daughters before they came to the promised land; and therefore they began to be many. | Jared and his brother had about twenty-two friends. They had children before they came to the new land. So, they became a big group. |
| Ether 6:17 | And they were taught to walk humbly before the Lord; and they were also taught from on high. | They were taught to be humble before God, and they also learned from above. |
| Ether 6:18 | And it came to pass that they began to spread upon the face of the land, and to multiply and to till the earth; and they did wax strong in the land. | They moved across the land, farmed the earth, had many children, and grew strong. |
| Ether 6:19 | And the brother of Jared began to be old, and saw that he must soon go down to the grave; wherefore he said unto Jared: Let us gather together our people that we may number them, that we may know of them what they will desire of us before we go down to our graves. | The brother of Jared was getting old and knew he would die soon. So he said to Jared, “Let’s bring our people together so we can count them and ask what they need before we die.” |
| Ether 6:20 | And accordingly the people were gathered together. Now the number of the sons and the daughters of the brother of Jared were twenty and two souls; and the number of sons and daughters of Jared were twelve, he having four sons. | The people came together. The brother of Jared had 22 children. Jared had 12 children with 4 sons. |
| Ether 6:21 | And it came to pass that they did number their people; and after that they had numbered them, they did desire of them the things which they would that they should do before they went down to their graves. | They counted their people and asked them what they wanted to do before they died. |
| Ether 6:22 | And it came to pass that the people desired of them that they should anoint one of their sons to be a king over them. | The people wanted one of their sons to be made king. |
| Ether 6:23 | And now behold, this was grievous unto them. And the brother of Jared said unto them: Surely this thing leadeth into captivity. | This made them very sad. The brother of Jared said to them: This will make us captives. |
| Ether 6:24 | But Jared said unto his brother: Suffer them that they may have a king. And therefore he said unto them: Choose ye out from among our sons a king, even whom ye will. | But Jared said to his brother: Let them have a king. So he said to them: Pick a king from our sons, anyone you want. |
| Ether 6:25 | And it came to pass that they chose even the firstborn of the brother of Jared; and his name was Pagag. And it came to pass that he refused and would not be their king. And the people would that his father should constrain him, but his father would not; and he commanded them that they should constrain no man to be their king. | The people picked the brother of Jared’s oldest son to be king. His name was Pagag. But Pagag said no. The people wanted his dad to make him be king, but his dad said no one should be forced to be king. |
| Ether 6:26 | And it came to pass that they chose all the brothers of Pagag, and they would not. | They picked all of Pagag’s brothers, but they did not… |
| Ether 6:27 | And it came to pass that neither would the sons of Jared, even all save it were one; and Orihah was anointed to be king over the people. | All the sons of Jared, except one, agreed that Orihah should be made king over the people. |
| Ether 6:28 | And he began to reign, and the people began to prosper; and they became exceedingly rich. | He started to be king, and the people started to do well; and they got very rich. |
| Ether 6:29 | And it came to pass that Jared died, and his brother also. | Jared died, and so did his brother. |
| Ether 6:30 | And it came to pass that Orihah did walk humbly before the Lord, and did remember how great things the Lord had done for his father, and also taught his people how great things the Lord had done for their fathers. | Orihah walked humbly. He remembered the good things God did for his dad. He taught people about the good things God did for their dads too. |
Ether 7
| Verse | Original | 4th Grade |
|---|---|---|
| Ether 7:1 | And it came to pass that Orihah did execute judgment upon the land in righteousness all his days, whose days were exceedingly many. | Orihah was a good leader for a very long time. He made fair decisions for everyone. |
| Ether 7:2 | And he begat sons and daughters; yea, he begat thirty and one, among whom were twenty and three sons. | He had sons and daughters. He had thirty-one children: twenty-three were sons. |
| Ether 7:3 | And it came to pass that he also begat Kib in his old age. And it came to pass that Kib reigned in his stead; and Kib begat Corihor. | He had a son named Kib when he was old. Kib became king after him. Kib had a son named Corihor. |
| Ether 7:4 | And when Corihor was thirty and two years old he rebelled against his father, and went over and dwelt in the land of Nehor; and he begat sons and daughters, and they became exceedingly fair; wherefore Corihor drew away many people after him. | When Corihor was 32 years old, he disobeyed his dad and moved to Nehor. He had sons and daughters who were very nice. Because of this, many people followed Corihor. |
| Ether 7:5 | And when he had gathered together an army he came up unto the land of Moron where the king dwelt, and took him captive, which brought to pass the saying of the brother of Jared that they would be brought into captivity. | He got an army and went to the land of Moron where the king lived. He captured the king. This made what the brother of Jared said come true; they became captives. |
| Ether 7:6 | Now the land of Moron, where the king dwelt, was near the land which is called Desolation by the Nephites. | The king lived in a place called Moron, which was close to another place called Desolation. |
| Ether 7:7 | And it came to pass that Kib dwelt in captivity, and his people under Corihor his son, until he became exceedingly old; nevertheless Kib begat Shule in his old age, while he was yet in captivity. | Kib was a prisoner, and his people were under Corihor, his son, for a long time. Kib got very old. But even though he was old and still a prisoner, Kib had a son named Shule. |
| Ether 7:8 | And it came to pass that Shule was angry with his brother; and Shule waxed strong, and became mighty as to the strength of a man; and he was also mighty in judgment. | Shule got very mad at his brother. Shule became very strong and powerful like a strong man. He was also very good at making decisions. |
| Ether 7:9 | Wherefore, he came to the hill Ephraim, and he did molten out of the hill, and made swords out of steel for those whom he had drawn away with him; and after he had armed them with swords he returned to the city Nehor and gave battle unto his brother Corihor, by which means he obtained the kingdom and restored it unto his father Kib. | So, he went to the hill called Ephraim. He got metal from the hill and made swords. He gave the swords to the people with him. Then, he went back to the city called Nehor and fought his brother named Corihor. He won and gave the kingdom back to his father Kib. |
| Ether 7:10 | And now because of the thing which Shule had done, his father bestowed upon him the kingdom; therefore he began to reign in the stead of his father. | Shule’s father gave him the kingdom. So, Shule became the king instead of his father. |
| Ether 7:11 | And it came to pass that he did execute judgment in righteousness; and he did spread his kingdom upon all the face of the land, for the people had become exceedingly numerous. | He made fair decisions and his kingdom covered all the land because there were many, many people. |
| Ether 7:12 | And it came to pass that Shule also begat many sons and daughters. | Shule had many sons and daughters. |
| Ether 7:13 | And Corihor repented of the many evils which he had done; wherefore Shule gave him power in his kingdom. | Corihor said sorry for the bad things he did. So, Shule gave him power in his kingdom. |
| Ether 7:14 | And it came to pass that Corihor had many sons and daughters. And among the sons of Corihor there was one whose name was Noah. | Corihor had many sons and daughters. One son was named Noah. |
| Ether 7:15 | And it came to pass that Noah rebelled against Shule, the king, and also his father Corihor, and drew away Cohor his brother, and also all his brethren and many of the people. | Noah went against King Shule. He took his brother Cohor, his other brothers, and many people with him. |
| Ether 7:16 | And he gave battle unto Shule the king, in which he did obtain the land of their first inheritance; and he became a king over that part of the land. | He fought King Shule and won their first land, and he became the king of that land. |
| Ether 7:17 | And it came to pass that he gave battle again unto Shule, the king; and he took Shule, the king, and carried him away captive into Moron. | He fought King Shule again and took him away to Moron. |
| Ether 7:18 | And it came to pass as he was about to put him to death, the sons of Shule crept into the house of Noah by night and slew him, and broke down the door of the prison and brought out their father, and placed him upon his throne in his own kingdom. | As he was going to kill him, Shule’s sons went into Noah’s house at night and killed him. They broke open the prison door and took their father out. Then they put their father on his throne in his kingdom. |
| Ether 7:19 | Wherefore, the son of Noah did build up his kingdom in his stead; nevertheless they did not gain power any more over Shule the king, and the people who were under the reign of Shule the king did prosper exceedingly and wax great. | Noah’s son took over the kingdom after him. But they couldn’t take control from King Shule. The people under King Shule became very happy and successful. |
| Ether 7:20 | And the country was divided; and there were two kingdoms, the kingdom of Shule, and the kingdom of Cohor, the son of Noah. | The land was split into two parts. There were two kingdoms. One kingdom was ruled by Shule. The other kingdom was ruled by Cohor, who was Noah’s son. |
| Ether 7:21 | And Cohor, the son of Noah, caused that his people should give battle unto Shule, in which Shule did beat them and did slay Cohor. | Cohor, the son of Noah, made his people fight Shule. Shule won and killed Cohor. |
| Ether 7:22 | And now Cohor had a son who was called Nimrod; and Nimrod gave up the kingdom of Cohor unto Shule, and he did gain favor in the eyes of Shule; wherefore Shule did bestow great favors upon him, and he did do in the kingdom of Shule according to his desires. | Cohor had a son named Nimrod. Nimrod gave the kingdom to Shule. Shule liked Nimrod and gave him many gifts. Nimrod did what he wanted in Shule’s kingdom. |
| Ether 7:23 | And also in the reign of Shule there came prophets among the people, who were sent from the Lord, prophesying that the wickedness and idolatry of the people was bringing a curse upon the land, and they should be destroyed if they did not repent. | During Shule’s time as king, messengers from God came to the people. They warned that if the people did not stop being bad and worshiping idols, bad things would happen to them and their land. |
| Ether 7:24 | And it came to pass that the people did revile against the prophets, and did mock them. And it came to pass that king Shule did execute judgment against all those who did revile against the prophets. | The people were mean to the prophets and made fun of them. Then, King Shule punished the people who were mean to the prophets. |
| Ether 7:25 | And he did execute a law throughout all the land, which gave power unto the prophets that they should go whithersoever they would; and by this cause the people were brought unto repentance. | He made a rule for everyone in the land. This rule gave the prophets the power to go anywhere they wanted. Because of this, the people said sorry for their sins. |
| Ether 7:26 | And because the people did repent of their iniquities and idolatries the Lord did spare them, and they began to prosper again in the land. And it came to pass that Shule begat sons and daughters in his old age. | The people said sorry for doing bad things and worshipping other gods, so the Lord helped them, and they started doing well again. Shule had sons and daughters when he was old. |
| Ether 7:27 | And there were no more wars in the days of Shule; and he remembered the great things that the Lord had done for his fathers in bringing them across the great deep into the promised land; wherefore he did execute judgment in righteousness all his days. | There were no more wars when Shule was king. He remembered how God helped his fathers cross the big ocean to the promised land. So, he made good and fair decisions all his life. |
Ether 8
| Verse | Original | 4th Grade |
|---|---|---|
| Ether 8:1 | And it came to pass that he begat Omer, and Omer reigned in his stead. And Omer begat Jared; and Jared begat sons and daughters. | And he had a son named Omer, and Omer became the king. Omer had a son named Jared, and Jared had sons and daughters. |
| Ether 8:2 | And Jared rebelled against his father, and came and dwelt in the land of Heth. And it came to pass that he did flatter many people, because of his cunning words, until he had gained the half of the kingdom. | Jared did not listen to his dad. He moved to a place called Heth. Jared talked nicely to many people. He used smart words and got control of half the kingdom. |
| Ether 8:3 | And when he had gained the half of the kingdom he gave battle unto his father, and he did carry away his father into captivity, and did make him serve in captivity; | When he got half of the kingdom, he fought his father. He took his father and made him a prisoner. |
| Ether 8:4 | And now, in the days of the reigns of Omer he was in captivity the half of his days. And it came to pass that he begat sons and daughters among whom were Esrom and Coriantumr; | During Omer’s time as king, he was a prisoner for part of his life. He had sons and daughters named Esrom and Coriantumr. |
| Ether 8:5 | And they were exceedingly angry because of the doings of Jared their brother, insomuch that they did raise an army and gave battle unto Jared. And it came to pass that they did give battle unto him by night. | They were very angry with their brother Jared. They made an army and fought Jared at night. |
| Ether 8:6 | And it came to pass that when they had slain the army of Jared they were about to slay him also; and he plead with them that they would not slay him, and he would give up the kingdom unto his father. And it came to pass that they did grant unto him his life. | After they killed Jared’s army, they were about to kill Jared too. But Jared begged them not to kill him, and he said he would give the kingdom to his father. So they let him live. |
| Ether 8:7 | And now Jared became exceedingly sorrowful because of the loss of the kingdom, for he had set his heart upon the kingdom and upon the glory of the world. | Now Jared was very sad because he lost the kingdom. He really wanted to be king and have all the nice things that come with it. |
| Ether 8:8 | Now the daughter of Jared being exceedingly expert, and seeing the sorrows of her father, thought to devise a plan whereby she could redeem the kingdom unto her father. | Jared’s daughter was smart. She saw her dad was sad. She wanted to help her dad become king again. |
| Ether 8:9 | Now the daughter of Jared was exceedingly fair. And it came to pass that she did talk with her father, and said unto him: Whereby hath my father so much sorrow? Hath he not read the record which our fathers brought across the great deep? Behold, is there not an account concerning them of old, that they by their secret plans did obtain kingdoms and great glory? | Jared’s daughter was very beautiful. One day, she talked to her father and asked, “Why are you so sad? Have you read the stories our ancestors brought from far away? In those stories, didn’t people use secret plans to get kingdoms and become famous?” |
| Ether 8:10 | And now, therefore, let my father send for Akish, the son of Kimnor; and behold, I am fair, and I will dance before him, and I will please him, that he will desire me to wife; wherefore if he shall desire of thee that ye shall give unto him me to wife, then shall ye say: I will give her if ye will bring unto me the head of my father, the king. | Let my father call for Akish, the son of Kimnor. I am pretty, and I will dance for him so that he will like me and want me to be his wife. If he asks you for me as his wife, tell him: I will give her if you bring me the head of my father, the king. |
| Ether 8:11 | And now Omer was a friend to Akish; wherefore, when Jared had sent for Akish, the daughter of Jared danced before him that she pleased him, insomuch that he desired her to wife. And it came to pass that he said unto Jared: Give her unto me to wife. | Omer liked Akish. Jared sent for Akish, and Jared’s daughter danced for him. Akish liked her and wanted to marry her. He asked Jared to let him marry her. |
| Ether 8:12 | And Jared said unto him: I will give her unto you, if ye will bring unto me the head of my father, the king. | And Jared said to him: I will give her to you, if you bring me the head of my father, the king. |
| Ether 8:13 | And it came to pass that Akish gathered in unto the house of Jared all his kinsfolk, and said unto them: Will ye swear unto me that ye will be faithful unto me in the thing which I shall desire of you? | Akish brought his family to Jared’s house and asked them, “Will you promise to help me with what I want?” |
| Ether 8:14 | And it came to pass that they all sware unto him, by the God of heaven, and also by the heavens, and also by the earth, and by their heads, that whoso should vary from the assistance which Akish desired should lose his head; and whoso should divulge whatsoever thing Akish made known unto them, the same should lose his life. | Everyone promised Akish that they would help him. They said that if anyone did not help, they would lose their head. And if anyone told his secrets, they would lose their life. |
| Ether 8:15 | And it came to pass that thus they did agree with Akish. And Akish did administer unto them the oaths which were given by them of old who also sought power, which had been handed down even from Cain, who was a murderer from the beginning. | They agreed with Akish. Akish gave them the same promises to help each other that had been given long ago by people who wanted power, starting with Cain, who was one of the first murders ever. |
| Ether 8:16 | And they were kept up by the power of the devil to administer these oaths unto the people, to keep them in darkness, to help such as sought power to gain power, and to murder, and to plunder, and to lie, and to commit all manner of wickedness and whoredoms. | They were helped by the devil’s power to give bad promises to people, to keep them in darkness, to help those who wanted power get power, and to kill, steal, lie, and do all kinds of bad things. |
| Ether 8:17 | And it was the daughter of Jared who put it into his heart to search up these things of old; and Jared put it into the heart of Akish; wherefore, Akish administered it unto his kindred and friends, leading them away by fair promises to do whatsoever thing he desired. | Jared’s daughter told him to look for old things. Jared told Akish, and Akish told his family and friends. Akish made big promises to get them to do whatever he wanted. |
| Ether 8:18 | And it came to pass that they formed a secret combination, even as they of old; which combination is most abominable and wicked above all, in the sight of God; | They made a bad secret group, like people did a long time ago. This secret group was very bad and wrong to God. |
| Ether 8:19 | For the Lord worketh not in secret combinations, neither doth he will that man should shed blood, but in all things hath forbidden it, from the beginning of man. | The Lord does not want people to make secret plans to do bad things. He also does not want people to hurt each other. He has always said this since the beginning. |
| Ether 8:20 | And now I, Moroni, do not write the manner of their oaths and combinations, for it hath been made known unto me that they are had among all people, and they are had among the Lamanites. | I am Moroni. I do not write about their promises and groups. I know all people have them, even the Lamanites. |
| Ether 8:21 | And they have caused the destruction of this people of whom I am now speaking, and also the destruction of the people of Nephi. | They made this group of people and the Nephites be destroyed. |
| Ether 8:22 | And whatsoever nation shall uphold such secret combinations, to get power and gain, until they shall spread over the nation, behold, they shall be destroyed; for the Lord will not suffer that the blood of his saints, which shall be shed by them, shall always cry unto him from the ground for vengeance upon them and yet he avenge them not. | If a country helps secret groups that want power and money, and these groups take over, the country will be destroyed. God will not let the blood of good people killed by them cry out for help without doing anything. |
| Ether 8:23 | Wherefore, O ye Gentiles, it is wisdom in God that these things should be shown unto you, that thereby ye may repent of your sins, and suffer not that these murderous combinations shall get above you, which are built up to get power and gain—and the work, yea, even the work of destruction come upon you, yea, even the sword of the justice of the Eternal God shall fall upon you, to your overthrow and destruction if ye shall suffer these things to be. | So, listen, everyone. God wants you to know these things so you can say sorry for the bad things you did. Don’t let bad people take control and hurt you. If you let them, bad things will happen, and God will stop you with His power. |
| Ether 8:24 | Wherefore, the Lord commandeth you, when ye shall see these things come among you that ye shall awake to a sense of your awful situation, because of this secret combination which shall be among you; or wo be unto it, because of the blood of them who have been slain; for they cry from the dust for vengeance upon it, and also upon those who built it up. | So, the Lord tells you, when you see these things happen, wake up and see how bad things are because of the secret group. If you don’t, bad things will happen because of the people who have been killed. They ask for revenge. |
| Ether 8:25 | For it cometh to pass that whoso buildeth it up seeketh to overthrow the freedom of all lands, nations, and countries; and it bringeth to pass the destruction of all people, for it is built up by the devil, who is the father of all lies; even that same liar who beguiled our first parents, yea, even that same liar who hath caused man to commit murder from the beginning; who hath hardened the hearts of men that they have murdered the prophets, and stoned them, and cast them out from the beginning. | If someone builds it, they want to destroy freedom everywhere. It will hurt everyone because it is made by the devil, who tells lies. This same liar tricked the first people, made people kill each other, and made people’s hearts hard so they hurt the prophets. |
| Ether 8:26 | Wherefore, I, Moroni, am commanded to write these things that evil may be done away, and that the time may come that Satan may have no power upon the hearts of the children of men, but that they may be persuaded to do good continually, that they may come unto the fountain of all righteousness and be saved. | So, I, Moroni, am told to write this so bad things can stop, and so one day Satan won’t have power over people’s hearts. Instead, people will want to do good all the time and be safe and happy. |
Ether 9
| Verse | Original | 4th Grade |
|---|---|---|
| Ether 9:1 | And now I, Moroni, proceed with my record. Therefore, behold, it came to pass that because of the secret combinations of Akish and his friends, behold, they did overthrow the kingdom of Omer. | I am Moroni, and I am writing my record. Akish and his friends made a secret plan, and they took over Omer’s kingdom. |
| Ether 9:2 | Nevertheless, the Lord was merciful unto Omer, and also to his sons and to his daughters who did not seek his destruction. | But the Lord was kind to Omer and his sons and daughters who did not want to hurt him. |
| Ether 9:3 | And the Lord warned Omer in a dream that he should depart out of the land; wherefore Omer departed out of the land with his family, and traveled many days, and came over and passed by the hill of Shim, and came over by the place where the Nephites were destroyed, and from thence eastward, and came to a place which was called Ablom, by the seashore, and there he pitched his tent, and also his sons and his daughters, and all his household, save it were Jared and his family. | The Lord told Omer in a dream to leave the land. So, Omer left with his family and traveled for many days. They passed the hill of Shim and the place where the Nephites were destroyed. Then they went east to a place called Ablom by the sea. There, they set up their tents. Jared and his family did not go with them. |
| Ether 9:4 | And it came to pass that Jared was anointed king over the people, by the hand of wickedness; and he gave unto Akish his daughter to wife. | Jared became the king because of bad people. He gave his daughter to Akish to be his wife. |
| Ether 9:5 | And it came to pass that Akish sought the life of his father-in-law; and he applied unto those whom he had sworn by the oath of the ancients, and they obtained the head of his father-in-law, as he sat upon his throne, giving audience to his people. | Akish wanted to hurt his wife’s father. He asked his friends for help. They cut off his father-in-law’s head while he was sitting on his throne talking to the people. |
| Ether 9:6 | For so great had been the spreading of this wicked and secret society that it had corrupted the hearts of all the people; therefore Jared was murdered upon his throne, and Akish reigned in his stead. | The bad secret group had grown so much that it made all the people bad. Jared was killed while he was king, and Akish became the new king. |
| Ether 9:7 | And it came to pass that Akish began to be jealous of his son, therefore he shut him up in prison, and kept him upon little or no food until he had suffered death. | Akish got very jealous of his son. He put his son in prison and gave him almost no food until he died. |
| Ether 9:8 | And now the brother of him that suffered death, (and his name was Nimrah) was angry with his father because of that which his father had done unto his brother. | Nimrah was mad at his dad because his dad hurt his brother. |
| Ether 9:9 | And it came to pass that Nimrah gathered together a small number of men, and fled out of the land, and came over and dwelt with Omer. | Nimrah got a few men together, left the land, and went to live with Omer. |
| Ether 9:10 | And it came to pass that Akish begat other sons, and they won the hearts of the people, notwithstanding they had sworn unto him to do all manner of iniquity according to that which he desired. | Akish had more sons. The people liked them even though they promised to do bad things like Akish wanted. |
| Ether 9:11 | Now the people of Akish were desirous for gain, even as Akish was desirous for power; wherefore, the sons of Akish did offer them money, by which means they drew away the more part of the people after them. | Now the people wanted to get money, just like Akish wanted to be powerful. So Akish’s sons gave people money, which made most people follow them. |
| Ether 9:12 | And there began to be a war between the sons of Akish and Akish, which lasted for the space of many years, yea, unto the destruction of nearly all the people of the kingdom, yea, even all, save it were thirty souls, and they who fled with the house of Omer. | There was a war between Akish and his sons. It lasted many years. Almost everyone in the kingdom died. Only thirty people and those who escaped with Omer were left. |
| Ether 9:13 | Wherefore, Omer was restored again to the land of his inheritance. | So, Omer went back to his old home. |
| Ether 9:14 | And it came to pass that Omer began to be old; nevertheless, in his old age he begat Emer; and he anointed Emer to be king to reign in his stead. | Omer got old, but he had a son named Emer. Omer made Emer the king to take his place. |
| Ether 9:15 | And after that he had anointed Emer to be king he saw peace in the land for the space of two years, and he died, having seen exceedingly many days, which were full of sorrow. And it came to pass that Emer did reign in his stead, and did fill the steps of his father. | After he made Emer the king, there was peace for two years. Then he died. He lived a very long and sad life. Emer became the new king and did what his father did. |
| Ether 9:16 | And the Lord began again to take the curse from off the land, and the house of Emer did prosper exceedingly under the reign of Emer; and in the space of sixty and two years they had become exceedingly strong, insomuch that they became exceedingly rich— | God started to remove the curse from the land. Emer’s family did very well while Emer was king. In 62 years, they became very strong and very rich. |
| Ether 9:17 | Having all manner of fruit, and of grain, and of silks, and of fine linen, and of gold, and of silver, and of precious things; | They had all kinds of fruit, grain, silk, fine cloth, gold, silver, and other precious things. |
| Ether 9:18 | And also all manner of cattle, of oxen, and cows, and of sheep, and of swine, and of goats, and also many other kinds of animals which were useful for the food of man. | And they had cows, sheep, pigs, goats, and many other animals for food. |
| Ether 9:19 | And they also had horses, and asses, and there were elephants and cureloms and cumoms; all of which were useful unto man, and more especially the elephants and cureloms and cumoms. | They had horses, donkeys, elephants, cureloms, and cumoms. These animals were very helpful, especially the elephants, cureloms, and cumoms. |
| Ether 9:20 | And thus the Lord did pour out his blessings upon this land, which was choice above all other lands; and he commanded that whoso should possess the land should possess it unto the Lord, or they should be destroyed when they were ripened in iniquity; for upon such, saith the Lord: I will pour out the fulness of my wrath. | And the Lord gave many blessings to this land, which was the best land. He said that whoever lived there should follow the Lord, or they would be destroyed when they became very wicked. For the Lord said: I will be very angry with them. |
| Ether 9:21 | And Emer did execute judgment in righteousness all his days, and he begat many sons and daughters; and he begat Coriantum, and he anointed Coriantum to reign in his stead. | Emer was fair and made good decisions all his life. He had many sons and daughters. One of his sons was named Coriantum, and he made Coriantum the new king. |
| Ether 9:22 | And after he had anointed Coriantum to reign in his stead he lived four years, and he saw peace in the land; yea, and he even saw the Son of Righteousness, and did rejoice and glory in his day; and he died in peace. | After he made Coriantum king, he lived for four more years. He saw peace in the land and was very happy. Then he died peacefully. |
| Ether 9:23 | And it came to pass that Coriantum did walk in the steps of his father, and did build many mighty cities, and did administer that which was good unto his people in all his days. And it came to pass that he had no children even until he was exceedingly old. | Coriantum did what his father did. He built many big cities and was good to his people for his whole life. He did not have any children until he was very old. |
| Ether 9:24 | And it came to pass that his wife died, being an hundred and two years old. And it came to pass that Coriantum took to wife, in his old age, a young maid, and begat sons and daughters; wherefore he lived until he was an hundred and forty and two years old. | His wife died at 102 years old. Coriantum married a young woman and had sons and daughters. He lived until he was 142 years old. |
| Ether 9:25 | And it came to pass that he begat Com, and Com reigned in his stead; and he reigned forty and nine years, and he begat Heth; and he also begat other sons and daughters. | He had a son named Com. Com became king. Com was king for 49 years. Com had a son named Heth and also had other sons and daughters. |
| Ether 9:26 | And the people had spread again over all the face of the land, and there began again to be an exceedingly great wickedness upon the face of the land, and Heth began to embrace the secret plans again of old, to destroy his father. | The people spread out all over the land again. Bad things started happening again. A man named Heth started secret plans to hurt his father. |
| Ether 9:27 | And it came to pass that he did dethrone his father, for he slew him with his own sword; and he did reign in his stead. | He took his father’s place by killing him with his own sword and became the new ruler. |
| Ether 9:28 | And there came prophets in the land again, crying repentance unto them—that they must prepare the way of the Lord or there should come a curse upon the face of the land; yea, even there should be a great famine, in which they should be destroyed if they did not repent. | Prophets came to the land again. They told the people to say sorry for their mistakes. If they didn’t, a big curse would come, and there would be no food. Many people would die if they did not change their ways. |
| Ether 9:29 | But the people believed not the words of the prophets, but they cast them out; and some of them they cast into pits and left them to perish. And it came to pass that they did all these things according to the commandment of the king, Heth. | The people did not believe the prophets. They did not listen to them. Some prophets were thrown into holes and left to die. The king named Heth told the people to do this. |
| Ether 9:30 | And it came to pass that there began to be a great dearth upon the land, and the inhabitants began to be destroyed exceedingly fast because of the dearth, for there was no rain upon the face of the earth. | Then, a big drought happened on the land. The people started to die very quickly because there was no rain. |
| Ether 9:31 | And there came forth poisonous serpents also upon the face of the land, and did poison many people. And it came to pass that their flocks began to flee before the poisonous serpents, towards the land southward, which was called by the Nephites Zarahemla. | Poisonous snakes came to the land and bit many people. Their animals got scared and ran south to a place called Zarahemla. |
| Ether 9:32 | And it came to pass that there were many of them which did perish by the way; nevertheless, there were some which fled into the land southward. | Some of the people died on the way, but some ran away to the south. |
| Ether 9:33 | And it came to pass that the Lord did cause the serpents that they should pursue them no more, but that they should hedge up the way that the people could not pass, that whoso should attempt to pass might fall by the poisonous serpents. | The Lord made the snakes stop chasing the people. He made the snakes block the path so people couldn’t go through. If anyone tried to go through, they would get hurt by the poisonous snakes. |
| Ether 9:34 | And it came to pass that the people did follow the course of the beasts, and did devour the carcasses of them which fell by the way, until they had devoured them all. Now when the people saw that they must perish they began to repent of their iniquities and cry unto the Lord. | The people followed the animals and ate their dead bodies until they were all gone. When the people saw that they would die, they started to be sorry for their bad choices and asked God for help. |
| Ether 9:35 | And it came to pass that when they had humbled themselves sufficiently before the Lord he did send rain upon the face of the earth; and the people began to revive again, and there began to be fruit in the north countries, and in all the countries round about. And the Lord did show forth his power unto them in preserving them from famine. | After the people prayed to God, He sent rain. The rain helped the plants grow, and people had food again. God showed His power by keeping them safe from hunger. |
Ether 10
| Verse | Original | 4th Grade |
|---|---|---|
| Ether 10:1 | And it came to pass that Shez, who was a descendant of Heth—for Heth had perished by the famine, and all his household save it were Shez—wherefore, Shez began to build up again a broken people. | Shez was the only one left from his family after a famine. Shez started to help his people get better again. |
| Ether 10:2 | And it came to pass that Shez did remember the destruction of his fathers, and he did build up a righteous kingdom; for he remembered what the Lord had done in bringing Jared and his brother across the deep; and he did walk in the ways of the Lord; and he begat sons and daughters. | Shez remembered that his fathers were destroyed. He made a good kingdom. He remembered how the Lord helped Jared and his brother come across the ocean. Shez followed the Lord and had sons and daughters. |
| Ether 10:3 | And his eldest son, whose name was Shez, did rebel against him; nevertheless, Shez was smitten by the hand of a robber, because of his exceeding riches, which brought peace again unto his father. | Shez, the oldest son, turned against his father. But a robber hurt Shez because he was very rich, and this made his father happy again. |
| Ether 10:4 | And it came to pass that his father did build up many cities upon the face of the land, and the people began again to spread over all the face of the land. And Shez did live to an exceedingly old age; and he begat Riplakish. And he died, and Riplakish reigned in his stead. | His dad built many cities on the land, and the people spread all over the land. Shez lived a very long time and had a son named Riplakish. Shez died, and Riplakish became the leader. |
| Ether 10:5 | And it came to pass that Riplakish did not do that which was right in the sight of the Lord, for he did have many wives and concubines, and did lay that upon men—s shoulders which was grievous to be borne; yea, he did tax them with heavy taxes; and with the taxes he did build many spacious buildings. | Riplakish did not do what was right. He had many wives. He made people carry heavy things. He made them pay a lot of money. With the money, he built big buildings. |
| Ether 10:6 | And he did erect him an exceedingly beautiful throne; and he did build many prisons, and whoso would not be subject unto taxes he did cast into prison; and whoso was not able to pay taxes he did cast into prison; and he did cause that they should labor continually for their support; and whoso refused to labor he did cause to be put to death. | He made a very nice throne. He built many jails. Anyone who did not pay taxes went to jail. Anyone who could not pay taxes went to jail. He made them work all the time. Anyone who did not work was put to death. |
| Ether 10:7 | Wherefore he did obtain all his fine work, yea, even his fine gold he did cause to be refined in prison, and all manner of fine workmanship he did cause to be wrought in prison. And it came to pass that he did afflict the people with his whoredoms and abominations. | So he got all his fancy things made, even his gold was made better in prison. He made all kinds of nice things in prison. Then he hurt the people with his bad actions and sins. |
| Ether 10:8 | And when he had reigned for the space of forty and two years the people did rise up in rebellion against him; and there began to be war again in the land, insomuch that Riplakish was killed, and his descendants were driven out of the land. | After ruling for 42 years, the people rebelled against him. War started again, and Riplakish was killed. His family had to leave the land. |
| Ether 10:9 | And it came to pass after the space of many years, Morianton, (he being a descendant of Riplakish) gathered together an army of outcasts, and went forth and gave battle unto the people; and he gained power over many cities; and the war became exceedingly sore, and did last for the space of many years; and he did gain power over all the land, and did establish himself king over all the land. | After many years, Morianton (who was related to Riplakish) got a group of people who didn’t fit in. They made an army and fought the others. Morianton took control of many cities. The war was very hard and went on for many years. In the end, Morianton took control of all the land and made himself king. |
| Ether 10:10 | And after that he had established himself king he did ease the burden of the people, by which he did gain favor in the eyes of the people, and they did anoint him to be their king. | After he became king, he made things easier for the people. The people liked him, and made him their king. |
| Ether 10:11 | And he did do justice unto the people, but not unto himself because of his many whoredoms; wherefore he was cut off from the presence of the Lord. | He was fair to the people, but not to himself because he did bad things. So, he was separated from the Lord. |
| Ether 10:12 | And it came to pass that Morianton built up many cities, and the people became exceedingly rich under his reign, both in buildings, and in gold and silver, and in raising grain, and in flocks, and herds, and such things which had been restored unto them. | Morianton made many cities. The people got very rich. They had lots of buildings, gold, silver, grain, animals, and other good things. |
| Ether 10:13 | And Morianton did live to an exceedingly great age, and then he begat Kim; and Kim did reign in the stead of his father; and he did reign eight years, and his father died. And it came to pass that Kim did not reign in righteousness, wherefore he was not favored of the Lord. | Morianton lived a very long time and had a son named Kim. Kim became king after his father. Kim ruled for eight years, and then his father died. Kim was not a good king, so God did not bless him. |
| Ether 10:14 | And his brother did rise up in rebellion against him, by which he did bring him into captivity; and he did remain in captivity all his days; and he begat sons and daughters in captivity, and in his old age he begat Levi; and he died. | His brother fought against him and made him a prisoner. He stayed a prisoner all his life. While he was a prisoner, he had sons and daughters. When he was old, he had a son named Levi. Then he died. |
| Ether 10:15 | And it came to pass that Levi did serve in captivity after the death of his father, for the space of forty and two years. And he did make war against the king of the land, by which he did obtain unto himself the kingdom. | Levi was a prisoner after his father died for forty-two years. He fought the king and took the kingdom for himself. |
| Ether 10:16 | And after he had obtained unto himself the kingdom he did that which was right in the sight of the Lord; and the people did prosper in the land; and he did live to a good old age, and begat sons and daughters; and he also begat Corom, whom he anointed king in his stead. | After he became king, he did good things that made God happy. The people were happy and had what they needed. He lived a long life and had sons and daughters. One of his sons was named Corom, and he made him the new king. |
| Ether 10:17 | And it came to pass that Corom did that which was good in the sight of the Lord all his days; and he begat many sons and daughters; and after he had seen many days he did pass away, even like unto the rest of the earth; and Kish reigned in his stead. | Corom did good things that made God happy. He had many sons and daughters. After a long time, he died like others. Then Kish became the leader. |
| Ether 10:18 | And it came to pass that Kish passed away also, and Lib reigned in his stead. | Kish died, and Lib became the new king. |
| Ether 10:19 | And it came to pass that Lib also did that which was good in the sight of the Lord. And in the days of Lib the poisonous serpents were destroyed. Wherefore they did go into the land southward, to hunt food for the people of the land, for the land was covered with animals of the forest. And Lib also himself became a great hunter. | Lib did good things that made God happy. During Lib’s time, the dangerous snakes were gone. So, the people went south to find food, because there were many animals there. Lib also became a great hunter. |
| Ether 10:20 | And they built a great city by the narrow neck of land, by the place where the sea divides the land. | They built a big city by the small piece of land where the sea splits the land. |
| Ether 10:21 | And they did preserve the land southward for a wilderness, to get game. And the whole face of the land northward was covered with inhabitants. | They saved the land in the south to be a wild place to hunt animals. The land in the north had lots of people living there. |
| Ether 10:22 | And they were exceedingly industrious, and they did buy and sell and traffic one with another, that they might get gain. | They worked very hard and bought and sold things to make money. |
| Ether 10:23 | And they did work in all manner of ore, and they did make gold, and silver, and iron, and brass, and all manner of metals; and they did dig it out of the earth; wherefore they did cast up mighty heaps of earth to get ore, of gold, and of silver, and of iron, and of copper. And they did work all manner of fine work. | They dug in the ground to find metal. They found gold, silver, iron, and copper. They made many things with these metals. They made piles of earth to get the metal. They made many good things. |
| Ether 10:24 | And they did have silks, and fine-twined linen; and they did work all manner of cloth, that they might clothe themselves from their nakedness. | They had silk and nice cloth. They made all kinds of clothes to cover themselves. |
| Ether 10:25 | And they did make all manner of tools to till the earth, both to plow and to sow, to reap and to hoe, and also to thrash. | They made tools to help them work on the farm. They used tools to dig up the ground, plant seeds, and gather crops. |
| Ether 10:26 | And they did make all manner of tools with which they did work their beasts. | And they made all kinds of tools to help them work with their animals. |
| Ether 10:27 | And they did make all manner of weapons of war. And they did work all manner of work of exceedingly curious workmanship. | They made all kinds of weapons for war. They did all kinds of work with very skillful craftsmanship. |
| Ether 10:28 | And never could be a people more blessed than were they, and more prospered by the hand of the Lord. And they were in a land that was choice above all lands, for the Lord had spoken it. | The people were very blessed and helped by the Lord. They lived in the best land because the Lord said it was so. |
| Ether 10:29 | And it came to pass that Lib did live many years, and begat sons and daughters; and he also begat Hearthom. | Lib lived a long time. He had sons and daughters, and he also had a son named Hearthom. |
| Ether 10:30 | And it came to pass that Hearthom reigned in the stead of his father. And when Hearthom had reigned twenty and four years, behold, the kingdom was taken away from him. And he served many years in captivity, yea, even all the remainder of his days. | Hearthom became king after his father. He was king for 24 years, but then he lost his kingdom and was a prisoner for the rest of his life. |
| Ether 10:31 | And he begat Heth, and Heth lived in captivity all his days. And Heth begat Aaron, and Aaron dwelt in captivity all his days; and he begat Amnigaddah, and Amnigaddah also dwelt in captivity all his days; and he begat Coriantum, and Coriantum dwelt in captivity all his days; and he begat Com. | He had a son named Heth. Heth was a captive his whole life. Heth had a son named Aaron. Aaron was also a captive his whole life. Aaron had a son named Amnigaddah. Amnigaddah was a captive his whole life too. Amnigaddah had a son named Coriantum. Coriantum was also a captive all his life. Coriantum had a son named Com. |
| Ether 10:32 | And it came to pass that Com drew away the half of the kingdom. And he reigned over the half of the kingdom forty and two years; and he went to battle against the king, Amgid, and they fought for the space of many years, during which time Com gained power over Amgid, and obtained power over the remainder of the kingdom. | Com took half of the kingdom. He ruled his part for 42 years. He fought the other king, Amgid, for many years. Com won and ruled the whole kingdom. |
| Ether 10:33 | And in the days of Com there began to be robbers in the land; and they adopted the old plans, and administered oaths after the manner of the ancients, and sought again to destroy the kingdom. | In Com’s time, robbers began to cause trouble. They followed old ways and made secret promises, trying to ruin the kingdom again. |
| Ether 10:34 | Now Com did fight against them much; nevertheless, he did not prevail against them. | Com fought them a lot, but he did not win. |
Ether 11
| Verse | Original | 4th Grade |
|---|---|---|
| Ether 11:1 | And there came also in the days of Com many prophets, and prophesied of the destruction of that great people except they should repent, and turn unto the Lord, and forsake their murders and wickedness. | A long time ago, many special messengers came and warned the people. They said the people would be destroyed if they didn’t stop doing bad things and listen to God. |
| Ether 11:2 | And it came to pass that the prophets were rejected by the people, and they fled unto Com for protection, for the people sought to destroy them. | The people did not listen to the prophets. The prophets went to Com for help because the people wanted to hurt them. |
| Ether 11:3 | And they prophesied unto Com many things; and he was blessed in all the remainder of his days. | They told Com many things about the future, and he had a good life after that. |
| Ether 11:4 | And he lived to a good old age, and begat Shiblom; and Shiblom reigned in his stead. And the brother of Shiblom rebelled against him, and there began to be an exceedingly great war in all the land. | He lived a long time and had a son named Shiblom. Shiblom became king. Shiblom’s brother fought against him, and there was a big war everywhere. |
| Ether 11:5 | And it came to pass that the brother of Shiblom caused that all the prophets who prophesied of the destruction of the people should be put to death; | The brother of Shiblom made all the prophets who talked about the people being destroyed get killed. |
| Ether 11:6 | And there was great calamity in all the land, for they had testified that a great curse should come upon the land, and also upon the people, and that there should be a great destruction among them, such an one as never had been upon the face of the earth, and their bones should become as heaps of earth upon the face of the land except they should repent of their wickedness. | Something very bad happened in the whole land. The people said a big curse would come to the land and the people. It would destroy everything like never before. Their bones would be like piles of dirt unless they stopped being bad. |
| Ether 11:7 | And they hearkened not unto the voice of the Lord, because of their wicked combinations; wherefore, there began to be wars and contentions in all the land, and also many famines and pestilences, insomuch that there was a great destruction, such an one as never had been known upon the face of the earth; and all this came to pass in the days of Shiblom. | The people did not listen to God because they were very bad. So, there were wars and fights everywhere. There was not enough food, and many people got sick. It was a very bad time, worse than ever before. This happened when Shiblom was living. |
| Ether 11:8 | And the people began to repent of their iniquity; and inasmuch as they did the Lord did have mercy on them. | The people started to say sorry for doing bad things. When they did, the Lord was kind to them. |
| Ether 11:9 | And it came to pass that Shiblom was slain, and Seth was brought into captivity, and did dwell in captivity all his days. | Shiblom was killed. Seth was taken prisoner and lived as a prisoner for the rest of his life. |
| Ether 11:10 | And it came to pass that Ahah, his son, did obtain the kingdom; and he did reign over the people all his days. And he did do all manner of iniquity in his days, by which he did cause the shedding of much blood; and few were his days. | Ahah, the son, became king and ruled over the people. He did many bad things and caused a lot of trouble. He was king for a short time. |
| Ether 11:11 | And Ethem, being a descendant of Ahah, did obtain the kingdom; and he also did do that which was wicked in his days. | Ethem, who was Ahah’s descendant, became the king. He did bad things during his time. |
| Ether 11:12 | And it came to pass that in the days of Ethem there came many prophets, and prophesied again unto the people; yea, they did prophesy that the Lord would utterly destroy them from off the face of the earth except they repented of their iniquities. | In the time of Ethem, many prophets came. They told the people that if they did not stop doing bad things, the Lord would destroy them. |
| Ether 11:13 | And it came to pass that the people hardened their hearts, and would not hearken unto their words; and the prophets mourned and withdrew from among the people. | The people stopped listening and didn’t want to be good. The prophets were sad and went away. |
| Ether 11:14 | And it came to pass that Ethem did execute judgment in wickedness all his days; and he begat Moron. And it came to pass that Moron did reign in his stead; and Moron did that which was wicked before the Lord. | Ethem was a bad ruler for a long time. He had a son named Moron. Moron became the ruler after Ethem, but Moron was also bad. |
| Ether 11:15 | And it came to pass that there arose a rebellion among the people, because of that secret combination which was built up to get power and gain; and there arose a mighty man among them in iniquity, and gave battle unto Moron, in which he did overthrow the half of the kingdom; and he did maintain the half of the kingdom for many years. | The people started fighting because of a secret group that wanted power and money. A strong man fought against Moron and took over half of the kingdom. He kept this half for many years. |
| Ether 11:16 | And it came to pass that Moron did overthrow him, and did obtain the kingdom again. | And Moron took over and became king again. |
| Ether 11:17 | And it came to pass that there arose another mighty man; and he was a descendant of the brother of Jared. | Then, another strong man came. He was from the family of the brother of Jared. |
| Ether 11:18 | And it came to pass that he did overthrow Moron and obtain the kingdom; wherefore, Moron dwelt in captivity all the remainder of his days; and he begat Coriantor. | He took over Moron’s kingdom. Moron was kept in prison for the rest of his life. He had a son named Coriantor. |
| Ether 11:19 | And it came to pass that Coriantor dwelt in captivity all his days. | Coriantor lived as a prisoner his whole life. |
| Ether 11:20 | And in the days of Coriantor there also came many prophets, and prophesied of great and marvelous things, and cried repentance unto the people, and except they should repent the Lord God would execute judgment against them to their utter destruction; | In the days of Coriantor, many prophets came. They talked about amazing things and told the people to say sorry for their wrongs. If they did not say sorry, God would punish them. |
| Ether 11:21 | And that the Lord God would send or bring forth another people to possess the land, by his power, after the manner by which he brought their fathers. | And the Lord God will bring new people to live in the land, just like he helped their fathers. |
| Ether 11:22 | And they did reject all the words of the prophets, because of their secret society and wicked abominations. | They did not listen to the prophets because they were in a bad secret group and did bad things. |
| Ether 11:23 | And it came to pass that Coriantor begat Ether, and he died, having dwelt in captivity all his days. | Coriantor had a son named Ether. Then Coriantor died. He was a prisoner all his life. |
Ether 12
| Verse | Original | 4th Grade |
|---|---|---|
| Ether 12:1 | And it came to pass that the days of Ether were in the days of Coriantumr; and Coriantumr was king over all the land. | In the days of Ether, there was a king named Coriantumr. Coriantumr was the king of all the land. |
| Ether 12:2 | And Ether was a prophet of the Lord; wherefore Ether came forth in the days of Coriantumr, and began to prophesy unto the people, for he could not be restrained because of the Spirit of the Lord which was in him. | Ether was a prophet. He lived when Coriantumr was king. Ether told the people what God wanted. The Spirit of the Lord helped him, so he could not be stopped. |
| Ether 12:3 | For he did cry from the morning, even until the going down of the sun, exhorting the people to believe in God unto repentance lest they should be destroyed, saying unto them that by faith all things are fulfilled— | He talked to the people all day, from morning until night, telling them to believe in God and say sorry for their mistakes, so they wouldn’t be hurt. He told them that with faith, everything is possible. |
| Ether 12:4 | Wherefore, whoso believeth in God might with surety hope for a better world, yea, even a place at the right hand of God, which hope cometh of faith, maketh an anchor to the souls of men, which would make them sure and steadfast, always abounding in good works, being led to glorify God. | So, if you believe in God, you can hope for a better place with God. This hope comes from faith and helps keep you strong and steady. It makes you do good things and praise God. |
| Ether 12:5 | And it came to pass that Ether did prophesy great and marvelous things unto the people, which they did not believe, because they saw them not. | Ether told the people about amazing things that would happen, but they didn’t believe him because they couldn’t see them. |
| Ether 12:6 | And now, I, Moroni, would speak somewhat concerning these things; I would show unto the world that faith is things which are hoped for and not seen; wherefore, dispute not because ye see not, for ye receive no witness until after the trial of your faith. | I, Moroni, want to talk about these things. I want to tell everyone that faith means hoping for things we cannot see. Don’t argue just because you can’t see something. You will know it’s true after you believe and have faith. |
| Ether 12:7 | For it was by faith that Christ showed himself unto our fathers, after he had risen from the dead; and he showed not himself unto them until after they had faith in him; wherefore, it must needs be that some had faith in him, for he showed himself not unto the world. | Christ came to our ancestors because they believed in him after he came back to life. He didn’t show himself to them until they had faith in him. So, some people had to believe in him first because he didn’t show himself to everyone. |
| Ether 12:8 | But because of the faith of men he has shown himself unto the world, and glorified the name of the Father, and prepared a way that thereby others might be partakers of the heavenly gift, that they might hope for those things which they have not seen. | But because people believed in him, he showed himself to the world. He made his Father happy and made a way for others to share the heavenly gift and hope for things they can’t see yet. |
| Ether 12:9 | Wherefore, ye may also have hope, and be partakers of the gift, if ye will but have faith. | So, you can have hope and share the gift if you believe. |
| Ether 12:10 | Behold it was by faith that they of old were called after the holy order of God. | Look, people long ago were chosen by God because they had faith. |
| Ether 12:11 | Wherefore, by faith was the law of Moses given. But in the gift of his Son hath God prepared a more excellent way; and it is by faith that it hath been fulfilled. | So, God gave the law of Moses because people had faith. But God made a better way by giving His Son, and this has happened because of faith. |
| Ether 12:12 | For if there be no faith among the children of men God can do no miracle among them; wherefore, he showed not himself until after their faith. | If people do not believe in God, He cannot do miracles for them. So, He did not show Himself until they believed. |
| Ether 12:13 | Behold, it was the faith of Alma and Amulek that caused the prison to tumble to the earth. | Look, Alma and Amulek believed strongly, and that’s why the prison fell down. |
| Ether 12:14 | Behold, it was the faith of Nephi and Lehi that wrought the change upon the Lamanites, that they were baptized with fire and with the Holy Ghost. | Look, it was Nephi and Lehi’s strong belief that changed the Lamanites, and they were blessed by the Holy Spirit. |
| Ether 12:15 | Behold, it was the faith of Ammon and his brethren which wrought so great a miracle among the Lamanites. | Look, it was the faith of Ammon and his brothers that made a big miracle happen with the Lamanites. |
| Ether 12:16 | Yea, and even all they who wrought miracles wrought them by faith, even those who were before Christ and also those who were after. | Yes, everyone who did miracles did them because they believed, both those before Jesus and those after. |
| Ether 12:17 | And it was by faith that the three disciples obtained a promise that they should not taste of death; and they obtained not the promise until after their faith. | The three disciples believed very strongly. Because they believed, God promised they would not die. They got the promise after they showed their strong belief. |
| Ether 12:18 | And neither at any time hath any wrought miracles until after their faith; wherefore they first believed in the Son of God. | People didn’t do miracles until they had faith. They first believed in the Son of God. |
| Ether 12:19 | And there were many whose faith was so exceedingly strong, even before Christ came, who could not be kept from within the veil, but truly saw with their eyes the things which they had beheld with an eye of faith, and they were glad. | There were many people who had very strong faith before Jesus came. They could see special things that others couldn’t see, and this made them happy. |
| Ether 12:20 | And behold, we have seen in this record that one of these was the brother of Jared; for so great was his faith in God, that when God put forth his finger he could not hide it from the sight of the brother of Jared, because of his word which he had spoken unto him, which word he had obtained by faith. | The brother of Jared had such strong faith in God that when God showed his finger, he couldn’t hide it from him. |
| Ether 12:21 | And after the brother of Jared had beheld the finger of the Lord, because of the promise which the brother of Jared had obtained by faith, the Lord could not withhold anything from his sight; wherefore he showed him all things, for he could no longer be kept without the veil. | After the brother of Jared saw the Lord’s finger, the Lord showed him everything because he had great faith and trust in the Lord. |
| Ether 12:22 | And it is by faith that my fathers have obtained the promise that these things should come unto their brethren through the Gentiles; therefore the Lord hath commanded me, yea, even Jesus Christ. | By believing, my fathers got the promise that these things would come to their brothers from other people. So, Jesus Christ told me to do this. |
| Ether 12:23 | And I said unto him: Lord, the Gentiles will mock at these things, because of our weakness in writing; for Lord thou hast made us mighty in word by faith, but thou hast not made us mighty in writing; for thou hast made all this people that they could speak much, because of the Holy Ghost which thou hast given them; | And I said to him: Lord, non-believers will make fun of these things because we are not good at writing. Lord, you made us strong in speaking through faith, but we are not strong in writing. You made everyone able to speak a lot because you gave them the Holy Spirit. |
| Ether 12:24 | And thou hast made us that we could write but little, because of the awkwardness of our hands. Behold, thou hast not made us mighty in writing like unto the brother of Jared, for thou madest him that the things which he wrote were mighty even as thou art, unto the overpowering of man to read them. | And you made it so we can only write a little because our hands are not good at writing. You did not make us strong writers like the brother of Jared, whose writings were very powerful. |
| Ether 12:25 | Thou hast also made our words powerful and great, even that we cannot write them; wherefore, when we write we behold our weakness, and stumble because of the placing of our words; and I fear lest the Gentiles shall mock at our words. | Our words are so powerful we can’t write them down well. When we try to write, we make mistakes and get worried that others will make fun of us. |
| Ether 12:26 | And when I had said this, the Lord spake unto me, saying: Fools mock, but they shall mourn; and my grace is sufficient for the meek, that they shall take no advantage of your weakness; | Then the Lord said to me: Only unwise people make fun, but they will be sad. I will help kind people so they won’t use your weaknesses against you. |
| Ether 12:27 | And if men come unto me I will show unto them their weakness. I give unto men weakness that they may be humble; and my grace is sufficient for all men that humble themselves before me; for if they humble themselves before me, and have faith in me, then will I make weak things become strong unto them. | If people come to me, I will show them their weaknesses. I give people weaknesses to help them be humble. My kindness is enough for everyone who is humble. If they are humble and believe in me, I will help make their weak things become strong. |
| Ether 12:28 | Behold, I will show unto the Gentiles their weakness and I will show unto them that faith, hope and charity bringeth unto me—the fountain of all righteousness. | Look, I will show the people their weakness. I will also show them that faith, hope, and love bring them to me, the source of all goodness. |
| Ether 12:29 | And I, Moroni, having heard these words, was comforted, and said: O Lord, thy righteous will be done, for I know that thou workest unto the children of men according to their faith; | I am Moroni. I heard these words and felt better. I said: O Lord, do what is right. I know you help people because of their faith. |
| Ether 12:30 | For the brother of Jared said unto the mountain Zerin, Remove—and it was removed. And if he had not had faith it would not have moved; wherefore thou workest after men have faith. | The brother of Jared told the mountain Zerin to move, and it moved. It moved because he had faith. If he did not have faith, it would not have moved. You need faith for things to happen. |
| Ether 12:31 | For thus didst thou manifest thyself unto thy disciples; for after they had faith, and did speak in thy name, thou didst show thyself unto them in great power. | You showed yourself to your followers. After they believed and talked about you, you showed yourself to them in great power. |
| Ether 12:32 | And I also remember that thou hast said that thou hast prepared a house for man, yea, even among the mansions of thy Father, in which man might have a more excellent hope; wherefore man must hope, or he cannot receive an inheritance in the place which thou hast prepared. | And I remember that you said you have a house ready for people. It is in your Father’s many houses. This house gives people a great hope. So, people must have hope to get the house you prepared. |
| Ether 12:33 | And again, I remember that thou hast said that thou hast loved the world, even unto the laying down of thy life for the world, that thou mightest take it again to prepare a place for the children of men. | I remember you said you loved everyone so much that you gave your life, and then you took it back to make a home for everyone. |
| Ether 12:34 | And now I know that this love which thou hast had for the children of men is charity; wherefore, except men shall have charity they cannot inherit that place which thou hast prepared in the mansions of thy Father. | I know that your love for people is called charity. If people do not have charity, they cannot live in the special place God’s house. |
| Ether 12:35 | Wherefore, I know by this thing which thou hast said, that if the Gentiles have not charity, because of our weakness, that thou wilt prove them, and take away their talent, yea, even that which they have received, and give unto them who shall have more abundantly. | So, I know from what you said that if people are not kind and loving, you will test them. If they still aren’t kind, you will take away what they have and give it to others who have more. |
| Ether 12:36 | And it came to pass that I prayed unto the Lord that he would give unto the Gentiles grace, that they might have charity. | I prayed to God to give kindness to everyone so they can help others. |
| Ether 12:37 | And it came to pass that the Lord said unto me: If they have not charity it mattereth not unto thee, thou hast been faithful; wherefore, thy garments shall be made clean. And because thou hast seen thy weakness thou shalt be made strong, even unto the sitting down in the place which I have prepared in the mansions of my Father. | The Lord said to me: If people don’t have love, it doesn’t matter to you. You have been good and your clothes will be clean. Because you saw you were weak, you will be strong and sit in a special place in my Father’s house. |
| Ether 12:38 | And now I, Moroni, bid farewell unto the Gentiles, yea, and also unto my brethren whom I love, until we shall meet before the judgment-seat of Christ, where all men shall know that my garments are not spotted with your blood. | Now I, Moroni, say goodbye to everyone. Goodbye to the people I love. One day we will meet Jesus. Everyone will know that I have not done anything bad to you. |
| Ether 12:39 | And then shall ye know that I have seen Jesus, and that he hath talked with me face to face, and that he told me in plain humility, even as a man telleth another in mine own language, concerning these things; | You will know that I saw Jesus, and He talked with me face to face. He told me clearly and simply, like one person talks to another, about these things. |
| Ether 12:40 | And only a few have I written, because of my weakness in writing. | I wrote only a few things because I am not very good at writing. |
| Ether 12:41 | And now, I would commend you to seek this Jesus of whom the prophets and apostles have written, that the grace of God the Father, and also the Lord Jesus Christ, and the Holy Ghost, which beareth record of them, may be and abide in you forever. Amen. | Now, I want to tell you to look for Jesus, who the prophets and apostles wrote about. God the Father, Jesus Christ, and the Holy Ghost can be with you forever. Amen. |
Ether 13
| Verse | Original | 4th Grade |
|---|---|---|
| Ether 13:1 | And now I, Moroni, proceed to finish my record concerning the destruction of the people of whom I have been writing. | Now I, Moroni, will finish my story about the people who were destroyed. |
| Ether 13:2 | For behold, they rejected all the words of Ether; for he truly told them of all things, from the beginning of man; and that after the waters had receded from off the face of this land it became a choice land above all other lands, a chosen land of the Lord; wherefore the Lord would have that all men should serve him who dwell upon the face thereof; | The people did not listen to Ether. He told them everything about the world. After the big flood, this land was very special, chosen by the Lord. The Lord wants everyone living here to serve Him. |
| Ether 13:3 | And that it was the place of the New Jerusalem, which should come down out of heaven, and the holy sanctuary of the Lord. | It was the place where the New Jerusalem would come from heaven and be the holy place of the Lord. |
| Ether 13:4 | Behold, Ether saw the days of Christ, and he spake concerning a New Jerusalem upon this land. | Look, Ether saw the time of Jesus, and he talked about a New City on this land. |
| Ether 13:5 | And he spake also concerning the house of Israel, and the Jerusalem from whence Lehi should come—after it should be destroyed it should be built up again, a holy city unto the Lord; wherefore, it could not be a new Jerusalem for it had been in a time of old; but it should be built up again, and become a holy city of the Lord; and it should be built unto the house of Israel. | He talked about the people of Israel and the city of Jerusalem, where Lehi came from. After it was destroyed, it would be built again as a holy city for God. It wouldn’t be a new city, but it would be made holy again for the people of Israel. |
| Ether 13:6 | And that a New Jerusalem should be built upon this land, unto the remnant of the seed of Joseph, for which things there has been a type. | A new city called New Jerusalem will be built here for the children of Joseph. This has been planned. |
| Ether 13:7 | For as Joseph brought his father down into the land of Egypt, even so he died there; wherefore, the Lord brought a remnant of the seed of Joseph out of the land of Jerusalem, that he might be merciful unto the seed of Joseph that they should perish not, even as he was merciful unto the father of Joseph that he should perish not. | Just like Joseph took his father to Egypt and then died there, God helped some of Joseph’s family leave Jerusalem to be kind to them so they wouldn’t die, just like He was kind to Joseph’s father so he wouldn’t die. |
| Ether 13:8 | Wherefore, the remnant of the house of Joseph shall be built upon this land; and it shall be a land of their inheritance; and they shall build up a holy city unto the Lord, like unto the Jerusalem of old; and they shall no more be confounded, until the end come when the earth shall pass away. | So, the people left from Joseph’s family will live on this land. This will be their land to keep. They will build a holy city for the Lord, like the old Jerusalem. They will not be confused anymore, until the world ends. |
| Ether 13:9 | And there shall be a new heaven and a new earth; and they shall be like unto the old save the old have passed away, and all things have become new. | There will be a new heaven and a new earth. They will be like the old ones, but the old ones will be gone. Everything will be new. |
| Ether 13:10 | And then cometh the New Jerusalem; and blessed are they who dwell therein, for it is they whose garments are white through the blood of the Lamb; and they are they who are numbered among the remnant of the seed of Joseph, who were of the house of Israel. | And then comes the New Jerusalem. Happy are the people who live there. Their clothes are white because of Jesus. They are part of Joseph’s family, who was from Israel. |
| Ether 13:11 | And then also cometh the Jerusalem of old; and the inhabitants thereof, blessed are they, for they have been washed in the blood of the Lamb; and they are they who were scattered and gathered in from the four quarters of the earth, and from the north countries, and are partakers of the fulfilling of the covenant which God made with their father, Abraham. | Next, comes the old city of Jerusalem. The people there are happy because they are clean by the Lamb’s blood. They were spread out but brought back together from all over the earth. They are enjoying the promise God made to their father, Abraham. |
| Ether 13:12 | And when these things come, bringeth to pass the scripture which saith, there are they who were first, who shall be last; and there are they who were last, who shall be first. | When these things happen, the scripture will come true: those who were first will be last, and those who were last will be first. |
| Ether 13:13 | And I was about to write more, but I am forbidden; but great and marvelous were the prophecies of Ether; but they esteemed him as naught, and cast him out; and he hid himself in the cavity of a rock by day, and by night he went forth viewing the things which should come upon the people. | I wanted to write more, but I can’t. Ether made many amazing prophecies, but people didn’t listen and threw him out. He hid in a rock cave during the day and came out at night to see what would happen to the people. |
| Ether 13:14 | And as he dwelt in the cavity of a rock he made the remainder of his record, viewing the destructions which came upon the people, by night. | He lived in a cave in a rock. He wrote his story while he watched the bad things happen to the people at night. |
| Ether 13:15 | And it came to pass that in that same year in which he was cast out from among the people there began to be a great war among the people, for there were many who rose up, who were mighty men, and sought to destroy Coriantumr by their secret plans of wickedness, of which hath been spoken. | That year, there was a big war. Many strong men wanted to hurt Coriantumr with their bad plans. |
| Ether 13:16 | And now Coriantumr, having studied, himself, in all the arts of war and all the cunning of the world, wherefore he gave battle unto them who sought to destroy him. | Coriantumr learned a lot about fighting. He fought the people who wanted to hurt him. |
| Ether 13:17 | But he repented not, neither his fair sons nor daughters; neither the fair sons and daughters of Cohor; neither the fair sons and daughters of Corihor; and in fine, there were none of the fair sons and daughters upon the face of the whole earth who repented of their sins. | But he did not say sorry. His sons and daughters did not say sorry. The sons and daughters of Cohor did not say sorry. The sons and daughters of Corihor did not say sorry. No one on the whole earth said sorry for their bad choices. |
| Ether 13:18 | Wherefore, it came to pass that in the first year that Ether dwelt in the cavity of a rock, there were many people who were slain by the sword of those secret combinations, fighting against Coriantumr that they might obtain the kingdom. | So, in the first year that Ether lived in a cave, many people were killed by secret groups fighting against Coriantumr to get the kingdom. |
| Ether 13:19 | And it came to pass that the sons of Coriantumr fought much and bled much. | The sons of Coriantumr fought a lot and got hurt a lot. |
| Ether 13:20 | And in the second year the word of the Lord came to Ether, that he should go and prophesy unto Coriantumr that, if he would repent, and all his household, the Lord would give unto him his kingdom and spare the people— | In the second year, God told Ether to tell Coriantumr to be sorry for his mistakes. If Coriantumr and his family were sorry, God would let him keep his kingdom and save the people. |
| Ether 13:21 | Otherwise they should be destroyed, and all his household save it were himself. And he should only live to see the fulfilling of the prophecies which had been spoken concerning another people receiving the land for their inheritance; and Coriantumr should receive a burial by them; and every soul should be destroyed save it were Coriantumr. | If they don’t change, they will be destroyed. Only Coriantumr won’t be destroyed. He will see what was told about other people getting the land. Then he will die and be buried by those people. Everyone else will be destroyed except Coriantumr. |
| Ether 13:22 | And it came to pass that Coriantumr repented not, neither his household, neither the people; and the wars ceased not; and they sought to kill Ether, but he fled from before them and hid again in the cavity of the rock. | Coriantumr did not say sorry. His family did not say sorry. The people did not say sorry. The fighting did not stop. They wanted to hurt Ether, so he ran away and hid in a rock again. |
| Ether 13:23 | And it came to pass that there arose up Shared, and he also gave battle unto Coriantumr; and he did beat him, insomuch that in the third year he did bring him into captivity. | Shared fought against Coriantumr. Shared won and made Coriantumr a prisoner in the third year. |
| Ether 13:24 | And the sons of Coriantumr, in the fourth year, did beat Shared, and did obtain the kingdom again unto their father. | Coriantumr’s sons won a fight in the fourth year and gave the kingdom back to their father. |
| Ether 13:25 | Now there began to be a war upon all the face of the land, every man with his band fighting for that which he desired. | A big war started everywhere. Each group of people fought for what they wanted. |
| Ether 13:26 | And there were robbers, and in fine, all manner of wickedness upon all the face of the land. | There were bad people everywhere doing bad things. |
| Ether 13:27 | And it came to pass that Coriantumr was exceedingly angry with Shared, and he went against him with his armies to battle; and they did meet in great anger, and they did meet in the valley of Gilgal; and the battle became exceedingly sore. | Coriantumr was very mad at Shared. He went with his soldiers to fight him. They met in a valley called Gilgal and had a fierce battle. |
| Ether 13:28 | And it came to pass that Shared fought against him for the space of three days. And it came to pass that Coriantumr beat him, and did pursue him until he came to the plains of Heshlon. | Shared and Coriantumr fought for three days. Coriantumr won and chased Shared to the plains of Heshlon. |
| Ether 13:29 | And it came to pass that Shared gave him battle again upon the plains; and behold, he did beat Coriantumr, and drove him back again to the valley of Gilgal. | Shared fought Coriantumr again on the flat land. He beat Coriantumr and made him go back to the valley of Gilgal. |
| Ether 13:30 | And Coriantumr gave Shared battle again in the valley of Gilgal, in which he beat Shared and slew him. | Coriantumr fought Shared again in the valley of Gilgal and won. He defeated and killed Shared. |
| Ether 13:31 | And Shared wounded Coriantumr in his thigh, that he did not go to battle again for the space of two years, in which time all the people upon the face of the land were shedding blood, and there was none to restrain them. | Shared hurt Coriantumr’s leg, so he couldn’t fight for two years. During this time, everyone was fighting and no one could stop them. |
Ether 14
| Verse | Original | 4th Grade |
|---|---|---|
| Ether 14:1 | And now there began to be a great curse upon all the land because of the iniquity of the people, in which, if a man should lay his tool or his sword upon his shelf, or upon the place whither he would keep it, behold, upon the morrow, he could not find it, so great was the curse upon the land. | Now there was a big curse on all the land because the people were bad. If a man put his tool or sword on a shelf, the next day it would be gone. The curse was very strong. |
| Ether 14:2 | Wherefore every man did cleave unto that which was his own, with his hands, and would not borrow neither would he lend; and every man kept the hilt of his sword in his right hand, in the defence of his property and his own life and of his wives and children. | So, each person held onto their own things and didn’t share or borrow. Everyone kept their sword in their right hand to protect their stuff, themselves, and their families. |
| Ether 14:3 | And now, after the space of two years, and after the death of Shared, behold, there arose the brother of Shared and he gave battle unto Coriantumr, in which Coriantumr did beat him and did pursue him to the wilderness of Akish. | And now, two years later, after Shared died, Shared’s brother fought Coriantumr. Coriantumr won and chased him to the Akish wilderness. |
| Ether 14:4 | And it came to pass that the brother of Shared did give battle unto him in the wilderness of Akish; and the battle became exceedingly sore, and many thousands fell by the sword. | Then the brother of Shared fought him in the forest of Akish. The fight was very hard, and many people died. |
| Ether 14:5 | And it came to pass that Coriantumr did lay siege to the wilderness; and the brother of Shared did march forth out of the wilderness by night, and slew a part of the army of Coriantumr, as they were drunken. | Coriantumr waited and blocked the way to the forest. Shared’s brother came out of the forest at night and killed some of Coriantumr’s army while they were drunk. |
| Ether 14:6 | And he came forth to the land of Moron, and placed himself upon the throne of Coriantumr. | He went to the land called Moron and sat on Coriantumr’s throne. |
| Ether 14:7 | And it came to pass that Coriantumr dwelt with his army in the wilderness for the space of two years, in which he did receive great strength to his army. | Coriantumr stayed with his army in the wild for two years. During this time, his army became very strong. |
| Ether 14:8 | Now the brother of Shared, whose name was Gilead, also received great strength to his army, because of secret combinations. | Gilead, who was Shared’s brother, got more soldiers for his army because of secret groups. |
| Ether 14:9 | And it came to pass that his high priest murdered him as he sat upon his throne. | The high priest killed him while he was sitting on his chair. |
| Ether 14:10 | And it came to pass that one of the secret combinations murdered him in a secret pass, and obtained unto himself the kingdom; and his name was Lib; and Lib was a man of great stature, more than any other man among all the people. | One of the secret groups killed him in a hidden place and took the kingdom. The man’s name was Lib. Lib was taller and bigger than anyone else. |
| Ether 14:11 | And it came to pass that in the first year of Lib, Coriantumr came up unto the land of Moron, and gave battle unto Lib. | In the first year of Lib, Coriantumr went to the land of Moron and fought with Lib. |
| Ether 14:12 | And it came to pass that he fought with Lib, in which Lib did smite upon his arm that he was wounded; nevertheless, the army of Coriantumr did press forward upon Lib, that he fled to the borders upon the seashore. | Then he fought with Lib, and Lib hurt his arm. But Coriantumr’s army kept going and made Lib run away to the seashore. |
| Ether 14:13 | And it came to pass that Coriantumr pursued him; and Lib gave battle unto him upon the seashore. | Coriantumr chased him, and Lib fought him by the sea. |
| Ether 14:14 | And it came to pass that Lib did smite the army of Coriantumr, that they fled again to the wilderness of Akish. | Lib hit Coriantumr’s army. They ran away to the Akish wilderness. |
| Ether 14:15 | And it came to pass that Lib did pursue him until he came to the plains of Agosh. And Coriantumr had taken all the people with him as he fled before Lib in that quarter of the land whither he fled. | Lib chased him until they got to a big flat place called Agosh. Coriantumr took all the people with him as he ran away from Lib to that part of the land. |
| Ether 14:16 | And when he had come to the plains of Agosh he gave battle unto Lib, and he smote upon him until he died; nevertheless, the brother of Lib did come against Coriantumr in the stead thereof, and the battle became exceedingly sore, in the which Coriantumr fled again before the army of the brother of Lib. | When he got to the plains of Agosh, he fought Lib and killed him. But then Lib’s brother came to fight Coriantumr. The fight was very hard, and Coriantumr ran away from Lib’s brother’s army again. |
| Ether 14:17 | Now the name of the brother of Lib was called Shiz. And it came to pass that Shiz pursued after Coriantumr, and he did overthrow many cities, and he did slay both women and children, and he did burn the cities. | The brother of Lib was named Shiz. Shiz chased Coriantumr. Shiz destroyed many cities, killed women and children, and burned the cities. |
| Ether 14:18 | And there went a fear of Shiz throughout all the land; yea, a cry went forth throughout the land—Who can stand before the army of Shiz? Behold, he sweepeth the earth before him! | Everyone was scared of Shiz. People were shouting, “Who can stop Shiz and his army? Look, he destroys everything in his way!” |
| Ether 14:19 | And it came to pass that the people began to flock together in armies, throughout all the face of the land. | And the people started to gather in big groups all over the land. |
| Ether 14:20 | And they were divided; and a part of them fled to the army of Shiz, and a part of them fled to the army of Coriantumr. | Some people ran to Shiz’s army, and some people ran to Coriantumr’s army. |
| Ether 14:21 | And so great and lasting had been the war, and so long had been the scene of bloodshed and carnage, that the whole face of the land was covered with the bodies of the dead. | The war had been very big and long, and there had been so much fighting that the land was covered with dead bodies. |
| Ether 14:22 | And so swift and speedy was the war that there was none left to bury the dead, but they did march forth from the shedding of blood to the shedding of blood, leaving the bodies of both men, women, and children strewed upon the face of the land, to become a prey to the worms of the flesh. | The war was very quick. No one could bury the dead. They kept fighting, leaving dead men, women, and children everywhere. The bodies were left for the worms. |
| Ether 14:23 | And the scent thereof went forth upon the face of the land, even upon all the face of the land; wherefore the people became troubled by day and by night, because of the scent thereof. | The smell spread everywhere. It made the people worried all day and all night. |
| Ether 14:24 | Nevertheless, Shiz did not cease to pursue Coriantumr; for he had sworn to avenge himself upon Coriantumr of the blood of his brother, who had been slain, and the word of the Lord which came to Ether that Coriantumr should not fall by the sword. | But Shiz kept chasing Coriantumr because he wanted to get back at him for killing his brother. The Lord told Ether that Coriantumr would not die in battle. |
| Ether 14:25 | And thus we see that the Lord did visit them in the fulness of his wrath, and their wickedness and abominations had prepared a way for their everlasting destruction. | So we see that God came to them very angry, and their bad actions led them to be destroyed forever. |
| Ether 14:26 | And it came to pass that Shiz did pursue Coriantumr eastward, even to the borders by the seashore, and there he gave battle unto Shiz for the space of three days. | Shiz chased Coriantumr towards the east, to the edge of the sea, and they fought there for three days. |
| Ether 14:27 | And so terrible was the destruction among the armies of Shiz that the people began to be frightened, and began to flee before the armies of Coriantumr; and they fled to the land of Corihor, and swept off the inhabitants before them, all them that would not join them. | The armies of Shiz were destroyed so badly that the people got scared. They ran away from Coriantumr’s armies and went to a place called Corihor. They took away the people there who did not want to join them. |
| Ether 14:28 | And they pitched their tents in the valley of Corihor; and Coriantumr pitched his tents in the valley of Shurr. Now the valley of Shurr was near the hill Comnor; wherefore, Coriantumr did gather his armies together upon the hill Comnor, and did sound a trumpet unto the armies of Shiz to invite them forth to battle. | They set up their tents in the valley called Corihor. Coriantumr set up his tents in the valley called Shurr. The valley of Shurr was near a hill called Comnor. Coriantumr gathered his armies on the hill Comnor and blew a trumpet to call the armies of Shiz to come and fight. |
| Ether 14:29 | And it came to pass that they came forth, but were driven again; and they came the second time, and they were driven again the second time. And it came to pass that they came again the third time, and the battle became exceedingly sore. | They tried to come, but were pushed back. They tried again, but were pushed back again. They tried a third time, and the fight was very hard. |
| Ether 14:30 | And it came to pass that Shiz smote upon Coriantumr that he gave him many deep wounds; and Coriantumr, having lost his blood, fainted, and was carried away as though he were dead. | Shiz hit Coriantumr very hard and hurt him. Coriantumr lost a lot of blood and passed out. People thought he was dead and carried him away. |
| Ether 14:31 | Now the loss of men, women and children on both sides was so great that Shiz commanded his people that they should not pursue the armies of Coriantumr; wherefore, they returned to their camp. | Many men, women, and children were lost on both sides. Shiz told his people not to chase the armies of Coriantumr, so they went back to their camp. |
Ether 15
| Verse | Original | 4th Grade |
|---|---|---|
| Ether 15:1 | And it came to pass when Coriantumr had recovered of his wounds, he began to remember the words which Ether had spoken unto him. | After Coriantumr got better, he started to remember what Ether had told him. |
| Ether 15:2 | He saw that there had been slain by the sword already nearly two millions of his people, and he began to sorrow in his heart; yea, there had been slain two millions of mighty men, and also their wives and their children. | He saw that almost two million of his people were killed by swords. He felt very sad. Two million strong men were killed. Their wives and children were also killed. |
| Ether 15:3 | He began to repent of the evil which he had done; he began to remember the words which had been spoken by the mouth of all the prophets, and he saw them that they were fulfilled thus far, every whit; and his soul mourned and refused to be comforted. | He was sorry for the bad things he did. He remembered what the prophets said. He saw that their words came true. He felt very sad and nothing could make him feel better. |
| Ether 15:4 | And it came to pass that he wrote an epistle unto Shiz, desiring him that he would spare the people, and he would give up the kingdom for the sake of the lives of the people. | He wrote a letter to Shiz, asking him to save the people and said he would give up his kingdom to keep them safe. |
| Ether 15:5 | And it came to pass that when Shiz had received his epistle he wrote an epistle unto Coriantumr, that if he would give himself up, that he might slay him with his own sword, that he would spare the lives of the people. | Shiz got a letter. He wrote back to Coriantumr saying, “If you give yourself to me, I will kill you with my sword, and I will not hurt your people.” |
| Ether 15:6 | And it came to pass that the people repented not of their iniquity; and the people of Coriantumr were stirred up to anger against the people of Shiz; and the people of Shiz were stirred up to anger against the people of Coriantumr; wherefore, the people of Shiz did give battle unto the people of Coriantumr. | The people did not say sorry for their bad actions. Coriantumr’s people got angry at Shiz’s people, and Shiz’s people got angry at Coriantumr’s people. So, Shiz’s people fought Coriantumr’s people. |
| Ether 15:7 | And when Coriantumr saw that he was about to fall he fled again before the people of Shiz. | When Coriantumr saw he was going to fall, he ran away from the people of Shiz. |
| Ether 15:8 | And it came to pass that he came to the waters of Ripliancum, which, by interpretation, is large, or to exceed all; wherefore, when they came to these waters they pitched their tents; and Shiz also pitched his tents near unto them; and therefore on the morrow they did come to battle. | He went to the big waters called Ripliancum. They set up their tents there. Shiz also set up his tents nearby. The next day, they fought. |
| Ether 15:9 | And it came to pass that they fought an exceedingly sore battle, in which Coriantumr was wounded again, and he fainted with the loss of blood. | They had a big fight. Coriantumr got hurt again and passed out because he lost a lot of blood. |
| Ether 15:10 | And it came to pass that the armies of Coriantumr did press upon the armies of Shiz that they beat them, that they caused them to flee before them; and they did flee southward, and did pitch their tents in a place which was called Ogath. | The army of Coriantumr fought the army of Shiz and won. The army of Shiz ran away to the south and set up their tents in a place called Ogath. |
| Ether 15:11 | And it came to pass that the army of Coriantumr did pitch their tents by the hill Ramah; and it was that same hill where my father Mormon did hide up the records unto the Lord, which were sacred. | The army of Coriantumr set up their tents by the hill Ramah. It was the same hill where Mormon hid the important records. |
| Ether 15:12 | And it came to pass that they did gather together all the people upon all the face of the land, who had not been slain, save it was Ether. | So, all the people who were still alive came together, except for Ether. |
| Ether 15:13 | And it came to pass that Ether did behold all the doings of the people; and he beheld that the people who were for Coriantumr were gathered together to the army of Coriantumr; and the people who were for Shiz were gathered together to the army of Shiz. | Ether saw everything the people did. He saw that the people who liked Coriantumr joined his army. The people who liked Shiz joined his army. |
| Ether 15:14 | Wherefore, they were for the space of four years gathering together the people, that they might get all who were upon the face of the land, and that they might receive all the strength which it was possible that they could receive. | So, for four years they gathered the people, so they could get everyone from the land and become as strong as they could. |
| Ether 15:15 | And it came to pass that when they were all gathered together, every one to the army which he would, with their wives and their children—both men women and children being armed with weapons of war, having shields, and breastplates, and head-plates, and being clothed after the manner of war—they did march forth one against another to battle; and they fought all that day, and conquered not. | When everyone came together, each person joined the army they wanted. They brought their wives and children. Everyone had weapons, shields, and armor. They marched to fight. They fought all day, but no one won. |
| Ether 15:16 | And it came to pass that when it was night they were weary, and retired to their camps; and after they had retired to their camps they took up a howling and a lamentation for the loss of the slain of their people; and so great were their cries, their howlings and lamentations, that they did rend the air exceedingly. | At night, they were tired and went back to their camps. After getting to their camps, they started to cry loudly because many of their people had died. Their crying was very loud and filled the air. |
| Ether 15:17 | And it came to pass that on the morrow they did go again to battle, and great and terrible was that day; nevertheless, they conquered not, and when the night came again they did rend the air with their cries, and their howlings, and their mournings, for the loss of the slain of their people. | The next day, they went to fight again. It was a very hard day. But they did not win. At night, they cried loudly because many of their people were lost. |
| Ether 15:18 | And it came to pass that Coriantumr wrote again an epistle unto Shiz, desiring that he would not come again to battle, but that he would take the kingdom, and spare the lives of the people. | Coriantumr wrote another letter to Shiz. He asked Shiz not to fight again. He said Shiz could have the kingdom if he let the people live. |
| Ether 15:19 | And behold, the Spirit of the Lord had ceased striving with them, and Satan had full power over the hearts of the people; for they were given up unto the hardness of their hearts, and the blindness of their minds that they might be destroyed; wherefore they went again to battle. | The Spirit of the Lord stopped trying to help them, and Satan had power over their hearts. They were stubborn and could not see clearly. So, they went to fight again. |
| Ether 15:20 | And it came to pass that they fought all that day, and when the night came they slept upon their swords. | They fought all day, and at night they slept with their swords. |
| Ether 15:21 | And on the morrow they fought even until the night came. | The next day they fought all day until it got dark. |
| Ether 15:22 | And when the night came they were drunken with anger, even as a man who is drunken with wine; and they slept again upon their swords. | At night they were very angry, like someone who drank too much wine. They slept with their swords again. |
| Ether 15:23 | And on the morrow they fought again; and when the night came they had all fallen by the sword save it were fifty and two of the people of Coriantumr, and sixty and nine of the people of Shiz. | The next day, they fought again. When night came, almost everyone had been killed. Only 52 people of Coriantumr and 69 people of Shiz were still alive. |
| Ether 15:24 | And it came to pass that they slept upon their swords that night, and on the morrow they fought again, and they contended in their might with their swords and with their shields, all that day. | They slept with their swords that night. The next day, they fought again with their swords and shields all day. |
| Ether 15:25 | And when the night came there were thirty and two of the people of Shiz, and twenty and seven of the people of Coriantumr. | When it was night, there were 32 people with Shiz and 27 people with Coriantumr. |
| Ether 15:26 | And it came to pass that they ate and slept, and prepared for death on the morrow. And they were large and mighty men as to the strength of men. | They ate and slept, getting ready to die the next day. They were big and strong men. |
| Ether 15:27 | And it came to pass that they fought for the space of three hours, and they fainted with the loss of blood. | They fought for three hours and got very tired because they lost a lot of blood. |
| Ether 15:28 | And it came to pass that when the men of Coriantumr had received sufficient strength that they could walk, they were about to flee for their lives; but behold, Shiz arose, and also his men, and he swore in his wrath that he would slay Coriantumr or he would perish by the sword. | When Coriantumr’s men were strong enough to walk, they wanted to run away to save their lives. But Shiz and his men got up, and Shiz was very angry and promised to kill Coriantumr or die trying. |
| Ether 15:29 | Wherefore, he did pursue them, and on the morrow he did overtake them; and they fought again with the sword. And it came to pass that when they had all fallen by the sword, save it were Coriantumr and Shiz, behold Shiz had fainted with the loss of blood. | So, he chased them, and the next day he caught up with them. They fought with swords again. Everyone fell down from the fighting, except Coriantumr and Shiz. Shiz fainted because he lost a lot of blood. |
| Ether 15:30 | And it came to pass that when Coriantumr had leaned upon his sword, that he rested a little, he smote off the head of Shiz. | Coriantumr leaned on his sword to rest for a bit, then he cut off Shiz’s head. |
| Ether 15:31 | And it came to pass that after he had smitten off the head of Shiz, that Shiz raised upon his hands and fell; and after that he had struggled for breath, he died. | Then he cut off Shiz’s head. Shiz tried to get up but fell down. He struggled to breathe and then died. |
| Ether 15:32 | And it came to pass that Coriantumr fell to the earth, and became as if he had no life. | Coriantumr fell down and looked like he was not alive anymore. |
| Ether 15:33 | And the Lord spake unto Ether, and said unto him: Go forth. And he went forth, and beheld that the words of the Lord had all been fulfilled; and he finished his record; (and the hundredth part I have not written) and he hid them in a manner that the people of Limhi did find them. | The Lord talked to Ether and told him to go. Ether went and saw that everything the Lord said came true. He finished writing and hid the writings, and later the people of Limhi found them. |
| Ether 15:34 | Now the last words which are written by Ether are these: Whether the Lord will that I be translated, or that I suffer the will of the Lord in the flesh, it mattereth not, if it so be that I am saved in the kingdom of God. Amen. | Ether wrote his last words. He said: If I am taken to heaven or if I stay on earth, it is okay. I only want to be saved in God’s kingdom. Amen. |
Book of Mormon Simplified 