Jacob 1
| Verse | Original | 4th 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. | Here’s how it happened: It had been fifty-five years since Lehi left Jerusalem. Nephi then 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 some very important things on these plates, but not too much 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 his people’s history should be written on other plates, and that 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 there was special preaching or important messages from God or telling the future, I should write the main parts of them on these plates, and write about them as much as I can, 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 learned 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 felt the spirit of prophecy. So, we knew about Christ 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 come to Jesus and enjoy God’s goodness. We did this so they could rest with God and not make Him angry like the children of Israel did 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 love God and not make Him angry. We want everyone to believe in Jesus, think about His death, and accept the hard things He went through for us. I, Jacob, 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 was getting old and knew he would die soon, so he chose a man to be the new king for his people. |
| 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. He protected them with a sword and worked hard to keep them safe. |
| 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 remember his name. Each new king was called second Nephi, third Nephi, and so on, no matter what their real name was. |
| Jacob 1:12 | And it came to pass that Nephi died. | Then 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; but, they were also called 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 am Jacob. I will not use the old names. I 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, under their second king, started to be unkind in their hearts and do some bad things. They wanted many wives and girlfriends, just like David and his son Solomon from 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. | Yes, they started to look for a lot of gold and silver, and they began to feel 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, spoke to the people in the temple. I told them what the Lord wanted me to say. |
| Jacob 1:18 | For I, Jacob, and my brother Joseph had been consecrated priests and teachers of this people, by the hand of Nephi. | I, Jacob, and my brother Joseph were made priests and teachers 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 worked hard to teach everyone about God so that we wouldn’t be blamed for their sins if we didn’t. We wanted to make sure we were good and clean when we met God. |
Jacob 2
| Verse | Original | 4th Grade |
|---|---|---|
| Jacob 2:1 | The words which Jacob, the brother of Nephi, spake unto the people of Nephi, after the death of Nephi: | Jacob, who is Nephi’s brother, talked to the people of Nephi 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. | Hi, my dear brothers. I am Jacob. God gave me a job to teach you. I want to do my job well. Today, I came to the temple to tell you God’s words. |
| 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 that I have always tried hard to do my job. But today, I am very worried and want to help you more than ever before. |
| 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 listened to the Lord’s word that I gave you. |
| 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. I know with help from God who made everything, I can tell you what you are thinking. You are starting to do bad things. These bad things are very wrong 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. | It makes me very sad and embarrassed that I must tell you about the bad things in your hearts. |
| 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; | I feel sad that I have to speak so strongly to you in front of your wives and children, who have very gentle and pure hearts, and God is happy with that. |
| 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 have come here to hear the nice words of God, the words that help a hurting heart 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. | It makes me sad because I have to tell you about your mistakes. God told me to do this. I have to talk about your wrongs, which hurts those who are already hurt, instead of helping and healing them. And those who are not hurt feel even worse because of the bad things being said, instead of enjoying God’s loving words. |
| 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 this job is very hard, I have to do what God says. I need to tell you about the bad things you are doing, in front of good and kind people, and with God watching. |
| 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. | So, I need to tell you the truth in a simple way. When I asked God, He said to me: Jacob, go to the temple tomorrow and tell the people what I say to 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, my friends. Here is what I want to tell you. Many of you are looking for gold, silver, and other valuable things in this land. This land has a lot of these treasures, and it is promised to you and your children. |
| 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 you have become very rich. Some of you have more than others, and you have become proud. You wear fancy clothes and think you are better than others, and you are mean to your brothers and sisters because of this. |
| 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. | Now, my brothers, do you think God says it is okay to do this? No, He does not. He says it is wrong. If you keep doing it, His punishments will come to you quickly. |
| 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! | He can look at you and make you fall down. |
| 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 also 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 want to be treated. Share what you have so everyone can be happy and have what they need. |
| Jacob 2:18 | But before ye seek for riches, seek ye for the kingdom of God. | Before you look for money, look for God’s kingdom. |
| 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 riches if you look for them. You will look for them to do good things, like giving clothes to people who have none, feeding the hungry, helping people in prison, and caring for the sick and those who need help. |
| 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? | Brothers, I’ve talked about being proud. If you hurt your neighbor or were mean because you felt proud of what God gave you, 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 that these things are very bad to the one who made everyone? He loves everyone the same. We all come from the dust and he made us for the same reason: to follow his rules and praise him forever. |
| 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. | Now I am done talking to you about being too proud. If I didn’t have to talk to you 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. | The word of God makes me sad because of your bad actions. The Lord says: This people are starting to do wrong; they do not understand the scriptures. They try to excuse their bad actions by what is 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 many wives and others. This made the Lord very upset. |
| 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. | So, God says, “I led these people out of Jerusalem with my power to make a good group from Joseph’s family.” |
| 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 do what the people long ago did. |
| 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; | So, my brothers, listen to me and hear God’s words: Each man should have only one wife, and no concubines. |
| 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, God, am happy when women are pure. Bad actions make me very sad, says God. |
| 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 obey my rules, says the Lord, or the land will be bad for them. |
| 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. If not, they should listen to these things. |
| 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, have seen and heard the sadness of my people in Jerusalem and other places because their husbands have been very bad. |
| 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. | God says that He will not let the cries of the women He brought out of Jerusalem go unheard. |
| 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, unless I punish them very strongly, even destroy them; for they will not do bad things like people did long ago, 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 friends. You know that these rules were given to our father, Lehi. You already knew them before. But you did bad things that you should not have done. |
| 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. | Listen, you have done worse things than the Lamanites. You have made your kind wives very sad, and your children do not trust you anymore because you were a bad example. Their crying goes up to God. Because God’s words are very strict, many hearts are very hurt. |
Jacob 3
| Verse | Original | 4th 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. | I, Jacob, want to talk to good people. Think about God and pray to him with strong belief. He will help you when you are sad and protect you from those who want 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. | All you good people, be happy and listen to God’s nice words. You can always feel His love if you believe strongly. |
| 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. | But, oh no! It is bad for you who are not good and clean inside. Today, you are dirty before God. If you don’t say sorry and change, the land will be cursed because of you. The Lamanites, who are also cursed, will hurt you very badly until you are gone. |
| 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, 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, whom you don’t like because of their skin color, are better than you. They remembered God’s rule to have only one wife and no other partners, and they do not do bad things. |
| 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 follow this rule, God will not destroy them. Instead, He 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 their wives, and the wives love their husbands; and they both love their children. They do not believe and are angry because of what their fathers did wrong. So, how are you better than them, in the eyes of your great Creator? |
| 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. | My brothers, I worry that if you don’t say sorry for your mistakes, their skin will be lighter than yours when you stand before 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. | Here is something God wants you to do: Do not be mean to others because of their skin color or how dirty they are. Remember that you also have done bad things, and they are dirty because of what their parents did. |
| 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 how you have made your children sad by the way you have acted. Also, remember that because of your bad choices, your children might also make bad choices, and you will be responsible for it at the end. |
| 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. | My brothers, listen to me. Wake up your hearts. Shake yourselves awake and free from bad things, so you do not become helpers of the devil and end up in a terrible place. |
| 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, told the people of Nephi to be good and avoid doing bad things, and warned them what happens if they do bad things. |
| 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 even a small bit of what happened with these people because there are so many of them now. But a lot of their story, their wars, fights, and the times their kings ruled, are written on bigger plates. |
| 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 plates are called the plates of Jacob. Nephi made them. I am done speaking now. |
Jacob 4
| Verse | Original | 4th 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; | Now look, it happened that I, Jacob, talked a lot to my people. (And I can’t write much because it is hard to carve words on plates.) We know that the things we write on plates will stay. |
| 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 that isn’t plates, it will go away and be lost. But if we write a little bit on plates, our children and family can know a little about us and their fathers. |
| 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 about this. We work very hard to write these words on metal plates. We hope our family and children will get them with happy hearts and learn with joy. |
| 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 these things so that everyone knows we believed in Christ a long time before he came. Many prophets before us also believed in his glory. |
| 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. | They believed in Jesus and prayed to God in Jesus’ name. We also pray to God in Jesus’ name. We follow the law of Moses to help us remember Jesus. This is holy for us, just like Abraham obeyed God by being willing to give his son Isaac, which is like God giving us his 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 wrote and we have many messages from God. Because of these, we have hope and our faith becomes very strong. We can tell trees, mountains, or even the sea what to do in the name of Jesus and they 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. | Even though we are weak, God shows us that He helps us with His love, so we can do good 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. We can’t understand everything about Him. People can’t know all His ways. Only if He shows us, we can know. So, friends, don’t ignore what God shows us. |
| 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 spoke and made the earth and people. If God can speak and make the world and people, then He can 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, do not try to tell the Lord what to do. Instead, listen to his advice. 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, come back to God through Jesus, his only son who was born. Then you can rise again because of Jesus’ power. Be like the first chosen ones by God, have faith, and hope for good things before Jesus 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 future 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 brothers. When someone talks about God’s plans, they should speak so everyone can understand. The Spirit always tells the truth. It talks about real things that are happening and things that will happen. This is shown clearly to us to save our souls. We are not the only ones who know this. God told it to prophets long ago too. |
| 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 and killed the prophets. They wanted things they could not understand. Because of this, they did not see clearly. God took away simple words from them and gave them things they could not understand. God did this because they wanted it. So, they made mistakes. |
| 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. | I, Jacob, am told by the Spirit to tell the future. The Spirit shows me that the Jews will trip and reject the stone they need to build a strong and safe home. |
| 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, the scriptures say this stone will become the great, the last, and the only strong foundation for the Jews to 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 build on the strong foundation after saying no to it? |
| 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 a secret. I hope I can stay strong and not make a mistake because I care so much about you. |
Jacob 5
| Verse | Original | 4th 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, don’t you remember reading the words of the prophet Zenos? He spoke to the people of Israel and said: |
| 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 of the Lord. |
| 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, I will compare you, house of Israel, to a tame olive tree. A man planted it in his vineyard. It grew, got old, and started to wither. |
| 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 farmer saw his olive tree was sick. He said: I will cut the bad parts, dig around it, and give it food so it can 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 cut parts of it, dug around it, and took care of it just 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 a long time, small and young branches started to grow, but the top part began 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 owner of the vineyard saw the tree and said to his helper: I am sad that this tree might die. Go and get branches from a wild olive tree and bring them to me. We will take off the branches that are dying and burn them in the fire. |
| 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 of the vineyard said, “I will take many of these small, soft branches and put them wherever I want. It doesn’t matter if the root of the tree dies, I will keep the fruit for myself. So, I will take these small, soft 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 branches from the wild olive tree and put them in place of the old ones. I will throw the old branches into the fire to burn them, so they do not 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 servant of the vineyard did what the Lord said. He took branches from the wild olive tree and put them in the good 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 Lord of the vineyard made sure the tree was taken care of. He dug around it, trimmed it, and gave it food. He told his helper, “I don’t want to lose this tree. I have done all this to save its roots and keep it safe.” |
| 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. Watch it 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 branches in the farthest part of my garden. It doesn’t matter to you where. I do this to keep the natural branches of the tree safe and to save the fruit for later, because it makes me sad to lose this tree and its 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 master of the garden went away and hid the tree branches in different places in the garden, wherever he wanted. |
| 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, “Let’s go work in the vineyard.” |
| 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. | So the Lord of the vineyard and his helper went down to work. The helper said to his master: Look here, 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 man in charge of the vineyard looked at the tree where he had put wild olive branches. The tree started to grow and make fruit. The fruit was good and looked like the natural fruit. |
| 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. | The servant said, “Look, the wild branches got water from the root, and the root made the tree strong. Because the root is strong, the wild branches made good fruit. If we didn’t add these branches, the tree would have died. Now, I will gather a lot of fruit from the tree and keep it for myself.” |
| 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. | Then the vineyard owner said to the worker: Come, let’s go to the far part of the vineyard and see if the tree’s branches have grown a lot of fruit. I want to save the fruit for myself 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. | The people went to where the master hid the tree’s branches. The master said to the servant, “Look at these.” The servant saw that the tree had many good fruit. The master said, “Pick the fruit and save it for later. I have taken care of this tree for a long time, and it has grown many 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 said to his master: Why did you come here to plant this tree or branch? This is the worst place in your 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 leader of the garden said: Don’t tell me what to do; I knew this place was not good ground; that’s why I told you. I have taken care of it for a long time, and now you see it has grown 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 helper: Look here; I have planted another branch of the tree. This ground was not as good as the first. But see the tree. I have taken care of it for a long time and it has grown many fruits. Now, gather the fruits and save them for later. |
| 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 Lord said to his helper, “Look over here. See this other tree branch I planted? I took care of it, and now it has 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. I planted it in good soil. I took care of it for a long time. One part has good fruit, the other part has bad fruit. I took care of this tree just 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 master of the vineyard said to the helper: “Take away the branches that do not have good fruit and burn them.” |
| 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. | But the helper said, “Let’s take care of the tree a bit more. Maybe it will grow good fruit for you to keep.” |
| 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. | Then the Lord and His helper took care of all the fruit in the vineyard. |
| 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 had gone by. The Lord of the vineyard said to his servant, “Come, let’s go to the vineyard and work again. The end is near, so I must gather 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 helper went into the garden. They went to a tree where natural branches were broken, and wild branches were added. The tree had many kinds of fruit. |
| 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. | The owner of the vineyard tasted all the different fruit. He said: Look, we took care of this tree for a long time, and now I have a lot of fruit saved up. |
| 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 time the tree has a lot of fruit, but none of it is good. There are all kinds of bad fruit. All our work has given us nothing good. I am sad because I might 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 Lord of the vineyard asked the servant: What should we do to the tree so it can grow good fruit again? |
| 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 helper said to his boss: Look, because you put branches from a wild olive tree, the roots are healthy and still alive. So you see, they are still 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 doesn’t help me at all. The roots don’t help me either, because it grows bad fruit. |
| 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 saved them for my purpose. They are strong and have made 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. | Look, the wild branches have grown too much and are taking over where the tree starts. Because of this, the tree is making bad fruit. The bad fruit is making the tree weak and it will soon die. We need to do something to save it, or it will be thrown into the fire. |
| 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 helper, “Let’s go to the bottom of the vineyard and see if the branches have grown 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 down into the lower parts of the vineyard. They saw that the fruit from the natural branches was bad. The first, the second, and the last fruits were all 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’s good fruit, and the branch 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 helper: What else 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 knew that all the fruit in the garden, except for these, had gone bad. And now these ones that used to have good fruit have also gone bad. Now all the trees in my garden are good for nothing except to be cut down and burned. |
| 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. | I planted this last tree, which died, in the best spot of my garden. |
| 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. | I also removed the plants 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 of the tree grew good fruit, and some of the tree grew bad fruit. I didn’t cut off the bad branches and burn them, so they have taken over the good branch and made it weak. |
| 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. | Now look, even though we took care of my garden, the trees are bad. They don’t have any good fruit. I wanted to keep the good fruit for later, but the trees turned wild and are only good for cutting down and burning. This makes me sad because I didn’t want 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? Did I stop taking care of it? No, I took good care of it. I dug around it, trimmed it, and gave it food. I worked all day long. It makes me sad to cut down all the trees in my garden and burn them. Who 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 servant said to his master: Isn’t it because your vineyard is too tall? Haven’t the branches grown more than the roots? Because the branches grew too much, they took all the strength from the roots. Isn’t this why the trees in your vineyard have become 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 Lord of the garden said to the helper: Let’s cut down the trees and burn them, so they don’t take up space. I have done everything I can for my garden. |
| Jacob 5:50 | But, behold, the servant said unto the Lord of the vineyard: Spare it a little longer. | But the servant said to the Lord of the garden: Please keep it 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. | God said, “Yes, I will wait a bit longer, because it makes me sad to lose the trees in 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 good branches from the trees I planted far away and put them back on the main tree. Let’s take the bad branches off the main tree and put the good branches on it instead. |
| 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, so I can save its roots for my own plan. |
| 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 natural branches of the tree I planted are still alive. To keep them safe, I will take some branches from this tree and join them to the roots. I will join the branches from the mother tree to the roots so they stay strong. When they are strong enough, they might grow good fruit for me, and I will be happy with the fruit from 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 branches from wild trees and put them onto 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 branches into their mother 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; and put the new branches in as 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 take care of the trees in the vineyard. We will cut some branches and pick the good ones. We will throw away the bad branches 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 roots can grow strong because they are good; and so the branches can change, so the good can win over 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 saved the tree branches and roots. I put the branches back into their tree. I hope the trees will grow good fruit. This will make me 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, go and get helpers, so we can all work very hard in the garden to get it ready. This way, we can grow the good fruit again. The good fruit is very special and better than all other fruits. |
| 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. 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. | Start with the last branches and connect them first. Then, connect the first branches last. Take care of all the trees, both old and young, so that all the trees can grow strong 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, dig around them, cut off the bad parts, and put fertilizer on them one more time, because the end is near. If these last branches grow and make good fruit, then get ready for them to 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 plants grow, you need to cut off the branches with bad fruit. Do this slowly because if you cut too many bad branches at once, the good parts may be too weak and die, and I will lose my plants. |
| 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. | It makes me sad to lose the trees in my garden. So, you need to take away the bad parts while the good parts grow. This way, both the roots and the top will be strong. The good parts will win over the bad parts. Then, you can cut down the bad parts and burn them so they don’t take up space in the garden. This is how I will get rid of the bad parts from my garden. |
| Jacob 5:67 | And the branches of the natural tree will I graft in again into the natural tree; | And I will put the branches back onto the tree where they came from. |
| 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 branches from the regular tree back onto the regular tree. Then they will grow regular fruit and be together as 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 will be thrown away, yes, from all of my garden. Look, I will only clean 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 master sent his helper to do a job. The helper did what the master asked and brought more helpers. There were only a few. |
| 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 owner told them, “Go work hard in the vineyard. This is the last time I will take care of it. The end is near and the season is coming soon. If you work hard with me, you will be happy with the fruits we gather.” |
| 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 also worked. They all followed the boss’s rules in everything they did. |
| 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 vineyard started to have good fruit again. The healthy branches grew strong. The bad branches were taken away. They kept the root and the top balanced, so both were strong. |
| 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. | They worked very hard, just like the Lord of the vineyard told them to. They threw out the bad fruit and saved the good trees. The trees grew good fruit again, and all the fruits were the same. The Lord kept the good fruit that he loved the most from the start. |
| 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. | When the owner of the garden saw that his fruit was good and the garden was healthy, he called his helpers and said, “Look, we took care of my garden one last time and it is now good, just like it was before. You are blessed because you worked hard with me and followed my rules. You helped make the fruit good again and got rid of the bad things. Now we can be happy together 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 garden for a long time. I have picked the fruit and stored it. Now I have one last time to care for my garden. I have trimmed, dug, and put fertilizer in it. I will keep storing the fruit as I have said. |
| 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 things grow in my garden again, I will gather the good and the bad. I will keep the good and throw away the bad. Then it will be time to end, and my garden will be burned. |
Jacob 6
| Verse | Original | 4th 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. | Hey everyone, listen to me. I said I would tell you what will happen. Here it is: The prophet Zenos talked about the people of Israel and compared them to a tame olive tree. What he said will definitely happen. |
| 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 one last time, his helpers will take care of his garden, and then 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. | People who work hard in God’s garden are very happy. People who are sent away are very sad. 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 of Israel. He holds out His hands to help them all day. They are stubborn and argue a lot. But if they listen to Him and are kind, they will go to 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 brothers and sisters, I ask you with sincere words to say sorry for your mistakes and follow God with all your heart. Stay close to Him as He stays close to you. While He is reaching out to you with love, do not turn your hearts away. |
| Jacob 6:6 | Yea, today, if ye will hear his voice, harden not your hearts; for why will ye die? | Yes, today, if you hear His voice, don’t be stubborn; why choose to die? |
| 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? | Look, after you hear God’s good words all day, will you do bad things and be thrown away like a bad tree? |
| 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 the words of the prophets? Will you say no to all the words about Christ, after many have talked about Him? Will you say that the good word of Christ, the power of God, and the gift of the Holy Ghost are not true? Will you make the Holy Spirit stop and make fun of the big plan of saving us? |
| 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? | Do you know that if you do these things, Jesus can make you feel ashamed and guilty when you stand before 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. | Justice is very strong, and it cannot be ignored. You must go into a fire that never stops burning. The fire and smoke last forever, and this fire is full of pain that never ends. |
| 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. | Repent, my dear friends, and go through the narrow gate. Stay on the narrow path until you get eternal life. |
| 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! I will see you again when we stand before God. Bad people will be very scared there. Amen. |
Jacob 7
| Verse | Original | 4th 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. | After some years, a man named Sherem came to the people of Nephi. |
| 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 and told them there would be no Christ. He said many nice things to make the people like him. He did this to make them not believe in Jesus 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 make people follow him. He made many people follow him. He knew that I, Jacob, believed in Jesus who would come, so he looked for many chances to come 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 and knew the people’s language perfectly. Because of this, he could speak very well and trick people, using the power of 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 wanted to make me stop believing, even though I had seen many special things and angels. I had also heard the Lord speak to me. 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. | One day, he came to me and said: Brother Jacob, I wanted to talk to you. I know you go around preaching about Jesus. |
| 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 away to do wrong instead of following God’s way. You are not keeping the law of Moses, which is the right way. You have changed the law of Moses into worshipping someone you say will come hundreds of years from now. Now listen, I, Sherem, say that this is wrong. No one knows this will happen because no one can see the future. These are the things Sherem argued against me. |
| 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 I could confuse him with 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 that Jesus is not real?” He said, “If Jesus was real, I would not say he is not. But I know Jesus is not real and never has been.” |
| Jacob 7:10 | And I said unto him: Believest thou the scriptures? And he said, Yea. | I asked him, “Do you believe 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. | I said to him: You don’t understand them; they talk about Christ. Look, I tell you, all the prophets wrote and spoke about Christ. |
| 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 know this is true because I have heard and seen it. The Holy Ghost showed me. If Jesus did not suffer for our sins, everyone would 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, which 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: Why should I ask God for a sign when you already know the truth? You would still not believe it because you follow the devil. But it’s not up to me; if God wants to show you a sign by punishing you, let that show you His power 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. | When I, Jacob, spoke, the Lord’s power came to him, and he fell down. He was helped 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 said to the people: Come together tomorrow, for I will die. I want to talk to you before I die. |
| 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 many people were together. He spoke clearly to them and said he was wrong before. He told them about Jesus, the Holy Ghost, and angels helping people. |
| 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 in simple words that the devil had tricked him. He talked about hell, forever, and never-ending punishment. |
| 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 very scared because I did something very bad. I lied to God. I said I believed in Jesus and the holy books, but I didn’t. Now I am very afraid because I lied to God. 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. | After he said these words, he couldn’t talk anymore, and 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 the people saw he was about to die and said these things, they were very surprised. God’s power came down on them, and they fell to the ground. |
| 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 for this and He heard me and 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. | And then, everyone felt peace and God’s love again. They read the holy books and didn’t 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. | People tried many ways to help the Lamanites learn the truth, but it didn’t work. The Lamanites liked to fight and hurt people. They hated us and always tried to hurt us with their weapons. |
| 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 made themselves strong with their weapons and all their strength, trusting in God to help save them. Because of this, 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, started to get old. The story of our people was kept on the other plates of Nephi. I finish this writing by saying that time went by, and our lives felt like a dream. We were sad and lonely, far from Jerusalem. We were born in hard times, in a wilderness, and our brothers hated us, which caused fights and wars. So, we spent our days in sorrow. |
| 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, knew I would die soon. So, I said to my son Enos: Take these plates. I told him what my brother Nephi told me, and he promised to obey. Now, I finish writing on these plates, which has been short. To the reader, goodbye. I hope many of my brothers will read my words. Goodbye, brothers. |
Book of Mormon Simplified 