Jacob 1
| Verse | Original | 2nd Grade |
|---|---|---|
| Jacob 1:1 | For behold, it came to pass that fifty and five years had passed away from the time that Lehi left Jerusalem; wherefore, Nephi gave me, Jacob, a commandment concerning the small plates, upon which these things are engraven. | Look, 55 years had gone by since Lehi left Jerusalem. Nephi told me, Jacob, to write on the small plates. |
| Jacob 1:2 | And he gave me, Jacob, a commandment that I should write upon these plates a few of the things which I consider to be most precious; that I should not touch, save it were lightly, concerning the history of this people which are called the people of Nephi. | Jacob was told to write important things on these plates. He should write only a little about the history of the Nephi people. |
| Jacob 1:3 | For he said that the history of his people should be engraven upon his other plates, and that I should preserve these plates and hand them down unto my seed, from generation to generation. | He said that the story of his people should be written on his other plates. I should keep these plates safe and give them to my children and their children. |
| Jacob 1:4 | And if there were preaching which was sacred, or revelation which was great, or prophesying, that I should engraven the heads of them upon these plates, and touch upon them as much as it were possible, for Christ—s sake, and for the sake of our people. | If someone said special things about God or had important messages, I should write them down on these metal plates for Jesus and for our people. |
| Jacob 1:5 | For because of faith and great anxiety, it truly had been made manifest unto us concerning our people, what things should happen unto them. | Because we believed and were very worried, we were told what would happen to our people. |
| Jacob 1:6 | And we also had many revelations, and the spirit of much prophecy; wherefore, we knew of Christ and his kingdom, which should come. | We had many messages from God and knew about Jesus and His kingdom that would come. |
| Jacob 1:7 | Wherefore we labored diligently among our people, that we might persuade them to come unto Christ, and partake of the goodness of God, that they might enter into his rest, lest by any means he should swear in his wrath they should not enter in, as in the provocation in the days of temptation while the children of Israel were in the wilderness. | So we worked hard to help our people choose to follow Christ and enjoy God’s goodness. We wanted them to find peace with God and not make Him angry, like when the Israelites did bad things in the wilderness. |
| Jacob 1:8 | Wherefore, we would to God that we could persuade all men not to rebel against God, to provoke him to anger, but that all men would believe in Christ, and view his death, and suffer his cross and bear the shame of the world; wherefore, I, Jacob, take it upon me to fulfil the commandment of my brother Nephi. | We want everyone to not be mean to God. We want everyone to believe in Jesus and think about how he died for us. My name is Jacob, and I am doing what my brother Nephi asked me to do. |
| Jacob 1:9 | Now Nephi began to be old, and he saw that he must soon die; wherefore, he anointed a man to be a king and a ruler over his people now, according to the reigns of the kings. | Nephi got old and knew he would die soon, so he picked a man to be king. |
| Jacob 1:10 | The people having loved Nephi exceedingly, he having been a great protector for them, having wielded the sword of Laban in their defence, and having labored in all his days for their welfare— | The people loved Nephi a lot because he protected them with a big sword and worked hard to help them. |
| Jacob 1:11 | Wherefore, the people were desirous to retain in remembrance his name. And whoso should reign in his stead were called by the people, second Nephi, third Nephi, and so forth, according to the reigns of the kings; and thus they were called by the people, let them be of whatever name they would. | So, the people wanted to always remember his name. And whoever became king after him was called second Nephi, third Nephi, and so on, by the people. They were called this no matter what their real name was. |
| Jacob 1:12 | And it came to pass that Nephi died. | Nephi died. |
| Jacob 1:13 | Now the people which were not Lamanites were Nephites; nevertheless, they were called Nephites, Jacobites, Josephites, Zoramites, Lamanites, Lemuelites, and Ishmaelites. | The people who were not Lamanites were Nephites. They had different names: Nephites, Jacobites, Josephites, Zoramites, Lamanites, Lemuelites, and Ishmaelites. |
| Jacob 1:14 | But I, Jacob, shall not hereafter distinguish them by these names, but I shall call them Lamanites that seek to destroy the people of Nephi, and those who are friendly to Nephi I shall call Nephites, or the people of Nephi, according to the reigns of the kings. | I, Jacob, will call the bad people Lamanites. I will call the good people Nephites. |
| Jacob 1:15 | And now it came to pass that the people of Nephi, under the reign of the second king, began to grow hard in their hearts, and indulge themselves somewhat in wicked practices, such as like unto David of old desiring many wives and concubines, and also Solomon, his son. | The people of Nephi, with their second king, started to be mean and do bad things, like wanting many wives just like David and Solomon long ago. |
| Jacob 1:16 | Yea, and they also began to search much gold and silver, and began to be lifted up somewhat in pride. | They started looking for lots of gold and silver, and they became a little bit proud. |
| Jacob 1:17 | Wherefore I, Jacob, gave unto them these words as I taught them in the temple, having first obtained mine errand from the Lord. | So I, Jacob, told them these things in the temple because God gave me a job to do. |
| Jacob 1:18 | For I, Jacob, and my brother Joseph had been consecrated priests and teachers of this people, by the hand of Nephi. | Me, Jacob, and my brother Joseph were made priests and teachers for our people by Nephi. |
| Jacob 1:19 | And we did magnify our office unto the Lord, taking upon us the responsibility, answering the sins of the people upon our own heads if we did not teach them the word of God with all diligence; wherefore, by laboring with our might their blood might not come upon our garments; otherwise their blood would come upon our garments, and we would not be found spotless at the last day. | We did our job for God. We tried hard to teach people about God so we wouldn’t be responsible if they did wrong. If we didn’t teach them well, we would also be guilty. |
Jacob 2
| Verse | Original | 2nd Grade |
|---|---|---|
| Jacob 2:1 | The words which Jacob, the brother of Nephi, spake unto the people of Nephi, after the death of Nephi: | Jacob, Nephi’s brother, talked to Nephi’s people after Nephi died. |
| Jacob 2:2 | Now, my beloved brethren, I, Jacob, according to the responsibility which I am under to God, to magnify mine office with soberness, and that I might rid my garments of your sins, I come up into the temple this day that I might declare unto you the word of God. | My dear brothers and sisters, I am Jacob. God has asked me to do an important job. I am here in the temple to teach you what God wants us to do. |
| Jacob 2:3 | And ye yourselves know that I have hitherto been diligent in the office of my calling; but I this day am weighed down with much more desire and anxiety for the welfare of your souls than I have hitherto been. | You know I have always worked hard in my job. But today, I feel very worried about helping you be happy and safe. |
| Jacob 2:4 | For behold, as yet, ye have been obedient unto the word of the Lord, which I have given unto you. | You have been good and listened to what God told you to do. |
| Jacob 2:5 | But behold, hearken ye unto me, and know that by the help of the all-powerful Creator of heaven and earth I can tell you concerning your thoughts, how that ye are beginning to labor in sin, which sin appeareth very abominable unto me, yea, and abominable unto God. | Listen to me. With the help of God, I can know your thoughts. You are starting to do bad things, which are very bad to me and to God. |
| Jacob 2:6 | Yea, it grieveth my soul and causeth me to shrink with shame before the presence of my Maker, that I must testify unto you concerning the wickedness of your hearts. | Yes, it makes me feel very sad and ashamed to tell you that your hearts are not good. |
| Jacob 2:7 | And also it grieveth me that I must use so much boldness of speech concerning you, before your wives and your children, many of whose feelings are exceedingly tender and chaste and delicate before God, which thing is pleasing unto God; | It makes me sad that I have to talk to you in a strong way in front of your families, whose feelings are gentle and pure, which makes God happy. |
| Jacob 2:8 | And it supposeth me that they have come up hither to hear the pleasing word of God, yea, the word which healeth the wounded soul. | I think they came here to hear God’s nice words, the words that help a hurt soul feel better. |
| Jacob 2:9 | Wherefore, it burdeneth my soul that I should be constrained, because of the strict commandment which I have received from God, to admonish you according to your crimes, to enlarge the wounds of those who are already wounded, instead of consoling and healing their wounds; and those who have not been wounded, instead of feasting upon the pleasing word of God have daggers placed to pierce their souls and wound their delicate minds. | I feel very sad because God told me I have to tell you about what you did wrong. This makes hurt people feel worse, and others feel sad and scared instead of happy. |
| Jacob 2:10 | But, notwithstanding the greatness of the task, I must do according to the strict commands of God, and tell you concerning your wickedness and abominations, in the presence of the pure in heart, and the broken heart, and under the glance of the piercing eye of the Almighty God. | Even though it is hard, I have to obey God and tell you about your bad actions. God is watching and caring about what we do. |
| Jacob 2:11 | Wherefore, I must tell you the truth according to the plainness of the word of God. For behold, as I inquired of the Lord, thus came the word unto me, saying: Jacob, get thou up into the temple on the morrow, and declare the word which I shall give thee unto this people. | I need to tell you the truth. God spoke to me and said, “Jacob, go to the temple tomorrow and tell the people what I will tell you.” |
| Jacob 2:12 | And now behold, my brethren, this is the word which I declare unto you, that many of you have begun to search for gold, and for silver, and for all manner of precious ores, in the which this land, which is a land of promise unto you and to your seed, doth abound most plentifully. | Listen, everyone. Many of you are looking for gold, silver, and other valuable things in this land. This land has a lot of them. |
| Jacob 2:13 | And the hand of providence hath smiled upon you most pleasingly, that you have obtained many riches; and because some of you have obtained more abundantly than that of your brethren ye are lifted up in the pride of your hearts, and wear stiff necks and high heads because of the costliness of your apparel, and persecute your brethren because ye suppose that ye are better than they. | God has been very kind to you and given you many riches. Some of you have more than others and you feel proud. You have fancy clothes and think you are better than others, and you are mean to them. |
| Jacob 2:14 | And now, my brethren, do ye suppose that God justifieth you in this thing? Behold, I say unto you, Nay. But he condemneth you, and if ye persist in these things his judgments must speedily come unto you. | God is not okay with what you’re doing. He says no. If you keep doing it, He will punish you. |
| Jacob 2:15 | O that he would show you that he can pierce you, and with one glance of his eye he can smite you to the dust! | Oh, he can look at you and make you fall like dust! |
| Jacob 2:16 | O that he would rid you from this iniquity and abomination. And, O that ye would listen unto the word of his commands, and let not this pride of your hearts destroy your souls! | I wish he would help you stop doing bad things. I wish you would listen to his rules and not let pride hurt you. |
| Jacob 2:17 | Think of your brethren like unto yourselves, and be familiar with all and free with your substance, that they may be rich like unto you. | Treat your brothers and sisters like you treat yourself. Share what you have so everyone can be happy and have enough. |
| Jacob 2:18 | But before ye seek for riches, seek ye for the kingdom of God. | First, look for God’s help. Then, look for money. |
| Jacob 2:19 | And after ye have obtained a hope in Christ ye shall obtain riches, if ye seek them; and ye will seek them for the intent to do good—to clothe the naked, and to feed the hungry, and to liberate the captive, and administer relief to the sick and the afflicted. | After you believe in Jesus, you can get rich if you want. You will use the money to help people—to give clothes to those who have none, to give food to the hungry, to free those in trouble, and to help the sick and those who are sad. |
| Jacob 2:20 | And now, my brethren, I have spoken unto you concerning pride; and those of you which have afflicted your neighbor, and persecuted him because ye were proud in your hearts, of the things which God hath given you, what say ye of it? | Now, my friends, I talked to you about being too proud. If you hurt your neighbor and were mean because you felt special, what do you think about that? |
| Jacob 2:21 | Do ye not suppose that such things are abominable unto him who created all flesh? And the one being is as precious in his sight as the other. And all flesh is of the dust; and for the selfsame end hath he created them, that they should keep his commandments and glorify him forever. | Don’t you think doing bad things makes God, who made everyone, very sad? He loves everyone the same. People came from dust, and God made them to follow his rules and love him always. |
| Jacob 2:22 | And now I make an end of speaking unto you concerning this pride. And were it not that I must speak unto you concerning a grosser crime, my heart would rejoice exceedingly because of you. | I’m done talking to you about pride. If I didn’t have to talk about something worse, I would be very happy because of you. |
| Jacob 2:23 | But the word of God burdens me because of your grosser crimes. For behold, thus saith the Lord: This people begin to wax in iniquity; they understand not the scriptures, for they seek to excuse themselves in committing whoredoms, because of the things which were written concerning David, and Solomon his son. | God’s words make me sad because you are doing bad things. The Lord says: These people are beginning to do more wrong. They do not understand the scriptures and try to say it is okay to do bad because of what was written about David and his son Solomon. |
| Jacob 2:24 | Behold, David and Solomon truly had many wives and concubines, which thing was abominable before me, saith the Lord. | Look, David and Solomon had lots of wives and other women. This was very bad, says the Lord. |
| Jacob 2:25 | Wherefore, thus saith the Lord, I have led this people forth out of the land of Jerusalem, by the power of mine arm, that I might raise up unto me a righteous branch from the fruit of the loins of Joseph. | God says, “I helped these people leave Jerusalem so they can be good and follow me.” |
| Jacob 2:26 | Wherefore, I the Lord God will not suffer that this people shall do like unto them of old. | So, I, the Lord God, will not let these people act like the people from long ago. |
| Jacob 2:27 | Wherefore, my brethren, hear me, and hearken to the word of the Lord: For there shall not any man among you have save it be one wife; and concubines he shall have none; | Listen to me, my friends. God says you should only have one wife. No extra wives allowed. |
| Jacob 2:28 | For I, the Lord God, delight in the chastity of women. And whoredoms are an abomination before me; thus saith the Lord of Hosts. | I, the Lord God, am happy when women are pure. Bad things like cheating make me very unhappy, says the Lord. |
| Jacob 2:29 | Wherefore, this people shall keep my commandments, saith the Lord of Hosts, or cursed be the land for their sakes. | So, these people must follow my rules, says God, or the land will be cursed. |
| Jacob 2:30 | For if I will, saith the Lord of Hosts, raise up seed unto me, I will command my people; otherwise they shall hearken unto these things. | If I want more children, says God, I will tell my people. Otherwise, listen to these words. |
| Jacob 2:31 | For behold, I, the Lord, have seen the sorrow, and heard the mourning of the daughters of my people in the land of Jerusalem, yea, and in all the lands of my people, because of the wickedness and abominations of their husbands. | I, the Lord, see that the women in my land are sad and crying because the men are doing bad things. |
| Jacob 2:32 | And I will not suffer, saith the Lord of Hosts, that the cries of the fair daughters of this people, which I have led out of the land of Jerusalem, shall come up unto me against the men of my people, saith the Lord of Hosts. | The Lord says: I won’t let the cries of the women I brought from Jerusalem reach me because of the men. |
| Jacob 2:33 | For they shall not lead away captive the daughters of my people because of their tenderness, save I shall visit them with a sore curse, even unto destruction; for they shall not commit whoredoms, like unto them of old, saith the Lord of Hosts. | They will not take the daughters of my people because they are kind. If they do, I will punish them very much. They will not do bad things like people did before, says the Lord. |
| Jacob 2:34 | And now behold, my brethren, ye know that these commandments were given to our father, Lehi; wherefore, ye have known them before; and ye have come unto great condemnation; for ye have done these things which ye ought not to have done. | Listen, my brothers. You know these rules were given to our father, Lehi. So, you knew these rules before. But you did bad things. You should not have done these things. |
| Jacob 2:35 | Behold, ye have done greater iniquities than the Lamanites, our brethren. Ye have broken the hearts of your tender wives, and lost the confidence of your children, because of your bad examples before them; and the sobbings of their hearts ascend up to God against you. And because of the strictness of the word of God, which cometh down against you, many hearts died, pierced with deep wounds. | Look, you have done worse things than the Lamanites, our brothers. You have made your kind wives sad, and your children do not trust you because you showed them bad actions. Their sad feelings go up to God. Because of God’s strong words against you, many hearts are deeply hurt. |
Jacob 3
| Verse | Original | 2nd Grade |
|---|---|---|
| Jacob 3:1 | But behold, I, Jacob, would speak unto you that are pure in heart. Look unto God with firmness of mind, and pray unto him with exceeding faith, and he will console you in your afflictions, and he will plead your cause, and send down justice upon those who seek your destruction. | But listen, I, Jacob, want to talk to you who are good people. Look to God and pray with strong faith. He will help you when you are sad. He will also protect you and be fair to those who try to hurt you. |
| Jacob 3:2 | O all ye that are pure in heart, lift up your heads and receive the pleasing word of God, and feast upon his love; for ye may, if your minds are firm, forever. | Hey everyone with a good heart, look up and listen to God’s nice words, and feel His love; you can, if you keep thinking about Him, always. |
| Jacob 3:3 | But, wo, wo, unto you that are not pure in heart, that are filthy this day before God; for except ye repent the land is cursed for your sakes; and the Lamanites, which are not filthy like unto you, nevertheless they are cursed with a sore cursing, shall scourge you even unto destruction. | Oh no, oh no, to you who are not clean in heart, who are dirty today before God. If you do not say sorry and change, the land is cursed because of you. The Lamanites, who are not as dirty as you, are also cursed and will hurt you very much. |
| Jacob 3:4 | And the time speedily cometh, that except ye repent they shall possess the land of your inheritance, and the Lord God will lead away the righteous out from among you. | Soon, if you do not say sorry and change, others will take your land. God will take the good people away from you. |
| Jacob 3:5 | Behold, the Lamanites your brethren, whom ye hate because of their filthiness and the cursing which hath come upon their skins, are more righteous than you; for they have not forgotten the commandment of the Lord, which was given unto our father—that they should have save it were one wife, and concubines they should have none, and there should not be whoredoms committed among them. | Look, the Lamanites, your brothers, who you don’t like because their skin is different, are better than you. They remember God’s rule to have only one wife and no extra women, and they do not do bad things with many women. |
| Jacob 3:6 | And now, this commandment they observe to keep; wherefore, because of this observance, in keeping this commandment, the Lord God will not destroy them, but will be merciful unto them; and one day they shall become a blessed people. | If they obey the commandment, God will be kind to them, and one day they will be happy. |
| Jacob 3:7 | Behold, their husbands love their wives, and their wives love their husbands; and their husbands and their wives love their children; and their unbelief and their hatred towards you is because of the iniquity of their fathers; wherefore, how much better are you than they, in the sight of your great Creator? | Look, the husbands love the wives, and the wives love the husbands. They both love their kids. They don’t believe you or like you because of what their fathers did. So, are you really better than them to God? |
| Jacob 3:8 | O my brethren, I fear that unless ye shall repent of your sins that their skins will be whiter than yours, when ye shall be brought with them before the throne of God. | Oh my brothers, I worry that if you don’t say sorry for your mistakes, their skin will be lighter than yours when you stand with them in front of God. |
| Jacob 3:9 | Wherefore, a commandment I give unto you, which is the word of God, that ye revile no more against them because of the darkness of their skins; neither shall ye revile against them because of their filthiness; but ye shall remember your own filthiness, and remember that their filthiness came because of their fathers. | So, God says you must be kind to people with dark skin. Don’t be mean to them or think they are dirty. Remember, you are not perfect too, and their problems came from their fathers. |
| Jacob 3:10 | Wherefore, ye shall remember your children, how that ye have grieved their hearts because of the example that ye have set before them; and also, remember that ye may, because of your filthiness, bring your children unto destruction, and their sins be heaped upon your heads at the last day. | Remember your kids. Your choices made them sad. Bad choices can hurt them too. God will know. |
| Jacob 3:11 | O my brethren, hearken unto my words; arouse the faculties of your souls; shake yourselves that ye may awake from the slumber of death; and loose yourselves from the pains of hell that ye may not become angels to the devil, to be cast into that lake of fire and brimstone which is the second death. | Listen to me, my brothers and sisters. Wake up your hearts and minds. Wake up from the sleep of death. Free yourselves from the pains of hell so you don’t become helpers of the devil and go into the lake of fire. |
| Jacob 3:12 | And now I, Jacob, spake many more things unto the people of Nephi, warning them against fornication and lasciviousness, and every kind of sin, telling them the awful consequences of them. | I, Jacob, talked to the people of Nephi and told them not to do bad things. I warned them what would happen if they did. |
| Jacob 3:13 | And a hundredth part of the proceedings of this people, which now began to be numerous, cannot be written upon these plates; but many of their proceedings are written upon the larger plates, and their wars, and their contentions, and the reigns of their kings. | We can’t write everything about these people because there are so many of them. But, we wrote a lot about them on other plates, like their fights, arguments, and the times when they had kings. |
| Jacob 3:14 | These plates are called the plates of Jacob, and they were made by the hand of Nephi. And I make an end of speaking these words. | These are the plates of Jacob. Nephi made them. I am done talking now. |
Jacob 4
| Verse | Original | 2nd Grade |
|---|---|---|
| Jacob 4:1 | Now behold, it came to pass that I, Jacob, having ministered much unto my people in word, (and I cannot write but a little of my words, because of the difficulty of engraving our words upon plates) and we know that the things which we write upon plates must remain; | Look, I am Jacob. I talked a lot to my people. I can’t write everything because it’s hard to carve words on plates. The words we carve on plates must stay there. |
| Jacob 4:2 | But whatsoever things we write upon anything save it be upon plates must perish and vanish away; but we can write a few words upon plates, which will give our children, and also our beloved brethren, a small degree of knowledge concerning us, or concerning their fathers— | If we write on anything other than plates, it will go away. But if we write a little on plates, our children and family can learn a bit about us. |
| Jacob 4:3 | Now in this thing we do rejoice; and we labor diligently to engraven these words upon plates, hoping that our beloved brethren and our children will receive them with thankful hearts, and look upon them that they may learn with joy and not with sorrow, neither with contempt, concerning their first parents. | We are happy to write these words for you. We work hard to put them on plates. We hope our family and friends read them and feel thankful. We want them to learn and be joyful, not sad or upset, about their first parents. |
| Jacob 4:4 | For, for this intent have we written these things, that they may know that we knew of Christ, and we had a hope of his glory many hundred years before his coming; and not only we ourselves had a hope of his glory, but also all the holy prophets which were before us. | We wrote this so you know we knew about Jesus. We hoped for him a long, long time ago, even before he came. And others who talked to God hoped for him too. |
| Jacob 4:5 | Behold, they believed in Christ and worshiped the Father in his name, and also we worship the Father in his name. And for this intent we keep the law of Moses, it pointing our souls to him; and for this cause it is sanctified unto us for righteousness, even as it was accounted unto Abraham in the wilderness to be obedient unto the commands of God in offering up his son Isaac, which is a similitude of God and his Only Begotten Son. | Look, they believed in Jesus and prayed to God. We also pray to God in Jesus’ name. We follow God’s laws to help us think about Jesus. These laws are special to us, just like when Abraham followed God’s commands and was ready to give up his son Isaac, which is like God giving his only son, Jesus. |
| Jacob 4:6 | Wherefore, we search the prophets, and we have many revelations and the spirit of prophecy; and having all these witnesses we obtain a hope, and our faith becometh unshaken, insomuch that we truly can command in the name of Jesus and the very trees obey us, or the mountains, or the waves of the sea. | So, we read what the prophets said. We get messages from God. We have many strong signs from God. Because of this, we have hope. Our faith is very strong. We believe that if we say something in Jesus’ name, even trees, mountains, and the sea will listen to us. |
| Jacob 4:7 | Nevertheless, the Lord God showeth us our weakness that we may know that it is by his grace, and his great condescensions unto the children of men, that we have power to do these things. | But God shows us our weakness so we understand that with His help and kindness, we can do these things. |
| Jacob 4:8 | Behold, great and marvelous are the works of the Lord. How unsearchable are the depths of the mysteries of him; and it is impossible that man should find out all his ways. And no man knoweth of his ways save it be revealed unto him; wherefore, brethren, despise not the revelations of God. | Look, the Lord does amazing things. His mysteries are so deep no one can find them all. Only when God shows someone can they know His ways. So, friends, do not ignore God’s messages. |
| Jacob 4:9 | For behold, by the power of his word man came upon the face of the earth, which earth was created by the power of his word. Wherefore, if God being able to speak and the world was, and to speak and man was created, O then, why not able to command the earth, or the workmanship of his hands upon the face of it, according to his will and pleasure? | God used his words to make the earth and people. If God can make everything by speaking, He can also tell the earth and people what to do. |
| Jacob 4:10 | Wherefore, brethren, seek not to counsel the Lord, but to take counsel from his hand. For behold, ye yourselves know that he counseleth in wisdom, and in justice, and in great mercy, over all his works. | So, friends, don’t try to tell God what to do. Instead, listen to what He says. You know that He is wise, fair, and kind in everything He does. |
| Jacob 4:11 | Wherefore, beloved brethren, be reconciled unto him through the atonement of Christ, his Only Begotten Son, and ye may obtain a resurrection, according to the power of the resurrection which is in Christ, and be presented as the first-fruits of Christ unto God, having faith, and obtained a good hope of glory in him before he manifesteth himself in the flesh. | So, dear friends, make peace with God through Jesus, His Son. Then you can rise again, like Jesus did, and be with God. Have faith and hope in Jesus before He comes to Earth. |
| Jacob 4:12 | And now, beloved, marvel not that I tell you these things; for why not speak of the atonement of Christ, and attain to a perfect knowledge of him, as to attain to the knowledge of a resurrection and the world to come? | Dear friends, don’t be surprised that I tell you this. Why not talk about Jesus and learn all about him, just like we learn about coming back to life and the next world? |
| Jacob 4:13 | Behold, my brethren, he that prophesieth, let him prophesy to the understanding of men; for the Spirit speaketh the truth and lieth not. Wherefore, it speaketh of things as they really are, and of things as they really will be; wherefore, these things are manifested unto us plainly, for the salvation of our souls. But behold, we are not witnesses alone in these things; for God also spake them unto prophets of old. | Listen, my friends. If someone tells the future, they should do it so everyone can understand. The Spirit always tells the truth and never lies. So, it talks about things as they really are and how they will be. This way, we can understand easily and be saved. We are not the only ones who know this; God also told it to prophets long ago. |
| Jacob 4:14 | But behold, the Jews were a stiffnecked people; and they despised the words of plainness, and killed the prophets, and sought for things that they could not understand. Wherefore, because of their blindness, which blindness came by looking beyond the mark, they must needs fall; for God hath taken away his plainness from them, and delivered unto them many things which they cannot understand, because they desired it. And because they desired it God hath done it, that they may stumble. | The Jews were stubborn. They did not like simple words. They killed prophets and wanted things they couldn’t understand. Because they didn’t see clearly, they fell. God took away simple words from them and gave them confusing things because that is what they wanted. So they stumbled. |
| Jacob 4:15 | And now I, Jacob, am led on by the Spirit unto prophesying; for I perceive by the workings of the Spirit which is in me, that by the stumbling of the Jews they will reject the stone upon which they might build and have safe foundation. | Now I, Jacob, am guided by the Spirit to tell the future. I feel the Spirit in me. I see that the Jews will make mistakes. They will not accept the stone that would help them be safe. |
| Jacob 4:16 | But behold, according to the scriptures, this stone shall become the great, and the last, and the only sure foundation, upon which the Jews can build. | But look, this stone will be very important. It is the strong base that the Jews can build on. |
| Jacob 4:17 | And now, my beloved, how is it possible that these, after having rejected the sure foundation, can ever build upon it, that it may become the head of their corner? | My dear friends, how can people who said no to a strong base ever build on it again? |
| Jacob 4:18 | Behold, my beloved brethren, I will unfold this mystery unto you; if I do not, by any means, get shaken from my firmness in the Spirit, and stumble because of my over anxiety for you. | Listen, my dear friends, I will tell you this secret; if I stay calm and don’t worry too much about you. |
Jacob 5
| Verse | Original | 2nd Grade |
|---|---|---|
| Jacob 5:1 | Behold, my brethren, do ye not remember to have read the words of the prophet Zenos, which he spake unto the house of Israel, saying: | Look, my brothers, do you remember reading what the prophet Zenos said to the people of Israel? |
| Jacob 5:2 | Hearken, O ye house of Israel, and hear the words of me, a prophet of the Lord. | Listen, people of Israel, and hear my words. I am a prophet from God. |
| Jacob 5:3 | For behold, thus saith the Lord, I will liken thee, O house of Israel, like unto a tame olive-tree, which a man took and nourished in his vineyard; and it grew, and waxed old, and began to decay. | Listen! The Lord says, âI will compare you, O house of Israel, to a tame olive tree that a man took care of in his garden. The tree grew old and started to die.â |
| Jacob 5:4 | And it came to pass that the master of the vineyard went forth, and he saw that his olive-tree began to decay; and he said: I will prune it, and dig about it, and nourish it, that perhaps it may shoot forth young and tender branches, and it perish not. | The master of the vineyard saw his olive tree was dying. He said, “I will take care of it so it may grow new branches and not die.” |
| Jacob 5:5 | And it came to pass that he pruned it, and digged about it, and nourished it according to his word. | He took care of the tree. He cut the branches, dug around it, and gave it food like he said. |
| Jacob 5:6 | And it came to pass that after many days it began to put forth somewhat a little, young and tender branches; but behold, the main top thereof began to perish. | After many days, little baby branches started to grow, but the big top part started to die. |
| Jacob 5:7 | And it came to pass that the master of the vineyard saw it, and he said unto his servant: It grieveth me that I should lose this tree; wherefore, go and pluck the branches from a wild olive-tree, and bring them hither unto me; and we will pluck off those main branches which are beginning to wither away, and we will cast them into the fire that they may be burned. | The boss of the garden saw the tree and said: I don’t want to lose this tree. Go get branches from a wild olive tree and bring them to me. We will take off the bad branches and burn them. |
| Jacob 5:8 | And behold, saith the Lord of the vineyard, I take away many of these young and tender branches, and I will graft them whithersoever I will; and it mattereth not that if it so be that the root of this tree will perish, I may preserve the fruit thereof unto myself; wherefore, I will take these young and tender branches, and I will graft them whithersoever I will. | The Lord says, “I will take these small, young branches and put them wherever I want. It doesn’t matter if the old tree dies, I will still save the fruit from the tree. So, I will take the small branches and put them wherever I want.” |
| Jacob 5:9 | Take thou the branches of the wild olive-tree, and graft them in, in the stead thereof; and these which I have plucked off I will cast into the fire and burn them, that they may not cumber the ground of my vineyard. | Take the wild olive branches and put them where the others were. The ones I took off, I will burn them in the fire, so they don’t take up space in my garden. |
| Jacob 5:10 | And it came to pass that the servant of the Lord of the vineyard did according to the word of the Lord of the vineyard, and grafted in the branches of the wild olive-tree. | The helper did what the boss said and put parts of a wild tree into the vineyard tree. |
| Jacob 5:11 | And the Lord of the vineyard caused that it should be digged about, and pruned, and nourished, saying unto his servant: It grieveth me that I should lose this tree; wherefore, that perhaps I might preserve the roots thereof that they perish not, that I might preserve them unto myself, I have done this thing. | The boss of the garden took care of the tree. He dug the dirt, cut branches, and gave food. He said, “I am sad to lose this tree. I want to save its roots so they don’t die. This is why I did it.” |
| Jacob 5:12 | Wherefore, go thy way; watch the tree, and nourish it, according to my words. | So, go and take care of the tree, and help it grow, like I told you. |
| Jacob 5:13 | And these will I place in the nethermost part of my vineyard, whithersoever I will, it mattereth not unto thee; and I do it that I may preserve unto myself the natural branches of the tree; and also, that I may lay up fruit thereof against the season, unto myself; for it grieveth me that I should lose this tree and the fruit thereof. | I will put these in the farthest part of my vineyard, wherever I want. It doesn’t matter to you. I do this to keep the good branches and to save the fruit for later. I don’t want to lose this tree and the fruit. |
| Jacob 5:14 | And it came to pass that the Lord of the vineyard went his way, and hid the natural branches of the tame olive-tree in the nethermost parts of the vineyard, some in one and some in another, according to his will and pleasure. | The boss of the vineyard took the good branches of the olive tree and hid them in different parts of the vineyard, just like he wanted to. |
| Jacob 5:15 | And it came to pass that a long time passed away, and the Lord of the vineyard said unto his servant: Come, let us go down into the vineyard, that we may labor in the vineyard. | A long time went by. The Lord said to his helper: Come, let’s go to the vineyard and work. |
| Jacob 5:16 | And it came to pass that the Lord of the vineyard, and also the servant, went down into the vineyard to labor. And it came to pass that the servant said unto his master: Behold, look here; behold the tree. | The boss and the worker went to work in the garden. The worker said to the boss: Look, see the tree. |
| Jacob 5:17 | And it came to pass that the Lord of the vineyard looked and beheld the tree in the which the wild olive branches had been grafted; and it had sprung forth and begun to bear fruit. And he beheld that it was good; and the fruit thereof was like unto the natural fruit. | The Lord looked at the tree with new branches. The tree grew and made good fruit, just like the normal tree. |
| Jacob 5:18 | And he said unto the servant: Behold, the branches of the wild tree have taken hold of the moisture of the root thereof, that the root thereof hath brought forth much strength; and because of the much strength of the root thereof the wild branches have brought forth tame fruit. Now, if we had not grafted in these branches, the tree thereof would have perished. And now, behold, I shall lay up much fruit, which the tree thereof hath brought forth; and the fruit thereof I shall lay up against the season, unto mine own self. | He said to the helper: Look, the wild tree branches have taken water from the root. The root has become very strong and now, because of this, the wild branches have good fruit. If we did not put these branches on the tree, the tree would have died. Now, I will gather the good fruit from this tree and keep it for later. |
| Jacob 5:19 | And it came to pass that the Lord of the vineyard said unto the servant: Come, let us go to the nethermost part of the vineyard, and behold if the natural branches of the tree have not brought forth much fruit also, that I may lay up of the fruit thereof against the season, unto mine own self. | The boss of the garden said: Come with me. Let’s go to the far end of the garden and see if the tree has made a lot of fruit. Then I can save the fruit for later. |
| Jacob 5:20 | And it came to pass that they went forth whither the master had hid the natural branches of the tree, and he said unto the servant: Behold these; and he beheld the first that it had brought forth much fruit; and he beheld also that it was good. And he said unto the servant: Take of the fruit thereof, and lay it up against the season, that I may preserve it unto mine own self; for behold, said he, this long time have I nourished it, and it hath brought forth much fruit. | They went to where the master hid the tree branches. The master said, “Look at these!” The servant saw the branches had lots of fruit and it was good. The master said, “Take the fruit and save it for later. I have taken care of the tree for a long time, and it has grown much fruit.” |
| Jacob 5:21 | And it came to pass that the servant said unto his master: How comest thou hither to plant this tree, or this branch of the tree? For behold, it was the poorest spot in all the land of thy vineyard. | The servant asked his master: Why did you come here to plant this tree or branch? This is the worst spot in the whole vineyard. |
| Jacob 5:22 | And the Lord of the vineyard said unto him: Counsel me not; I knew that it was a poor spot of ground; wherefore, I said unto thee, I have nourished it this long time, and thou beholdest that it hath brought forth much fruit. | The Lord of the vineyard said: Don’t tell me what to do. I know this ground is not very good. I have taken care of it for a long time, and you can see it has given a lot of fruit. |
| Jacob 5:23 | And it came to pass that the Lord of the vineyard said unto his servant: Look hither; behold I have planted another branch of the tree also; and thou knowest that this spot of ground was poorer than the first. But, behold the tree. I have nourished it this long time, and it hath brought forth much fruit; therefore, gather it, and lay it up against the season, that I may preserve it unto mine own self. | The Lord of the vineyard said to his servant: Look, I planted another tree branch here. This ground was not as good as the first. But, look at the tree. I took care of it for a long time, and it grew a lot of fruit. So, gather the fruit and save it for me. |
| Jacob 5:24 | And it came to pass that the Lord of the vineyard said again unto his servant: Look hither, and behold another branch also, which I have planted; behold that I have nourished it also, and it hath brought forth fruit. | The boss of the garden said to his helper: Look here, see this other branch I planted. I took care of it, and it has grown fruit. |
| Jacob 5:25 | And he said unto the servant: Look hither and behold the last. Behold, this have I planted in a good spot of ground; and I have nourished it this long time, and only a part of the tree hath brought forth tame fruit, and the other part of the tree hath brought forth wild fruit; behold, I have nourished this tree like unto the others. | He said to the servant: Look here and see the last tree. This tree is in a good place; I have taken care of it for a long time. Part of the tree has good fruit, and part of the tree has bad fruit. I have taken care of this tree like the others. |
| Jacob 5:26 | And it came to pass that the Lord of the vineyard said unto the servant: Pluck off the branches that have not brought forth good fruit, and cast them into the fire. | The boss of the garden said to the helper: Take off the bad branches and put them in the fire. |
| Jacob 5:27 | But behold, the servant said unto him: Let us prune it, and dig about it, and nourish it a little longer, that perhaps it may bring forth good fruit unto thee, that thou canst lay it up against the season. | The helper said: Let us take care of the tree a little more so it can grow good fruit for you. |
| Jacob 5:28 | And it came to pass that the Lord of the vineyard and the servant of the Lord of the vineyard did nourish all the fruit of the vineyard. | The master and helper took care of all the plants in the garden. |
| Jacob 5:29 | And it came to pass that a long time had passed away, and the Lord of the vineyard said unto his servant: Come, let us go down into the vineyard, that we may labor again in the vineyard. For behold, the time draweth near, and the end soon cometh; wherefore, I must lay up fruit against the season, unto mine own self. | A long time went by. The boss of the vineyard said to his helper, “Come, let’s go work in the vineyard again. The time is near, and the end is coming soon. I need to get fruit for myself.” |
| Jacob 5:30 | And it came to pass that the Lord of the vineyard and the servant went down into the vineyard; and they came to the tree whose natural branches had been broken off, and the wild branches had been grafted in; and behold all sorts of fruit did cumber the tree. | The Lord and the servant went to the vineyard. They saw a tree. The tree had new branches. Lots of fruit was on the tree. |
| Jacob 5:31 | And it came to pass that the Lord of the vineyard did taste of the fruit, every sort according to its number. And the Lord of the vineyard said: Behold, this long time have we nourished this tree, and I have laid up unto myself against the season much fruit. | And it happened that the boss of the garden tasted all the fruit. The boss said: Look, we took care of this tree for a long time, and now I have lots of fruit saved for later. |
| Jacob 5:32 | But behold, this time it hath brought forth much fruit, and there is none of it which is good. And behold, there are all kinds of bad fruit; and it profiteth me nothing, notwithstanding all our labor; and now it grieveth me that I should lose this tree. | Look, this tree made lots of fruit, but none of it is good. There is only bad fruit. All our work was for nothing. It makes me sad to lose this tree. |
| Jacob 5:33 | And the Lord of the vineyard said unto the servant: What shall we do unto the tree, that I may preserve again good fruit thereof unto mine own self? | The boss of the garden said to the helper: What can we do to the tree so it grows good fruit for me? |
| Jacob 5:34 | And the servant said unto his master: Behold, because thou didst graft in the branches of the wild olive-tree they have nourished the roots, that they are alive and they have not perished; wherefore thou beholdest that they are yet good. | The servant said to his master: Look, because you put branches from the wild olive tree, they helped the roots, so they are still alive and good. |
| Jacob 5:35 | And it came to pass that the Lord of the vineyard said unto his servant: The tree profiteth me nothing, and the roots thereof profit me nothing so long as it shall bring forth evil fruit. | The boss of the vineyard said to his helper: “This tree is not helping me because its fruits are bad.” |
| Jacob 5:36 | Nevertheless, I know that the roots are good, and for mine own purpose I have preserved them; and because of their much strength they have hitherto brought forth, from the wild branches, good fruit. | I know the roots are good. I kept them safe. They are strong and make good fruit from wild branches. |
| Jacob 5:37 | But behold, the wild branches have grown and have overrun the roots thereof; and because that the wild branches have overcome the roots thereof it hath brought forth much evil fruit; and because that it hath brought forth so much evil fruit thou beholdest that it beginneth to perish; and it will soon become ripened, that it may be cast into the fire, except we should do something for it to preserve it. | The wild branches have grown too much and hurt the roots. Now, there is bad fruit. The bad fruit means the tree is starting to die. We need to do something to save it, or it will be burned. |
| Jacob 5:38 | And it came to pass that the Lord of the vineyard said unto his servant: Let us go down into the nethermost parts of the vineyard, and behold if the natural branches have also brought forth evil fruit. | The Lord of the vineyard said to his servant, “Let’s go down to the lowest part of the vineyard and see if the branches have bad fruit.” |
| Jacob 5:39 | And it came to pass that they went down into the nethermost parts of the vineyard. And it came to pass that they beheld that the fruit of the natural branches had become corrupt also; yea, the first and the second and also the last; and they had all become corrupt. | They went to the very bottom of the vineyard. They saw the fruit had gone bad. All of it was bad. |
| Jacob 5:40 | And the wild fruit of the last had overcome that part of the tree which brought forth good fruit, even that the branch had withered away and died. | The bad fruit took over the tree, and the good branch dried up and died. |
| Jacob 5:41 | And it came to pass that the Lord of the vineyard wept, and said unto the servant: What could I have done more for my vineyard? | The Lord of the vineyard cried and said to the servant: What more could I have done for my vineyard? |
| Jacob 5:42 | Behold, I knew that all the fruit of the vineyard, save it were these, had become corrupted. And now these which have once brought forth good fruit have also become corrupted; and now all the trees of my vineyard are good for nothing save it be to be hewn down and cast into the fire. | Look, I saw that all the fruit in the garden, except for some, had gone bad. And now, even these few good fruits have also gone bad. Now, all the trees in my garden are only good to be cut down and thrown away. |
| Jacob 5:43 | And behold this last, whose branch hath withered away, I did plant in a good spot of ground; yea, even that which was choice unto me above all other parts of the land of my vineyard. | And look, the last tree’s branch didn’t grow well. I planted it in a good place in my garden. It was my favorite spot. |
| Jacob 5:44 | And thou beheldest that I also cut down that which cumbered this spot of ground, that I might plant this tree in the stead thereof. | And you saw that I cut down the other trees here so I could plant this tree. |
| Jacob 5:45 | And thou beheldest that a part thereof brought forth good fruit, and a part thereof brought forth wild fruit; and because I plucked not the branches thereof and cast them into the fire, behold, they have overcome the good branch that it hath withered away. | Some fruit was good, but some fruit was bad. I did not take away the bad branches and burn them, so now the bad branches have made the good branch die. |
| Jacob 5:46 | And now, behold, notwithstanding all the care which we have taken of my vineyard, the trees thereof have become corrupted, that they bring forth no good fruit; and these I had hoped to preserve, to have laid up fruit thereof against the season, unto mine own self. But, behold, they have become like unto the wild olive-tree, and they are of no worth but to be hewn down and cast into the fire; and it grieveth me that I should lose them. | Even though we took care of the trees in the vineyard, the trees are bad now and do not give good fruit. I wanted to save the trees and their fruit, but now they are like wild trees and are only good to be cut down and burned. It makes me sad to lose them. |
| Jacob 5:47 | But what could I have done more in my vineyard? Have I slackened mine hand, that I have not nourished it, Nay, I have nourished it, and I have digged about it, and I have pruned it, and I have dunged it; and I have stretched forth mine hand almost all the day long, and the end draweth nigh. And it grieveth me that I should hew down all the trees of my vineyard, and cast them into the fire that they should be burned. Who is it that has corrupted my vineyard? | What more could I have done in my garden? Have I stopped taking care of it? No, I have taken care of it. I have dug around it, cut off bad parts, and added food to the soil. I have worked hard all day long. It makes me sad to think about cutting down all the trees and burning them. Who has ruined my garden? |
| Jacob 5:48 | And it came to pass that the servant said unto his master: Is it not the loftiness of thy vineyard—have not the branches thereof overcome the roots which are good? And because the branches have overcome the roots thereof, behold they grew faster than the strength of the roots, taking strength unto themselves. Behold, I say, is not this the cause that the trees of thy vineyard have become corrupted? | The helper said to his boss: Is your vineyard too tall? The branches are stronger than the good roots. The branches grew too fast and took all the strength. Is this why the trees in your vineyard are bad? |
| Jacob 5:49 | And it came to pass that the Lord of the vineyard said unto the servant: Let us go to and hew down the trees of the vineyard and cast them into the fire, that they shall not cumber the ground of my vineyard, for I have done all. What could I have done more for my vineyard? | The boss of the garden said to his helper: Let’s go cut down the trees and burn them, so they don’t take up space in my garden, because I have done everything I could for my garden. |
| Jacob 5:50 | But, behold, the servant said unto the Lord of the vineyard: Spare it a little longer. | But, look, the servant said to the Lord of the garden: Let it stay a little longer. |
| Jacob 5:51 | And the Lord said: Yea, I will spare it a little longer, for it grieveth me that I should lose the trees of my vineyard. | The Lord said: Yes, I will wait a little longer because it makes me sad to lose the trees of my garden. |
| Jacob 5:52 | Wherefore, let us take of the branches of these which I have planted in the nethermost parts of my vineyard, and let us graft them into the tree from whence they came; and let us pluck from the tree those branches whose fruit is most bitter, and graft in the natural branches of the tree in the stead thereof. | Let’s take the branches from the bottom of the garden and put them back on the tree. We will remove the branches with bad fruit and put back the good branches. |
| Jacob 5:53 | And this will I do that the tree may not perish, that, perhaps, I may preserve unto myself the roots thereof for mine own purpose. | I will do this to keep the tree alive and save its roots for me. |
| Jacob 5:54 | And, behold, the roots of the natural branches of the tree which I planted whithersoever I would are yet alive; wherefore, that I may preserve them also for mine own purpose, I will take of the branches of this tree, and I will graft them in unto them. Yea, I will graft in unto them the branches of their mother tree, that I may preserve the roots also unto mine own self, that when they shall be sufficiently strong perhaps they may bring forth good fruit unto me, and I may yet have glory in the fruit of my vineyard. | Look, the roots of the tree I planted are still alive. To keep them safe, I will take branches from this tree and join them to the roots. I will also join branches from their original tree to keep the roots strong. Maybe one day, they will grow good fruit for me, and I will be happy with my garden. |
| Jacob 5:55 | And it came to pass that they took from the natural tree which had become wild, and grafted in unto the natural trees, which also had become wild. | They took parts from the wild tree and put them into other wild trees. |
| Jacob 5:56 | And they also took of the natural trees which had become wild, and grafted into their mother tree. | They took wild trees and put them back into their original tree. |
| Jacob 5:57 | And the Lord of the vineyard said unto the servant: Pluck not the wild branches from the trees, save it be those which are most bitter; and in them ye shall graft according to that which I have said. | The boss of the garden said to the helper: Don’t take off the wild branches, except the very bad ones. Put new branches where I told you. |
| Jacob 5:58 | And we will nourish again the trees of the vineyard, and we will trim up the branches thereof; and we will pluck from the trees those branches which are ripened, that must perish, and cast them into the fire. | We will help the trees grow, cut some branches, and take away the bad ones to throw into the fire. |
| Jacob 5:59 | And this I do that, perhaps, the roots thereof may take strength because of their goodness; and because of the change of the branches, that the good may overcome the evil. | I do this so the good roots can be strong and the good can beat the bad. |
| Jacob 5:60 | And because that I have preserved the natural branches and the roots thereof, and that I have grafted in the natural branches again into their mother tree, and have preserved the roots of their mother tree, that, perhaps, the trees of my vineyard may bring forth again good fruit; and that I may have joy again in the fruit of my vineyard, and, perhaps, that I may rejoice exceedingly that I have preserved the roots and the branches of the first fruit— | I have kept the good tree parts and roots safe. I put the good parts back on the big tree. Now I hope this will help the trees make good fruit again. This would make me very happy. |
| Jacob 5:61 | Wherefore, go to, and call servants, that we may labor diligently with our might in the vineyard, that we may prepare the way, that I may bring forth again the natural fruit, which natural fruit is good and the most precious above all other fruit. | So, let’s get some helpers. We will work hard in the vineyard to get ready. Then I can grow good fruit, which is the best fruit. |
| Jacob 5:62 | Wherefore, let us go to and labor with our might this last time, for behold the end draweth nigh, and this is for the last time that I shall prune my vineyard. | So, let’s go work hard one last time, because the end is near, and this is the last time I will take care of my garden. |
| Jacob 5:63 | Graft in the branches; begin at the last that they may be first, and that the first may be last, and dig about the trees, both old and young, the first and the last; and the last and the first, that all may be nourished once again for the last time. | Put in new tree parts. Start with the last parts so they can be first. Dig around all the trees, old and new. Make sure all parts get food one last time. |
| Jacob 5:64 | Wherefore, dig about them, and prune them, and dung them once more, for the last time, for the end draweth nigh. And if it be so that these last grafts shall grow, and bring forth the natural fruit, then shall ye prepare the way for them, that they may grow. | So, take care of the plants one last time, because the end is near. If the new branches grow and make fruit, help them grow more. |
| Jacob 5:65 | And as they begin to grow ye shall clear away the branches which bring forth bitter fruit, according to the strength of the good and the size thereof; and ye shall not clear away the bad thereof all at once, lest the roots thereof should be too strong for the graft, and the graft thereof shall perish, and I lose the trees of my vineyard. | As the trees grow, cut off the branches with bad fruit a little at a time, so the roots are not too strong and the new branches do not die. |
| Jacob 5:66 | For it grieveth me that I should lose the trees of my vineyard; wherefore ye shall clear away the bad according as the good shall grow, that the root and the top may be equal in strength, until the good shall overcome the bad, and the bad be hewn down and cast into the fire, that they cumber not the ground of my vineyard; and thus will I sweep away the bad out of my vineyard. | I am sad to lose the trees in my garden. So, as good trees grow, get rid of the bad ones. Make the roots and tops strong. The good trees will win. The bad trees will be cut and burned. This way, the bad trees won’t take up space in my garden. I will clean out the bad trees. |
| Jacob 5:67 | And the branches of the natural tree will I graft in again into the natural tree; | I will put the old branches back into the tree. |
| Jacob 5:68 | And the branches of the natural tree will I graft into the natural branches of the tree; and thus will I bring them together again, that they shall bring forth the natural fruit, and they shall be one. | I will put the tree parts back together so they can grow fruit again. They will be one tree. |
| Jacob 5:69 | And the bad shall be cast away, yea, even out of all the land of my vineyard; for behold, only this once will I prune my vineyard. | The bad things will be thrown away, out of my garden. I will only fix my garden one time. |
| Jacob 5:70 | And it came to pass that the Lord of the vineyard sent his servant; and the servant went and did as the Lord had commanded him, and brought other servants; and they were few. | The boss sent his helper. The helper did what the boss said. He brought more helpers, but not many. |
| Jacob 5:71 | And the Lord of the vineyard said unto them: Go to, and labor in the vineyard, with your might. For behold, this is the last time that I shall nourish my vineyard; for the end is nigh at hand, and the season speedily cometh; and if ye labor with your might with me ye shall have joy in the fruit which I shall lay up unto myself against the time which will soon come. | The vineyard boss said, “Go work hard in the vineyard. This is the last time I will help the vineyard. The end is near, and the time is coming soon. If you help me, you will be happy with the fruit I save.” |
| Jacob 5:72 | And it came to pass that the servants did go and labor with their mights; and the Lord of the vineyard labored also with them; and they did obey the commandments of the Lord of the vineyard in all things. | The helpers worked very hard. The boss helped them too. They did what the boss said. |
| Jacob 5:73 | And there began to be the natural fruit again in the vineyard; and the natural branches began to grow and thrive exceedingly; and the wild branches began to be plucked off and to be cast away; and they did keep the root and the top thereof equal, according to the strength thereof. | The good fruit started growing again. The good branches grew big and strong. The bad branches were taken away. They made sure the tree was strong and balanced. |
| Jacob 5:74 | And thus they labored, with all diligence, according to the commandments of the Lord of the vineyard, even until the bad had been cast away out of the vineyard, and the Lord had preserved unto himself that the trees had become again the natural fruit; and they became like unto one body; and the fruits were equal; and the Lord of the vineyard had preserved unto himself the natural fruit, which was most precious unto him from the beginning. | The workers worked hard following the Lord’s rules. They threw away the bad parts and made the good trees grow good fruit again. All the fruits were the same. The Lord kept the good fruit that he loved. |
| Jacob 5:75 | And it came to pass that when the Lord of the vineyard saw that his fruit was good, and that his vineyard was no more corrupt, he called up his servants, and said unto them: Behold, for this last time have we nourished my vineyard; and thou beholdest that I have done according to my will; and I have preserved the natural fruit, that it is good, even like as it was in the beginning. And blessed art thou; for because ye have been diligent in laboring with me in my vineyard, and have kept my commandments, and have brought unto me again the natural fruit, that my vineyard is no more corrupted, and the bad is cast away, behold ye shall have joy with me because of the fruit of my vineyard. | One day, the Lord of the vineyard saw that his fruit was good and the vineyard was not bad anymore. He called his helpers and said, “Look, we have worked hard to care for my vineyard, and it’s good like it was at the start. You are blessed because you worked hard with me, followed my rules, and helped bring back the good fruit. Now, there is no bad fruit, and we will be happy because of the good fruit.” |
| Jacob 5:76 | For behold, for a long time will I lay up of the fruit of my vineyard unto mine own self against the season, which speedily cometh; and for the last time have I nourished my vineyard, and pruned it, and dug about it, and dunged it; wherefore I will lay up unto mine own self of the fruit, for a long time, according to that which I have spoken. | I have taken care of my vineyard for a long time. I have picked the fruit and kept it safe. Now, I will keep the fruit safe for a long time, just like I said I would. |
| Jacob 5:77 | And when the time cometh that evil fruit shall again come into my vineyard, then will I cause the good and the bad to be gathered; and the good will I preserve unto myself, and the bad will I cast away into its own place. And then cometh the season and the end; and my vineyard will I cause to be burned with fire. | When bad fruit grows in my garden again, I will gather the good and the bad. I will keep the good and throw away the bad. Then the end will come, and I will burn my garden with fire. |
Jacob 6
| Verse | Original | 2nd Grade |
|---|---|---|
| Jacob 6:1 | And now, behold, my brethren, as I said unto you that I would prophesy, behold, this is my prophecy—that the things which this prophet Zenos spake, concerning the house of Israel, in the which he likened them unto a tame olive-tree, must surely come to pass. | Listen, my brothers. I told you I will tell the future. Here it is: The things that the prophet Zenos said about the people of Israel will happen. He compared them to a tame olive tree, and it will come true. |
| Jacob 6:2 | And the day that he shall set his hand again the second time to recover his people, is the day, yea, even the last time, that the servants of the Lord shall go forth in his power, to nourish and prune his vineyard; and after that the end soon cometh. | When God helps his people again, it will be the last time. Then his helpers will do his work in the garden, and after that, the end will come soon. |
| Jacob 6:3 | And how blessed are they who have labored diligently in his vineyard; and how cursed are they who shall be cast out into their own place! And the world shall be burned with fire. | Happy are the people who worked hard in God’s garden. Sad are the people who will be sent away to a bad place. The world will be burned with fire. |
| Jacob 6:4 | And how merciful is our God unto us, for he remembereth the house of Israel, both roots and branches; and he stretches forth his hands unto them all the day long; and they are a stiffnecked and a gainsaying people; but as many as will not harden their hearts shall be saved in the kingdom of God. | God is very kind to us. He remembers all the people of Israel. He reaches out to them all day long. They are stubborn and argue, but those who soften their hearts will be saved in God’s kingdom. |
| Jacob 6:5 | Wherefore, my beloved brethren, I beseech of you in words of soberness that ye would repent, and come with full purpose of heart, and cleave unto God as he cleaveth unto you. And while his arm of mercy is extended towards you in the light of the day, harden not your hearts. | So, my dear friends, I ask you with serious words to say sorry for your mistakes. Come to God with all your heart and stick close to Him because He is close to you. While He is ready to help you, don’t be mean or stubborn. |
| Jacob 6:6 | Yea, today, if ye will hear his voice, harden not your hearts; for why will ye die? | Listen today to God’s words. Don’t be stubborn. Why do you want to be sad? |
| Jacob 6:7 | For behold, after ye have been nourished by the good word of God all the day long, will ye bring forth evil fruit, that ye must be hewn down and cast into the fire? | God has given you good words all day. Will you do bad things and be thrown into the fire? |
| Jacob 6:8 | Behold, will ye reject these words? Will ye reject the words of the prophets; and will ye reject all the words which have been spoken concerning Christ, after so many have spoken concerning him; and deny the good word of Christ, and the power of God, and the gift of the Holy Ghost, and quench the Holy Spirit, and make a mock of the great plan of redemption, which hath been laid for you? | Look, will you say no to these words? Will you say no to what the prophets said? Will you say no to what everyone said about Jesus after many people talked about him? Will you say no to the good news about Jesus, and God’s power, and the gift of the Holy Ghost? Will you stop the Holy Spirit and make fun of the great plan to save you? |
| Jacob 6:9 | Know ye not that if ye will do these things, that the power of the redemption and the resurrection, which is in Christ, will bring you to stand with shame and awful guilt before the bar of God? | Don’t you know that if you do these things, Jesus can make you feel very guilty and ashamed when you stand in front of God? |
| Jacob 6:10 | And according to the power of justice, for justice cannot be denied, ye must go away into that lake of fire and brimstone, whose flames are unquenchable, and whose smoke ascendeth up forever and ever, which lake of fire and brimstone is endless torment. | If you do something really bad, you will go to a place with unending fire and smoke forever and ever. |
| Jacob 6:11 | O then, my beloved brethren, repent ye, and enter in at the strait gate, and continue in the way which is narrow, until ye shall obtain eternal life. | Dear friends, say sorry to God and go through the small gate. Keep walking on the narrow path until you get to live forever with God. |
| Jacob 6:12 | O be wise; what can I say more? | Be smart. What else can I say? |
| Jacob 6:13 | Finally, I bid you farewell, until I shall meet you before the pleasing bar of God, which bar striketh the wicked with awful dread and fear. Amen. | Goodbye for now. I will see you again with God. Bad people will be very scared there. Amen. |
Jacob 7
| Verse | Original | 2nd Grade |
|---|---|---|
| Jacob 7:1 | And now it came to pass after some years had passed away, there came a man among the people of Nephi, whose name was Sherem. | Many years later, a man named Sherem came to the Nephites. |
| Jacob 7:2 | And it came to pass that he began to preach among the people, and to declare unto them that there should be no Christ. And he preached many things which were flattering unto the people; and this he did that he might overthrow the doctrine of Christ. | He started talking to the people. He told them that Christ would not come. He said many nice things that the people liked to hear. He did this to make them not believe in Christ. |
| Jacob 7:3 | And he labored diligently that he might lead away the hearts of the people, insomuch that he did lead away many hearts; and he knowing that I, Jacob, had faith in Christ who should come, he sought much opportunity that he might come unto me. | He worked very hard to trick the people so they would follow him. He knew I believed in Jesus, so he tried many times to talk to me. |
| Jacob 7:4 | And he was learned, that he had a perfect knowledge of the language of the people; wherefore, he could use much flattery, and much power of speech, according to the power of the devil. | He was very smart. He knew the people’s language very well. So, he could use nice words and talk very powerfully, just like the devil. |
| Jacob 7:5 | And he had hope to shake me from the faith, notwithstanding the many revelations and the many things which I had seen concerning these things; for I truly had seen angels, and they had ministered unto me. And also, I had heard the voice of the Lord speaking unto me in very word, from time to time; wherefore, I could not be shaken. | He tried to make me stop believing, even though I had seen many things and angels. I had heard God’s voice too. So, I could not stop believing. |
| Jacob 7:6 | And it came to pass that he came unto me, and on this wise did he speak unto me, saying: Brother Jacob, I have sought much opportunity that I might speak unto you; for I have heard and also know that thou goest about much, preaching that which ye call the gospel, or the doctrine of Christ. | He came to me and said, “Brother Jacob, I wanted to talk to you. I know you tell people about the gospel, or the teachings of Christ.” |
| Jacob 7:7 | And ye have led away much of this people that they pervert the right way of God, and keep not the law of Moses which is the right way; and convert the law of Moses into the worship of a being which ye say shall come many hundred years hence. And now behold, I, Sherem, declare unto you that this is blasphemy; for no man knoweth of such things; for he cannot tell of things to come. And after this manner did Sherem contend against me. | You have led many people the wrong way. They do not follow God’s way or the law of Moses. You have changed the law to worship someone you say will come many years later. I, Sherem, say this is wrong because no one knows the future. |
| Jacob 7:8 | But behold, the Lord God poured in his Spirit into my soul, insomuch that I did confound him in all his words. | But look, God put his Spirit in me so much that I confused him with all my words. |
| Jacob 7:9 | And I said unto him: Deniest thou the Christ who shall come? And he said: If there should be a Christ, I would not deny him; but I know that there is no Christ, neither has been, nor ever will be. | I asked him: Do you say no to Jesus who will come? He said: If Jesus comes, I will not say no. But I don’t believe Jesus is real and he will never come. |
| Jacob 7:10 | And I said unto him: Believest thou the scriptures? And he said, Yea. | I asked him if he believed the scriptures. He said yes. |
| Jacob 7:11 | And I said unto him: Then ye do not understand them; for they truly testify of Christ. Behold, I say unto you that none of the prophets have written, nor prophesied, save they have spoken concerning this Christ. | And I said to him: You do not understand; they are talking about Jesus. Look, I tell you, all the prophets wrote and spoke about Jesus. |
| Jacob 7:12 | And this is not all—it has been made manifest unto me, for I have heard and seen; and it also has been made manifest unto me by the power of the Holy Ghost; wherefore, I know if there should be no atonement made all mankind must be lost. | I have seen and heard. The Holy Ghost showed me. I know if there is no atonement, everyone will be lost. |
| Jacob 7:13 | And it came to pass that he said unto me: Show me a sign by this power of the Holy Ghost, in the which ye know so much. | He said to me: Show me a sign with the power of the Holy Ghost, that you know a lot about. |
| Jacob 7:14 | And I said unto him: What am I that I should tempt God to show unto thee a sign in the thing which thou knowest to be true? Yet thou wilt deny it, because thou art of the devil. Nevertheless, not my will be done; but if God shall smite thee, let that be a sign unto thee that he has power, both in heaven and in earth; and also, that Christ shall come. And thy will, O Lord, be done, and not mine. | I said to him: Who am I to ask God to give you a sign about something you already know is true? You will deny it because you follow the devil. But it’s not about what I want; if God punishes you, let that be a sign that He is powerful in heaven and on earth, and that Christ will come. Let God’s will be done, not mine. |
| Jacob 7:15 | And it came to pass that when I, Jacob, had spoken these words, the power of the Lord came upon him, insomuch that he fell to the earth. And it came to pass that he was nourished for the space of many days. | After I, Jacob, talked, God’s power made him fall down. He was cared for many days. |
| Jacob 7:16 | And it came to pass that he said unto the people: Gather together on the morrow, for I shall die; wherefore, I desire to speak unto the people before I shall die. | He told the people: Come together tomorrow. I am going to die, and I want to talk to you before I do. |
| Jacob 7:17 | And it came to pass that on the morrow the multitude were gathered together; and he spake plainly unto them and denied the things which he had taught them, and confessed the Christ, and the power of the Holy Ghost, and the ministering of angels. | The next day, the people came together. He talked to them in a simple way and said he was wrong before. He admitted Jesus is real, the Holy Ghost has power, and angels help us. |
| Jacob 7:18 | And he spake plainly unto them, that he had been deceived by the power of the devil. And he spake of hell, and of eternity, and of eternal punishment. | He told them that the devil tricked him. He talked about hell, forever, and being punished forever. |
| Jacob 7:19 | And he said: I fear lest I have committed the unpardonable sin, for I have lied unto God; for I denied the Christ, and said that I believed the scriptures; and they truly testify of him. And because I have thus lied unto God I greatly fear lest my case shall be awful; but I confess unto God. | He said: I am scared I did something very bad. I lied to God. I said I did not believe in Jesus, but I do believe in the holy books. The books tell the truth about Jesus. Because I lied to God, I am very scared, but I am telling the truth to God now. |
| Jacob 7:20 | And it came to pass that when he had said these words he could say no more, and he gave up the ghost. | He said some words. Then he stopped talking. He died. |
| Jacob 7:21 | And when the multitude had witnessed that he spake these things as he was about to give up the ghost, they were astonished exceedingly; insomuch that the power of God came down upon them, and they were overcome that they fell to the earth. | When people saw him talk before he died, they were very surprised. They felt God’s power and fell down. |
| Jacob 7:22 | Now, this thing was pleasing unto me, Jacob, for I had requested it of my Father who was in heaven; for he had heard my cry and answered my prayer. | I was happy because I asked God in heaven and He answered my prayer. |
| Jacob 7:23 | And it came to pass that peace and the love of God was restored again among the people; and they searched the scriptures, and hearkened no more to the words of this wicked man. | The people had peace and love from God again. They read the scriptures and did not listen to the bad man anymore. |
| Jacob 7:24 | And it came to pass that many means were devised to reclaim and restore the Lamanites to the knowledge of the truth; but it all was vain, for they delighted in wars and bloodshed, and they had an eternal hatred against us, their brethren. And they sought by the power of their arms to destroy us continually. | Many ways were tried to help the Lamanites learn the truth. But it did not work. They liked fighting and hurting people. They did not like us. They always wanted to destroy us. |
| Jacob 7:25 | Wherefore, the people of Nephi did fortify against them with their arms, and with all their might, trusting in the God and rock of their salvation; wherefore, they became as yet, conquerors of their enemies. | So, the people of Nephi got ready to fight with their weapons and all their strength. They trusted in God to save them, and they won against their enemies. |
| Jacob 7:26 | And it came to pass that I, Jacob, began to be old; and the record of this people being kept on the other plates of Nephi, wherefore, I conclude this record, declaring that I have written according to the best of my knowledge, by saying that the time passed away with us, and also our lives passed away like as it were unto us a dream, we being a lonesome and a solemn people, wanderers, cast out from Jerusalem, born in tribulation, in a wilderness, and hated of our brethren, which caused wars and contentions; wherefore, we did mourn out our days. | I, Jacob, am getting old. I am finishing this story. Time went by like a dream. We were lonely and sad. We traveled far from Jerusalem. We had hard times. People did not like us, and that caused fights. We were sad all our lives. |
| Jacob 7:27 | And I, Jacob, saw that I must soon go down to my grave; wherefore, I said unto my son Enos: Take these plates. And I told him the things which my brother Nephi had commanded me, and he promised obedience unto the commands. And I make an end of my writing upon these plates, which writing has been small; and to the reader I bid farewell, hoping that many of my brethren may read my words. Brethren, adieu. | I, Jacob, was going to die soon. So, I told my son Enos, “Take these plates.” I also told him what my brother Nephi had asked me to do. Enos promised to follow those instructions. Now, I am finished writing on these plates. The writing is small. I hope that many of my brothers will read my words. Goodbye, brothers. |
Book of Mormon Simplified 